What's new on the website up to 26th June

A few items have been added in the last week to the Sections in the right-hand column, as listed below (note - just click on the link in the Section matching the description). Once finished, click on 'Home Page' or 'back-arrow' in the top left of the screen, to return to here. These entries are at the top of the corresponding Sections, with last week's underneath - all identified by use of the word 'New' at the start of the description. 

Section 4 - Lorry Park

a1) Policy on Service areas and other roadside facilities on motorways and all-purpose trunk roads in England 

a2) Truckstop planning initiative

Section 7 - Correspondence including replies from KCC

1) Question to Paul Carter - Otterpool Quarry clean-up - KCC responsible to see its done - updated

2) Concern as to how the clean up will be properly done - updated

3) Hollingbourne Application - Covenant - Richborough planning application information

From: Mavis Turton <mavis.turton@btinternet.com> Subject: RE: Otterpool To: "NiallConnolly" <niall.connolly@environment-agency.gov.uk> Date: Thursday, 23 June, 2011, 17:37 Dear Niall, The main reason we are so concerned is that it was not known until a few hours before the application was passed, that there was so much contamination.  KCC did not seem to be able to answer technical questions put by our surveyor, so it might be that they do not have the necessary expertise themselves, and that is why I hoped that you yourselves might get involved.  I am afraid I do not have any trust in Countrystyle, who told us that we would have to go to the Outer Hebrides to see such a plant in operation, and I do not believe this to be true, Greenfinch operate sites much nearer.  You will understand that I fear that the clean up will not be properly done, because of the costs involved.  As I used to work in a large London building company, in the Estimating Department, I would have thought that Countrystyle could have shown you the cost item for the clean up their Bills of Quantities. Kind regards, Mavis --- On Thu, 23/6/11, Connolly, Niall <niall.connolly@environment-agency.gov.uk> wrote: From: Connolly, Niall <niall.connolly@environment-agency.gov.uk> Subject: RE: Otterpool To: "Mavis Turton" <mavis.turton@btinternet.com> Date: Thursday, 23 June, 2011, 17:12 Dear Ms. Turton Thank you for your email dated 6 June 2011, I’m sorry that due to illness I haven’t been able to reply to you sooner.   I appreciate your concern for the environment at Otterpool. We are aware of the reports that diesel and creosote were dumped on this site some time ago and understand the potential risk that this poses to the environment.   Kent County Council (KCC) decide whether a site is appropriate for a given development and whether a developer, in this case Countrystyle, is granted planning permission. We support them by offering technical advice on the environmental impact of a new proposal and the safeguards required to protect the environment.   KCC are addressing the potential risks posed to the environment from the development at Otterpool through a series of conditions on the planning permission. They are responsible for ensuring these conditions are met.   The conditions associated with potential contamination are detailed in Section 14 to 17 of the decision notice. To meet these conditions Countrystyle, the developer must  provide evidence to KCC that they have correctly investigated the site, assessed the risk from all potential sources of contamination and undertaken appropriate clean up work.   To help decide whether these conditions have been met,  KCC will seek our technical opinion on how Countrystyle have carried out all these steps in dealing with contamination and, specifically, if they correctly manage risks to groundwater. Their own environmental health officers will advise on risks to human health and property.   I hope this helps to explain how the Environment Agency will be involved in the work at this site. If you wish to see information about how these risks are being managed you will find copies of all of the reports on KCC’s public register.   Kind Regards Niall Connolly Planning Liaison Officer 01732 223 111 Environment Agency, Orchard House, Endeavour Park, London Road, Addington, Kent ME19 5SH From: Mavis Turton [mailto:mavis.turton@btinternet.com] Sent: 06 June 2011 14:31 To: Connolly, Niall Subject: RE: Otterpool Dear Niall, I thought you might like to know that a delegation from The Sellindge Residents' Association were  invited to a meeting with Kent County Council's Planning Officers last week, and Mr Les Barratt, who is a qualified surveyor on our team, reported that there did not appear to be anyone representative of KCC who had any technical expertise. I am very worried about how the developer will be made to clean up contaminated soil at the Otterpool Quarry site, before construction commences.  It is reported that subsequent to the quarrying work finishing, approximately 30,000 gallons of waste diesel and creosote were dumped at the site, this being several years ago. The soil still smells of it.  It obviously contravenes everything DEFRA stands for, and I know that when a site is contaminated, or there is any overspill from the site into other land, the owner of the land has to pay for the taking away and cleaning up of the offending soil.  It may be that the oil was dumped there illegally and without authorisation.  