Cat Eccles MP, Member of Parliament for Stourbridge, was delighted to welcome Richard Parker, West Midlands  Mayor, to Corbett Meadow today to meet the local action group, CMAG, and to see for himself the beauty of the place, the vital contribution it makes to the history, identity & character of Amblecote, Stourbridge and the wider area, the calm it brings to the setting of the Hospital and its neighbourhood and its huge potential  to deliver better & more cost effective health & wellbeing treatments & preventative medicine for the benefit of patients, staff and the local community.

Richard Parker, Mayor of West Midlands, said “This is a wonderful open green space and I want the community in Amblecote to know that I support the work they’re doing to protect it. Green space matters – for people’s wellbeing, for our environment and for the future of our communities.

“We have plenty of brownfield land across the Black Country that should be prioritised for housing. Spaces like this should be protected and made more accessible for local people, not lost.

“The fact this land is designated as green space in the local plan is really important. My role now is to work alongside local campaigners, community groups and Dudley as the planning authority to open up a proper dialogue with the NHS Trust, put the case clearly and make sure this land is retained as green space for the long term.

“This is an oasis in the heart of Amblecote, and I look forward to working with local people to ensure it stays that way for generations to come.”

Cat Eccles MP said “It was good to hear the mayor appreciate what is at stake here and the need not to lose to development & for short term gain and the opportunity it provides to make a continuing contribution to the health & wellbeing of local people. 

I look forward to working with Richard to deliver the best for the Meadow and for Stourbridge”

Lance Cartwright, spokesperson for CMAG, said “I think that the Mayor was impressed by what the Meadow is now and what it could be, the special place it holds in local hearts and also by the continuing relevance of John Corbett’s vision for the site he bequeathed to the people of Stourbridge and how it has become recognised best practice in the delivery of health services in the twenty first century.

Our petition in the summer in less than a month saw two thousand people urge the Hospitals Trust to honour John Corbett’s legacy and to do the right thing – to withdraw immediately from the promotion of residential development of the Meadow and instead work with all concerned to manage the Meadow for health, recreation & wellbeing and for nature conservation, just as John Corbett intended.

ENDS

Photo attached: Cat Eccles MP, West Midlands Mayor, Richard Parker, Stourbridge Mayor and Councillor, Pete Lee, and CMAG Members