You’ve just two days left to join those who have already objected to yet another attack on the Green Belt! The consultation period on this further planning application to build on agricultural land – and pour green corridor – expires then.
Those of you who kindly supported residents in the Ferndale Road/ Deadmill Lane area of Larkhall/Lower Swainswick in their fight against continued applications to build on precious fields – providing a wildlife corridor into the Woolley Valley – won’t be surprised to hear they are at it again!
Following their latest refusal to build fifteen ‘affordable homes’ developers are back with an application to build two five-bedroomed homes on part of the site!
I am not daft. Get permission for that and it opens the door for them to come back with many more on the rest of that Green Belt land.
Looking back through the contested planning application for these neglected fields …. First they tried to build a new ‘village hall’, then luxury houses and, in recent years, the two owners of this patch have teamed up with a developer and made various attempts to get planning permission for multiple houses on the land.
Despite losing at a planning appeal they came back with another proposal to build fifteen ‘affordable’ homes on the field. There was no mention of how much these homes might cost and it’s my understanding that ‘affordable’ means they have to be twenty percent below market value in terms of sale or rent.
That failed and now here we go again. The trendy word this time around isn’t ‘affordable’ – it’s ‘infill’ – but one side of this open land is a medieval mill so not exactly ‘filling’ a recent gap in development but more a case of blocking a green artery!!
Plans show a modest entrance in Deadmill Lane to serve the dwellings. I suppose the same entrance would serve all the other houses they have up their sleeves. It is a busy commuter-used rat run of a lane with limited visibility. Not on, Mr!
This agricultural land is a gateway to the beautiful Woolley Valley. It is a route used by the wildlife that roams our streets at night. Foxes, badgers and owls will be pushed further away by urban sprawl.
Makes me laugh that they offer to repair the stone wall bordering the land. Surely it is the landowner’s responsibility to keep that in order anyway!
Stick your luxury houses somewhere else. Fill brownfield plots not Green Belt ones. Loosen that belt too much by allowing profit-seeking developers in and the whole concept falls through.
Do take a look at 22/01220/FUL and tell those people at B&NES what you think!
Richard, I remember you highlighting this article a couple of months back , and as I’m sure you know by now? I’m Fairfield born and bred ,but attended ALL 3 schools in Larkhill from mid 70’s to late 80’s. So know exactly where your on about (even thou I now live 40 mile’s south of my home city)
But as a professional electrician of 30 year’s , I knew this would be the case ( money talks ofcourse!) But enough people have committed on BANES ( various issues) and how they are ruining my home city ! You comment on the city daily , from your walks.