SC1 clause 1

721 new homes in 7 years and 7 solid years of disruption to all villagers in Scraptoft and surrounding areas. No infrastructure has been considered for this, the traffic gets heavier, the queues get longer, rural issues are not met, small village needs are NOT considered. Scraptoft has history, I have history in artifacts from the proposed area of build from people involved in wars, We have a stake in decision making?, Leicester council have forced a well established and popular golf course with closure to satisfy Thier own greed by refusing to re lease land owned by themselves.

Scraptoft has Conservation status and the impact of another 1200 houses (in addition to the 900 already built or designated to be ) will have a detrimental impact upon the unique nature of the village. There are several listed buildings within the central area each with different characteristics. The outer boundaries of are of a semi - rural nature which help to maintain its unique ambiance, Scraptoft has already borne the brunt of several housing developments encroaching upon it, along with the extra traffic, and cannot absorb anymore.

The strategic Development Area as identified on the map covers a very large area and will cause the unigue nature of the village of Scraptoft and the open semi-rural aspect of the surrounding area to be changed dramatically. Scraptoft has already borne the brunt of several housing developments and another such large area of housing ( including other buildings) as per the proposal is likely to cause further damage to a village infrastructure whiich is already under considerable strain.

The land is a designated green wedge. One of the main reasons green wedges are designated is to stop conurbations merging.
Yet here you are trying to remove green wedge status for the purpose of a housing development which will cause conurbations to merge. Ludicrous.

Scraptoft Parish Council (SPC) has serious concerns that a new settlement of 1200 houses won't cause major traffic problems in and around Scraptoft. It has not been demonstrated that the traffic impact of the proposal can be mitigated and that the traffic won't lead to major congestion on existing residential roads surrounding the site. We are also opposed to the loss of the nature reserve which the Parish Council has supported since its designation. The Strategic Development Area (SDA) as proposed is contrary to The Scraptoft Neighbourhood Plan (SNP) which was approved two years ago. In particular policy S11 in the SNP states that new development should not harm the network of local ecological features and habitats. The development will mean the loss of the Green Wedge (GW) to the east of Hamilton Lane (the land that comprises the golf course and the field between Hall Road and Hamilton Lane). the SDA will adjoin the the houses on Hamilton Lane within the city resulting in the coalescence of Scraptoft.

building on all of the marked land will result in the loss of Scraptofts clear boundaries and thus becoming indistinguishable as a village.

Objection

Summary

1. Plan ignores needs and wishes of Scraptoft community.
2. Significant impact on wildlife and environment, what provision is going to be made for the bat population?
3. Dangers of prison of war camp residue.
4. Scraptoft brook over flow.
5. Increased traffic flow through the village.


Discussion

The proposed plan has totally ignored the needs, wishes and requirements of the local Scraptoft community that was developed over a period of some months.

Why are such local plans ignored?

There is no green wedge around Scraptoft, yet the green wedge is maintained around Thurnby and Bushby.

The proposed developments of the Scraptoft Nature Reserve have totally ignored the community's requirements. Why?

The reserve, it is proposed, should have its Local Nature Reserve status removed; this is not tenable as the status was pleased upon that area for a purpose and cannot be removed at will otherwise what was the pint of giving the area such a prestigious status in the first place? It is an ecological area of importance for wild life and environment. The area provides a corridor of safety and feeding areas for a wide range of wildlife and is part of the process of cleaning the air through the green leaf trees.

Just from our garden we get:

Bats - who feed and roost in the area, what provision is going to be made?
Snakes - use the area
Muntjac deer - are regular visitors along with Roe deer.
Butterflies - wide variety
Birds - a wide variety also Red Leg Partridge and Pheasants
Rabbits & Foxes
Hedge Hogs
Mice, voles
Dragonflies

All of the above come into our garden regularly and use the nature reserve as their base for habitat and feeding, in addition buzzards and kites often fly over and land in the area to feed. It is the best area for wildlife since the development of housing on the old Scraptoft Campus, the report from the County ecologist supports the retention of the Local Nature Reserve as a valuable site for wildlife.

