You informed us in November 2016 that 400 houses in total were envisaged over the whole site, with maybe some retail space. Since then a McCarthy & Stone Retirement scheme and a nursing home have been approved. You have since approved three or four new car dealerships and 242 starter homes on part of the site. I think that giving approval to a further 330 houses in the land adjacent to Blackford Road, (thus handing a Builder benefitting from the Government's "Help to Buy Scheme" an enormous profit), would be wrong:-

a) We need housing for all generations, particularly for the 20 or so years, from say 60 to 80, to which people who no longer need family homes, but certainly don't need McCarthy & Stone type retirement flats, can downsize. This would release lots of much needed family homes. See Strutt and Parker - "The Platinum Generation":-
"research shows that there is a clear need for a new breed of retirement communities in the UK. The Baby Boomers have voiced objections to living in the same way as their parents in retirement. Often in good health, with decent pensions and active lifestyles, they want to live where they can continue to enjoy their established way of life, minus the day job. They want access to local culture and recreational facilities - such as theatres, farmers markets and swimming pools - but also accommodation that is flexible enough to meet their future care requirements. Through our research, we have identified a potential solution which we call Platinum Places. These are mixed-use and mixed-age, urban or edge-of-community developments in towns, cities or large amenity-rich villages."

b) To accommodate 330 homes would involve the total destruction of a wildlife environment which has been in existence for forty years or more. As well as the felling of a large quantity of trees, there is a mass of lower level screen planting around the hotel, all contributing to an undisturbed wildlife haven and air quality.

c) Again, in order to accommodate 330 homes, the bunds and screen planting, (a Planning Condition attached to the hotel at the time of its construction), would need to be removed. They were put there to help insulate us from the generated noise and nuisance - even more necessary now with the new Football Bar.

d) The proposed new housing would be immediately adjacent to the hotel with none of the protection from noise and nuisance which the residents of Blackford Road have enjoyed. Why should these prospective new residents be treated more harshly?

e) Maybe thought could also be given to providing a small general shop on the site as this would help avoid car journeys along Blackford Road or Stratford Road to existing shops.

f) The traffic in Blackford Road has already increased substantially in volume lately. And will increase even more so with the additional test driving associated with the car dealerships which you have now approved. What will it be like if an additional 572 housing units are built on The Green (Site 11) and 1000 homes on the opposite side of Dog Kennel Lane (Site 12). Did you know that Blackford Road is liable to collapse on occasion and needs to be closed for repair, sometimes for weeks at a time, because of ground conditions beneath the Road?

g) Most importantly far more trees could be retained if you insisted on a more sympathetic development for the remainder of the site, more in keeping with Solihull's standards.