Villagers unite to battle plans for 140 Great Wyrley homes
Angry residents voiced their objections to plans for more than 140 homes earmarked for South Staffordshire – with more than 1,400 signing a petition against the scheme.
Around 150 people piled into Great Wyrley Community Centre to air their concerns about the proposed development, off Landywood Lane, in Great Wyrley.
Protesters are concerned about increased traffic, pressure on schools and the impact on wildlife. Others raised fears it would destroy the individual identities of Cheslyn Hay and Great Wyrley.
Builder Ken Lees has applied to South Staffordshire Council to build 141 homes on the green belt site. It also provides for a park-and-ride scheme on land adjacent to the site to serve the nearby railway station.
A new health centre, a care home and allotments are also planned. The initial application asks for permission to build access roads into the site.
But around eight residents have formed a community group, called Save Our Space, to fight against the plans.
Speaking during the parish council meeting, the group's chairman Graham Rockett, of Streets Lane, said: "The roads in and around Cheslyn Hay and Great Wyrley cannot cope with the extra cars."
Aislinn Tilsley, 25, added: "The villages have united against this. We don't want the villages to be joined together."
