Draft Local Plan - Supplementary Consultation

COMMENT FROM THE RAMBLERS - WARWICKSHIRE AREA

Balsall Common By-pass: Warwickshire Ramblers are extremely concerned about this so called 'By-Pass'. It should not be seen as just a By-Pass for Balsall Common, but for what it really is - part of a far wider damaging scheme for a proposed A46/A452 Link Road from Balsall Common to the Stoneleigh Interchange on the A46; with a possible link to the A45 from Burton Green. The majority of both proposed routes would be within Solihull and between them would cut some 15 or so Public Rights of Way (PROWs) in the Borough. The route proposed for this Link Road closely follows the line of HS2 and would impact on both the environmental mitigations already hard won from HS2 Ltd and the Kenilworth Greenway - with the Greenway becoming trapped between HS2 and the new 'By-Pass'!

It is obvious that this Link Road would be designed as a fast through commuting route and that attempting to cross it at grade would be extremely hazardous - for, while PROW crossings on that portion of the Link Road falling within Warwickshire would be protected by the policy protecting PROW crossings at grade on fast new roads contained in the Warwickshire County Council Rights of Way Improvement Plan (ROWIP), your SMBC ROWIP provides no such protection for pedestrians!

As this Link Road will inflict such immense damage on an already beleaguered stretch of countryside, Warwickshire Ramblers will strongly oppose any planning application to construct it.

Concept Master Plans: While having no comments to make on the other smaller housing allocation sites in Balsall Common, Warwickshire Ramblers do feel that the Barretts Farm Allocation is a development too far! From our own point of view the fact that the Barretts Farm Site would obliterate or subsume within urban development some 2.5 kl of public footpaths is sufficient cause for deep concern - but, coupled with the fact that by your own admission the proposed Balsall Common 'By-Pass' would be expected to provide the main vehicular access into the Barratt's Farm development, then we feel that this really is a drastic over-development of poor old Balsall Common, and must express our opposition to the development of the Barretts Farm Site!

Green Belt Enhancements: No possible enhancements would be able to compensate in the slightest for the extreme damage that taking Barretts Farm out of the Green Belt (with the resulting over-expansion of Balsall Common) will cause. As for 'an opportunity to link up with the Greenway', the rural setting of the Greenway will become permanently destroyed by being trapped between HS2 and the A46/A452 Link Road - a valuable green asset reduced to a mere urban cycle track!

Michael Bird
Footpath & Countryside Secretary
The Ramblers, Warwickshire Area

The Ramblers' Association is a company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales. Company registration number: 4458492. Registered Charity in England and Wales number: 1093577. Registered office: 2nd floor, Camelford House, 87-90 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TW

COMMENT FROM THE RAMBLERS - WARWICKSHIRE AREA

Balsall Common By-pass: Warwickshire Ramblers are extremely concerned about this so called 'By-Pass'. It should not be seen as just a By-Pass for Balsall Common, but for what it really is - part of a far wider damaging scheme for a proposed A46/A452 Link Road from Balsall Common to the Stoneleigh Interchange on the A46; with a possible link to the A45 from Burton Green. The majority of both proposed routes would be within Solihull and between them would cut some 15 or so Public Rights of Way (PROWs) in the Borough. The route proposed for this Link Road closely follows the line of HS2 and would impact on both the environmental mitigations already hard won from HS2 Ltd and the Kenilworth Greenway - with the Greenway becoming trapped between HS2 and the new 'By-Pass'!

It is obvious that this Link Road would be designed as a fast through commuting route and that attempting to cross it at grade would be extremely hazardous - for, while PROW crossings on that portion of the Link Road falling within Warwickshire would be protected by the policy protecting PROW crossings at grade on fast new roads contained in the Warwickshire County Council Rights of Way Improvement Plan (ROWIP), your SMBC ROWIP provides no such protection for pedestrians!

As this Link Road will inflict such immense damage on an already beleaguered stretch of countryside, Warwickshire Ramblers will strongly oppose any planning application to construct it.

