Announcements
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| Local Development Framework (03/02/10) |
| Reply to proposed Core Strategy Development Plan Bottisham We are replying solely on the impact on our village. The East Cambridgeshire District Council (ECDC) Core Strategic Development Plan shows Bottisham targeted for a considerable increase in housing development over the next 15 to 20 years. These decisions have been arrived at despite responsible and informed representation from Bottisham Parish Council. In particular, Bottisham Parish Council has consistently said that ECDC’s housing development plans for the village are overstated and unsustainable. This unsustainability is, in the opinion of the Parish Council, due to the village infrastructure being stretched beyond capacity in all areas. We are lucky to have good schools, health facilities and a small shopping precinct. Further expansion could adversely affect these facilities in particular parking around the shopping area. The area designated by ECDC for large scale development is on greenbelt land, which presently protects us from urban sprawl, and is on the southern outskirts of the village close to the A14. The A14 is already a constant source of high levels of traffic noise to which we have recently complained to the Highways Agency. According to a recent study by Defra a significant traffic noise reduction programme would need to be approved and implemented to make further housing development in Bottisham sustainable. Bottisham Parish Council has sought to find credible projections to support the development proposals for our village. Population projections offered by central government, local councils, and by various other agencies and also by independent research organisations offer conflicting views – none of which point to a consensus view. We note that the data available from these agencies has been gathered and collated during 2000 to 2008, prior to the collapse of the UK economy. As the elected body representing the views of the residents of Bottisham, it is the opinion of Bottisham Parish Council that the ‘authorities’ should take a fresh look at the population projections being used in the LDF and in the CSDP proposals. This should be done to satisfy the ‘authorities’ that these extrapolated projections still retain credibility. The current economic climate suggests that the housing projections made for this village for the period 2006 to 2021 have been somewhat overstated. Already with the completion of the development at Ancient Meadows, St Petersfield Phases 1 and 2 and with the David Wilson Homes development we feel that Bottisham has met its fair quota of new housing for the next 15 to 20 years. Parish Council has now come to a decision that the character of this village would be adversely affected in many ways if anymore development were to take place. The status of the village would move to that of a small town with poor potential to support and sustain small town status. We feel that the proposals in their current form would see the village of Bottisham destroyed, precious greenbelt lost, peoples’ lives made stressful, quality of life spoilt and dormitory settlements created – all due to inappropriate development based on questionable data projections. We are fully aware that this village has insufficient areas for allotments and public play areas and these two specific points are often raised by local residents. If, in the event of future development being forced upon the village we would wish that any open space be designated as allotment land and or play facilities and given into the ownership of the Parish Council. Discussions that have taken place with ECDC suggest that this could be written into the Local Development Framework and therefore fulfilling statutory requirements to provide these facilities, but only if there is an established need. |
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