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Christleton & Littleton Village Consultation & Housing Needs Survey

Planning – 26 October 2022 response to CW&C:-

APPLICATION NUMBER 22/03522/AGR – Erection of agricultural building – Land at Grid Ref 344328 366038 Little Heath Christleton Chester CH3 7AN

Littleton Parish Council objects strongly to the application on the following grounds:

 

1. The applicant contends that there is a need for more storage relating to the agricultural unit comprising some 20,000 acres in and around the Chester area (“the Agricultural Unit”) on the basis that storage space has been replaced with residential units at Warren Farm, Mollington, the address of the applicant. This reduction was entirely voluntary by the applicant and storage at the Warren Farm site would have significantly less impact than the proposed location.  Furthermore, the applicant fails to mention storage available at Ford Farm, Guy Lane, Waverton CH3 7BF (also referred to as Walk Mill). Walk Mill is the registered address of T D Jones Ltd. and of Mr T B & Mrs S M Jones who are also the registered owners of the land in Christleton, which is less than four miles from the land in Christleton and not in a residential village. 

2. The Parish Council fails to understand why a development of this size and at this location is necessary, as the acreage of land which it proposes to serve (130 acres) does not warrant a structure of this size. Furthermore, the application does not make it clear that the storage of farm vehicles is in respect of the Christleton land only or whether this extends to the Agricultural Unit. Should it be the latter then why is the storage not being located somewhere more proximate to that land?

3. The proposed building is of a size and nature that would be seriously detrimental to the surrounding neighbourhood landscape and visible amenity. The site and size of the proposed building is in a location that means it will be clearly visible from properties in nearby in Fir Tree Lane, Littleton.   The site is severely overlooked by residential properties in both the villages of Littleton and Christleton. It would however appear that the proposed development allows for some hedging by way of screening to the South and East but does not afford the same mitigation measures to the North and West to protect Littleton residents.

4. The building will be clearly seen from Little Heath Road and Fir Tree Lane and from significant parts of five public footpaths.

5. The Parish Council would contend that the applicant’s statement that the building design would not be out of keeping with the rural landscape and the applicant’s comparison to the existing portal building is entirely unhelpful. The portal building which is of wooden cladding appearance is far less obtrusive than a building constructed of concrete panels, metal sheeting and fibre cement roof sheets (as proposed) and the photographic illustration used by the applicant highlights how isolated and ultimately obvious the structure will be.

6. The Parish Council has significant concerns over traffic and road safety as a result of the proposed development. The consequent transfer of machinery and crops to and from the facility would involve increased (large farming) vehicular traffic to and from the site. The main access lane is narrow and already used for other access purposes. 

7. The site entrance is at a point of Little Heath Road which is 40mph (although the speed limit is often exceeded) and does not have a good sightline for vehicles.  The entrance to the site is located on a blind bend on a narrow road which is the main road access to the local community secondary school. This is heavily used by both children, pedestrians and cyclists throughout the day and utilised by local and school bus services.  Our experience is that large farm vehicles already traverse the central line especially at the narrow point of Littleton Lane.  Any additional vehicles of this nature will create a further road hazard.

8. In point 1.14 of the support document the applicant states that “Christleton and Littleton are two distinct villages with a clear separation between the two.” This is correct. The applicant fails however to explain how siting an 8.5m high, 36m long building in the middle of the clear space will maintain that position rather than objectively render that separation less clear.

9. Access onto the two main roads, the A41 and the A51 is dangerous – both roads are heavily congested at all times. In particular the Parish Council has concerns that Littleton Lane is too narrow to accommodate large vehicles. Access and egress from the A51 with large farm vehicles could result in congestion and road safety issues due to narrow lanes and limited pavements.  Feeder lanes on the A51 are incapable of accommodating large farm vehicles which could result in gridlock and ensuing road safety issues.

10. As a result of the previous application, there are also concerns that if the proposed building went ahead, the applicant may then pull up all the grass/field to create hard- standing space for HGV vehicles to turn and park. This would further contribute to an undesirable change in the feel of the village and impact on the landscape/visual amenity. In addition, there are concerns that, if approved, this development could set a precedent for large industrial style developments on green belt within the residential areas of the villages of Littleton and Christleton.

11. Furthermore, the Parish Council is concerned that the agricultural use will be changed in due course to residential and asks the planning officer to consider the possible long- term protection of the green belt. For example, the applicant has demonstrated this as a real possibility in his support document (1.5 and 1.6) which explains that he has demolished agricultural storage builds to erect residential dwellings.

