Q14. Do you agree that we are planning to build the right number of new homes? If not why not, and how many do you think we should be planning to build?

Draft Local Plan Representations - UKLD Smiths Lane Bentley Heath Knowle

see attached - site 12 land south Dog Kennel Lane

I would like to draw your attention to our comments regarding the Local Plan Review.
The current Local Plan and the number of houses required was based on population growth partly fuelled by immigration which under Brexit should no longer occur and therefore is flawed. Until new information on the likely future housing requirements post Brexit is obtained these plans should be put on hold.

I also agree with the concerns of the Shirley Residents Association in that:

To retain and enhance the existing amenity fields and the Green Corridor to the Bridleway, with access to Bills Lane, the Canal and the Countryside beyond.

There to be no secondary vehicle access roads via the Woodlands or Badgers Residential Estates.

We object to the concentration of 2550 homes in such close proximity to the South Shirley Area and seek a fairer distribution across the Borough.

That there should be retention of a wider Green Belt between South Shirley and the built area of Dickens Heath.

We have been residents of Shirley for over 35 years and moved here partly attracted by the motto of Urbs in Rure. It would appear that shortly the motto will have to be abandoned as there will be plenty of Urbs but very little Rure

Paws Off Our Green Belt

I recently received your flyer in regard to the housing plans for Shirley. Below is a draft of correspondence I was about to send to Solihull Council expressing my concerns. However, I think on reflection, it would be more appropriate to forward this to yourselves. I sincerely hope you can make voices heard at the appropriate level.

I would like to raise the issue of the proposed additional 1900 homes to be built on the greenfield sites at the Badgers Estate and by Whitlocks End Station (Allocation 13 and 4 respectively). I understand the commitment Solihull Council has to provide additional housing and in principle I have no firm objections.

However, I do not believe the current road system is ready for this. What sort of properties are going to be built at the Badgers location? I suspect they will not be 1 bedroom flats. More likely we will see developers building 3, 4 and 5 bedroom properties. This will inevitably attract families and affluent individuals/couples who are likely to have 2 cars.

How is the current road system going to cope?

Tanworth Lane is already difficult due to the Dickens Heath development and another 600 homes in this location is going to make Stretton Road and the roads that feed to it, as I see it, busier still. I am sure Solihull Council has not been as short sighted to not have not considered this.

The development at Whitlocks End Station is only going to exacerbate the situation. The likely roads the residents will use are Haslucks Green Road and subsequently Bills Lane and Shakespeare Drive. If you are not familiar with these routes then I will assure you that they not fit for purpose with the current traffic volume, let alone with additional cars needing to use them.

However, let's assume all the new residents work in Birmingham and will walk to the stations at Shirley and Whitlocks End. The current train network is really not geared up for this additional footfall. If you haven't travelled to Birmingham at peak time via train recently, I suggest you do just that.

The transport links are not my only concern. What about the schools? Woodlands is already fully subscribed and as a longstanding resident of the area I sincerely hope my daughter will secure place in September 2019. Can Burman Road, Tidbury Green and Dickens Heath cope?

As stated previously, I understand and appreciate the need to build additional houses. However, does Shirley have to accommodate everything? Are there no other acceptable development sites?

Objections and Comments on Allocation 13 (without prejudice)
Dear Sirs,

I wish to register my objection to the development of Shirley South - particularly Allocation number 13 which is designated green belt land.

I gather that Shirley South is to receive approximately 41% of proposed new housing in the Solihull borough, this seems disproportionate and unacceptable given the size of the borough. The effect will be to completely change the character of the area from a semi-rural location to an urban sprawl.

Under the government white paper 'fixing our broken housing market'
"The National Planning Policy Framework is already clear that Green Belt boundaries should be amended only "in exceptional circumstances""
"authorities should amend Green Belt boundaries only when they can demonstrate that they have examined fully all other reasonable options for meeting their identified development requirements, including: - making effective use of suitable brownfield sites and the opportunities offered by estate regeneration; - the potential offered by land which is currently underused, including surplus public sector land where appropriate; - optimising the proposed density of development"

I understand that there were numerous options given to the council that have yet to be fully explored as also referred to in the paper:-
"Supporting small and medium sized sites, and thriving rural communities 1.29 Policies in plans should allow a good mix of sites to come forward for development, so that there is choice for consumers, places can grow in ways that are sustainable, and there are opportunities for a diverse construction sector. Small sites create particular opportunities for custom builders and smaller developers. They can also help to meet rural housing needs in ways that are sensitive to their setting while allowing villages to thrive"

I do not see the current proposals as sustainable due to the high volume of houses in one focused area.

