LDP - Proposed Housing Allocation 18

I wish to register my many objections to this site being included in the Local Plan.

My objections are many:

1. Loss of wildlife habitat - it provides a haven for wildlife within an otherwise built up area. Its not just the common animals and birds that would suffer but rarer badgers, bats, woodpeckers, hawks and hedgehogs as well. These would all be displaced.

2. Permanent loss of sports field - there is a shortage of pitches for our youngsters within the community already, many have been sacrificed over the last 30 years and this site must not be lost. The existing lessee must be forced to allow it to be used for its intended purpose, or lose the lease.

3. Loss of local recreational facility - this field provides locals with a vital open space to walk and relax and exercise their dogs, kick balls about and fly kites.

4. Unsuitable development - the density of the planned site is many times that of the surrounding houses and would be out of character for the area

5. Increased traffic - the extra traffic generated by the development will cause serious overloading of the already busy junctions of Sharmans Cross Road, giving increased queue lengths at rush hour at both ends of the road. The access road will form another side road queue to this road system that is already overloaded at rush hour. The additional junction is almost opposite Woodside Way, so the added complexity in the traffic flow at this point increases accident risk, and risk to cyclists and school children alike. There will also be an increase in traffic exhaust pollution.

6. Lack of adequate parking - the development will give rise to at least an additional 160 vehicles. The development itself is unlikely to provide enough parking capacity and cars will inevitably spill onto Sharmans Cross road itself, again adding another increment to the traffic dangers. Also the existing site provides overflow parking for Solihull Arden Tennis club, the loss of which will add hugely to the parking problem.

7. Poor drainage and increased flood risk - Sharmans Cross road historically floods easily and the additional dwellings will add to the overload the drainage systems.

8. Overload of schools and medical centres - these are already oversubscribed and more population means poorer service for existing residents

In conclusion, this should not be included in the local plan. Its submission is a re-run of a previous planning application already refused on the overwhelming evidence of the unsuitability and availability of this site.