2 responses from Mr and Mrs David Thistlethwaite (Individual)
1. Mr and Mrs David Thistlethwaite (Individual) : 10 Jun 2008 14:44:00
A typed or handwritten document was submitted. This has been scanned and can be downloaded below:
2. Mr and Mrs David Thistlethwaite (Individual) : 9 Jul 2008 11:55:00
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 above is a huge, extremely vague document with totally inadequate information to inform us exactly where you propose building development. The maps and diagrams are a disgrace. Even when I phoned your council hotline the council officer could not give specific answers to my questions – only vague suggestions that the council hoped we could make useful recommendations as to how to develop the area.
I specifically asked about the ‘Preferred Direction of Growth Item 1 – North-West Grange-over-Sands – Land off Grange Fell Road’ on page 160 of the document. She could not give me the exact position of the proposed development or any details whatsoever.
If I have interpreted the vague location of this land, I think it refers to the fields on the N/NE side of Grange Fell Road between Grid Ref. 399778 and the lane to Spring Bank Farm Grid Ref. 396779 on OS Sheet 97 Kendal and Morecambe. This land descending steeply from Hampsfell is a great scenic area with a wonderful vista over Morecambe Bay/Arnside, River Kent estuary, extending to the Pennines, Ingleborough and the Forest of Bowland. This view is a national treasure and probably should be National Trust land.
It would be absolute vandalism to destroy this vista.
Flooding
Flooding is an increasing ‘extreme hazard’ and heavier rainfalls and flash flood storms are more prevalent. If the Hampsfell fields are concreted over, the natural sponge that they are would allow a vastly greater volume of rainwater to enter the drains very quickly to descend Grange Fell Road for over half of a mile at a steep gradient of 1.7 in places (according to the Ordnance Survey) in drains which are hardly adequate now!
The town centre of Grange has experienced flooding recently – this development would
greatly increase the risk and the number of flooding instances. We already have extremely serious flooding problems in the Windermere Road area.
Transport
Grange-over-Sands is not well-endowed with roads suitable for modern-day traffic.
Indeed, if two medium-size trucks have to pass each other in our main street one vehicle has to stop whilst the other one edges past, but Grange Fell Road is only a country lane – the tourist route linking two gems of South Lakeland – Cartmel to Grange-over-Sands.
It is steep and narrow with bends and no footways for the length adjacent to the proposed
development land. At 40 houses per hectare Grange Fell Road could end up having to cope with another 400 vehicles using it from the new development (40 houses per hectare X 5 hectares X 2 cars per house). As there is hardly any bus service and due to the gradient, all journeys would have to be made by car.
Notes
To find 12.5 hectares for houses plus 10 hectares for industrial units in Grange is an impossibility.
The town is built on a very steep fellside and it’s boundaries are formed by Hampsfell and areas of forest to the north, and to the east by the sea.
Just about all the available building land in Grange is already built on, so the 22.5 hectares is totally unrealistic.
It may be politically correct to try to find 22.5 hectares of building land in Grange but we all know that it is an impossibility – Grange is effectively full.
Conclusion
If the Cartmel Peninsular and the Grange, Allithwaite, Cark area has to find 22.5 hectares of housing/industrial development land the only area is in the vicinity of the airfield and Ravenstown, south of Flookburgh.
If we allow the development of the fields to the north of Grange Fell Road, the magnificent vista of Morecambe Bay will be lost forever. Those of us who treasure this area, indeed any area of Natural England, must stand against this sort of public vandalism for the sake of the younger generations.
Although, at my time of life, I probably won’t see this take place, it is my duty, indeed everyone’s duty, to protect all areas of recreation – especially those of great natural beauty.
PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT AND PRODUCTIVE AGRICULTURAL LAND