The reserve is an old prisoner of war camp and as such has a variety of development problems that would have been considered before many years ago when it was proposed to build a crematorium, a report on the viability of development must have been drawn up and the proposal rejected due to probable hidden costs such as the remains of concrete bases, culverts and bunkers left over from the camp.

Scraptoft Brook - this brook has not been maintained and as such there are significant blockages such that the level of the silt has increased from only 1 inch to over 9 inches in the period of the building developments in the last 10 years. Extra discharge/water overflow would lead to gardens being flooded.

The proposed 100M corridor is insufficient to support the wildlife habitat and should not reduced from its current position it needs to be further back to the golf course practice/football field as a minimum.

There will be an increase in the traffic flow through the village to get to the Scraptoft Lane and Uppingham Road major access roads into the city. With the narrow roads through the village and the one-way system greater congestion will occur and feed onto the Uppingham road traffic light junction - which is already at capacity. Even if a new/enhanced road is developed along Keyham Lane west human beings what they are will look for a better rat run than the route proposed by the site developments, the road has several schools and house right onto the verge and is not suitable for the volume of traffic.

This development would reduce, if not remove, any type of green wedge around the village along with loss of habitat for wildlife.

Mr B E Barker
49 Hall Road
Scraptoft
Leicester
LE7 9SY

01162413889

Objection

Summary

1. Plan ignores needs and wishes of Scraptoft community.
2. Significant impact on wildlife and environment, what provision is going to be made for the bat population?
3. Dangers of prison of war camp residue.
4. Scraptoft brook over flow.
5. Increased traffic flow through the village.

Whilst accepting that areas need to be found for new housing Scraptoft has already had over 700 houses built in the last 5 years without any improvement to the infrastructure or facilities. To build another 1200 houses even though promises are made regarding facilities and infrastructure will lead to horrendous problems with traffic , insufficient education and health care provisions and turn Scraptoft into a high density area of population with all the associated problems that brings. Scraptoft has always been known as a village but will now only be an extension of Netherhall, Thurnby Lodge and Hamilton.

I object to SDA.
As previously mentioned, my concerns for 1200 houses and how this will affect the village of SCRAPTOFT.
I am aware that we have already had over 700 houses built in the last 5 years, this has had an increased negative effect on the traffic around Main Street which at present is one way and Station Lane, especially on school runs, rush hours morning and evenings.
In addition to that there has been no additions to the infrastructure of SCRAPTOFT village.

I have many concerns;

Traffic - The impact on existing residential and rural roads in and around Scraptoft, Thurnby and Bushby has been grossly underestimated., as has the increased impact on air quality. The A47 junction is at capacity and Main St/Grange Lane in Thurnby are heavily congested and dangerous.The Plan does not explain how these issues will be mitigated.

Recent cuts in public bus services have already greatly reduced provision for the local community .

I am very Concerned at the trigger points for schools, GP provision and other community facilities and what happens in the interim until these are reached.

I moved to scraptoft for the village living, with that comes a quiet neighbourhood and pleasant surroundings. Fewer people, less populated areas and vast amounts of greenery and wildlife.

I feel that removing the green wedge on fields at the back of hall road that are currently being used as grazing fields for houses will bring Scraptoft in to the city and surrounding areas. I feel scraptoft will lose its heritage as a village.

This Policy is not suitable and I Object. This will cause issues with increased traffic, noise, pollution, wildlife and the loss of a very popular Scraptoft golf club which is enjoyed by its members. The local residents and community do not want the village to lose its small community. There has been already a large number of poor quality homes built within Srraptoft and along Keyham lane west which has impacted Scraptoft village leading to traffic and noise. Furthermore and there are no community services to facilitate these residents.

