Local Development Framework Consultation

Natland

11 Natland

GENERAL POINT - NATIONAL

The UK needs more housing for all sorts of social, economic and, ultimately, moral reasons. Only by providing more housing will house prices come down, in the long term, to their former affordable levels of the 1950s and 1060s. This would remove the need for artificial ways of creating 'affordability', such as occupancy clauses and cross-subsidy within developments, which are not in keeping with our values and culture. But problems may still remain in particularly attractive 'honeypot' areas, such as the Lake District.

Natland

11 Natland

GENERAL POINT 1 - NATLAND

I support the concept of Natland as a 'local service centre' where small scale development will be permitted, and deplore those many self-interested NIMBYs who oppose any further development in Natland. It is true that the Natland Parish Plan in 2004 noted that 85% of respondents to the 2003 questionnaire survey wanted no more housing in Natland. But the Plan did not take that negative approach on board, merely concluding "[achieving] strict control of housing development in order to preserve Natland's character as a village and the rural appearance of the Parish ... will require the active and timely involvement of the Parish Council as consultee in preparing the new Local Development Framework which is to replace the 10-year Local Plan". Indeed, the Plan's Foreword confirms the willingness to accept change by first recognising that most people "want things to stay broadly as they are", but then stating: "if we are to maintain the character of our parish, by protecting its appearance and services and improving them where we can, then we must be ready to adapt to the external forces for change that may both threaten us and provide opportunities for the future". As the character Tancredi says in di Lampedusa's novel "The Leopard": "If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change".

Natland

11 Natland

GENERAL POINT 2 - NATLAND

The proposed housing densities are too high and would be detrimental to Natland's character as a village. The drive towards higher housing densities stems from the present dysfunctional housing market (where supply is tightly state-controlled but price is not) which inflates house prices and leads to the economic and social damage of which we have all become increasingly aware, including lowered expectations of room in which to live. The only beneficiaries are landowners who gain vast windfall profits.

Natland

11 Natland

GENERAL POINT 3 - NATLAND

Natland village needs to be 'rebalanced' both topographically and demographically. Topographically the village expanded eastwards away from its natural centre in the 1970s. Further expansion in that direction would create a feeling of remoteness from the village, be highly intrusive in the landscape because of the sloping ground, and lead to coalescence with the separate community of Oxenholme. Demographically the village now has an aging population and needs an influx of young families with children. The village primary school has 151 pupils of whom only 18 come from the village; this does not support social cohesion within the village, and the traffic problems caused by 'bussing in' pupils are considerable. Likewise the Church and the Village Hall need young blood, and the shop needs more customers.

Natland

11 Natland

R144

Green Gap

Support

I support the allocation of most of R144 and the area to the northeast as 'green gap'. As I said earlier in "General Point 3 - Natland", further eastward expansion of Natland would create a feeling of remoteness from the village, be highly intrusive in the landscape because of the sloping ground, and lead to coalescence with the separate community of Oxenholme. It is difficult to see how the unallocated southwest corner of R144 could be developed because the adjacent length of Helm Lane is too narrow to accommodate an access.

Natland

11 Natland

R62

Support

I am not opposed to this allocation. It has been 'on the cards' for decades and may be viewed almost as infill. It would be good to allocate it before the houses on the former Holmes Nursery site development are sold so as to avoid the sort of indignation expressed by other recent occupiers of new housing on the west side of the village when they realised there might be more new development nearby.

Natland

11 Natland

R680M

Support in part

I am not opposed to this allocation, although I feel it is the least desirable of the three (R62, R680M and R679M). But the existence and exact nature of the recent 'covenant' needs to be carefully investigated.

Natland

11 Natland

R679M

Support

I am not opposed to this allocation. From memory of the planning application for the Charnley Fold development, and of the drainage system installed by Russell Armer (and agreed with Cumbria County Council) to carry water overflowing from R554 (south of St Mark's Fold) when underground water debouches into the field, I doubt that R679M has any role in the disposal of surface water from Charnley Fold. Officers should carefully examine the relevant drawings to verify this and treat claims of potential flooding with scepticism. Surface water merely ponding because of the shape of the land is not a problem; it can be filled. Underground water as in R554 is a different matter.

Natland

11 Natland

RN150

Support in part

Support in part

There is much to be said for allocating the southern third of RN150 and the adjacent field to the east for housing, if the trustees of Natland Park Farm could be persuaded to make it available and if part of the area could be made into a village car park (conveniently placed for the Village Hall, School and Shop) and another part made into village allotments, both of which are much needed. The area is flat and would not intrude unacceptably in the landscape. The effect on coalescence with Kendal would be negligible. It would be close to existing village services. It should have vehicular access from C5071 Natland Road and from Oxenholme Lane (opposite the School), but any vehicular access past the Village Hall should be for car park/allotments only, not for the housing which should only have pedestrian access by that route.