BARRATTS

May 2017

BARRATTS APPEAL IS ALLOWED 

13 April 2017: The Planning Inspector has decided to allow Barratts planning application PA14/10838 for the construction of 82 dwellings (market and affordable homes), including estate road and drainage infrastructure, parking and landscaping on Land off St Martins Road, Looe.

An application for costs was made by Barratt David Wilson Homes against Cornwall Council has been refused.

the decisions can be found here > APPEAL DECISION 3155280,   COSTS DECISION 3155280

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Barratt Homes have successfully appealed against the refusal by Cornwall Council last year of their Phase 2 application to build 82 more houses off St Martins Road, East Looe. The grounds for refusal at the planning committee on 29 February 2016 were given as:

The submitted application for reserved matters on Phase 2 does not provide sufficient information, including information relating to underlying geology, to enable the Environment Agency; Cornwall Council Flood Drainage Team and Estate Adoption Team to fully support the surface water drainage strategy and details for this site as presently submitted. The application is therefore not compliant with saved Policies ALT4 and ALT5 of the Caradon District Plan and Section 10 of the NPPF.

During the course of the appeal process in February of this year Cornwall Council submitted a statement to the Appeal Inspector stating they have come to an agreement with Barratt Homes the appellant as follows:

"In light of the adoption of the Local Plan and the findings of the inquest addressed below, the Council reviewed the case and sought to agree matters with the appellant.

"The Council now considers it has sufficient information that coupled with a suitably worded condition to address the surface water drainage strategy and as a result will not be defending the reason for refusal.

"The appellant and the Council are in agreement the appropriate provision of affordable housing is 30% (down from 39%).

"The appellant has agreed to a contribution of £125,000 towards a catchment wide surface water management plan for the East Looe catchment area which would identify sources, flow paths and geological conditions and to provide towards any identified solutions."

Whilst the Inspector, in his Appeal Decision Statement, agreed to the reduction in the number of affordable houses he said he did not believe it was demonstrated as necessary to support the commitment by Barratt Homes of £125,000 towards a catchment wide Surface Water Management Plan for the East Looe Catchment Area.   

He quoted the Council’s Sustainable Drainage Lead officer's comment at the planning committee in February 2016 that a full appraisal of the area in geological terms was not necessary as part of the proposal.

The LSG is naturally disappointed that the Inspector's decision means Looe has lost 7 or 8 affordable units from within the Phase 2 scheme and also the funding from Barratts for a geological study of the area, and we trust that alternative finance will be found to enable a meaningful study still to go ahead.

When construction works start again we will be keeping a close eye on how the development progresses to ensure, as far as we can, that it is built safely and in accordance with agreed plans and conditions of approval numbered 1 to 4 which embrace the specification contained in the following technical note: 

Technical Note v5 part 1 of 3,    Technical Note v5 part 2 of 3,    Technical Note v5 part 3 of 3 

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Towards the end of March 2017 and before the Appeal decision was known we posed a number of questions to Cornwall Council...

We have continuing concerns regarding the Barratts Appeal situation and list these as follows:

1) We understand that the surface water drainage strategy will be dealt with by condition and we query how the surface water drainage scheme will be maintained and paid for once the development is completed and Barratts have disappeared?

2) If not maintained by the Local Authority, how would a private company enforce proper maintenance if residents did not or could not pay the charges demanded. Private management companies can go ‘bust’ resulting in a non-performing drainage system. How would these eventualities be catered for?

3) Why do the land drainage calculations by Hydrock for Phase 2 (and Phase1) continue to use out-of-date figures for flood risk and not adopt the revised climate change allowance of 40% potential increase in peak rainfall anticipated for the 2080’s per guidance issued by the Environment Agency on 19/02/2016?

4) What effect will Barratt's proposals for soakaways of the size and positions chosen, mostly at the foot of the site close to the highway, have on the long-term stability of the hillside and the road and the safety of residents below?

5) In respect of Barratt's agreement to a contribution of £125,000 towards a "catchment wide surface water management plan for the East Looe catchment area which would identify sources, flow paths and geological conditions and to provide towards any identified solutions”, will the report's findings be incorporated into plans before any more building works continue in the area?

6) Who would be engaged to conduct the investigations and produce the report(s) and would we in Looe have prior access to any draft brief to ensure that those aspects that concern us are properly considered?

7) We understand that Barratts and the Council are in agreement the appropriate provision of affordable housing is 30% (down from 39%). This represents 7 or 8 less units and a substantial saving in subsidy - where is this money going?

Looe Strategy Group

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Below is an excerpt from our representation dated 16 November 2016...

To the Planning Inspectorate,

REF: APP/D0840/W/16/3155280, CORNWALL COUNCIL REF: PA14/10838

BARRATT DAVID WILSON HOMES  - LAND OFF ST MARTIN’S ROAD LOOE CORNWALL

The twin towns of East and West Looe are built on steep hillsides that have a history of erosion and landslips which appear to becoming progressively more frequent as a result of climate change bringing more severe storms and increased rainfall to the area.

We are concerned that Barratt's proposal to employ soakaways at focussed points on the development site to return surface water to the ground does not replicate the natural drainage conditions of greenfield land where rainwater is dispersed evenly.  Instead it creates a significant risk of overloading the unknown absorbency capacity of an unstable hillside with safety implications for those living downstream.

A more appropriate solution would be to route surface water away from the development site using one or other of the following options:

1.  Discharge surface water to a network of lateral dispersal pipes buried within the open farmland on the other (north) side of the B3253 opposite the development.
2. Use a settlement pond with reed bed to filter out silt and neutralise contaminants with a piped discharge to the tidal West Looe River. 

Yours kindly

EW

On behalf of Looe Strategy Group.

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Appeal ref: APP/D0840/W/16/3155280,  Cornwall Council ref: PA14/10838

Planning Inspectorate website: planninginspectorate.gov.uk/CaseSearch 

email address: west2@pins.gsi.gov.uk 

Status: decided Decision date:  13 April 2017

Previous comments can be seen on Cornwall's website here > PA14/10838

Details of Phase 2 Outline approval > PA12/04367

Appeal documentation go to > planning.cornwall.gov.uk/

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1st March 2016

Barratts Phase 2 planning application is refused

The East Sub-Area Planning Committee met at 12 noon yesterday to consider, amongst other applications, the proposal by Barratt Homes to nearly double their housing estate on land adjacent St Martins Road.

The late announcement of the meeting gave little time to prepare but, as on other occasions, the Looe Strategy Group spoke in opposition to the proposals citing various grounds many of which related to the ground conditions locally, the disposal of surface water and the management of its runoff from the site.

Committee members' minds were concentrated by the news that there had been further landslides affecting St Martins Road and Sandplace Road, but neither the case officer nor the flood drainage officer had included this in their reports because they were unaware of the problems.

In answering questions about the size of soakaways, the committee were advised by officers that the standard implemented for Phase 1 was slightly lesser than was proposed for Phase 2 as they now know, in hindsight, there have been issues.

We pointed out that conditions locally are not the same as when the land was designated for housing or when outline approval was first applied for in 2010. Whether because of climate change or other factors was unclear, but the hillsides of Looe have become unstable resulting in a rapid deterioration in the condition of important infrastructure features.

