Object

Draft Local Plan - Supplementary Consultation

Representation ID: 6921

Received: 03/03/2019

Respondent: Nick Tickner

Representation Summary:

There are some positives, but the current traffic load on the roads is becoming a problem, and this will make it much worse.

Public transport links are already poor, and either not used (the bus link) or overcrowded (the train to Bhm).

Too much building has taken place in Dickens Heath over the past 10 years. Expecting it to absorb another 350 houses as proposed (Site 4 West) is overburdening the already strained infrastructure. - give it a break and try somewhere else for a change.

Full text:

There are good aspects to the proposed development (wildlife area, green pathways, retention of hedgerows), but there are serious issues with adding this number of houses to an already congested area. The traffic flow out of Dickens Heath on weekdays is already beyond what the roads can cope with - both Dickens Heath Road and Tythe Barn lane. Adding 350 extra houses will probably be at least 400-500 extra cars, which will be a significant extra burden on roads that can't cope with the existing traffic. All the talk of extra bus routes (which are really no change from what they were 5 years ago) is all very well, but the bus route west is very inefficient (I can walk to Beckett's faster than the bus gets there), and the route east is good for Solihull, but not much else (Can't be used for Alderbrook / Tudor Grange schools, for example).
Expecting people to walk to Whitlock's End station is optimistic - it's only a 15 minute walk from the centre of Dickens Heath, but the parking lot is already too small - so adding a load of extra people to use this will further overload it. Not to mention that that train line is completely overcrowded in the morning, with standing room only from 7:26 onwards.

The building of houses north of Tythe Barn lane further reduces the size of the green belt break from Shirley,

Dickens Heath has provided a huge number of new houses over the last 20 years, including a large number as part of the recent development 2 years ago. It's about time some other areas took some of the strain instead.

It should be noted that certain areas have provided new housing to a much greater extent over the past 15-20 years than others. Dickens Heath has probably provided the bulk of Solihull's new houses for years, and to expect it to absorb another 350 houses as proposed (Site 4 West) is overburdening the already strained infrastructure.