Elmdon Lane Development

06/02/2008

The property company, Sandstone Group have three applications under consideration for a development of 71 or 73 properties (the number depends on which application you read). The first application, heard on 17th October 2007 was unanimously rejected by Solihull Planning Committee and the developers have appealed against that decision. The remaining two are scheduled to be heard on 20th February, and whilst they only have to get a positive outcome for one of these, we are in the unfortunate position of having to fight all three of them. We are up against experts in ‘garden grabbing’ so must employ any methods, legal of course, to try to beat off this unwanted development.

As a group representing the vast majority of villagers in Marston Green, MGOOD has presented a document to Cllr Ken Meeson, the leader of Solihull Council expressing our concerns about how the planning applications have been processed. For example, the planning department have used data from surveys commissioned and provided by the developer and in our view this information, (hardly from an unbiased source!) should be challenged. To rectify just one of what we see as the many injustices, MGOOD have approached the Bickenhill Parish Council for funding for an Independent noise survey and we are grateful to them for agreeing to this. The 24 hour survey will start on 7th February and the resulting report will be with us just before the planned hearing on the 20th.

We are asking everyone who cares about the village, and doesn’t want to see further erosion of our village way of life, to support us on the 20th at the Civic Suite and more details of this will follow. Unless as a village we are prepared to stand up and be counted, people like Sandstone will continue to make vast sums of money by targeting other parts of the village. Trees are already being felled in Coleshill Road in preparation for yet another Sandstone application. Don’t let them make their fortunes at our expense!

Sandstone - Taking the Green out of Marston!