The document also states that new housing allocation should be developed to compliment current and new infrastructure. In this case of HS2 which is referred to in the current plans, this will be running to the North of the borough and not stopping anywhere near to these proposed Shirley developments - therefore more congestion would be caused by people driving to the proposed HS2 station as there is inadequate public transport to that area of the borough.
The Shirley area is already subject to a huge amount of congestion which affects the whole of the Stratford Road from the M42 junction and all arterial routes, including Dog Kennel Lane, Tanworth Lane, Shakespeare Drive, Blackford Lane, Haslucks Green Road and Bills Lane. The main route out of Dickens Heath to the Miller and Carter has a constant flow of traffic for the rush hour stopping any traffic flow from Tanworth Lane. Stretton Road can be very dangerous with drivers cutting through due to the main routes being busy - this is an area with two schools and a large elderly community.

The addition of hundreds of new homes will compound this issue and there is not enough space for the road infrastructure to be improved enough to overcome this higher volume of traffic.

Driving into the centre of Solihull can take around 30 minutes at certain times to travel just over a mile, new traffic lights have made the situation worse - all of the routes into the town centre are already creaking.

In terms of other public transport, the local rail stations are not fit for purpose, being very small and not large enough to serve the additional requirements of these large scale developments. There is inadequate parking at Whitlocks End, Shirley, Earlswood and Solihull Stations.

The proposed sites also take away football fields that are used several times a week - where will these people go then? Not to mention the hundreds of new families and children who will need amenities like these to have a balanced life.

In terms of Allocation 13. This is an area that has over the years has become a is a very popular recreation and amenity area, popular with families, dog walkers, ramblers etc. In fact it is part of the reason we bought our house on the badgers estate so we were close to the countryside. I personally regularly run in this area and go walking with the family.

The area has grass land, marsh and heath land. There are well-established farm ponds providing a varied eco system and I have seen frogs, toads and newts, along with Muntjac Deer, Cuckoo, Woodpecker and birds of prey. In addition in the meadowland and the marshy areas there are numerous wild flowers, an in-depth wildlife survey should be carried out before any decision is made.

Alternatives to developing green belt sites are numerous and I am not convinced that all possibilities have been exhausted, both in smarter use of land and also locations.
I have seen there is a proposal for development on the door step of HS2 and around the NEC, also to compliment the recent resort World Complex, this seems logical as traffic and infrastructure would be easier to resolve.

There is also the possibility of buying larger houses in Solihull which have huge gardens and developing small estates with mews or flats as opposed to the exclusive developments that are cropping up along Blossomfield Road - The government have stated that housing should concentrate on high density smaller, affordable homes, such as terrace, mews and flats. The footprint of these is much smaller than large detached houses.

I am not a town planner but there really must be many more options than simply carving up the Green Belt in large swathes as this proposal seems like it is taking an easy option to put a lot of houses up in 'one hit'.
I understand we need more houses to accommodate the growing population - I have two children who will need houses in a few years - however I do not believe this current proposal is the right answer - there needs to be a balance of smaller sites across the borough.

Finally, I am led to believe that the borough is to take an additional 2000 houses from the Birmingham Allocation. There are many brownfield sites and public open spaces in Birmingham that could be used before greenbelt as per the previously mentioned government document. I would urge you to push back to Birmingham City Council on this matter.

Please bear my points in mind when making your decision.

see attached letter

see attached letter

Dear Sir,

I wish to register my strong objection to the Council's Plan and support the detailed response to the Plan, which I have attached to this email.

Yours faithfully,

Please find attached my own general comments on the Draft Local Plan

see attached letter and appendices

On behalf of our client, the Arden Cross Consortium, please find attached a copy of representations submitted to the public consultation on the Solihull Draft Local Plan Review (November 2016) and Interim Sustainability Appraisal Report (January 2017).

Please find attached representations to the Draft Solihull Local Plan Review for land at and to the rear of 146- 152 Tilehouse Lane, Whitlock's End, B90 1PW.

The submission comprises the
* letter of representations (10463 HRW LPR APP);
* a site plan (ref.no. 10463-01A) with the site edged red;
* an Illustrative layout (10463(10)M-101 prepared by Tyler-Parkes Partnership
* a Transport Statement prepared by ADL Traffic Engineering Ltd
* An updated Extended Phase I Habitat Survey prepared by Cotswold Wildlife Surveys
* Flood Risk Assessment and Drainage Strategy prepared by BWB

petition submitted by Solihull Ratepayers - 34 pages containing 361 signatures

Please find attached representations to the Draft Solihull Local Plan Review for the site at Tidbury Green Golf Club, Tidbury Green.

