Initial Consultation document
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Initial Consultation document
Question 46: Proposed site MIN 35
Representation ID: 92261
Received: 18/08/2018
Respondent: Quidenham Parish Council
I am writing as Chairman of Quidenham Parish Council, in which the proposed site is situated. This is a very sensitive site being close to main village and has caused concern to residents in the past. We therefore held a meeting of the Parish to gauge opinion, given that several years have passed. I was anxious to encourage them to read the assessment in full so that any comments they have would relate directly to this document. I know several people have already provided their comments on-line.
The comments of the Parish Council are as follows:
General: Whilst the document is factual in its assessment, it does not provide the reader with a full picture of the site.
- This site sits between the Industrial Snetterton Heath and the village of Eccles. In that sense it acts as a buffer between the industrial and the rural. To breach this 'neutral' zone would risk destroying the very character of our community.
- Allowing this operation on this site would open up the risk of further development along this neutral corridor, again destroying the character of our community. This must surely be taken into account?
- What makes matters worse is that the site sits above the village, being on the perimeter of the East Breckland Plateau. This means that the site overlooks the village and any intrusion as a result of the works would be compounded.
- The document mentions in passing the existence of the landfill site to the north. However, this has caused enormous anxiety to residents in past years and any ground works close to the landfill are bound to ring alarm bells.
Amenity: Noise and dust are inevitable in an operation such as this.
- The railway spur which sits close to the site brings in gravel, which is loaded onto trucks near the industrial buildings to the north. These are further away from residents than the proposed sand extraction and yet the vehicles operating on this site are clearly audible. The safety 'bleeps' when the vehicles reverse can carry a considerable distance and no amount of screening will prevent this.
- The prevailing winds are from the West, which means that any dust will head in the direction of our village. We cannot see how this can be mitigated given the very dry and windy conditions experienced in 2018.
Highway access: The work required to improve the site access is considerable, Can this really be viable?
Historic environment / Archaeology: The assessment in this regard seems to be reasonable given the historic nature of this region.
Landscape: Some additional comments.
- Whilst this site cannot be considered a tranquil area of countryside it provides a vital 'buffer' between industrial and rural. Any intrusion into this area would completely destroy any existing amenity/landscape value.
- There are no existing buffer zones or advanced planting on this site, which means that screening would rely entirely on some form of bund. Given that the site overlooks the community we fail to see how any bund would be anything other than a major intrusion for those living nearby.
Ecology/Water Framework Directive: We note that the extraction site would be worked dry. However, given the location of the adjacent landfill site, we are not convinced that some 'leakage' from this site might occur. We know that substantial amounts of contaminated liquids still exist within the landfill. Although the site is lined, the poor management of the site in past years makes us all understandably sceptical.
Restoration: This is perhaps the most worrying aspect of this proposed operation. The assessment paints a quite rosy picture of the restoration and its benefits. However, nothing is guaranteed. After seven years of extraction will this site really be restored or will it become just another extension of the landfill site adjacent? Other uses for the site may also be to tempting to resist. Past experience of the landfill site does not fill us with much confidence.
Summary: Quidenham Parish Council has always supported the development of Snetterton Heath, as it recognises the importance of this area to Breckland/Norfolk. Indeed, many of the residents close to this site have been fully supportive of the Council. We ARE NOT therefore a NIMBY community. This proposed operation must be balanced with a desire to maintain the predominantly rural feel of our community. Any intrusion onto this site has the potential for causing irreparable damage to the lives of our residents. This proposed site is just to close to our village and will do far more harm than good.
I am writing as Chairman of Quidenham Parish Council, in which the proposed site is situated. This is a very sensitive site being close to main village and has caused concern to residents in the past. We therefore held a meeting of the Parish to gauge opinion, given that several years have passed. I was anxious to encourage them to read the assessment in full so that any comments they have would relate directly to this document. I know several people have already provided their comments on-line.
The comments of the Parish Council are as follows:
General: Whilst the document is factual in its assessment, it does not provide the reader with a full picture of the site.
- This site sits between the Industrial Snetterton Heath and the village of Eccles. In that sense it acts as a buffer between the industrial and the rural. To breach this 'neutral' zone would risk destroying the very character of our community.
- Allowing this operation on this site would open up the risk of further development along this neutral corridor, again destroying the character of our community. This must surely be taken into account?
- What makes matters worse is that the site sits above the village, being on the perimeter of the East Breckland Plateau. This means that the site overlooks the village and any intrusion as a result of the works would be compounded.
- The document mentions in passing the existence of the landfill site to the north. However, this has caused enormous anxiety to residents in past years and any ground works close to the landfill are bound to ring alarm bells.
Amenity: Noise and dust are inevitable in an operation such as this.
- The railway spur which sits close to the site brings in gravel, which is loaded onto trucks near the industrial buildings to the north. These are further away from residents than the proposed sand extraction and yet the vehicles operating on this site are clearly audible. The safety 'bleeps' when the vehicles reverse can carry a considerable distance and no amount of screening will prevent this.
- The prevailing winds are from the West, which means that any dust will head in the direction of our village. We cannot see how this can be mitigated given the very dry and windy conditions experienced in 2018.
Highway access: The work required to improve the site access is considerable, Can this really be viable?
Historic environment / Archaeology: The assessment in this regard seems to be reasonable given the historic nature of this region.
Landscape: Some additional comments.
- Whilst this site cannot be considered a tranquil area of countryside it provides a vital 'buffer' between industrial and rural. Any intrusion into this area would completely destroy any existing amenity/landscape value.
- There are no existing buffer zones or advanced planting on this site, which means that screening would rely entirely on some form of bund. Given that the site overlooks the community we fail to see how any bund would be anything other than a major intrusion for those living nearby.
Ecology/Water Framework Directive: We note that the extraction site would be worked dry. However, given the location of the adjacent landfill site, we are not convinced that some 'leakage' from this site might occur. We know that substantial amounts of contaminated liquids still exist within the landfill. Although the site is lined, the poor management of the site in past years makes us all understandably sceptical.
Restoration: This is perhaps the most worrying aspect of this proposed operation. The assessment paints a quite rosy picture of the restoration and its benefits. However, nothing is guaranteed. After seven years of extraction will this site really be restored or will it become just another extension of the landfill site adjacent? Other uses for the site may also be to tempting to resist. Past experience of the landfill site does not fill us with much confidence.
Summary: Quidenham Parish Council has always supported the development of Snetterton Heath, as it recognises the importance of this area to Breckland/Norfolk. Indeed, many of the residents close to this site have been fully supportive of the Council. We ARE NOT therefore a NIMBY community. This proposed operation must be balanced with a desire to maintain the predominantly rural feel of our community. Any intrusion onto this site has the potential for causing irreparable damage to the lives of our residents. This proposed site is just to close to our village and will do far more harm than good.
