A new grassroots campaign group, Keep Reedswood Green – Say No to School Development Site, has formed in Walsall, driven by residents opposing the planned construction of a new school on Reedswood Park. Their inaugural meeting earlier this month drew nearly 100 concerned locals.
Led by Victoria Miller, the group voices strong objections to the Department for Education’s £50 million project, which calls for erecting a three-storey school building alongside outdoor sports facilities designed to accommodate over 1,000 students aged 11 to 18.
The development requires clearing more than 13 acres of woodland, a treasured natural habitat home to wildlife such as bats and badgers. The area, a well-used green space, will also see increased traffic as access is planned via the already congested Reedswood Lane.
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Victoria Miller emphasized that the group is not against building a school in Walsall, but challenges the chosen location. “Walking through the park, you hear birds and wildlife—it’s a peaceful refuge. Replacing that with concrete and floodlights is deeply unsettling,” she remarked.
Residents’ key concerns focus on irreversible environmental damage and the impact on local traffic flow. Miller highlighted the abundance of underused brownfield sites across Walsall, questioning why these alternatives were not prioritized. “It feels unfair that precious woodland is sacrificed when suitable empty buildings and land exist elsewhere,” she said.
Despite widespread opposition expressed during a recent Department for Education drop-in event, the DfE has declined to consider alternative sites. Miller insists the community deserves a voice in decisions affecting their neighborhood. “There’s a community here wanting to be heard. These choices must involve us.”
The campaign group continues to mobilize support to protect Reedswood Park’s natural environment from development.