My friend had the Environment Agency come to her house a while ago, (not near the Otterpool Quarry), because a farmer reported a smell of home heating fuel in his field.  My friend was told that if her fuel tank had leaked, she would have to pay for the clean-up.  Fortunately, it was not  her tank causing the problem. Reading the Environment Agency's permission  for work to go ahead, it states that the developer, Countrystyle, has to clean up spoil relating to the previous use of the site, namely quarrying.  It does not state that the developer has to completely clean the site of all contamination, from whatever source. I personally do not trust the developer to do this, as at the first meeting they attended at the Village Hall, they stated that there were only two other such waste sites, one in the Outer Hebrides, and the other in Northern Europe somewhere.  They really did not want us to be able to visit one of these facilities to see what was involved.  Greenfinch, another company dealing with waste, has at least one other in Nottingham, which we would happily have gone to see. I am very anxious that Defra and the Environment Agency should oversee the cleaning up properly.  It appears that KCC is the one to enforce your rules, but I do not think they truly know how to monitor this.  We really need someone from a government office to help us in this. I would be very glad of your help and advice on this matter.  The villagers are absolutely distraught that planning was granted, especially as there will be pollution from an extra 43,000 lorry movements per year through our village. KCC lost us forty million pounds in investing in the Icelandic Bank fiasco, and they seem petrified of refusing any development plan which could go to appeal.  Sharon Thompson, Head of Planning, stated that if the application was refused and went to appeal, it could cost KCC a "lot of money".  Recently, they allowed a planning application to a company allowing it to quarry for stone in an ancient woodland.  I doubt whether ANY application that could go to appeal will be refused, even though in our case, the Parish Council, the local District Council, the Kent County Councillor for Shepway, and our Member of Parliament,  Folkestone Racecourse, and many other businesses objected to the waste facility being allowed.  There was a petition signed by 96% of the local people as well. This seems to me to breach our human rights, and any vestige of Democracy is thrown out of the window.  It also seems very wrong that we, as a "third party" have no right of appeal. I was very sad to see that a member of our Residents' Association has put their house up for sale, and we have considered doing likewise, after living here for forty six years.  I myself have vowed never to vote again in any election, as it counts for nothing. I came to this decision after witnessing what went on at the metting at County Hall, when planning was passed for something nobody wanted, at least not in a village setting.  At 73 years of age, I have voted in every election since I came of age. With kindest regards, Mavis --- On Fri, 13/5/11, Connolly, Niall <niall.connolly@environment-agency.gov.uk> wrote: From: Connolly, Niall <niall.connolly@environment-agency.gov.uk> Subject: RE: Otterpool To: "Mavis Turton" <mavis.turton@btinternet.com> Date: Friday, 13 May, 2011, 10:05 Dear Ms Turton Sorry to hear that! I'm sure it's fine to open, however if you have any difficulties just let me know Kind Regards Niall Connolly From: Mavis Turton [mailto:mavis.turton@btinternet.com] Sent: 12 May 2011 18:04 To: Connolly, Niall Subject: Re: Otterpool Click here to report this email as spam. Dear Mr Connolly, Thank you for your letter.  However, as I was about to download it, a virus notice came up, so I was not prepared to open it. I shall forward this to someone who may know how to avaid the virus detected notice, but if not, I hope I amy come back to you Regards, Mavis Turton --- On Thu, 12/5/11, Connolly, Niall <niall.connolly@environment-agency.gov.uk> wrote: From: Connolly, Niall <niall.connolly@environment-agency.gov.uk> Subject: Otterpool To: mavis.turton@btinternet.com Cc: "Rigg, Karen" <KRIGG@environment-agency.gov.uk> Date: Thursday, 12 May, 2011, 11:17 Dear Ms Turton Further to your freedom of information request, please find attached correspondence on the Otterpool application. Kind Regards Niall Connolly Planning Liaison Officer 01732 223 111 Environment Agency, Orchard House, Endeavour Park, London Road, Addington, Kent ME19 5SH Information in this message may be confidential and may be legally privileged. If you have received this message by mistake, please notify the sender immediately, delete it and do not copy it to anyone else. We have checked this email and its attachments for viruses. But you should still check any attachment before opening it. We may have to make this message and any reply to it public if asked to under the Freedom of Information Act, Data Protection Act or for litigation.  Email messages and attachments sent to or from any Environment Agency address may also be accessed by someone other than the sender or recipient, for business purposes. If we have sent you information and you wish to use it please read our terms and conditions which you can get by calling us on 08708 506 506.  Find out more about the Environment Agency at www.environment-agency.gov.uk

