Response from Mr B Sykes (Individual)
1. Mr B Sykes (Individual) : 17 Mar 2011 17:51:00
Settlement
Brigsteer
Map Number
17 Brigsteer
Site reference number (e.g. R62) - If your comment is about a specific site you must indicate the correct site reference.
RN213, RN227, RN214
Housing
Oppose
Employment
No view
Retail
No view
Please explain your reasons
I oppose the proposed expansion of Brigsteer for three reasons –Need, suitability and scale.
I am not convinced that there is a need for affordable housing in Brigsteer and I am not convinced by the findings of the 2008 Housing Needs Survey.
There is a clear need for affordable houses in some villages in the Lake District. They enable people to live close to their work in local farms and businesses. This enables these businesses to thrive and be successful – keeping the village, local schools, businesses and the community alive. There is a community issue that can be mitigated by affordable housing.
There is not a clear need for affordable houses in Brigsteer.
Brigsteer has an excellent community centred around our new village hall, the pub and informal groups of friends. Businesses are not dying through lack of local workers. There is not a community issue that needs fixing by providing affordable housing.
The Cumbria Rural Housing Trust survey (already 3 years out of date) identified people who would like an affordable house in Brigsteer. This demand does not represent a community need, it represents people with an aspiration to live in an subsidised house in Brigsteer.
People aspire to live in Brigsteer - it is a beautiful place to live, it already has a strong community and is close to Kendal and the M6. Houses are expensive because of this. But there is not a community need to provide affordable housing.
The sites proposed are not suitable sites for affordable housing.
In Brigsteer, there is no school, no buses, no shop and very little employment. Brigsteer is not on the gas network and there is no mains sewage. Residents in these proposed affordable houses would probably have to drive to Kendal or Levens for schools, work and shops. Therefore, I believe the proposed sites in Brigsteer are not suitable for affordable housing.
The scale of the potential development is completely out of proportion.
Two of the proposed sites would allow up to 24 houses to be built. This is completely out of proportion to the current village of approximately 100 houses. If this land allocation is allowed to go through then many developers will be fighting for the site – for maximum profit and against the community’s wishes. I would propose not approving any sites for the LDF but to rely on specific planning applications from the community to meet specific needs identified by the community.