Object

Representation ID: 22590

Received: 08/10/2021

Respondent: Miss Ruth Forth-Eglon

BCP Site reference DUH 211 Landscape area reference BL13 known locally as 'The Triangle' land between road boundaries of Swindon Road (B4178) Lodge Lane (A4101) and Kidderminster Road (A449)
My concerns that this parcel of land is an easing into agricultural green belt land that if passed will set a precident of developing on green belt in surrounding areas in the very near future. Not only is this land a pleasure to see it does provide a habitat for local wildlife, it is also used as a pedestrian route for walkers and school children. School children use this land as a way of safely walking to Summerhill School, all three roads surrounding this land are high traffic roads and are dangerous to cross as has been highlighted by the horrfiic accident on Lodge Lane which resulted in a fatality and a speed camera being put in place. I will add that speed camera or not all three roads have issues with speeding vehicles which local residents regularly make the Police aware of and yet nothing has been done to improve this.
There are proposals to build 533 dwellings on this land which will most likely all have at least one but more likely two vehicles per household this will increase the amount of traffic on our already busy and congested roads. Commuters are likely to travel towards Wolverhampton or Stourbridge as these are the nearest train transport links to farther afield. There are already pinch points between Amblecote Brettel Lane and Wordsley High Street junction at 'The Cat' pub. The junction a 'The Cat' pub has already got issues with stop, start and idling traffic causing air pollution in the form of Nitrogen Dioxide (N02).
Air pollution does not just come from combustion fossil fuels of diesel and petroleum it is also from particulate pollution from brakes and tyres, these ultra fine particles are dangerous to our health as they are extremely inhalable entering our lungs and bloodstream. These particles cause tissue damage including inflamation of organs, heart disease and strokes. It affects people with underying health conditions such as Asthma and it can impact the developement of young childrens lungs.The World Health Organisation states that 90% of the global childrens population is affected by air pollution. How many schools and residential streets within a 1-2 mile radius of this land literally have 'Choke' points of congested traffic which are often busiest at the times of day when school children, parents and grand parents are are walking along these roads?
All of the surrounding roads will be impacted with more noise, air pollution and risk of accidents as people try to avoid main roads thus causing 'Rat Runs' on side roads. Using 'The Cat' pub traffic light junction as an example in 2018 it exceeded the national Air Quality Objective Safety Level of 40ug/m3 and was infact 50ug/m3 it has since seen improvements with traffic flow from new road layouts and smarter traffic light systems, but according to reports in The Dudley News on 25/11/2020 it has still missed it's targets. There are no other physical road changes that can be made at this junction so if these targets are inadequate at this point in October 2021 what chance have they if the traffic is increased due to developement of the surrounding area in the near future?
If develpoed the site will have to have vehicular access, would this be on the A449 Kidderminster Road which is notorious for speeding even though there are different speed limits along that stretch of road or would there be access off Lodge Lane where there is no real safe crossing point for school children, it could of course be Swindon Road which is already a cut through for motorists accessing parts of Wall Heath and Wordsley. I would not like to be a resident trying to turn right on either of these already busy traffic routes.
Barberry Devlopements state online that the residential development of the Triangle is a natural urban extension and that up to 450 houses and a local GP surgery and a local centre could be built, in the Black Country Plan it states that 533 homes are to be built with no mention of a GP Practice. Therefore all new residents would have to register with local GP surgeries with an already burgeoning load of patients that can take up to 2 weeks for an appointment time slot.
Local schools are already over susbscribed from residents as are NHS dentists and Pharmacies
ave extra pressures of supporting with prescriptions and consultations.
On 5/7/2020 Dudley Liberal Democrat Ryan Priest put out a plan for a greener Dudley to protect green spaces from development and to create a Biodiversity plan to implement a reduction in the use of pesticides and a widespread replanting of wild flowers...Where can this planting be done if all green spaces are built on for residential development? I recently attended an evening at Summerhill School where all local MP's were present and all rejected the idea of this proposed development even Andy Street the Mayor of the West Midlands wants Brownfield sites first before greenfield sites are devoloped.
Brownfield sites will require more financing due to possible land contamination and demolition costs but it can be done, once green field sites are built on they are lost forever.
Taken from Reason for Selection/Rejection provided by BCA, site reference SA-0025-DUD The Triangle, Lodge Lane/Swindon Road, K'ford "Selected for housing" 'Whilst it is accepted that the Green Belt and Landscape Sensitivity Assessment notes that damage to the Green Belt would be moderate to high if this land were developed it is considered that the site lends itself to release as "Rounding Off" of the urban conurbation. The site is boundaried on all three sides by roads and thus there would be a new defensible boundary created. There are no red ratings for this site except for greenfield....Amber rating relating to impact on protected trees...Potentially suitable for release from the green belt. I read this as 'It is basically greenbelt so people will object to developing it but because it is surrounded by roads and already adjoins residential areas that it is OK to develope and when in the future as the population grows it will be OK to just keep encroaching on surrounding greenfields/farmland and continue to develope the area.'

Brownfield sites first please, let us keep our green areas for our community our children and grand children to enjoy for years to come. It is taught in schools to be resposible for our own behaviour within our environment and to preserve all living things. We are to nurture nature and all the joy and education it brings. I am fully aware of the beautiful countryside on my doorstep and that many others are not as fortunate but I do hope that people power will prevail and we can continue to cherish our green open spaces.