GNLP0604R

The planned site of this industrial development, would rob the residents on the Norwich side of Church road of the beautiful views over open farmland, that we all enjoy, and indeed was a reason that many of us live where we do.
This development would cause light pollution at night, which would disturb the residents whose properties share a boundary with this site.
The additional noise and air pollution by the vehicles being repaired here and the workers on the site would be unacceptable, most people live in the country to avoid this. Access for this development would be dangerous onto the A140 which is very busy and often congested between Swainsthorpe and Norwich.
Using the foot path which is adjacent to 24 Church road, for traffic would mean an unacceptable increase in traffic for the residents of Church view, ( only 2 cars pass our house now),large farm vehicle would be passing just 6 feet from out house, which is unacceptable and would reduce out privacy and enjoyment of the gardens we love to spend time in.
The access to Church road via this foot path would seem counter to SNDCouncil previous concerns about the dangerous bend, which traffic would have to emerge on to, some years ago SND Council made us move our boundary back 12 feet to improve the sight for vehicles trying to emerge onto Church road and now you are proposing making this in to a full road.
An industrial development of this kind would be wholly out of place in a rural village like Swainsthorpe and would change the character of the village and the countryside in an unacceptable way.

This industrial site would be a huge incursion into countryside and a village with absolutely no infrastructure to support it. It is not contiguous with any other similar development and would dominate and ruin the village, the walks, views and amenity of a rural village. Huge impact on traffic on the A140 by large slow-moving vehicles.

It beggars belief that 27 acres of good farmland, next to a small village with no amenities, the only access onto an already busy A140 can be designated for a large stand alone agricultural business. Heavy agricultural equipment, articulated lorries and employes cars, not to mention the noise and pollution. It will dwarf Swainsthorpe and its people.
And you have to ask yourself, Why? There is perfectly good land designated for this type of business and I find it morally wrong that that land can be disregarded in favour of this appalling proposal showing total disregard of Swainsthorpe's residents.

Ninety-percent of the residents of our village have objected to this proposal. I am particularly concerned about the disruption to the quality of life for residents of Swainsthorpe, as this development will undoubtedly bring noise and chaos to our peaceful village.
As a daily user of the A140, I am all too aware of the queuing traffic that already blights my morning and evening commute to work, traffic which will only worsen with this proposed development. Couple this with the shoddy state of the A140, and it is clear that this development would be a disaster for all concerned parties.

This site poses many concerns, not just for Swainsthorpe.
1) the potential drastic and unalterable changes to Swainsthorpe village. This development would have detrimental impact on the quality of life due to the additional noise, light pollution, air pollution and dangerous traffic.
2) the increase of and type of traffic using the A140. The traffic flow will be slowed down by the addition of many more agricultural vehicles as well as retail traffic. This will no doubt encourage dangerous overtaking and risk taking to get onto the A140 from adjoining roads. A roundabout would be a pathetic attempt to solve this problem, akin to using a thimble to drain a sinking ship.
3) the astoundingly obvious fact that there are other sites more suited to this purpose. The NDR and the A47 have purpose built areas for this kind of development.

Criminal use of agricultural land this site should be on Industrial or Brownfield with the infrastructure in place not in a rural location. Access onto the busy A140 by over 100 employees and large slow moving machinery will compromise and clog this vital road. Increasing commuting time for residents along this corridor from Diss to Norwich ,more pressure on our emergency services. Impact on residents noise, air, light pollution. Impact on wildlife Red Kites, Barn owls sky larks. Impact on rural South Norfolk. This stamps as greed on behalf of Ben Burgess no thought given for the consequences only profit.

98% of Swainsthorpe residents signed a petition opposing the Ben Burgess proposals. This speaks for itself in objecting to this interim stage which seeks to re-designate productive arable fields into 'area suitable for development' thus clearing the way for the planning application. How can this proposal fulfil any of your own requirements? i.e: "use growth as a means of enhancing the quality of life of existing residents"- this development does the opposite. "result in economic, social or environmental benefits which justify its location"- is laughable.Instead Traffic chaos, flooding, pollution, loss of amenity, destruction of the rural character. It is unsound.

This is an industrial development and belongs in Norwich, not in a residential village. This kind of development has no place in an our village and will be an eyesore on the otherwise beautiful landscape. The reason we choose to live in Swainsthopre is because is its still countryside and this development will ruin our view of the open countryside and blemish the beautiful landscape, if we wanted to see an industrial estate from our window we would live in a city, not village. This industrial development dose not belong here. This development will also take away our villages dog walk which is treasured by our community.

