Black Country Core Strategy Issue and Option Report

Comment

Representation ID: 2935

Received: 08/09/2017

Respondent: Member of Parliament

Since the publication of the Black Country Core Strategy in 2011 , the local economy has been transformed in many ways and therefore future plans and strategic documents should reflect these changes. An update to the plans for the regeneration corridors and the inclusion of plans for our smaller communities would be too good an opportunity to miss but, the review of the plan should not simply grant licence to destroy our much-loved and needed green belt.

Comment

Representation ID: 2936

Received: 08/09/2017

Respondent: Member of Parliament

The green belt in and around Aldridge-Brownhills constituency is one of the Black Country's key assets, providing as it does, quality open countryside, a sense of space and amenity close to areas of high-density housing and industry, safeguarding against absorption by and into Birmingham and, crucially from simply being reduced to a suburb of a "Greater Birmingham". It prevents the coalescence of villages and town communities, and the inevitable loss of identity that would entail. It enables all residents to live in areas that retain a sense of local
community. This is an issue residents in my Aldridge- Brownhills constituency feel strongly about.

As an advocate of a 'brownfield first' approach, I remain convinced that our focus must remain on renewing and regenerating previously used land to make it suitable for developmentbefore seeking to develop or build on any new land. It is only by identifying and tru ly making brownfield sites and other already or previously utilised or underused sites a priority, that any potential to develop on them will be unlocked and imagined, whether through public or private investment. If we do not take brownfield sites seriously there wi ll never be an incentive to clean up and regenerate disused sites in the hearts of our towns, and our green belt wi ll remain at risk of being lost forever.

Comment

Representation ID: 2937

Received: 08/09/2017

Respondent: Member of Parliament

In concluding, the opportunity to review and update the Black Country Core Strategy is timely and to be welcomed. However it must be inclusive and transparent and above all must reflect those who live here. I do not accept that the best way to meet our housing and employment land needs is to be found by simply building on the green bell. It is vital for the regeneration of our communities that we maintain a 'brownfield first' approach. The moment the green belt is released it will be lost forever and the regeneration of our towns and inner cities will continue
to stall, its entire purpose destroyed and with it local wildlife and the sense of amenity.

Comment

Representation ID: 2938

Received: 08/09/2017

Respondent: Member of Parliament

As well as reviewing the detailed plans for the Regeneration Corridors and the Strategic Centres, I urge the review to look into how our smaller communities - the town , district, and local centres - can be supported and encouraged to thrive. By engaging with local community groups, there is an opportunity for small and concise plans to be created. This would help to plan for the maintenance and improvement of these centres; if not it will be a missed opportunity to help not just the selected Regeneration Corridors but, to help all our communities to develop.

Comment

Representation ID: 2940

Received: 08/09/2017

Respondent: Member of Parliament

In this review we have the opportunity to pursue a dynamic and creative strategy that protects our heritage and local identities whilst providing clarity for the future.

Comment

Representation ID: 2941

Received: 08/09/2017

Respondent: Member of Parliament

The Black Country is facing significantly different challenges than six years ago, when the current plan was adopted. A review and update of the Regeneration Corridor plans is essential - in particular the example of the Regeneration Corridor in Brownhills.

Comment

Representation ID: 2942

Received: 08/09/2017

Respondent: Member of Parliament

In seeking to manage the needs of the wider Black Country and acknowledge the challenges we face, the option to export the housing need outside of the green belt, and to areas outside of the Black Country Housing Market Area (HMA) must be given greater emphasis. This option could provide greater sustainability and environmental protections whilst also being more appropriate and deliverable than building on the green belt. Housing needs are to be taken seriously however, this should not be at the cost of our precious green belt.

Comment

Representation ID: 2944

Received: 08/09/2017

Respondent: Member of Parliament

Whilst it is important that transport proposals are sustainable and clean they also have to be practical. It is clear that as the Black Country has undergone rapid change over the last six years the priorities of the development of the transport network need to change too. For this reason the detail of the priorities as set out in this document require much greater depth before they are approved. If the number of houses is to increase in the Black Country, as suggested in the consultation document, the current priorities will clearly need to be reassessed and delivering the quality and capacity of the transport network for the subsequent increased population will become essential.

Since the last core strategy was published, the West Midlands has formed a Combined Authority which takes some responsibility for transport. Whilst some of the policy proposals are important for the Black Country and relevant to the Core Strategy, they should be looked at within the context of a wider West Midlands. For example, should a policy high up on the priorities list for the Black Country but near the bottom of the West Midlands Combined Authority priorities list, or even assessed as not viable by the West Midlands Combined Authority, be included in the Black Country Core Strategy if the chances of it progressing are relatively low or even nil?

I support and encourage increasing the number of journeys taken via greener methods but, these figures must not simply be arbitrary and should be based on clear and transparent research and analysis, and there has to be a clear plan to reach these targets.