Sandwell Local Plan - Reg 19 Publication

Comment

Representation ID: 1660

Received: 14/11/2024

Respondent: Mr Ghalam Gadair

In the plan there is no mention of any development, regeneration or any plan to make our local area the Lyng estate West Bromwich not only safe and secure but to address issues going back over twenty years.

It needs to be noted that this area had phase 1 regeneration then phase 2 was put on the shelf due to costs however phase one house building was sold on the premise that the whole area would be regenerated revitalised and brought up to date this has not happened to date. After 2008 a lot of businesses were not able to operate they sold off and the we had an influx of bad businesses moving in were the buildings did not match the business use, such has car repairers who then started to use the area as an open scrap yard and to store cars on the public high way.

In addition these are the list of issues affecting the local community

1. Unfit businesses
2. Car storage and nuiscance parking
3. Fly tipping and litter
4. Fouling this includes animals and people
5.Air pollution
6.ill health many residents complain of respiratory health issues and cancer appears to be increasing in our neighbourhood
7. Anti social behaviour, crimminal damage, harassment and Intimidation a lot is to do with the business and how they operate, thefts, alcoholics and drug users and pushers hanging around the area through out thecday and night.
8. Units in poor state unfit for the current purpose
9.Businesses exploitation of the local area to benefit themselves through using the local area and highway to store custombers cars.
10. Scrap cars left outside business premises parts being taken off eye sore even though this is against their planning permission
11. Fork lift trucks xarrying cars in a dangerous manner up and down the road moving them about.
12. Environment has become dangerous for dog walkers due to levels if debri and oil left on the pavements etc
13. Alcoholics and drug users using cars left outside business premises to stay over night and get high.
14. Noise and nuiscance
15. Customers emptying the rubbish from their cars onto the road
16. Due to the amount of cars left this attracts unwanted visitors to steal parts
17.residents living in fear of crime

Etc etc

From the above you can see the Lyng Estate which is in the centre of West Bromwich, which has had part one regeneration requires a urgent plan to improve it because the first phase has been affected due to impact on social cohesion, investment, quality of life of local residents etc etc

The residents have already had in the past submitted a lengthy petition in March 2018 to Sandwell Council this resulted in a number of public meetings up to 2021 many promises were made by the heads of service at the time and not kept. The head of planning Ammy Harhoff actually made it very clear that the Lyng estate will now be top priority and will be a flag ship, compulsory purchase orders were to be assessed and process to be instigated and certain units who were at the forefront of ASB were to be first on the list as well as controlling their business practices, it was also understood and acknowledged that there was a shortfall in current expenditure for the area however this figure would not be an obstacle and Sandwell Council were to have an action plan of reducing the number of units in operations by the CPO process in order to save future costs and to pave a way forward for regeneration.

Unfortunately the head of service left and the plan was put on the shelf again, the net result is that we has a community who have raised all of our issues through every possible opportunity and mechanism only to be let down. There was an independent investigation carried out with respects if the conduct by the council the findings were not revealed even though it was agreed they would be.

As stated above examples of what residents endure, their quality of lives are impacted by a list of ever increasing issues which have not been addressed.

Therefore we are disappointed that the Sandwell plan for Sandwell does not include the Lyng area/estate even though we have spent years in high lighting them directly with heads of service, ward councillors and MPs.

We feel it is very important that an area in the middle if West bromwich which is in a very poor condition and looks like a third world country with smashed up cars littered everywhere and business units being cannibalised to operate against their original intention and design has not been assessed, reviewed, planned for, new flag ship designs , consulted or any consultation taken with residents in a meaningful way, last year a local meeting was held by the housing association for the area and invited all local residents ward councillors attended and a lot of people turned up everyone complained and spoke about the same things especially nuiscance parking and car storage again no answers or solutions.

Sandwell plan needs to have knowledge about all local areas and issues and aspirations of local people it is difficult to understand why
knowing all the facts and evidence the Lyng estate is ignored their could be different solutions to making the area better and sustainable as opposed to neglecting it and avoiding any responsibility and ignoring evidence.

I hope and pray that that the Lyng estate is reviewed again and a common sense practical approach is taken overbuilding any thing is never a good idea and in in the Lyng estate there are around 9 garages set up shop fixing cars but do not have much in the way of storing cars on their own premises complete nightmare that cannot and has not been managed well by Sandwell Council. Everywhere else around the Lyng estate is being redeveloped and to ignore the obvious is very strange an area at the heart of West Bromwich in shambles

The Lyng area needs to be part of the Sandwell action plan.