Swainsthorpe is a residential village: the proposal would turn it into an industrial park. It would cause continuous noise during working hours; disrupt the character of the village; replace the views with light industry, add significantly to the heavy traffic along the already overloaded Church Road; and create further serious difficulties along a very busy stretch of the A140. Traffic on this stretch of the A140 is so heavy that there are frequently long waits to join the road at all hours of the day and these are guaranteed during rush hours.

Agree with all the previous objections. It is a completely inappropriate place for such a development.

This outrageous proposal will cause irreparable damage to not only the lush green South Norfolk countryside but will disrupt the lives of so many within the village. The A140, an already congested and dangerous road, can only get worse with a significant increase in industrial and slow agricultural traffic. The proposed site is a widely used large green space that will be irreversibly damaged if a workshop/car park/sales room/office is built on top of it. The noise and light pollution would effect the wellbeing of so many within the village, its baffling that this is even being considered.

The A140 is in my opinion a dangerous road where drivers take risks due to frustration of being busy most of the day. To put a major industrial site on a beautiful greenfield site is destructive, especially when there are other industrial areas close by to relocate to. Ben Burgess has no conscience when it comes to halting the traffic even further putting extra minutes on peoples journey to work or school run and congesting it even further with heavy farm machinery. Would also add light and noise pollution never mind the interruption to the community of Swainsthorpe. Drivers could use Church Road as a rat run to save time congesting this small country road even further. Church Road is often single carriageway in parts and the arterial road eg Gowthorpe Road is single lane this could cause mayhem.

If carried through this proposal will not only change the almost entirely residential nature of the village but introduce dangers for traffic on the A140 and at the junction with Church Road which is fraught enough already with the limited vision southward. Such an industrial complex is wholly incompatible with a small rural village already suffering from having become a rat run for residents of an enormously enlarged Mulbarton. The infrastructure is just not in place to sustain this ill thought proposal.

This site is not suitable for the proposed development for the following reasons:
1. Safe access to and from the site would be too difficult and would present dangers to current traffic. The A140 is already over-used and is unable to accommodate the additional commercial traffic that the development would involve.
2. The whole character of the village would be destroyed by the proposed commercial development. This small rural and residential settlement would be severely impacted by the introduction of heavy machinery, security lightling and fencing, and inevitable noise pollution. Development would also impact on the setting of St Peter's Church, a listed building.
3. The construction of commercial premises and accompanying workshops, demonstration sites and storage facilities raises substantial issues of drainage and surface water that would impact upon the village and A140.
4. Other sites exist in South Norfolk with better facialities and access arrangements and whose nature makes them more suitable for development.

"Further Traffic Chaos on A140" will be the headline with consequent accidents.
1. Traffic: the junction of Church Rd/A140/Access road to Swainsthorpe Hall and cottages is already very hazardous and more traffic from Swainsthorpe/Mulbarton/GNLP0604R will hugely compound the problem. It will be irreversible change.
2. Every type of pollution—-noise, light (look at BB's site in Norwich), potential chemical, air, etc
3. Loss of view across fields to Church and its flag, loss of public amenity for walking from Hickling Way and changing agricultural land into industrial development for EVER.
4. If proposal went ahead substantial Civil Engineering would be required on top of those already needed for the expansion of the Electricity substation at Mangreen leading to major disruption.

This development is unsuitable for our small village.The main concern is the increase in traffic this development would generate adding greatly to the already impossible situation getting to and from the A140. There are no facilities in the village such as a shop, school etc To sum up this proposal would have a detrimental impact on our environment and would add nothing to the benefit of the village.

This stand alone industrial facility is better suited to planned development sites rather pristine agricultural land. The added amount of traffic on the already heavily congested a140 amounts would create a nightmare even at non-rush hours.
Are there no brownfield site in the Norwich area? What has haooened to the currently empty industrial development sites in Norfolk already provided..

Church road is already dangerous due to the volume of traffic and poor visibility. Over 100 employees and slow moving machinery will massively congest this road increasing everyone's commutes.
Plus, did any one consider the impact on noise, air, light pollution OR wildlife for residents?
We moved to the countryside for a beautiful landscape full of wildlife there aren't enough of these places left.

