Support

Representation ID: 269

Received: 20/12/2023

Respondent: Mr Michael Liley

Following the guidance set out in NPPF para 102, I strongly believe that the Corbett Meadow,its associated treed parkland and pools, is highly eligible for Local GreenSpace Designation in the following respects:

1)Specialness to the local community. For those living and working all around it who have staunchly objected to any potential harm or development of the site (refusal of recent planning applications). It is valued as a 'green lung', the last remaining green space in Amblecote and a landscape vital to the identity of the local area. LGS under the previous 'Black Country Plan' was also strongly supported

2)Amenity and accessibility value. Although currently in private hands (NHS), given agreed and carefully managed combinations of uses including, current agricultural grazing, it has high amenity potential - for e.g. health & welfare directly benefitting the adjoining hospital, outatients and staff; educational value - nearby school for natural history/ecology and related outdoor learning activities

3)Connectivity context. Part of a natural corrdor network linking via Dennis Park Rec and allotments to the Coalbourne Brook valley and SLINC/ Corbett Meadow is an integral part of an unbroken linear greenspace stretching almost to Brierley Hill

4)Historical Continuity. Formerly part of an 18th C farmland estate belonging to 'The Hill' mansion, and which has mostly surivved until today inspite of 19-20thC manufacturing and extrctive industries to either side. Featured in the published 'Last Meadow' document (Bevan-Jones. R & Cook H-J 2021). The footings of an historic windmill are known on a part of the land and could be subject of archaeological investigations

5) High Wildlife Value. Already granted a SINC/Regionally important nature conservation grading, the Corbett Meadows site mostly comprises acid/circumneutral 'pignut' grass sward maintained here by at least 40 years of livestock grazing. This grassland habitat type is today scarce in Birmingham/Black Country and Staffordshire, most having succumbed to built development on converted to arable farming. It in turn attracts a wide range of invertebrates, moths and butterflies - pollinators which provide a useful ecosystem service. The two pools support amphibian fauna and the parkland trees and scrubby edges are home to bats and badgers (protected species under the 1981 W&C Act)/ This further bolsters the case for LSG status for the Corbett land.

BASED ON THE ABOVE MENTIONED CRITERIA, I FULLY SUPPORT PROPOSED LOCAL GREEN SPACE DESIGNATION OF CORBETT MEADOW IN THE DUDLEY 2041 LOCAL PLAN

I fully endorse the Dudley MBC's SINC designation of the Corbett Meadow (also Known as "Corbett Hospital Grounds" SINC).

All the supporting evidence base for this designation of regional importance is presented in the document:

https://www.dudley.gov.uk/media/joricypg/corbett-hospital-grounds-local-site-assessment-report-form-2022.pdf

I have given a resume of the nature conservation value of the Corbett Hospital Meadow and parkland under my submission/supporting comments for proposed LGS within the 2041 DMBC Local Plan.

I have two further additional comments/observations:
1)Para 4 of Policy DLP31 Nature Conservation on page 193 states that "Dudley will update evidence on designated nature conservation sites......" and that "......sites may receive new or increased protection over the Plan period". I understand from information I have recieved from EcoRecord, the local Environmental Records Centre, that the Coalbourne Brook SLINC, which is within the green/unbuilt corridor linking to Corbett Meadow SINC has not received botanical and ecological survey coverage since 2002. As this SLINC includes wet woodland which is a National Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) priority habitat and also includes woodland dating back to at least 1880s, I believe there is a strong case for resurvey and possible re-evaluation of the Coabourne Brook valley SLINC. I put this forward as a recommendation

2) Observation on the policy map and from the colour coded key, that the boundaries of the Proposed LGS and the AHHLV are shown, but the SINC designation is NOT shown. Is this an oversight? Is this a printing error?
Please explain or otherwise correct the omission

I FULLY SUPPORT THE RETENTION OF THE DESIGNATION OF SITE OF IMPORTANCE FOR NATURE CONSERVATION FOR CORBETT MEADOW WITHIN THE DRAFT DUDLEY LOCAL PLAN 2041

Support

Representation ID: 273

Received: 20/12/2023

Respondent: Miss Judith Davies

I strongly support the categorisation of the Corbett Meadow as a Local Green Space and SINC and AHHLV. It is both an invaluable heritage and ecological survival that needs cherishing. Amblecote has almost no green spaces left and these have been shown to be vital to help stem the tide of climate change. This meadow is particularly important as a wildlife corridor linking through allotments and playing fields to the Coalbourne Brook Valley. It is also an important heritage site set in a community that has already had much of its heritage expunged. It needs preserving as its loss would be incalcuable and I think these designations would help greatly to preserve it for posterity.

