Local Development Framework Consultation

Dear Sirs,

We would like to register our concern about the suggestion that Union Lane Fields be re-classified by the SLDC to “Land included within the development plan boundary”. SLDC rejected this last year and now, with no publicity whatsoever, you are suggesting these fields are included.

We have lived on Garden Terrace in Ulverston for the past 26 years and have noticed over recent years the increasing problems with parking and the amount of traffic in this area, this has been exacerbated greatly with the Health Centre being moved to Stanley Street, thus making the Garden Terrace/Soutergate junction, also the Stanley Street/Mill Street routes extremely busy. With cars parking both sides on Garden Terrace it is sometimes extremely difficult for vans or wagons to get through. Our drive is on the steep part of Garden Terrace and it is very awkward sometimes to get in and out due to the way people park. The proposed Mowings Lane route from this estate would make this an even bigger problem as due to the Mowings Lane/Old Hall Road junction being such a bad one due to lack of visibility the majority of people would use the Garden Terrace route. During the day Garden Terrace is often used for parking by people attending the Health Centre as the car park isn’t big enough and in the evening cars are parked both sides by residents and people from Sun Street and Soutergate due to the double yellow lines there. Parking restrictions would have to be looked at seriously if Garden Terrace became the main route.

Secondly the flooding issues in Ulverston should be re-visited. We are getting more and more houses needing sewerage and drainage. We lived in North Lonsdale Road during the floods of early 1980 and there have not been any significant improvements to the drains that we are aware of since then. All the flood plain fields down South Ulverston have now been built on which was not supposed to be allowed. The becks have been dug out and flood defences improved but its the capacity of the drains and the access to the sea that must be enlarged. We just seem to get more and more houses built but no improvements to an outdated drainage system that doesn’t have the capacity to deal with all the rain we get and obviously at high tide this water can’t get out to sea as the tidal flaps are closed. The loss of 2 more permeable surface areas on Union Fields will help create localised flooding and more problems for families down in South Ulverston.

Thirdly the loss of habitat for wildlife needs to be considered. If this estate is built right up to the boundary of Gill Banks it will affect the bats and tawny owls that inhabit this area and it would be a tragedy if they lost this habitat due to more development. We have little enough of greenspace within the town as it is.

Yours faithfully
Carole & Nigel Thurman