Here is my response to the draft local plan. This focuses on the excessive amount of new housing development proposed for Knowle.

Total number of houses
The 1,050 houses proposed for Knowle is vastly excessive and totally out of scale with other locations. It is effectively a 20% increase in the size of the village (based on the existing number of households). I don't understand why there are no allocations proposed for Dorridge or Bentley Heath. Dorridge would be a much sensible solution for sustainable development with the rail connection.

The total number of houses is totally out of scale with the size of Knowle and will significantly exacerbate already very serious traffic congestion along the High Street and Station Road (not just new residents but deliveries, visitors etc). It will have a seriously detrimental impact on the village character turning it into a medium sized town.

The scale of housing development in Knowle is not justified by the evidence base, some of which is flawed in any case.

The Arden Triangle
I would like to strongly object to the number of houses proposed on the Arden Triangle. The scale of 750 houses is not justified by the Council's evidence base with the findings of the LCA that this area was only suitable for small scale developments. Such a large site will cause significant loss of some of the most attractive and valuable Arden landscape around Knowle and Dorridge. I don't think this area was appropriately assessed in the Green Belt Assessment. It is a very valuable and loved rural part of the village and provides a prominent and attractive landscape when approached from the south. Any development on this land near the Warwick Road would be highly visible and have a detrimental impact on the visual amenity when approaching Knowle. The area also includes important wildlife habitats.

Development on this site in any scale is not sustainable and would exacerbate already unacceptable congestion along the High Street and Station Road.

A dispersed pattern of development involving sites in Dorridge and Bentley Heath would be more appropriate for the area.

Whilst I accept there has to be a certain amount of development in the area a dispersed solution would be far more preferable and have less impact on the character of the area, less impact on road congestion and result in less impact on the Green Belt and Countryside.

Affordable housing
The 50% affordable housing is pointless as being within such an affluent area they will never actually be genuinely affordable. Furthermore by insisting on such a high percentage of affordable housing it makes achieving the community benefits much less likely as developers will have to factor this in their appraisals. It would be better to have much less affordable housing to make the benefits stack up. Furthermore developers will not be able to provide the required type of housing under the starter home scheme.


In summary the total number of houses proposed is far too many for the size of Knowle. Development should be dispersed to minimise impact on the community and congestion involving more sustainable development in Dorridge and Bentley Heath. The Arden Triangle proposal would have a seriously detrimental impact on very valuable green belt and the character of the village.

Regards