Object

Preferred Options consultation document

Representation ID: 98205

Received: 29/10/2019

Respondent: Mrs Caroline Steels

Representation Summary:

I am objecting to the proposed quarrying in the Waveney Forest at Fritton. If you walk through our village, where there are pavements , they are very narrow and this makes the walker feel unsafe especially when larger vehicles go past.
We have had an incident recently where an elderly villager was clipped by a passing vehicle and had to helped to his feet by another villager. A greater number of more regular lorries, estimated at up to 50 vehicles a day, would make walking through the village feel very hazardous. These extra lorries would have to either come through Fritton which has a sharp bend on a hill, go over the little single
track bridge at St Olaves or go up Herringfleet Road and through Somerleyton which also has some very sharp bends; none of these roads are suitable for this extra traffic.
I live in a cottage very close to the A143 and lorries driving through the village make our cottage shake so this extra volume of heavy vehicles could damage our cottages and who would be responsible if any damage were to occur?
The police regularly catch vehicles exceeding the speed limit through the village and we have been told that this can be about 40 vehicles per hour; we already get many lorries exceeding the speed limit early in the morning when they are confident that they are not going to get caught on a speed camera and it is this combination of speed and weight that make the vibration of the cottage worse. I have no confidence that these quarry lorries will not also ignore the speed limit.
The government has a new clean air strategy and this aims to reduce the amount of people living near sources of PM2.5 particulates because of the damage they do to the health of the population. It recognises WHO limits on PM2,5 and includes their production by industry, agriculture and other sources.
Quarrying will produce PM2.5 particles only a few metres from residential properties and ionisation of these particles by high tension wires could increase their ability to damage the health of the community. How can an organisation that works closely with government Public Health departments from one side say it is alright to risk the health of a whole community by allowing production of PM2.5. Where will the responsibility lie when the health of the community deteriorates due to COPD or worse?
More trees would have to be chopped down, spoiling an area of natural beauty and having an adverse effect on plants and wildlife and the wellbeing of people who use the woods
for recreational purposes.
We would also suffer with light and noise pollution. We chose to live here because of the lack of light and noise pollution- we like the peace and quiet.
Should anyone have the right to take this from us? We worry about human rights violations in many areas of life e.g. offenders, but will our human rights not be violated if you allow this quarry to go ahead?
There is a potential for increased risk of flooding to some properties and an increased risk of fires in the remaining wooded areas.
The next point is more emotive but relevant- would you want a quarry to start this close to your property. There must be other places to quarry which are further away from residential properties and that are not going to spoil such a beautiful area. Have you visited our woods and looked out across the broads or are we just a few lines on a map? It would be a tragedy to lose this beautiful view.
I hope we can rely on you to stop this happening.
Over the summer I have helped with the speedwatch in Fritton and in each one hour slot more than 50 vehicles have been travelling in excess of 37mph, some in excess of 50mph, including lorries and buses and on each occassion we have witessed faster vehicles overtaking other vehicles in the middle of the village. Bringing more heavy lorries through the village can only make this worse and do not imagine that they will pay any attention to a speed limit that so many others ignore.
Subsequent to my original letter, there are now a lot of horses and other farm animals in the surrounding fields, many of which are rescue animals on land owned by animal charities. Particulate matter mentioned in my original letter would make this area uninhabitable by these animals.
Also, can we afford to lose more trees in this time of climate awareness; we should be protecting our environment, climate and planet not adding to its problems. Can Norfolk County Council be seen to be displacing animals aleady in the care of rescue charities, to be paying no heed to the health of the residents of this and nearby villages and to be adding to the envirnmental problems of our island and planet.

Full text:

I am objecting to the proposed quarrying in the Waveney Forest at Fritton. If you walk through our village, where there are pavements , they are very narrow and this makes the walker feel unsafe especially when larger vehicles go past.
We have had an incident recently where an elderly villager was clipped by a passing vehicle and had to helped to his feet by another villager. A greater number of more regular lorries, estimated at up to 50 vehicles a day, would make walking through the village feel very hazardous. These extra lorries would have to either come through Fritton which has a sharp bend on a hill, go over the little single track bridge at St Olaves or go up Herringfleet Road and through Somerleyton which also has some very sharp bends; none of these roads are suitable for this extra traffic.
I live in a cottage very close to the A143 and lorries driving through the village make our cottage shake so this extra volume of heavy vehicles could damage our cottages and who would be responsible if any damage were to occur?
The police regularly catch vehicles exceeding the speed limit through the village and we have been told that this can be about 40 vehicles per hour; we already get many lorries exceeding the speed limit early in the morning when they are confident that they are not going to get caught on a speed camera and it is this combination of speed and weight that make the vibration of the cottage worse. I have no confidence that these quarry lorries will not also ignore the speed limit.
The government has a new clean air strategy and this aims to reduce the amount of people living near sources of PM2.5 particulates because of the damage they do to the health of the population. It recognises WHO limits on PM2,5 and includes their production by industry, agriculture and other sources.
Quarrying will produce PM2.5 particles only a few metres from residential properties and ionisation of these particles by high tension wires could increase their ability to damage the health of the community. How can an organisation that works closely with government Public Health departments from one side say it is alright to risk the health of a whole community by allowing production of PM2.5. Where will the responsibility lie when the health of the community deteriorates due to COPD or worse?
More trees would have to be chopped down, spoiling an area of natural beauty and having an adverse effect on plants and wildlife and the wellbeing of people who use the woods for recreational purposes.
We would also suffer with light and noise pollution. We chose to live here because of the lack of light and noise pollution- we like the peace and quiet.
Should anyone have the right to take this from us? We worry about human rights violations in many areas of life e.g. offenders, but will our human rights not be violated if you allow this quarry to go ahead?
There is a potential for increased risk of flooding to some properties and an increased risk of fires in the remaining wooded areas.
The next point is more emotive but relevant- would you want a quarry to start this close to your property. There must be other places to quarry which are further away from residential properties and that are not going to spoil such a beautiful area. Have you visited our woods and looked out across the broads or are we just a few lines on a map? It would be a tragedy to lose this beautiful view.
I hope we can rely on you to stop this happening.


Over the summer I have helped with the speedwatch in Fritton and in each one hour slot more than 50 vehicles have been travelling in excess of 37mph, some in excess of 50mph, including lorries and buses and on each occassion we have witessed faster vehicles overtaking other vehicles in the middle of the village. Bringing more heavy lorries through the village can only make this worse and do not imagine that they will pay any attention to a speed limit that so many others ignore.
Subsequent to my original letter, there are now a lot of horses and other farm animals in the surrounding fields, many of which are rescue animals on land owned by animal charities. Particulate matter mentioned in my original letter would make this area uninhabitable by these animals.
Also, can we afford to lose more trees in this time of climate awareness; we should be protecting our environment, climate and planet not adding to its problems. Can Norfolk County Council be seen to be displacing animals aleady in the care of rescue charities, to be paying no heed to the health of the residents of this and nearby villages and to be adding to the envirnmental problems of our island and planet.