Response from Professor John Quinton (Individual)
1. Professor John Quinton (Individual) : 24 Jun 2017 14:36:00
Please use the drop down menu to indicate which of the following sites you are commenting on. Please use a separate form for each site.
Arnside - Hollins Lane A8/A9
Please use the box below to make your comments.
I would like to object to amendment of the boundary of this site proposal on the following grounds:
1. Safety of pedestrians, cyclists and other road users on Hollins Lane. Hollins lane is narrow road with poor visibility and no footpath provision in many places.. Any development would lead to increased traffic, increasing the risk to pedestrians, cyclists and car users. Of particular concern are older and disabled people moving into the development (how will they access the village services safely?) and young children who currently walk to school. Given the wide range of other green spaces in the village with good access to major roads this would seem an odd choice for zoning for development.
2. Loss of green space and character. Arnside is a mozaic of green space and housing. Infilling the green space will damage the character of the village when viewed from other locations in the AONB and Arnside itself. While there are few brownfield sites in Arnside, there are notable sites that could zoned for development: Station Yard, the telephone exchange. While there are access problems with some these - station yard - they offer far less danger to pedestrian than any development proposed for the Hollins lane site.
3. Public access. Easy access to the rear of houses in Hollins land for thieves.
4. Conversion of permanent unimproved grassland to other forms of use. I see that a biodiversity assessment has taken place. I haven't measured the area of the site, but the council will be aware that should it exceed 2 ha an EIA screening decision would be required.
5. Impact on views. It is difficult to imagine how build a series of properties on the site would not impact on views from Hollins lane (and from the houses surrounding the site).
The proposed zoning appears to be geared to benefit properties backing onto the North west corner of the site retaining clear views
and protect their views across the field rather than to the benefit of many other properties surrounding the field, as well as those who together with there children make make regular use of Hollins lane as pedestrians.
