Draft Black Country Plan

Object

Representation ID: 45750

Received: 11/10/2021

Respondent: WAH237 & 253 Group Response

Number of people: 29

I wish to voice my VERY strong objections to the development of 400 houses on the Stonnall Road/ Lazyhill Road areas of Aldridge (WAH 237 + WAH253).

I have lived in Aldridge for 50+ years and I oppose the destruction of our very precious & beautiful green belt areas that surround us here in Aldridge.

Brownfield sites primarily should be identified and used BEFORE the destruction of any green belt areas and I understand that Walsall Council has recently purchased the old McKechnie Brass Works in Middlemore Lane Aldridge, a 6 Hectare site, could this not have been used for housing???

It's not environmentally friendly to build on green belt and destroy wildlife habitat, areas that local people have enjoyed for many, many years. During the recent pandemic it has highlighted even more the need for green open spaces for general health and mental wellbeing.

It will further increase traffic congestion, the building of 400 houses could increase the local car ownership by a similar number and more, all these additional cars would cause congestion on two very narrow lanes that lead to a very busy Chester Road. The two main roads effected ie Stonnall Road and Lazyhill Road lead to crossroads with the main Chester Road that already are hazadous and local accident black spots. This extra traffic could cause potential fatalites at these junctions. The number of extra cars will also add to the already increasing amounts of air pollution.
Current infrastruction does not lend itself to the increase in the number of houses on the scale that is planned. The local schools are all already over subscribed, not to mention Doctors, Dentists and healthcare needs for local residents are all already stretched to full capacity. I understand an argument for this has already been addressed. I attended the meeting on 1st October at The
Compass Suite, Aldridge and was informed by one of the Local Planning Officers there, that it your intention to build a new Primary School and Local Health Centre on the new sites earmarked, which for the same reasons I have already outlined would be catastrophic to the area.

If it is the intention to build a new school and health centre then the visitors to both of these would cause problems with access and parking.

Crime would increase. With our local Police Station in Aldridge closed to the public and the number of Police Officers already stretched to capacity this added demand on local resources simply would not cope.