What's new on the website - last 10 days to 22nd June

(Note - this weeks new entries in the right-hand Sections start with 'New' with 'last weeks items renamed from New to older)

Section 2 - Otterpool Waste Application

a1) + a2) Parish Council letter to KCC with KCC's reply 

Section 3 - Wind farms

a) Neighbours force noisy wind farm to shut down
b) 38 days when wind farms can't work
c) Industry wakes to the dangers of green lunacy


Section 4 - Lorry Park

a) Hoping that freight trains can lighten the load on roads

Section 5 - Shepway Housing/Village Green

no updates

New Section 6) - Other Sellindge Issues 

a) Carbuncle at Sellindge Convertor Station - planning application 11/00667/AS to build a Transformer substation on stilts above the tree line in full view of the valley

Note - This is an application to Ashford Borough Council so that is where your comments should be directed.  You can do it online from the planning application search pages if you want, or write to Carol Ridings at Ashford Borough Council and quote the planning reference 11/00667/AS. Ashford have also consulted Shepway on this application because it is close to the district boundary.  So you can write to Shepway Planning as well if you have any opinions on this and want them to know about it. 

Section 7 (old Section 6) - Correspondence including replies from KCC

a1) + a2) reply to KCC reply

b) How far is Sellindge from the site at Otterpool Lane

c) Kent Sites Waste Development Plan

d) Covenant questions - Hollingbourne Application
e) Ombudsman investigate planning system - has there been injustice to an individual or group?
f) Updated - How the developer will be made to clean up contaminated soil at Otterpool Lane 

g) Noisy and Unsightly wind turbines

What's new on the website - week ending 11th June

A number of items have been added in the last week to the Sections in the right-hand column, as follows (note - just click on link, once finished click on 'Home Page' or 'back-arrow' in the top left of the screen, to return to here):

Section 1 - Home page + Contacts

Note - Don't forget its important to let those representing us to know how you feel. You can still 'contact' those in the contact list above about any issues.

Section 2 - Otterpool Waste Application

a) Waste Sites Development Plan Document - Options consultation

Section 3 - Windfarms

a) Wind farms aren't just a blight, they're a folly
b) View from your window could win protection
c) A copy of the Application form

Section 4 - Lorry Park

a) Fast rail freight answer to Operation Stack?
b) Bid to move freight from roads to HS1 being trialled

Section 5 - Shepway Housing/Village Green 

a) Shepway due to publish at end of July the proposed Submission Core Strategy

Section 6 - Correspondence including replies from KCC

a) concern - how the developer will be made to clean up contaminated soil at Otterpool

Shepway due to publish at end of July the Proposed Submission Core Strategy

Please find below a copy of an email recently received from Shepway re the above. It advises amongst other things that Shepway intends to invite representations on the document for a minimum of 6 weeks. Please read on. 

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From: Piran.Cooper@shepway.gov.uk [mailto:Piran.Cooper@shepway.gov.uk]
Sent: 06 June 2011 09:22
To: Planning.Policy@shepway.gov.uk
Subject: Shepway District Council Local Development Framework - Core Strategy - Summer 2011 Consultation

Dear Sir / Madam,

At the end of July Shepway District Council is due to publish the Proposed Submission Core Strategy. It is contacting those organisations and individuals who have made representations and comments on the developing policy in the past to provide prior notification of the period for the public to make representations on the document.

The council intends to invite representations on the document for a minimum of six weeks (ending September 2011). Please be aware that this is part of the statutory process the council is required to comply with under planning legislation. The council will not therefore be able to guarantee that any responses received outside of the recognised consultation period will be able to be considered.

Accordingly, please ensure that you or your organisation is prepared to consider its possible representations in time for them to be put forward by mid September. Expected key principles for the strategy have been discussed by Shepway’s Cabinet, and are publicly available as set out in the Report available @ www.shepway.gov.uk/currentconsultation. You will be able to access this report via the link to the Cabinet Report 13^th April 2011 - see Agenda Item 5 Shepway Local development Framework Core Strategy - Key Decisions. Please also note that a pre-consultation presentation version of the Proposed Submission Core Strategy will be available in early July.

