No
Draft Local Plan Review
Representation ID: 2803
Received: 14/02/2017
Respondent: Simon Eastwood
Object to housing Site 18 as will increase pressure on already oversubscribed schools and the number of rejections in an area already experiencing the highest number of rejected applications, with no provision for increasing places at local infant/junior school, will increase traffic congestion and danger to school children and cyclists on Sharmans Cross Road especially around the school start/finish times and at junction with Streetsbrook Road, will result in loss of sporting facilities when there is a covenant to retain, great demand from local sport teams but priced out by rent demands, and local services already stretched.
LDP - Proposed Housing Allocation 18
I wish to object to the planning application that has been made in respect of the Oakmoor housing development intended to be carried out behind Sharmans Cross Road.
My particular objections to the application that I would like to draw your attention to are as follows:
Increased pressure on already pressurized schools in the catchment area
As has been featured in The Times newspaper only very recently, Solihull has now the highest number of rejected applications per school place in the country. By building this development, and with half turned over to 'affordable housing' targeted presumably at younger people with families, this will only lead to further increases in school application rejections. There is only one infant and one primary school in this catchment area and I can see no provision provided to increase the number of places at either of these schools. Additionally, around Sharmans Cross school at school start and finish times, this area is very congested, and is a particular danger to pedestrian school children and cyclists. By building this development nearby, the traffic chaos at school pick up & drop off times will only increase, as well as add to the congestion at the Streetsbrook road junction at busy times.
Loss of sporting facilities
My understanding is that there is a covenent on this land that this land should only be used for sporting purposes. The leasehold was sold to Oakmoor on the formal understanding and agreement that this would continue, and that the land sold only at a price based on the land used for sports only. This covenant I understand was ratified further by Solihull council in 2013, by all political parties. There is a great demand from local sports teams to use this pitch but Oakmoor have priced teams out of the market with sky high rent demands of £60,000/year. This land is designated recreational and was created for that purpose - it was not designed for, nor indeed the lease sold with the intention for a private property developer to profit from squeezing high density housing into an already developed urban area with already stretched local ameneties and services.
I trust that this planning application does not meet planning guidelines and therefore will be refused.