Response from Mr. Roger Cartwright, Silverdale Green Discussion Group
1. Mr. Roger Cartwright, Silverdale Green Discussion Group : 27 Apr 2016 13:19:00
A typed or handwritten document was submitted. This has been scanned and can be downloaded below:
Please make your comments in the box below and refer specifically to the reference number of each site you are commenting on.
Comments on additional sites
These are mainly ‘brown’ coastal sites in Storth and conspicuous hilltop sites at Slackhead and green open fields at Silverdale and Warton. They are precisely the sort of controversial sites that led to the designation of the AONB in 1972.
A high standard of design that results in development that adds to the outstanding quality of the landscape still remains the fundamental requirement for any of these additional sites. I can think of very few developments during the last thirty years that have achieved this.
Sustainable development
“The presumption in favour of sustainable development” of the present National Planning Policy Framework is part of a long process of declining standards in planning and public service (imposed by government) and as I have said before this provides wide opportunity for developers to question the fundamental basis of conservation policies and their interpretation.
A good example of how this operates in practice, is the recent planning application at Whinney Fold, Silverdale, where Lancaster City Council had given equivocal preliminary advice to a developer that encouraged a planning application to proceed, supported by a whole range of expensive and largely irrelevant surveys to make a case for a totally unnecessary and unwanted development in an AONB! Now withdrawn (20 April 2016).
The only truly sustainable development in this area is likely to be small scale, self contained eco-housing for people who already live and work in the area, or are employed locally (no further than Carnforth or Milnthorpe) and can preferably travel to work on public transport, cycle or walk. An example of how this might be tackled is the referendum in St. Ives next month on a proposal that new-build homes should be available only to the local community http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/apr/03/st-ives-second-home-referendum-financial-cleansing?CMP=share_btn_fb#_=_
Individual sites
My comments on the individual sites will be sent separately by email
Roger Cartwright April 2016
[PLEASE SEE ATTACHED DOCUMENT FOR SITE SPECIFIC COMMENTS AND PHOTOGRAPHS]
