Planning Authorities
Metropolitan borough councils and the Combined Authority for West Midlands
West Midlands has no county council. The West Midlands County Council was abolished in 1986. Each of the 7 metropolitan borough councils is the sole planning authority for its area - handling all development applications including strategic sites, minerals and waste. The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) provides strategic economic, transport and housing growth functions and has produced the West Midlands Spatial Development Strategy, which is a material consideration for planning decisions. The West Midlands Green Belt is a major constraint on development across the fringes of all seven boroughs.
Birmingham City Council
Birmingham - England's largest metropolitan authority outside London; 1.1 million residents; major urban regeneration programme
Birmingham's adopted Birmingham Development Plan and emerging City Plan 2050 guide all development. Key regeneration areas include Smithfield (former wholesale markets), Perry Barr (post-Commonwealth Games), Curzon Street (HS2 terminus) and the wider city centre. Aston Hall (Grade I) and St Philip's Cathedral (Grade I) are among Birmingham's most significant listed buildings. Applications near the Jewellery Quarter Conservation Area require detailed heritage assessment.
Coventry City Council
Coventry - UK City of Culture 2021; post-war city centre rebuild; Coventry Cathedral and ring road
Coventry Cathedral (new and old ruins, Grade II*) is a nationally important heritage site. Development affecting the setting of the Cathedral or the ruined medieval Cathedral of St Michael requires Historic England consultation. Coventry's post-war planned city centre, including the pedestrianised precinct designed by Donald Gibson, has emerging heritage recognition. The city is a major EV and battery technology hub.
City of Wolverhampton Council
Wolverhampton - Black Country capital; major regeneration programme; Wolverhampton Interchange transport hub
Wolverhampton has a large amount of brownfield land from former industrial uses, making it a priority for regeneration investment. The city's Black Country Industrial Heritage includes listed canal infrastructure and former iron and steel works. Wolverhampton Interchange integrates rail, metro and bus with major development potential around the station.
Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council
Dudley - Black Country; Dudley Castle, Wren's Nest NNR, Merry Hill shopping centre area
Wren's Nest NNR within Dudley is a National Nature Reserve of international geological importance - a Silurian limestone reef with exceptional fossil content. Development near Wren's Nest requires Natural England consultation. Dudley Castle (Grade I scheduled monument) and the Black Country Living Museum are significant heritage assets.
Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
Sandwell - West Bromwich, Smethwick, Oldbury, Tipton, Wednesbury, Rowley Regis; extensive brownfield land
Sandwell has one of the largest concentrations of brownfield land in England. Contamination assessment and remediation are standard requirements for most development sites given the borough's industrial history. The Black Country Core Strategy and emerging Sandwell Local Plan guide development across what remains one of England's most deprived areas.
Walsall Council
Walsall - Walsall town centre, Bloxwich, Aldridge, Brownhills; the Arboretum and Walsall Leather Quarter
Walsall's northern fringe borders Cannock Chase, a significant open landscape with SSSI designations. Chasewater Country Park within the northern part of the borough is a former reservoir with SSSI designation. The Leather Quarter in Walsall town centre has a concentration of Victorian industrial buildings and a conservation area.
Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council
Solihull - most prosperous West Midlands borough; NEC, Birmingham Airport, HS2 Interchange station, Blythe Valley
Solihull is the location for the HS2 Interchange station at North Solihull - one of the most significant development opportunities in the West Midlands. The UK Central Hub area around the NEC/Birmingham Airport/HS2 Interchange is a strategic growth zone. Birmingham Airport's safeguarding zone covers a large area of Solihull and affects development of tall structures, cranes and communications equipment.
West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA)
Strategic housing, transport and economic growth across all 7 boroughs plus wider region
The WMCA's West Midlands Spatial Development Strategy sets out the strategic approach to housing, employment and green infrastructure across the city-region. The WMCA also manages Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), the West Midlands Metro network, and the Investment Zone programme. Major regeneration schemes often require WMCA-level engagement alongside individual borough applications.
Building Control
Building Regulations approval and inspections across the West Midlands
Metropolitan Borough Building Control Services
Each of the 7 metropolitan boroughs operates its own building control service
Birmingham (0121 303 3000), Coventry (024 7683 3333), Wolverhampton (01902 551155), Dudley (0300 123 7000), Sandwell (0121 569 3890), Walsall (01922 650000) and Solihull (0121 704 5000) each run their own building control service. Registered Building Control Approvers (private inspectors) also operate across all seven boroughs and are commonly used on larger commercial and residential schemes.
