ACT NOW: 23 Sep 2015 - minimum deadline for comments & objections to Saddleworth School moving to Diggle. The planning application for the proposed new school to be built in Diggle is available for public comment with the on-line public comments deadline being September 23rd - this is the extended consultation date. This is a statutory consultation and any comments made now HAVE to be taken into account when the planning decision is made. This is the final and CRUCIAL part of the planning process. An objection letter is included at the end of the communication. Please feel free to use this letter or adapt as you wish. The planning application is required to consider many issues in addition to the actual school design and layout and there is evidence that many important areas have been inadequately assessed. e.g • no assessment of the impact of the development, its architecture, materials and the loss of green pasture land on the character of Diggle village. • impact of traffic increase (27.8%) in and around Diggle and the implications for pupil and pedestrian safety. No assessment has been made for the increase in traffic through Dobcross • part of the site is in a functional floodplain. No mitigation is proposed to protect school buildings, sport facilities and the users of sports facilities from river flooding which they know will happen as the site is an active floodplain. There is also the risk of a canal breach, of which there have been two this year • unacceptable financial impact on Uppermill.The consultants involved have assessed that the overall loss of revenue to the shops will be a minimum £125,000 pa. • negative impact of the development on the rural aspect of the landscape character of the surrounding area, including the views from numerous public footpaths, bridleways and the Peak District National Park and on the setting of the Grade II listed Clock Tower and the Huddersfield Narrow Canal • negative impact by the use of modern building materials on the setting of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal and its Grade II listed locks or on the canal towpath which is a major leisure route. The modern school buildings, the fenced sports pitches, floodlights and noise will detract from the peaceful enjoyment of this important leisure facility • there is no assessment of the historical, architectural and cultural importance of the existing buildings on the site and their relationship to the listed Clock Tower. • ecological issues including significant unmitigated harm to bats which forage and roost in the area and are protected under European Law. Floodlighting will have a negative impact as bats are repelled by artificial light and the site has not been adequately surveyed for roosts and hibernating bats. No adequate mitigation measures are proposed. Also, records of breeding lapwing exist for the site. No mitigation measures are proposed to compensate for the loss of this site for an important declining species. • no mention in the Community Statement about the views of Saddleworth residents and over 3000 of you who signed a petition against the move. Oldham Council, who claim to be “a listening council” chose to ignore this as it was not legally binding nor what they wanted to hear. HOW TO OBJECT: If you wish to object to the application this must be done by letter or via email to:- Planning Team, Civic Centre, PO Box 30, West Street, Oldham, OL1 1UQ or planning@oldham.gov.uk For the objection to be considered valid your letter must:- • Include your name and address • Be correctly addressed to the Oldham Council planning department (who are dealing with the application) • Refer to the Planning Application number and description Planning application PA/337301/15: Construction of a new Saddleworth School (for ages 11 to 16) with associated sports fields and pitches, external recreation and teaching space together with parking landscaping and associated works. Former W H Shaw Pallet Works, Huddersfield Road, Diggle, OL3 5NX. • Include a statement that you are objecting to the application. • Give the grounds you have for objecting. These must be based on MATERIAL PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS rather than opinions, which will not count.. Some examples relating to the proposed development are included in this update, but this is not an exhaustive list and more information can be found at: www.savediggle.org.uk. Please note The Council can only take into account those comments that are directly relevant to the planning process such as: Loss of amenity Privacy Outlook Traffic issues Noise Nuisance Matters that cannot be taken into account include: Reduction in property values Loss of views Private rights of way Ownership matters Disturbance during construction If you believe that the best place for the new Saddleworth School is in Uppermill, then PLEASE do write/email to Oldham Council with your views. Remember each member of a household is eligible to make an objection. Thank you for your FANTASTIC and continued support. EXAMPLE OBJECTION LETTER TO USE AS YOU WISH: Name: Address: Planning application PA/337301/15 | Construction of a new Saddleworth School (for ages 11 to 16) with associated sports fields and pitches, external recreation and teaching space together with parking landscaping and associated