Object

Representation ID: 43811

Received: 11/10/2021

Respondent: Crestwood Park Residents Action Group

My Objection for Crestwood Park/Severn Drive
This document objects to the following sites:
• BCP REF DUH213 - Lapwood Avenue Open Space
• BCP REF 203 - Ketley Quarry (policy DSA3)
• BCP REF DUH222 - Corbyns Hall Open Space
• BCP REF DUH221 - Standhills Road Open Space
• BCP REF DUH211-- The Triangle
• BCP REF DUH208 - Holbeache
• BCP REF DUH216 - Bryce Road Playing Fields
Lapwood Park Open Space - DUH213

I have been a resident of the Crestwood Park estate for nearly 11 years now. We moved into this desirable estate largely due to its quiet nature, and ideal suitability to raising a family. We have over the years, extensively used the Lapwood Avenue field (DUH213) for a number of purposes, including various ball games, leaf and nature hunts, kite flying, snowball fights and building snowmen, photoshoots, dog walking, picnics, family gatherings, and simply relaxing. It's been an invaluable green space to us and our family, [REDACTED-SENSITIVE INFORMATION], and we consider it to be much higher in quality and value to us than either Ketley Fields or Bryce Road green spaces, despite what the Open Space Review rating says. We object to the selection of this site for housing with the following reasons/points:

1. This site is directly opposite a primary school, on a road that is already severely congested, and parking takes up both sides of the road and surrounding roads, several times throughout the day, with traffic finding it difficult to get through, as only single file traffic can make it through. Building 45 houses on this field would cause further difficulties for parents accessing the school, and residents of the estate. The site assessment for this site suggests, there would be no "Impact on the wider road network", but a significant effect will happen on the more local road network, several times a day, outside the school, reducing parking for the school, dramatically decreasing road safety - it's only a matter of time before a serious accident occurs.

2. The potential for a through road from the Ketley Quarry site (BCP REF 203) would create a cut through shortcut between Bromley Lane and the main Dudley Road via the Ploverdale/Sandpipers estate, which would likely cause a significant increase in traffic moving through the estate not only at peak times, but at all points throughout the day, and further problems leaving the estate at the Bromley Road junction. This would significantly increase traffic, and decrease road and pedestrian safety on the estate, especially at peak school times. No through road is mentioned within the Black Country plan, but it is indicated on the site plan submitted in planning application [xxx].

I do however support the development of houses on the Ketley Quarry site, as it's expected
this will decrease anti-social behaviour from individuals and groups unlawfully using the
quarry for recreation at present, and remove what is considered locally to be a considerable
eyesore, and also supports building on brownfield sites.

4. Effect on school admissions. There are insufficient school places for children across the
area. My daughter started school [REDACTED-SENSITIVE INFORMATION] and her
best friend who lives well within the catchment area was unable to join with her as the primary intake was oversubscribed. [REDACTED-SENSITIVE INFORMATION] fear that the sibling rule will not apply by the time she starts school in five years time, due to oversubscription. The BCP indicates extra capacity will be provided by enlargment of existing schools, which will change the character of them, or force buildings that take away car-parking, play areas or fields.

5. Effect on Mental Health. The BCP calls out that Kingswinford South and Wordsley specifically have a below standard quantity of public open space. These spaces are very important to local residents, for many uses, but frequently including dog walking, and safe spaces for children of all ages to play and socialise, specifically DUH213 is within sight of many of the local houses, and considered safe by older residents too. Many residents purchased houses on these estates specifically because of access to this space, and over the pandemic lockdowns the use of this space increased even further. Green spaces are proven to have a significant benefit on mental health, particularly for those who may not have gardens themselves, and they are providing more benefit than ever before.
a. The BCP identifies Ketley Field Open Space as a suitable alternate space to allow for loss of Lapwood Avenue; however, this site frequently floods (hence the recent planting of many young saplings across the field) and although it has a playground, it is of poor quality, with very little equipment for younger children, and much of the equipment that is there is damaged and broken - the roundabout hasn't worked for 3 years, and I've never seen any other playground without a slide or swing.
b. Residents generally disagree that Ketley Fields is of higher quality and value. This field regularly floods each year over large areas and for a long duration, and make it unsuitable for many childrens games.
c. For older residents at the opposite end of the estate, this may be too far to walk.
d. The Lapwood field is generally always a busier space than the Ketley Fields space, with more residents using it for a variety of purposes.

