Fury over plan to build homes on Saltwells Nature Reserve

More than an acre of land cherished by families and dog walkers will disappear if developers get the nod to build nine large homes on the former site of the historic Saltwells House in Saltwells Nature Reserve.

Furious locals are already forming a campaign to try to stop the homes plan and say they are determined to protect the site in Quarry Bank, which features woodland and vast open spaces and is home to an array of wildlife.

A raft of objections have already been sent to Dudley Council, which will decide application, within hours of the plans being lodged.

A total of nine four and five-bedroom homes would be built on the site of the old manor house, which was demolished in 2010, while concrete would also be put down over the open land in the form of a car park. Agents who have prepared the proposals said the site ‘is considered as a prime location’ to build homes.

But people who regularly use the nature reserve have reacted with horror to the housing plans.

Lesley Dunn, aged 61, from Dudley Wood, said: "This is a one-and-three-quarter acre site smack bang in the middle of Saltwells Wood and it will change inreversibly. I don't believe a single person in the whole of Dudley will accept this proposal.

Sue Weston, aged 61, of nearby Bissell Way, whose petition gained 52 signatures on the first day it launched, said: “We’re absolutely devastated about it. To put nine houses in the middle of a nature reserve, it’s just not on.

"I use the nature reserve every day. My husband is disabled and it’s the only place we can go together.”

Quarry Bank councillor Chris Barnett said: “I am certainly aware of some opposition to it locally. I will be attending a meeting with the council to discuss the nature reserve next week.”

Saltwells House became a magnet for vandals after closing in 2001 and was eventually flattened nine years later.