LEGLAG Leckhampton Green Land Action Group

Ltd.

 
 

OUR OVERALL VIEW, WHICH YOU MIGHT CONSIDER IN YOUR OBJECTION: This planning application from Redrow is premature, and should not go before the Planning Committee until the Joint Core Strategy for the area of Cheltenham, Tewkesbury and Gloucester City has been finalised and the Strategic Infrastructure Levy (SIL) is in place. Also, that all aspects of planning, transport, environment and the population estimates contained in the housing targets have been verified. The public deserves to know that the housing targets contained in the JCS are objective, transparent and in accordance with needs of the area and NOT a contrived Developers’ Charter.

The development of 369 houses (nearly treble the present Lanes/Brizen/Nourse development) on open countryside would seriously affect the important views over the Severn plain from many points in the Cotswold AONB (including the famous view from Leckhampton Hill), intruding as it would into the green swathe of countryside along the foot of the escarpment and stretching across the Severn plain, previous planning Inspectors have been trying to protect this area for over twenty years.

The dense housing estate would also destroy the attractiveness of the footpath that crosses this land. The area of White Cross is an important local recreational amenity; the footpath is part of the Cheltenham Circular Footpath, which is used every year in a large charity event.


We have included a postcard in this pack, or please write, or email

[email protected]


Mr Oliver Rider, TBC Planning, Tewkesbury Borough Council, Council Offices, TEWKESBURY, GL20 5TT Tel. 01684 272106 Quoting reference 14/00838/FUL


Tewkesbury offer the following advice when commenting on an application, please remember that only matters relevant to planning can be considered. These include the likely effects of the proposal on:


  1. •The character of the area

  2. •Local amenities, including the amenities of neighbours

  3. •The environment and countryside

  4. •Noise, disturbance and odour

  5. •Traffic and parking

Published by Leckhampton Green Land Action Group LEGLAG Ian Bickerton (250473), Margaret White (523668)

This BBC 2 programme will give you an insight into how how property developers operate, some history and the importance of greenfield sites to reduce financial risk, look out for coverage one of our LEGLAG meetings, at 12 minutes

Many of you will have seen the original ‘Brizen View’ plans at a Redrow Exhibition in April, at the Redding Cricket Ground, the LEGLAG exit poll showed an overwhelming majority, over 94% of the 124 attendance were strongly opposed to the building plans. This of course makes no difference to Redrow who have now submitted a premature application for 369 houses. We asked for more green space and a buffer zone between developments to protect the rural character of the area, the application we have is much reduced green space and the destruction of all the ancient hedgerows and habitat on the interior of White Cross. This demonstrates how little importance is given to the new Localism brought in by the coalition government, communities just completely ignored on all important decisions. I was thinking of my grandfather this week with the WW1 remembrance in our minds, and of fallen heroes, he fought in the trenches and lost friends in France, he would not understand the England of today that he and his friends fought for in those dark days.


The official Public Consultation period is to 28th November, however, we are told by the case officer, Oliver Rider, that it is unlikely to go to the Planning Committee until February.


You can view the plans at http://www.tewkesbury.gov.uk/1678 and make comments online but email or using the postcard may save time and effort, if you make objections from more than one person then please include all the names in your emails/letters.

Location of this isolated urban extension site and three important views from the Cotswold Escarpment - Currently we are told that the children's play area is less important than the AONB buffer to the south, the three views in these photographs do not support this evidence.

  1. ‣click on the yellow diamonds to see photographs of the views from the AONB

  2. ‣click on the red diamonds to see photographs of the archaeological work and site

TEWKESBURY PLANNING COMMITTEE

Cllr Ron Allen, [email protected]

Cllr Robert Bird, [email protected]

Cllr Gillian Blackwell, [email protected]

Cllr Derek Davies, [email protected]

Cllr Mike Dean, [email protected]

Cllr Bob East, [email protected]

Cllr John Evetts, [email protected]

Cllr David Foyle, [email protected]

Cllr Melanie Gore, [email protected]

Cllr Julie Greening, [email protected]

Cllr Anna Hollaway, [email protected]

Cllr Elaine MacTiernan, [email protected]

Cllr Jim Mason, [email protected]

Cllr Andrew Reece, [email protected]

Cllr Terence Spencer, [email protected]

Cllr Pearl Stokes, [email protected]

Cllr Philip Surman, [email protected]

Cllr Robert Vines, [email protected]

Cllr Philip Workman, [email protected]

 

CHELTENHAM CONTACTS (who can help)

Alex Chalk MP, [email protected]

Martin Horwood, [email protected]

Cllr Steve Jordan, [email protected]

Cllr Iain Dobie, [email protected]

Cllr Chris Nelson, [email protected]

Cllr Andrew Chard, [email protected]

WE CAN STOP THIS APPLICATION IF ENOUGH PEOPLE CARE AND RESPOND, PLEASE BUY US TIME TO ALLOW SHURDINGTON AND LECKHAMPTON PARISH COUNCILS TO SUCCEED WITH THE LOCAL GREEN SPACE APPLICATION, TO BE PROCESSED BY CHELTENHAM & TEWKESBURY BOROUGH COUNCILS EARLY NEXT YEAR.


These are some of the material objections on our list; you may have a different view:


  1. •This Redrow application is premature, large urban extensions should be plan led, the Joint Core Strategy needs to have passed Examination in Public (EiP) and have a Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) in place to secure school funding. Right now there is opposition to the Joint Core Strategy from all five Cheltenham parish councils, Shurdington Council and even the Government in the recent ministerial statements from the Secretary of State made in his visit to Cheltenham.

  2. •There is not enough green space provided, request that vital buffer zone along the lines of the original Town & Village Green application which received maximum score in all four selection criteria. The area of White Cross was considered the BEST candidate for additional greenbelt by AMEC in their greenbelt review covering all three districts of Cheltenham, Tewkesbury & Gloucester.

  3. •Consideration must be given to the NPPF Local Green Space application made by Shurdington and Leckhampton with Warden Hill Parish Councils.

  4. •Destruction of habitat, the ancient hedgerows, wildlife and amenity which can never be replaced.

  5. •An additional estimated 600 vehicles will exit onto Leckhampton/Farm Lanes and onto Church Road, the County Highways department are very sensitive to additional traffic onto Church Road with the existing high levels of congestion.

  6. •Another developer has already described the road network around Leckhampton as ‘broken’ and ‘is over capacity’, the argument being used by developers is that the network is so heavily congested we cannot make it any worse. This is absolute madness, and precisely why we need the JCS transport plan and traffic modelling for the A46/Leckhampton before this application goes to the Tewkesbury planning committee.

  7. •Air Pollution levels already break EU levels in the winter months on Church Rd and the A46; the whole of Cheltenham has been made an Air Quality Management Area in response to the problem.

  8. •There are insufficient senior school places even now, both Balcarras and Bournside have no plans to expand but catchment areas may have to change to accommodate any new development.

  9. •Primary schools at Leckhampton, Warden Hill and now in Shurdington are full and no infrastructure plans are in place to support this planning application.