Objections to the Proposed Van Hage Garden Centre at Pig Lane, Bishop's Stortford

The Planning Inspectorate Room 3/19 Eagle Temple Quay House 2 The Square Temple Quay Bristol BS1 6PN

19 June 2006

Dear Sir/Madam,

Reference: Van Hage’s Garden Centre At Bishop's Stortford

I am writing to register the objections of the Bishop's Stortford Civic Federation to the request by Van Hage to build a garden centre at Pig Lane, Bishop's Stortford, Herts.

Bishop's Stortford Civic Federation’s objections are based on the followings reasons.

• There are already many other garden centres within the surrounding area of Bishop's Stortford who provide sufficient facilities for people who visit them. People of Bishop's Stortford are not deprived of a garden centre.
• Most people at Bishop's Stortford are quite happy to visit Van Hage's existing facilities at Ware on a regular basis, myself included, and, therefore, see no need to replicate another Van Hage at Bishop's Stortford.
• The garden centre proposed put forward by Van Hage is to be developed on Green Belt, this is unacceptable and under values the sanctuary set up to protect this land.
• Bishop's Stortford and the surrounding area is already suffering from acute transport congestion problems, this new garden centre would further exasperate the problem by generating extra traffic throughout the week and especially at weekends.
• The garden centre will have an overall adverse impact on the residents of the locality and will also destroy all forms of wild life which currently enjoy the Green Belt land.
• Van Hage has not put forward any proposals that addresses the issues and concerns mentioned above, nor have they produced and evidence that the people of Bishop's Stortford want their garden centre.

In conclusion, I trust that the above points highlight the concerns of the local residents of Bishop's Stortford who will be affected by this garden centre if planning permission were to be granted.

Yours faithfully,

Richard. F .Hannah
Vice Chairman
Bishop's Stortford Civic Federation