Support

Representation ID: 316

Received: 22/12/2023

Respondent: Andy Street

Support the designation of Corbett Meadow as a Local Green Space in the proposed Dudley Local Plan.

I have been a longstanding supporter of the campaign to preserve Corbett Meadow. I have, as a result, been in regular contact with the Corbett Meadow Action Group. I am aware of the strong community support for this proposal, and I stand alongside the local community in emphasising the importance of preserving this site.

Indeed, the strength of feeling on this issue has been demonstrated in the past by the number of objections submitted to the Planning Committee the last time a proposal to develop the site was brought forward by developers.

Corbett Meadow is a valuable piece of green space much-loved by the local community. It supports a range of wildlife, and given its location, provides a much-needed green corridor in Amblecote with associated benefits for air quality. It must also be acknowledged that the land was left to the people of Stourbridge.

Protecting the site via the local plan would enable the benefits it provides to local people to be preserved, and indeed would open up opportunity to provide managed public access to the meadow to provide additional health and wellbeing benefits. This arguably cannot be achieved against the backdrop of a threat of development.

Given the benefits the Meadow provides to the local community, and the significant strength of feeling on this issue, I believe every effort should be made to protect this space and am therefore fully supportive of the proposals in the Local Plan to designate the site as Local Green Space.

To maximise the protection offered to the site, I would also be supportive of efforts to take this further by designating the site as a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation and as an Area of High Historic Landscape Value.

Support

Representation ID: 365

Received: 14/12/2023

Respondent: Corbett Meadow Action Group

NPPF para 102 states that “The Local Green Space designation should only be used where the green space is … demonstrably special to the local community and holds a particular local significance, for example because of its beauty, historic significance, recreational value… tranquillity or richness of its wildlife …”

Taking each criterion in turn:-

• that Corbett Meadow is special to the local community is amply demonstrated by the outcry over its proposed development, the weight of objections that were made against the subsequent planning application and the explicit support that its designation as LGS received when first mooted
• The Meadow sits above and rolls down into the Coalbournebrook Valley and is a key element of Amblecote’s landscape & identity. Its beauty, both intrinsically and as a structural component of the character of the wider area, is self-evident but is also supported by Tree Preservation Orders and by SINC and AHHLV designations - see below
• its historic significance, from its earliest days as a rural hamlet, through to it being parkland associated with an eighteenth century mansion “The Hill” to the present day when it represents the only remaining greenspace of John Corbett’s legacy is clearly special and well documented, most recently in “The Last Meadow” 2023 (see above)
• Its recreational value has been demonstrated in the past through myriad uses by the local community. It is no longer accessible to the public but holds great potential for informal recreation, education, health & well-being. Indeed, the Friends of Corbett Meadow https://www.friendsofcorbettmeadow.com/ vision & programme for delivery for the better use of the Meadow for public benefit is taking shape, led by the Stourbridge Community Land Trust and supported by local health practitioners.
• The richness of the Meadow’s wildlife is demonstrated by its upgrade from a SLINC (local interest) to SINC (regional significance) through a proper and fully evidenced process in October 2022. It is noted that the full site assessment is included in the Council’s evidence base https://www.dudley.gov.uk/media/joricypg/corbett-hospital-grounds-local-site-assessment-report-form-2022.pdf

Therefore the proposed designation of Corbett Meadow as a Local Green Space is fully warranted.

Object

Representation ID: 566

Received: 15/12/2023

Respondent: Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust

Agent: Claremont Planning Consultancy

Policy DLPLGS1 - Corbett Meadow Local Green Space

9.1. The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust and Charles Church Homes strongly object to the proposed designation of Corbett Meadow Local Green Space through draft Policy DLPLGS1 of the emerging Local Plan. The Council previously sought to secure such a designation on the site through the Black Country Plan Review, prior to the decision to withdraw from the preparation of the joint Plan and instead proceed with the Dudley Local Plan Review instead. Representations were accordingly submitted on behalf of both parties strongly objecting to this proposal, as well as demonstrating why the proposed designation was not consistent with national policy.

