Save Wood Lane Playing Fields in Handsworth Wood Birmingham B20 2AT

This petition opposes building over green grass to create a facility proposed by private developers which will be environmentally damaging, and which the Council’s own published needs analysis shows is unnecessary.https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/downloads/file/28751/birmingham_playing_pitch_and_outdoor_sports_strategy_2023

For years schools in Handsworth Wood have enjoyed the use of the natural green grass playing fields in the heart of Handsworth Wood. 

In the last 3-4 years schools stopped using the Playing Pitches due to the Council’s high travel and charging costs.  Residents want to see these fields brought back into use as natural green grass pitches for schools, and local sports clubs.

The Barford Tigers Sports Club Limited are proposing to develop a ‘Multi-Sports and Wellbeing Facility’ on the site with aspirations of creating an international hockey venue with buildings for civic events.  Residents across the neighbourhood are opposed to this for the following reasons.  We are asking for your support.

No evidence of need: Birmingham City Council’s Playing Pitches and Sports Strategy and Assessment documents show a need for more cricket and football in the local area, not for more hockey.

Loss of 75% of the current Green Space: The proposals include an 8-metre-high Sports Hall, a two-storey changing block with upper rooms for wellbeing/social events, a three-tier stadium for 150 spectators, 2 X floodlit artificial pitches, approximately 103 car parking spaces and additional hard standing on the site. This will include loss of 75% of the grass surface meaning that the opportunity to mitigate CO2 emissions will significantly be damaged. There are numerous important very large trees on the site which would be adversely affected under the developers’ current proposals.

Threat to habitat: The proposal is for the site to be open 7 days a week 9am to 9pm with flood lighting reaching the perimeter for security reasons. The Council’s website shows the site as a Potential Site of Importance - https://maps.birmingham.gov.uk/webapps/public_access/  Other research shows that a Site of Local Importance for Nature Conservation may be present on one of the fields.  The site is poorly served by one bus route, meaning that there will be a high level of traffic coming and going.  This and the proposed flood lighting is likely to significantly disrupt the existing habitat.  Sightings suggest the existing habitat supports numerous, protected species including bats, woodpeckers and newts. 

Traffic Congestion Impacts in Handsworth Wood Ward: The only access to the site is via Wood Lane onto Romilly Avenue, which is a narrow, cul-de-sac containing residential properties. Given the limited public transport to the site and its scale the development will generate considerable additional traffic down the narrow access road Romilly Avenue.  This will have adverse highway safety impacts too and deter pedestrians, as well as parents from walking their children to school.

Air Quality Impacts in Handsworth Wood Ward: Air quality will deteriorate due to the increase in traffic and congestion, loss of green space which naturally absorbs carbon dioxide and the additional impact on air quality from the proposed artificial pitches.  This flies in the face of the Council’s stated aim of improving air quality for residents in Birmingham. 

Flood risk: Some 74% of residents on Romilly Avenue adjacent to the site are at high risk of surface water flooding according to the government’s website. https://flood-map-for-planning.service.gov.uk/  and https://www.gov.uk/check-long-term-flood-risk Severn Trent have diagnosed excessive surface water.  This risk will be aggravated by the loss of natural drainage caused by building on the fields which slope towards the residential properties on Romilly Avenue.

Wellbeing facilities: We call on the Council for a review of the contribution of all the Wellbeing facilities in the area against measured need.  If more services are required, we call for these to be provided in the many existing venues across the area which are on routes well served by public transport and for these services to be tailored to specifically identified needs.

What have residents done so far?

We have: 

#Sent a pre application submission to the Developers saying that any development should be based on a full needs assessment, that the location and scale of the proposed development is deeply inappropriate at the heart of a predominantly residential area with little public transport, and that the environmental impacts are unacceptable. 

#Door knocked local streets, sought views from residents, collected signatures for a hard copy petition and held regular campaign meetings.

#Contacted local Councillors across the Birmingham Perry Barr Constituency expressing our concern and asking to know their position.

#Contacted the Birmingham City Council Councillors who signed the Motion for Debate to Full Council on 11th June 2019 calling for the Council to declare a climate emergency and to commit to delivering the Council’s net zero carbon ambition earlier - by 2030 instead of 2035. https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/info/50282/climate_change/2642/what_is_the_council_doing_about_climate_change We are asking these Councillors to stay true to their publicly stated environmental principles and oppose the Barford Tigers’ proposals given all the environmental damage it will bring. We also expect the Council to honour the commitments it made when it agreed the Climate Emergency Declaration and refuse this application.

For more information and to offer help please contact Jacqui Page, Chair of Wood Lane Playing Fields Residents’ Group: jacpage56@gmail.com

We, the undersigned, oppose the proposals by Barford Tigers Sports Club Limited to develop a Multi-Sports and Wellbeing Facility at Wood Lane Playing fields in Romilly Avenue, Birmingham