 

Littleton Parish Council’s Comments to the Planning Officer on

Planning Applications 21/03468/FUL, 21/03469/FUL & 21/03417/LBC

University of Law Christleton Residential Development with Offices and Haul Road

Littleton Parish Council objects to the proposed developments on the following grounds:-

The proposed development is on washed-over green belt land.  At present this is a car park which has very little impact on the openness of the green belt.  However, the development of 24 homes will have a significant impact on the openness of the green belt impacting both the Parishes of Christleton and Littleton.  Furthermore, any such development of the green belt should only take place in special circumstances.  It is the Parish Council’s understanding that CWAC has already exceeded its new house build targets and therefore the houses are surplus to requirements.  Accordingly, we do not consider that the “special circumstances” requirement is made out.

The properties proposed do not appear appropriate in terms of character and style for the Conservation Area of Christleton nor are they in keeping with the existing listed Christleton Hall building.  There are also concerns about the size and style of the proposed offices.

The Parish Council is fundamentally concerned about the effect of the development on the local infrastructure, in particular the extra pressure it will place on the local schools. There is a fear that Littleton children who would currently be eligible to attend either Christleton Primary School or the High School would be displaced by children arising from the new homes. The Parish Council would contend that, given other relatively recent residential developments in the Christleton and Littleton area such as at the Cheshire Cat and adjacent to the Canal below the Pepper Street bridge, this will result in over-development of the area for the purposes of local infrastructure.

The traffic arising from the new homes, apartments and office accommodation will inevitably place a significantly greater load on the already overburdened roads in and around Christleton and Littleton, most notably Little Heath Road and Littleton Lane as a route to the A51 and motorway.  This creates environmental concerns – emissions are already at a critical level on the A51 and are also above WHO recommended levels in the villages of Littleton and Christleton. The development could result in a significant increase in traffic levels on those already congested and polluted areas of road infrastructure.

The Parish Council also has significant safety concerns regarding the increased traffic as the road running from the A51 to Christleton (Littleton Lane) is narrow and dark.  Its only pavement at the top is narrow and uneven with there being no pavement for the residents of the East side of Littleton Lane in the narrow bit immediately adjacent to the A51.  School children bike and walk along here, several living in homes on this narrow bit.  Speeding is a significant problem and any extra traffic further compromises the safety of Littleton residents. 

The Parish Council has serious concerns regarding the sustainability of the site especially as there is no safe access for vehicles onto the A41 etc.

The Parish Council notes the developer’s suggestion that any traffic from the development will be no more than the traffic from the College of Law at its peak.  The Parish Council would make the points that (i) the timing of College of Law traffic was very different to commuter traffic generated by the development and (ii) the peak traffic from the College of Law was from at least 10, if not 20+ years ago – since then the traffic has notably decreased due to changes in teaching methods and the move to online learning with barely 1/3 of the car park (at most) being used at present and since then there have been further developments/changes in road infrastructure and developments in the area.  We therefore do not consider it to be a fair comparison.

Construction Traffic

The Parish Council understands that it is currently proposed that HGV traffic will access the site via a haul road routed across a field onto Little Heath Road.  We understand the approved route is then via Littleton Lane. The Parish Council is vehemently opposed to any routing of construction traffic down Littleton Lane due to:

·       the safety concerns stated above;

·       large construction vehicles turning right off the A51 could block the feeder lane resulting in congestion and potential gridlock on the A55 roundabout;

·       entry into Littleton Lane will be particularly difficult if vehicles are exiting Littleton Lane;

·       the danger of large construction vehicles on a narrow lane with limited pavements;

·       the potential for the resulting gridlock adding to the already severe environmental pollution;

·       the lack of consideration given to dust pollution arising from the use of the temporary haul road; and

·       the lack of consideration given to how vibration from such vehicles may impact on the houses fronting onto Littleton Lane/Little Heath Road bearing in mind that this is over a three year period. Indeed, as there is a vagueness about the numbers of vehicle movements which this will involve it is unclear as to how CW&C can make an informed assessment on the effect this traffic will have on the local environment.  This concerns us greatly.

In the event of any planning permission being granted, which is vehemently opposed by the Littleton Parish Council, it should be a condition of any planning permission that:-

1.   any temporary haul road route is solely restricted to those vehicles that cannot access the site via Pepper Street bridge

2.   any haul road being a temporary access only and that upon the completion of the building work the haul road be removed and the field reconstituted back to agricultural land with the Public Rights of Way reinstated along with any trees and hedges that had to be removed being replaced.

