Object
Harborough Local Plan 2011-2031, Proposed Submission
Representation ID: 6931
Received: 17/11/2017
Respondent: Jim Palmer
Legally compliant? No
Sound? No
Duty to co-operate? No
key objections:
- The plan doesn't create suitable employment - it creates low skilled jobs. There is already shortage of people locally for these role types leading to ommuting in from surrounding areas.
- This leads to more cars & trucks along road infrastructure which is clearly inadequate, and not planning significant upgrades.
- the proposal isn't strategic. It's designed to fit a couple of current planning applications leading to over- supply, and does not focus on rail-linked warehousing.
- This has significant environment impact - contributing to global warming.
This plan is not well considered or strategic.
I have reviewed the local plan and consider there are several key points as to why I wish to object:
- Un-suitable employment types & overcrowded roads.
I am expecting the local plan is to create suitable employment for the local area (including for my family),.However I believe there are low levels of unemployment locally at present, I'm informed recruitment is a challenge at Magna Park with competition from nearby locations (including DIRFT).
The addition of thousands more job vacancies at an expanded \Magna Park will just exacerbate the problem, and lead to more commuting into the area. Instead BE2 should be focused on bringing a greater variety of jobs into the area, especially more high skilled jobs.
This leads to the next challenge of the road infrastructure which is woefully inadequate at the moment, and with the addition of more commuting, along with additional truck loads, will significantly add to the traffic on already congested roads. Although the A5 is already inadequate the strategy and these proposals do not envisage any major upgrading of the A5 around Magna Park, which will degrade the quality of life for many of us local residents.
I do not believe the proposal is strategic. There are currently 2 planning applications for 700,000 sq mts of warehousing, this suggests that the proposal is not part of a strategic approach but has been put together to fit the planning applications which happen to have been submitted .
This would lead to over-supply of this type of land-use in the area. I believe that (and there are policy reports confirming this) the strategy should be to focus more warehousing on rail-linked warehousing. This is important for the environmental impact of more heavy diesel traffic which should be being moved to rail transport in order to protect the environment for all of us - the local plan needs to support the council's commitment to minimise our impact on the environment (and specifically global warming)
Coupled with the employment and road challenges this would suggest that the strategy is not properly thought out in any form