14 Nov 2018 – BSCF objections to planning application for development of a site south of Whittington Way (Bishop’s Stortford South)

BSCF letter of objection to the Head of Planning and Building Control at East Herts setting out specific objections to the planning application for Bishop’s Stortford South.

14 Nov 2018 – Considerations for those objecting to the planning application to develop Bishop’s Stortford South

The planning application summary may be viewed here: 3/18/2253/OUT

Please don’t simply cut and paste this list as councils tend to count identical responses as 1 objection. Better to use the points below to give you an idea of the type of objections to raise and put them in your own words.

Your letter should mention ‘objection’ otherwise it might only be counted as ‘comment’.

The deadline for objections is Thursday 22 November 2018

Sample Objection Points

  • The site has been removed from the Green Belt despite the opposition of the local population (NP2 para 4.10.1.9) and overturns all previous planning assessments of the site.
  • The housing total for the district which this development would help to meet has been invalidated by a 14% reduction in forecast household formation (Office for National Statistics – Sept 2018). It is surplus to requirements both for the district and for the needs of the population of Bishop’s Stortford.
  • The Masterplan for the site has not been prepared in accordance with the requirements of policy DES1 in the District Plan and is not fit for purpose. It is particularly surprising that Bishop’s Stortford Town Council and Thorley Parish Council have played no part in its formulation.
  • The suggested road layout of the development is not compatible with the policies in NP2 for Bishop’s Stortford South.
  • Relocation of the Bishop’s Stortford High School to the site will not address the prospective shortfall in secondary school places, will not provide places for girls aged 11-16 in any event, and may foreclose any remaining options for meeting that demand.
  • Part of the site is under the western edge of the flight path and is unsuitable for schools.
  • The development does not include provision of purpose-built health facilities on site and is therefore contrary to policy BSS3 of NP2.
  • The Transport Assessment displays major shortcomings in its understanding of current traffic conditions and of how other developments will impact on them. It assumes full opening of a link road through the Goods Yard (for which planning permission was not given) and ignores removal of part of the Station Road ramp, which will impact Hockerill Junction. It also omitted development at Bishop’s Stortford North from testing.
  • The Transport Assessment confirms the development will have an overwhelming impact on traffic in the south of Bishop’s Stortford and Thorley. Most affected will be the London Road corridor from the St James’s Way/Thorley Street roundabout to the London Road/South Street roundabout – including the junctions with Whittington Way, Thorley Hill and, in particular, Pig Lane.
  • The Pig Lane/London Road junction will be at virtually 100% of capacity. 700 vehicles per hour are predicted to use Pig Lane without any proposals for improvements to its configuration.
  • What little mitigation is proposed is wholly inadequate and likely to have very little impact. Serious congestion will result on roads which are not capable of handling extra traffic.

12 Oct 2018 – BSCF comments on a planning application for development of a site south of Whittington Way (Bishop’s Stortford South)

The BSCF, in a letter to the Head of Planning and Building Control at East Herts, commented on a reported planning application from Countryside Properties to develop an entire site south of Whittington Way.