GNLP0544

To Whom it May Concern,

I am writing with regard to my objections to the development of the land known as Swan Field. The main grounds for my objection is the unsuitability of the access roads both into and out of Hingham. The application for up to 95 properties is greater than the number of properties already along Hardingham Rd heading into Hingham, so a more than doubling of the vehicle usage would not be sustainable. In the table given it says that this could be overcome with development but I do not see how this would be achieved as properties already border both sides of Hardingham Road.

With regard to the road in the opposite direction towards Hardingham that is used as a through road to Norwich/Watton Road, when the aforementioned Watton Road was closed through roadworks this quickly declined into chaos and an unsafe mud ridden condition. Additional vehicle traffic which one would assume would be mainly heading towards Norwich would also present an unfair burden on the residents of Hardingham further down the road.

Whilst both of the above points are long term prospects the short term impact of additional construction traffic would be intolerable as we have already experienced with the development next door. When trying to complain about this I was passed from pillar to post between South Norfolk Council, Norfolk Highways and The Health and Safety Executive. Based on this track record I cannot see how an extended development of this size would fair any better.

We have lived on Hardingham Road for the past 10yrs and very much enjoy the views we have across Swan Field where deer, tawny owls and other wildlife is in abundance.
The access to this field is extremely poor and we have witnessed many near misses outside our house where there is a bend in the road. It is a narrow road with no footpath/pavement and there is a regular school bus which uses the road too. We also have many tractors and lorries using the road.
We feel building 95 houses on this field with poor access and an inadequate road will destroy the peacefulness of our home and make it very unsafe to walk, cycle or drive on the road.
We have looked at other proposed sites in Hingham and feel these offer far better access and space than Swan Field.

I strongly object to the proposal to build on Swan Field for the following reasons.

1. Hardingham Road is simply not built to withstand the increase in traffic from homes built on the site. The current flow of traffic is relatively light , the road is narrow, has poor drainage and is usually ungritted in bad weather.

2. The possibility of heavy site traffic on this road is unthinkable. The current development of assisted living accommodation has clearly shown that. The large lorries block the narrow road. The verges are being destroyed. the dirt and site detritus spreads along the road. Its unsightly and dangerous.

3. All site traffic would have to come through the village centre , again the road issues make this undesirable especially when selection of an alternative site such as one of those on the Norwich road could negate some of that by coming in from the other side of the village and stopping on the outskirts there on a road more fitted for heavy vehicles.

4. Increased traffic in Hardingham Road, Hardingham Street is particularly undesirable as its a major through way top the local school. There are already damage paths from the current construction which necessitate young mothers with buggies having to walk in the road , increasing the traffic increases the possibility of accidents.

5. There is currently no pathways from the potential entry and exit points of the site , there is no room to take road space to build one so pedestrians exiting the site potentially will have to walk on a far busier road than currently . The entry from the site , onto Hardingham Road and then along towards Hardingham Street already has a blind bend. To add pedestrian traffic on that road is tantamount to waiting for an accident to happen.

I totally appreciate the need for construction but on careful evaluation of the plots available it is my firm belief that this site is just not suitable for both the development , the increase in traffic the destruction of the current environment.

I hope you can see that future deveopment would be best suited at a site without these constraints.

I would like it recorded that I strongly object to the proposal of using Swan Field, on Hardingham Road for the possible siting of a new housing estate.
To begin with any heavy vehicular traffic would have to enter this site by way of Ringers Lane/ Hardingham Road, or Hardingham Street, as access along Hardingham Road from Hardingham is totally unsuitable for this type of traffic. This would mean endangering pedestrians who often use this route whilst walking to the doctors surgery on Hardingham Street and into the town and also mothers and fathers who regularly walk this route with their small children to the Hingham school. The pavements along this route are extremely poor and in places non existent which means having to walk in the road with pushchairs and mobility aids. Along this route there is also no street lighting making visibility extremely poor during early morning and late afternoons/ evenings.
There is no road drainage along Hardingham Road and this area is particularly bad in cases of heavy rain. During the winter months in times of ice and snow, there are no gritters or road cleaning services in place which all means that SAFETY for pedestrians and homeowners is of paramount importance. Allowing heavy vehicles to regularly use this route could be extremely dangerous.
Even at this time, work has been going on for some months on the new complex for the specialised supported living apartments on Hardingham Rd and heavy vehicles have been blocking the road whilst unloading and loading of heavy plant causing problems. They have destroyed grass verges and forced people to walk into the road to get past them. Covered the road in mud and making the area unsightly. This is totally unexceptable and could only get worse if the development for Swan Field was to go ahead.
There are plenty of other locations where the infrastructure is basically already in place, which would be far more suited to this kind of development, which would not impede on the safety of persons young and old that require to walk this route on a daily basis.

Although I don't live in Hingham I do visit often and I strongly object to the use of the Swan field site for housing. The access road could not be improved to such an extent that it would not greatly impinge on the households living not only on Hardingham Road but also the adjoining roads .

The school is on an adjacent road and a large increase in traffic not to mention the heavy machinery coming and going whilst the site is under construction would be a huge safety risk to the inhabitants and the people using the school.

There are sites which are not constrained in this way and i feel they should be built on first .