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“10 good
reasons”
REPRESENTATIVE OBJECTIONS TO THE PROPOSED 170 HOME
CARSONS DRIVE DEVELOPMENT – REFERENCE NO
3/59
FOR INCLUSION ON BABERGH DISTRICT COUNCIL (BDC) FORM
1.Visual Impact
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Elevated topography will create severe visual impact on the lower slopes
of the Stour Valley for all Suffolk and Essex residents
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Severe visual impact upon local residents in contradiction with Human
Rights legislation stating an individual has the right to enjoy the
benefits of their property – equity is at stake
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Housing will be higher than any existing housing on the lower slopes of
the valley – prominent and visible for miles
2. Destruction of heritage
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The development site is located exactly at the intersection of the
heritage views of two world famous Gainsborough paintings rated
B2 Highly
Sensitive –
designations/features of national importance
by the consultants
appointed by the proposed developer – this fact overlooked by the
Inspector and the Local task Force Sustainability Appraisal
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Affects the setting of Grade I listed Abbas Hall – 710+ years of history
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Contiguous to the acknowledged location of Gainsborough’s painting Cornard
Wood
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The intrusion of a woodland planting on the ridgeline will be alien to
this site for decades
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For over 1000 years this site has been a defensive position overlooking
and protecting the river valley and open countryside
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Acknowledged archaeological site
3. Impact upon
community/Infrastructure/Public Amenity
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Light, noise and sound pollution impact will be considerably increased in
the whole area
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Access arrangements are totally inadequate and would require unacceptable
and damaging major works to the road C732, as acknowledged by Suffolk
County Highways
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1000 additional car movements per day from this site alone will create
massive traffic problems
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Schools, medical facilities and other local infrastructure already over
burdened
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This area is used actively by local residents and visitors as amenity land
with footpaths, a bridleway and acres of open space
4. Other planning issues
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Consultation process has shown the massive public opposition to this
development
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GC Parish Council resolved “This Parish Council objects most vigorously to
the latest addition to the Local Plan of ‘Carsons Drive Field’ being used
for housing at any density and to protect and maintain the SLA around
Great Cornard.”
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Alternative sites are available and consideration must be given to these
before building on an SLA – BDC’s own analysis shows they can fulfil their
Suffolk Structural Plan housing needs
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Area is outside the Built Up Area Boundary(BUAB) of Great Cornard and is
therefore open countryside and subject to all relevant BDC,
Suffolk County Council and National policies on protection of open
countryside and SLA’s
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A 10 acre development is disproportionately large in this setting – this
is not brownfield and is inappropriate
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Sewage infrastructure is inadequate to cope with this size of development
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Drainage is acknowledged to be a major issue on this site and as yet
unspecified measures will need to be taken
5. Special Landscape Area Designation
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Two full votes of BDC in 2001 and 2003 approved the SLA designation in
this area and so for some time it has been recognised and is part of
interim planning policy
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Part of Great Cornard’s Green Belt linked to the Country Park
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BDC own character landscape assessment and official council papers stated:
“The
area identified for Special Landscape Area designation closely reflects the
overall context of the Stour Valley, and includes woodland and valley
features, and the historic setting of Abbas Hall”
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The SLA area should according to national
and local policy follow natural landscape features, hedgerows etc and as
proposed in this case will form a “small (!) wedge” (BDC’s own words)
imposed in an alien fashion as a blight on the landscape
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This site if accepted will be adjacent to
an SLA that is the extension of the Dedham Vale AONB & Stour Valley
Project – this area in view of its heritage is likely to be inclued
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SLA’s represent areas that should be
subject to a high degree of preservation and conservation – not
suburbanised
6. Biodiversity
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There is an acknowledged biodiversity impact on protected species on site
such as lizards
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This area has regular sightings of tawny owls, little owls, badgers, deer,
hares, skylarks, and other species associated with open countryside
7. Sustainability
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The Local Plan Task Group, after exhaustive analysis of over 70 sites in
Babergh concluded through democratic process and thorough analysis that
this site should be rejected…performed poorly on site appraisal
criteria…failing on at least 8 out of 13 scores, and taking out scores
with no impact eg pollution and employment it fails on over 70% of the
criteria
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Site is not sustainable as outside the approved distance from usual town
facilities
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Acknowledged “deterioration of air quality” by BDC affecting our children
and our community
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Highest quality arable land and should be protected according to national
guidelines
8. Due Process/Good Governance
9. Great Cornard & Sudbury Over Development
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An additional 700 homes are planned in the immediate future in GC leading
to an additional 5000 car movements daily in and around the Parish which
will lead to traffic gridlock
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Add these daily car movements to the 5600 from the proposed 800 home
Chilton Development ( not including possible developments at Walnuttree
Hospital, People’s Park and others in the pipeline) then in the next few
years, without any Sudbury Bypass we will be having an additional 10,000
plus car movements in and around Great Cornard & Sudbury – the majority
affecting the historic core of Sudbury with associated parking and other
problems
10. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH – BDC COUNCILLORS
REJECT THIS DEVELOPMENT
SEND
YOUR OBJECTION FORMS WITH A LETTER TO:
RICH COOKE,
ACTING HEAD OF PLANNING POLICY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, BABERGH DISTRICT
COUNCIL, CORKS LANE, HADLEIGH, SUFFOLK IP7 6SJ
MAKE SURE YOU
QUOTE THE REFERENCE NUMBER – 3/59
EVERYONE OF VOTING AGE IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD SHOULD SUBMIT A FORM – EVERY FORM
COUNTS
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