Burntwood Action Group

Result of public consultation autumn 2010

• There were about 4000 responses from individual Lichfield District residents. Almost 2000 were returned by us from Burntwood & Hammerwich residents.

• The responses returned by us were virtually unanimous in supporting proposed development on brownfield sites in Burntwood.

• Many responses from Lichfield residents objected to the 8000 new homes proposed as they considered it to be far greater than the number required and could change the character of the City.

• Because of the number of responses Lichfield District Council is commissioning a review of the projected population growth in the District. The outcome of this research may provide evidence for a change in the number of new dwellings required from the 8000 currently proposed.

Our current position:

• Whilst welcoming the review of the number of new homes required and the possible reduction from the 8000 previously proposed, we are concerned that it could lead to a lengthy delay in putting a revised Local Development Framework in place.

• We are worried that, whilst without a local development framework in place, developers could try to push through plans for development on sites outside those proposed in the revised Draft Core Strategy.

Recent developments endorse our concerns:

Miller Homes Ltd is undertaking a public consultation exercise regarding proposals for a development of 850 homes on a 26 hectare site in Streethay with associated community facilities, shops, primary school, leisure centre and public open space. The site had been identified as one with potential for development in the draft Core Strategy. The Company has indicated that they will be making a planning application shortly. Should the Council decide to refuse the application on the grounds that it is premature the developer may try to gain permission through appeal in advance of the Council finalising the housing numbers required and the preferred locations.

Meeting of our representatives with the Leader and Chief Planning Officer of Lichfield District Council:

We requested this meeting to voice our concerns over the delay in finalising the Core strategy and to try to ascertain the time scale leading to the implementation of a revised Local Development Framework.

The Leader and Chief Planning Officer of the Council were pleased to meet with our representatives and we are grateful to them for giving up their time and engaging in an open and frank discussion.

Proposed time scale:      Early Autumn 2011          Review of number of homes required will be completed.

November 2011                Revised Core Strategy published.

Winter 2011                        Councillors work towards ratification of revised Core Strategy.

January 2012                      6 week public consultation on revised Core Strategy.

Spring 2012                         Finalised plans, submitted to Government Inspector.

Summer 2012                    If approved, implementation of revised Core Strategy.

A united front for Burntwood

For some time we have been working in close cooperation with Burntwood & Hammerwich Action Group.

We were concerned that our support of plans for housing development on the disused land bordered by the Burntwood Bypass and Milestone Way could have led to antagonism between our Groups and residents of Chasetown.

The planned housing on that site goes beyond what we had expected onto Council owned land at the end of Church Street and we are very sympathetic of residents’ fears that they will lose a green amenity.

We are delighted that representatives of Chasetown residents accepted our invitation to meet with the Chairman of Burntwood & Hammerwich Action Group and our Chairman on 31^st August. After a most amicable meeting there was complete unanimity in:

• opposing any development on the Council owned green land at the end of Church Street
• supporting plans for housing on the previously designated industrial land northwards to Milestone Way.
• agreeing to ask planners to provide an entry to that development from the Burntwood Bypass and opposing any proposal for vehicular access from the Chasetown side.
• seeking a meeting between representatives of our three groups and Lichfield District’s Chief planning Officer to demonstrate our unanimity on the above three points.

Government plans for changes to planning regulations:

Click here to read a report from the real estate consultancy company, DTZ on these proposed changes.

Whilst the proposed changes to legislation appear to offer some protection for the country’s green belt, the proposal that “YES” should be local authorities’ default answer to planning applications is profoundly worrying. The report endorses our view that councils need to have a robust Local Development Framework in place at the earliest opportunity.

Following the very large number of responses to the public consultation on Lichfield District Council’s revised draft Core Strategy the Council is considering commissioning further work on the projected population growth in the District. The outcome of this research may provide evidence for a change in the number of new dwellings required from the 8000 currently proposed.

This may be a step forward as many responses suggested that 8000 new homes was far greater than will be required and could dramatically change the nature of the area. We have sympathy with this view but accept that up to 1000 new homes, over the next 15 years, for Burntwood and Hammerwich, as proposed in the draft proposals, could be justified if sited on previously developed land and not encroaching on green belt.

We asked residents, and received their overwhelming backing, to respond to the consultation on the revised draft proposals by supporting those aspects which proposed development within the Burntwood area on brownfield sites. We were keen to see an early adoption of the revised Core Strategy as one of our major fears was that, whilst the District has no housing development strategy in place, there was a high probability that developers would try to push through plans, by appeal against Council rejection if ncessary, for development on sites outside those proposed in the revised Draft Core Strategy.

