This template is designed to help you and your neighbours structure a formal objection against the application from Cameron Homes for Highfields Road, see the following link:
Remember, individual letters are MUCH more powerful than identical copies, so please add your own personal experiences or specific local knowledge to the sections below.
PLANNING OBJECTION LETTER TEMPLATE
To: Lichfield District Council Planning Department
Application Reference: 26/00236/OUTMEI
Site Address: Land south of Highfields Road, Chasetown, Burntwood
Proposal: Outline application for up to 430 homes and associated works – 26/00236/OUTMEI
Date: [Insert Date]
From: [Your Name]
Address: [Your Full Address]
Dear Clare Saint (Case Officer),
I am writing to formally OBJECT to the planning application referenced above for the development of 430 homes on the Green Belt land south of Highfields Road. My objections are based on the following material planning considerations:
1. Inappropriate Development in the Green Belt
The applicant seeks to reclassify this site as “Grey Belt” to justify development. However, this land serves a critical function in preventing the coalescence of Burntwood and Brownhills. Building here would result in significant urban sprawl and the permanent loss of a strategic gap that maintains the distinct identity of our community. The developer’s own assessment acknowledges a “Moderate Adverse” impact on the landscape character which cannot be fully mitigated.
2. Severe Impact on Local Infrastructure
Our local services are already at a breaking point. A development of 430 homes will place an unsustainable burden on:
- Education: Nearby schools like Erasmus Darwin Academy and Ridgeway Primary are already heavily subscribed. The application does not provide a definitive solution for the hundreds of additional school places required.
- Healthcare: Local GP surgeries and dental practices are already overstretched. This development will lead to dangerously increased wait times for existing residents.
3. Highways Safety and Traffic Congestion
The proposed main access on Highfields Road is a major concern. Highfields Road is already a busy route, and the addition of hundreds of vehicle movements daily will lead to severe congestion and increased risk to pedestrian safety, particularly for students walking to the nearby academies. The proposed “traffic management” measures are a tacit admission that the current road network is unsuitable for this volume of traffic.
4. Environmental and Ecological Harm
The site is within 100m of the Chasewater Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The applicant’s own Biodiversity Net Gain report demonstrates a net loss in habitat and hedgerow units on the site. Increasing the local population by over 1,000 people will cause irreversible recreational pressure and damage to this sensitive protected site.
5. Loss of Productive Agricultural Land
The proposal involves the permanent loss of approximately 19 hectares of agricultural land, including Grade 3a “Best and Most Versatile” land. At a time of increasing food security concerns, the loss of this productive land to housing is unjustified.
Conclusion For the reasons stated above, this proposal represents an unsustainable development that conflicts with the Lichfield District Local Plan and the Hammerwich Neighbourhood Plan. I urge the Planning Committee to refuse this application and protect our essential Green Belt.
Yours faithfully,
[Your Signature]
[Your Printed Name]
You can send your letter in the body of an email or attach a PDF letter, both will make it in to the planning system.
Email your objections to: neighbour.responses@lichfielddc.gov.uk
IMPORTANT: Do not make this personal. Stick only to valid material planning considerations (the five points listed above are all material considerations). Personal attacks on the applicant, objections based on a loss of property value, or commercial competition are NOT valid planning considerations and will be ignored by the Planning Committee. Stick to the facts and how the proposal affects the local area.
Burntwood Action Group 
Leave a comment