Solihull Local Plan (Draft Submission) 2020

Object

Representation ID: 14959

Received: 11/12/2020

Respondent: CPRE Warwickshire Branch

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? No

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

- Large Scale allocations in Balsall Common will lead to significant additional journeys by car, contrary to the spatial strategy’s objectives, and to policies P7, P8 and P9 in the DSP.
- Large numbers of homes in rural locations, away from main centres of employment.
- Car-borne travel and related congestion are inevitable outcomes
- Little relationship with Solihull Connected transport strategy
- Therefore fails to achieve its fundamental aim of sustainable pattern of development

Object

Representation ID: 14960

Received: 11/12/2020

Respondent: CPRE Warwickshire Branch

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? No

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

Large scale allocations in Dickens Heath will lead to significant additional journeys by car, contrary to the spatial strategy’s objectives, and to policies P7, P8 and P9 in the DSP.
- Large numbers of homes in rural locations, away from main centres of employment.
- Car-borne travel and related congestion are inevitable outcomes
- Little relationship with Solihull Connected transport strategy
- Therefore fails to achieve its fundamental aim of sustainable pattern of development

Object

Representation ID: 14961

Received: 11/12/2020

Respondent: CPRE Warwickshire Branch

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? No

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

Large scale allocations in Knowle will lead to significant additional journeys by car, contrary to the spatial strategy’s objectives, and to policies P7, P8 and P9 in the DSP.
- Large numbers of homes in rural locations, away from main centres of employment.
- Car-borne travel and related congestion are inevitable outcomes
- Little relationship with Solihull Connected transport strategy
- Therefore fails to achieve its fundamental aim of sustainable pattern of development

Object

Representation ID: 14962

Received: 11/12/2020

Respondent: CPRE Warwickshire Branch

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? No

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

Sustainability Appraisal
- November 2015 Interim SA found that large scale expansion of rural settlements was one of worst performing options.
- Major adverse impacts in terms of resource efficiency, and moderate adverse effects with regard to reducing need to travel and impact on landscape.
- Initial findings were ignored by Council, which opted for large housing allocations in rural villages over sustainable urban extensions.

Object

Representation ID: 14963

Received: 11/12/2020

Respondent: CPRE Warwickshire Branch

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? No

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

Site Selection
- Sites BL1, BC1 and BC3 do not conform with site hierarchy in DSP Para. 68.
- Not possible to understand how some sites fall into the green category, when they clearly have high impacts
- A sustainability score in line with recent Government policy would provide a different result.
- Credibility and robustness of process is undermined.

Object

Representation ID: 14964

Received: 11/12/2020

Respondent: CPRE Warwickshire Branch

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? No

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

- Many local authorities are adopting 20% net biodiversity gain. Solihull should do the same.

Object

Representation ID: 14965

Received: 11/12/2020

Respondent: CPRE Warwickshire Branch

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? No

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

PRISM Transport modelling:
- Report acknowledges that PRISM transport assessment is a strategic network tool, focuses on 11 key strategic network routes, with limited validity on minor roads. This brings into question validity of site assessments, as these could be considered to be served by inadequate minor road network.

Object

Representation ID: 14966

Received: 11/12/2020

Respondent: CPRE Warwickshire Branch

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? No

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

- Should not be allocated as in the Meriden Gap.
- See our 2019 response.
- Development contingent on eastern distributor road being completed, funding for which has not yet been provided.
- This road will further contribute to traffic congestion

Object

Representation ID: 14967

Received: 11/12/2020

Respondent: CPRE Warwickshire Branch

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? No

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

- Should not be allocated for reasons previously given.
- Site in Meriden Gap, or national strategic ecological importance.
- Not sustainable against Council’s own criteria
- Omission sites within Balsall common and wider Borough which should have been allocated.
- Residents have proposed a Managed Open Space as a significant tourist attraction, with Berkswell Grade II* Listed Berkswell Windmill at its heart.
- Proposed Country Park would have diverse ecological nature, be a considerable asset to support north-south ecological corridor, and contribute to Balsall Common’s shortfall in green space.
- CPRE fully support Country park proposals.

Object

Representation ID: 14968

Received: 11/12/2020

Respondent: CPRE Warwickshire Branch

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? No

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

- Unsustainable site proved by large amount of proposed mitigation, some unachievable.
- Most adverse effects of sites proposed in Plan, including surrounded by 9 Local Wildlife Sites and ancient woodland.
- Readily available alternative sites such as Tidbury Green golf club:
o Does not flood on proposed housing areas
o Lower Green Belt score
o Not surrounded by LWS
o Equally accessible to the Whitlocks End station
o Could provide green and blue corridor with public footpaths and cycleways to new Lowbrook Farm development, a green lung between Bromsgrove and Soliull
- Likely that development will take place in future on green space of Site BL1