Object

Solihull Local Plan (Draft Submission) 2020

Representation ID: 13694

Received: 14/12/2020

Respondent: Jonathan Moore

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? Not specified

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

Representation Summary:

- Concern over infrastructure and facilities within the village being overstretched
- Suggests access would be better from Frog Lane, which could be widened without impacting any properties, avoiding Balsall Common all together
-Localised flooding would be worsened. Incident: 200617-000101 as an example.
- Road safety concern - the possibility of a vehicle overshooting the end of the access road.
- Tree loss would displace buzzards

Change suggested by respondent:

- Suggests access would be better from Frog Lane, which could be widened without impacting any properties, avoiding Balsall Common all together

Full text:

Dear Sir,

I am writing to you in response to SMBC’s Local Plan, as I am very concerned about how it will affect both the village and my property specifically. I have lived in Balsall Common for most of my life and have seen it grow enormously in that time. However, the infrastructure and facilities within the village have hardly changed and are already overstretched before there is any further development. Looking at a map of proposed development within the borough, it would seem that Balsall Common is being unfairly targeted, especially as the development allocated to Berkswell parish, actually impacts on Balsall Common village.

I am primarily concerned about the proposed development in Frog Lane (BC2), which is planned to access Balsall Street East directly opposite my property. Surely it would make more sense for access to be gained from Frog Lane, which would mean that any travel towards Warwick/Stratford/M40/new JLR site at Honiley would avoid Balsall Common all together? This would also mean that the site, if it goes ahead, would use existing road junctions. That portion of Frog Lane also has capacity to be widen without impacting on any properties, but seems to have been ignored.

Along with the other properties on the North side of Balsall Street East at this point, my house sits below road level. We already suffer from localised flooding (2 incidents this year so far see Incident: 200617-000101 as an example), along with our neighbours, after and during periods of heavy or prolonged rainfall. This development will essentially act as an elevated rainwater catchment area, which is then being pointed at our property via the proposed entrance road, what are the council’s plans to protect the properties on the northern side of the road from increased flooding risk?

Solihull planning seems to ignore this risk of property flooding from the council managed byways as can been seen in the approval of the demolition of the bungalow at the corner of Frog Lane and Balsall Street East, to replace gardens with parking for 6 apartments, all to now drain on to Balsall Street East. Please can you confirm the drainage plans for the proposed development.

Our living room is on the front of our property – what protection will we be offered from the headlights of the 100+ vehicles that will be coming in & out of this new development, or the possibility of a vehicle overshooting the end of the access road?

There are currently a number of mature trees at the back of the property that is to be demolished which provide a nesting site to a breeding pair of buzzards. The buzzard is fully protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which makes it an offence to kill, injure or take a buzzard, or to take, damage or destroy an active nest or its contents. Please can you confirm that these trees are not impacted by the proposed development.

I never received any feedback regarding the objections raised in 2017 to the draft plan, please can you advise the process for residents and tax payers to receive feedback to objections raised?

Yours faithfully,

Jonathan Moore