9.2. It is maintained through these representations that the proposed designation of the site continues to be inconsistent with the requirements of national policy for such designations. The Framework identifies at Paragraph 101 that ‘Designating land as Local Green Space should be consistent with the local planning of sustainable development and complement investment in sufficient homes, jobs and other essential services’. It is considered that the designation of Land at Corbett Hospital is not consistent with the requirement for the emerging Plan to contribute towards achieving sustainable development, and in particular deliver sufficient housing to meet objectively assessed needs. It is therefore considered that the Council should reconsider the proposed designation and recognise the potential for the site to accommodate some housing delivery alongside public open space and biodiversity enhancements, such that it would provide a contribution towards achieving sustainable development in the Borough.

9.3. It is noted that the within the policy itself and the supporting text is consideration of the history of the site, including reference to grounds to be used for a public park. The Policy and supporting text however fail to acknowledge that since the land was originally gifted in the late 19th Century, the ownership of the land as part of a wider parcel transferred to the NHS on its formation in 1948, with part of the wider site continuing to be in medical use today. Other parts of the wider site were already disposed of by the NHS previously, which now forms the residential street John Corbett Drive. Notably, the NHS has no obligation to provide public access for recreation to any parts of the wider site, and instead the land proposed to be designated through this policy is
being utilised for agriculture at the present time. This land has been identified by the NHS as not required for medical purposes and was therefore identified as surplus to requirements. It is therefore to be disposed of in accordance with public sector land disposal policy set by the Government on a national basis, as referenced in the earlier representations to the Health and Wellbeing section of the Plan. It is considered that the proposed designation as Local Green Space is sought to prevent development from taking place on the site, and the NHS from being able to receive ‘best value’, such that it is not consistent with national policy aims of achieving sustainable development. Importantly, there was no obligation on the NHS to provide public access to or use of the land proposed to be designated through this policy, and this should be reflected in the policy and supporting text, confirming that no public park is present on the site in order to ensure that it is consistent with the tests of soundness and justified, based on proportionate evidence.

9.4. It should be recognised that at present there is no public access to the site, and as noted above it is currently in agricultural use. Designation of the site as a Local Green Space would not impact this, or secure public access. The Planning Practice Guidance confirms that public access is not a prerequisite for designation of Local Green Spaces, however designation itself does not confer any rights of public access over what exists at present. Accordingly, access must be sought through separate negotiations with the NHS Trust, as landowners, which is not feasible at present due to the ongoing agricultural use of the land. Through the proposals for development on the site advanced through P22/1050 however, more than half of the site was to be dedicated to public open space and green infrastructure. This would have delivered a new public park and area of open space, securing public access to the majority of the site in perpetuity, to benefit both new and existing residents. This would have delivered strong environmental and social benefits, in a more effective way than the designation as Local Green Space is capable of achieving.

9.5. The site is located within one of the identified Regeneration Corridors of the Borough, in a highly sustainable location within walking distance of a range of shops and services, including Stourbridge Town Centre. Despite the refused application P22/1050, it is maintained that the site presents an opportunity to deliver a form of residential development on part of the site, which would sit alongside open space, within a high quality green infrastructure framework. This would complement the locality, delivering much needed family housing including affordable dwellings, as well as securing public access and long-term maintenance of the site.
9.6.
As such, it is considered that it would be highly inappropriate for the emerging Plan to continue to propose to allocate the Land at Corbett Hospital in the context of a significant shortfall in housing supply and the opportunity available to provide housing in a sustainable location within the urban area. Promoting residential development on the site would accord fully with the Spatial Strategy set out in the emerging Local Plan, which establishes that the intention is to deliver growth and sustainable patterns of growth by ‘Delivering the majority of development in the existing urban area’. It should therefore be preferable to seek to accommodate some of the identified level of housing need on suitable sites such as this, rather than seeking to restrict the potential for development through the designation of a site for Local Green Space. This would ensure consistency with national policy, and contribute towards ensuring that a sound plan is achieved

