Objection to Starcross Major Planning Application 18/01656/MAJ

 

Overlooking and Loss of Privacy

I object because the house owners in Parkers Road will lose their privacy.

 

Adequate Parking & Services

I object because it is already difficult to park or drive up Brickyard Lane with traffic being reduced to single carriageway due to the parked cars.

A lot of families have 2 or more cars and parking here will be made even more difficult especially when each house has only one parking space. This will lead to more parking on Brickyard Lane and the corner of Heywood Drive which is full most times anyway.

 

Loss of Trees

The ecological assessment of the giant oak tree is poor. There is no estimate of its age or dimensions.

An Oak Tree which is more than a hundred years old is more than one species. It supports a wide range of wildlife and this has mostly been ignored in this planning application.

Oak Trees are called a keystone species for a reason. Like the keystone on a house you take it away and the house collapses.

Remove the Oak Tree and the diversity of wildlife it supports will collapse as well as losing the importance it provides in draining the area through evaporation.

I have attached a government leaflet which states among other things that the Oak Tree supports 350 different species of insects and then the insects and canopy supports birds and mammals including bats.

I object to the loss of the large oak tree which will take up to a hundred years to replace. Promising to plant an acorn or a sapling or a young tree is not enough.

 

Loss of Ecological Habitat

The Exe Estuary is an internationally important site for migratory birds.

The location and unique geology of the estuary means it is one of the reasons why it is so important.

Its southerly location and its shelter from the prevailing south westerly winds make it an ideal feeding ground.

The unique geology makes it one of the few Estuaries in the West Country that does not have hills down both its sides. The western side of the estuary is relatively flat and provides rich feeding grounds for the estuary bird populations. The main areas are the Exminster Marshes and Powderham Estate but just us important are the level cultivated fields around Starcross especially when the other areas are underwater, or prolonged bad weather has killed off their normal foods.

I have attached a Study of the Food and Feeding of Wading Birds by Liverpool University in 1975 which makes this very point.

 

In the winter I have seen flocks of Oyster Catchers, Curlews, Egrets, Herons, Shelducks, Brent Geese and many wading birds I cannot identify all feeding in the waterlogged fields surrounding Starcross. 

In the summer large flocks of Brent Geese feed in these fields from the farmer's harvest loss.

I have attached the following photos which were taken of the birds on the proposed development and fields in the vicinity:-

Photo 1. Oystercatchers

Photo 2. Brent Geese on the site

Photo 3. Flooding in this field

Photo 4. Winter lake in the adjacent field.

 

So my first reason for objecting is the loss of this valuable habitat for the estuary birds.

 

My second reason is the poor assessment in the Ecological report supplied by the developer.

1. There is no mention of Wading Birds or Waterfowl in the report’s  Executive Summary even though the assessor identified and mentioned them on page 17 of his report.

2. No mention either in the report’s Table of Contents of Wading Birds or Waterfowl

3. Flocks of 27 Curlews were mentioned on page 17 but this was not considered important.

4. In page 17 it said ‘Oyster Catchers were heard in the adjacent field’ but it appears the adjacent field to the proposed development was not visited to count their numbers or to check for other wading birds. This is negligent as it is only yards from the Housing Development.

5. On page 25 the last sentence states ‘Given that the field currently lies adjacent to an existing housing estate, it is considered unlikely that wintering species such as oystercatcher and curlew using nearby fields would be disturbed’. Does this assessor know anything about birds and the resulting stress/ loss of weight etc from being disturbed.

6. No mention of Wading Birds or Waterfowl in the report’s Conclusion even though they had been identified on page 17.

 

Access and Highway Safety

I object because it is already difficult to drive up Brickyard Lane with traffic being reduced to single carriageway due to the parked cars and the width of the lane.

This will make visual access when leaving the new estate particularly difficult.

A lot of families have 2 or more cars and they will naturally use Brickyard Lane and Staplake Road to avoid congestion at the Courtney Mews pinch point on New Road/ Strand.

