Response from Mrs Eleanor Margaret Atkinson (Individual)
1. Mrs Eleanor Margaret Atkinson (Individual) : 30 May 2008 14:56:00
To which part of the Report does your representation relate?
Paragraph or Section
Alternative Options/ The Preferred Options - PO14 - Milnthorpe Functional Area 2025
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.
PO14 Milnthorpe Functional Area 2025
Figure 30: Milnthorpe Functional Area Key Diagram
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.
1. My first comment would be to question whether we really need 790 new houses in the Milnthorpe functional area. Has this been identified as a requirement, or does it just fit conveniently into Government requirements to meet their pledge to build three million new homes by 2020?
2. Milnthorpe is described as a ‘Medieval market town’. It may have been a town in medieval times, but by today’s standards it is just a large village. Plans for Milnthorpe appear to increase the village by two thirds of it current size, which would completely change its whole character.
3. One of the main purposes of the proposed plan seems to be to provide more ‘affordable’ housing for local families. The document does not mention where the occupants of the new housing would find employment. Lack of jobs is in itself one of the reasons why many of our young families are having to leave the area.
4. There is a new supermarket included within the development of Milnthorpe, but clearly 790 new houses would need far more local services than that. The shops in Milnthorpe are sufficient for current needs, but some of those are very crowded at peak times. Doctors and dentists in Milnthorpe are already stretched. It is unlikely that they could cope with 790 more households to look after.
5. The plan to build nearly 80 new houses in Heversham seems disproportionate to the size of the village as it would increase the village by about twenty-five percent of its current size. It is not clear if it is proposed to build all the houses on one site, or to split it over the three proposed options.
6. A development of 80 houses would be totally out of character with the village as it would be much larger than any of the estates already established in Heversham. It would also spoil the rural and historic view of the village from all around.
7. Heversham itself has very few facilities and services to offer. There is a primary school and a regular bus service but no shop, doctor, dentist, post office or bank.
8. Three potential sites for development have been identified in Heversham (3a, 3b and 4 on the map of the Milnthorpe Functional Area). As a resident of the village I can say that these would be access issues for all three of these sites, as access would either be directly onto the A6 or onto narrow and/or winding single-track roads.
9. I cannot really see that the proposed houses are necessary as the so-called ‘affordable’ houses will still be beyond the reach of the people they are intended to house as I understand that an annual household income of at least £26,000 would be required to purchase them. This is well in excess of the average salary in this area.
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