works. | Former W H Shaw Pallet Works, Huddersfield Road, Diggle, OL3 5NX. I would like to object to the above planning application for the following reasons: I feel that the Environment Statement submitted in support of the above application does not address or properly take into account the many issues associated with the proposed development and its location. The village of Diggle is not an appropriate location for a secondary school of this size. Traffic, congestion, safety: • The development will inevitably result in an increase in traffic and congestion, given that a 1500 pupil school will double the population of Diggle on a daily basis. Heavy traffic will be generated by the fact that children from parts of Saddleworth previously within walking distance of the school will now have to use buses or be brought by car to Diggle. The Traffic Assessment submitted with the application predicts that the increase in traffic due to the proposed development will be 28%. With only one main road in and out of the village, those same cars will then have to turn around and head back out of Diggle, resulting in congestion. • The proposed development would present a significant safety risk. Huddersfield Road Is a narrow carriageway served by a narrow pavement. Those children living within walking distance will have to share the same route as vehicles for a significant stretch of the road, whatever alterations to the highway OMBC attempts and will therefore be put at risk. • Siting the school at Diggle, on the edge of the school catchment area, will generate increased road traffic across Saddleworth. Pupils located in villages within walking distance of the current school site will need to be brought by car or bus to Diggle and parents will discourage children from walking along an unsafe and busy route; this will increase private car and bus traffic into and out of the village. These outcomes are in direct conflict with OMBC’s objective of expanding the use of more sustainable forms of transport • Traffic congestion in Diggle village generated by the school will also have an impact on single track country lanes and historic hamlets in the vicinity e.g. Sugar Lane, Spurn Lane and Carr Lane as vehicles seek other routes out when the exit via Huddersfield Road is congested. • The increased amount of traffic congestion within the village will cause a significant increase in vehicle emissions and a consequent deterioration in air quality. • Parents of children in areas within walking distance of the current school will be forced to pay the cost of bus travel for their children if they do not use private cars, an expense they would not be subject to if the school remained at its current site. • Despite a number of options put forward at various pre-planning meetings, road plans are not included in the application and have not yet been finalised. There has been no consideration of traffic impacts in surrounding areas/villages e.g. Dobcross. Hence, even at this late stage there are no answers to the traffic chaos that will ensue. Development on Green Belt: • It is unacceptable to propose development on Green Belt land. Open pasture land would be transformed by the ground engineering necessary for the provision of sports facilities. The introduction of incongruous artificial features (flood-lights, 3 metre high fencing, asphalt, astro-turf and concrete) will degrade the Green Belt and ruin the view across the river valley; Users of the canal towpath & pedestrians on Huddersfield road will see a once pleasant open view suddenly interrupted by ugly artificial structures. Not only that, there will be artificial lighting will create light pollution in a previously dark rural area. • The proposed plans conflict with the fundamental aim of Green Belt policy to keep land permanently open and to safeguard the countryside from encroachment. In addition, the proposed use of the Green Belt for sports recreation conflicts with its current value for biodiversity & further ‘harm’ would occur due to loss of important wildlife habitats. The proposals also conflict with Oldham Local Development Framework policies; the Green Belt boundary is established within the adopted Local Plan & can only be altered through review of the Local Plan. Impact on heritage assets: • The proposed development will impact on the setting of the Grade 2 Listed clocktower and other designated heritage assets in the area. The Environment Statement plays down the impact of this, because it excludes the impact of the demolition of the buildings that were a part of the original Dobcross Loom Works. Statutory consultees such as Historic England and Oldham Councils own Conservation Officer agree that these buildings are of great historical value because they give historical context to the Grade 2 Listed Building. • There is no real consideration of the impact on the proposed development on the setting of the canal and its users. The Canal & River Trust has noted that ‘the canal infrastructure in the vicinity of the [school] site has significant historic value’ notably the Grade 2 listed bridge and subway, locks and tow-path bridges and is concerned about the impact of the development on both this and the ‘visual amenity’ for canal users and pedestrians. Impact on the landscape, character of the area: • The impact on