13 Shirley - South of Shirley

Far too many to be built on the green belt in the Shirley and Dickens Heath area. Also taking into account Blythe Valley and the houses already being built in Dickens Heath and Tidbury Green, the house numbers account for at least half are those to be built in Solihull.They should be spread out across the borough.

The proposed housing sites at the west of Dickens Heath and south of Shirley should not be included due to the following reasons: loss of open countryside around the rural village of Dickens Heath; loss of the rural character of Dickens Heath; significant adverse impacts on the natural environment due to loss of ancient woodlands at Little Tyburn and Birch Leasow Coppice; significant negative impacts on the local biodiversity due to loss of hedgerows, mature native trees and ponds, and also potential for loss of habitats that support legally protected species including great crested newts, badger setts and bat roosts.

Reference allocations 12 and 13. We object to these developments. There will be a significant increase in traffic on busy roads that are extremely congested during peak periods. This will lead to increased pollution and damage to roads already blighted by potholes. Coupled with the loss of green space and resultant impact on wildlife habitat there will be an adverse effect on the quality of our life in Solihull. It would be nice to see more effort being made to uphold the borough's motto: Urbs in Rure, Town in the Country.

Please see attached document

There is a disproportionate number of homes allocated to the Shirley site without any clear and considered plans made to support and already strained local infrastructure.
There is sufficient land to accommodate more property in North Solihull if ultimately the borough needs to maintain the number of homes. I find it difficult to accept the proportion of properties that Solihull needs to accommodate due to lack of space available in Birmingham. The amount if social housing allocation is also a paramount reason for my objection.

I object to the sites identified at Dog Kennel Lane and South Shirley on the green belt. The traffic along Dog Kennel Lane is already high especially during peak hours where it can take at least 15 minutes to travel down towards Tanworth Lane. Traffic along Stretton Road onto Shotteswell Road is not able to cope with more traffic as it is too narrow for constant car travel. The fields at South Shirley are also used by many dog walkers and provide public walking routes.

As a resident of Shirley South I am getting increasingly concerned about flooding that is affecting gardens in the area and also the effect of development on the land at Site 13. Site 13 has a number of eco systems that range from grass land to marsh and heath land, evergreen forest and mature deciduous trees and hedgerows. There is a network of drainage ditches and well-established farm ponds and also a sink area which is effectively bog land. The area is very wet and for the most part of the winter is very boggy due to the very high water table and the constituent soil composition. This results in heavy flooding across most of this low lying area. Many of the houses that back onto the fields in Langcomb Road experience flooding in their back gardens on a regular basis. A phenomenon that has reduced to an extent following the intensive planting of Christmas trees in the field adjacent to the gardens.
If the proposed development of Site 13 was to go ahead then there would be significant effects on the water table in the area, both in terms of run-off and drainage. The Local Flood Risk Management Strategy from April 2015 doesn't factor in surface water meaning that the flood risk at site 13 is significantly underestimated. The long term predictions are for wetter weather throughout parts of the year. I am concerned that the constraints map used to detail the flood risk across the borough doesn't fully capture all the areas of concern, especially Site 13.

Proportion allocated to Shirley sites too high, in particular site 13 is well utilised by the local community and important to remain as public access to footpaths and open area to wildlife.
Not acceptable to use Solihull green belt areas and sports sites to compensate Birmingham shortfall.
Proportionate allocation of social housing inappropriate and will alter to detriment the nature of established housing genre.
Inadequate provision available for infrastructure to support increased population and necessitates movement for employment in other areas resulting in higher volume of traffic.
Suggest moving higher allocations to North Solihull, Catherine de Barnes, Dorrige, Hockley Heath.