Q21. Do you agree with the policies health and supporting communities? If not why not, and what alternatives would you suggest?

"Create an environment". How can this be creating a good environment. Less open space a depleting number of trees, wild life, clean air and much much more. I request you seriously think again to putting 41% in South Shirley and consider the residence who voted for you to look after their interests.

While the policies are sensible - I do NOT agree with including Balsall Common in the same category as Knowle, Castle Bromwich, Marston Green,, Hobs Moat, Kingshurst etc. The centre and available amenities are MUCH smaller and do not support the 20% allocation. This means that significantly improving the centre of Balsall Common including the provision of car parking has to be done BEFORE any new building goes ahead as we are already overloaded!

The new policy should also require developers to replace any extensive footpath networks that are heavily used (as identified in the Landscape Character Assessment) with suitable green infrastructure to provide the same recreational and sporting outcomes. This includes off lead dog walking which is often practical in much arable land plus running, walking, and enjoying nature.

The loss of such extensive heavily used footpath networks is detrimental to the health objectives of the nation and SMBC.

I agree with health and supporting communities. However, this has not been addressed in the proposed development in Barrett's Farm. The development does not protect and enhance natural assets; it does not improve accessibility and sustainability to travel; it does not protect key gaps between Balsall Common and Berkswell; it does not secure economic growth locally; no provision is made for health and well being. Balsall Common already has increased pollution from increased traffic and increased plane routes into Birmingham Airport. No provision is made for cycle routes, playgrounds and leisure centres to promote health and wellbeing.

But under these policies Balsall Common & Berkswell will need major investment in its public transport system,both road and rail, together with increased parking at the station in order to accomodate the demand from the proposed population growth.
How will this be delivered?
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building on green belt land
building on green belt land a no no but solihull council can !!!!
BUILDING ON SPORTS GROUNDS A NO NO BUT SOLIHULL CAN !!!!!
i believe highgate fc & old yards are being built new grounds but what about the rest leafield fc / wychall wanderers fc / shirley town fc and all the youth that this will effect ?

Policy P18

Unless or until the health impact assessment tool has been approved then it is difficult to see how a developer can submit a Health Impact Assessment which would satisfy Policy P18. This part of the policy should not be come into force until the promised assessment tool has been approved by the Council, following appropriate consultation with the development industry.

Policy P20

Richborough Estates Limited support the identification of land West of Dickens Heath (Potential Housing Allocation 4) for residential purposes, especially the land south of Tythe Barn Lane contained by Birchy Leasowes Lane, Tilehouse Lane and the existing accessible settlement of Dickens Heath.

If this Potential Housing Allocation is to come forward for development then Richborough Estates fully recognise that the existing sports clubs would need to be relocated. The opportunity exists for the existing facilities to be enhanced for the benefit of the clubs and to provide a recreational, sporting and community resource for both existing and future residents of Dickens Heath and the wider area. This matter is addressed in more detail in the site-specific representation on this Potential Housing Allocation. To facilitate the provision of the new sporting and community facilities, Policy P20 should include a specific allocation for a Community Sports Hub on land generally contained by Tythe Barn Lane, Tilehouse Lane and the Stratford upon Avon Canal to the north of Dickens Heath. Richborough Estates' preference is for the allocated Community Sports Hub land to be excluded from the Green Belt because this then provides greater flexibility concerning the nature and types of facilities which could be provided and would avoid the need for very special circumstances to be demonstrated just to erect a small store.

If the land remains in the Green Belt then, in the alternative, Policies P17 and P20 should still specifically identify the land as a location for sporting and recreation uses. The principle of land being identified for such uses and remaining in the Green Belt has been incorporated into the Warwick District Local Plan to the south of Kenilworth.

Although the proposal is for the land to be removed from the Green Belt, the provision of a Community Sports Hub has some resonance with the approach identified in the White Paper Fixing our broken housing market of securing compensatory improvements to the environmental quality or accessibility of remaining Green Belt land, particularly for community, sporting and recreation purposes.

P18/ Health & Wellbeing
Yes, agree with principles of P18.
However, concerns raised by residents at local consultation regarding provision of healthcare facilities locally and ability to access local services due to poor transport network.
HH currently has no GP surgery or pharmacy so residents have to travel to access these services. This can be particularly difficult for the local elderly population, particularly if they have to use public transport. Residents have expressed difficulties in accessing appointments at GP surgeries in adjacent communities, therefore SMBC needs to consider the location of any new Primary Care facilities to ensure that they are accessible to all.
Failure to provide adequate access to primary care health facilities will in turn put additional pressure on local secondary care.
Provision (i.e. Solihull Hospital/ Heartlands Hospital). Elderly residents may be at risk of unnecessary hospital admissions due to poor quality or lack of primary care intervention.
P19/ Range & Quality of Local Services
Yes, agree.
Local centres key to supporting residents in HH. Recent resident consultation supported need for local amenities such as local post office.
P20/ Provision for Open Space, Children's Play, Sport, Recreation and Leisure
Yes, agree
Residents would welcome input into enhancement of canal network to improve tow paths and surrounding areas and also provision of cycle ways to access local areas.

