Bromsgrove News
The latest Bromsgrove news: planning decisions, council and crime updates, business and community stories, each linked back to its official source.
Top story
Littleheath Lane: 8 Green Belt homes, flood objection stands
Planners back up to 8 homes on Green Belt off Littleheath Lane, Lickey End, while the flood officer's objection stands. 12 objections, no support.
More stories
Community
Beautiful Bromsgrove book: 150 local views, out 30 Sept
Peter Hawcroft's Beautiful Bromsgrove, out 30 September at £15.95, gives a grid reference for every one of its 150 photos so you can find each view yourself.
Community
Creative Friends Bromsgrove Gets £20,000 for Free Youth Art
A £20,000 National Lottery grant keeps Creative Friends running at Artrix for a year and adds a free monthly Young Creators workshop from 13 October.
Parking
Bromsgrove Town Centre Parking: The 7 Car Parks Left
Stourbridge Road closed on 24 September, taking 71 spaces. The seven council car parks left, their prices, and the four that take season tickets.
Business
Dudley Building Society Opens at 23 Bromsgrove High Street
The society's first Worcestershire branch opened on 21 September in the old Co-op Funeralcare. Lloyds and Halifax shut on the same street in May 2025.
Planning
Hagley Western Road: 350 homes, comment by 18 October
Taylor Wimpey wants up to 350 homes on fields south of Western Road, Hagley, half of them affordable. Feedback closes 18 October, drop-in 9 October.
A38
Bromsgrove A38 Crash: Cyclist in His 80s Dies at New Road
A man in his 80s died at the A38 junction with New Road on Tuesday. Police want dashcam footage. No cyclist died in the district in the five years to 2025.
House prices
Bromsgrove house prices: June's record revised away
The average Bromsgrove home was £335,607 in July, up 2.3% on the year. June's record £339,163 has been revised down by £3,380 and is no longer a record.
Jobs
Bromsgrove jobless claims hit 1,560, most since 2024
1,560 people in the Bromsgrove district claimed jobless benefits in August, up 80 in a month and the most since November 2024. Charford is now on 6.4%.
Rail
Bromsgrove Cross City Trains: Six an Hour, Early 2030s
Two extra Cross City trains an hour would serve Bromsgrove and Redditch, but the scheme's own published timeline puts them in the early 2030s.
M42
M42 Fatal Collision, Portway to Hopwood: Police Appeal
A pedestrian died on the M42 westbound between junctions 3 and 2 late on 10 September. Police want dashcam footage. Our DfT data shows the district record.
Business
Bromsgrove Sainsbury's Opens 1 October With 100 Jobs
Sainsbury's opens at Brook Retail Park on Thursday 1 October with about 100 jobs. Four rival chains objected, and its sales floor is capped at 1,579 sq m.
A38 BREP
BREP Bromsgrove: Oakalls Now Runs to Summer 2027
The Minister for Roads says most of BREP finishes in early 2027 and Oakalls Roundabout in summer 2027, and refuses to hand the A38 job to National Highways.
Council tax
Bromsgrove sent 1,340 council tax debts to bailiffs, up 71%
Referrals jumped from 785 to 1,340 in 2025/26, the highest in three years, while Bromsgrove collected 97.84% of its council tax, the best rate in Worcestershire.
Planning
Buntsford Hill: 112 objections, one letter of support
The 293-home Buntsford Hill file now holds 115 public comments: 112 object, one supports. Comments close 8 September, and 85 of them name Avoncroft Museum.
Licensing
Hagley Community Centre: alcohol licence bid to midnight
Hagley Community Association wants to sell alcohol and stage live music from noon to midnight, every day. Written representations close on 17 September.
Schools
Bromsgrove school places: apply 1 Sept, high school 31 Oct
Applications for September 2027 open on Tuesday 1 September. Bromsgrove's high schools admit at 13, so the 31 October deadline catches Year 8, not Year 6.
Parks
Bromsgrove and Rubery skatepark survey shuts 14 September
The council wants to refurbish the skateparks at Sanders Park and St Chad's Park, Rubery. Drop-ins on 4 and 8 September, survey closes midnight on the 14th.
Planning
Bromsgrove Golf Centre: 700 homes, 542 objections
National Highways wants permission withheld for three months and England Golf objects. 551 comments are in, 542 against, and consultation ends 6 September.
A38 BREP
BREP delay: what the county says about penalties
Delay damages only bite past the latest accepted programme, and the contractor covers half of any overspend up to 10 per cent. Spend is about £35m of £49.7m.
House prices
Bromsgrove house prices hit a record £339,163
The average Bromsgrove home reached £339,163 in June, the highest in Land Registry records back to 1995. May's fall was revised away. Malvern Hills is still £11,743 dearer.
Jobs
Bromsgrove jobless claims: 6% in Charford, 1% a mile away
The district rate held at 2.5% in July. Behind it, Charford is on 6.0% and Slideslow on 1.0%, and both are wards of Bromsgrove town little more than a mile apart.
Parking
Stourbridge Road car park closes on 25 September
Bromsgrove's 71-space Stourbridge Road car park shuts for good on 25 September. The scheme replacing it still has no permission. Object by 4 September.
Schools
Ofsted Bromsgrove: 6 report cards, Beaconside strong in 7
Six Bromsgrove district schools and nurseries now have Ofsted's new report cards. Beaconside is strong in all seven areas, Crown Meadow needs attention in five.
Planning
Buntsford Hill 293 homes plan: comment by 8 September
Outline plans for up to 293 homes on 13.67 hectares of Green Belt fields beside Avoncroft Museum are open for comment until 8 September. Half the homes would be affordable. What the papers say and how to respond.
Housing
Bromsgrove housing register: everyone must reapply from 17 Aug
Home Choice Plus closes and Bromsgrove Home Choice opens on 17 August. Old applications do not carry over: reapply by 1 October to keep your waiting time. Key dates, the six new bands and the income limits.