No
Draft Local Plan Review
Representation ID: 3450
Received: 16/02/2017
Respondent: Gemma Welch
Site 13 Objection.
Loss of countryside.
Loss of open space for recreation.
Loss of community asset.
Recent developments e.g. Parkgate have resulted in loss of green space.
Road infrastructure unable to cope with 600 houses.
Insufficient parking at Shirley and Whitlocks End train station.
Schools and doctor surgeries oversubscribed.
Solihull hospital downgraded, more will need to travel to Heartlands.
2550 new homes in this area is too much.
Less populated areas in Borough, e.g. Knowle, Dorridge, Hockley Heath, Hampton-in-Arden should be considered.
Council should ensure Birmingham have used all of brownfield sites before any overspill is allocated to Solihull.
I am writing to register my objection to the loss of Allocation 13 to the proposed new build developments.
This piece of land represents the only piece of countryside which is accessible for thousands of residents within the B90 area.
The piece of land known as Allocation 13 enables the local community access to the natural environment and is very well used by families, walkers and dog owners alike. The land provides a valuable community amenity, which should be protected.
There have been a number of recent developments within the B90 postcode including Parkgate, which has resulted in the loss of parkland and green space for residents to enjoy and other large scale developments such as Dickens Heath taking acres of greenbelt land.
Residing on Neville Road, I feel that the roads and surrounding infrastructure would not be able to cope with the proposed 600 houses to Allocation 13. There is already insufficient parking at nearby Shirley and Whitlocks End train stations. Places at already oversubscribed schools will become even harder to obtain. Solihull Hospital has already been downgraded and does not meet the needs of residents of Solihull, who often have to travel to Heartlands and further afield when treatment is required. Doctors surgeries have closed patient lists and I cannot see how the area could cope with such large scale development.
Working within residential development and acting for social housing landlords and new build developers I am not opposed to development. However, given the large scale of the proposed development to Allocation 13 and other surrounding proposed sites (totalling 2550 new homes), the proposals are too vast and confined to one area. Surely there are other less populated areas within the Solihull Borough (such as Knowle, Dorridge, Hockley Heath, Hampton in Arden) which could be considered leaving residents of B90 with some accessible green space, having already lost most of it.
It should also be a priority for Solihull Council to ensure that Birmingham City Council have used all of the brownfield sites available to them before any overflow of allocation is passed to Solihull.