Heritage & Conservation
Historic England, Coventry Cathedral, Aston Hall and the West Midlands' industrial heritage
Historic England - Midlands
Statutory consultee for listed buildings, scheduled monuments and conservation areas across all 7 boroughs
The West Midlands has significant industrial heritage alongside medieval and Georgian assets. The Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham (an internationally significant concentration of the jewellery trade), the Black Country canal network and the Bournville model village (Cadbury's planned settlement, locally listed) all require careful heritage assessment for development. The canal network is managed by the Canal and River Trust, which is a statutory consultee for development affecting waterways.
Coventry Cathedral
Priory Street, Coventry - Basil Spence's post-war masterpiece (1962, Grade II*) alongside the bombed medieval ruin
Coventry Cathedral is one of the most significant post-war listed buildings in England. Development affecting its setting requires Historic England and Coventry City Council heritage team engagement. The ruined medieval Cathedral of St Michael (bombed 1940) is separately scheduled and listed. The Cathedral Quarter Conservation Area surrounds the site.
Aston Hall
Trinity Road, Aston, Birmingham - Grade I Jacobean mansion (1618-35); managed by Birmingham Museums Trust
Aston Hall is one of the last great Jacobean country houses in England and is now surrounded by the urban fabric of Birmingham. Development affecting the setting of the Hall or its registered parkland requires Birmingham City Council's heritage team and Historic England consultation.
Canal and River Trust - West Midlands Waterways
Birmingham canal network - 35+ miles within the city; statutory consultee for all development near canals
Birmingham has more miles of canal than Venice. The canal network is a statutory consultee for all planning applications within 8 metres of a canal or navigable waterway. Towpath frontage development, culverting, piling and works near canal structures (bridges, locks, towpaths) all require Canal and River Trust consultation. Many canal structures are individually listed.
Environment & Green Belt
River Tame flood risk, Wren's Nest NNR and the West Midlands Green Belt
Environment Agency - Midlands
Flood risk, water quality, abstraction licensing and environmental permitting across the West Midlands
The Rivers Tame, Cole and Rea run through Birmingham and Sandwell and carry significant flood risk. The River Tame is heavily modified through urban channelisation and is the subject of ongoing naturalisation projects. Development near ordinary watercourses requires lead local flood authority (LLFA) consent from each respective metropolitan borough.
Natural England - Midlands
Wren's Nest NNR, Chasewater SSSI, Sutton Park SSSI and urban ecology designations
Sutton Park (Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham) is one of the largest urban nature reserves in Europe - a National Nature Reserve and SSSI of 2,400 acres. Wren's Nest NNR in Dudley is of international geological significance. Development near these sites requires Natural England consultation and potential Habitats Regulations Assessment.
Utilities & Infrastructure
Water, gas, electricity and road infrastructure serving the West Midlands
Severn Trent Water
Water supply and sewerage across all 7 West Midlands boroughs
Major development across the West Midlands requires early pre-application engagement with Severn Trent's development services team for water supply capacity assessments and sewer connection approvals. The Elan Valley aqueduct system, which supplies Birmingham, is a Grade I listed infrastructure asset. Developers should check for trunk sewer proximity before designing drainage layouts.
National Grid Electricity Distribution - West Midlands
Electricity distribution across all 7 boroughs - formerly Western Power Distribution
Cadent Gas - West Midlands
Gas distribution network across all 7 boroughs
National Highways - M6, M5, M42 and M40
West Midlands motorway network - Spaghetti Junction (M6/A38M), M6 Toll, M5, M42, M40 and A38(M)
The West Midlands has one of England's densest motorway networks. Gravelly Hill Interchange (Spaghetti Junction) is the M6/A38(M) interchange. The M6 Toll is a privately operated motorway north-east of Birmingham. Development generating significant additional traffic on the strategic road network requires a Transport Assessment and National Highways statutory consultation.
Birmingham Airport - Safeguarding
Birmingham Airport, Solihull - extensive safeguarding zone covering much of east Birmingham, Solihull and adjoining areas
Birmingham Airport's safeguarding zone extends across a wide area of east Birmingham, Solihull, Coventry and North Warwickshire. Development including cranes during construction, wind turbines, tall structures, communications masts and solar farms within the zone requires consultation with Birmingham Airport's safeguarding team. The airport's Public Safety Zone also restricts certain uses in areas under the approach and departure paths.
Trade Bodies
Key construction industry organisations serving the West Midlands
Federation of Master Builders - Midlands
Representing SME builders across the West Midlands region
NHBC (National House Building Council)
Building standards and warranty provider for new homes across the West Midlands
LABC (Local Authority Building Control)
Building control warranty and partnership services across West Midlands metropolitan boroughs