Marston Green Opposing Over Development (An umbrella group of residents opposing over development)

30/07/10 -Public Meeting - Thank You
Thanks to all those who were able to be at the public meeting last week and welcome to the new people who have been added to the email distribution list. Emailing news and updates is by far the easiest, quickest and of course cheapest way to get information around the village and so if you have friends or neighbours who would like to join the list please ask them to contact me with their details. The more the merrier and with the possibility of a major fight in the near future, we will need all the support we can get..

Solihull News is running an article this week about the meeting and also mentioning the great historic importance of the land on Elmdon Road which is one of the sites in the proposed plan. (Little known fact, and nothing to do with the meeting, but Boudica, the Celtic Queen who died around AD 60, is reputed to be buried in Marston Green - possibly on land now owned by the airport. Not many people know that!)

Media and communications
Linda Poulson mgood@talktalk.net (From 1st August)

23/07/10 -Public Meeting 21st July
Thanks to all of you who attended this important meeting. Everyone who left email addresses on the registration forms will be recieving an email towards the end of next week, with further information and details of any progress made.

15/07/10 - We Are Back!
We have been waiting to see if the developers were going to challenge the decision taken by the Government Inspector to reject their appeals regarding the Elmdon We said MGOOD would be back and here we are! Once again we need your help and support.. If I tell you our new motto is 'The future of your village is in your hands' it might give you a flavour of what the Public Meeting is about. Solihull MBC has published its plans for the future development of the village and next Wednesday evening at 7.30 in the Parish Hall, Cllr Bob Sleigh and hopefully Cllr Jim Ryan, will be telling us what it will mean for the village, if these proposals are implemented. The councillors will also be taking questions.

There are two proposed sites earmarked for housing - one on farmland at the top of Elmdon Road, just before the railway bridge, where 120 houses are planned, and the other is on the farmland at the rear of Chelmsley Lane, adjoining the Wavers Marston estate, where there would be a further 150 houses.

The other major concern is the Green Belt land at Coleshill Heath Road. You might remember we fought for this site a couple of years ago when Arlington wanted to build a hotel and offices etc on that buffer zone. The Planning Inspector turned down the appeal by Arlington, on the grounds that it was Green Belt land. Solihull MBC wants to remove the Green Belt designation and allow the land to be used for what effectively would be a further extension of the Business Park.

If you think these plans would harm the village, and clearly we do, then please spread the word and lets get as many of the villagers to go to the meeting as possible. We want people to be fully informed about the plans and to understand the implications if these were to go ahead.

Hope to see you all then. We need all the support we can get if once again we are going to put up a strong fight to save our village.

15/12/08 - Solihull News Item - Sandstone Elmdon Lane Application

A number of people are concerned about the planning application listed in this weeks Solihull News which appears to be identical to an application previously submitted by Sandstone for Elmdon Lane. To the best of our knowledge, and the knowledge of people who have access to more recent information than we have, this is relating to an old application and, as you will have discovered if you have checked out the Solihull Planning website, no mention is made of a current application. Why this should be listed in this weeks applications we don't know but it would seem, for the time being, we can consider this to be an error and not a cause for concern. That said, we might be unwise to be complacent about Sandstone's future plans; you will recall their comments in the press saying they are still interested in the site and they "will do what it takes" to obtain permission to develop this land. From the amount of interest this (possibly) erroneous item has caused, we can be confident, should the need arise, that we will have the support and encouragement of the vast majority of villagers. If we do hear any further news we will of course let you all know immediately.

Linda Poulson
Press Officer Marston Green Opposing Over Development

19/09/08 - Sandstone to Appeal To High Court
We have been waiting to see if the developers were going to challenge the decision taken by the Government Inspector to reject their appeals regarding the Elmdon Lane site and we are sorry to tell you, but not surprised, that they have now done this, and so the waiting continues.

Any challenge can only be on a point of law and the Inspectorate will take advice to decide if there is a legal case to answer. If they are happy that the appeal hearings were carried out properly then they will defend their decision in the High Court. If this does prove to be the case then it will be well into next year, possibly in the summer we have been told by the Inspectorate, before the case is heard.

06/08/08 Latest New Residents relief at Inspectors decisions

Villagers were surprised but very relieved to hear that the Government Inspector, Robert Luck, had decided to dismiss the appeals by the Sandstone Group to build an estate of 70+ homes in the rear gardens of Elmdon Lane. Click here for more

23/06/08 Latest News – MGOOD Group - Cream Tea held on 22 June
Thank you to Pauline and Jim Campbell for all their hard work and opening their garden to host a fundraising ’Cream Tea’ event for ‘Marston Green Opposing Over Development Group’ on Sunday, 22 June. Marston Green enjoys a wonderful community spirit and tribute must be given to all those residents, their families and friends, who not only contributed home-made scones, cakes, plants for sale, and tombola prizes, but also came along on the day to help out, spend their money and enjoy a lovely neighbourly afternoon in the garden. The event raised over £500. A very big thank you to everyone for their support.