All comments must relate to whether the Core Strategy is considered to be sound; that is supported by a robust evidence base, effective in delivering the policy objectives and that it supported by national policy.

You will be informed of the start of the period for representations in due course. This will be the final period for interested parties to comment on the Core Strategy before the document (and the representations made on it) are submitted to Secretary of State for Examination in Public.

Please notify us if your details are incorrect or if you would like them to be removed from the council’s data base. You can contact Planning Policy by replying to this email or by telephone on 01303 853266 or 01303 853337.

Yours Faithfully

The Planning Policy Team

reply from Defra re planning involvement, points considered, when waste can't be recycled

Click on the top link in 'Section 6 - Correspondence including replies from KCC' of the right-hand column to see the reply from Defra re the above.

Once you have finished reading just click on 'Home page' link in Section 1 to return to here or the back arrow in the top left of your screen to return to here (note - you may see blank space on the left. Just scroll up to see the top of the website get to the top of the page as before).

KCC asks the Public for their views on waste and minerals consultation

KCC published an article on their website on 31st may 2011 on the above topic. It starts as follows: 

"Your views count! Kent County Council is making a call for action to help determine future waste and mineral activities in the county. We want to hear from local residents and businesses as their views are vital.".........

To read more, click on the top link of Section 2 in the right-hand column, entitled 'KCC asks the Public for their views on waste and minerals consultation'.

Once finished, click on the back-arrow at the top left of the screen to return to here.

Just a Few Days to Save Our Village

Click on the link below to see the poster entitled 'Just a Few days to Save Our Village', which provides key and clear information regarding "The six proposed wind turbines on farmland between Sellindge, Aldington and Lympne villages" including information for those concerned as to what they need to do now.  

To make the words larger (i.e. easier to read), click once on the Poster. Once finished reading, click twice on the back-arrow in the top left of the screen.

Click the following link to see the Poster poster - The Village Meeting on 26th July

Shepway Core Strategy - Response to Inspector's Interim Conclusions

From: alexandra.sansom@shepway.gov.uk [mailto:alexandra.sansom@shepway.gov.uk]
Sent: 08 June 2012 15:20
Subject: Shepway Core Strategy - Response to Inspector's Interim Conclusions

I am writing to advise that following the recent Examination Hearings into the Core Strategy, Shepway District Council have responded to the Inspector’s Interim Conclusions and their response is now available on the website at:

http://www.shepway.gov.uk/content/view/201423/206/

I have also attached a link to the document for your convenience:

Shepway Response to InterimConclusions

Regards

Alex

Ms Alex Sansom

Programme Officer

Shepway District Council Core Strategy Examination

Height Comparison - 125m turbine compared to surrounding buildings

Click on the link below to a diagram illustrating the height comparison compared to day to day buildings.   

To make it larger (i.e. easier to see), click once on the diagram. Once finished, click twice on the back-arrow in the top left of the screen.

Click here to see the height comparisons ... height comparisons

Stanford Parish Council Response to the Planning Application for 6 wind turbines at Harringe Brooks

Click on the link below to see Stanford Parish Council's response to the Planning Application for the 6 Wind Turbines at Harringe Brooks Y12/0451/SH.    
To make the words larger (i.e. easier to read), click once on the letter. Once finished reading, click twice on the back-arrow in the top left of the screen to return to here.

Click on the link to see the letter ....Stanford Parish Council response 

Council turns up the heat on wind turbines

From: BobEdden@aol.com [mailto:BobEdden@aol.com] 

Sent: 15 June 2012 11:07

Subject: Council turns up the heat on wind turbines

This is new from the Planning Portal general news blog pages, the full statement might include further links and info.