The Middlefield spring development illustrates how the Council does not fulfilling obligations to the health and human rights of the existing home owners. The developer has been allowed to run over 400 truck runs within a few weeks Mainly treating the site like a quarry selling the farms top soil. In comparison to the Sainsbury build workers arrive from 7am for a "start" at 8am ( Sainsbury 9am ) 6 days a week. Input that the roads are too narrow for trucks and the need for a new road through Lansdowne farm was ignored now very dangerous/ noisy

The Public Health Department fully supports the proposal to include HIAs in order to maximise positive impacts of the proposed development and minimise potential adverse impacts.

Solihull GPs have also been consulted on the proposals and have raised concerns that the Solihull MIND facility may need to be closed due to local development plans on the land.

Concerns have also been raised about the potential increased pressures on GP practices from house building in GP catchment areas. The document attached contains communication from local GPs on these 2 issues.

The southern part of Site 9 provides a particular opportunity to provide a new small park and wildlife area.

Any leisure and sports and recreation facilities should be integrated with existing well managed ones. Isolated pitches and changing facilities are not sustainable.
Wherever possible, significant investments in all-weather pitches, pools etc should be within the management and site of the sports and community association, the football club or the schools and usage shared for maximium value to be gained.

Leave the green space (and green belt) as it is. the only time the various suggestions noted in the solihull plan are appropriate are when a 1000+ extra homes are built that pressures existing amenities and invites anti-social behaviour to the village. I personally exercise throughout the proposed development site by foot and by bicycle. I have also been able to enrich the lives of my children by exposing them to this very special natural environment, where a sense of health comes from the outdoor and important ecology to be found.

I fully support health and supporting communities. Unlike this plan. From a Shirley perspective the quote "Green / open space: It is recognised that living close to areas of green space - parks, woodland and other open spaces - can improve health, regardless of social class. Research has identified the direct benefits of green space to both physical and mental health and wellbeing." rings particularly hollow, as the plans guarantee that the opposite will be true for a great number of households.

We need encourage families to explore the outdoors, but we also need to ensure that there is sufficient countryside for them to enjoy.

A Local Plan proposing to build on the few green spaces available to people in Balsall Common does not comply with its own policy set out for health and supporting communities. Barratt's Farm green belt site is essential for the health and well being for many families in Balsall Common who use the site for daily walks.

I've reviewed the proposed plans from a public health - improving health through physical activity perspective and I make the following comments:

Challenges A, C, H, J, K
Are acknowledged with infrastructure that promotes physical activity, a key facet of a healthy lifestyle, that addresses the health inequalities, values the built and green infrastructure and that supports the creation of a health led environment will be crucial to creating a whole system that encourages activity rather than mitigate against it.

To this end Public Health has identified in the draft WM combined authority physical activity strategy supports the adoption of the Sport England and Public Health England 'Active by design' principles and specifying the Lifetime Homes standard in housing.

With respect to the specific policies or options further comment is offered as follows:

P15
We would advocate the adoption of the Sport England/Public Health England Active Design principles as a means of creating the environment to help get people active and sustain that activity creating the health benefit required in the Borough.

P7
Remove '/or' from first sentence after bullet iv) and the following paragraph on the basis that both forms of active travel need to be promoted in order to maximise take of these sustainable forms of transport that also promote health.

P15
The specification of Lifetime homes standard is supported. There needs to be a reference to 'the creation of civic spaces that promote physical activity'.

P18
i) By including 'that promote' sport and 'the differ needs of the diverse population that may use a development'
And rather than 'contribute' in ii and iii 'deliver'.
The reference needs to be to 'accessible' open spaces.

P20
There is a needs to make explicit reference the playing pitches as part of the sports & recreation provision and the playing pitch strategy as evidence.

UK central
As well as encouraging 'improved public transport' there needs to be 'improved opportunities for walking and cycling'.

HS2
Make a significant contribution to the transport issues associated with HS2 with a transport infrastructure that maximises the forms of active travel to and within the site creating a more sustainable and healthier development.

