8 responses from Mr David Peters, Natland Parish Council
1. Mr David Peters, Natland Parish Council : 3 Jun 2008 14:48:00
To which part of the Report does your representation relate?
Paragraph or Section
The Preferred Option - PO11 - Kendal Functional Area
Please state as clearly as you can the exact part of the Report you are commenting on by quoting the page number (if known), paragraph number, option name or number, or the number of the map, figure or table.
Pages 119-138
PO11 - Kendal Functional Area 2025
Do you support, oppose or have an observation about this part of the Report?
Neither support nor oppose - just want to comment
Please write your comment or explain your reasons for supporting or opposing this part of the Report. You may also wish to refer to the tests of soundess in the glossary of the Preferred Options document before making your comments.
Natland Parish Council supports the following resolution carried by a well-attended Parish Meeting on 29 April 2008:
"This Parish Meeting urges the Parish Council and all electors to oppose those 'Core Strategy - Preferred Options' proposals that would create new housing and employment development on greenfield sites between the communities of Natland, Oxenholme and Kendal, thereby undermining Natland's distinctive individuality and leading to the eventual coalescence of those settlements, and further urges the Parish Council to work with the District Council to produce a strategy which will both accommodate reasonable development and respect the character of the village and its setting."
Natland Parish Council agrees with the strong view in the community that Natland village must remain distinct and separate from Kendal and Oxenholme by protecting the existing de facto green gaps.
The Council accepts, however, that a reasonable and fair allocation of affordable housing development could be accommodated around the village, but NOT concentrated in one area so as to form an unbalanced and disproportionate expansion of the village, or so as to generate additional traffic flows on Oxenholme Lane or Helm Lane which are already inadequate for the present level of use.
The Council is keen to discuss possible solutions with SLDC whever appropriate.
More specific comments by the Council appear on the next seven comment sheets.
Please indicate if you wish to be notified when the Core Strategy has been:
Submitted to the Secretary of State for independent examination
Adopted by the District Council
2. Mr David Peters, Natland Parish Council : 3 Jun 2008 15:00:00
To which part of the Report does your representation relate?
Paragraph or Section
3.150 Alternative Options/ The Preferred Option - PO7 - Green Infrastructure
Please state as clearly as you can the exact part of the Report you are commenting on by quoting the page number (if known), paragraph number, option name or number, or the number of the map, figure or table.
Page 101 Para 3.150 PO7(8) - Green infrastructure (retain green gaps)
Do you support, oppose or have an observation about this part of the Report?
Support
Please write your comment or explain your reasons for supporting or opposing this part of the Report. You may also wish to refer to the tests of soundess in the glossary of the Preferred Options document before making your comments.
The Council regards maintaining Natland's setting - surrounded by extensive green fields in a high quality landscape designated as "landscape of county importance" - as of paramount importance. Merely "preventing eventual coalescence" is not enough, so the existing green gaps should NOT be reduced. (This comment should also be taken as opposing paragraph 4.19 on the grounds of its inadequacy). (See also subsequent comment sheets referring to the Inspector's recommendations of October 2003 which were accepted by SLDC at the time).
Please indicate if you wish to be notified when the Core Strategy has been:
Submitted to the Secretary of State for independent examination
Adopted by the District Council
3. Mr David Peters, Natland Parish Council : 3 Jun 2008 15:25:00
To which part of the Report does your representation relate?
Paragraph or Section
The Preferred Option - PO11 - Kendal Functional Area
Please state as clearly as you can the exact part of the Report you are commenting on by quoting the page number (if known), paragraph number, option name or number, or the number of the map, figure or table.
Page 134 PO11 - Kendal Functional Area Table 3 Para 3 South Kendal (west of Natland Road)
Do you support, oppose or have an observation about this part of the Report?
Oppose
Please write your comment or explain your reasons for supporting or opposing this part of the Report. You may also wish to refer to the tests of soundess in the glossary of the Preferred Options document before making your comments.
Would introduce industrial development into a greenfield area of high landscape value ("landscape of county importance") beyond the existing 'natural' Kendal development boundary (Watercrook Lane), damage the amenity of the nearby residential cluster of dwellings at Watercrook Farm, and reduce the separation between Kendal and Natland.
What change(s) would you suggest for this part of the Report?
Delete this proposal; replace with formally designated "green gap".
Please indicate if you wish to be notified when the Core Strategy has been:
Adopted by the District Council
Submitted to the Secretary of State for independent examination
4. Mr David Peters, Natland Parish Council : 3 Jun 2008 15:31:00
To which part of the Report does your representation relate?
Paragraph or Section
The Preferred Option - PO11 - Kendal Functional Area
Please state as clearly as you can the exact part of the Report you are commenting on by quoting the page number (if known), paragraph number, option name or number, or the number of the map, figure or table.
Page 134 PO11 - Kendal Functional Area Table 3 Para 4 South East Kendal
Do you support, oppose or have an observation about this part of the Report?
Oppose
Please write your comment or explain your reasons for supporting or opposing this part of the Report. You may also wish to refer to the tests of soundess in the glossary of the Preferred Options document before making your comments.
Would remove a significant part of the "green gap" separating Kendal from Oxenholme and Natland.
What change(s) would you suggest for this part of the Report?
Delete this proposal and leave the existing "green gap" as it is.
