Object

Representation ID: 13274

Received: 22/09/2021

Respondent: Mrs Audrey Bown

We wish to register our objections to the above Black Country Plan and the proposed development of Greenbelt land.
We feel there is enough Brownfield Land and old Industrial Sites to accommodate housing targets within Walsall without the destruction of precious Greenbelt land.... r> The proposed development would significantly harm the openness of the green belt which is an integral part of the character and landscape. Loss of the existing views and both privacy and overlooking would adversely affect the residential amenity of neighbouring owners.
We also feel that the Greenbelt land contributes to the quality of the adjacent Arboretum which directly overlooks the open fields with it's grazing animals and forrns an essential part of the setting of the Arboretum, which is Walsall's flagship park and conservation area. We need to protect the towns few exceptional assets.
We are also concerned on the impact it will have on the local wildlife. The development site itself is known to have the protected species of [Redacted-sensitive information].
The development site would sit in the middle of the Arboretum, Arboretum extension, Park Lime Pits and Hayhead (SNICs) which would destroy wildlife corridors and light overspill may negatively impact the [Redacted-sensitive information]and other wildlife causing destruction of habitats.
We also have concerns for the preservation of the 'protected' trees which form part of the development and the potential damage from heavy excavation equipment on the root systems.
It is also known that both the Arboretum and the Aldridge Road have a history of flooding and concreting over the countryside will exasperate this.
There is also the question of access to and from this site. The local infrastructure (roads, schools etc) will not cater to the extra population and vehicles, plus the proposed development would surely offer poor levels of security and would raise a fear of crime in the area.
Finally the pandemic has taught us the value of this open space to the health and mental wellbeing of Walsall residents. The footfall across the arboretum and all our green space has increased dramatically. Don't take away our irreplaceable green space.
[Redacted-GDPR]. I feel very privileged to live here. We must preserve green spaces for our well being, wildlife and future generations