This will create the following problems:-

1. There are very few passing places along Brickyard Lane and often these are used by the allotment holders. It will mean reversing back to the four way junction of the new housing estate and Heywood Drive or the nasty corner/ junction between Brickyard Lane and Staplake Road.

2. Once in Staplake Road the only passing places are on the nasty corners with Brickyard Lane and another nasty corner with Witcombe Lane.

3. As Staplake Road approaches the Strand there is a nasty S bend with cars parking making this a single carriageway with difficult passing points.

4. Where Staplake Road joins the Strand the junction is difficult to see out of especially to the right. Cars are often congested here as cars on the main road cannot enter Staplake Road until the cars in Staplake Road leave. With increased traffic this could block the traffic flow towards Dawlish.

5. In the summer, especially on weekends, this route is used as a rat run to avoid the congestion which forms along the Strand and around the junction of New Road and the Strand.

6. It will be a danger to pedestrians who use these roads for access to their homes and the villagers who enjoy the recreation of a countryside running, walking with/ without dogs. Often these pedestrians include mothers with pushchairs and children plus elderly people walking or with mobility scooters.

7. There are no footpaths and the hedges are often overgrowing the roads with Stinging Nettles and Brambles resulting in little space and more dangers for pedestrians

 

This information is not speculation but actual events which we experience daily even without the proposed development.

We live on the upper end of Staplake Road.

 

Traffic Generation

I object, as I mentioned above, a lot of families have 2 or more cars and they will naturally use Brickyard Lane and Staplake Road to avoid congestion at the Courtney Mews pinch point on New Road/ Strand.

There are only three main routes into Starcross and they all have there problems especially in the summer:-

1. The road from Exminister has a number of single carriageway section pinch points especially Kenton where residents suffer the added problem of vehicle pollution.

2. The road from Telegraph Hill is narrow in a lot of places and has several nasty bends.

3. The road from Newton Abbot via Teignmouth and Dawlish is already heavily congested especially Teignmouth which has almost a permanent traffic jam during the day. Once again the residents suffer the added problem of vehicle pollution. Especially in the Bitten Park area.

 

Loss of Public Visual Amenity

I object as this planning proposal is on land designated an Area of Great Landscape Value.

The views of the landscape from the upper end of Staplake Road and around to the upper end of Staplake Lane are stunning.

This area of the village is the main recreational area for the parishioners and  it would impact visually on people’s enjoyment.

 

Flood Risk

I have personally done damage to my engine driving through the flooded area at the junction of Heywood Drive and Brickyard Lane (see photo).

I understand that many residents have problems at times flushing their toilets because of water levels.

The water that runs off the hill, down Staplake Road and along Brickyard Lane is a permanent winter feature. It does a lot of damage to the road surfaces especially in Brickyard Lane when the tarmac each winter collapses in the continuously water flowing gully.

The new development will make the situation worse. There will be less land to absorb the water and more water runoff to be drained.

New Road also gets flooded by the Golf course. This could be made worse by this development causing more land run off flowing into and across Staplake Lane.

Teignbridge Council and Devon County Council already have major problems keeping the drains clean and the roads pothole free.

 

Local Housing Need

The houses being built in Teignbridge are based on Local Housing needs and Government demands.

However, unless these houses are allocated to local people by the use of strict covenants, we are pulling people in from other areas of the country where their councils have failed in their planning to provide an environment where people would like to live.

An influx of people from outside the area then puts increased pressure on:-

1. Housing demand

2. Schools

3. Health Services

4. Social Services

5. Transport Services

6. Water and Sewage Services

7. Transport infrastructure

 

Local Infrastructure 

I have been told that the local schools are full and children are waiting to get in.

However the School reports it has the capacity to cope with the extra children from this housing development.

It seems an anomaly until you think about the economics of the School finance.

I would guess the School prefers a waiting list which will ensure full revenue at all times. However the upset caused to parents and children, who do not get into the school, has no financial impact on the School so are ignored.