Question 80 - MIN 209
We strongly disagree with this site being used to extract gravel. Comments: - The application by Parish Councillor Bennett, the owner of Earsham Gravels is seriously flawed and makes light of serious issues. The map used in the application is years old and does not show 'the village' of Earsham as it stands today. There are no residential roads shows by either sidings, Station Road, Beach Tree Way or the location and number of people's homes or the nearby sheltered housing complex. We own a property on Hall Road which is not shown and is probably the nearest to MIN 209. The application states it is 118 metres from the site boundary. Then goes on to admit dust impacts are uncommon beyond 250 metres.
If I was a newt no disturbance would be allowed within 500 metres, but then we are only a pair of elderly humans trying to live out our retirement in peace, as are our neighbours.
58 sensitive 'receptors' within 250 metres of the site? 'Receptors', do they mean people's homes? If so, say so.
'Settlement' of Earsham. It is not a settlement it is a full blown village with 200 plus houses and still expanding. A church, village green, village hall, in which Parish Councillor Bennett sits on the parish council meetings. A pub owned by Parish Councillor Bennett. Is this just another attempt to dumb down the area? Earsham Gravel company has raped most of the countryside around Bath Hills and now seems set on raping the last bits of land near the village. MIN 209 must be kept as a buffer zone and remain agricultural land. Parish Councillor Bennett has stated if he gets permission he will move all his processing plant from Bath Hills to the Hall Road end of MIN 209. So not just dust but noise as well for Earsham residents.
There are public rights of way adjacent to site MIN 209 Pheasant Walk which runs between MIN 209 and MIN 210 is a redundant public road which has been blocked to vehicles and is popular with pedestrians and dog walkers and Hall Road (C365) the proposed access route for HGVs (46 movements a day) is part of the long distance 'Angels Way' footpath, a popular path for hikers and bikers.
MIN 209 and the field opposite (the other side of the A143) is an important site for day time rousting and feeding for lapwings in the autumn and early winter. What will happen to them?
We have no wish to see Earsham Gravels Ltd go out of business. We have no objections to MIN 210. We understand there is a vast seem stretching from MIN 210 all the way to Harleston. Surely a site can be found further up the valley, away from peoples homes with direct access to the A143 and leave the village of Earsham in peace.
Please turn down this application for MIN 209 and MIN 211, a gravel pit has no place beside a village.