3.   any haul road being constructed from materials that do not have a detrimental effect on the environment, including the generation of dust.

4. the haul road route only being used outside of peak periods/school start and finish times.

5.   HGV vehicles only use the agreed route and that there be the appropriate “No Construction Traffic” signage deployed and that this be enforced. 

6. It should be an absolute requirement that a banksman be employed to ensure safety in respect of the access and egress of construction traffic along the haul road and local roads onto the road network outside of the villages of Christleton and Littleton.

7.   As the proposed haul road cuts straight across the public footpath in the field to Pearl Lane (which is well used by local residents, most importantly including significant numbers of children commuting to and from school, their safety needs to be provided for) a replacement footpath is put into place.

8.    A survey is undertaken before and after the development of the houses fronting onto Littleton Lane and Little Heath Road to ensure that no damage occurs and any damage is remedied.

9.   An environmental impact survey is undertaken of the proposed haul road and the associated construction traffic with appropriate conditions being imposed in light of the outcomes of that survey.

In the event that planning is granted for the development and the concept of a haul road is approved, as an alternative to Littleton Lane, the Parish Council would encourage consideration being given to the routing of the haul road across the fields off Pearl Lane (immediately having come over the A55) thereby avoiding the narrow bit by the junction with Little Heath Road given safety concerns around the junction.  The Parish Council would further suggest that the route along Pearl Lane from the A41 be widened to allow for the safe access and egress along Pearl Land and, in future, the widened road be used for pedestrians and cyclists in line with CWAC plans for cycling/green infrastructure.

The Consultation Document issued by Christleton Parish Council and distributed to residents of Christleton and Littleton is here whilst the response to it by the Developer is here.

Letter to Local Residents about proposed Christleton Law College Development and Haul Road

Dear Resident                                                                                15 October 2021

Planning Applications – University of Law, Christleton and proposed Haul Road off Little Heath Road

We are writing to ensure you are aware of proposed developments in Christleton which could potentially affect you.

Currently there are planning applications in train with Cheshire West & Chester Council for (i) a residential development on the site of the former Law College including 24 homes, conversion of the former manor to 18 apartments and the construction of an office building and (ii) a haul road for HGVs that would run from the construction site to emerge on Little Heath Road.  This is not the first such application for a housing development on that site and Littleton Parish Council will again object to it as a neighbouring Parish Council on the grounds that the development will place significant pressure on an already overburdened infrastructure including local schools and local roads such as Littleton Lane, Little Heath Road and the A51 Tarvin Road.  We also feel the proposed development seriously compromises the openness of the Green Belt in the locality and will have a visible impact on both Littleton and Christleton Parishes.

Whilst supportive of a haul road to protect the centre of Christleton, the Parish Council are also seriously concerned about the effects of construction traffic travelling to and from the site via the proposed haul road opening onto Little Heath Road.  It would appear that the proposed route will involve HGV’s being routed off Tarvin Road via Littleton Lane and Little Heath Road. We feel that this could have serious implications for Littleton residents and local school children in terms of safety and congestion.  We are concerned that large construction vehicles will have extreme difficulty in negotiating the Tarvin Road/Littleton Lane junction, which could cause major difficulties for the operation of the A51 through Littleton and inevitable congestion leading to more pollution on a stretch of road where emissions are already at a dangerous level.

In meetings with the developer suggestions were made that Pearl Lane be used as an alternative route for HGVs with the road widened in places to facilitate egress and the temporary haul road routed from Pearl Lane across fields to the site but we have been told this is not feasible and not acceptable to CWAC. We also suggested that the widened road could then be used for pedestrians/cyclists in the future.

Whilst the Parish Council will again be submitting their own views on the main development and the haul road it is imperative that as many residents as possible make their own individual representations to the planning authority.

We therefore encourage you to visit the CW&C Planning website where you will be able to examine the documentation.  Firstly, access the CW&C website via https://www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk then click on “see or comment on a planning application”.  Tick box at foot of page then click to visit the Public Access System.  The application numbers you can then search for are 21/03468/FUL (main development) and 21/03469/FUL (haul road).  Deadline for comments is 5 November 2021.

D Taylor  Clerk to Littleton Parish Council

 

Letter to Local Residents about Proposed Improvements to A51 etc