Object

Representation ID: 14315

Received: 11/10/2021

Respondent: Mr Andrew Jones

1. The government attaches great importance to Green Belts. The fundamental aim of Green Belt policy is to prevent urban sprawl by keeping land permanently open, the essential characteristics of Green Belts are their openness and their permanence:
(a) to check the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas.
(b) to prevent neighbouring towns merging into one another.
(c) to assist in safeguarding the countryside from encroachment.
(d) to preserve the setting and special character of historic towns; and
(e) to assist in urban regeneration, by encouraging the recycling of derelict and other urban land.
The plan contravenes all the above.
This land forms a green corridor between Barr Beacon, Sutton Park for wild life to move between, a create habitats, I believe this site is also listed as conservation area which only adds to all of the above. If this site is removed from the Greenbelt boundary the fear is all future planning applications will be that little bit easier, if this site is removed, we will never get back the peaceful and tranquil land so important to the local residents, the wildlife and also the environment.
Inappropriate development is, by definition, harmful to the Green Belt and should not be approved except in very special circumstances.
Is this proposal deemed Very special circumstances?
2. The local transport infrastructure is already at breaking point, with too many cars on the road adding to pollution and noise, if the proposed 960 houses all have an average of 2 x cars per household, this will be adding a minimum of 1920 cars to the already heavily polluted and over ran area. Queslett Road has a history of speeding motorist and subsequently a high accident rate, adding to this known problem would be inappropriate and irresponsible action by Walsall Council and the Black Country Plan, with no consideration for highway safety and Traffic generation.
3. The Local Education facilities in the area are already heavily oversubscribed. It was recently reported that The Streetly Academy would on average receive 1200 applications for 243 available places. Lindens primary School is also heavily oversubscribed and is a known feeder school for Streetly Academy. Barr Beacon Secondary School is also over subscribed with an expected intake of only 252 pupils each year. Working on an average of only, 0.5 children per household a new estate of 960 houses would potentially put an extra 480 pupils in the middle of 2 oversubscribed and underfunded school’s, again, this would be inappropriate and irresponsible action by Walsall Council and the Black Country Plan.