Reference: Local Development Plan Site 245 (adjacent Sharmans Cross Rd)

As a local resident and member of Solihull Arden Club, I wish to object to the inclusion in the Local Development Plan of a proposed development of 67/100 dwellings on the site of the rugby ground off Sharmans Cross Rd for the following reasons:

1. Use of land - The covenant and 2013 all party policy that the land is to be retained for sporting purposes must continue to be applied and the freehold retained by SMBC to ensure this happens. Solihull is short of sports fields and rates poorly, nationally and comparison with its peers, in terms of participation in sport. It appears the policy of the current lessor (not surprisingly) has been to make discourage the return of this land to sporting use. Removal of the threat of housing development combined with a policy by SMBC of active cooperation with potential sporting users would facilitate the return of the land to active use for sporting activities. The good geographical accessibility of the site would be particularly advantageous by minimising travelling for participants.

2. Increased traffic congestion - The vast majority of additional traffic from the proposed development would travel via Streetsbrook Rd or Damson Lane/Prospect Rd. Peak time congestion on these roads is already spiralling out of control with no meaningful prospect of relief. Additionally, the immediately adjacent Sharmans Cross Rd suffers from peak time congestion due to Sharmans Cross School with associated danger to pedestrians.

3. Suitability of proposed development - The proposed 67/100 homes on such a small site represents unacceptable overdevelopment that is out-of-scale and out-of-character with the surrounding mature suburb.

4. Overload of local facilities - Local schools and medical facilities are already oversubscribed. Further development would merely worsen the problem.