Please indicate if you wish to be notified when the Core Strategy has been:
Submitted to the Secretary of State for independent examination
Adopted by the District Council
5. Mr David Peters, Natland Parish Council : 3 Jun 2008 15:43:00
To which part of the Report does your representation relate?
Paragraph or Section
The Preferred Option - PO11 - Kendal Functional Area
Please state as clearly as you can the exact part of the Report you are commenting on by quoting the page number (if known), paragraph number, option name or number, or the number of the map, figure or table.
Page 136 PO11 - Kendal Functional Area Table 3 Para 9 North West Oxenholme
Do you support, oppose or have an observation about this part of the Report?
Oppose
Please write your comment or explain your reasons for supporting or opposing this part of the Report. You may also wish to refer to the tests of soundess in the glossary of the Preferred Options document before making your comments.
Employment use of this area was conclusively rejected by the Inspector in 2003 (Public Inquiry May/June; Report October 2003). This was accepted by SLDC, the land was de-allocated and the green gap restored in January 2004. The situation regarding the need for employment land has not changed significantly since then and the Inspector's reasons are still valid. Those reasons included: "It would also significantly reduce the separation between Oxenholme and Natland" and "I conclude that B1/B2 development of the site would be significantly harmful to the appearance of the wider landscape and to the settings of Kendal, Oxenholme and Natland and should not be permitted, even if there were a proven need for additional greenfield employment land in Kendal".
What change(s) would you suggest for this part of the Report?
Delete this proposal and leave the existing "green gap" as it is.
Please indicate if you wish to be notified when the Core Strategy has been:
Submitted to the Secretary of State for independent examination
Adopted by the District Council
6. Mr David Peters, Natland Parish Council : 3 Jun 2008 16:11:00
To which part of the Report does your representation relate?
Paragraph or Section
The Preferred Option - PO11 - Kendal Functional Area
Please state as clearly as you can the exact part of the Report you are commenting on by quoting the page number (if known), paragraph number, option name or number, or the number of the map, figure or table.
Page 137 PO11 - Kendal Functional Area Table 3 Para 10 East Natland
Do you support, oppose or have an observation about this part of the Report?
Oppose
Please write your comment or explain your reasons for supporting or opposing this part of the Report. You may also wish to refer to the tests of soundess in the glossary of the Preferred Options document before making your comments.
It would reduce the separation between Natland and Oxenholme.
Because of the rising ground, any development here would be highly visually intrusive and detrimental to the setting of Natland when viewed from the west (A591, Scout Scar etc.) and from the east (West Coast Main Line, The Helm). The railway embankment is no longer heavily vegetated following recent work by Network Rail.
Existing traffic flows already cause congestion on Oxenholme Lane and Helm Lane, not only at school start/finish times. These are narrow, unimproved country roads, single lane over considerable lengths with private entrances being used as passing places (much to the owners' resentment). Both lanes were made the subject of 'New Street Orders' (to facilitate future improvement) by Westmorland County Council prior to the major housing developments in Natland of the mid-1970s, presumably because their inadequacy was recognised by the Highway Authority even then. The Orders were subsequently revoked in the 1980s as they caused unreasonably anxiety to householders when there was no prospect of widening the lanes in the foreseeable future. It is difficult to envisage a road system to serve new housing east of Long Meadow Lane that would not significantly increase traffic on Oxenholme Lane and/or Helm Lane, which would be unacceptable to the community.
Expanding the village still further in this direction would place residents relatively far from the local services at the centre of the village (shop, school, bus, church, well-used village hall with pre-school, clubs, events etc.), reducing their convenience and leading to more access by car; parking is already causing a considerable nuisance near those facilities.
What change(s) would you suggest for this part of the Report?
Delete this proposal.
7. Mr David Peters, Natland Parish Council : 3 Jun 2008 16:15:00
Please state as clearly as you can the exact part of the Report you are commenting on by quoting the page number (if known), paragraph number, option name or number, or the number of the map, figure or table.
Page 124 Option 3 - Alternative Directions of Growth - 7 South Natland Fig 20
Do you support, oppose or have an observation about this part of the Report?
Neither support nor oppose - just want to comment
Please write your comment or explain your reasons for supporting or opposing this part of the Report. You may also wish to refer to the tests of soundess in the glossary of the Preferred Options document before making your comments.
Regular flooding of the field south of St Mark's Fold should preclude such extension to the south of Natland.
Please indicate if you wish to be notified when the Core Strategy has been:
Submitted to the Secretary of State for independent examination
Adopted by the District Council
8. Mr David Peters, Natland Parish Council : 3 Jun 2008 16:21:00
Please state as clearly as you can the exact part of the Report you are commenting on by quoting the page number (if known), paragraph number, option name or number, or the number of the map, figure or table.
Page 124 Option 3 - Alternative Directions of Growth - 9 West Natland Figure 20
Do you support, oppose or have an observation about this part of the Report?
Neither support nor oppose - just want to comment
Please write your comment or explain your reasons for supporting or opposing this part of the Report. You may also wish to refer to the tests of soundess in the glossary of the Preferred Options document before making your comments.
Modest expansion here would be less visually damaging than at East Natland, would generate (a little) less traffic on Oxenholme Lane and Helm Lane, and would support the symmetry of the village around its core where the services/amenities are located.
Please indicate if you wish to be notified when the Core Strategy has been:
Submitted to the Secretary of State for independent examination
Adopted by the District Council