Council turns up the heat on wind turbines

Lincolnshire County Council has toughened its stance on wind farms after councillors said they wanted to halt the “unrestrained invasion” of turbines across the county and neighbouring areas.
The local authority will use the newly drafted statement as the basis for responses to wind farm proposals it may be consulted about, including district council development plan policies.
The statement from Lincolnshire insists that in general there should be a presumption against wind farms “on the grounds of potential negative cumulative visual impact, unless wind farms should be located such that they would not merge with the existing developments (on and off shore), thereby resulting in a negative cumulative visual impact”.
It also says that settlements of more than 10 dwellings should not have wind turbine developments in more than 90 degrees of their field of view, “this normally equates to 10km from windows in residential properties”.
Individual dwellings should not have wind turbines in more than 180 degrees of their field of view, the statement adds.
The minimum distance between a development and a residential property should be 2km, it says, unless through assessment it can be demonstrated that there would be acceptable noise levels within the 2km radius.
Meanwhile, in a separate but related development, the National Assembly for Wales’ Petitions Committee has called for faulty wind turbines to be switched off at night and for the introduction of buffer zones of up to 1,500 metres to protect nearby residents.
The recommendations come in a report produced in response to a petition calling for greater control of noise from wind turbines. The committee concluded that such measures could be applied if the Welsh Government amended statutory planning guidance.
The committee held a consultation on the issue and, as a result of receiving a large number of consultation responses from the village of Gwyddgrug in Carmarthenshire, visited two wind farms in the area.
Readthe Lincolnshire County Council press release and access the statement.

Roger Milne
14 June 2012

Hand diagram illustrating a 125m turbine compared to the surroundings

See the hand diagram below provided by Stanford Parish Council, illustrating a 125m wind turbine compared to the surrounds.  

Act now to prevent the proposed Harringe Brooks Wind Farm

Dear Residents,

Many of you will now have started to become aware of the recent application by Ecotricity for 6 industrial scale Wind Turbines visibly located amongst our homes and villages on a site at Harringe Brooks. This is in addition to an additional seventh Wind Turbine application that has already been submitted by Mr Price directly behind the homes at Barrow Hill. If successful, their impact on this area will be devastating and there can be little doubt that they will pave the way for further industrial processes to follow. Although the Sellindge and District Residents Association is not against renewable energy in situations where it brings clear benefits to communities, we do maintain that such applications must be done in a sensitive and considered way in full consultation with the local communities they will impact. These applications have clearly not been done in such a manner and therefore it has become necessary for a new Action Group to become established combining all of the local communities.

The new action group, SALVATION: Sellindge, Aldington, LympneVillagers Against Turbines In Our Neighbourhood, will operate as a special part of the Sellindge Residents Association and will seek to combine the efforts of residents across Sellindge, Lympne, Aldington and numerous other villages and individuals from across the impacted area.

Many of you will have questions around the application itself and the impact it will have, along with how to prevent it from happening. You can find a great deal of this information on our website, where we have now set up a new Section under the heading: Harringe Brooks Wind Turbine Action Group - see Coloured Section 2 in the right-hand column). This also provides a link directly to the Shepway Planning site that has further details of the actual Wind Farm application, ref Y12/0451/SH.

For those residents without email access, we will coordinate with those distributing the leaflets to get their telephone numbers, so that we can follow up with a call or visit as preferred to assist with the preparation and posting of any letters they wish to send to Shepway Planning.

Despite having had 2 years to prepare their application, the official closing date for our objections is 30th June, giving us very little time indeed and so we must act now! To emphasise the urgency of this campaign, we now have an email address at act4salvation@gmail.com that can be used for any comments, suggestions, queries or offers of support.

I have asked Tony Bosley to Chair this campaign on behalf of the Sellindge Residents Association in order to bring the villages of the area together in a combined and distinct Action Group. Please give him all of the support you can.

We are shortly arranging for leaflets / posters to be finalised and distributed, both in hard copy and via the internet for home printing to share the burden and cost. We will need to co-ordinate this in order to make sure all areas are covered, so please let us know via reply to our gmail address above if you can assist with this in any way - however small. Our first major challenge is to make everyone aware of what is being planned in scale and the impact it will have on us all. Many are aware of the environmental issues, but are many aware of the significant negative impact this will have on house prices in our area?

We do have a great deal of support already, including from our local MP – Damian Collins and hopefully from many of the local Parish Councils across the area, so we are already off to a great start, but need as many as possible to object by letter or by email on the Shepway planning website. Do look at our website for guidance on how to object, as it must be done in a particular way for your vote to count. However, objecting is simple and the more objections we can get registered, the better our chances will be. Do spread the word to neighbours and friends and if you can think of anything else we may have missed or can offer additional support in whatever form, please just let us know. We will continue to update everyone via emails and the website going forward on a regular basis, so if you don't wish to be included on these, or wish for others to be added, please just let us know at act4salvation@gmail.com.

We can win this fight to protect what we have and as local communities together, we will!

Kindest Regards

Ronald Lello

Chairman