the character of the landscape would be devastating. The unbroken view from the village, across farmland to the Huddersfield Narrow Canal to the ridge-line hamlets and pasture-land to the dramatic edge of the moors will be scarred by these incongruous and intrusive features. • The proposed school development is only one kilometre from the boundary of Peak District National Park and would have a significant negative impact on views into and out from the National Park, compromising the integrity of a landscape asset of national and international significance. • The value of the area for tourism, leisure and amenity has not been recognised. The Standege tunnel and Huddersfield Canal are significant tourist attractions and people come to Diggle to enjoy the views and the many public rights of way that run adjacent to the site. The gentle slope of the valley across the Green Belt pasture towards the meandering river will be interrupted by artificial structures associated with the new development e.g. perimeter fencing, artificial pitches, a new resident car park (also in the Green Belt), a modern flat roof/rendered building in sharp contrast to the traditional stone buildings of the area. A rural valley urbanised. Ecology: • Huddersfield Canal and Diggle Brook have been identified as important linear features used by the surrounding population of commuting and foraging bats. The introduction of floodlighting directly adjacent to these waterways will sever the routes used by bats and have a negative impact on their ability to feed and survive. This is exacerbated by surrounding developments that have also increased lighting next to Diggle Brook. The habitat used by bats in the Diggle Valley is restricted to the river/canal corridor – severance of these routes will have a devastating impact on the local bat population. There are a large number of confirmed bat roosts in the wider area as well as at least one bat roost within the site, with the potential for more to be found. Despite this, surveys to look for bat roost in the buildings on site have been limited in extent and coverage and the environmental impacts of demolishing buildings has not been covered by the Environment Statement. • There is clear and substantial survey evidence that the fields within the Green Belt on which the proposed sports facilities will be located are a significant nesting site and feeding area for Lapwings, a Priority Species in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan and Species of Principal Importance within the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act. The conversion of the fields from floodplain grazing marsh and pasture to sports pitches and associated disturbance would destroy this breeding site. No mitigation has been proposed to compensate for the loss. • The Huddersfield Canal is designated a Site of Biological Importance and supports flora and fauna of national and international importance. The impact of the development of the Canal has not been properly considered. • Diggle Brook is home to species of national & international importance e.g. Brown Trout (UKBAP), Otter (European Protected Species): Otters have been recorded on both Diggle Brook and Huddersfield Narrow Canal. White-clawed crayfish (declining in the UK) have also been recorded in the brook. The impacts of increased disturbance on the river environment have not been considered. Flood Risks, ground conditions, contamination: • There is a serious risk associated with both the threat of overtopping or breach of the canal banks to the rear of the site. • There is also a risk associated with the possible failure of the dam to Diggle Reservoir which would result in the inundation of the Diggle Brook and consequent serious flooding of the site. • A culvert carries a watercourse into the proposed school site where it joins another culvert within the site causing restricted flow and this has caused flooding of the site in the past. • The sports facilities are proposed in an area with a history of river flooding, part of which is a ‘functional floodplain’ i.e. stores excess water to prevent flooding downstream. There has been no consideration at all of the impact that ground engineering, compaction and levelling will have in terms on increasing flood risk downstream towards Uppermill! The new sports facilities will be of lower quality than current facilities as they will be located in a zone of increased flood risk. • There has been no consideration of the flood and contamination risk to Diggle Brook arising from the development with respect to proposed earth engineering works and change of land use from pasture to school and community sport facilities. Economic damage: • Economic damage will be caused not only through the loss of the designated Saddleworth Employment Area in Diggle, but also because the development will have a negative impact on businesses in Uppermill, the commercial centre of Saddleworth. The planning report outlines a £125m per annum loss to the retail sector. For these reasons I feel that the proposal to site the school at Diggle is wholly inappropriate and would be disastrous for Diggle and for Saddleworth. We urge you to reverse the decision to build the school in Diggle and instead build it on the more suitable site of the current school in Uppermill. Signed: