Question 21 - Green Belt Changes

There are plenty of brownfield sites in Solihull to build on. It would ruin the feel of the village being rural.

There are plenty of brownfield sites in Solihull to build homes on. Building on the last remaining greenbelt will ruin the rural village feel of Hockley Heath.

I would be pleased to see the removal of the 'washed over' Green belt boundary north of School Road.

This would release land for another 50 houses in addition to 100 on site 25 all leading on to a lane which wasn't built to accommodate the increasing amount of traffic which will use it. Presumably removing green belt wash over could also lead to back garden development or knocking down of larger houses to build several smaller ones.

What exactly do you mean by 'washed over' green belt? The present agricultural land is a feature of the village which I would not like to see lost to housing. It is unrealistic to allow more large developments to open on to School Road.

Object to loss of more washed over and green belt whilst there is plenty of brown-land that could be developed for housing and other development.

Proposed sites don't take account of the congestion and flooding that is already prevalent along School Road.

Loss of uniqueness of village with additional development on greenbelt that should be preserved.

Loss of wildlife, winter visiting birds and natural habitat in the area, already seen total decimation in toad and frog population that was previously in place around the school.

Amount of housing proposed for washedover/greenbelt is out of context with size of village/area.

Object to loss of more washed over and green belt whilst there is plenty of brown-land that could be developed for housing and other development.

Proposed sites don't take account of the congestion and flooding that is already prevalent along School Road.

Loss of uniqueness of village with additional development on greenbelt that should be preserved.

Loss of wildlife, winter visiting birds and natural habitat in the area, already seen total decimation in toad and frog population that was previously in place around the school.

Amount of housing proposed for washedover/greenbelt is out of context with size of village/area.

I object on the grounds that if the Green Belt status is removed from the north of School Road, then this opens up the prospect of numerous developments along this stretch. This will involve the demolition of extisting houses with large gardens and affect the character and attractiveness of the village. Further traffic congestion will result on this narrow road close to a school.

Do not wish to see any Green Belt erosion, concerned that local roads and infrastructure will not be able to cope with additional homes on school road

The green belt should be protected. People live in Hockley Heath to benefit from its green open spaces which planners seem determined to build on. Again this will ultimately lead to more traffic and a strain on local resources.

Green belt land is of growing importance, especially in Hockley Heath where the area regularly floods after heavy rain or snow. The school and local facilities are not ready for the proposed increase in village size of 12% and are not capable of growing at a rate to match housing.

A dangerous precedent. Green belt land should be respected and all green belt land provides a valued environmental aspect whatever the location

We need green belt to define our villages. Green belt is there for a reason and should be kept so. If I had wanted to live in a town I would have bought a property in one. I chose to live in a rural village for a better lifestyle and green belt is part of that reason. Once built on Green belt is gone forever we need to preserve our green areas.

Brownfield sites closer to city centres should be used first. Building on Green Belt is causing more problems ie: more vehicles- most houses have at least 2 vehicles which will add more congestion/pollution to our roads as public transport is not reliable or regular in rural areas.Changes in water tables causing flooding. Plenty of disused factory/office buildings avalable for conversion or rebuilding.

Dear Sir,
I was very concerned to hear at the Parish Council meeting that two pieces of land in School Road, Hockley Heath have been removed from the green belt. What is the point of green belt protection if it can so easily be lifted? You are no doubt aware that the survey of Hockley Heath residents in preparation for the local plan demonstrated that concern for the green belt was a major consideration, with around 90% siting this as their first priority. This proposed development of between 100 and 130 houses will substantially alter the the aspect of the village for the worst. We only have to look at the development of Dickens Heath to see what can go wrong.
I believe that there is no way to mitigate the impact of the traffic from this development and it will only be a matter of time before a school child or other local resident is run over.
Traffic on school road is already too fast and needs control. When this is added to by traffic from the Blythe Valley development this area will be impossible to negotiate.
While I am aware that new housing is needed in Solihull I think it needs more local attention to understand the impact.
At the council meeting the 'promoters', their term,of this development claimed that they had spoken to the head of the primary school and that she was quite happy with the changes. Firstly, I would suggest that the school is already at maximum capacity and without the disastrous development onto the playing field there is no room for growth. Secondly, with due respect for the head she does not live here and may not be the head next year. We need a long term view of this project, we don't need someone with only passing interest.
Further to this the promoters claim to have carried out a traffic survey, no local residents are aware of this work being done. I am not trying to accuse them of lying but surely someone would have noticed this activity?
I would be very interested to hear what you are doing to protect the interests of the residents of Hockley Heath.

Yours Sincerely,

Stephen Batchelor

Green belt provides an important break between the suburban spread and countryside. This proposal is eroding this and will mean that future development will be considered in the green belt. Hockley Heath will become part of the Dorridge/Knowle Suburban sprawl. Should we not be considering more brown field sites in urban areas and housing options that provide higher densities?.

School road is already dangerous with many traffic accidents occurring, it is too narrow for the traffic at present. This will be further exacerbated by the housing proposals at Blythe Valley. More development on School Road will lead to accidents if the road is not improved.

Infrastructure in Hockley Heath will not accommodate this significant rise in households. There are few public transport options, limited shops for locals and the school is already crammed onto a small site.

These proposals will increase development in housing in Hockley Heath from 792 dwellings by a further 20% (144 houses all on School road). This is very disproportionate and with proposals at Blythe Valley will severely effect what is essentially a rural community.