After 1.5 hours of debate on the issue of land drainage the majority of the committee concluded they were not satisfied it was proven that Phase 1 didn't contribute to landslides of 2012/13 and to those that occurred recently and they didn't want to endorse a scheme that could cause similar or worse to happen in the future.

They referred to the Caradon Local Plan plus the Section on Climate Change and Flooding in the National Planning Policy Framework which states:

Inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding should be avoided by directing development away from areas at highest risk. 

The Committee voted 10 to 3 against approval with one abstention and the wording for refusal was as follows:

The submitted application for reserved matters on Phase 2 does not provide sufficient information, including information relating to underlying geology, to enable the Environment Agency; Cornwall Council Flood Drainage Team and Estate Adoption Team to fully support the surface water drainage strategy and details for this site as presently submitted. The application is therefore not compliant with saved Policies ALT4 and ALT5 of the Caradon District Plan and Section 10 of the NPPF.

Link to full planning committee minutes >> https://democracy.cornwall.gov.uk/mgAi.aspx?ID=58414

Although this application will no doubt be back in one guise or another, we believe its refusal gives Looe a little breathing space to pursue answers to what is happening to the geology of the area. Why are the roads on both sides of the valley showing signs of movement with gaps opening up in the Tarmac and why have we seen so many landslides?

If a geotechnical expert is to be involved, he will no doubt need full access to all the Council files and, bearing in mind the Inquest situation, will this be allowed?

More to follow...

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20 February 2016

Barratt's Phase 2 application PA14/10838 is surprisingly back on the agenda

Despite many people believing that this application had been deferred until after the Inquest into Susan Norman's death, it has just been resubmitted by Barratts and is on the agenda for the East Sub-Area Planning Committee at 12 noon on 29th February in Bodmin.

By submitting comments online here >> PA14/10838 , by writing/ emailing the case officer... stephen.kirby@cornwall.gov.uk , and by attending the meeting, the greater the chance of gaining the outcome we are looking for, which is for an attractive scheme that blends into the landscape and that doesn't pose any safety issues for those living downstream of the development.

The case officer, Mr Kirby, has reported on the five reasons given for deferral at the last meeting here >> Officer Report on Additional Drainage Information and from this it is apparent that Cornwall Council's Flood Drainage Team is still not happy with the construction of Phase 1 or the answers provided by the applicant for the management of Phase 2.

Following recent further landslips in the vicinity, we have received this comment from a resident of Sandplace Road in the downstream catchment of the Barratts Development...

Despite all the work that took place at Sandplace Road, following the avoidable death of Susan and our own displacement from our home for eighteen months, we have recently seen two further landslips: the first at Sandplace Road along from where the retaining wall was built and the second, more serious one, at the St. Martin's Road junction a few days later. This second one woke my wife and I up and made so much noise that we thought something had fallen over in our loft ! What does the fact that the sound travelled through the substratum so clearly tell us about the structure and stability of this ground ? Once again we residents at Sandplace Road are left to wonder just how safe we are in our beds. Profit ahead of safety ? It seems so. 

Submission to Planning Committee 29th February 2016 on behalf of Looe Strategy Group:

Our detailed concerns expressed to you at your January 4th meeting remain valid.
The hillside from Barratts down to the River is known to be unstable with a long history of collapses. 3 years ago one led to a fatal landslide after a period of heavy rain and flooding from the road.
Since your meeting on January 4th there have been two further serious land falls onto the highways and two small bankface falls onto the road near the Barratts site. The road continues to show signs of instability at other points on the hill.
Our Town is increasingly concerned over the instability of both sides of the Looe valley. We have seen the results of the failure of a SuDs system at Bideford with flooding of downhill homes.
At your January meeting you asked the Developers for more information on the drainage issues. In their Report to you today both the Planning Officer and Officers of the LLFA state that not all the information requested has been provided and yet they ask you give approval subject to planning conditions.
We believe this is not the correct advice as Barratts have a history on this site of not complying with planning conditions in respect of Phase 1.
No other drainage options have been put forward. Barratts have kept strictly to solving problems ON their development and ignored completely the potential impact their system is likely to have on all the land below their site.
The geography and geology of the area remains the same, water still runs downhill! Barratts SuDs proposals do NOT mimic the natural drainage of the land as they should.
We refer you to industry best practice for Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDs):
1) Whether or not infiltration systems pose a problem on steeply sloping sites will depend on the geology below the site.
2) The impact of using infiltration drainage on sloping sites should be assessed by a competent geotechnical engineer or engineering geologist.
3) It is possible that infiltrating water may cause seepages out of the slope at a lower level, which could cause flooding or instability.
4) SuDs for sites where there are soils or rocks prone to instability should not use infiltration as a run off destination.
5) The use of SuDs in such areas with rock/soil instability risks will require advice from a geotechnical specialist.

EW
On behalf of LSG

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4th January 2016 - Barratt Homes Application PA14/10838 deferred

Cornwall's East Area Planning Committee met today in Bodmin to look at Barratt's planning application for Phase 2. After nearly an hour and a half’s debate, committee members resolved by a vote of 12 to 3 to defer a decision to a later meeting to enable further information to be provided by the applicant in relation to surface water drainage as follows:

1. Details of the maintenance agreement for the occupants and registered provider;
2. The construction details of the flood drainage scheme;
3. Details of the maintenance company to be set up;
4. Details on how the maintenance would be monitored;
5. Further details regarding conditions 4 and 5 as set out in the report.

It was the Planning Authority’s stated opinion that a balance had already been struck in providing sufficient information to allow the application to be decided upon and that any missing detail could be finalised afterwards through conditions attached to any approval. The majority of committee members however disagreed and expressed concerns about allowing the proposal to proceed whilst many questions relating to the maintenance and monitoring of the flood drainage scheme remained unanswered.

Some members of the committee also expressed concern that the planning application was premature in that the Inquest into Susan Norman's death is due to be held in May and its findings could include recommendations for changes to the submitted plans or the building works if already implemented.

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30 December 2015

Submission on behalf of Looe Strategy Group (LSG) to the Cornwall East Sub-Area Planning Committee on Monday 4th January 2016, Agenda item 5.1.

PA14/10838 Barratt David Wilson Homes - Land Off St Martins Road, East Looe, PL13 1PU

The Barratt Homes application site is at the top of sloping land to the eastern side of East Looe River Valley and the LSG believe there are two main problems with the proposals which, if passed, would have a potentially dangerous impact on the future stability of the valley side and the safety of residents and visitors.

1. The positioning of soakaways for the proposed SuDs system of drainage of estate roads and public areas, and also the combined soakaways for many dwellings, are all below this downward slope and either adjacent to St Martin’s Road B3253 or in lines pointing to the road, thereby channelling ground and rainwater towards the highway that has seen flooding in the past.

2. The proposal by Barratts to transfer ownership and place responsibility for the maintenance of combined property soakaways onto the purchasers of the houses.

