Support

Representation ID: 17686

Received: 09/12/2021

Respondent: Patrick Cluxton

Number of people: 2

Our OBJECTION relates to the land behind Peak House Farm: Call for Sites Number 115 and Site Assessment Reference SA-0003-SAN in the Draft Black Country Plan Appendix B Sandwell
The land now in the ownership of Wain Estates [formerly Himor Land Limited] extends to 27.3 ha We kept and bred horses on 6.59ha of this land for over 30 years. In the early 1990s we were Sub- Tenants to the farmer [name] up until [name] retired. Then we had a Grazing License direct with the owners, the [name]; until they sold to Himor Land Limited, completing in December 2014. Himor [now Wain Estates] put us off the land at the end of September 2020 so that they could begin their "management". The whole of the 27.3 ha is now rented to the farmer/builder [name and Farm] [who already had the main area at 20.35ha]. Un-fortunately [name], unlike many farmers; has no interest in wildlife conservation. We managed our 6.59 ha for wildlife and saw the range and number of species increase dramatically from the mid 1990s up until 2020. Our Tenure coincided with the creation of the RSPB Nature Reserve at Sandwell Valley [begun in 1985]. We found that we enjoyed an overspill of wildlife from the valley; particularly with regard to Birds and Mammals. The land also pulls down migrating birds as they use the corridor which goes North-East from the valley. The valley is a glorious place for wildlife but also often busy with people. Over the years we found that some species of Birds preferred to nest on "the Peak House Fields" because they were left undisturbed. Rotational Grazing ensured that there was always a supply of insects and seeds and the hedges were left to grow on to their natural height. The land which we used to manage was divided into 8 fields and paddocks with a variety of sizes: Nrs 0173 0150 0179 0837 1061 1167 1373 and one un-numbered [rpa holding numbers at Grid SP0495]. All these fields are together to the North-East side of 115 - SA-0003-SAN. We called the fields "The spare field" [un-grazed for 25 years] "The wildflower meadow" [grazed to suit butterflies and insects] "The big field" [strip-grazed] "The wet field" [grazed in late Summer only] "The wild field" [next to the A34 at Sargent's Hill]- [wet and un-grazed for at least 35 years]. "Where we park"[un-touched between 1995 and 2020] "The foal paddock"; and a small area of land in front of the stables for out-door foaling, fenced off from the 'spare field'. We had 8 bird boxes in the hedges and in the spinney [which is in the wet field] and 4 bat boxes. We took these boxes down when we left so that the Birds and Bats would not be lost to Himor's "management". We recorded all the wildlife we saw on the land between 1995 and 2020 and that included the following: Breeding Bullfinches, Goldfinches, Chaffinches,Greenfinches and Reed Buntings. Breeding Blue Tits, Great Tits and Long-Tailed Tits. Breeding Chiff-Chaffs, Whitethroats, Swallows, Song Thrushes, Blackbirds, Wrens and Robins. Breeding Linnets [rarely] and Yellowhammers [very rarely]. Breeding [protected species] [once,reared 4 to fledging]. Breeding Buzzard [now every year], Green Woodpecker and Little Owl. Resident and Visiting: Snipe, Heron, Grey Partridge, Woodcock, Mallard Duck. Canada Geese, Lesser-Black-Backed Gull, Greater-Black-Backed Gull, Herring Gull, Black-Headed Gull, Short-Eared Owl and Tawny Owl: Wheatear, Pied Wagtail. Grey Wagtail, [protected species] [Juvenile 2020] Kestrel, Sparrowhawk [often breeding in [location]] Treecreeper and Nuthatch [rare visitors to the feeders from Merrion's Wood in Winter]. Starlings breed in the roofs along Peak House Road and Wilderness Lane and the fields sustain the Winter flock of Adults and Juveniles; consistently 30-40 for the last 25 years [never joined by continental Starlings, probably because of the distance from the nearest coast]. Carrion Crows nest on the tree line [between the big field and the wet field] every year or sometimes in the belt of trees next to the wildflower meadow. The pecking order for nest sites is clear; always the Crows with the highest nest, the Buzzards lower and the Magpies forced to breed in the hedges. Despite 10-12 Magpies on the 27.3 ha in earlier Spring; aggression from the other two species results in only one pair of Magpies nesting each year. Foxes breed successfully on the land and scavenge from the nearby bins; one year a Vixen was seen with five cubs. Foxes were seen to take Juvenile Magpies from long grass on two occasions and this might be quite a common source of prey. The presence of Foxes means that a Rabbit has never been seen. Other Mammals include Grey Squirrel[for the Hazel nuts in Autumn], Stoat, Short-Tailed Field Vole [brick and stone piles provided] Common Shrew and Pigmy Shrew [the wild field is full of territories] and the wild field has at least 18 species of grasses including Vernal Grass. Mole and Brown Rat [unfortunately and trapped]. Pipistrelle and Long-Eared Bat. At least 12 species of Butterflies have been recorded including high numbers of Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper; feeding extensively on Bramble and Dog Rose and Clover Flowers; and numerous species of day-flying and night-flying Moths. We provided an artificial pond which attracted Frogs and Toads. We have noticed that many species of wild flowers have colonised the fields which we managed; which we never saw in [name] day. These grow particularly between the hedges and the paralell electric fencing [now removed] and in the field corners and include Purple Vetch, Lady's Bedstraw, Cowslip, Bird's -Foot Trefoil and many, many others. Unfortunately the "management" carried out by [name] for Himor [Wain Estates] since September last year has already resulted in the loss of some of this wonderful Wildlife Habitat. We took photographs in May 2020, September 2020, December 2020, May 2021 and September 2021 to record the loss of habitat and the consequent loss of Wildlife. We used to manage the Ragwort on the 6.59ha [poisonous and possibly fatal to horses] and the Japanese Knotweed, being a " non-native Notifiable weed". Those species have grown unchecked since September last year. Himor [Wain Estates] want to build 700-900 Houses and some Industrial Units on the land, without mitigation. This would destroy an important wedge-shaped area of land which begins the West Midlands Green Belt in the South-West corner. The possibility was last put forward in 1980 when a vast Metropolis was proposed; allowing Birmingham., Walsall and Sandwell to merge completely with only Parks, Small Nature Reserves, Playing Fields and "Green Dots" remaining. The idea was quashed by the Environment Minister at the time. Alternative Proposals were put forward for Sand and Gravel Extraction but these proposals were not pursued. We hope that the Black Country Consortium and the surrounding Authorities, if required, can find a sufficient number of previously-developed sites to meet the perceived housing need until the end of the Plan Period. IF any Green Belt land must be released, we believe that this land should be saved because of the "High" value which this particular land has for it's contribution to the purposes of including land within the Green Belt. Thank You for your attention to our Comments.