Object

Representation ID: 16247

Received: 11/10/2021

Respondent: Mrs Corinne Sharman

WOH258, WOH259 and WOH257
Wolverhampton already has one of the lowest percentages of greenbelt outside of London. This greenbelt land preserves the character of the area and prevents urban sprawl. But releasing so much green belt in Bushbury will do the complete opposite of this. It also helps preserve the historic character of the area and this development would be on the door step of the historic National Trust property Moseley Old Hall. This historic building has bats that nest in the roof and have their young. Bats only have 1 pup each year so this is very important to their conservation (and bats pollinate plants). Bats have extremely sensitive hearing and having this level of building work on their door step could cause them distress. I have also seen the bats flying over site WH258 and site WOH259 is next to Moseley Old Hall. Bats are legally protected and it is a criminal offense to deliberately or intentionally disturb a bat in its roost or deliberately disturb a group of bats and also to damage or destroy a place a place used for bats roosting or breeding (even if the roost is not occupied at the time). Disturbing the land would also effect the bats food source.

Wolverhampton already has one of the lowest percentages of greenbelt outside of London. This greenbelt land preserves the character of the area and prevents urban sprawl. But releasing so much green belt in Bushbury will do the complete opposite of this. It also helps preserve the historic character of the area and this development would be on the door step of the historic National Trust property Moseley Old Hall. This historic building has bats that nest in the roof and have their young. Bats only have 1 pup each year so this is very important to their conservation (and bats pollinate plants). Bats have extremely sensitive hearing and having this level of building work on their door step could cause them distress. I have also seen the bats flying over site WH258 and site WOH259 is next to Moseley Old Hall. Bats are legally protected and it is a criminal offense to deliberately or intentionally disturb a bat in its roost or deliberately disturb a group of bats and also to damage or destroy a place a place used for bats roosting or breeding (even if the roost is not occupied at the time). Disturbing the land would also effect the bats food source.

I am particularly concerned about sites WOH258, WOH259 and WOH257. Instead of using these beautiful fields, there are so many brown-field sites and derelict land that we could use. For example currently the Gala bingo site on Bushbury Lane, Wolverhampton is for sale. If a developer could acquire this land the site could accommodate a large number of houses and would tie in with the existing Goodyear developments. This would also improve the site and it offers an alternative location for houses. Other sites include:
The Woodbine Pub, Wood Lane, Wolverhampton WV10 8HU.
Land that used to be a petrol station on Tettenhall Road, Wolverhampton (next to the Newbridge pub).
Derelict land on Bushbury Lane, Wolverhampton (opposite KFC and the Covid testing site).
Forrester's Arms derelict pub, Birmingham Road, Wolverhampton.

Greenbelt land should not be used just because it is an easier option for developers to use instead of clearing land containing derelict buildings. They make a large margin when building and selling houses so they should help by putting something back into the community and improve these areas. Surely regeneration is the best option for Wolverhampton.

Another concern is that in-between sites WOH258 and WOH257 there is Waterhead Brook and this area is at high risk of flooding. The current agricultural use of the land provides natural drainage and natural flood alleviation. But altering this land will effect the surface run off (of water) and not only poses a flood risk to this part of the brook but also to the houses that are further downstream that have already been built close to the brook. This includes roads such as Blackbrook Way which is at high risk of flooding and Ainsworth Road which is a medium risk of flooding as well as many other areas downstream. In a report on your website, in 2017 the Environment Agency identified that the brook needs capital maintenance to the lower flood risk for several properties.

I do agree with the proposal to extend Northycote Farm, as this, along with Moselsey Old Hall, are tourist attractions. Nature is what draws people to these sites. I remember looking forward to visiting this area of Wolverhampton when I was young as it seemed so beautiful. Please do not destroy it.