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It was lovely to have a quick chat with you and Charn before the meeting yesterday morning.
Since the 1990s, I believe I am correct in saying, High Plateau at Merry Hill Shopping Centre has been a valuable brownfield site, designated for residential, that has not been used. It remains wasted. PLAN, here:
This is a very serious oversight that may have partly arisen because of the Metro extension (WBHE) that is due to take a corner slice of this much needed site. A site for low running costs, highly energy efficient, solar powered apartments, using only electricity for heating and cooking, for sale and rent from, preferably, the Combined Authority and for "the stranger in our midst". Metro trams must keep off and keep out of ALL of this site.
Metro trams must also keep off the only public open space at Merry Hill. This is also the valuable, green space that is essential to continue to sequester CO2 thanks to the area of grassland, shrubs and trees that extends for 400 metres. In addition, if you do as I advise, you will save £100 m. This is the likely cost for the two double track tramway bridges over the Dudley No 1 Canal and for the massive, standard gauge, double track, concrete and steel tramway viaduct to obliterate the beautiful, nature rich canal embankment. Add to the destruction, my landscape enhancement scheme to hide the rusty iron wall that holds up the High Plateau! PHOTO of only a part that gets destroyed:
My own nature planting is off to the left of the photo and is not in view. It also gets obliterated.
INSTEAD, keep the trams running on the "railway of national strategic significance" from the Cinder Bank roundabout on Duncan Edwards Way, through Brierley Hill and on to Stourbridge Jct station to connect with the national railway network. Tram stops at the Waterfront, Brierley Hill and Withymoor on the railway route to Stourbridge.
Turning the UK's only mothballed, principal mainline railway of 120 Kms into a piddling little shuttle tramline over two short sections totalling 6.7 Kms is incompetent. And the enormous cost of well over £500 m is immoral in the face of increasing poverty for those who are struggling both to eat and to heat their homes. It is socially unjust and proves you are climate deniers, when you should be climate champions.
I hope you and the CA will act urgently.
Very best wishes Pat as you all address the climate, nature, ecological, housing and cost of living crises.
Tim
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