You already have a large, industrial, unsightly HQ. What reason do you have to move it to a small countryside, ruining the entire area around it? Do not ruin our land because of your greed.

The site has unsuitable access onto the already busy A140. Accidents already occur near the proposed access due to the Stoke Lane junction.
The site would cause light and sound pollution to the village and the scale is not in keeping with the village.
The development should be on a 'brownfield' site rather than using a 'greenfield' site such as this.
There will be an impact to local wildlife and biodiversity with the loss of arable land.
The village has no facilities to support extra development.

GNLP0604R
I am not contesting Ben Burgess Ltd's desire for a new site but stating adamantly that their proposed site on this farmland is definitely in the wrong place. There are other more suitable pre-existing industrial sites around Norwich and in South Norfolk that have space and infrastructure for a development of this size.

The Village of Swainsthorpe When I heard that a firm called Ben Burgess wanted to ruin one of the nicest places I have ever lived in I knew I had to protest. Swainsthorpe isn't particularly pretty but it is a friendly community-focussed small village inhabited by about 350 people who want to make village life work. There is little social infrastructure, well under 200 houses, no school, no shop and the only businesses are a roadhouse pub and a car wash, both on the main A140 road each employing a small handful of people. The bus service is limited and the stops on the A140 (particularly the southbound stop) are dangerous to access. Swainsthorpe is classed in the category 'other villages' because of its poor infrastructure.
The A140 The A140 on the edge of Swainsthorpe is a noisy, polluted, often blocked and certainly already a dangerous boundary for the village. There are no plans for a bypass. Most times of the day it requires a long wait to enter the traffic in either direction from Church Road, the main village road out of Swainsthorpe and one which conveys not just villagers' transport but also those cutting through from the Mulbarton and Swardeston areas. At quieter times the 50mph speed restriction on the A140 seems largely to be ignored particularly by the heaviest of vehicle and walking to the bus stop (or worse - crossing the road from the opposite bus stop) is the stuff of nightmares.
Access from the proposed Ben Burgess site will be onto the A140, an extremely busy main road already frequently at a standstill during busy times. Entrance and exit would be extremely dangerous, sitting on a bend with limited vision, offering employees, farmers and clients severely restricted access on one of the busiest and most congested roads in the county.
The Ben Burgess company have declared that they will require "122 staff parking spaces and 193 machinery parking spaces". This fact alone demonstrates the impact a development will have on local traffic conditions and ignores the many visitors who will visit the premises. The increase in regular traffic to and from the site will add to the current chaos.
Thus the combined effect of this development plus the planned developments in Mulbarton, Long Stratton and other areas adjoining the A140 will put further pressure on a road already at standstill during rush hour periods. As someone who uses the main road to get to work in the city I have regular experience of the frustrations of waiting for gaps in the traffic and also the dangers of sitting in the filter lane to get back into the village and experiencing juggernauts bearing down on my car.
The Future Despite the existing transport problems Swainsthorpe is a good place to live. At the moment. If this plan is approved this will change dramatically and certainly for the worse. The Ben Burgess plan is BIGGER than the current village footprint and will substantially impact upon all the people and homes in the village, not just those it affects directly by backing onto their property. It can be of absolutely no benefit to the village or its inhabitants and will greatly diminish the local quality of life. Neither will it be of any benefit to those who use the A140 to travel to Norwich or towards Diss. It may seem dramatic to suggest that Ben Burgess Ltd will wipe out life in Swainsthorpe as it exists today - but I fear it will.
Irreversible Development
Swainsthorpe is currently a rural village separated from the development of Norwich by acres of green fields and the Southern Bypass. Once this land is re-designated for industrial development it will never revert to the countryside we see now. It could, and probably will, open the floodgates for other industrial use which could be anything of any size and inevitably detrimental to the local environment. Ribbon development at its worst.
Pollution Additional to the traffic pollution referred to any development will also cause excessive noise from the constant drone of tractors and other heavy machinery moving around the site exacerbated by the testing of engines as well as cars coming and going adding to the pollution by diesel and petrol engines. The likely 24/7 lighting and security lighting and alarms will turn a rural village into a monstrous industrial eyesore. Efforts are being made nationally and internationally to reduce pollution and this development will go against these intentions and introduce pollution into an area which is currently reasonably healthy.
The land is currently used only for agricultural purposes therefore
substantial civil engineering will be required to change its use. The site has no services for drainage of sewage, industrial waste water and oils, and no electric power. The work needed to change this will have a major impact on the village and the A140. This will continue once the site is occupied as further development seems inevitable.
The Countryside
The fields identified for development form part of a popular circular walk adjoining Hickling Way which is a Roman/Saxon thoroughfare of significant historical interest and connects with other bridleways. The local community believes that any interference with Hickling Way at any point is totally unacceptable. Swainsthorpe is already very poorly served by public footpaths, in fact it is one of the poorest places I have lived where so few pleasant walks are easily accessible. I walk these fields daily, sometimes twice daily and they are also a regular route for the Central Norfolk Walking for Health scheme. There are no other walks accessible on foot from the village. We are all encouraged to take more exercise. If these fields disappear then Swainsthorpe residents will have nowhere to walk.
This development denigrates the countryside and ruins the visual approach to an ancient village. The fields roll gently away from the village towards Dunston Hall and Mangreen. This view, and in the other direction, the view of St Peters Church from Hickling Lane, will be lost forever. Even worse the village will be edged by a monstrous industrial site where it is now surrounded on 3 sides by greenery, fields that have been successfully cropped and productive for many generations.
As well as being agriculturally productive and socially pleasant to walk the fields form an important natural drainage function and wild life corridor. I have read that this development could result in the felling of 300yr old oak trees and the removal of the protective banks and planting which currently screens the village from the A140.
Summary
There are other suitable pre-existing industrial sites around Norwich and in South Norfolk with space and road/facilities infrastructure for a development of this size. I oppose it vehemently on grounds of the environmental damage it will cause, the increased traffic chaos and inevitable pollution on an already overloaded A140 (and subsequently on narrow side roads as frustrated drivers seek to avoid the congestion), the loss of wildlife habitat and footpaths and the unnecessary destruction of village life. This does not paint an attractive picture to visitors of life in South Norfolk.

