It was good to meet you and the other officers at the consultation day in Halesowen. I think you'll agree that Cllr Ian Cooper and I were quite firm on the issue of the green belt and that it must be protected not just at junction 3 of the M5 but also Lutley Gutter and the remaining St Modwen land on Coombeswood Green Wedge.

I'm a member of Halesowen Abbey Trust and I agree with the submissions entered on our behalf by Mick Freer and Roy Burgess.

Cllr Cooper and I would also like to add to the argument about the use of other land other than greenbelt. We believe that brownfield sites should be investigated first, but also we would like to see a programme of removing older, less environmentally friendly council housing and to have them replaced with new developments. These developments need to be designed to make better use of the land available and to provide environmentally friendly housing which will reduce utility costs for tenants and improve the environment.

One final point from me is of course the issue of protecting Halesowen's heritage and leisure area around the Abbey, particularly in view of our meeting last week and the search for a way of gaining safe access across the A456 to this area.

Thanks again for bringing us up to speed on the consultation, the process and the time scale.