1) Building on Green field land. SMBC should not be encouraging development on green field sites, there are precious few left and I do pose the question have any other brown field sites been considered ?
2) Potential loss of prime agricultural land.

3) Loss of accessible recreational sports facilities which seems contradictory to improving health and wellbeing for everyone.

4) The designated area is within the Meriden Gap, an area that you have recognized is under considerable development threat and should be protected where possible. It is possible to meet your own commitment by not promoting this site for development.

5) Whilst you recognize that most of the bordering roads will need upgrading I do not believe this will go anywhere to resolving the ongoing traffic issues that this area is constantly subjected to: widening roads does not reduce traffic. Promoting a site of 700 dwellings will ultimately result in potentially 1400 more vehicles in the immediate area and 6000 + traffic movements per day. The continual expansion of JLR facilities will result in increase in traffic particularly on Damson Parkway and Lugtrout Lane, particularly at shift pattern changing times, which will be exacerbated by the movements to and from dwellings.

6) Upgrading two of the roads mentioned namely Lugtrout Lane and Field Lane has the potential of completely changing the character of the rural local area, a feature which SMBC continually promote as a reason why the Borough is so popular. I do pose the question of how will footpaths be installed along the length of Lugtrout Lane.

7) The plan also recognizes that certain facilities need increasing, namely schools, public transport and local health services. The plan seems to contain no guarantees that the increased provision will be provided. Schools and local surgeries are already over –subscribed. At present bus services in the area do not meet requirements for new developments in terms of frequency. Currently operators have shown little interest in improving them.

8) Policy P19 Range and quality of Local Services promotes developments will need to be sensitive to local character and enhance public realm and suggest that a development of this size in this locality fails to meet this criteria.

9) By allocating this site for development SMBC are breaching one of its own objectives namely protecting key gaps between urban areas and rural settlements. The fields you have selected are areas that separate the settlement of Catherine-De Barnes from Solihull.

I do hope you will consider the points raised when you discuss the proposed plan.

Yours faithfully

Graham Roderick

401 Lugtrout Lane, Catherine-De-Barnes, Solihull B91 2TN

As a resident of Lugtrout Lane in Catherine-De-Barnes, I wish to voice my concerns and objection over the possible building of 700 new homes according to the SMBC Masterplan SO1 East of Solihull. I recognize that SMBC have to provide a solution to the identified housing shortage, but I ask you to review your intention to include this particular site in the plan on the grounds listed below.