This area is another area populated with wildlife and fauna. The current infrastructure is struggling to cope with the existing traffic/population and has been compounded by the recent Spitfire development on School Road. The new housing currently in development on Blythe Valley will add to the congestion on the Stratford Road making this "washed over " Green Belt very unrealistic.

The loss of green belt in this area would be catastrophic and would change the character of the village entirely, the existing residents moved here due to the appeal of the rural nature and to add so much more development would put too much strain on the village and change its identity.

A stated in Q20, the green belt changes, especially to the north of School Road will open up development opportunities not only for the two current sites planned but other properties as far as 116 School Road. I understand at least one other owner not identified yet is concidering development if the green belt is removed. This is encouraging back garden development and does not provide a defencible boundary which is an objective stated in the LDP on several occasions.
IF - site 25 is to be adopted then the green belt boundary should exclude the nature area planned to prevent future development and run back on School Road to join the current boundary by Tutnall Drive.

Green belt land should be maintained. Plenty of brown field sites exist across SMBC.
HH is a semi-rural setting with limited/inadequate resources and services.
Very low lying land - risk of flooding across surrounding properties and roads.
Destruction of wildlife.
Area will be impacted by increased noise and light pollution.
School Road is narrow, winding and liable to flooding. It will be required to cope with increased traffic from Blythe Valley homes.
Accessing A3400 can be difficult as often it is gridlocked from alternatives to M42 being sought.
Primary School is unable to accommodate a much larger intake of children.

The removal of the 'washed over' Green Belt from ribbon development has considerable impact on the area.
The proposed sites of 49 and 328 which are proposed to be released have no protective boundary to the sites determined as being RED (Sites 13, 121, 120, 417, 38, 180).
The release of these sites puts into question the determination of the plan that ALL land South of School Road to the perimeter of Kineton Lane and Stratford Road should be considered as available sites for development as part of this proposed Local Plan.
The development of Site 125 along with 49 and 328 should be either eliminated from the Local Plan or the Local Plan extended to make a MAJOR development in Hockley Heath that will deliver enormous benefits of infrastructure investment and housing for those that need it

This area should equally be protected - building on this site would add yet more traffic and strain on the local infrastructure

The balance in my opinion is that with the large development bieng built so local to the proposed site what is the need to cram so many more houses into the village? Keeping and protecting the green belt land in the most important thing

The current Blythe Valley development is already having an impact to HH and Cheswick Green there is now clearly more volume of traffic , longer waiting times and jubtions on barrow country lanes in peak times and as a runner the air quality is massively compromised ! As a resident who has lived for decades in these areas it is frightening to sop how much pressure is on the existing road infrastructure.
Environmentally sure Solihull council is concerned as this needs to be addressed ?

What is the point in having green belt land if the council can remove the status for houses?
No I do not support the potential changes to the Green Belt boundary and would be very concerned if the release of Site 25 (circa 100 units) also led to the release of additional 'washed over' sites with a potential further 50 dwellings being built on School Road in the future. It would have been helpful had the consultation document detailed the existing green belt boundary and the proposed new green belt boundary.

Green Belt should not be washed over. It should continue to provide a barrier between the village of Hockley Heath and the countryside. Expanding the housing in an area lacking in facilities will congest the roads, exacerbate the household supplies, overcrowd the school, increase youth crime and attract more crime.

Housing can be encouraged within the boundaries of the settlement and not encroach in Green Belt nor change the nature of Green Belt land. It will also give easy access to the minimal public transport system and not overpopulate a small friendly community, nor change the nature of Hockley Heath.

Do not understand the question.

School Rd is too narrow. School is almost full & we have no Dr or dentist here

Hockley Heath Parish Council does not support the potential changes to the Green Belt boundary and would be very concerned if the release of Site 25 (circa 100 units) also led to the release of additional 'washed over' sites with a potential further 50 dwellings being built on School Road in the future. It would have been helpful had the consultation document detailed the existing green belt boundary and the proposed new green belt boundary.

I believe that this will alter the village too much, Hockley Heath is a small community and the land at school road being green belt is part of the character. the houses will be near to the motorway and Hockley heath already has pollution from the motorway this will add more to this.
The fields are part of the village heratige with the proposed development effecting wild life and the environment both in the fields and near the canal.
with already having the new development at Blythe this will cause way too much traffic through the whole village and congestion, which is already bad especially with divertions from the motorway sometimes.
The field is part of Hockley Heaths Green belt. there are lovely Oak trees and plenty of wildlife living in the field by the pond and around. It keeps Hockley Heath a county village. With the massive development at Blythe this is enough alteration of the local area. Also the field is not big enough to meet your targets so it should be left as a place for the wildlife/flora and forna or the local area. There are owls and bees that live around the field. Also, foxes and badgers. there is also a woodpecker. what about these poor creatures?

100 houses on Site 25 plus 51 houses released by the 'wash over' is a 19% increase to the size of the settlement. This ignores the fact that any developer of Site 25 will attempt to build more than 100 houses on a 6 hectare site. These proposals cannot be justified as a proportionate extension and would cause further strain on the limited and non existent facilities in the village. Local, regional and national policies on the Green Belt would be breached. Hockley Heath is an important part of 'Urbs in Rure' and the proposals would ruin this historic countryside.