We won’t have a say (From Craven Herald)

We won’t have a say

9:31am Thursday 5th January 2012 in Readers' Letters

Sir – Regarding the Thompsons Field development at Sutton in Craven, the two statutory bodies that can stop development on the site are North Yorkshire County Council Highways and Yorkshire Water.

Unfortunately, neither of these bodies object to development in South Craven. Planners and public are aware that for several years the main sewage pipe serving the Aire Valley from below Skipton down to Keighley overflows out of the service covers into the fields below Steeton.

Local parish councils and planning authorities have had site meetings with Yorkshire Water, but no improvements have been made to date. Another 200 houses are to be built in Steeton along with a new hotel which will exacerbate the problems.

Just a word of caution to objectors – a development off Green Lane in Glusburn has been refused three times by the planning authority at Craven District Council and twice by planning inspectors after public inquiries.

Now Craven District Council officers have agreed with the applicant not to have another public inquiry, but to consider written representations instead. This makes it much easier for the applicant to obtain permission to build and saves the Council the cost of a public inquiry.

However, this denies the public their right to actually speak to the inspector and once again distances the public from decision-making. Neither the Highway Authority or Yorkshire Water objected to the development, Yorkshire Water knowing that the sewage system was inadequate and overflowed from the pipe into the fields during heavy rain, and the Highway Authority knowing that access from the site onto Green Lane and then onto the A6068 were both inadequate.

When Greenroyd Mill was developed, £25,000 was allocated towards building an essential footpath along Sutton Lane towards Eastburn. Because the footpath was not built, the £25,000 was returned to the developer and the pedestrian safety issues will continue to get worse as traffic volumes grow and new housing developments take place.

Unfortunately, Craven District Council, North Yorkshire County Council and Yorkshire Water will all make money out of new developments through more council tax and water rates.

In the current Local District Plan adopted about five years ago, it was stated that until the highways and sewage infrastructures were improved, no further developments should take place in South Craven. Nothing has been done to improve the infrastructure, but developments continue to be allowed. So much for years of public consultation. Luckily, we now have Mr Cameron’s Big Society, where local people will be listened to and have influence over future developments!

Roger Nicholson, Sutton in Craven