Residents living near a recently labelled ‘grey belt’ site in Solihull have voiced strong opposition, citing a lack of infrastructure to support a population increase. The comments come after the council published an updated green belt assessment identifying 72 potential ‘grey belt’ sites, though it stressed not all would be developed.
What is grey belt and where is the site?
‘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 (LDRS) visited neighbours living next to a proposed grey belt site south of Dickens Heath and east of Tidbury Green.
Lloyd Hudson, who has lived in Norton Lane for more than 50 years, said: “The infrastructure isn’t capable of handling what is here now. Unless they make major alterations it is going to be problematic. You won’t find anybody who is in favour of these houses being built.”
Residents raise flooding and traffic concerns
Another Norton Lane resident expressed disgust, questioning how the land could be classified as grey belt when crops are grown there. They added: “We have been flooded before. If green belt is built on the water is all going to come off, that’s what worries me.”
A further resident noted: “We are resigned there is going to be some building of homes. We’ve been here nine years now, in that time we have seen such an increase in traffic. People cut through here to get onto the M42, if there’s a road closed it filters to here. If hundreds of houses are built, three car families living there just think of all the extra traffic.”
Campaigners and rail concerns
Chris Pugh-Zange, who has helped start a campaign, said: “We have been quite active to protect the green belt, the wildlife and this area which is only a small village. It wouldn’t sustain hundreds of homes. Everytime you get rain, every country lane around here you need a 4x4 to get through.”
A Rumbush Lane resident said: “We strongly object to it being built on. They say new residents will use the railway stations - but trains are only once an hour. There is no infrastructure around here.”
Similar views were expressed by Balsall Common residents when the LDRS recently visited there.
Council response
Councillor Andy Mackiewicz, the authority's cabinet member for climate change and planning, previously 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.”