Concept Master Plans: While having no comments to make on the other smaller housing allocation sites in Balsall Common, Warwickshire Ramblers do feel that the Barretts Farm Allocation is a development too far! From our own point of view the fact that the Barretts Farm Site would obliterate or subsume within urban development some 2.5 kl of public footpaths is sufficient cause for deep concern - but, coupled with the fact that by your own admission the proposed Balsall Common 'By-Pass' would be expected to provide the main vehicular access into the Barratt's Farm development, then we feel that this really is a drastic over-development of poor old Balsall Common, and must express our opposition to the development of the Barretts Farm Site!

Green Belt Enhancements: No possible enhancements would be able to compensate in the slightest for the extreme damage that taking Barretts Farm out of the Green Belt (with the resulting over-expansion of Balsall Common) will cause. As for 'an opportunity to link up with the Greenway', the rural setting of the Greenway will become permanently destroyed by being trapped between HS2 and the A46/A452 Link Road - a valuable green asset reduced to a mere urban cycle track!

Michael Bird
Footpath & Countryside Secretary
The Ramblers, Warwickshire Area

The Ramblers' Association is a company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales. Company registration number: 4458492. Registered Charity in England and Wales number: 1093577. Registered office: 2nd floor, Camelford House, 87-90 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TW

COMMENT FROM THE RAMBLERS - WARWICKSHIRE AREA

Balsall Common By-pass: Warwickshire Ramblers are extremely concerned about this so called 'By-Pass'. It should not be seen as just a By-Pass for Balsall Common, but for what it really is - part of a far wider damaging scheme for a proposed A46/A452 Link Road from Balsall Common to the Stoneleigh Interchange on the A46; with a possible link to the A45 from Burton Green. The majority of both proposed routes would be within Solihull and between them would cut some 15 or so Public Rights of Way (PROWs) in the Borough. The route proposed for this Link Road closely follows the line of HS2 and would impact on both the environmental mitigations already hard won from HS2 Ltd and the Kenilworth Greenway - with the Greenway becoming trapped between HS2 and the new 'By-Pass'!

It is obvious that this Link Road would be designed as a fast through commuting route and that attempting to cross it at grade would be extremely hazardous - for, while PROW crossings on that portion of the Link Road falling within Warwickshire would be protected by the policy protecting PROW crossings at grade on fast new roads contained in the Warwickshire County Council Rights of Way Improvement Plan (ROWIP), your SMBC ROWIP provides no such protection for pedestrians!

As this Link Road will inflict such immense damage on an already beleaguered stretch of countryside, Warwickshire Ramblers will strongly oppose any planning application to construct it.

Concept Master Plans: While having no comments to make on the other smaller housing allocation sites in Balsall Common, Warwickshire Ramblers do feel that the Barretts Farm Allocation is a development too far! From our own point of view the fact that the Barretts Farm Site would obliterate or subsume within urban development some 2.5 kl of public footpaths is sufficient cause for deep concern - but, coupled with the fact that by your own admission the proposed Balsall Common 'By-Pass' would be expected to provide the main vehicular access into the Barratt's Farm development, then we feel that this really is a drastic over-development of poor old Balsall Common, and must express our opposition to the development of the Barretts Farm Site!

Green Belt Enhancements: No possible enhancements would be able to compensate in the slightest for the extreme damage that taking Barretts Farm out of the Green Belt (with the resulting over-expansion of Balsall Common) will cause. As for 'an opportunity to link up with the Greenway', the rural setting of the Greenway will become permanently destroyed by being trapped between HS2 and the A46/A452 Link Road - a valuable green asset reduced to a mere urban cycle track!

Michael Bird
Footpath & Countryside Secretary
The Ramblers, Warwickshire Area

The Ramblers' Association is a company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales. Company registration number: 4458492. Registered Charity in England and Wales number: 1093577. Registered office: 2nd floor, Camelford House, 87-90 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TW