I am writing to object strongly to the Planning Application by Ben Burgess Ltd which attempts to change a residential rural village into an industrial site. Swainsthorpe is a small historical settlement which currently houses approximately 350 inhabitants in around 160 properties.
There are existing industrial sites in Norwich and South Norfolk with capacity for Ben Burgess. I feel it unacceptable to destroy the countryside when other options are readily available.
My objections are:
* Access
Swainsthorpe is located on the A140 a major road which carries heavy traffic at all times and, at certain times of day, is virtually at a standstill because of the volume of traffic. Entrance and exit from an industrial site would add significantly to this volume as well as being extremely dangerous, on a bend with limited vision, offering employees and visitors severely restricted access on one of the busiest and most congested roads in the county.
Access from Church Road, Swainsthorpe already requires a frustratingly long wait. Any development will bring the A140 to a more frequent standstill. This will exacerbate pollution from diesel and petrol fumes. There are no plans to dual the A140. It is already a dangerously congested road. The combined effect of this development plus the planned developments in Mulbarton, Long Stratton and other areas adjoining the A140 will put further pressure on a road already at standstill during rush hour periods..
Local traffic uses Church Road through Swainsthorpe village to cut through from the A140 to Swardeston and Mulbarton on extremely narrow country lanes. These roads are officially accessible only to lightweight or delivery vehicles but of course are used by forbidden vehicles. This throughcut practice will increase with the likelihood of accidents on blind bends as frustrated drivers attempt to avoid the chaos on the A140.
* Pollution
Additional to the air pollution caused by increased traffic (see above) the site has no services for drainage of sewage, industrial waste water and oils, and no electricity. The construction will require work to install these. Any development will cause ongoing excessive noise from the constant drone of tractors and other heavy machinery moving around the site exacerbated by the testing of engines. This, and the light pollution from 24/7 security lights, will have a major impact on the locality.
* Habitat
The land proposed is currently prime agricultural land, farmed for many years and habitat for large and small mammals, birds and insects. Its destruction would cause a significant loss of wildlife in an area on the edge of a large city.
* Amenity
Swainsthorpe is already badly served by public footpaths and bridleways. The existing footpath and permissive path around the fields identified in the Planning Application are very well walked - because they are the only paths. There are no other walks accessible on foot from the village. These paths will disappear under concrete.

