Response from Mrs Caroline Waterton (Individual)
1. Mrs Caroline Waterton (Individual) : 12 Apr 2012 12:47:00
Before completing this online representation please tick the box to show you have read the 'Guidance Notes for Making a Representation'
I have read the guidance notes
Policy/Site No.
LA1.3 Housing Allocations - R121M-mod KENDAL EAST OF CASTLE GREEN ROAD
1.1 Do you consider that the South Lakeland District Council Land Allocations DPD is legally compliant?
Yes
2.1 Do you consider that the South Lakeland District Council Land Allocations DPD is sound?
No
2.2 If NO please identify which test of soundness your representation relates to by selecting the relevant option(s) below and completing section 2.3.
The DPD is not justified in that it is not founded on a robust and credible evidence base and/or is not considered the most appropriate strategy when considered against the reasonable alternatives.
The DPD is not effective in that the document is not deliverable, flexible or capable of being monitored.
2.3 Please give details of the change(s) you consider necessary to make the South Lakeland District Council Land Allocations DPD sound, having regard to the test you have identified at question 2.2 above.
It would be helpful if you could state your proposed change to the DPD and the reasons why you think it is necessary.
I believe the DPD for R121M is unsound because:-
• SLDC planning department have not carried out a survey of R121M to ascertain gradient,
the number of springs travelling through the land and volume of water and the wildlife
which currently enjoys it. I believe SLDC can not make a decision on their criteria of
soundness or justification without this survey and information gathering process. Why is
SLDC changing the status of land on which it does NOT have factual information? Surely,
this is UNSOUND.
• SLDC's criteria of providing affordable homes will not be met by building 60 homes on
R121M allocation. This is mainly because the "attenuation" (infrastructure- roads,
drainage, maintenance of stone walls, wildlife reserves etc) is going to be so costly on this
site.
• History of this site shows it is a valuable resource in that the land takes up and holds rainfall in its contours/undulating landscape releasing it at a sustainable rate to allow for slower drainage to the Stock Beck drainage facility. This facility has been very close to being
overwhelmed by the rate of rainfall coming off Sedbergh Road and Castle Green Lane areas. SLDC have been made aware of this siguificant problem and have chosen to ignore it.
• SLDC do not have a sufficient understanding of the drainage of this land and should not
make any changes of status to R121M until they have.
I also attach a copy of my letter sent to SLDC on 21" March 2011 which gives additional
information.
Thank you for giving me this opportunity to voice my opinions.
Dear Mr Hudson
Proposed Land Allocatious Development Rl21M -Castle Ward
Thank you very much for attending the meeting at Castle Park School on Thursday, 3rd March to explain the proposed change of use of Rl21M from agricultural land outside the town boundary to proposed land allocation suitable for the building of 147 dwellings.
Giving us the background information and the build up to the current position was most enlightening.
It was particularly helpful that you confirmed that permission for access from and to Rl21M onto Sedbergh Road for traffic would be denied, because of the narrowness of Sedbergh Road and the lack of pavements.
I wish to object to the development of R121M for the following reasons:-
Hopefully you will have walked across this site and therefore will understand the steepness of it which means that any buildings will be very visible from the Kendal Castle hill and further afield. This will change the visual appearance of this side of Kendal substantially as agricultural land will no longer be visible as you travel along Castle Green Lane and Sedbergh Road making Kendal less appealing to residents and visitors alike.
Rl21M is not just agricultural land for the grazing of sheep, cows and donkeys but the home of wild life such as rabbits, rooks, crows, newts, buzzards, woodpeckers, finches, woodpigeons, magpies and we have even had visitors such as Jays.
Rl21M also has a great use in holding water during spates of rainy weather. On the many occasions when it rains for several days, this land becomes very wet and the contours of the land means that a lot of water is held in a dip. Being released down into the valley over a period of two to three days. When the land can not absorb any more rainfull it streams down to the front of my property and through a drain and gathers in a large pool at the bottom of my garden. The avenue of trees also takes a lot of this water. Rl21M holds back considerable amounts of water both in the fields themselves, at the base of the hill amongst the trees and at the end of my garden. This water drains away down to the Stock
Beck Flood Relief catchment area behiod the allotments on Sedbergh Rood over a perind of two plus days. This is a very valuable resource helping to prevent the flood relief catchment from being overwhelmed and therefore flooding surrounding areas such as Lowther Park.
Attenuation was your response to the comments such as the above at the Castle Park School meeting. I need SLDCs guarantee that any development of R121M will not cause flooding to my home. To date, this property has never flooded, mainly because we ensure that the drain at the front of our garage is never allowed to silt-up from material washed down from the fields and that the flow/run off is slowed due to the land taking up the rainfaII.
Please assure me that SLDC will take responsibility for the attenuation facilities required to control the fast run off of drainage from Rl21M.
SLDCs attenuation will probably be very costly to adapt drainage to take such large quantities of run off of water both in the Rl21M development and further down the valley.
I am surprised and disappointed that information and comments submitted as part of the earlier process inviting land for consideration has not been carried forward into this process. There will be valuable information being ignored and I would like to propose that SLDC commit to review this information again as part of this current process.
I hope the above information will be useful and look forward to receiving your replies and assurances that SLDC will take responsibility for any future water damage to local properties.
3.1 If your representation is seeking a change, do you consider it necessary to participate in the oral part of the examination?
NO, I do not wish to participate at the oral examination
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