Response from Cllr Tom Harvey, South Lakeland District Council (Grange South)
1. Cllr Tom Harvey, South Lakeland District Council (Grange South) : 4 Jul 2008 16:32:00
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.
As previously mentioned, many residents of Grange have serious concerns about the proposals to allocate land off Springfield Lane/Grange Fell Road at the North of Grange as mixed development for housing and industry, as per the LDF document., and I share many of those reservations.
Despite the obvious concerns that don't seem to have been addresses - increased transport through already congested roads, sewers/drainage unable to cope -they have the following other general issues.
Firstly, the document is so huge that it is extremely difficult for the average person to digest it and make a rational comment. People felt that the public displays were essentially just printouts of the document available on the Internet. Many people were of the view that more thought should have been given in making such a document more accessible and meaningful to the public at large. Everyone also felt that they had not been made aware of the document and the various 'road shows' and that it was not a reasonable opportunity for proper consultation. Most only became aware after a local resident had the initiative to circulate a flyer highlighting the public consultation
The land earmarked for potential development seems to have been selected from a map by someone without any knowledge of the area. Indeed in a later section, p153 (option 3 section 1) states that development to the north is limited by steep slopes and rolling fields along old field lines
The land is currently outside the Town Boundary. It has been suggested to me by a developer that this could be a back door way to extend the Town Boundary -i.e. if the land is accepted in the document at any stage to be allocated for development then the boundary is automatically extended. Is that the case?
You will, I am sure, have had many individual letters from local residents expressing their views. Much of what has come out of the discussion I had will be in those letters, but the consensus seems to be the following are serious concerns:
Poor access. Flooding. Loss of a spectacular visual amenity. Increased car journeys as the land is up a very steep hill, well away from the town centre and most of the towns amenities. Business development would be totally out of keeping with that area.
I trust these views will be taken into consideration.
One final issue that you may be able to answer is what has the cost been of producing the LDF.