Reasons for concern:

A) The hill of St Martin’s Road, which is the main access into Looe and a primary internal route, has suffered two major collapses in the past few years, one resulting in the death of a Resident. Many homes have been blighted and there have been periods of severe disruption to the social and economic life of the Town. The road surface is again, in December 2015, showing signs of stability problems. At the time of collapse which caused the death of Mrs Norman, many residents reported an unprecedented level of flood water coming from the site under development onto the road and believe it was a major factor in the road failing.

B) Due to their positioning, the soakaways as proposed would not replicate the aim of a SuDs system to imitate the natural drainage of a previously undeveloped hillside. Instead they would concentrate the ground and rainwater flows to a known area of weakness upstream of the areas of collapse and previously affected properties. 

C) We believe that the whole valley side water catchment area and its history should be considered as a whole - water and the weather are no respecters of man-made boundaries. As stated by a Looe Town Councillor, ‘These rules and regulations may be appropriate for an average level site but I am not convinced they are adequate for this particular sloping land’.

D) By focussing solely on trying to contain all surface water run-off within the site, consideration has not been given to the feasibility of directing excess surface water flows to an eminently suitable alternative location on the north side of the B3253, opposite the site where the arable land slopes away from the road, to ensure safe disposal of the water to ground strata via soakaways without affecting the vulnerable parts of the valley.

E) Planning Guidance states that SuDs systems should have clear arrangements in place for ongoing maintenance. The current proposal for a house-owners jointly owned private company patently does not comply with this guidance. There is no definitive information how such an arrangement would be managed, funded or what expertise or financial stability it would enjoy. The Guidance further states that site level planning conditions are not a successful tool to impose maintenance responsibilities towards the costs of SuDs or to do the work for the lifetime of the system. The Guidance advises that a known stable body, such as a Council, could take over such systems if given the benefit of some kind of insurance policy or a capital sum by the Developer to do so.

F) It seems particularly inappropriate to leave such an important responsibility to an ‘ad hoc’ group of house owners most of whom would have little or no experience of such matters and which, out of the 82 houses to be built, 32 (38%) would be for ‘Local Needs’ - 6 each for affordable purchase and shared ownership and 20 for social rent - which indicates many residents would be amongst the least able to meet the costs.

G) Met Office figures show that there is a 50% probability of 31% more winter rainfall in the South West by 2080 due to climate change - the highest increase in the UK. Taking into account the well publicised national flooding problems in recent times, and anecdotal evidence such as that given me by friends from Cumbria who say that in the last 10 years they have experienced three '1 in a 100 year' flooding events, it is clear that exceptional weather events are increasingly becoming the norm.

H) NPPF Technical Guidance Notes on Flood Risk recommend a 30% allowance nationally for anticipated rises in peak rainfall intensities during the next 70 to 100 years based on Defra’s 'Climate Change Impacts' publication dated October 2006.   A Local Planning Authority can increase this to account for local factors and, bearing in mind the applicant’s Flood Risk Assessment was submitted in 2010 for Phase 1 application and before the flooding/ landslides of 2012 and 2013 occurred,  we are surprised and concerned that the LPA hasn’t since required a higher precautionary factor than the minimum 30% be used for climate change during the lifetime of the development.

I) Also of concern is that no allowance appears to have been made for ‘urban creep’. This would account for the development of extensions, greenhouses, patio paving etc. in future years and can typically reduce permeable areas by 10%.

J) A Coroner’s Inquest and Health and Safety Investigation are due to be held and reported soon. It is surely prudent to await the detailed evidence from the Inquest into Mrs Norman’s death, take into account the whole of the water catchment area, and not rely on percolation tests taken during particularly dry periods on site in April 2010 and April 2015. There is every possibility that expert professional evidence from the Inquest will identify concerns about further development of the application site and the measures being implemented for the safe disposal of site water flows. 

I therefore ask Members of this Committee to not pass the application today but to defer a decision until all relevant information is made available for consideration.

EW

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15 December 2015

RESULT OF PUBLIC MEETING TO LOOK AT BARRATTS PHASE 2

The Town Council held a special public meeting of the planning committee last night Monday 14th December in the Guildhall to make a recommendation on Barratts Phase 2 proposals PA14/10838. Cornwall Council's case officer Mr Kirby and representatives from Barratt Homes attended.

Additional data relating to drainage issues had been submitted by the applicant on 7/12/2015 and 9/12/2015 and a review of this information by the Environment Agency that appeared in the 'Comments' section of Cornwall's website just hours before the meeting was also considered by the committee.

The Environment Agency's review stated "Our review has highlighted that additional information is required for both phases to ensure that we have the evidence that an adequate surface water drainage system has been built for phase 1 and will be built for phase 2." 

Taking this information into account the Town Council voted unanimously to support refusal of the application as follows:

"Recommends refusal for the reasons not mitigated in the Environment Agency response:

• Details of drainage during the construction phase
• Details of final drainage scheme
• Provision of exceedance pathways and overland flow routes
• timetable for construction
• A construction quality control procedure
• A plan for future maintenance and management of the system and overland flow routes
• The management company not representing both phases of the development"

The final decision will of course be made by Cornwall's East Area Planning Committee probably at its next meeting scheduled for 4th January 2016 in Bodmin. Mr Kirby indicated he thought the process of examination of the plans had gone as far as it could and that he would be recommending approval of the Phase 2 proposals.

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updated 24 November 2015

Latest on Barratt Homes Phase 2 planning application PA14/10838

Barratt estate viewed from the west 

Drawings for an application that was originally submitted nearly 12 months ago have recently been updated and posted on Cornwall's planning register here >>

http://planning.cornwall.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=externalDocuments&keyVal=NF0Q81FGHNO00

The scheme appears to be relatively unchanged since the application was deferred last May, although the strategy for dealing surface water run-off has been modified and the number of units has been reduced by 3 from 85 to 82 in total for Phase 2.

Comments by members of the public should be submitted to Cornwall Council with a copy to Looe Town Council at the earliest opportunity.

We were expecting that the application to be placed on the agenda of the 7th December meeting of the East Area Planning Committee in Liskeard, but we have just heard there will be a further extension of time taking us into the New Year. The next meeting of the Planning Committee is scheduled for Monday 4th January in Bodmin.

In the meantime Looe Town Council Planning Committee held a public meeting on 5th November. Mr Kirby (Cornwall Council's case officer) was in attendance, a representative from Barratt Homes and also their drainage consultant from Hydrock - the agenda was as follows:

1. To Receive an Outline of Key Issues from Stephen Kirby, Cornwall Council Planning
   
2. To Receive a Presentation of Proposals from a Representative from Barratt David Wilson Homes
   
3. To Receive Statements or Questions from Members of the Public
   
4. To Consider Planning Application Number PA14/10838 (Barratt David Wilson Homes, St Martin’s, East Looe) and make recommendations through the Clerk direct to Cornwall Council 

Due to the difficulty in arriving at a decision on land drainage aspects when not all the information that Barratt Homes was asked to provide was ready and available to the meeting, Looe Town Council decided to delay their recommendation until a later date.

There follow three letters to Cornwall Council Planning from concerned residents of Looe...