If approved this proposal will be disastrous for the environment, residents and anyone attempting to travel between Norwich, Diss and southwards. The resulting pollution, loss of habitat, congestion, increased accidents and social deprivation are incalculable.
Ben Burgess should be encouraged to find a more appropriate, less damaging location where the infrastructure and road network can support the business better. It seems ironic that a firm selling agricultural machinery should wish to destroy prime agricultural land.

Swainsthorpe is designated" other villages". Having an industrial site would create traffic chaos adding to the already busy A140. The charm of our lovely village would be ruined and already the traffic has increased due to development in Mulbarton.
Swainsthorpe would gain NOTHING from this development,. This is rural Norfolk, which would be ruined.

Whilst my natural inclination is to support development proposals whenever possible, I am entirely opposed to this unnecessary and inappropriate proposal to develop farm land for industrial purposes. As was apparent at the consultation held in St Peter's Church, the proposal is being made not simply because Ben Burgess's premises in Trowse have been outgrown, but because the company has a desire to establish its presence in specific directions beyond the city. Whilst that is a perfectly legitimate business objective, it is not for the people of Swainsthorpe, or any small rural community, to pay for that financially, socially or environmentally.
Others have enumerated the impact this proposal would have upon the residents of Swainsthorpe and upon the wildlife, flora and fauna of the area. Suffice it to say that, whilst development land has to be sought, it is also our collective responsibility to protect the character of our small rural communities for this and future generations.

My objection is based on 22 years as a resident of Swainsthorpe.
The A140 is a dangerous road and the section around Swainsthorpe has experienced a number of serious accidents over the last few years.This development will increase the number of vehicles on this stretch and in particular slow moving larger vehicles entering and leaving the road along with a new entry to the the road, all of which will increase the risk of accidents.
Swainsthorpe is a small village with a rural character so entirely unsuitable for industrial development of this sort. The village has no amenities to support the workforce. The site will be an eyesore to the rural setting and generate unwanted activity and noise.

Swainsthorpe is a very small village with no infrastructure for commercialism. I strongly believe the risk to life will be high and safety will be compromised - limited paths - school buses - exiting the A140. Turning right onto the A140 highway is already an ongoing problem. ACCIDENTS WILL HAPPEN. The village is too small, the back lanes are a flood risk. The church is set on a bend. If you increase the commercial traffic through commercial development, families with children will not move here and eventually the village will die. Is that the GNLP plan?

The site is unsuitable because:
Access - A140 is already over-used and a new junction would be dangerous;
Pollution - there would be excessive noise and light pollution from the site itself, and from the full lighting of A140 at the junction in order to be safe for heavy vehicles;
Topology - the site is in a dip and there are issues of drainage and surface water;
Character of the village - this is a small settlement and a major industrial development outside its current envelope would destroy the essence of the village;
Absence of necessity - better sites exist.

I strongly object to any future development in our village.
Traffic would just be to heavy in our little village, going through Church Road. This is a road that in areas has no public footpath, which will make it dangerous for residents. The A140, which is already a road which has heavy traffic on, would be even more dangerous.
And the pollution levels will go up, both noise and fumes.
Also we would lose some of our lovely countryside, which would be very sad for us all.

The village of Swainsthorpe is not a suitable site for a proposed Ben Burgess headquarters. The suggestion is for an industrial development. Its location needs to be within the Norwich bypass, in a business park for access, infrastructure and business facilities. The Tas Valley does not provide these as it is a natural environment.

This represents an unnecessary sacrifice of good farmland where there are alternative industrial sites along the A47. Access to the A140, which ever way this is achieved, will cause further intolerable congestion.

I am writing to oppose the proposal to turn the above greenfield site into a commercial development, for the following reasons:

1) This site should be closer to the southern by-pass (A47) or the Broadland Northway, where there are suitable brownfield sites and access is closer to the A11 and main routes.

2) By turning this agricultural land into a huge commercial site, it is swamping a small rural village.

3) It is another loss to our production of local food.

4)Access onto the already busy A140 would exacerbate the situation. Employees arriving for work would add immensely to the cars already on the road, not to mention deliveries and customers. Sometimes the A140 is like a train, nose to tail with the sheer volume of traffic.

5) An industrial site would create a precedent and make vulnerable the land in between the site and the A47 Southern Bypass, therefore allowing infill to happen, and Swainsthorpe becoming a suburb of Norwich.

6) An industrial site would also increase noise, air pollution and lights at night. We currently do not have lights in our village.

It is not necessary to carve up our country side to allow this development and ruin a rural environment.