The massive upheaval caused by HS2, combined with the worry and uncertainty relating to the potential location of new housing development(s) is a major concern for all residents of Balsall Common. The possibility of a FURTHER swathe of greenbelt being swallowed up by a bypass will totally devastate the remaining green and rural areas to the east of the village forever.

The cost of constructing a bypass along the proposed route to serve the potential Barrets Farm development would be exorbitant. Instead, new homes could be constructed in a combination of the smaller proposed sites in the Solihull region which would reduce the infrastructure spend and distribute any increase in traffic more evenly across the area.

Significant improvements to the nearby A46 have now commenced which are likely to negate the need for a bypass. Phase 3 of the improvements incorporating the proposed link road from the A46 to the A452 is likely to deliver a much better traffic relief solution for Balsall Common and Kenilworth than the proposed expensive bypass by downgrading the A452 through Kenilworth and Balsall Common town and the village centres respectively. This means that there is a very strong economic case to defer any bypass decisions until the these improvements are finalised.

Construction of a bypass would indirectly support increased car usage which in turn would significantly increase greenhouse gas emissions. This directly contradicts the commendable statement made in the 2013 local plan - 'Transport policy is now focused more towards the management of travel demands, encouraging a shift away from car use and towards public transport, walking and cycling.'

If the bypass was built and used as a new green belt boundary, there would be nothing to stop further housing developments in the future on the beautiful area of open countryside to the west of the boundary line. By NOT building the proposed bypass and thereby retaining the existing greenbelt boundary this potential catastrophe will be avoided.

Page 34 of the 2019 Local Plan (Site 23 Pheasant Oak Farm) states that any housing development in this particular area should 'safeguard the rural character of Hob Lane and Windmill Lane'. Whilst this statement is to be applauded, it does raise the question how the rural character of Hob Lane in particular could be maintained if a bypass was constructed that crossed directly over this road?

The bypass (in its currently proposed form) would cut directly through (or extremely close to) existing homes on both Waste Lane and Hob Lane, permanently destroying the rural character of the area for existing residents, a number of whom have invested their life savings on their properties.

Both Waste Lane and Hob Lane are narrow country roads, totally unsuitable as access points for a bypass due to the additional traffic that would be generated. Hob Lane, in particular is completely unable to handle any additional traffic due to the hazardous tight turns located by the primary school further up the lane.

Recent bat surveys carried out in connection with roofing works to our property in Hob Lane confirmed the presence of a summer roost for a number of male common pipistrelle bats in the roof of our property and also clearly showed bat foraging activity in the surrounding area of Hob Lane. Current legislation and National Planning Policy that protects bats in England makes it illegal to deliberately disturb bats, whether at roost or not and/or damage, destroy or obstruct access to bat roosts. The construction of a bypass across Hob Lane would be entirely inappropriate from both an environmental and a legislative perspective because it would destroy the bats' natural habitat.

The bypass will cause irreversible damage to our countryside and destroy the unique character of Berkswell and Balsall Common for its residents.

For the above reasons I feel very strongly that any plans for the bypass should be scrapped and the proposal to safeguard the line of the bypass should be permanently removed.