Object

Representation ID: 13034

Received: 11/10/2021

Respondent: Mrs Beryl Wilkes

HOLBEACHE - BCP Site Ref DUH 208 page 371
DSA 1 pages 419-423

I object to the use of greenbelt land at the Triangle and Holbeache site and attach my full comments.

I have read with concern the draft proposals for future development within the Black Country. I list below my serious concerns and observations about the use of green belt sites in Kingswinford and Wall Heath, known as The Traingle and Holbeache.
There is target of 76,000 new houses that I am told are needed to meet future demand. This figure is calculated on the future population growth projections for the next 10 years. The growth projection figure is inaccurate and therefore needs recalculation. From comments made at a public debate we were informed the target of 76,000 is 10,000 too high thus making use of building new homes on green belt unnecessary.
Since attending a public debate I have noted that Michael Gove MP has been appointed Secretary for housing, communities and local government. He will be tasked with shaping a new strategy to meet the government’s 300,000 a year new housing target. I trust that he will be looking into population growth projections as well as further points I raise below.
Kingswinford’s local services are already under severe strain. Our local doctor and dentist practices are struggling to meet demand for their services, and this has been increased by the pandemic, showing there is little capacity to cope with increased demand, in fact they are only coping by reducing their service offerings. The additional properties proposed will make these services
severely stretched and even more unable to cope for the existing residents. Wall Heath and Kingswinford’s primary and secondary schools also are at or have exceeded, capacity. The size of the proposed development plots will cause the existing school aged population to be disadvantaged, due to ‘distance to school’ rules.
The services and schools are already struggling with recruitment so this additional demand could not be resolved by potential developers just offering to build new or extend existing facilities. These need to be staffed and salaried. Smaller development projects have a chance of being able to integrate into existing services and facilities,
Our local highways are also now at saturation point with volumes of traffic both at peak and off peak times. Even whilst many people are working from home, traffic volumes are still high.
The Holbeache plot near Charterfields Estate only has one potential road exit. This is onto the main A449. This is an extremely busy road as it is the main route down from Wolverhampton. It turns into a 30 mph limit but this is not observed. There is already a no right turn on to Maidensbridge estate due to the layout and speed of the road. The island at the junction of A449 and A491 is regularly congested and the traffic from Kingswinford speeds across the junction. The A449 onwards to Wall
Heath is similarly either congested with queueing traffic, or traffic exceeding the 30 mph limit. A recent traffic survey stated the speed limit was not regularly exceeded, but living on this road I can categorically say the survey is incorrect, and was not a true picture.
The plot known as the Triangle would also contribute to the concerns raised about the Holbeache plot. The Triangle abuts the same main road (A449) and would increase the traffic congestion on the same routes. Residents of these potential developments would most likely have to commute north or east along the congested roads. The junction of A449 and Lodge Lane is already a busy junction with many incidents. The A449 at this point is on the cutover to the national speed limit, and the left
turn onto the A449 is almost blind. This would need serious highway assessment over more than one point in time.
Travelling out of the Kingswinford area is already congested at most times of the day, with queues on Stallings Lane, A449 to Wolverhampton, A491 to Stourbridge and A4101 to Dudley. In fact this traffic is so bad, we travel to Stewpony and up the A458 Stourbridge Road, as that is quicker than travelling the direct route along the A491. The A491 from Kingswinford to Stourbridge has something like 14 sets of traffic lights to attempt to manage the flow of traffic joining the road.
All this traffic congestion is causing increased air pollution for residents who live near to these roads.
I give you one example of potential problems to come with road and highways with a new housing development. Ridge Hill Wordsley - “The Leys”. A development of over 100 properties on the old Ridge Hill Hospital site. The development is on an infill site, in practice less of an issue with encroaching on to the green belt. Access is via a road off the Brierley hill road right next to the Wordsley School. However, the planning application P15/1394 makes note to the existing T junction right next to a pedestrianised crossing. Having read the access/highway implication statements made under para 43, 44,45 and 46, I can only say I am disappointed by the transport assessment findings. Without doubt, the Brierley Hill Road is extremely busy and I have serious misgivings that the approved plans for a so-called up graded T junction will be able to manage increased flow of traffic on and off the new housing development. Surely this was at least a case for a traffic light controlled junction or a traffic roundabout? The access road also supports an exit road from the school where parents park for drop off/pick up. The school impact does not appear to have been taken into account, or been ignored by this report. The school are already raising concerns with the authorities over traffic volumes and parking.
I do not agree with the management of what will be increased vehicle movement on this site, and I fear that a similar highways problem would occur on whatever new housing development if approved, as very little consideration is being given to the increased volume on our existing highways. Our highways are extremely busy already and any re-design is almost impossible due to existing infrastructure.