Having attended the meeting on Saturday 7th January regarding the Solihull Plan and how it may effect Balsall Common, I remain extremely concerned of the apparent lack of thought that has been invested into the Draft Local Plan and the irreversible damage the proposed developments will have. In particular, I would note the following significant concerns and would welcome your detailed responses;

1. Schooling - whilst we accept that in the medium to long term, measures could be put in place to accommodate the resulting need for increased school places, no detailed consideration whatsoever has been given to the existing circumstances and the short term impact any additional housing will have. The current schooling provision is already at absolute capacity and there is no opportunity to accommodate further pupils. With our children attending the local schools, we are acutely aware of the issues already created by over-population, including lessons being unable to be taken due to insufficient space, children sitting on the floor eating their lunch because there is insufficient room and last minute changes to timetable to accommodate basic provision. Only last week our daughter had PE cancelled owing to lack of available timetable space with regard to the school hall. The school hall is tiny and used by over 700 children for lunchtimes and PE. The situation is already far from acceptable and any additional pressure will only make things worse. Before any Plan is advanced, proper consideration must be given to this area.

2. Infrastructure - we find it astonishing that no detailed consideration has been given to the infrastructure changes required on the back of any new development. The village is already struggling to cope, there is insufficient parking and the major transport routes and nodes throughout the village already are clogged. We'd invite you to witness this yourselves during school drop up, pick up and rush hour times. Unfortunately and given the nature of HGV and bus traffic using the roads, it is only a matter of time before a serious accident occurs and your apparent neglect of this key area to date is shocking. We fail to understand why a sensible and balanced infrastructure plan is not formulated first, followed by the housing plan thereafter. By proceeding in this manner, we would expect far more sympathy and acceptance from the people living within the village.

3. Site selection - it was clear from the meeting that little thought had been given to this area - especially with regard to what would be best for the village and it's residents. Instead, the developers (who set to profit handsomely from any development) have ear marked the sites and the Council has done little diligence to challenge the proposals. We'd also note that perfectly adequate brownfield sites have seemingly been neglected; we'd ask that these are reconsidered as a matter of urgency.


Overall, the meeting on Saturday was very disappointing. The Council attendees were clearly ill-prepared, did little to acknowledge or respond to villagers' concerns and gave the very strong impression that regardless of any resistance, the decision had already been made. We'd also note that the communication of this meeting was very poor and the Council should accept its responsibility to better communicate future meetings to build awareness.

In summary, the Plan as it relates to Balsall Common is ill-conceived, has neglected the current issues within the Village and has completely ignored some significant challenges that must be addressed if any additional housing within the Village is going to work. Rather than rush this through, we'd urge the Council re-draft the draft Plan in light of resident's concerns as opposed to make a significant mistake that current and future generations living in the village will need to bear.

I would also like to to make the following points with regarding the Council's Draft Local Plan with specific reference to Q15:

I wish to object to the development of site 3 in particular (Kenilworth Road, Balsall Common) and would propose that serious consideration be given to the development of site 240 (Wootton Green Lane, Balsall Common), as an alternative.

The BARRAGE action group have provided a detailed review of this site as noted below. In addition to these points I would like to highlight that a significant area of private land which will not be available for development is included within the hatched area of greenbelt land as noted on the local plan. The gardens of Kerly Close and the Paddock are all privately owned and as such will not be available for development.

In addition the land behind these properties is an area of significant flooding and which currently includes a drainage ditch, the maintenance and upkeep of this would need to be taken into account in any planning permission given, as its removal could result in flooding of the existing properties.

Other reasons for my objection are below, based on the outcome of the investigations undertaken by the BARRAGE action group and as such the evidence and supporting information can be found in their report.

1) Balsall Common fails to meet the Council's own specified criteria for high frequency public transport and therefore is not a settlement with good accessibility. As such, the allocation of circa 20% of new housing in the Borough to Balsall Common, is in breach of SMBC's policy that "all new development should be focused in the most accessible locations".

2) Moreover it is a settlement with limited employment opportunities and therefore most people have to commute to work by car. A significant expansion will add unnecessary pressure to the road network as well adding to the carbon footprint. There are no proposed Sprint Runs to mitigate for this.

3) The proposed allocation of 3 greenfield sites in Balsall Common, when there are 14 PDL (Previously Developed Land) sites available, would strongly suggest that due consideration has not been given to these sites. As such, the "very special circumstances" to justify inappropriate development in the greenbelt have NOT been demonstrated.

4) The development of site 3, being in the south of Balsall Common, will add to the congestion hotspots on the A452 caused by northbound traffic heading to the main employment centres.

5) The development of site 3 (200 units), in addition to the two sites currently under construction on the Kenilworth Road (115 units), will inevitably cause delays to drivers trying to access the A452. As a consequence, the risk of accidents will increase as drivers attempt to exit these sites in a situation even more difficult than it is today. Windmill Lane will become even more of a "rat run".

6) Site 3 scores poorly in relation to all accessibility criteria, as defined by SMBC, apart from the Primary School. As such most journeys to the shops, medical centre and railway station will have to be by car, adding to the existing congestion and parking difficulties

7) To alter the boundaries surrounding the Crest Nicholson developments on the Kenilworth Road (sites 22 and 23), in order to develop site 3, would directly contravene National policy, as these boundaries were regarded as permanent.

8) The existence of the Berkswell Windmill (Grade II* listed building), as well as Great Crested Newts, a European protected species, has been overlooked in the Council's assessment. As the setting of this iconic landmark will be harmed, the proposal is in breach of National policy.

9) Using the same criteria as the Council to assess sites, part- PDL site 240 outperforms site 3. Given that the area is larger than site 3, this site should be re-assessed by the Council with a view to allocation instead of site 3.

10) The phasing of all 3 proposed allocations for development to take place in years 1 - 5, at the same time as HS2 and the site at Riddings Hill, will place intolerable strain on the settlement. There will be insufficient time to effectively plan for and deliver the necessary improvements to both infrastructure and facilities, which are already overstretched. In particular, the current Primary School provision is wholly inadequate. This directly contravenes SMBC's stated intent to "manage the growth."

In light of the above, I would support the recommendations from BARRAGE that:

1) A re-assessment is made of the appropriateness of significantly expanding Balsall Common, given its poor accessibility using public transport

2) If there is justification for significantly expanding Balsall Common, then an holistic view is taken as to where housing is best located, with due consideration to be given to the re-use of PDL sites in preference to "greenfield" as well as congestion hot spots

3) The phasing of any development must recognise the impact and disruption of HS2

4) The necessary infrastructure to support any significant expansion must be identified and planned for alongside any development

5) SMBC consults on ALL PDL SITES, which fall within or are adjacent to Balsall Common, with a view to potential allocation with immediate effect to ensure the community is fully engaged

6) Site 3 is removed from the Draft Local Plan as it is not compliant with both National and Borough planning policies and, as such, is not sustainable.