{"id":16979,"date":"2025-12-02T18:44:43","date_gmt":"2025-12-02T18:44:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/whatliesbeneathrattlechainlagoon.org.uk\/?p=16979"},"modified":"2025-12-01T17:17:03","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T17:17:03","slug":"guest-blog-opinion-darryl-magher-friar-park-urban-village-when-political-blindness-pollution-and-planning-collide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whatliesbeneathrattlechainlagoon.org.uk\/?p=16979","title":{"rendered":"Guest blog- OPINION Darryl Magher Friar Park Urban Village: When Political Blindness, Pollution and Planning Collide"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is a guest blog post by local campaigner Darryl, active in the community in relation to environmental concerns and issues surrounding “reclamation” of contaminated land, in particular the so called “Friar Park Urban Village”, much lorded by the WMCA mayors and politicians of all major parties whose support of this is highly questionable. I have said my piece about this site which can be read HERE.\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

It emerged in The Sandwell local Plan, that this site as well as land off and including Rattlechain lagoon had been given the status of “strategic sites”<\/strong> by Sandwell Council, and an attempt no doubt to extort tax payers money out of cleaning up private land the polluter did not pay to do- in this case the disgusting polluter Severn Trent Water. The Matter 9 site allocations council statement about Friar Park can be read between pages\u00a0 9-13<\/strong> of the document below.<\/p>\n

Sandwell_Council_Matter_9_statement<\/a><\/p>\n

This is not the first time I have thrown the doors open to guest blogs about damaging sites in the community and “remediation” gone wrong stories. If you would like to tell your story of similar issues and it concerns contaminated land, landfill sites and the effect on communities, YOUR COMMUNITY, then please get in touch via our facebook page<\/a>. If you disagree with his opinion, why, and what evidence can you offer?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

OPINION BY DARRYL MAGHER<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

How FPUV, Rattlechain, the A4031\/M6 corridor and a blinkered MP are steering Sandwell into a perfect storm.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

