I am writing to you to register my views on the proposed Solihull Draft Local Plan, predominantly for the 'Arden Triangle'.

I believe that it is an absolute ludicrous idea to even entertain developing that whole area, with two new schools and 750 houses due to the reasons that I outline below.

I have attended a couple of the KDBH Neighbourhood Forum meetings and nothing that has been discussed has swayed my mind to believe this proposed plan would work for the village and its inhabitants. As a young parent, that was born and who grew up in the village and is now a permanent resident, I do believe that development is an important element of a village life but it is essential that it must be done so to enrich the village and it must increase benefits for the residents. 'Development' for development sake is completely pointless and will only contribute to the demise of village life and hinder key ingredients which currently make Knowle the great village it is. At a KDBH Forum Meeting, that was attended by the current Head teacher of Arden School, it seemed to be implied that if we objected to this plan we were old fashioned and out of our minds! I can assure you I am neither of these. A KPI for a school is of course its exam results and looking at the exam results for Arden, you cannot, in anyway sanction that improvements need to be made.

We were told at a KDBH forum that Arden school building is currently old fashioned, out dated and not fit for purpose. As an example the school have stated that wi-fi is not accessible to all parts of the school buildings. We had problems with our wi-fi at home, I can assure you that we didn't have a new home built to rectify this problem! Yes, the building is old but surely it can be upgraded without the need for a whole new building and causing a detriment to the whole village in the process. Surely a school should be built around a village and not vice-versa, which is essentially what would happen if the proposed plan would be to go ahead.

One of the main concerns is the loss of Greenbelt land. The KDBH NF have been told that the whole of the Draft Local Plan will only use 2.5% of the borough's Greenbelt. How much in a percentage is that for Greenbelt belonging to only Knowle, Dorridge and Bentley Heath? It has to be a lot higher than 2.5%. The array of animals that occupy and use the Arden Triangle is varied and plentiful. We have spotted Bats to hedgehogs and Buzzards to Snakes. One of the reasons I chose Knowle to bring up my family is the gorgeous setting and expanse of countryside that is on our door step. If this plan does go ahead than this reason for choosing such a great village is greatly taken away from mine and all of the local resident's families.

This brings me on to my next point. After talking to family and friends that live in the area, the vast majority have said they would seriously reconsider their choice of location to home their family and in turn would look to move out of the area. This will of course as a detrimental effect to house prices and in turn it would change the demographic of whom would populate the area. With the proposed plan increasing the village by an enormous 27%, this is way above the national average and completely unsustainable.
Another concern is the infrastructure that is in place is already stretched. The main Warwick Road running through, is already very congested. This congestion does not only occur in the peak flow times but can be quite catastrophic throughout the day. Surely, if this plan does go ahead, then this will only get worse. Especially when the residents are gaining access or leaving the area of Arden School and the proposed housing estate. When the councillor was asked what the answer would be when the roads are jammed, his answer was simply, "we'll build another road". What an appalling answer to give. So this again would impair valuable Greenbelt land and add to the 'Concrete Jungle'. Air pollution will of course only increase and this will have a negative effect on all of the residents, mainly the young and elderly. What measures are in place to combat this? Also, all of the local village primary schools are currently at or near to maximum capacity. Will these schools then be expanded as the local population grows? We chose this area because of the excellent local primary schools, their sizes and their village ethos, sadly this will no longer be the case if they become large three or four form entry. I'm not going to even mention the increased pressure on medical resources, parking in the area and recreational resources.

According to what was said at a KDBH Forum meeting, 50% of the houses built will be affordable/social housing, which massively exceeds the current government guidelines. Taking new build villages nearby as an example, we know that this only increases the buy to let ratio, thus the majority of residents will be tenants and not homeowners. Many studies have proven that this situation causes a rise in petty crime and anti-social behaviour. The crime rates of Knowle, Dorridge and Bentley Heath have increased phenomenally over the last few months alone and this would increase further if these studies are to be considered. Furthermore this will only increase further if the recent movement of policing from the rural areas continues to diminish.

Finally, I would like to re-iterate that I grew up in Knowle and had fantastic opportunities thus wanting my young family to also grow up in Knowle. We chose Knowle and its surrounding area because of the green spaces, location and the typical village life that it offers to its residents. All of these opportunities are in jeopardy if these plans go ahead, which will sadden a great number of residents. In my opinion, when a school dictates its surroundings, it is a very sad state of affairs for the country and for the adults of tomorrow.