Further to our discussions I am responding to the local plan on behalf of Balsall and Berkswell Football club and have the following points to make:

1. We understand the need for expansion of the housing in the village and want to ensure that appropriate sports facilities are made available to the families and especially the children.
2. The football club have a lease from the council for land on Lavender Hall lane and also rent pitches in Lavender Park opposite the ground.
3. Two of the proposed housing sites off Meeting house lane and Holly Lane will result in between two and four football pitches being removed from the village. These pitches are used by various junior teams and so will need to be replaced. These have historically been hired and maintained by the club from either the Church or School.
4. One of the proposed developments offers a "sports facility" being built within the housing estate. This will not provide for any external pitch or outdoor facilities.
5. We believe that the Football club and council could work together to further develop the facilities both on the club ground and within the Lavender Hall park.
6. Our initial suggestions would be to Improve the resilience of what we have, i.e more drainage connected into external drains on lavender hall,
7. level & improve the playing surface
8. Upgrade Lavender hall park so that it is also made more resilient i.e. there would be a need to install drainage and improve the playing surface
9. The installation of floodlights would open up the possibilities of greater use
10. Improved car parking within either the current ground or in Lavender Hall park
11. Make the Lavender Hall park more of an integrated sports facility rather than just a pitch in the park
12. We are currently working with the cricket club to install a cricket square on our ground and already have the agreement of the council for this.
13. The lease agreement with the council always allowed for us to develop the site into multi sports facility and we see this as an ideal opportunity for this to happen and the council to meet it's sporting aspirations and commitments
14. In an ideal world the village could do with an all-weather surface as a training or playing surface and this would open up other sports including hockey, Netball in particular.
15. There is space on Lavender Hall Park to build a sports centre when indoor facilities including badminton, table tennis, tennis and cricket nets could be provided thus turning this end of the village into a true multi sports environment.

We very much look forward to working with the council on developing future sporting plans for the village.

Sorry not to have completed the online portal but I could not get it to work so resorted to an email!

Consultation on the draft Solihull Local Plan - Response from BBCSCA on sport & recreation
This is the response by Berkswell & Balsall Common Sports & Community Association (BBCSCA) to the consultation on the draft Local Plan published in November 2016.

Following my email to you last December, we have had helpful meetings with Nick Garnett and with the Head-Teacher and Vice-Principal of the two schools in Balsall Common. We have all agreed that the vision for sport and recreational facilities in Balsall Common should take into account:

1. The current and future demand for such facilities, taking into account planned growth and the potential loss of existing playing areas as a result of development.
2. Careful siting of new playing areas so that, where feasible, they can be serviced by and further support existing buildings which provide changing and social facilities for sport and recreation. It is our experience that a thriving organisation such as the BBCSCA and a financially sustainable Sport & Community Centre are just as important as playing areas in encouraging participation across the community.
3. Investment in new sport and recreational facilities that can be used both by local schools and the community, thus providing greater value for both. This will not only achieve greater value-for-money but will also provide more opportunity for continued participation and development in sport and recreation among schoolchildren and the local community.

In relation to item (1), Nick Garnett has asked us to provide input to the Playing Pitch Assessment & Strategy and has agreed to send us the latest assessment prepared by Knight Kavanagh & Page. We will co-ordinate submissions to this assessment on behalf of the clubs who are members of BBCSCA.

In relation to items (2) and (3), we would like to be involved in providing further input as you digest the responses to the consultation and liaise with promoters/landowners in developing a concept masterplan for the proposed site allocations in Balsall Common. I would be grateful if you could let me know how best this might be achieved, and what the timescale might be.

We will be also be working locally with those groups developing the envisaged Neighbourhood Development Plan for Balsall Common, but this has been delayed by some procedural disagreements and we don't want to delay our input on sport and recreation to the Solihull Local Plan as no doubt some 'stakes in the ground' will be decided before the NDP process has concluded.

see attached report
Balsall Parish Council resolved at the Council meeting on 15 February 2017 to submit this report in response to the Solihull Draft Local Plan Consultation ending 17 February 2017

see attachments

see attached response

see letter

see attached letter received by email
original letter superseded by amended version that included tenancy address

see attached letter

Hi Policy and Spatial Planning
My name is Russell Trevis I live at No 76 Binley close Shirley can I can i please opposed the above planning application. I have lived in my road for 14 Years i have used the the proposed land daily for all these years where i have taken my children for walks and also my dogs. I was under the impression that the land you are applying to build on was actually green belt land so why are you building? I cannot believe the infrastructure of Shirley can cope with the extra houses you are planning on building. I travel to Derby each day to work (my worst part of the journey is the a34 towards the M42 junction 4) and in the mornings it can take up to 30 mins just to get down the A34 it is totally gridlocked. When i get home around at 5.30 again the A34 is like a car park. Where are you proposing to re site all the football fields you are planning on destroying, my son plays for Highgate Utd which is based on Tilehouse Lane. There are also not enough schools in the area the 2 schools in our catchment are Light Hall and Alderbrook both schools last year were oversubscribed. What about medical facilities in Shirley to get a doctors appointment within 7 days is almost impossible so building 1000's of new homes will cause major issues here to.

I expect a e mail back with your proposal/answers to my questions in the mean time i will be consulting with my lawyer with the legality of your proposal

see letter from agent on behalf of landowner

original responses not received - copy provided
see attached letter

see attached letter

see letter