4,000 objections in nine days against plans for 330 homes on green belt in Dudley

Plans to build 330 homes on green space near Dudley have attracted more than 4,000 objections in just nine days.

More than 6,000 objections in total have been lodged with Dudley Council against plans to develop agricultural land in Holbeache Lane, Wall Heath.

The site is adjacent to Holbeche House, where the Gunpowder Plotters made their last stand prior to their arrest and execution.

A total of 4,061 residents signed an electronic petition during a nine-day period, on top of a written petition signed by almost 2,000 residents and more than 450 individual letters of objection to the plans.

A letter on behalf of developer Persimmon Homes said the plans would provide much-needed homes at a time of acute shortage, and would be in keeping with the Government’s aims to build an extra 1.5 million homes by 2029.

West Midlands Police has objected to the plans on the basis that no detail has yet been provided on crime prevention measures.

Mike Wood, MP for Kingswinford and South Staffordshire, has written to Dudley Council planners asking for the scheme to be rejected.

He said there was no merit to the developer’s claim that it was on ‘grey belt’ land, and warned that the A449 Wolverhampton Road was already struggling to cope with existing traffic volumes.

“The application does not demonstrate convincingly that the surrounding highway network can accommodate the additional traffic generated by the development without adverse impacts on safety, congestion or residential amenity.”

Mr Wood also cited the loss of green space and damage to the environment if the scheme was approved.

Dudley Council’s historic environment team and Historic England, a body responsible for the nation’s heritage, both voiced concerns about the impact on Grade II*-listed Holbeche House, within 110 yards of the site boundary.

But Jason Tait, acting on behalf of the developer, said existing views from the property were already restricted by hedgerow and mature trees.

Mr Tait said the developer was proposing additional buffer planting along the boundary “to align with any glimpsed views to Holbeache House through the boundary”. He said properties close to the boundary would be restricted to two storeys.

He said a number of amendments had been made to the design of the development in response to comments.