Object

Draft Black Country Plan

Representation ID: 11886

Received: 10/10/2021

Respondent: Dr Christine Farmer

Representation Summary:

[Three Fields - LGS]

Site: ID 10511, The Three Fields, Norton, DY8 3LS (site ID number as it appears in the Site Assessment Report, section A-6: Sites Assessed for Local Green Space, from p. 534).

I object to this site not being designated as a Local Green Space (LGS). This is a comment on an unallocated site, which was assessed for a Local Green Space Designation in the Site Assessment Report as referenced above.

This site is of great importance to the local community and has local significance due to its beauty and recreational use, and this should be recognised in the Local Plan. While I welcome the fact that the site has not been allocated in the Draft Plan, I believe that 'greenbelt' designation alone does not sufficiently protect the site from future development at a time when local authorities are coming under increasing pressure to release greenbelt sites. A LGS designation would indicate the particular significance of the site to the local community above that of being 'greenbelt'.

The Three Fields is a site which is of tremendous importance to the local residents who use it every day of the year for informal recreation, the site being of great value to the socially isolated, for making friendships and connections. The site is easily reached by a great many people travelling on foot rather than by car. Local people use it for exercise, for taking in the magnificent scenery, as a ‘green gym’, which is of vital importance considering the considerable health issues that local people face. It is an excellent site for setting off for a ramble, for children and adolescents to play and enjoy the open countryside feel of the site. For those with mental health issues it is a place to spend time in green and peaceful surroundings amongst birdsong and nature.

Local residents would also like to see this site improved for nature, with the establishment of a wildflower meadow, and there are plans to make this a reality with the help of local volunteers. Local schools are also interested in taking part in these activities which could include all sections of society.

These are just some of the many reasons why this site is of immense significance to local people, and why the loss of it for recreational use in particular would be devastating. I believe it is important that this significance is recognised in the Local Plan, and that a Local Green Space designation would indicate the value of The Three Fields to local residents.