To whom it may concern,

I’m writing to outline my objectionS to further development of a further 350 homes at site 4, Dickens Heath.

A large majority of residents purchased property in the area to be in a small safe community, within a certain secondary school zone. Secondary schools are over subscribed. There has been talk of further primary schools but nothing addresses the lack of secondary school options.

The sports fields included in site 4 will affect our children who play rugby and football on these fields.

The land is high grade GREEN BELT – Government policy is to protect Green Belt and develop Brownfield land first.

Site 4 is surrounded by Local Wildlife Sites and Ancient Woodland – this will be so detrimental to the deer, badgers, bats and other wildlife that roam in these fields and adjoining woodland. There are barn owls nesting in this area. There have been migrating Egrits in some of these fields.

The road network in Dickens Heath cannot take further development and is already overloaded and problematic.

The whole area of Dickens Heath and surrounding land is prone to flooding. Site 4 is mostly in flood Zone 1, these fields flood every winter and whenever there is a particularly heavy rainfall as the area is of bolder clay that restricts permeability. If anything we should be planting more trees to build up a root system to help with the existing issues.

The character and setting of the Village will be adversely affected and sense of community and identity compromised. There are strong, definable boundaries to the existing Village being the canal and the woodlands and ancient hedgerows. The way things are going Dickens Heath will be an extension of Shirley. The infrastructure doesn’t cope as it is.
Thank you for your consideration.