Comment
Draft Local Plan - Supplementary Consultation
Representation ID: 7951
Received: 13/03/2019
Respondent: Mrs Elisabeth Hedley
The difficulties posed by the location of around 950 new houses have not been adequately addressed by the Council so it is difficult to see how the siting of an additional 590 houses can do anything but make the situation very much worse. Whether some or part of these sites could be brought forward as better alternatives to the already allocated sites needs further consideration based on a clearer understanding of the site hierarchy assessment methodology and the proposed mitigation of any impacts upon the area
See also the response of the Forum which I support and fully endorse.
It is difficult to comment on these sites as it is not clear if these sites are being looked at in addition to the already allocated sites or in substitution for them. Even the 950 or so houses currently being proposed are disproportionate so an addition 590 houses could never be accommodated without substantial harm to the KDBH area.
Golden End Farm Knowle - This site has some advantages in that it is closer to the village centre and has flatter topography. It is already surrounded by housing on two sides, is on a bus route and has very good access to the primary school and is much closer to the secondary school than Hampton Road. It has an already existing Green Belt boundary namely the canal which would be more defensible that an artificially created one. If it were to be developed however, the views of the church and the conservation area would need to be protected also the canal-side environment.
Blue Lake Road, Dorridge - The part of the site that is closer to Dorridge (parcel Ref 104)has some merit in that it is relatively close to the amenities of Dorridge and has good access to the station thus helping to reduce traffic movement. The site also has relatively easy access to the A34000 and the motorway network without having to travel through the already congested Knowle High Street. Development on the larger parcel, particularly closer to Grove Road is on the "wrong" side of Knowle with regard to traffic movement and would be hugely detrimental to the village.
Also it is difficult to understand the parcel sizes and proposed housing densities, since at para 13 on page 11 of the Supplementary Consultation "amber sites" document, reference is made to a capacity of 340 houses over 9.7 hectares, but it is not clear which parcel this relates to. Parcel 109 is 2.2 hectares with a proposed capacity of 60 houses,. Parcel 104 is 6.9 hectares with a proposed capacity of only 80 houses, whereas parcel 413 (which includes parcel 104 but not 109) is stated to be 27.09 hectares with a proposed capacity of 602 houses. This is wholly unclear and proposed densities need to be clarified. In any event, the higher densities, as seem to be proposed on parts of this site are wholly out of keeping with the surrounding housing on Blue Lake Road, Grove Road and Knowle Wood Road.