21/06/08 Latest News – ELMDON LANE PLANNING APPEAL
The venue for the appeal into the proposed development in Elmdon Lane has been moved to the Civic Suite in Solihull. Those of you who were able to attend the Coleshill Heath Road/Arlington Appeal will be aware that the Institute of Medical Training, the planned venue for the Elmdon Lane appeal, will only accommodate around 15 people in anything like comfort. As a registered group, MGOOD has official status at this appeal and Richard Cobb, who as you know is the Planning Consultant acting on our behalf, requested a larger venue to be able to seat the number of people we hope to get once again for this appeal. The date will remain the same, that is 10th and 11th July.

FURTHER FUNDRAISING EVENTS
Cream Tea – 22 June from 3.00 pm at 120 Elmdon Lane There is a ‘Cream Tea’ fundraising event planned for Sunday 22 June, from 3.00 pm, to be held in the garden of 120 Elmdon Lane. If you can cook and are prepared to provide scones or cakes for the sale please contact Pam or Linda (see above for contact telephone numbers). If you are a gardener, do you have any plants/cuttings you can donate which can be sold at the ‘Cream Tea’ event? Otherwise, please just come along to 120 Elmdon Lane on 22 June at 3.00 pm to enjoy a traditional cream tea, buy cakes and plants, chat with your neighbours and enjoy a Sunday afternoon in the garden. (Hopefully in the sun!)
If the weather is unsuitable, the event will take place in St Leonards Parish Hall

Garage Sale – 12 July at 10 am at 105 Elmdon Lane There will be a ‘garage sale’ on 12 July. If you have any household items (in good condition please) which might be worth a few pounds, please contact Pam or Linda (see above for telephone numbers).

30/05/08 - MGOOD Table Top Sale on the 17 May
Thank you to everyone who contributed their ‘worldly goods’, helped out on the day, and those who spent their money at the table top sale. It was a tremendous effort and the sale raised £265 towards campaign funds. We are still someway off enough money in the kitty to pay the bill for the planning consultant we are using to help fight the Elmdon Lane Planning Appeal. So, if anyone wishes to make a contribution, however small, to help meet the expenditure, for example: professional advice/representation, stationery, printing, hire of hall, etc, then please contact Linda Poulson (Tel : 779 4787) or Pam Butler (779 2220).

19/03/08 - Marston Green mentioned in Parliament

The proposed Elmdon Lane development was highlighted by our MP Caroline Spelman in the Commons yesterday, during the second stage of her Ten Minute Rule Bill on 'garden grabbing'. She said "Just think about the impact of that development. This is a narrow, tree lined lane with a humpback bridge, where there is potential for traffic levels to increase by 3,400 per cent as a result of garden grabbing." The Bill, which has attracted cross party support, now moves to a second reading in a few weeks time.

The bill, which has cross party support now moves to a second reading in a few weeks time. Lots of press interest both local and national, so many thanks must go to Caroline Spelman for keeping this issue alive.

17/03/08

The Sandstone Group have appealed against decisions made by the Planning Committee of Solihull MBC to reject their latest applications. A major factor for these rejections was the projected noise from Birmingham airport. At the planning hearing, evidence was submitted by Councillor Bob Sleigh and Councillor Jim Ryan, taken from the airports Masterplan, Towards 2030. This shows that the part of the site proposed by Sandstone will, fall into Category C of the noise contours. No housing development should take place on Category C land if other sites are available, and as there are other site designated for housing, the Planning Committee unanimously decided that rejection of the applications was appropriate.

28/02/08

Arlington Business Parks Partnership Ltd are appealing against a planning application which was refused in 2006, to expand the Birmingham Business Park. 

Click For More>>>

21/02/08 - Elmdon Lane Planning Application Rejected The application for Elmdon Lane by Sandstone Group was rejected at the planning meeting held on 20/02/08. Special thanks must go to Bob Sleigh, Jim Ryan and Jim Campbell who all spoke out loud and clear against this proposed development. Thank to everyone who attended the meeting and have helped to fight this unsuitable application. Click For More>>>

06/02/08 - Elmdon Lane Back on Agenda Just before Christmas, Sandstone submitted a revised application. Click For More>>>

06/02/08 - Holly Lane Verdict The result is in and not the verdict we hoped for. Click For More>>>

03/02/08 - Garden Grabbing Increase Flood Risk Building new homes in people's gardens posed a "significant" flood risk, the author of a government report into last summer's floods said. Click For More>>> (external link)