...and just by way of explanation SuDS = Sustainable (urban) Drainage System = a drainage strategy promoted by the UK Government that aims to dispose of rainwater collected from impervious surfaces such as house roofs and roads by dispersing it into the ground using a number of techniques including infiltration trenches, soakaways and permeable paving within an urban development in preference to piping it off-site to join a local watercourse or the sewage system as was traditionally done in the past.

BARRATT DEVELOPMENT AT ST MARTINS LOOE – FACTORS TO BE CONSIDERED IN RESPECT OF THE RESERVED MATTERS APPLICATION PA14/10838

1. THERE IS NO INFORMATION AT ALL ON THE PROPOSED MANAGEMENT COMPANY FOR THE SuDs SYSTEMS. NO DETAILS OF ITS STRUCTURE, OWNERSHIP, FINANCIAL STRENGTH OR EXPERTISE.
2. AS CORNWALL COUNCIL WOULD BE ULTIMATELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SuDs SYSTEMS IN THE EVENT OF BANKRUPTCY OF THE COMPANY OR IT CEASE TRADING FOR ANY OTHER REASON OR NOT KEEP TO ITS OBLIGATIONS TO PROPERLY MANAGE AND MAINTAIN THE SYSTEM. IT IS SURELY UNWISE TO APPROVE THE RESERVED MATTERS UNTIL THESE DETAILS ARE APPROVED BY CORNWALL COUNCIL AND A FULLY FUNDED FINANCIAL BOND HAS BEEN DEPOSITED WITH THE COUNCIL (similar to a Road Bond) BY BARRATTS OR THE MANAGEMENT COMPANY.
3. TO GRANT PERMISSION NOW WOULD BE TO THROW AWAY A STRONG NEGOTIATING POSITION BY THE COUNCIL IN FAVOUR OF THE DEVELOPERS. (see 4 below).
4. BARRATTS HAVE A LONG RECORD ON THIS SITE OF BEING VERY DILATORY IN SUPPLYING INFORMATION TO THE COUNCIL FOR PLANNING CONSIDERATION AND HAVE TAKEN WEEKS, MONTHS ON OCCASION, TO SUPPLY DETAILS REQUESTED AND NECESSARY FOR THE PLANNING PROCESS TO WORK PROPERLY. IT IS LITERALLY ONLY IN THE LAST FEW DAYS WHEN TIME LIMITS APPROACH,THEY HAVE GIVEN DETAILS OF THE SuDs SYSTEMS THEY PROPOSE
5. ALL THE LARGE SOAKAWAYS ARE EITHER ADJACENT TO THE ST MARTIN’S HILL ROAD OR ARE IN A LINE “POINTING” DOWN THE SLOPE OF THE LAND TOWARDS THE ROAD.
6. THERE IS NO CLEAR AND DETAILED SuDs SYSTEM IN PLACE FOR THE LARGE UNDEVELOPED EMPLOYMENT AREA (Have potential flows from this land been taken into account). A SYSTEM FOR THIS AREA WILL FUTHER AGGREVATE THE DRAINAGE PROBLEMS.
7. THERE IS COMPLETE RELIANCE ON THE SuDs SYSTEM OF SOAKAWAYS FOR THE SAFE DISPOSAL OF GROUND AND SURFACE WATER FLOWS.
8. SURELY IT WOULD BE PRUDENT AS WELL AS BEST PRACTICE TO HAVE “HIGH LEVEL” OVERFLOWS FROM THE MAIN SOAKAWAYS TO PREVENT FLOODING DOWN ST MARTIN’S HILL AND ONTO ADJACENT PROPERTIES AND INTO THE TOWN AND RIVER (as has happened in past years). SUCH OVERFLOWS TO OUTFALL INTO A SYSTEM OF UNDERGROUND PIPES IN THE FIELDS ON THE NORTHERN SIDE OF THE ROAD AND AWAY FROM THE ROAD, PROPERTIES AND TOWN. (similar to a septic tank system). THEREBY REMOVING THE LIKELIHOOD OF A REPEAT OF THE 2013 FLOODS WHICH CAUSED THE DEATH OF A RESIDENT, COLLAPSE OF THE HIGHWAY, BLIGHT TO HOMES AND MONTHS OF DISRUPTION TO THE WHOLE TOWN.
9. THE INQUEST INTO THE RESIDENT’S DEATH HAS YET TO BE HELD. THERE WILL BE PROFESSIONAL EXPERT REPORTS ON THE STABILITY OF THE VALLEY SIDE AND THE HIGHWAY GIVEN AT THE INQUEST. THE CORONER IS ONLY CONCERNED WITH THE INQUEST WHEREAS CORNWALL COUNCIL AS LEAD FLOOD DEFENCE AUTHORITY, HIGHWAYS AUTHORITY, PLANNING AUTHORITY AND EVENTUALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ESTATE SuDs SYSTEMS MUST RECOGNISE THE LANDSLIPS, ROAD COLLAPSES AND FLOODING ARE INTERLINKED AND IT MUST SURELY BE APPROPRIATE TO HAVE ALL THE INFORMATION ON THESE ISSUES TO ENABLE THE BEST SOLUTION TO BE FOUND.
10. DUE TO THE LATE SUBMISSION OF INFORMATION REQUESTED BY THE COUNCIL’S OFFICERS THERE HAS BEEN NO OPPORTUNITY FOR A CONSIDERED EXAMINATION OF THEIR PROPOSALS BY COUNCILLORS, LOCAL MEMBERS OR LOOE TOWN COUNCIL. HOUSEOWNERS ON PHASE 1 ARE UNAWARE OF THE RESPONSIBILITY PLACED ON THEM AND THE PROBLEMS INHERENT WITH THE SHARED HOUSEHOLD SOAKAWAYS (Barratts should inform and explain this new method of drainage to all such houseowners affected on the development).
11. BARRATS FAILED TO CONTROL GROUND AND SITE SURFACE WATER FLOWS DURING THE CONSTRUCTION OF PHASE 1. UNPRECENTED FLOODING FROM THE LAND IS WIDELY AND REASONABLY HELD BY THE MANY WHO SAW IT AS A MAJOR FACTOR IN THE 2013 FLOODING DISASTER. BARRATTS PLANS FOR CONTROLLING THESE FLOWS ON PHASE 2 SHOULD BE IN PLACE AND APPROVED IN WRITING BY CORNWALL COUNCIL’S OWN PROFESSIONAL EXPERTS BEFORE ANY FUTHER CONSTRUCTION IS ALLOWED.

Dear Sirs

Planning application number PA14/10838 Barratt Developments at St Martins, Looe. Application for decision on reserved matters.

I believe the application is rushed and incomplete due to:

• Insufficient details and certainty in respect of the SuDS design, construction and maintenance
• The Developer's proven lack of site management in respect of surface water (see their own Consultants (Hydroc) report of August 2105 submitted to Cornwall Council on 6th October 2015).
• Their lack of ability to abide by approval conditions for Phase 1 of the estate
• The lateness of the Hydroc drainage report does not give the Council and their Officers adequate time to properly consider the current Phase 2 application.
• The Developer's and Council's desire to “treat this application with extra care and sensitivity”.

