Parish Council's submission to TDBC on proposed new development at Monkton Heathfield

WEST MONKTON PARISH COUNCIL

Submission in respect of Planning Application 48/2005/072: Proposed mixed use urban extension at Monkton Heathfield

West Monkton Parish Council believes that the proposal must be comprehensive, deliverable and coordinated. (Ref Local Plan Policy T8 and Development Guide).
In their estimation the proposal is not comprehensive as it has moved away from the Local Plan. Nor is it deliverable as it does not address the western relief road at Milton Hill.

The Parish Council understands that the Development Guide is not mandatory, but would emphasise that it has been democratically developed by many consultations with individuals and the consortium. The present Consortium has moved away from the Development Guide they helped to develop. The Developers consistently maintained there would be no deviation from the Development Guide unless there were sound reasons. There are particular examples of deviation from the plan for reasons which do not appear to fit this criterion.

The playing fields
The Developers stated that they could locate the playing fields close to the school and put 900 houses in the site - the number of houses on the site having been increased from 800 to 900 at the request of the Developers’ Consortium. It would appear that the playing fields have been moved to accommodate the increase in the number of houses. The new location is across a major road, and as school use is envisaged, this position is unsatisfactory. It is also some 800m from both the schools and from the centre of the community.
The present plan would indicate that vehicular access to the playing fields would be through Hyde Lane. This road is already inadequate for the volume of traffic using it, with some 90degree corners, and as such would be totally unsuitable for coaches and other large vehicles that typically would visit playing fields. There is no alternative road route indicated on the plan. Different vehicle access and a footbridge would be required for the playing fields.
In the proposed position, drainage is likely to affect the condition of the fields in inclement weather.
The proposed location of the playing fields extends beyond the Local Plan area and into the green wedge. It is worthy of mention that the ’Hedderwick’ plan in 2003 was refused because it extended into the river valley. This is a directly comparable situation, so what has changed in thee years?
It is understood by the Parish Council that parks should be for the benefit of the whole community. The proposed location of the playing fields excludes seniors and primary school children on the basis of its walking distance from the school and the centre of the community. Primary school children would not be walked 800m from school to playing fields.
In the proposed location, away from the community and frequent use, risk of vandalism would be very high. The pavilion at Creech St Michael playing fields is a stark and nearby example of the problems associated with an isolated location. The Parish Council understands that a submission from Creech St Michael Parish Council expressing similar concerns has been made.
The Parish Council is still of the opinion that the best location for the playing fields remains next to the Primary School, in the centre of the community, accessible from the relief road, and as indicated in the Local Plan. The location currently shown by the consortium lends itself to municipal use, by sports people from outside the Parish, but is less likely to be a feature of the Monkton Heathfield community.

The relief road
Whilst Councillors were pleased that there appeared to be a move towards establishing the relief road in the area of main development from the beginning, there was concern over the fact that in the submitted plan, the link from Bathpool via Milton Hill to Monkton Heathfield had been omitted.
The relocation of the roundabout on the present A 38 to a point west of the Milton Hill junction is unsatisfactory. Even if the relief road were to be continued along the line of Milton Hill, the ‘dog-leg’ created by the submitted plan’s location of the roundabout would mean that most of the traffic would head to the already over-loaded Creech Castle junction, irrespective of its ultimate destination. This would create a totally unacceptable situation.
In order that the additional traffic could be moved quickly and efficiently, it is essential that a complete relief road from Langaller to Yallands Hill is built.
A carefully considered route for the road from Bathpool to Yallands Hill is needed, particularly as much of the area, and Milton Hill and Dyers Lane in particular, form part of the ‘Safe Routes to School’. At Dyers Lane would an underpass or bridge be an acceptable way to maintain the ‘Safe Route to School’? The Parish Council believes that adaptation of the existing Milton Hill would not provide the answer as the road is at saturation point already. A whole new relief road is needed.
A suggestion that the A3259 might be ‘cut’ at some point, to prevent through traffic, was treated with caution. The Parish Council considered that this could well increase local journeys for residents, and there was an additional danger that the road through West Monkton, Goosenford and Cheddon would become even more of a ‘rat run’ than at present.
Failure to complete the relief road would jeopardise the ability to deliver the provisions of the plan as a whole, and piecemeal development has always been stated to be unacceptable. Further, the relief road should, as previously agreed, go in first to keep the construction traffic off the existing roads, especially Hyde Lane and Brittons Ash.

The Primary School
Concern was expressed that the projected school would not be large enough to cope with both the present and future intake of pupils.
Contribution from Developers, SCC and Church of England would be necessary to provide a school capable of coping with present and future needs.
No provision appears to have been made in the submitted plan to deal with the interim period between the start of building/sale of houses, and the threshold at which the new school would be provided. The Parish Council suggests that the whole school should be built straight off, when, at a maximum, 400 houses have been built, preferably lower. The present school site is congested, and causing obstruction to residents and other traffic in School Road, furthermore, play area at the school has been lost due to the necessary addition of portacabin classrooms. Were the re-location of the school to be delayed beyond the additional population resulting from 400 houses, it seems extremely likely that School Road would regularly become gridlocked, thus jeopardising the safety of ’Safe Routes to School’ at Milton Hill.
The importance of the provision of community facilities - hall etc - at the new school is emphasised. Any possible assistance with the proposed annexe to the existing village hall (suggested by the submitted plan) must in no way at all jeopardise, interfere with or reduce the provision of community facilities within the new development.

Other matters of note
Road frontage in any one area must be the product of one developer to ensure similarity of design, although overall variation is good.
Environmental concerns have been expressed about the open space areas, regarding wildlife. Connectivity between areas is needed, badger and otter runs etc to allow movement of wildlife from one green space to another.
The provision of play areas - LEAPs and NEAPs - is below the required number. Current provision in the plan is for 2 NEAPs and 4 LEAPs. A smaller number could be considered provided they were well equipped.
Regarding employment areas - the number of office areas seems too high.
Control of the retail units must remain under the control of Taunton Deane Borough Council. There must be sensible and useful variety of use, and provision made to ensure that shop units are not, in the near or distant future, sold as residential premises; e.g. if they were not let after two years. Priorswood Place was cited as a good example of varied and relevant retail usage of shop units.
Public transport, already below satisfactory for a rural service, must be provided to a suitable standard to serve the new development.
Details of affordable housing need to be given and agreed.
Flooding risks to not appear to have been adequately addressed or explained. Residents of Hyde Lane are particularly concerned about the effects on the drainage systems and flood water attenuation schemes. The Bathpool area has a long history of flooding and sufficient provision must be made to take away storm water or there will be even greater problems in years to come. (Ref: Letter to Julie Moore TDBC, Comments on the proposals made by Matthew Payne, Parrett Internal Drainage Board). It is recognised that measures would always be taken to prevent Taunton from flooding, so provision in Bathpool must be sufficiently robust to avoid serious problems further along the river.

West Monkton Parish Council is of the opinion that if Councillors and Officers at all levels give way on the details of this development, there would be little chance of controlling any future and possibly larger plans that may come to the Parish.


Tricia Cavill
Clerk
May 2006