INTRODUCTION<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Welcome to Sandwell \u2014 the borough where \u201cregeneration\u201d now means building houses first and thinking later.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Friar Park Urban Village (FPUV) is being marketed as a shining beacon of progress: 630 homes, a \u201cvillage,\u201d a \u201ccommunity,\u201d a \u201cgreen spine,\u201d and all the usual brochure adjectives.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Scratch even slightly and you reveal a familiar Sandwell storyline:<\/span><\/div>\n
pollution ignored,<\/span> contaminated land brushed aside, infrastructure under pressure, flood risk minimised, SEND and school needs denied, consultation treated as a box-ticking ritual, and an MP who thinks \u201cwe need homes\u201d is the only line that matters.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
When you add the farce surrounding the Rattlechain consultation, the overloaded A4031\/M6 corridor, and political pressure on statutory bodies, this development looks less like regeneration and more like a risk-laden experiment run on political optimism and questionable modelling.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
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1. The A4031\/M6 Corridor: Already Broken, Now Being Pushed to Failure<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Congestion from West Bromwich to Walsall is a daily spectacle.<\/span><\/div>\n
Add the Lidl RDC, the new Lidl store, Tame Bridge Parkway overflow, ongoing motorway works and FPUV, and you have a corridor ready to collapse.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Yet the modelling whispers sweetly:<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cModest traffic impact.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Modest, in the same way the M6 at rush hour is \u201cmoderately busy.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
No cumulative model.<\/span><\/div>\n
No Sandwell\u2013Walsall joint plan.<\/span><\/div>\n
No corridor-wide transport strategy.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
But the houses? They\u2019re coming anyway.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
2. Pollution: Building in a Legal-Breach Zone and Calling It \u2018Opportunity\u2019<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The air quality in this corridor breaches legal NO\u2082 limits. PM2.5 exposure is high.<\/span><\/div>\n
Respiratory and cardiovascular illness rates outstrip regional averages.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Official mitigation consists of:<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Some saplings (not semi-mature trees)<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
EV chargers<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
And the immortal line: \u201cPollution will disperse\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
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Scientifically impressive. <\/span>Morally disgraceful.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
3. Contaminated Land: EA Hesitation vs WMCA Impatience<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Friar Park is the former sewage works.<\/span><\/div>\n
Contaminants remain.<\/span><\/div>\n
Groundwater pathways exist.<\/span><\/div>\n
Remediation is complex, expensive and uncertain.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The Environment Agency is cautious \u2014 as they should be.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
WMCA and Sandwell?<\/span><\/div>\n
They want the permits now.<\/span><\/div>\n
There\u2019s political pride to protect and levelling-up deadlines to hit.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
We\u2019ve seen this pattern already at Rattlechain, where the consultation resembled a pantomime of reassurance rather than a scientific assessment.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
4. Flood Risk: The River Tame Doesn\u2019t Read Planning Documents<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Yes, the FRA (flood risk assessment ED) labels it Zone 1.<\/span><\/div>\n
But the River Tame has other ideas.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Climate change is accelerating runoff.<\/span><\/div>\n
Hard surfacing increases downstream flooding.<\/span><\/div>\n
Contamination risks multiply.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
No catchment-scale model exists.<\/span><\/div>\n
Yet the site is declared \u201csafe\u201d.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
This is optimism posing as risk management.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
5. Ecology & Green Corridors: A Missed Opportunity on an Epic Scale<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
FPUV should have been a connector:<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Friar Park \u2192 Hateley Heath \u2192 Stone Cross \u2192 Yew Tree \u2192 Great Barr<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Instead:<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
No mature green buffers<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
No motorway noise shields<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
No real wildlife corridors<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
No green-infrastructure logic<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Tokenism instead of ecological planning<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cGreen\u201d is simply a colour in a consultant\u2019s graphic.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
6. Schools and SEND: A Reality the Council Refuses to Acknowledge<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Sandwell Labour\u2019s official line:<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cThere is no requirement for a new secondary school.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Reality:<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Wednesbury secondary capacity is at breaking point<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
SEND places are full<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Out-of-borough placements are up and costing a fortune<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The new SEND school on Friar Park is already at capacity<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
FPUV adds hundreds of children<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
This site was previously meant for a state-of-the-art secondary school under Building Schools for the Future.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Instead?<\/span><\/div>\n
Housing estate.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
7. The National Bungalow Crisis \u2014 Ignored Completely in Sandwell<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
National evidence:<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
1.2 million people aged 55+ want to downsize but can\u2019t<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Bungalows dropped from 11% of new homes to just 1%<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Older renters lack accessible homes<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Step-free and lifetime homes desperately needed<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Friar Park Urban Village delivers:<\/span><\/div>\n
Zero bungalows.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
If you wanted proof that local politicians aren\u2019t reading national housing research, this is it.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
8. Rattlechain: A Template for What\u2019s Going Wrong<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The Rattlechain \u201cconsultation\u201d demonstrated everything wrong with Sandwell and WMCA\u2019s current approach:<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Predetermined decisions<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Glossy boards<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Residents sidelined<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Environmental concerns minimised<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
EA pressure increasing<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Levelling Up money driving the agenda<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The patterns are identical at Friar Park.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
9. Cross-Boundary Failure With Walsall Council<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The corridor affects:<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Yew Tree<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Tame Bridge<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Pleck<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Delves<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Broadway<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Walsall A4148<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Junction 7<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Retail clusters around J9<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Yet the councils have produced:<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
No joint modelling<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
No shared pollution strategy<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
No school capacity partnership<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
No flood-risk integration<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
No ecological network<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
No transport plan<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
A development of this size impacts two boroughs \u2014 but receives the planning attention of half of one.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
10. Antonia Bance MP: The One-Note Housing Mantra<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
When residents raise:<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Traffic<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Pollution<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
SEND strain<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Ecological fragmentation<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Flood risk<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Contaminated land<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Consultation failures<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Lack of bungalows<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Cross-boundary impacts<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The reply is always the same:<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cWe need housing.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cI will raise this.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cConsultation is ongoing.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Not once has the MP confronted the structural failures behind the scheme.<\/span><\/div>\n
Not once has she challenged the council\u2019s magical modelling.<\/span><\/div>\n
Not once has she pushed for school or SEND assessments.<\/span><\/div>\n
Not once has she addressed bungalow demand, pollution, or ecological decline.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
It\u2019s political autopilot \u2014 not representation.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
CONCLUSION: FPUV IS NOT REGENERATION \u2014 IT IS A HIGH-RISK EXPERIMENT<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Add together:<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Corridor overload<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Contaminated land<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Pollution exceedances<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Lack of schools and SEND provision<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Flooding concerns<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Ecological failure<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Zero bungalows<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
WMCA political pressure<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Rattlechain-style consultation<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Walsall\u2013Sandwell disconnection<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Weak scrutiny from elected representatives<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
And the picture is clear:<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Friar Park Urban Village is not regeneration.<\/span><\/div>\n
It is institutional overconfidence dressed up as progress.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Residents deserve honesty, realism and real planning.<\/span><\/div>\n
Not slogans.<\/span><\/div>\n
Not rushed decisions.<\/span><\/div>\n
Not political vanity schemes.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
#FriarPark #Sandwell #RegenerationFail #Planning #EnvironmentalGovernance<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is a guest blog post by local campaigner Darryl, active in the community in relation to environmental concerns and issues surrounding “reclamation” of contaminated land, in particular the so called “Friar Park Urban Village”, much lorded by the WMCA … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatliesbeneathrattlechainlagoon.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16979"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatliesbeneathrattlechainlagoon.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatliesbeneathrattlechainlagoon.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatliesbeneathrattlechainlagoon.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatliesbeneathrattlechainlagoon.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16979"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/whatliesbeneathrattlechainlagoon.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16979\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16985,"href":"https:\/\/whatliesbeneathrattlechainlagoon.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16979\/revisions\/16985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatliesbeneathrattlechainlagoon.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16979"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatliesbeneathrattlechainlagoon.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16979"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatliesbeneathrattlechainlagoon.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16979"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}