6. Effect on NHS (all sites).
- There are not enough local doctors and dentists in the local area. Residents are being forces to travel out the area to access care. Wall Heath and Kingswinford have a number of elderly residents who cannot physically do this - due to their own capabilities and lack of public transport - Pre-lockdown, the average waiting time at Russell's Hall was over 4 hours (2019). April '21 inspections show it still 'requires improvement.'
- Longer ambulance wait times (In 2020, the turnaround times reached 60 mins)
- Further delays in local health services, mental health services (rapidly growing), hospital treatment and operations for serious illness.

7. Loss of Biodiversity. Although not designated as SLINC or similar, there are frequent sightings of [REDACTED-SENSITIVE INFORMATION] are heard every year, and numerous species of birds are observed [REDACTED-SENSITIVE INFORMATION] are also registered at Bryce Road. Loss of the sites would lead to loss or displacement of these animals.

8. Local flooding. Alongside the field, Fitton Avenue floods on a fairly regular basis, and it is expected that building houses on the field will not contribute positively to drainage issues locally, and likely more properties, including newly built on Lapwood Avenue field, would
flood quite significantly.

Corbyns Hall Open Space - DUH222

My family have lived [REDACTED-SENSITIVE INFORMATION] for over 40 years and have used the field regularly in that time, bringing up children, grandchildren, and now great­ grandchildren. We're still regular users of the Severn Drive field, now with my husband, playing a
variety of games on the Severn Drive Open Space with nieces, nephews and now our daughters. We've also flown our kites over that field and carried out photoshoots there too. None of the activities we've carried out would be appropriate on the proposed alternate spaces.

9. The open space review for Severn Drive (DUH222) failed to identify any activities taking place yet they it is very often used and any resident could have helped identify this, so the green space assessment is flawed.

10. The open spaces identified in the site assessment as replacements for Severn Drive, Mayflower Drive and Derwent Close open spaces, together make up about a quarter of the space to be lost on Severn Drive, and neither are suitable in terms of terrain or shape to
many of the activities carried out on Severn Drive. Neither of these sites were large enough to be audited in the Open Space Review 2017, so the council obviously is not aware of the quality of these spaces and should not propose them as alternatives. Identifying them as an
amber in the RAG rating is not suitably a strong enough indicator of the negative impact of losing Severn Drive.

11.Each of the open space reviews identify that the open spaces in question suffer in their quality/value ratings solely due to lack of council investment in them rather than lack of resident usage, which happens in spite of the lack of investment!

12. Effect on road safety. Increased traffic through Corbyn's Hall estate from Severn drive would increase the risk of an accident happening on the estate.

13. Effect on NHS (all sites).
- There are not enough local doctors and dentists in the local area. Residents are being forces to travel out the area to access care. Wall Heath and Kingswinford have a number of elderly residents who cannot physically do this - due to their own capabilities and lack of public transport
- Pre-lockdown, the average waiting time at Russell's Hall was over 4 hours (2019). April '21
inspections show it still 'requires improvement.'
- Longer ambulance wait times (In 2020, the turnaround times reached 60 mins)
- Further delays in local health services, mental health services (rapidly growing), hospital treatment and operations for serious illness.

14. Loss of Biodiversity. Although not designated as SLINC or similar, there are frequent sightings of
[REDACTED-SENSITIVE INFORMATION] over Severn Drive [REDACTED-SENSITIVE INFORMATION] are heard every year, and numerous species of birds are observed. [REDACTED-SENSITIVE INFORMATION] are also registered in the local area. Loss of the sites would lead to loss or displacement of these animals.

Standhills Road Open Space - DUH221

15. I object to building on the Standhills Road Open Space. This will be an important boundary corridor of green space when the Ketley Quarry site is built over, and if this open space is lost, all these housing estates will merge into one. Ketley Quarry will be bordered on the Eastern Side by Dawley Brook with a retained green corridor, and it should similarly be bordered on the Western Side.

16. I note similar reasons of objection for the use of this site, including mental health, pressure on the NHS and local services, pressure on schools, loss of green amenity space, and loss of biodiversity and habitat.

Bryce Road Open Space -- DUH216

17. I object to the selection of the Bryce Road site towards housing in the local area.

18. I note similar reasons of objection for the use of this site, including mental health, pressure on the NHS and local services, pressure on schools, loss of green amenity space, and loss of biodiversity and habitat, and pressures on the local road infrastructure, particularly pushing additional traffic through Blackwater Close onto the Corbyns Hall estate.

Green Belt Sites -- The Triangle (DUH211) and Holbeache (DUH208)

19. I have signed the bulk objection for these two sites, but wish to make an additional point.

20. Brownfield sites that have been deemed as unviable, in the Key Sites Viability document, have the potential to deliver 2,615 houses. This is roughly three times the number of houses proposed to be built on the Triangle and Holbeache. This does not demonstrate the
exceptional circumstances required to release land from green belt for development.