Response from Mr and Mrs Ken and Ann Kitchen (Individual)
1. Mr and Mrs Ken and Ann Kitchen (Individual) : 11 Jul 2017 14:35:00
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Arnside - Hollins Lane A8/A9
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We understand that the new consultation document does not show what the council is minded to allow but only gives an artist’s impression of what the owner of the land might like to do. This could have been made clearer so that everyone realised that they were not being asked to comment on things like public access and footpaths, simply whether the land could be considered for building at a later stage.
We assume that things such as highways safety, neighbours comments etc would be expected at the planning application stage and not before. However we can see the reasoning that if there are insurmountable difficulties in developing the site they should be stated now.
One main problem is safety. Hollins Lane alongside this field at the moment is dangerous. Whatever happens cutting the hedge back to 3ft high and 3 ft wide would allow a pavement to be made which would improve pedestrian safety considerably.
The present hedge/trees are very overgrown and need to be thinned and laid, otherwise they will become a tangled thicket of trees of limited life.
Much is made of keeping views across the field. Walking up and down the road at the moment these views are almost totally obscured by the hedge. Even at the entrance to the field one must walk down to the gate to see across.
A line of houses following the outline of the ones above as in our initial submission would allow the views to be seen between the houses.
The artist’s idea of a footpath onto Silverdale Road is a nice idea but probably impractical from a safety point of view. You would be funnelling people onto Silverdale Road, a main artery with no pavement. At least the lower section of Hollins Lane is quieter, and leads onto Briery Bank which has a pavement.
Many respondents are worried that the section of the field marked for open space would become a paradise for dog walkers and also reduce the security of their homes. We have much sympathy with that view but it should not be the reason for turning down a better proposal for building.
We come down to the fact that Arnside needs affordable housing and we are very short of suitable sites. There are no perfect sites. This one if developed sensibly could meet some of the need.
Our feelings are that Site 8/9 should be considered as a potential site but this in no way means that we agree that the particular proposal for housing shown is the correct one.
Ken and Ann Kitchen
