There are a number of potential problems with this development:

1) There has not been a full analysis carried out on the number of new homes that could be developed on Brownfield land around Solihull Town Centre following the closure of many shops and office facilities so surely this needs to be investigated before any high performing green belt sites are released. Isn’t it Central Government Policy is to protect the Green Belt and develop Brown Field sites first?
2) Development of the proposed site will undoubtedly have a significant adverse effect on the local Wildlife sites and also Ancient Woodland.
3) Development of the site is un-sustainable despite claims to the contrary from the Sustainability Appraisal, this is also indicated by the vast amount of mitigation that the council has already suggested would be needed to permit the development to proceed.
4) The proposed re-location of the Sports Fields is fundamentally flawed. The upheaval to the club members and relocation of the facilities is not practical, also the proposed new site is insufficient for the needs of the clubs involved.
5) The proposed development will not integrate with the existing award winning village of Dickens Heath. The character of the village will be adversely affected and it’s identity compromised.
6) Site 4 / BL1 is surrounded by both local Wildlife Sites and Ancient Woodland. Natural England have clearly stated that current ecological networks should not be compromised and future improvements in habitat connectivity are not prejudiced, have the council taken this into consideration?
7) Traffic & Parking - This is probably one of the most significant problems in the village as it stands today. Any plans to expand this further will only exacerbate the problem further not to mention provide the potential for a more serious accident in an area which is already significantly overdeveloped.
8) The proposed development is not within “easy” walking distance from the village centre facilities which further adds to the un-sustainability of the development. The council have stated that a new footpath would be needed to the PRIVATE road of Birchy Close to reduce the walking distance but this is not viable or legally achievable?
9) The Village is already serving as a commuter settlement due to the increased levels of car ownership, any additional housing will only exacerbate this and contribute further to pollution levels and global warming.
10) The council’s flooding report states that Site 4 is mostly in Flood Zone 1, however those of us that actually live in these areas are able to testify otherwise, for example the sports fields flood multiple time every year now as a result of increased rainfall and the known fact that the area has a high content of bolder clay that inhibits and restricts drainage. Any further dwellings will again only exacerbate this problem.

I trust my comments and input will be taken into consideration at the appropriate time along with the views of other residents who are opposed to this proposal.