It now appears that the fear is well founded:

We have been informed that Miller Homes Ltd are undertaking a public consultation exercise regarding proposals for a development of 850 homes on a 26 hectare site in Streethay with associated community facilities, shops, primary school, leisure centre and public open space. The site had been identified as one with potential for development but was not chosen for inclusion in the draft Core Strategy. The Company has indicated that they will be making a planning application shortly. Should the Council decide to refuse the application on the grounds that it is premature the developer may seek to secure permission by way of a planning appeal in advance of the Council finalising the housing numbers required and the preferred locations.

This situation reinforces our view that there is an urgent need for an up-to-date approved Core Strategy to be in place to ensure that site selection is part of the formal planning process and not decided ad hoc on appeal. We appeal to Council members and officials to conduct a speedy review of the projected number of new homes required and move with all haste towards adoption of a Core Strategy which is acceptable to the majority of the District’s residents.

Apologies to visitors to our website. Due to technical problems the February update on this topic appears to have been lost.

It is now reinstated below. If you missed it when it was first posted the current update will make more sense if you read that first.

The technical problem has also resulted in many of the links being lost. Our technical wizard is working on the problem and will, hopefully, get our website back to full working order in the near future.

The final number of responses to the Consultation forwarded to Lichfield District Council (LDC) by our Chairman was 2750. THANK YOU again to all those residents who have supported our campaign to confine housing development in Burntwood and Hammerwich to previously developed land and preserve our surrounding green belt. We are confident that this tremendous response will result in LDC adopting a Local Development Framework which is in line with our objective.

Lichfield District Council has been overwhelmed by the number of responses to its consultation and they have informed us that the revised timetable for implementation of the Core Strategy of the Local Development Framework will now be along the lines of:

Mid April 2011
Council officials complete the analysis of the responses to the Consultation documents.

After Local Elections on 5th May 2011
Report on the responses to the Consultation will be presented to the Council.
Councillors’ response to the report may be influenced by two other reports which will be presented at the same meeting:
• Report on The Fradley and Rural Master Planning Projec.
• Report on The Analysis of Household Projections with the County Council.

Autumn 2011 (originally scheduled for July 2011)
Adoption of Draft Core Strategy by Lichfield District Council (after any changes agreed by Councillors and taking account of any additional evidence and changes to national guidance/regulations).

After adoption and publication of Draft Core Strategy
Formal Consultation Period: 6 weeks for submission of responses from interested parties followed by a Public Enquiry.

Sometime in first half of 2012
Adoption of Core Strategy of Local Development Framework.

Update February 2010

LDF Core Strategy: Shaping Our District
This is the title of Lichfield District Council’s (LDC’s) revised Local Development Framework (LDF) which is now out for consultation.
We delighted that LDC’s revised plans for our area specify development on brownfield sites and exclude housing on greenbelt, other than a possibility of development at Highfields Farm south of Chasewater.
However, statements in LDC’s leaflet ‘The big planning debate – get involved now’ and its printing in the ‘In Touch’ magazine have made us firm up our reservations on two points:
• Number of new homes planned for the Burntwood area.

• Possible development at Highfields Farm.

Our letter to residents and suggested letter of response (below) to LDC’s revised LDF make clear our general support for the revised LDF and the reasons for our reservations on the above two points.

Many of these letters have been distributed to residents of Hammerwich and East Burntwood and the response has been overwhelming. Over 2000 individual letters endorsing our view of the latest LDF have already been forwarded from residents to LDC and we look to be on target to reach a total in excess of 2500. A great big THANK YOU to all those residents who have responded and to our dedicated workers who have braved the elements, vicious letter boxes, dark nights and suspicious policemen to deliver letters and collect responses.

If you agree with our views and live outside our distribution area please download a copy of the letter to LDC and either return it to LDC yourself or place it in one of our letter boxes in Burntwood Health Centre, Hudson Drive; the Post Office, Swan Island; “Wild Orchid” flower shop, Rugeley Road or the letterbox of 35 Farewell Lane or 8 Church Road.

Letter to residents

Burntwood & Hammerwich Burntwood
Action Group Action Group

Dear Resident
Save our green belt update

Over the past year our two Groups have joined forces to protect the green belt in and around Burntwood and Hammerwich.

You should have received a letter, dated 19th November, from Lichfield District Council (LDC) about the revised Core Strategy of the Local Development Framework (LDF). The letter informs resident how they can view the revised documents and how they can comment on them.

Having studied the proposals in detail and discussed them with the Leader and Chief Planning Officer of LDC we are delighted that our campaign to protect Hammerwich and Burntwood’s green belt has been taken very seriously. The new proposals for our area specify development on brownfield sites and exclude housing on green belt, other than a vague possibility of development at Highfields Farm, south (on the Brownhills side) of Chasewater.

