Object

Representation ID: 15177

Received: 11/10/2021

Respondent: Chris Murfin

I write with regards to the proposed development on land previously owned by Peak House Farm, Great Barr. Although this land has now rightly been removed from the draft Black Country Plan, I'm concerned that the developer can still appeal the decision and have the land reinstated in the plan. Development of this land makes no sense on the following points:
- Sandwell has plenty of brownfield sites suitable for development, why would it make sense to build on greenfield?
- in 2003, according to Sandwell Council, the land was "an area of potential archaeological importance" and also of "special character for nature conservation". Has this changed in the last 20 years?
- There is not the infrastructure in Great Barr to support such a large development especially in terms of roads; the A34 through the Scott Arms, M6/J7 and around The Bell is already gridlocked each rush hour without adding extra traffic caused by more housing.
At a time when the UK's biodiversity levels are dropping to record lows, I strongly believe that we should be adopting a 'brownfield first' approach to development and leave our greenfield sites to be used by the natural wildlife and enjoyed by future generations.