Object

Solihull Local Plan (Draft Submission) 2020

Representation ID: 14870

Received: 13/12/2020

Respondent: Dr P and Mrs D Brotherton

Number of people: 2

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? Not specified

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

Representation Summary:

Objects to BC5;
strip the lane of tranquillity and beauty it provides - Impact on Wildlife - Worse impacts of flooding - Lane cannot provide for significant uptake in vehicles - access to the proposed site would be dangerous - lack of amenities to support housing.

Full text:

We are against the proposal: --

1. We have lived in Wootton Green Lane for 33 years. It is possibly one of the prettiest lanes in Balsall Common, and very popular with walkers, ramblers, cyclists and nature lovers. To build here would strip the lane and many people of the beauty and tranquility the lane affords.

2. Wildlife In this picture-postcard lane there is bountiful wildlife; badger setts, hedgehogs, wild rabbits, occasional deer, owls, woodpeckers, herons and we have bats every summer in our garden and in the field behind our property (for 33 years).

3. There is much flooding. The field gets very waterlogged. Our garden quickly becomes submerged in water and has been a big problem (made worse even by one house being replaced with two next door to us). We have many a time had our goldfish from our tiny pond swim around on our big lawn in up to 9 inches of water.

The lane is already dangerous. Single country roads not large enough to support the significant uptake in vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians. No pavements.

4, It is a narrow, country lane, not built for a massive housing estate. Already, increased traffic comes via Barston from Solihull and along beautiful but narrow and bendy Wootton Lane. This is already a problem now that Park Lane is closed and the A452 crossed blocked. It would be dangerous.

5. There are two sharp bends in Wootton Green Lane, one is a right-angle bend, we have seen collisions here, and it has become ever more dangerous with cars using the lane as a short-cut.

6. The other sharp bend is by our house, and it is sometimes quite dangerous reversing - heaven knows what it would be like with a few more cars, let alone hundreds.

A452 Dual carriage way is one way. This road has previously seen very serious accidents.
7. Access to the proposed site would be very dangerous, the lane is not suitable being a country lane and access from the Kenilworth Road would be treacherous. For years during rush hour there are long queues through Balsall Common, where the bypass made little difference, because many are accessing the huge number of housing estates we already have. Another road plus a supermarket traffic would be utterly chaotic.

8. Lack of amenities in the area to support the uptake in housing here, no shops, commercial, industry to sustain the housing. Lack of public space to support housing.

We hope you will take the time to consider these views