Important Questions for local residents
For most residents of Knowle, Dorridge and Bentley Heath (KDBH), the area is (and always will be) a village – or perhaps three villages joined together. To suggest anything else would be unthinkable. But that is just what the Neighbourhood Forum is having to consider. Here’s why – and it’s all to do with the Green Belt.
For decades, the residents of KDBH have enjoyed the protection of the Green Belt. Knowle, Dorridge and Bentley Heath is an island within the Green Belt. The built-up area is surrounded by the Green Belt on all sides. This has helped the area benefit from two of the main purposes of Green Belts – protection from unrestricted urban sprawl; and prevention of the merger of towns (such as Solihull with KDBH). But the world order is changing (and not just because of tariffs!). The Government is keen to relax controls over building in the Green Belt. A category called “grey belt” has been invented (Green Belt that doesn’t contribute strongly to certain Green Belt purposes) – and building in the grey belt has become a whole lot easier.
The Government has called on Councils such as Solihull to take a fresh look at its Green Belt and see what land doesn’t perform so well. At the same time, the Council is preparing a replacement Local Plan. This will allocate new sites to meet the Borough’s housing needs, many of them on the new grey belt. In a “Call for Sites” exercise, the Council has asked people to suggest sites where the new development might go. Nearly 50 of these sites are on the fringes of KDBH in the current Green Belt.* Continued protection depends on full Green Belt status being maintained. Grey belt sites are ripe for development.
The current problem comes from the Government’s new rules. For example, checking urban sprawl relates to the sprawl of built up areas and it is stated that “village should not be considered large built up areas”. And when it comes to preventing neighbouring towns merging into one another, “The purpose relates to the merging of towns, not villages”. See the problem? If KDBH continues to be regarded as a village, KDBH can hardly be said to be contributing strongly to Green Belt purposes. It will become grey belt, vulnerable to new building.
Knowle, Dorridge and Bentley Heath has many of the characteristics of a town. It is a continuous built-up area with a population approaching 20,000. It is larger than the ‘town’ of Marston Green. It has a population not much smaller than traditional towns such as Kenilworth; and places like Oakham, the county town of Rutland, are much smaller altogether. It is hardly a settlement ‘smaller than a town, usually in the countryside’ which is a common definition of a village.
With this in mind, the Forum is arguing that, for the purposes of protecting the Green Belt, KDBH can be regarded as a large built up area or town. That doesn’t change residents’ vision of a cherished village or series of villages, or the Forum’s efforts to preserve its unique atmosphere. Long may that continue; and long may we continue to enjoy the full protection of our surrounding Green Belt.
*Whilst these sites can be regarded as “in the field of play”, only a selection will be allocated for housing purposes. They will have to follow an assessment process. The assessment criteria will be critical in determining their suitability and in setting realistic expectations with landowners and others.