Barratt Homes through their consultants Hydroc have elected to deal with the Sustainable urban Drainage System (SuDS) for the Estate in three parts:

1. SuDS in respect of groundwater, roads and common parts of the estate
2. SuDS in respect of individual houses and dwelling units.
3. SuDS in respect of the Industrial/Commercial area.

The Flood and Water Management Act 2010 provisions are still evolving and incomplete but there is good information, advice, guidelines, recommendations and pointers to best practice and final intentions on Central Government, Professional, Industry and Cornwall Council websites. It is this legislation under which SuDS are promoted.

Barratts, as Developers of the site, are required to consult on and design a drainage system for surface water runoff which meets statutory and government requirements, with Cornwall Council as both the Planning Authority and the SuDS Approval Body (SAB) who will ultimately be responsible for the system and its future maintenance once it is installed.

As the SuDS Approval Body, Cornwall Council are legally obliged to take over and be responsible for the system after a period of maintenance – 4 years is mentioned on Government websites, after which time Cornwall Council would have to pay for all costs of maintenance and repairs including construction faults and problems resulting from a lack of maintenance during the 4 year period.

Legislation provides for the Householder to be responsible for single dwelling SuDS systems but not for SuDS serving more than one dwelling. Are there single or multiple systems on this Estate for Private Dwellings?

Legislation also infers a Developer should put up a financial bond with the Local Planning and SuDS Authority (Cornwall Council) to ensure any and all costs in respect of problems in design, construction and during the initial maintenance period do not fall on the Council and their ratepayers. Only time will tell if any SuDS system installed will actually cope with the water flows.

It is also the intention of the Legislation that a Planning Authority and SuDS Approval Body should be given sufficient time to ensure a full and comprehensive examination and checking of the plans submitted. 

In my view it is reasonable to conclude that a report submitted to Cornwall Council on 6th October 2015 does not give the Council sufficient time to do so, nor to properly consult with and advise Looe Town Council or the residents of the town on this serious issue.

In particular, the recent report by Barratt's consultant for Phase 2, Hydroc, alludes to serious issues with the current drainage regime. Examples are, and I quote:

• "actively routing water to soakaways immediately adjacent the highway is not betterment and should be reviewed"
• "there is little evidence of pre-construction and construction phase measures to deal with surface water"
• "there is no evidence available to prove a solution is possible"
• "land by the fire tower and Looe Community Academy should be considered"
• "the intention is to place responsibility for the SuDS systems on a private company"
• "the industrial area is partially stripped and compacted increasing the rate of water run off"

i.e. After 3 years St Martins Hill highway and downstream properties are still at needless risk of flooding as has already happened with tragic results.

The intention of handing over the system to ‘a private company’ appears peculiar as such arrangements are not mentioned in any actual or possible legislation.

It is surely not best practice, perhaps more akin to bad practice, to hand over such a responsibility to a new and unknown private company of unknown stability and financial strength which could go bankrupt, cease trading or fail to meet its legal obligations when the responsibility should remain with Barratts as developers until the agreed maintenance period has elapsed, the system has been proved satisfactory and will be taken over by Cornwall Council.

I therefore object to this application in its present form and recommend:

1. The Planning Committee to ask the Developers to give more details of their proposals
2. Given the difference between the Developers own drainage reports, to have both reports peer reviewed.
3. The Council be given the time to properly examine and check all elements of the application so they may ‘with confidence’ approve a complete scheme which will serve the best interests of Looe and present and future residents and therefore Cornwall.

I trust the Cornwall Planning Committee Members will ensure that the long term best interests of Looe and Cornwall’s future will take precedence over the short term aims and ambitions of a large, rich, powerful and politically well connected national Company.

Yours sincerely,
Concerned Resident

Dear Sirs,

Before Barratts started work on site, many people in Looe were relatively easy about having a housing estate located in a field behind a tall Cornish Hedge that no-one could see over from the road.

It was not until they cleared the ancient hedge and started building works that the full impact of the project became apparent. Barratts have been a poor choice of developer and their style of building is very out of character with a historic Cornish settlement such a Looe. They have not complied with the approved building plans for Phase 1 and there are still uncompleted works.

The local planning authority has also being very ineffective in its control of the project especially during 6 months towards the end of 2012, a critical period of site preparation and land drainage. The landslides that occurred downstream after this time are widely attributed to excessive water runoff from the site/ adjacent land with very serious consequences and prolonged disruption to the town.

My objections to the revised Phase 2 are:

1) No proper consultation with the residents of Looe in time to gain useful input to the scheme
2) Poor quality building not in keeping with local character - too much bright render and too little use of stone or slate
3) Landscaping proposals inadequate to screen development in this AGLV
4) Grouping of the social housing at odds with planning policy
5) No guarantees open-market houses will be for local use and not acquired for investment purposes/ 2nd homes
6) Increased risk of downstream flooding from doubling the size of the development site
7) Unconvinced the combination of Barratt Homes and Cornwall Council will effectively build and maintain a SuDS system
8) The flood risk assessment is not informed by the findings of the Coroners Inquest into the events of 22 March 2013.


>> link to Hydrock update...

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22 June 2015

planning application DEFERRED

Barratt's latest proposals for Phase 2 were to have gone before the East Area Planning Committee in Luxtowe House, Liskeard at 2pm on Wednesday 27th May 2015 but we are advised by Cornwall Council that the agenda item has been deferred to another date to be advised. An extension of time until 30th November 2015 for determination of the application has subsequently been agreed with the developer.

We do not know exactly the reason for deferment but there are a number of aspects to the Phase 2 proposals such as the poor quality of architectural design and the inadequate levels of tree planting to screen the development that still concern us.

Also, there has so far been no community consultation arranged to explain the current proposals, resulting in a scheme that does not include local feedback or ideas into its design.

If the reason for deferment is to give more time to sort out a credible surface water drainage strategy for the site then this is to be welcomed. The downstream flooding and landslides of St Martins Road in 2012 and 2013 took place after much of Phase 1 was built and concerns about water coming off the construction site and flowing down the hill of St Martins’ Road after heavy rain need to be properly addressed. 

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update 21 May 2015

Barratt Homes full planning application for Phase 2 of the development off St Martin's Road in East Looe.

Plans submitted in November 2014 and revised in April 2015 show Barratt Homes proposals to build another 85 houses as part of the second phase of their development in Looe. There will be 53 dwellings for open market sale and 32 units of affordable housing, of which two-thirds will be affordable rented units. This in addition to the 99 properties already under construction in Phase 1 making a total of 184 dwellings for the whole project.

Looe Town Council oppose this Phase 2 application on the grounds of:

• Failure of Barratts to complete all tests on existing soakaways, complete the necessary planting and other Section 106 Agreements. Failure to manage watercourses. Failure to protect hedgerows and trees.
• Failure to carry out the necessary consultation with Looe Town Council and the residents of the town on the second phase of the development as they agreed to do in Statement of Community Involvement on behalf of Barratt Homes (para 3.1.7).
• No credible system to deal with the surface water on the site that prevents it from running down St Martin's Road.

but the case officer is recommending approval. The final decision will however be made by members of the East Sub-Area Planning Committee at a meeting in Luxtowe House, Liskeard at a date to be confirmed. Proceedings can be viewed from the public gallery.