However, the recent leaflet ‘The big planning debate’ available from LDC’s offices and exhibitions and its printing in the ‘In touch’ magazine confused our understanding of the number of new homes being proposed for our area. We had been led to believe that, in the revised LDF, the number of new homes would be as in the original document: 1000 new homes in the 20 years from 2006 to 2026. Council officers have assured us that this is correct and that the number of homes (120) built since 2006 should have been subtracted from the 1,000. We need to see this clearly in print.

In the consultation period, from 19th November 2010 to 28th February 2011, LDC is seeking comments from residents. With the exception of possible development at Highfields Farm and the resolution of the doubt over the number of new homes planned for our area we believe that the revised LDF will give Burntwood and Hammerwich protection against speculative land developers until 2026 and ask you to support it.

Even though it would have little impact on our area we oppose development at Highfields Farm because any green belt development written into the LDF’s plans for Burntwood and Hammerwich undermines the stated aim of trying to confine new housing to previously developed land and it could add another 400 new homes to those mentioned in the proposals.

Attached is a suggested letter supporting the revised LDF. We would be grateful if you could add your address, sign it and return it to one of our collectors or put it through the letter box of 35 Farewell Lane or 8 Church Road. Returning it to LDC through us will allow us to monitor the level of support. There is a space provided to add your own comments if you wish. Please note that all members of the household over 18 years can respond.

Thank you for your continued help and support.

Paul Chapman (Chairman BHAG)

Vic Chamberlain (Chairman BAG)

Draft letter from residents to LDC in support of the revised LDF

Mr Neil Cox
Planning Policy Manager
Development Services
Free Post WV370
Lichfield District Council
Lichfield
Staffs WS13 6BR

Date:

Dear Sir

LDF Core Strategy: Shaping our District

I am aware of the contents of the above document and would like to make the following points:

1. I am pleased to note that LDC is proposing housing development on brownfield site(s) in Burntwood rather than on the original green belt sites.

2. I am also pleased that improvement in Burntwood’s amenities and infrastructure has been given due consideration.

3. I object to the mention of the possibility of housing development on the green belt land at Highfields Farm. This contradicts the stated aim of minimising encroachment onto green belt and could provide a lever for developers to make a case for development on other green belt in or around Burntwood. Also, housing development on this site would push the number of new homes planned for the area way beyond the number that your evidence suggests is necessary.

4. The number of new homes planned for Burntwood is unclear from your publications. The leaflet ‘The big planning debate’ and item in the ‘In Touch’ magazine states: “Around 1,000 new homes could be built in and around Burntwood between now and 2026.” I had been led to believe by your officers that 1,000 was the number of new homes planned for Burntwood between 2006 and 2026 and that 120 of those homes have already been built. I will only support your plans if they make it clear that those homes built over the past four years are to be subtracted from the 1,000.

With the exception of any development on the Highfields Farm site and with the proviso mentioned in item 4 I am now pleased to support those aspects of your revised Local Development Framework which affect the Burntwood area.

Thank you for listening to the concerns of Burntwood residents.

Yours faithfully

Signed:

Address:

Additional Comments:

Plans have been submitted for a wind turbine with a total height of 126.25 metres at the water treatment plant in Burntwood. The 414 foot structure would be much taller than the highest spire at Lichfield Cathedral before the blades are even added. Figures and Visualisations are now available along with many other documents detailing the size of the project.

BHLOTT- Burntwood & Hammerwich Locals Opposing The Turbine, has been formed against the application due to the proximity to local housing and wildlife. Email them on bhlott@hotmail.co.uk

Stats -

Lichfield Cathedral – Central Spire – 77 metres (252′)
Proposed Wind Turbine – Before blades are added – 80 metres (262′)
Proposed Wind Turbine – With blades – 126.25 metres (414′)

The champagne corks aren’t popping yet but we are now much more confident that Burntwood’s surrounding greenbelt is less threatened than it was a few weeks ago.

You will be aware that the threat to Burntwood’s surrounding greenbelt came from the previous government’s pressure on the West Midlands Regional Assembly to set a high target for the number of new homes to be built in Lichfield District over the next sixteen years.

The new coalition government appears to have a completely different approach to how the country should satisfy its need for new homes in the foreseeable future. On 30th May Eric Pickles, the new Communities Secretary said:

“The previous government gave the green light for the destruction of the Green Belt across the country and we are determined to stop it. We’ve promised to use legislation to scrap top-down building targets that are eating up the Green Belt but I’m not going to make communities wait any longer to start making decisions for themselves. That’s why I have written to all councils to let them know that from today they can make planning decisions in the knowledge that Regional Strategies will soon be history.

