Object

Representation ID: 17533

Received: 05/10/2021

Respondent: Mr Paul Lawrence

Objection to Policy WSA5 (Site Reference WAH236 – Land at York’s Bridge, Pelsall) in the Draft Black Country Plan of July 2021

My wife and I both work in [x] and have lived in [x] for over [x] years. We object to the proposed development in the Draft Black Country Plan of July 2021 at Site Reference WAH236 – Land at York’s Bridge, Pelsall on the following grounds:

• Residents on Moat Farm estate will find it extremely difficult to exit and enter Moat Farm Way during peak traffic hours between 7am – 9am and 4.30pm-6pm due to traffic from the proposed development. There is currently only one entrance for vehicular traffic on the Moat Farm estate so residents will have no choice but to wait for traffic on the Norton Road (B4154) to allow them to enter or exit the Moat Farm estate.

• Pelsall does not have the educational facilities to support the proposed homes on the development. Although mention has been made of building a new primary school, the proposals are not detailed enough for an accurate judgement to be made on them. The proposals also do not detail whether the local secondary schools have the capacity to absorb the increased number of pupils travelling from Pelsall to these schools.

• Pelsall does not have enough general practitioners or healthcare services to support a rise in the population of the village. In 2018 19.4% of the population of Pelsall was over 65 and therefore was more likely to require regular contact with healthcare services. If there is a rise in the number of elderly residents this will put healthcare services under increasing strain. At the same time, if there is an influx of young families in the village the current healthcare facilities may not be large enough to support effective neonatal and postnatal care.

• Public transport links in Pelsall would need to be improved for residents of the new developments. No concrete and detailed proposals have been put forward to show how an increased number of residents will be served by public transport. It is vital that Pelsall’s public transport links are made more frequent and environmentally friendly if the proposed housing developments are completed. Children and young adults will rely on frequent and reliable public transport to enable them to get to local secondary schools or colleges. Many of the bus services that serve local schools (such as National Express West Midlands bus number 9 from Pelsall towards Walsall) are already overcrowded before and at the end of the school day. It is also reported that buses serving Pelsall are often late during the day and that they are not a reliable form of transport. The proposed new development will exacerbate these issues. The Department for Transport in their publication 'Bus back better' (March 2021) wrote that one fully-loaded bus removes 75 private cars from the road. There would need to be a significant increase in the frequency of the buses serving Pelsall, if the proposed housing development is not going to lead to an unwelcome increase in the number of private cars being used by Pelsall residents out of necessity.

• The number of homes being proposed will dramatically increase pollution levels. This is because the number of households with private cars in Pelsall will increase. This will lead to a higher number of cars travelling through Pelsall. If the common land in the centre of Pelsall and Nest Common are still to be used as areas for recreation for children it is only right to minimise levels of pollution in these areas. On 28th April 2021 The Times reported that children living in areas with higher levels of pollution are more likely to experience poor mental health. If the local council and education authority are keen to improve children’s mental health, surely it is incumbent on them to retain safe and pleasant green spaces for the children who already live in Pelsall?

• The removal of part of the Green Belt in Pelsall will also have an adverse impact on the habitats of local wildlife that have been using the proposed development site for years. Wild deer often use the fields of the proposed development site and would find it difficult to find a safe alternative habitat. Also the construction phase of the proposed development would disturb water birds that live on the canal and nearby reed beds. This may result in the birds and other forms of wildlife leaving the area permanently. Again, this would harm the wildlife and remove a pleasant and safe area for local residents to walk in, having a negative impact on residents’ physical and mental health.

Summary
It is of course important that there is an increase in the housing supply in the Black Country. However, by implementing higher density housing developments, the proposed plan for site WAH236 risks harming the health and wellbeing of the current and future residents of Pelsall. The plan also does not give careful thought to ensuring the development is connected to the wider West Midlands region nor has adequate provision for healthcare and educational facilities.