Response to Draft Local Plan - Supplementary Consultation

I write in response to the new *Amber" designation covering a possible housing development at Golden End Farm, Knowte (Ref: A4/Site 59) to which I object most strongly (i.e. I do not believe this site should be included). My reasons for this are threefold:

1) Concentration of development sites in Knowle.

The only two development sites currently in the Plan in the Knowle, Dorridge and Bentley Heath (KDBH) area are in Knowle.

The Arden Triangle (9) and Hampton Road (8) developments between them could result in c. 950 new houses being built. This would amount to a massive c. 25% increase over the current number of properties in Knowle. If Golden End Farm with 250 houses were to be added (i.e. growth of c. 30% on current levels) this would further substantially increase the concentration of development in the Knowle area, which seems to be dis-proportionally burdened.

Whilst understanding that some development is going to be necessary in the period of the Plan, I cannot see why you seem to be resistant to spreading the load more evenly across the wider KDBH area. Included within the c. 46 relevant submissions you received as part of your call for sites I know there are many to the SW of Dorridge (sites 29, 127, 199, 210 & 247) and NW of Bentley Heath (sites 3, 72, 88, 108, 207 & 419). Were some of these to be developed they would potentially a) result in at least some of the additional traffic moving westwards and northwards out of the KDBH area thereby taking some of the pressure off Knowle and b) give people a shorter and easier route to city rail links via
Oorridge Station.

2) Increased demand on infrastructure and local services

I have been unable to find any research data or plans to explain how local services and infrastructure are expected to cater for the significantly increased demand caused by the resulting growth in population and traffic.
Traffic and parking are already an i sue in Knowle, a conservation area, and the combined effect of three new housing developments would cause traffic chaos on the already busy Kenilworth Road, Knowte High Street and surrounding roads.

3) Destruction of high--quality Green Belt land
I note that in your Site Assessment of January 2019 all the sites SW of Dorridge (sites 29, 127, 199, 210 & 247) and NW of Bentley Heath (sites 3, 72, 88, 108, 207 & 419) are classified as "Low performing* and score 5 under Green Belt assessment. However, the Golden End Farm site has a "Very high" score of 11. The dassification of Golden End Farm as "Amber" would seem to ignore the value and importance that local people accord to the Green Belt as evidenced by the results of the Neighbourhood Plan Survey. The Draft Local Plan itself notes in relation to site M: "It has not been included as a preferred
site as it falls within a Green Belt parcel that scores very highly (overall score 11)