See link to Council website where one can submit a comment online >> PA14/10838 Application for the Construction of 85 dwellings.

some thoughts on the proposals...

Community Consultation
Contrary to recommendations by the case officer, and despite repeated requests from the Town Council and members of the local community, Barratt Homes have not engaged in public consultations prior to the reserved matters plans for Phase 2 being drawn up and submitted, resulting in a scheme that does not benefit from the inclusion of local feedback/ ideas into its design.

Architectural Design
Unfortunately Phase 2 is a continuation of low quality building seen in Phase 1 where the principles of good design have fallen short. There is already too much repetition and too much painted render which stands out in the landscape, see photo at top of page, suggesting there needs to be a greater use of natural stone and slate cladding and more variation of form.

The site is both prominent and elevated. We believe that the proposed development would be harmful to the character of the AGLV / Coastal Zone, and have a significant impact in the landscape contrary to Policies CL9, CL10 and ALT2 of the Caradon Plan, and Paras 58 and 109 of the NPPF.

Landscaping

Given that the new houses would be low quality design, brightly painted and directly visible from the main road entering Looe, there also needs to be plenty of dense tree screening.

The plans show that the space between the internal estate road and the western boundary is not adequate for naturalistic landscape planting and needs widening. Also the introduction of a surface- water bund at the lower end of the site has compromised the previously agreed landscaping scheme. We suggest that tree planting needs to extend the whole length of the western boundary and to include some evergreen species to provide a degree of screening in winter months.

Flood Risk Assessment
We are surprised to find the Flood Risk Assessment v5 for Phase 2 is essentially a copy of the FRA first produced in May 2010 for the Phase 1 application and there are flaws in the report:

1. The original percolation testing for soil absorbency was undertaken in April 2010. Met Office records show this was a period of unusually dry weather, 
2. One of the Phase 2 soakaway tests of April 2015 shows a poorer infiltration rate of 8.24 x10-5 m/s than is quoted as acceptable in the report’s summary,
3. There appears to be no recognition of the impact that the steeply sloping terrain would have on the containment of water within the site or the behaviour of underground/ overland watercourses.

With regard to the downstream flooding/ landslides of St Martins Road in 2012 and 2013, it should be recognised that these events took place after the FRA was written/ accepted and also after much of Phase 1 was built. Excessive water run-off has been witnessed coming off this construction site and flowing down the hill of St Martin's Road after heavy rain, and to propose further development based on an assessment that is already shown by events to be flawed would be irresponsible.

See also correspondence between the builder and Cornwall Council concerning revised plans and the status of compliance with Condition 2 of Phase 1 approval PA12/04367 which states that no development should take place until a scheme for surface water management is submitted and approved >> Copy of email correspondence containing attachments

We therefore suggest it is premature to consider any further hillside development in the town until...

1. the results are published of the Inquest by H.M. Coroner to ascertain the events leading to the fatal landslide of St. Martin's Road that occurred in March 2013,
2. a town-wide topographical and geotechnical survey is undertaken to understand ground conditions locally and the relevance of changing weather patterns on future building development in the area. 

Affordable Housing Layout
There are two concentrations of affordable housing on this phase of the development. This does not reflect the objective stated in section 5.10 of the applicant's Design & Access Statement and also the Caradon Local Plan para 1.65 which states:

"The housing should be designed to be ‘tenure blind’ in appearance and the affordable housing integrated throughout the scheme in small groups"

The different tenures of housing therefore need to be better dispersed rather than in groups of 20 or so units of one type.

Housing Allocation
We believe it would be of benefit to the local community if restrictions were placed on the sale of open-market properties intended as second homes or holiday lets on this and any large-scale development in Looe, and we support the idea of prioritising affordable housing for those with a strong historic connection to the town.

To summarise...

It is our view that the current application should be refused at committee to allow the Coroner’s Inquest to be completed and any recommendations acted upon. At the same time it would give the developer an opportunity to engage in a proper round of community consultation so that local feedback may be incorporated in a revised scheme that is better tailored to the needs, welfare and safety of the neighbourhood that it impacts.

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Published on 22 Mar 2013

The footage below was captured by a passer-by the night before St Martin's Road collapsed and placed on Youtube together with the attached comment.

"Further up the hill is a new housing development, below that area the water was cascading out of the hedge and then down the hill. This video is recorded just a little further down the hill. As you can see a temporary barrier has been put in place to try and stop the water washing down to the back of the doomed property."

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8 September 2014

Barratt Homes seek pre- application advice from Cornwall Council for 86 more properties on Phase 2.

There is concern locally about further expansion of the Barratt estate whilst there still remain a large number of unsatisfactory aspects to Phase 1 needing to be addressed.

These include the non-compliance with drawings of many of the boundary treatments around the site, the destruction without replacement of Cornish hedges to St Martins Road and the continued lack of progress in implementing the landscape screening to the front of the development with the dates for completion given in the timetable having expired before work has even started.

The first phase of building is, as feared, proving highly visible from the main road and from distance in what is a sensitive Area of Great Landscape Value at the gateway to Looe. Continuing to develop Phase 2 along the skyline and the inclusion of the largest type of building, a substantial 3 storey block of flats, at the highest point of the site is not good planning and we trust the applicant will be advised accordingly.

There is also a lack of landscape screening adjacent the internal road forming the western boundary of Phase 2 and no space is reserved in this region for any meaningful tree planting.

With regard to water run off from the development in the event of prolonged or heavy rain, which in the past has been allowed to run down St Martin's Road in torrents, if measures have been put in place to successfully contain all storm water within the site perimeter then these need to be fully explained to the satisfaction of the people of Looe before public confidence in the safety of the project can start to be restored.

follow link to make comment > PA14/02913/PREAPP Pre-application advice for erection of 86 dwellings as a Phase 2 on land off St Martins Road East Looe Cornwall

proposed block of flats

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5 December 2013

New planning application submitted (now withdrawn, see note below)...
for a partial re-plan of Barratts Phase 1 on land adjoining Looe Comprehensive School Barbican Road East Looe Looe Cornwall PL13 1EU increasing the total for this phase by 5 units.

8 Jan 2014 - Barratts have advised today that they are 'pulling the plug' on this re-plan and will be reverting back to the original approved Phase 1 design.

see link to Council website > (PA13/10664)

....................................

22 October 2013

Barratt Homes are considering increasing the number of units being built in Phase 1 of their development in East Looe from 99 to 104.

Barratt Homes are considering building another 5 units as part of the first phase of development on St Martin's Road. This is in addition to the 99 already under construction and the 90 proposed for phase two making a total of 194 in the site.

see link to Council website > (PA13/03107/PREAPP - Pre-application advice for partial re-plan of Phase 1 resulting in net increase of 5 dwellings)

....................................

6 October 2013
New plans are being drawn up by Barratts to nearly double the size of their housing development at St Martin's Road in Looe by proposing another 90 units for Phase 2

Although their pre-application submission is for advice only, not an actual full planning application, Barratt Homes appear to want to press on with the project for which they already have outline approval.