This Policy is not suitable and I Object. This will cause issues with increased traffic, noise, pollution, wildlife and the loss of a very popular Scraptoft golf club which is enjoyed by its members. The local residents and community do not want the village to lose its small community. There has been already a large number of poor quality homes built within Srraptoft and along Keyham lane west which has impacted Scraptoft village leading to traffic and noise. Furthermore and there are no community services to facilitate these residents.

131.1 - Scraptoft, is NOT a suburb of Leicester - we are a village in Harborough. We DO NOT have access to nearby schools/healthcare in Leicester - the majority of pupils/patients need to travel to the other side of the A47.
131.2 - over 750 houses have ALREADY been built and the land designated in our Village Local Plan for future planning was given permission immediately for another 170 + houses which are currently being built now. Our allocation has been the most of any village in Harborough already.
without ANY infrastructure benefits at all.

This area has previously been stated to be an "ideal" green wedge.
And now this statuusciscto be removed.

I was born on Beeby Road adjacent to the Local Nature Reserve. My earliest memories are that of cows in the field tended by my great uncle William till. Myself and my parents and our dogs have all been a part of this community and have, wherever needed, gave up time to help with local matters concerning the village and LNR.
My father is a member of the golf course and wants it to stay in Scraptoft. The council has refused to re-let the land on which 4 of the golf holes are situated which is a very bullish attitude to all the members, a lot of whom have been members for more years than I have been born.
Leicester council have land, which was at one time also tenanted by SGC and now lies in ruins just north east of the LNR which can be used to facilitate housing rather than ruining the enjoyment and giving a lot of upheaval to members.

Parker's can find land elsewhere beyond the boundaries of the LNR and golf course suitable for housing or simply lower the quota for Scraptoft and surrounding villages. We simply do not have the infrastructure either for this sort of project, the roads are not sufficient, the villages and junctions will become totally clogged with traffic and Scraptoft is a very tight one way road system. Please do not ruin what we have left as recreation and countryside. The LNR has been left alone for years, it has grown and matured and the amazing amount of wildlife within it and around it is all now threatened because of targets, please do not let this happen.

I believe that insufficient publicity has been given to the allocation of a strategic development site on Scraptoft Golf Course. At the very least I would have expected the opportunity to view and discuss these plans at an exhibition or public meeting held in the village.

Scraptoft has been a building site for more than 15 years now, with over 700 houses built in the last 7 years. This has been very disruptive and local infrastructure has been stretched to breaking point.

A development of this size will inevitably harm local amenities and produce major traffic problems. The Nature Reserve must be protected as much for its historic importance as its wildlife value and the landscape value of the existing Golf Course must be protected.

I have no confidence that the social and transport infrastructure needed to support 1200 new homes will be provided. It will inevitably throw more strain on existing health and education and bring even more traffic through the village. It is also unclear how traffic from the site with find its way southwards towards Oadby, Fosse Park and M1. Given that plans have recently been published for an eastern by pass these plans are premature until there is more clarity about the provision of this new major road.

This development WILL have a significant adverse effect on our living conditions due to its overbearing impact of building 1200 houses in a conservation village which has already been expanded by over 700

Proposed Development - Scraptoft North (SDA)

I believe this proposal is unsound.

The number of dwellings needs to be reduced at least by 50%

Access from the site onto the primary roads needs to be improved to a standard that could cope with 700 housed that have already been built in the last 7 years and any additional houses to be built on the SDA.

Keyham Lane West has already been widened in one part but there are still pinch points at Humberstone end and the Hamilton Lane end. It is already a bus route which the buses have to drive over the kerb or on the verge if another bus or lorry comes in the from the other direction. This route passes 3 schools and also has speed restrictions and speed calming in place. Vehicles are also parked alongside the route on one side.

Another route that might get used is New Romney Crescent and Nether Hall Road although this junction is also very busy onto Hungarton Boulevard and it passes a school.

Another route would be Scraptoft Lane, although the lane itself has less problems it wouldn't be a preferred choice due to how busy it gets just after it joins Uppingham Road. People wanting to get to South Leicester will have to use Station Road and would have to go through Scraptoft Village which doesn't cope at the present time with the amount of traffic using it now. Station Road backs up from Uppingham Road traffic lights at peak times upto Pulford Road for upto 20 minutes for your turn to get out. This route will also be used for the School run to Gartree and Beauchamp College. If the road from Keyham Lane West to Beeby Road was built it will make Beeby and Barkby a rat run for anybody wanting to go North East. Anyone wanting to go East will make Keyham a rat run. Barkbythorpe could also become congested due to so many people wanting to get to Thurmaston and surrounding areas. These are all country roads and not suitable for heavy traffic.

To make this plan sound you would have to improve Keyham Lane West so there was a minimum of a single lane in each direction without interruption giving current residents adequate parking to the properties and proper traffic light control for school pupils. Also improvement to all junctions that enter Keyham Lane with proper sight easements traffic light control onto the Thurmaston Lane/ Hungarton Boulevard roundabout. Station Road junction must operate more efficiently; with existing traffic and proposed traffic this junction will need widening so there is a minimum of two lanes in all directions approximately 50meters. The number of houses should be restricted to a maximum of 600 split into 2 sites, one site approximately 200 onto Beeby Road and second site approximately 400 houses access from Hamilton Lane.

Nature Reserve

It was agreed with Leicester City Council and Harborough District Council in 1999 it was sound then, it is even more sound now due to recent developments primarily Scraptoft Hall Development it appears to have become a major feeding ground to a number of birds there appears to have a balance of nature. Species seen dear, rabbits, foxes, kites, bats, owls, green woodpeckers, kingfisher, hedge sparrows, thrushes, yellow wag tails, robins, wrens, great-tits, chiff-chaffs, starlings, song thrushes, numerous butterflies. It would be beneficial to wildlife if the nature reserve was extended with a corridor through the existing golf course of around 100 metres wide to the open land north of the developments.
Refer to report by Sue Timms and Karen Headly for Leicestershire and Rutland Environmental Record Centre Leicestershire County Council report dated 18 May 2017.

It is also very important to keep the Green Wedge between Scraptoft and Leicester to maintain our village status identity and not to be swallowed up as suburb of Leicester.
Scraptoft has been intensively built in a short space to time it should be more evenly distributed thorough out the districts.

I have lived in Scraptoft for a long time - more than 40 years! The village has been developed for new build houses enough.
The impact of the development is reduced wildlife, less trees, more traffic. The wildlife needs a chance to recover and resettle. After the Scraptoft Hall development many species have made their home on Scraptoft Nature Reserve. We need trees and wildlife to support our ecological systems, for future generations.
Increased traffic will add to already much congested roads and increased pollution.
The developers are not taking into consideration the wishes of the residents.
There is also a pond in the nature reserve, which supports more wildlife.

Please reconsider these plans and keep Scraptoft a village.

I feel very strongly that this development has been proposed due to a lack of an up to date Strategic Plan for Scraptoft and that the developers - PARKERS - have seen an opportunity to make money due to this loophole. The "selling off/buying" Scraptoft Gold Course, which has been established for 80 years is a travesty!
Does no-one care for our heritage anymore?
The proposed development is NOT what the villagers of Scraptoft want, our wishes and needs have not been sufficiently taken into consideration. Scraptoft has been overly developed, by building new houses over the past 7 years, increased traffic is already a problem and will only get worse.
Please reconsider your building plans for future generations.

My property backs on to the "War Field" which has ben a local nature reserve since 2002. It is proposed to leave just a 100 meter strip of this land for wildlife and remove the status of this field to a "green corridor" this is NOT what I want.
The village facilities will not cater for the amount of houses this "Strategic Plan" is proposing. The road will not be able to cope with the increased volume of traffic.

The area is saturated with houses and cars already. Further development will completely overpower the local community and identity.

The congestion on Station Lane in peak hours is evidence that the nature of the area has been transformed and will be further with this development proposal. Also, the infrastructure is not present to support the population growth intended.

I totally object to the development of the 1200 new homes as it will cause major disruption to the area. I have concerns with traffic, noise, pollution, and the major disruption to the natural wildlife and greenery of the area. It will also have a massive impact to the schools, doctors surgeries, hospitals, and nurseries in the area which area currently struggling without the added pressure. The roads cannot handle the traffic now and I fail to see how an additional 1200 homes will manage.

I totally object to the development of the 1200 new homes as it will cause major disruption to the area. I have concerns with traffic, noise, pollution, and the major disruption to the natural wildlife and greenery of the area. It will also have a massive impact to the schools, doctors surgeries, hospitals, and nurseries in the area which area currently struggling without the added pressure. The roads cannot handle the traffic now and I fail to see how an additional 1200 homes will manage.

Scraptoft Golf Club, background and general position of the Golf club in support of the plan, in particular Scraptoft North development and New Golf Course. see the enclosed attachment.

Bloor Homes do not object to the principle of the allocation of the Scraptoft SDA. However, they do have serious concerns in relation to its deliverability within the plan period that are not addressed in either the Submission Plan or the supporting evidence base. As a consequence the proposed allocation and the Submission Plan that relies on its delivery to ensure that the identified housing needs for the District are met in accordance with the NPPF is currently unsound. They also object to the allocation of this SDA at the exclusion of any other appropriate sites in this highly sustainable location at the Leicester PUA and the over reliance on the SDAs in general in terms of meeting the District's identified housing needs (as also set out in the objections to Policies SS1 and H1).

Notably the delivery of the Scraptoft SDA requires the prior relocation of the golf course within the site. That will inevitably affect the timescale for the SDA's delivery, as the new course will need to be constructed and opened before the club can relocate and release the site for development. However, there is no evidence of a new site being identified, how will it be funded, or when it will be delivered.

It is, therefore, apparent that the Local Plan Housing Trajectory incorporates entirely unrealistic assumptions in terms of both the timing and rate of delivery at the SDA. That indicates that the Council anticipate the first completions being delivered in the period 2021/22, i.e. within 41/2 years.

Bloor Homes' objection in relation to Policy H1 clearly demonstrates why that will not be achieved, and that a more realistic assumption of delivery from 2025/26 should be assumed. Even then there is a significant risk that the resolution of the site specific landownership issues highlighted above will further delay delivery. Thereafter a robust view on the rate of delivery also needs to be taken. The assumed rate of delivery (rising to around 175dpa for a sustained period) is extremely ambitious, and no evidence has been presented that demonstrates that it is actually achievable in this location.

Clearly the recalibration of the housing trajectory will have a significant impact on the housing land supply position in the District and its ability to meet the identified housing need. That will need to be addressed through the allocation of additional development sites before the Local Plan can be found sound.


Soundness
For the reasons set out above, Bloor Homes object to Policy SC1, which is considered unsound on the basis that it:
- is not justified in that it is has not fully acknowledged the practical constraints to development within the SDA;
- is not effective in that the SDA will not deliver the scale of development the Submission Plan currently assumes, and the identified needs will not therefore, be met; and
- is inconsistent with national policy in that it does not fully reflect the Government's priorities and policies in terms of enabling sustainable development and boosting the supply of housing to meet identified needs.

Proposed Change
To remedy the flaws in the soundness of the plan:
- The housing trajectory should reflect a realistic timescale for the delivery of the Scraptoft SDA;
- The Local Plan should then identify sufficient deliverable and developable supply of housing land to meet the identified housing need in sustainable locations in the District, notably at the PUA; and
- That should include the allocation of the land off Uppingham Road, Bushby.

I am absolutely amazed that an 18 hole golf course is considered as a prime building site for 1200 houses in exchange for a 9 hole golf course just because LCC own 4 holes what lunacy when there are derelict factories and brown sites within the city boundary the properties lying empty for years on end for goodness sake stop covering the countryside with concrete LCC and allow nature to keep our environment stable our nature reserve and large number of trees on the golf course help our fight against greenhouse gasses and flooding no more felling or concrete