Object
Site Proposals document
Representation ID: 15486
Received: 22/03/2018
Respondent: Ms Teresa Bearton
Too large scale development for small village with the majority of roads single track with no passing places. Current infrastructure inadequate to cope with further development. Low Street slopes so new buildings would dwarf existing properities. Low street has serious flooding issues where properties have been damged, with the loss of the drainage ditch this will increase. The hedge rows full of breeding birds will be destroyed. Increased in traffic dangerous to pedestrians, no footpaths and sharp bends. The beautiful impact of the listed windmill would be lost to all coming into Wicklewood from the east.
Dear Sir
These comments are made in response to the sites identified in the GNLP site proposals document. The comments relate to the proposed sites identified within Wicklewood and their assessment in the Housing and Employment Land Availability Assessment (HELAA).
Although Wicklewood has selective village status services within walking distance are limited and in terms of its proximity to a wider range of service and public transport greater reliance on the use of private vehicles is required on a day to day basis.
The number of applications taken forward to HELAA in Wicklewood is 5 but with clear caveats that there are a number of constraints on each of the sites and that the initial highway assessment has indicated that the road network is unsuitable and incapable of accommodating additional development.
One of the largest sites is GNLP0232 is Low Street : there are a number of concerns about this which are not currently reflected in the site assessment and should be considered before any decision is taken about which sites progress through to GNLP.
a) at 2.84 ha the site is disproportionate to the village. Although no number of proposed houses has been giving the size would suggest a significant number.
b) the part of the site which is identified in the HELAA as being better located to the built form along Low Street would mean any development would not be in an identical form as the existing properties as the land has significant change in level to the land on the north side and would become the dominant part of the road dwarfing the original properties.
c) any development facing or accessed via Low Street will largely be onto a single carriageway which doesn't benefit from any footpaths. Walking or cycling to the limited services within the Village is unlikely due to safety implications and increased number of vehicles. There is no street lighting in Low Street or indeed most of the village.
d) Low Street has been the subject of flooding over a long period of time and further development will only add to this problem. A number of properties along the part of the proposed site have already been damaged due to water running off the field and poor drainage systems in place.
e) the visual impact of approaching the village from the east would be significantly changed especially in relation to Wicklewood Windmill which is one of the most iconic features of the village which benefits from a Grade 11 Listing.
Wicklewood being a selective village should be considered for more limited growth which is proportionate to the services and capacity of the local road network. Currently there are a number of large sites within Wicklewood which if taken forward would not support the wider spatiall strategy currently emerging for the GNLP and would likely have significant impacts on the village. Specifically in relation to site GNLP0232 there are a number of specific constraints and issues which would impact on the suitability of the site development which have not yet been considered by the HELAA. These should be fully assessed and considered as part of any decision as to whether or not the site should be taken forward.
Submitted for your attention and consideration.