COUNTY councillors say residents have made their feelings clear on plans for a new housing development on land in Burntwood.
Bloor Homes has put forward proposals for hundreds of properties on the site at Coulter Lane, which would also include open space, community orchards, allotments, play areas, a community hub and land set aside for future expansion of Fulfen Primary School.
But a packed meeting organised by Burntwood Action Group saw residents voice concerns over the plans.
Among those in attendance was Burntwood North representative Cllr Andrew Clissett who said it was important that the strength of local feeling was recognised.
“It was clear from the meeting that the community feels this development would place an unacceptable strain on infrastructure and services.
“The proposed loss of green belt land, alongside unresolved questions about schools, health provision and roads, are all deeply worrying.”
Cllr Janet Higgins, who represents Lichfield Rural West, was also among those at the meeting.
The Reform UK councillor and county council cabinet member for education, said:
“The message from residents at the meeting was unmistakable – they feel ignored and they are worried.
“This development risks overwhelming our schools, surgeries and roads, and people are rightly asking where the investment in infrastructure is.
“Communities like ours are not against new homes, but they expect responsible planning that protects green spaces and puts local needs first. Right now, they don’t see that happening.”
There is something so glaringly shortsighted about concreting over farmland that you would think we would have legislation banning it. This country is far from self-sufficient in food production as it is, without us losing yet more agricultural land to housing.
Food security should be a key national policy. It isn’t. Climate change is already impacting our farmers and their ability to grow the food the nation needs, and this needs to be factored in to strategies for land use. Reform’s anti-environment, climate change denying policies will only make things worse.
Poor Tory and Labour housing policy has given us empty properties, second homes, wealthy foreign investors buying up London (encouraged by Boris Johnson), an overpriced rental market (which Reform wants to continue) and loss of our green belt. We need to value our environment and put protecting farmland at the heart of policy making. We need politicians with a commonsense Green agenda, and that isn’t Reform UK.
Burntwood landowners won’t be complaining?
I think we have to many people in burntwood the doctors are overstretch ed waiting as much as 6 wks for a appointment cannot get out of any side rds no matter what time of day I think we are overstretched already it is a small town. There have been enough housing developments over the last few years. Infrastructure cannot cope with more. The green land we have left is precious.