The submission comprises
* The letter of representations (10171 LPA3 LPR APP)
* An existing site plan (ref.no. 10509(EX)01) with the site edged red.
* Schedule of accommodation (10509(SC)01)
* Illustrative Site Layout (10509(MP)01)
* Ecological Appraisal prepared by Crossman Associates
* Environmental Noise Report prepared by Sharps Redmore
* Flood Risk Assessment prepared by THDA
* Tree Survey prepared by Abbey Forestry
* Transport Statement and Travel Plan prepared by ADL Traffic Engineering
* Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment prepared by Landscape Matters
* Site Investigation Report prepared by Georisk UK

Please find attached representations to the Draft Solihull Local Plan Review for land at the rear of Bakehouse Lane and Wheeler Close, Chadwick End

The submission comprises the letter of representations (6439.LPA1.HMG LPR APP) and a site plan (ref.no. 6439 site plan) with the site edged red.

Please find attached representations to the Draft Solihull Local Plan Review on behalf of the landowners at the sites at Wootton Green Lane, Balsall Common.

The submission comprises
* the letter of representations (10607 LPA2 JD LPR APP);
* Site plan (10607(OS)01) with the site edged red;
* Illustrative layout (10607(MP)01);
* Transport Assessment prepared by ADL Traffic Engineering; and
* Landscape character assessment response prepared by Landscape Matters

Please find attached representations to the Draft Solihull Local Plan Review for the land south of Hampton Lane, and west of Ravenshaw Lane/ South of Hampton Lane, Solihull.

The submission comprises the letter of representations (9263 SHL LPR APP) and a site plan (ref.no. 9263 Site Plan) with the site edged red.

Please find attached representations to the Draft Solihull Local Plan Review for the land at Barston Lane/ Oak Lane, Barston B92 0JR

The submission comprises the letter of representations (10445 LA3 GC LPR APP) and a site plan (ref.no. 10445-01A) with the site edged red.

Please find attached letters prepared on behalf of the Trustees of the Berkswell Estate in respect
1) land at New Mercote Farm, Balsall Common.
and 2) land at Coventry Road, Berkswell.

Please see attached an e-copy of the response letter and associated documents which comprises the Borough Council's representation, comments and concerns/objections arising from the Solihull Local Plan consultation

Allocation 13. Why are we in Shirley South getting 41% of the total housing plan, it should be spread more evenly over the borough. Building Affordable housing is very important to me, but I do not believe that I will be able to afford anything in this area, what you and I class as affordable seem to be a long way apart. Why have Solihull got to take some of Birmingham's allocation, when they have so many brownfield sites, many used as cheap car. parking. Can Solihull provide a list of brownfield sites in the borough.

Please find attached the HBF response to the above mentioned consultation for your consideration

Please find attached appropriate representations to the Local Plan Review in regards to Site 6 (Meriden Road, Hampton-in-Arden) on behalf of our client, Packington Estates.

Please find attached representations to the Draft Solihull Local Plan Review for the site at former Pinfold Nurseries (incl. no 67 Hampton Lane), north of Hampton Lane.

The submission comprises the letter of representations (9263 HRW LPA2 PN) and a site plan (ref.no. 9263 Site Plan) with the site edged red.

Please find attached representations to the Draft Solihull Local Plan Review for the land West of Meriden (Housing Allocation 10).

The submission comprises the letter of representations (6074 LPA2 GC) and a site plan (ref.no. 6074 Site Plan) with the site edged red

In respect of the Draft Solihull Local Plan Review consultation please find attached representations which are submitted by Turley on behalf of IM Land.

Letter responding to draft local plan review.

41% of the Solihull housing allocation is being built in Shirley South the real need for housing is along the HS2 route.

The infrastructure to get across the borough and to the centre of Birmingham will not support the increased demand for the expected new residents as a result of HS2.

The allocation of 2000 houses from Birmingham should not be built in Solihull until Birmingham has developed all of its brownfield sites.

There are around 9 football and rugby grounds that will disappear around Shirley South.

The council should be thinking about innovative ways to look at finding space, such as multi storey are parks at the nec and using the saved space for housing.

There is only one amenity area in Shirley, Shirley Park, This has already been developed.

In respect of the Draft Solihull Local Plan Review consultation please find attached representations which are submitted by Turley on behalf of IM Properties and IM Land.

In respect of the Draft Solihull Local Plan Review consultation please find attached representations which are submitted by Turley on behalf of IM Properties and IM Land.