Residents up in arms after bulldozers cleared trees at ex-Black Country dump

Sandwell Council's website stated that land was privately-owned and clearance was done ahead of future site investigations. 

Jennifer Woodhouse, aged 48, who lives in nearby Macdonald Close, said: "Five years ago I brought my forever home with a beautiful view of green land out my back windows with no one looking over me in my garden. January 13 I heard machinery out the bedroom window. I looked out to see diggers ripping all the trees out of the ground.

"I couldn't believe what I was seeing - I called Sandwell Council to find out what was going on and I was told they'd had a number of calls regarding this and they would email me a link to explain. This explained that residents would of had a leaflet posted explained what's happening - I'm still waiting for the leaflet - but they did say there has been no planning promotion granted has of yet.

"On January I was woken up at 7.45am to the diggers ripping more trees out. Due to all this I feel my mental health is being affected, I can't go on my weekly walks over there because it upsets me to much, every time I open my blinds in a morning I feel totally gutted," the medical engineer added.

The site on the Sandwell-Dudley border is among a number identified for housing under plans to transform the area in the next two decades. 

Ian Carroll, of Friends of Sheepwash, said: "They have gone and cleared the site despite us asking for more information about the purpose of the activity.  We are also concerned about the presence of the rare Small Blue butterfly there. The site is one of only two places in Midlands where the species is established and it feeds on the kidney vetch plant.

"We have seen the statement on the council's website which is very vague. There is no planning permission yet for any development, we have seen no ecology report and no leaflets were sent to the public before the work was carried out. It's just not very good at all."

"We want to see the site preserved has a nature area and part of the green corridor extending from Sheepwash Nature Reserve nearby and taking in the canal and the tip land rather than putting housing on land which is going to need cleaning up as part of a reclamation programme."

Sandwell Council's website states: "Rattlechain Tip in Tividale, Oldbury, is a privately-owned brownfield site that has been identified as being suitable for housing in the local plan, subject to planning permission being granted and reclamation work being done on the land. Our planning officers have met with the agents acting for the landowner to discuss how this large site can be reclaimed and redeveloped to provide much-needed housing.

"Earlier in January the landowner started to clear vegetation in advance of future site investigations which will inform a future planning application. Independent ecologists have assessed wildlife and protected species that live or may be living on the site and an ecologist attended the works with a watching brief. Preparatory works of this type are a normal part of the development process.

"The council has been advised that the private landowner has distributed leaflets to nearby residents to explain the works being undertaken which includes a contact number for the contractor should there be any queries relating directing to the works themselves. The council is aware of the work and has seen the contractor’s risk assessments to ensure the work being done is being properly managed. There will be no ground investigation of the site at this point.

"The council was advised that the work, which began on January 8, should take around two weeks to complete and this work has now been completed. This is a very early stage in investigating the potential future use of this site and no planning permission for development has been granted at this time."

The land was once used as a brick clay works but was later used for waste disposal, leading to concerns about the condition of the site.