Response from Dr. June Greenwell (Individual)
1. Dr. June Greenwell (Individual) : 14 Jul 2017 14:25:00
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Silverdale - part of S50
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Comments on proposals for using part of Site S50 for housing development
Silverdale needs more affordable housing to buy or rent but there are two substantial reasons for questioning the appropriateness of using this particular site for housing development.
One relates to the practicality of providing a wastewater disposal system capable of meeting required regulatory standards, an aspect well covered in the response from Silverdale Parish Council. What process will be used to determine this matter? Will a decision be made on the basis of a preliminary layout drawings and a ground investigation report, or only after a full and detailed study? The Parish Council should be kept informed at each decision-making stage.
My second concern relates to landscape protection. Arnside-Silverdale AONB’s planning notes gives this quote from the National Planning Policy Framework: ‘great weight should be given to conserving landscape and scenic beauty’, adding that ‘the great weight test is one of the most stringent tests that can be applied under planning law’.
Scenic beauty is not strictly defined, not can it be, but there are strong reasons for claiming that Site 50 justifies this description. The stunning view from the ‘Pepperpot’ hill includes this site, and the patchwork of fields, woods, distant hills, and shore line is undeniably one of ‘scenic beauty’. The importance of this visual landscape is further exemplified by the provision of a detailed viewfinder table alongside the ‘Pepperpot’.
Use of site S 50 for housing would not only be regrettable in itself, but would inevitably lead to increasing pressure to develop the adjacent land and further diminish landscape value.
The objections raised to using this site do not negate the need for more affordable and appropriate housing in Silverdale. Housing need has been an ongoing concern in Silverdale for the past 20+ years, and there are lessons to be had from looking at responses over that time. Two small sites have been developed, with three homes on one site and six on the other. Neither has had a significant adverse impact on the local landscape, nor has a larger development of retirement housing.
With both affordable home developments, a key factor was the use of small sites, and there is much to be said for taking a similar approach now. I recognise that this would make greater demands on planners’ and developers’ time and resources than use of a single site, but see this as a price worth paying to protect one part of a unique landscape.
June Greenwell
