I agree a bypass for Balsall Common is well overdue, as quoted in your plan 80% of the traffic goes straight through Balsall Common on the A452. The stress on that road being used for HS2 and housing construction traffic will cause grid lock in Balsall Common. We already experience this on many occasions if the M6, M40 or the M42 are closed, all traffic gets re routed via the A452.
Your focus on the HS2 construction traffic is applauded which I focused on in my HS2 petition on December 1st 2014 at 2.57pm. The destruction to our lanes and lives would be overwhelming and totally destructive so the Haul Route is a welcomed addition to the management of the construction for HS2 and the housing invasion.
Whilst reviewing your plans for Barretts Farm in particular, I realised although you have taken into account that 1600 more dwellings means we cannot accommodate pupils in our existing schools, which already have waiting lists, with the inclusion of a new primary school, I was dismayed that you had not included a new shopping centre. I welcome your intention to set up a "Village Centre Master Plan" to improve our existing village centre. We have already proposed plans for shared space and changes to the library car park which SMBC have been included in consultation and we have pavements that are dangerous and trees half cut down which although we have informed SMBC nothing has been done.
Station Parking improvements are a must which you have included. This will accommodate the overflow of vehicles we already have that park on Station Road and Hall Meadow. If you add to that the lorry movement of 400 lorries a day down Meadow Hall for 3 years this is essential.
Phasing Barrett's Farm and using the bypass for construction vehicles is a must as you have suggested.
I do however believe you have not shown us any plans on how you will accommodate another 1725 houses, which will at an estimate of all the houses being 3 beds will mean another 5175 residents, needing to use the surgery. At the last census in 2011 which does not include recent house builds in our area such as Elysian Gardens there were 9050 residents in Berkswell and Balsall Common. So you are going to add more than half our population again without building another surgery.
You cannot get an appointment at the surgery now without a long wait and I cannot see how 8 doctors will be able to accommodate this. I believe this is a serious omission to your plans.