Response from Ms Susan Hadden (Individual)
1. Ms Susan Hadden (Individual) : 6 Jul 2017 08:06:00
Please use the drop down menu to indicate which of the following sites you are commenting on. Please use a separate form for each site.
Silverdale - part of S50
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I would like to object in the strongest terms at the possible inclusion of site S50 in the AONB Development Plan
1. Access
Access is limited at present to a small lane serving Clarence House and Clarence Cottages, not wide enough for large vehicles, and a potential access from St Johns Avenue. There are already a great number of properties using vehicular access from St Johns Avenue onto Emesgate Lane, the main and only through route in the village, which is already very congested for a lot of the time. It is the bus route in both directions and the route for the Coop delivery wagons, service vehicles of all sizes and other works and delivery vehicles. Any increase in car movements from the site would only exacerbate an already busy and dangerous junction. Yellow lines and restrictive parking measures are not an option as there is already a severe shortage of parking places locally and yellow lines would urbanise the village. St Johns Avenue is used regularly as an overflow parking area for the church and primary school and events at the Institute. Finally I would be very worried about access for emergency vehicles.
2. Extension of the boundary of Silverdale village
When compared with many of the sites already considered, but not selected for inclusion in the final DPD, this site would result in the village peripheral boundary being extended into open countryside. To avoid development boundary sprawl, I would hope that smaller more discreet sites within the existing peripheral boundary should be chosen over site S50.
3. Amenity Value
There would be a hugely adverse impact on the sensitive local landscape within the immediate area and from viewpoints at Gait Barrows, the Pepper Pot and Eaves Wood, for example. Not to mention the outward views towards the Howgills, much enjoyed by the dozens of walkers who use the public footpath through the field on a daily basis. This amenity use is a very important and valued aspect which should not be lost from the AONB. If any houses were to be built on the site they would block these publicly accessible views forever. The tree screening proposed would create a false barrier in summer and in winter when the leaves fall the houses would be visible from all directions. So how could these key views possibly be maintained?
This is reinforced in The AONB Special Qualities Report - What is special about Arnside & Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty? November 2016
• 3.4 Grasslands. The grasslands of the AONB form a distinctive pastoral landscape, a patchwork of fields enclosed by drystone walls and hedgerows managed with grazing animals and dotted with field trees and interspersed with woodlands and other habitats. Pastures within the villages are integral to the rural settlement character of the AONB villages, in particular Arnside, Silverdale and Storth. Views over farmland from all settlements contribute to the area’s rural character.
• 9. Distinctive settlement character. …it is the stone buildings and settlements created during the last 800 years which contribute so strongly to the character and quality of the landscape today. This contribution lies not only in the strong vernacular traditions of the area but also in the settings of many of the buildings and the character of individual villages and hamlets.
• 9.2.3 Silverdale. Much of the village is fringed by small to medium sized pastures, which are enclosed by a characteristic pattern of limestone walls. Pockets of development are interspersed with woodlands and pastureland that form attractive open spaces and pastures follow a pattern of ancient enclosures in some areas. These open areas form a very important part of Silverdale’s character.
The field wall behind St Johns Avenue forms a distinct boundary between the properties and the open fields. Each spring these fields are grazed by sheep, then the grass is left to grow to produce a crop of silage and then, as now, cattle graze. This is mixed farming at its best which also gives open space and tranquillity for the varied and sometimes very rare birds and other wildlife which frequent it.
4. Waste and run- off water disposal
The cemetery, which is one field below the proposed site, was refused planning permission for an extension because of groundwater concerns. The County Council have been trying for years to reduce the water flow and levels which cause long term problems and often flooding in properties on Townsfield, Cove Road, Cove Drive, Elmslack etc.
The waste water disposal arrangements are a huge concern for the residents of Silverdale as there is no public wastewater system available. Therefore a private wastewater system would have to be provided. In the absence of a suitable running water course, which is the case at the proposed site, the Environment Agency requires (BS6297) that all currently available treatment plants mandate on their outflow a tertiary treatment and ground infiltration system. In Silverdale one of the biggest problems regarding this requirement is that there needs to be an area of reasonably level ground together with suitable soil/rock conditions for this mandatory system. If reference is made to Lancaster City Council planning application 15/01400/Ful relating to Whinney Fold, Silverdale, (Drawing number 00860294.pdf—Flood Risk and Drainage Fig3), this indicates how large an area is necessary for a typical, compliant, tertiary treatment and ground infiltration system. If such an area were to be allocated within the proposed development site, the space remaining for homes would be very limited and likely to undermine the commercial viability of the site. Apparently this system would have to be located in an area that is not built upon, nor hard surfaced, in order to allow oxygen to be absorbed into the soil to sustain the biological processes. If the system were to be located within the agricultural field outside the boundary of the site, similarly to that proposed at Whinney Fold, the ground engineering works to create a suitable, reasonably level site of the required area is likely to be large, incongruous and an obvious variation of the natural lie of the land and have a detrimental impact on the landscape assessment.
Also BS6297 requires a detailed analysis of the underlying ground structure, both subsoil and bedrock, to determine its suitability to contain a tertiary treatment and ground infiltration system. The soil cover in most areas of Silverdale is thin or very thin and is underlain by fractured, free draining limestone. To create an effective system, requires sufficient depth of suitable soil to allow for the biological tertiary treatment process to take place. If this is not available and part treated wastewater drains away too quickly into the fractured limestone, it has the potential to rapidly contaminate the groundwater systems. Experience from many excavation activities in Silverdale, including the recent laying of fibre broadband ducts for the B4RN community broadband system, finds that in most places there is too little soil to provide for a correctly functioning tertiary treatment and ground infiltration system.
5. Setting of a precedent.
If the proposed site were to be included in the PDP as a potential development site, it is likely that a precedent could be set such that through the normal Development Management processes, approval would be sought for further section of the field to be developed.
6. Actual housing need.
There are currently 22 houses for sale in the village. Recent events at the Keepers Green development have left a sour taste in the mouths of many residents when what had been supported by the Parish Council as small low cost housing became holiday homes. The developer had tried to sell these properties but apparently had no takers. Also in the past I believe that both the Lindeth Close Development and Whinney Fold, which were built as low cost housing as a result of the ongoing assessment of local housing needs, had to be advertised regionally as there were nowhere near enough locals interested in moving into these homes.
