Green Party Office

Room 201b

City Hall

Norwich

NR2 1NH

Office phone: (01603) 212969

15/01/05

Ms Debbie Smith

The Planning Inspectorate

Room 3/17

Temple Quay House

2 The Square

Temple Quay

Bristol

BS1 6PN

Reference: APP/G2625/V/04/1168745

Town & Country Planning Act 1990 – Section 77

Town & Country Planning (General Development Procedure) Order 1995

Town & Country Planning (Residential Development on Greenfield Land) (England) Direction 2000

Town & Country Planning (Inquiries Procedure) (England) Rules 2000

Proposed Development of Hewett School Playing Fields, Hall Road/ Lakenham Road, Norwich, Norfolk Planning Application 04/00254/F

Dear Ms Smith,

Thank you for your letter dated 30^th November 2004 informing us about proceedings regarding the above development.

We have viewed the statement of case submitted by R.A.I.D (Residents Against Inappropriate Development) and we support the points made entirely. We would like to speak at the inquiry and wish to highlight the following points of the RAID submission:

i) We feel that the area in which the development is proposed is an area that already has a shortage of freely available green space for recreation. This is shown by the level of use of the playing fields that we believe is sufficiently high to indicate that the playing fields could never be termed “surplus to requirements”.

ii) We are also very concerned at the national “trend” of the selling-off of school playing fields, especially at a time when Government studies show that young people are leading less active and unhealthier lifestyles. Easy and free access to open playing fields is a key factor in any attempt to reverse these trends.

iii) The proposed leisure centre is also unlikely to be of any benefit to the local area, as the playing fields have been. This is mainly due to the membership fees being out of the range of affordability for most local people (see RAID statement of case paragraph 8.10). Likewise the proposed nursing home (see RAID paragraph 8.18) and nursery (paragraph 8.22) are both similarly priced so that those living locally will not be served.

iv) The arguments laid out in iii) also mean that most of those served by the development will be travelling from outside the immediate area. We believe that this will inevitably encourage a high level of car usage, meaning an increase in pollution and congestion in South East Norwich and also contribute to more general effects of climate change. Congestion is a major problem in Norwich and Ipswich Road, Newmarket Road and Hall Road are all “gridlocked” at peak times. Road safety problems are also likely as this area has a recent history of roads becoming “rat-runs”. The problems around congestion and rat-runs are discussed at great length by the RAID statement.

v) We believe that the proposed development is in conflict with the Local Plan. We have previously campaigned against planning applications for development on green spaces that have been designated for development in the Local Plan. Where this is the case the Council Planning Department has argued that the Local Plan must be upheld. It is worrying that the supposed importance of upholding the Local Plan seems to be ignored when the situation is reversed. Allowing development on a green space on which development is not permitted under the Local Plan is a dangerous principle. It is also contrary to many aspects of Government Planning Guidance – particularly concerning Government safeguards against unnecessary development on playing fields – as described throughout the RAID statement of case.

vi) The proposed leisure centre would be likely to have a significant noise impact, due to facilities being available to members at unsociable hours from as early as 6:30am and until 11pm at night.

vii) The loss of green space is not only a social and public health concern but also an environmental one. As will be evidenced by RAID, the population of wild birds will lose their habitat. We are also worried about drainage problems. At present, any rain falling on the playing fields is released slowly through the ground. After the proposed development, this would all drain immediately into the surrounding area, which suffers from existing flooding problems due to a high water table.

viii) We are also concerned that the design of the buildings will not fit in at all with either the style of the immediate area or with the conservation areas around Ipswich Road.

ix) Certain procedural matters in this case have been a significant cause for concern. We concur with the version of events given in section 5 of the RAID Statement of Case to the best of our knowledge, and also with the observation that the proposed nursing home appeared in the plan at a late stage, with no public consultation.

We ask you to consider initially that the above are not only a cause for concern to ourselves as Green Party Councillors, but also to the vast majority of local residents who are firmly against the plans.

Please do not hesitate to get in touch if there are any questions about this statement. We include 6 copies of this statement and 3 copies of the letter sent to GO-EAST on 8^th October 2004 requesting that the application be called in.

Yours sincerely,

Councillor Adrian Ramsay,

On behalf of the Green Party Group of Councillors, Norwich City Council (Cllrs. Bob Gledhill, Jessica Goldfinch, Adrian Holmes, Adrian Ramsay and Rupert Read)