he main issues/arguments of objection :- Building up to 600 homes on the New Monks Farm site (policy 5) with a school, community centre, 10,000 sq metres of business development plus the road infrastructure will create an unacceptable flood risk for existing residents who all reside within the northern, western and southern perimeters of the Lancing/Shoreham flood plain flood plain. The same applies to the 15,000 sq metres of proposed business development on the north eastern side of the airport (policy 7). As a resident who lives north of the flood plain, having experienced 8 weeks of devastation last Christmas with serious flooding, loss of sewerage and gas, I know instinctively that the agencies and developers simply cannot mitigate this flood risk in such a shallow fall flood plain – 4 feet fall across 2 miles to the Shoreham sluices. It’s a planning policy built on lunacy. The draft plan has absolutely neglected to take account of this Christmas flooding event which has cost hundreds of thousands of pounds to remedy and for which work still continues. This event categorically proves that mitigation will be impossible in periods of sustained wet weather. How much more proof is required? Adur DC must listen to all the residents who suffered so badly on the north, west and south sides of the flood plain over last Christmas into the New Year. If this vast infill of concrete is permitted in such a fragile area, whatever is built within the flood plain and wherever it is located will put all residents who live around it at risk with displacement of ground and surface waters. Even though on the south side, for ‘technical reasons’, Old Salts Farm is no longer included in the plan, any development elsewhere on the flood plain will still put at risk areas such as West Beach and Willowbrook Park. Those areas are as concerned about the increased risks as we are in the north of Lancing despite the building exclusion for Old Salts Farm area. The same ‘technical reasons’ apply to New Monks Farm and the airport developments and they must be taken out of the plan Throughout the flood plain, drainage problems will affect everyone – they are all interconnected by this fragile, wetland area which must be allowed to work as a flood plain to retain excess water during periods of wet weather. In terms of infrastructure, it is completely unacceptable to even contemplate a roundabout (Map7) on this stretch of the A27. The road is at over capacity now. Seven years ago a previous planning development on the same site was rejected by the Highways Agency. This was the main reason a hearing upheld the decision to not approve the application. If the A27 then was incapable of sustaining the additional traffic from just 100 homes, how can it approve the vast increase from the 600 houses and businesses/a school which now are being proposed. Together with the proposed roundabout, this is a total lack of inconsistency bordering on stupidity. In the interests of the well being of all the residents and their families in Lancing, there must be absolutely no further building on the Lancing/Shoreham flood plain. Adur District Council has no option but to strenuously defend this argument with the government inspectors to ensure the wellbeing of its ratepaying community. Ends./
Posted on: Fri, 04 Oct 2013 06:38:22 +0000
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