Luxury housing development plan for Walsall green belt site
A new luxury homes development has been earmarked for green belt land next to historic Walsall Arboretum, sparking concerns among environmental campaigners.
Friends of the Earth claims the scheme for 14 new properties would undermine the look and character of the town's flagship park.
Developer CT Planning Limited has submitted an application to the borough's planners for the houses, which would have at least four bedrooms, to be built on grazing land at neighbouring Calderfield Farm.
Along with the new homes there would be 56 car parking spaces.
Planning documents state that the properties would be for 'aspirational dwellings on land off Buchanan Road'.
"The objective is to provide housing suitable to attract to the Walsall and Aldridge area managerial and professional persons that are likely to invest in employment generating businesses. This type of housing will assist with the retention of entrepreneurs within the borough and would improve the choice of housing within the Walsall area," the report adds.
It adds that the quality of housing would be would similar to properties in the Little Aston and Four Oaks area near Streetly, 'where large, well designed houses are set in spacious' grounds.
But Walsall Friends of the Earth co-ordinator Beth Porter said other sites should be looked at first.
She said: "There are plenty of brownfield sites crying out for new housing in the borough. Our countryside is precious and should be protected. The Arboretum is our premier park and we see no reason to allow executive houses to spoil the open character that makes the park such as asset to the borough."
The branch said it wants to see housing built on brownfield sites closer to public transport links and not on green field sites which undermine the rural character of large parts the borough.
It also said there were concerns that the good work Walsall Council is doing to enhance the Arboretum and to develop a Country Park, stretching as far as the canal, could be undermined by such inappropriate development in the green belt.
The site adjoins existing homes off Buchanan Road and Argyle Close to the north west, to the south lies Walsall Arboretum and to the east is Calderfields Golf & Country Club, of Aldridge Road.
