Greenbelt site is safe, parish council insists

NO THREAT: The parish council has poured cold water on
claims that Marston Green's "horse field" is under threat.

RUMOURS of plans to build houses on greenbelt land near Marston Green have been categorically denied by parish councillors.
In recent weeks residents have been dismayed by reports that the wedge of land next to the burial ground, near Millennium Wood, was set to be developed.
It is thought that some had gone as far as to start a petition demanding that the area remain unspoiled.
After receiving a flurry of enquiries from concerned locals, Bickenhill Parish Council has now issued a statement in an attempt to kill off the story.
A spokesman said: “The parish council can confirm that no planning application for this land has been submitted. There was a request by the landowners to have this land removed from the greenbelt, this was refused by Solihull MBC in 2012.”
The council added that the site, known locally as the horse field, is not one of those earmarked for new homes over the next 15 years.
Some believe that the frenzy of speculation is evidence of just how worried residents are about further development of open spaces – particularly on the outskirts of the village.
Their concern comes after several successful applications for new housing developments; a particularly fierce but ultimately futile battle was fought to prevent the creation of a new estate at Moat House Farm.