Residents living near a newly identified potential development site in Balsall Common say they are resigned to houses being built there, with one describing the plan as "disastrous" and another saying they feel "powerless" to stop it.
An updated green belt assessment featuring 72 potential 'grey belt' sites was recently published by Solihull Council, though the authority has stressed that not all sites will be developed. Grey belt refers to lower-quality, low-value portions of protected green belt land that could be suitable for development.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service visited Balsall Common to speak with residents living near a site that borders the new HS2 line. The visit came just a week after detailed plans for 250 homes off Waste Lane were approved by Solihull planners, a decision that was on the minds of many residents.
Residents voice concerns over infrastructure and village character
A retired Meeting House Lane resident said: "We don't have the infrastructure at the moment for all these homes. People are still moving into the area, it hasn't put them off but it will change the nature of the village. The frustration has been Balsall Common has already been beleaguered with HS2, so once you have upset a community you might as well carry on."
Another resident in the road, who has lived there for 50 years, said: "We are very conscious we are short of housing. I do think trying to keep a green corridor is important. We have lived in the lane for 50 years, it was all open fields and a small village. I wish they would stop, and find somewhere else to do it. You could call that nimbyism but we have seen it completely eroded over the years. The reality is it's not going to stop now, it's about fine tuning the plans."
Residents in nearby streets share their fears
Residents in Beverley Close, which neighbours the identified site, said they were not happy about it. One resident who has lived in the village for more than 40 years said: "There's been more and more houses. There could be over 1,000 houses (across all sites) when it is finished, I think that is ridiculous. At the moment you can't even get a parking spot, years ago you could park anywhere in the village."
Another resident who has lived in the village for five decades said: "I think it will be disastrous. They will build around me. All the fields lost. They are building more and more, which is a travesty. Balsall Common has changed a lot, not for the better."
A resident in Sunnyside Lane said: "We have been here since 1999, this would be the biggest change. The infrastructure isn't here to cope." Another added: "You feel powerless because they are going to do it anyway. The thing that concerns me the most is the schools and doctors' surgery trying to cope."
Council says assessment does not mean development is inevitable
Councillor Andy Mackiewicz, Solihull Council's cabinet member for climate change and planning, said: "Decisions about whether any sites should be released from the green belt to meet future development needs across the borough will be made through the local plan process. The identification of potential grey belt land does not mean those areas are suitable for development. Nor does it mean that entire land parcels assessed as containing grey belt would automatically be considered for development. We hope that by publishing the assessment ahead of the next stage of the local plan, residents and interested parties will have more time to digest the content before the next round of consultation begins."
The council's next stage of the local plan will determine whether any of the grey belt sites are released for development, with further consultation expected.