The plans show that the next phase of building is to extend along the top of this already skyline site. The density of building has been increased and there are to be several blocks of 3 storey flats which will potentially be visible from distance.

Barratt Homes are continuing to go with the rainbow palette of cladding finishes to include mustard yellow and pink which a lot of people here in Looe feel is out of keeping with local character. The submitted materials plan shows that many of the units would have areas built in red brick which is not a typical locally used building material and a more clashing combination of colours than red, mustard and pink is hard to conceive.

The following comment on Cornwall's website illustrates one resident's opinion about the proposals...

Looe Resident

(Objects)

Comment submitted Thu 03 Oct 2013

Although only a pre-application, this second phase of the Barratt proposal must demonstrate the ability of the surrounding topography to remove surface water safely without affecting the neighbouring highways and properties. The initial phase 1 works show that the soakaway drainage is not coping with heavy rainfall and when this is occuring the road gullies are overflowing and there is a large increase in surface water on the highways. The existing 6 number soakaway drains were not fully tested to BRE 365 and there appears to be no consideration as to what flow path water takes from these soakaways. Until such time as there is categorical evidence that the systems employed on the phase 1 are adequate the phase 2 works should be rejected. There are also a number of conditions that phase 1 appears to have not met and these are detailed within the extensive correspondence between the town council and Cornwall Council/Barratt Homes. Until these matters are met with approval and satisfaction by the town council I would suggest again the phase 2 permission is rejected.

With the results of the inquest into Mrs Norman's death still some way off, there are many unanswered questions concerning the cause of excessive levels of water run-off from the first phase of construction. As mentioned above, Looe Town Council has written to Cornwall Council questioning the effectiveness of the drainage system and the poor implementation of the landscaping scheme. It would seem logical therefore to require that the problems of Phase 1 are satisfactorily resolved before embarking on more of the same.

Looe Town Council's letter of 15th August can be seen below...

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15 August 2013

Looe Town Council questions Cornwall Council,

We write with regard to the Barratt Homes housing development on St Martins Road in Looe.

The Looe Town Council has been monitoring progress on site and received a number of enquiries relating to the appearance of the estate from the routes entering Looe. These are identified below and we would be grateful to receive your response to the points raised:

1. Permission for the amended application PA12/04367 was given in June 2012 and house buildings works are well progressed with many properties now being occupied. Condition 9 of planning approval states that no dwelling shall be occupied until a landscaping scheme is submitted and approved. In view of the above could you please advise why is it taking so long to agree and discharge this condition (we note that PA12/11277 is still pending approval) which has resulted in the first dormant planting season for the winter of 2012/13 now being missed? 

2. The 'Cornish hedge' to the north east of the site access junction is shown on the site boundaries plan to have native hedge mix atop which is yet to be planted. It has been brought to our notice that the wall as built doesn't comply with the drawings or to Cornwall Council's guidance on Cornish hedges and as such we question how will the proposed hedge growth be achieved and sustained? 

3. With regard to the site boundary to the south west of the junction we understand that, instead of a Cornish hedge with tree planting, there will be equivalent planting to the centre of the sloping grassed areas instead. The proposals however show significant gaps in the planting where the easements to the sewer and water main converge. Do the easements need to be as large as 6 metres and will the gaps be screened by the proposed native hedge mix planted alongside the new retaining wall which connects to the remains of the original Cornish hedge?

4. It appears that the above measures will not adequately hide the proposed industrial units from St Martins Road when built as part of the commercial phase of the development. Will additional landscaping be provided within the business park (none is shown)? 

5. Sections of wooden trellis and bamboo screening have appeared at the foot of some of the rear gardens facing St Martins Road and enclose the developer’s newly planted hedge. There are concerns that the hedging is at risk of being lost and replaced by further uncoordinated boundary treatments appearing piecemeal on this land that forms part of the landscaping scheme for the public open space. It is noted the approved plans differ from as-built in that the mesh has not been installed to the wire fence. It is felt that the current situation does not provide adequate enclosure to the gardens and ask if this can be rectified using a more appropriate form of fence or walling to the garden side of the hedge planting?

6. The colour range adopted for the buildings does not accord with that shown at the public consultation or specified in section 7.5 of Barratt’s Design and Access Statement of a limited colour palette predominantly lime white, off-white, various shades of light grey and limited use of natural stone and hung slate. Please advise why this was changed to pinks and blues and why are there areas of red brick on the estate which is not a typical local material or sympathetic to the character of Looe?

Another matter that has raised concern locally is the problem associated with water runoff from the site and we are aware that, since building works started, significant volumes of water now drain onto St Martins Road every time there is wet weather.

Could you therefore help us with the following questions:

1. We note that condition 2 of planning approval relating to surface water management has not yet been discharged and ask if the drainage strategy has been finalised and does Cornwall Council consider it meets the objectives laid out in the Flood Risk Assessment of being able to contain all the surface water within the site via soakaways?
   
   
2. Has the data contained in Barratt’s FRA itself been verified? For instance the soil tests for absorbency were undertaken in April 2010 during a period of unusually dry weather and there appears to be no reference to the impact the sloping topography of the land would have on the absorption rate of water into the ground or the behaviour of underground watercourses.
   
   
3. The flood exceedance route drawing 206-1 shows that soakaways have overflows routed onto the main road in five or six locations for use only in a 1 in 100 year (+30%) storm event. Could it be that these overflows are already being called into use and is Cornwall Council able to look into this?
   
   
4. During the construction of the development has Cornwall Council been able to monitor the implementation on site of the surface water disposal plan, both temporary and long-term, and is it confident that the systems are properly built and fit for purpose because evidence suggests something is wrong?
   
   

We look forward to hearing from you.
Looe Town Council

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26 April 2013

Letter to Looe Town Council,

Re Barratt Homes, St Martin's Road

We have the following questions and observations for the Planning Committee on Monday 29th April for their consideration.

1. You will be aware that there is no evidence yet of any tree planting on the grassed slopes in front to the Barratt development and we wonder if someone would be able to find out from Cornwall Council what is proposed to be done here?
2. Also the stonework to the Cornish hedge is constructed to around 300 to 350mm width and is unlikely to be of sufficient size to sustain much growth of hedge. It is less than half the width specified on the drawing and less than a third of the hedge it replaces. The stone base is also built half a metre lower than the former Cornish hedge and therefore I ask that these variations are referred to Enforcement.
3. There are ten advertising boards, banners and flags facing the road - is this more than the regulations permit for this size of development (i.e. under 100 houses)?
4. After it has rained, a substantial quantity of water still runs off that part of the site under development and passes through the hedgerow down onto St Martin's Road.

Kind regards
Concerned Resident

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24 Jan 2013

Landscaping plans for front of Barratt Homes estate.

The plans were lodged under reference PA12/11277 and the following comments 
were sent by residents to the case planning officer on 24 January 2013...

Dear Cornwall Council Planning,

We write in connection with the discharge of Condition 9 of planning approval for PA12/04367, PA12/11277 Barratt Homes, Looe.

