Object

Representation ID: 13097

Received: 06/09/2021

Respondent: Mrs Alison Bennett

Holbeache

The loss of green belt will be devastating to the local wildlife and environment. Having lived in Wall Heath for sixty years I have witnessed the gradual erosion of the green belt, the buffer between built environment that is so important for people's quality of life. All brownfield and greyfield sites should be considered first before this permanent loss. Holbeache is very good grade 2 agricultural land the government committed a 25 year paln to protect this typle of land & use it in a sustainable way. It is very important for the UK to produce as much food as it possibly can. The hedgerows around Holbeache mean building will leading to the loss of wildlife. The hedgerows around the David Payne development Swindon Road are starting to disappear, being poorly maintained and in parts pulled out. The biodiversity of wildlife in this area is already in need of protection and building homes on this land will change the character of Wall Heath . Since covid-19, I appreciate more and more the importance of greenspaces to maintain good mental health. To experience, while walking, agricultural fields, hedgerows, trees and creatures that live in them, including bees, moths, butterflies and buzzards.
Roads in the area are already congested, the A449 is already busy and noisy. The effect of an increased population will lead to poorer air quality, noise, tailbacks and public transport delays and journey times lenghtened. More drivers may cut through the Maidensbridge Estate. On traffic survey carried out on 28th August 2021, between 16.30 and 18.00, 2,500 vehicles were recorded, already very high numbers and this was during school holidays. If a second access road is constructed this will lead to more vehicles using Wall heath's local roads, causing further road safety issues for children and adults near their homes.
Parking in Wall Heathto access local shops and services is already very limited, this will lead to further difficulties in access for existing residents, particularly for the elderly or disabled.
Other local services that will be affected are the NHS. Already there are not enough GPs and dentists locally. Even now, Moss Grove Surgery have to offer patients 'flu vaccines and other treatment appointments at their Kinver Surgery. Russells Hall Hospital, in April '21 were inspected and told that their A&E waiting times still 'requires improvement'. More housing will also lead to longer ambulance wait times, and delays in other local health services, including mental health.
Schools will also be affected, with very few spare spaces in Wall Heath and Kingswinford. Within 1 mile of Wall Heath, according to most recent Ofsted there were 7 spaces spare secondary places. New estates will impact on families already living in Walll Heath, leading to longer journeys (& more traffic) to get to school. Already, houses built at the top of Stallings Lane in Pensnett, although Pensnett schools have received extra funding, the developers' (Keepmoat Homes) brochure states "The advantage of what Kingswinford has to offer... a great choice of schools"