Hundreds object to homes plan at former Brandhall golf club

Protesters gathered outside Sandwell council house

A group of residents have started a campaign to save "vital" green space from being developed.

Plans for 190 homes and a school on the site of the former Brandhall Golf Club have led to about 200 objections being sent to Sandwell Council.

The local authority originally proposed 550 homes, a park and school, but reconsidered after pressure from Brandhall Green Space Action Group.

Cabinet members back scaled-down plans, but they still need further approval.

A resident who lives opposite the green space wrote in an objection letter: "It will have a disastrous impact on wildlife. Being a local resident, and using the green space, I have encountered a large array of different wildlife."

The 116-year-old club, based off Heron Road, in Oldbury, shut in 2019.

Campaigners say they will "fight until the end" to save the land which they say is home to more than 2,000 trees and wildlife such as foxes, herons, bats and muntjac deer, as well as egrets and species of birds that nest in the trees.

"Taking away this will decimate their environment and negatively impact some species that are already vulnerable, particularly when we are seeing the wider impacts of environmental changes."

The plans would see 190 new homes and a school being built where Brandhall Golf Club once stood

Another objection letter said: "I am also concerned about extra traffic on Wolverhampton Road, already heavily congested, especially during rush hour. The area is already a flood plain and this will only get worse if we lose more green land."

Conservative councillor and founder of the group trying to stop the development, Jay Anandou, said: "When I issued a motion in 2021 asking the council to save the land from development, the then-Labour leader assured me that whatever the people decided in a public consultation would be what was implemented.

"Eighty three per cent of residents said 'no' to the development, yet Sandwell ignored their wishes.

"Based on the original consultation, this should never go ahead. We will fight until the end to stop this from happening."

A decision on the planning application is expected to be made by Sandwell Council in the coming weeks.