3 responses from Mrs Claire Benbow, Grange Town Council
1. Mrs Claire Benbow, Grange Town Council : 21 Dec 2017 10:28:00
Policy Reference
DM8 - High Speed Broadband for New Developments
1.3 Do you consider the DM DPD to be sound?
No
1.5 Please give details of why you consider the DPD is not legally compliant or is unsound or fails to comply with the Duty to Cooperate. Please be as precise as possible.
If you wish to support the legal compliance or soundness of the DPD or its compliance with the Duty to Cooperate, please also use this box to set out your comments.
Pleased that six of the eight points GTC raised previously have been covered to some degree in the final version. Disappointed that the below don’t seem to have been addressed:
Ensuring good mobile phone coverage required alongside broadband requirements.
GTC Said:
2.8 Telecommunications
Digital connectivity need to be accompanied by good mobile phone coverage, at least reliable 3G; 4G desirable. People are increasingly using smartphones to access the internet for business, banking, health and family uses, and expect a reliable signal wherever they are. Many rural areas have patchy mobile phone signals, copper or satellite internet access is not yet ubiquitous and would not be enough by itself. Omitting a requirement for rural mobile phone coverage is discriminatory to rural residents and misses an opportunity to promote mast-sharing by providers.
It is particularly useful for the elderly to have reliable phone contact with carers, family and medical services, and can enable a speedier return to coping at home after a hospital stay. It therefore supports the current move to care in the community and reduces the pressure on NHS facilities.
The new policy version only applies the requirements on broadband to 30+ units on new developments, and makes no reference to mobile phone connectivity, so will be no use for existing residents and businesses in our parish, that is 75% of the population.
Please tick the box if you wish to be notified when the document is submitted, when recommendations are published and when the document is adopted.
Please notify me.
2. Mrs Claire Benbow, Grange Town Council : 21 Dec 2017 10:31:00
Policy Reference
DM4 - Green and Blue Infrastructure, Open Space, Trees and Landscaping
1.3 Do you consider the DM DPD to be sound?
No
1.5 Please give details of why you consider the DPD is not legally compliant or is unsound or fails to comply with the Duty to Cooperate. Please be as precise as possible.
If you wish to support the legal compliance or soundness of the DPD or its compliance with the Duty to Cooperate, please also use this box to set out your comments.
Pleased that six of the eight points GTC raised previously have been covered to some degree in the final version. Disappointed that the below don’t seem to have been addressed:
Expanding public opportunities for growing, to accompany traditional allotments.
GTC said:
2.4.4
Not clear how a deficiency in allotments might be proved for new developments. Traditional allotments are not always suitable for people with disabilities, those with full-time employment or responsibilities as carers. A ‘range of growing opportunities including allotments’ would be a more inclusive approach and could include mini-allotments, raised beds, public planters and landscape features. It should be required that a range of growing opportunities is provided for everyone, particularly where flats or very small gardens are the norm.
We find no reference to a ‘range of growing opportunities’ and find the policy inadequate and discriminatory to residents in our parish, where age, disability and lack of land are obstacles to full sized allotments. The wording lets developers off the hook and does not challenge them to ‘design in’ appropriate provision.
Please tick the box if you wish to be notified when the document is submitted, when recommendations are published and when the document is adopted.
Please notify me.
3. Mrs Claire Benbow, Grange Town Council : 21 Dec 2017 10:33:00
Policy Reference
DM6 - Flood Risk Management and Sustainable Drainage Systems
1.3 Do you consider the DM DPD to be sound?
No
1.5 Please give details of why you consider the DPD is not legally compliant or is unsound or fails to comply with the Duty to Cooperate. Please be as precise as possible.
If you wish to support the legal compliance or soundness of the DPD or its compliance with the Duty to Cooperate, please also use this box to set out your comments.
Pleased that six of the eight points GTC raised previously have been covered to some degree in the final version. Disappointed that the below don’t seem to have been addressed:
Drainage:
There is no mention of compliance with British Geological Society (BGS) recommendations regarding sub surface flows and the potential structural damage caused by erosion. The BGS states for the Kents Bank area quite unequivocally that “The infiltration of water from SuDS in areas with such characteristics may be unstable and could lead to landslide or collapse associated with dissolution or shallow mining”.
This area of Grange is classified as being one of “significant potential geohazard”. Grange Town Council requests that SLDC ensures that the BGS is included and is an integral part of the assessment process.
Please tick the box if you wish to be notified when the document is submitted, when recommendations are published and when the document is adopted.
Please notify me.