Campaigners fighting planned developments in Wall Heath and Kingswinford say an extra 4,181 people could be added to the local population if proposals are approved. The Wall Heath and Kingswinford Greenbelt Group believes services in the region will have to cope with up to 3,235 more children seeking nursery and school places, as well as as many as 3,391 additional vehicles on the roads.
The group, which bases its research on Office of National Statistics data, is concerned about a total of five planned housing developments. Dudley Council is currently considering three outline applications for a combined 1,537 new homes on sites at the former Ketley Quarry, Holbeache Field, and The Triangle in Kingswinford. Meanwhile, South Staffordshire Council has two applications for sites at Himley Meadow and on Bridgnorth Road, accounting for a further 205 homes.
Public Meeting Scheduled
The group is holding a public meeting on Friday, May 22, starting at 6:30 pm at Summerhill School. Kingswinford MP Mike Wood will attend to hear residents' concerns, and local councillors have also been invited.
In a statement, the Wall Heath and Kingswinford Greenbelt Group said: "The Dudley Local Plan provides enough brownfield sites to satisfy the Planning Inspectorate's requirements. The developers maintain that The Triangle and Holbeache Field sites are of 'poor agricultural quality' and should be redesignated as 'grey belt.' If the 557 homes were to be built, the increase in population would mean waiting longer for doctor and dentist appointments. Already limited school places would be under more pressure. Road congestion, a major problem in our area, would increase due to the large number of additional vehicles."
Brownfield vs Green Belt
The group clarified: "Ketley Quarry is a brownfield site; therefore, its development is not opposed. We do strongly oppose all the other proposed developments as they are green belt sites."
Campaigners argue that the local infrastructure, including healthcare, education, and transport, is already stretched and cannot accommodate such a significant population increase. They urge residents to attend the public meeting to voice their concerns and engage with local representatives.