Object

Representation ID: 582

Received: 21/12/2023

Respondent: Charles Church Homes

Agent: Claremont Planning Consultancy

Policy DLPLGS1 - Corbett Meadow Local Green Space
9.1.
The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust and Charles Church Homes strongly object to the proposed designation of Corbett Meadow Local Green Space through draft Policy DLPLGS1 of the emerging Local Plan. The Council previously sought to secure such a designation on the site through the Black Country Plan Review, prior to the decision to withdraw from the preparation of the joint Plan and instead proceed with the Dudley Local Plan Review instead. Representations were accordingly submitted on behalf of both parties strongly objecting to this proposal, as well as demonstrating why the proposed designation was not consistent with national policy.
9.2.
It is maintained through these representations that the proposed designation of the site continues to be inconsistent with the requirements of national policy for such designations. The Framework identifies at Paragraph 101 that ‘Designating land as Local Green Space should be consistent with the local planning of sustainable development and complement investment in sufficient homes, jobs and other essential services’. It is considered that the designation of Land at Corbett Hospital is not consistent with the requirement for the emerging Plan to contribute towards achieving sustainable development, and in particular deliver sufficient housing to meet objectively assessed needs. It is therefore considered that the Council should reconsider the proposed designation and recognise the potential for the site to accommodate some housing delivery alongside public open space and biodiversity enhancements, such that it would provide a contribution towards achieving sustainable development in the Borough.
9.3.
It is noted that the within the policy itself and the supporting text is consideration of the history of the site, including reference to grounds to be used for a public park. The Policy and supporting text however fail to acknowledge that since the land was originally gifted in the late 19th Century, the ownership of the land as part of a wider parcel transferred to the NHS on its formation in 1948, with part of the wider site continuing to be in medical use today. Other parts of the wider site were already disposed of by the NHS previously, which now forms the residential street John Corbett Drive. Notably, the NHS has no obligation to provide public access for recreation to any parts of the wider site, and instead the land proposed to be designated through this policy is
being utilised for agriculture at the present time. This land has been identified by the NHS as not required for medical purposes and was therefore identified as surplus to requirements. It is therefore to be disposed of in accordance with public sector land disposal policy set by the Government on a national basis, as referenced in the earlier representations to the Health and Wellbeing section of the Plan. It is considered that the proposed designation as Local Green Space is sought to prevent development from taking place on the site, and the NHS from being able to receive ‘best value’, such that it is not consistent with national policy aims of achieving sustainable development. Importantly, there was no obligation on the NHS to provide public access to or use of the land proposed to be designated through this policy, and this should be reflected in the policy and supporting text, confirming that no public park is present on the site in order to ensure that it is consistent with the tests of soundness and justified, based on proportionate evidence.
9.4.
It should be recognised that at present there is no public access to the site, and as noted above it is currently in agricultural use. Designation of the site as a Local Green Space would not impact this, or secure public access. The Planning Practice Guidance confirms that public access is not a prerequisite for designation of Local Green Spaces, however designation itself does not confer any rights of public access over what exists at present. Accordingly, access must be sought through separate negotiations with the NHS Trust, as landowners, which is not feasible at present due to the ongoing agricultural use of the land. Through the proposals for development on the site advanced through P22/1050 however, more than half of the site was to be dedicated to public open space and green infrastructure. This would have delivered a new public park and area of open space, securing public access to the majority of the site in perpetuity, to benefit both new and existing residents. This would have delivered strong environmental and social benefits, in a more effective way than the designation as Local Green Space is capable of achieving.
9.5.
The site is located within one of the identified Regeneration Corridors of the Borough, in a highly sustainable location within walking distance of a range of shops and services, including Stourbridge Town Centre. Despite the refused application P22/1050, it is maintained that the site presents an opportunity to deliver a form of residential development on part of the site, which would sit alongside open space, within a high quality green infrastructure framework. This would complement the locality, delivering much needed family housing including affordable dwellings, as well as securing public access and long-term maintenance of the site.
9.6.
As such, it is considered that it would be highly inappropriate for the emerging Plan to continue to propose to allocate the Land at Corbett Hospital in the context of a significant shortfall in housing supply and the opportunity available to provide housing in a sustainable location within the urban area. Promoting residential development on the site would accord fully with the Spatial Strategy set out in the emerging Local Plan, which establishes that the intention is to deliver growth and sustainable patterns of growth by ‘Delivering the majority of development in the existing urban area’. It should therefore be preferable to seek to accommodate some of the identified level of housing need on suitable sites such as this, rather than seeking to restrict the potential for development through the designation of a site for Local Green Space. This would ensure consistency with national policy, and contribute towards ensuring that a sound plan is achieved.