Fight to save Corbett Meadow backed by descendants of benefactor who gave the land to the people of Stourbridge

Relatives of John Corbett have issued a damning statement objecting to any development on the land to the rear of Corbett Outpatients Centre in Vicarage Road, echoing their ancestor's intentions for the meadow to remain a green and open space for the benefit of the Stourbridge community.

Mr Corbett, a prominent Stourbridge businessman and benefactor, gifted the former Hill Estate and grounds to the local community in 1893. The land, which includes what is known as the Corbett Meadow, fell into NHS ownership in 1948 when Corbett Hospital became part of the NHS.

Part of the site is now home to the Three Villages Medical Practice. The neighbouring meadow, however, has remained undeveloped and is a haven for wildlife - having been tended to by hobbyist farmers for the last 40 years.

The Save the Corbett Meadow Action Group (CMAG), which was formed around three years ago to campaign to preserve the meadow in perpetuity, thought they had secured the future of the land in January 2023 after successfully staving off plans from the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust and house builder Charles Church to turn it into an 84-home housing estate.

However, it became apparent earlier this year that the hospital trust and the developer retain a "strong and continued desire" to develop the meadow. Both organisations made submissions regarding the Dudley Local Plan outlining their determination to develop the land and objecting to plans to designate the meadow as a Local Green Space, which would grant it greater protection.

The submissions have prompted the action group to reignite its campaign to save the meadow from development - with a new e-petition launched which has already garnered almost 1,600 signatures.

Keen to show their support for the campaign, members of the Corbett family gathered outside the old Corbett Hospital gates on Sunday (August 17) and told of their feelings about the continued bid to develop the site.

Andrew Harrison, a great-great-great-grandson of John Corbett, said on behalf of the family: "Our ancestor, John Corbett, gifted the former Hill Estate and grounds to the local Stourbridge community in good faith for public use.

“Like us, as his descendants and CMAG, he would have strongly objected to the meadow being used for anything other than benefitting the local Stourbridge community as green and open space, providing mental and physical health benefits."

He added, "No doubt, he would have had a word or two to say in Parliament, especially regarding the current position of the NHS and their short-term view for securing finance from letting the site be developed into housing."

The family has urged members of the public to sign the e-petition to register their objections to the development on the meadow, in honour of their ancestor's legacy.

Stourbridge MP Cat Eccles also attended the meeting with members of the Corbett family on Sunday and has previously spoken of her support for the action group’s efforts to preserve the meadow, saying she would like to see the hospital trust taking a lead from Walsall Manor Hospital where a wildflower meadow has been created, with funds from Natural England, on land by the hospital to help benefit patients, families and staff as well as wildlife.

The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust’s chief executive Diane Wake has said the trust is required to sell the land and to reinvest the money back into patient care given the financial challenges faced by the NHS.

Developer Charles Church, part of Persimmon Homes, has said it is working with the Dudley Group to help meet the local demand for housing and a spokesperson said any further proposals for the site would be subject to scrutiny through the regular planning process and "residents will have full opportunity to comment" in the event any future plans are submitted.

The petition can be found online at https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/honour-the-legacy-of-john-corbett-save-the-corbett-meadow.