“It will no longer be possible to concrete over large swathes of the country without any regard to what local people want. From now on communities will be trusted to make the right decisions.”

At present Lichfield District Council is unsure about how its Local Development Framework will progress. Last week Councillor Neil Roberts, Cabinet Member for Development, said:

“…. we are awaiting formal guidance from the new government that will shape the way housing and development plans are created for the District and specifically how housing numbers will be determined.”

Despite this apparent good news, some landowners are out to make a quick buck and developers find it easier to build on green fields than on previously developed land. For these reasons we must remain vigilant and the Action group will remain in existence to monitor development plans and fight any that threaten our surroundings. We will, however, continue to work constructively with LDC to help to identify previously used land which could be used for new homes.

Health Centre Update
Outline plans for two new health centres at Greenwood House and Burntwood Leisure Centre sites have been passed by the Strategic Health Authority (SHA) and the Primary Care Trust (PCT). Jim Barlow, Primary Care Manager said “The consultation exercise confirmed consistent support for the preferred site options” and he thanked everyone who took part in it. The PCT will now produce a full business case for the developments and if this is approved by the SHA a developer will be appointed to start work in the autumn of 2010, with 2013 as the target for opening. The two new multipurpose buildings will house GP surgeries, offices for PCT staff and facilities for Social care, Mental Health, Children and Lifelong Learning and voluntary organisations.

Burntwood Tip
You will probably have read in the local press about Staffordshire County Council’s plan to close Burntwood’s Household Waste Recycling Centre at Chase Terrace and local councillors’ campaign to have the decision rescinded. Our committee supports realistic moves to cut wasteful council spending but is unanimous in supporting this campaign to keep the ‘tip’ because:
•    The site is much more convenient for Burntwood residents than alternatives at Cannock, Lichfield or Rugeley.
•    Negotiating weekend traffic to the Poplars site in Cannock or the Trent Valley site in Lichfield can already add over an hour to the job of dumping a few bulky items.
•    Fly tipping already scars some of our surrounding countryside and this would probably worsen the situation.
•    Local residents and councillors have not been consulted about this proposal and have been treated with contempt by county officials.
•    This is one more example of Burntwood residents being treated as second class citizens when facilities are being provided from local taxation.

If, like us, you feel strongly about this issue please add your name to the petitions. These are available at Morrisons and some other local stores.

Download the full newsletter by clicking here.

Our fourth newsletter has just been distributed to homes around Burntwood. If you haven’t received yours, or would like a copy for a friend or colleague, please download here. It is available as a PDF or as a Word Document.

If you have read our November Newsletter you will be aware that the finalisation of this plan has been deferred pending the agreement between Lichfield District Council and the Regional Assembly on the number of new homes to be allocated to the District. You may have gleaned from the press that Lichfield District Council is resisting the increase of the allocation from the 8000, stated in the original plan, to 10,000. This number is important for Burntwood & Hammerwich, because it could increase the number of new homes allocated to our area beyond the 750 suggested in the draft plans. If the number remains at 750 we are fairly confidant that they can be accommodated on brownfield sites without further erosion of our much loved greenbelt.

Lichfield District Council has informed us that, since 2006, the recorded number of new homes built in Burntwood & Hammerwich is 107. At April 2009 66 Homes were under construction and 56 homes had received planning permission. This gives a total of 229 new houses in our area over the past 3 years.

Lichfield District Council has also identified locations for approximately 300 new dwellings on brownfield sites in Burntwood and Hammerwich. However, this figure is subject to further investigation and will be confirmed in the updated Strategic Housing Land Assessment which is due to be published in mid December 2009.

All of these figures exclude London & Cambridge Properties site on the Chasewater Industrial Estate opposite and beyond Morrisons Supermarket. We understand that negotiations between London & Cambridge Properties and Lichfield District Council could result in excess of 300 homes being built on this site. It is most important for the preservation of our greenbelt that these negotiations result in the land being allocated for housing and included in the final LDF Core Strategy.

We will endeavour to monitor all developments and continue a dialogue with the Lichfield District Council, at all levels, to ensure that Burntwood and Hammerwich are allocated sensible, realistic new housing targets to 2026 without the use of any of our greenbelt.

Burntwood Action Group was pleased to assist with ensuring that the local community was aware of the Heath Centre Consultation and was given the opportunity to express its views. We will endeavour to keep residents informed of any further developments of the consultation that might affect them.

Our third newsletter is now available to read online, or download and print. Just click here to read or right click and choose “Save Target As” to put it on your computer.

The latest press release and Michael’s report to Burtwood Town Council are both now available. Download the press release here and the presentation here.