As the development occupies such a prominent site, the landscaping treatment of the public open space to St Martin's Road has been of concern for some while and there is correspondence on file between ourselves and Ben Bassett and also with the developer. We would be grateful if you would look at the following matters with regard to the proposed scheme:

• Drawing no. ACH5669 317 is diagrammatic but not very accurate as the retaining walls are either shown higher than built or not at all and the proposal would not be as effective at screening as portrayed.
• Two hedges, one at the foot of the gardens and another adjacent the road are shown with an optimistic mature height of 5m whereas drawing no ACH5669 306C has not been adequately amended and still specifies the hedges are to be maintained to a 1.8m flat topped 'A' profile.
• Drawing no. ACH5669 317 also shows a close boarded wooden fence to the foot of the rear gardens which does appear to be an improvement on the previous wire mesh. The height scales at 1.8 metres however this is not specified as far as I can see.
• Drawing no. ACH5669 307D Phase 1 Enclosures (one of the approval set) states "All fences between rear/sides of properties not facing the public realm to be 1.8m close board timber fencing". Elsewhere on the site this specification has been adhered to for party boundaries however for the rear gardens facing St Martins Road pre-made larch lap fencing panels have been employed which is does not comply with approval and looks unsightly from the road.
• The choice of native mix for the hedges would in normal circumstances be completely appropriate, however in winter they would offer little screening of the development particularly as they appear to be planted at ground level above a retaining wall rather than on top of a wall as one would normally expect for a Cornish hedge. We believe the walls should be extended above ground level and a higher proportion of evergreen species used.
• The tree planting is regular and looks unnatural and although constrained by the alignment of the sewers we question whether this could be improved. Again the species selected are all deciduous and would do little to screen the development in winter. It was suggested to us that Quercus ilex (evergreen/Holm Oak) might be suitable but your tree officer would of course know better. 

As a concerned residents of Looe I hope you are able to review the proposals in the light of the points raised and look forward to hearing from you.

---

email to Barratt Homes on 5 Nov 2012,

Thank you for meeting Armand and myself last Wednesday on site to discuss the landscaping and planting to the front of the development prior to the scheme being agreed.

We discussed boundary treatments and I subsequently found the following specification on the application approval drawing no. 307D Phase 1 Enclosures: "All fences between rear/sides of properties not facing the public realm to be 1.8m close board timber fencing". After our meeting we noticed that elsewhere on the site you have employed close board timber fencing between the properties and I ask that you consider using the same specification for the rear gardens to St Martins Road instead of the pre-made larch lap fencing panels which I feel look inappropriate on the sloping terrain.

We also discussed the square trellis that one occupant had positioned on the St Martins Road side of the Cornish hedge to the foot of their garden and you were going to check whether this land was within their ownership. Drawing no. 307D note (3) also states "wire mesh fence erected where drops exceed 600mm". If the boundary treatment complied with this specification there would be no need for occupants to take other measures to restrain their pets or children and therefore I ask that you consider installing the mesh.

I look forward to hearing from you in due course. DG

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email to Barratt Homes on 30 Oct 2012, at 10:25,

Just to confirm our meeting at 11am tomorrow Wednesday and I look forward to meeting you on site. Cllr Armand Toms wishes to attend - he will get there as soon as he can and will be able to convey the views of Looe Town Council who are due to discuss the matter at a committee meeting this evening.

The main concern is how the estate looks to users of St Martins Road - the primary route into Looe. You will be aware the site is within an AGLV where local planning policy states development will not be permitted if it would materially harm the character of the particular area and if it does not closely reflect the traditional building styles and local materials, or the characteristic pattern of settlement, in the particular area.

The photographs below show that, instead of reflecting local character and materials i.e. stone, slate hanging and lime white render as was originally envisaged, many properties have been painted an uncharacteristic pink or blue and the boundary treatments contain a large number of different types of uncharacteristic wooden and wire fencing and I suggest the following measures be implemented in mitigation:

1. all wooden fencing visible from the main road be replaced by masonry walls that would be permanent and sympathetic to local character and redress the lack of use of stone or slate in the elevational treatment of the buildings;
2. the rainbow palette of exterior wall colours be reduced to predominantly neutral with the occasional accent colour as was originally proposed;
3.  the Cornish hedge to St Martins Road that was removed to provide site lines to both sides of the new road junction be re-instated in the new position further back per the master plan ACH5669 500-005 and enhanced;
4. the slopes between this and the back gardens to be planted with 'screen planting' per the master plan and of sufficient density, species size and height to hide the development;
5. the Cornish hedge to the foot of the rear gardens facing St Martins Road to be built and planted in accordance with the agreed specification per attached detail drawing;
6. planting in these areas to employ significant use of evergreen species such as Quercus ilex (holm oak) and possibly laurel so that screening remains effective in winter;
7. subject to best practice and the recommendation of the forestry officer, hedge and tree specimens to be of the largest viable size so that screening can be established in the shortest possible timescale.

I trust that sufficient resources can be put in place to enable these proposals to be incorporated into the scheme that is yet to be submitted for the discharge of condition 9 of planning approval.

Kind regards, David G

(click plan to enlarge)

              _______________________________________

from Cornish Guardian...

 Traffic chaos predicted as work on new homes begins

Wednesday, December 07, 2011

Cornish Guardian

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PLANS for 100 homes next to Looe Community School have been approved by Cornwall Council – 18 months after the application was originally submitted.

Cornwall Council gave detailed planning permission for the first phase of Barratt Homes's development including the erection of 100 homes, 40 of which will be affordable with outline permission for a further similar number of homes in phase 2.

New car and pedestrian access, garages and parking are all planned, as well as open space and a cycle link.

Barratt Homes also secured outline permission for phase two, which will include further housing and businesses – one of which is likely to be a new town dentist.

Councillor Armand Toms, who represents East Looe and St Martin's on Cornwall Council, said work had already started on the entrances.

"There will be an issue with road closure but we'll consult with the town and make sure Barratt do the right thing," he said.

"We've got more than 400 people who want social housing in Looe and 307 local people. I know it's only 40 affordable homes at first but it's better than nothing and I sincerely hope they go to local people."

Mr Toms said councillors hoped to get some of the new roads named after local people.

Speaking in a personal capacity, town councillor Brian Galipeau said the late mayor Ron Overd worked to get the land included in Caradon District Council's development proposals.

"Having done my bit to help keep it in the final structure plan, I am delighted that it is going ahead – and with the largest possible number of affordable homes," he said.

"I think Barratt's local consultation has been good throughout. And while I'll grumble with everyone else about the temporary traffic lights in St Martin's Road, it will be worth it when so many families can move in to new homes."

The town is preparing for traffic chaos as St Martin's Road is likely to be shut from January 3 to April 5, 2012.

Traffic lights are also planned at the junction of St Martin's Road and Station Road for three weeks from January 3.

Dave Holford, who runs the Bosun's Locker, said he understood each area needed to provide a certain number of homes and Looe was doing its bit.

"As far as the road closure is concerned it's a ludicrous situation where you're closing the main arterial road into Looe for three months," he said.

"It will have a drastic effect on the businesses in Looe connected with fishing and tourism."