The long awaited Nathaniel Lichfield & Partners (NLP) Report is now in the public domain and accessible via the Colchester Borough Council (CBC) planning website.
Click to visit the planning page for this application
| A little background: |
| In February 2009, within a month of the application being lodged, the CBC Spatial Planning Group produced a very critical report on Horkesley Park recommending refusal in no uncertain terms. However, as a report it was high on rhetoric but low on factual analysis and not the sort of document that could be put before a Planning Committee or the Planning Inspectorate at any subsequent appeal hearing. |
| At the end of 2009 CBC commissioned NLP to produce an in-depth report on the Tourism, Retail, and Economic aspects of the application. It is believed that this report has been in the hands of CBC since February, Bunting & Sons have had access to it, although their comments were limited to questions of fact, and it was released into the Public Domain on 7 July. |
| The NLP Report is critical of much of the application, an assessment agreed with others who have opposed Horkesley Park, and certainly provides the basis on which CBC may refuse the application and face an Appeal with confidence. However, remember that this is a “departure” application so CBC can only say “they are minded to recommend refusal” and then refer the application to Government for final decision. |
| At this point the battle to save the Dedham Vale and Stour Valley AONB looked to be in excellent shape. |
| However, in July Bunting & Sons, their various experts and legal team issued a 406 page rebuttal of the NLP Report and various opposition groups are currently forming their response. The tactics appear to be to attack the very foundation of planning law that could lead to a refusal and to question the competency of CBC in the handling of the application. |
| In light of various statements made by the Rt Hon Eric Pickles, Minister for Communities, Edward Gittins & Associates are questioning the relevance and weight of Local Development Frameworks and the application of PPS4 to proposals for tourism and economic development. Both of these can be seen to be pivotal to opposition to commercial development in the countryside. |
| When it will appear before the Planning Committee remains uncertain – John Davies, Senior Planning Officer, who had been dealing with Horkesley Park since 2001 has resigned, and Alistair Day, who has taken it, appears to be overloaded. |
| Bunting & Sons are pushing for an early hearing of the application – they claim to have spent £1.5m on the planning process over the last 10 years – but a line by line examination of a 406 page report and subsequent comment takes time and resources. |
| The objections of the Society have always been around the issue of scale – the Colchester Local Development Framework seeks to protect the AONB from “inappropriate development” and the sheer size of the application poses a real threat to the Vale. |
| We appear to be in a 10 year war of attrition and it is vitally important that we guard against apathy if we are to win the battle to defend the Vale we all love so much. |
Roger
Drury 27 July 2010
|
£25m
heritage centre plan 'not justified' says report
Essex County
Standard 16 July 2010
A damning report has criticised a proposal for the Horkesley Park heritage and conservation centre scheme in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. In the independant appraisal commissioned by Colchester Borough Council, planning experts Nathaniel Litchfield and Partners concluded the application did not have sufficient regional significance to justify major development in the countryside. Click to view the article (pdf 280Kb) The Stour Valley Action Group have published their analysis of the Nathaniel Litchfield and Partners report on the Key Issues page of their website. The NLP Report and Buntings response can be found on the Colchester Borough Council website (dated 7 & 13 July) |
 |
|
More
information can be found on the Stour
Valley Action Group website.
|
Horkesley Park Application nears boiling point!
Stour Valley Action Group's latest newsletter reveals the latest developments concerning the Horkesley Park Application. This includes Buntings' submission of queries from the Highways Agency and CBC's appointment of consultants. Click to view on their webste There is every indication that the Application will come before the Planning Committee of the Council very soon, therefore the maximum presence of objectors is needed at this Council meeting when it happens. In preparation for this, SVAG have decided to call a Meeting of membership and others who are in opposition to the Horkesley Park Proposal in: Little Horkesley Village Hall on 25th March 2010 at 7pm.
|
|
|
More
information, press coverage and the key issues of concern surrounding
this planning application can be found on the Stour
Valley Action Group website.
|
Deadline
for the Horkesley Park application has been extended
In
May 2009 the Highways Agency put a stop on Bunting's application
being considered before 7th November and until the folowing had be
completed:
It is my understanding that this work has not being completed and necessary meetings with the Highways Agency, ECC and SCC Highways Authorites have not been held/finallised. Therefore, the deadline has been extended until 7 May 2010.I think there is unlikely to be a Planning Committee hearing before early summer 2010. Roger Drury |
Public
inquiry should decide heritage park plan, says MP
Essex County Standard 22 May 2009
| North Essex MP Bernard Jenkin has asked for the application to be heard through a public enquiry led by a Government inspector. In his letter, he states: "It contravenes Colchester Council's strategic plan and meets criteria for calling in". |  Click to view the article (pdf 182Kb) |
The Highways Agency have commented on the Horkesley Park application
Their
recommendation is that "the Secretary of State for Transport
directs that planning permission not be granted for a specific
period." Their
concern is the amount of development already scheduled in north
Colchester and the potential that the new Cuckoo Farm junction
will be over loaded before it is built! However, I am not a planning expert. Roger Drury, 14 May 2009 |
Damning
council report criticises Horkesley Park project
Essex
County Standard 8 May 2009
In the report from CBC Spatial Policy team for Planning Policy, Enterprise, Tourism & Transportation their initial comments conclude: “It is considered that the tourism and job creation benefits of the Horkesley Park proposal have been overstated and are in any case outweighed by the negative traffic and landscape impacts of its large scale. The proposal fails to make the case set by national, regional and local planning policy for exceptional status to merit its development in a rural area.” |
Horkesley Park Heritage and Conservation Centre
Visitors to this website might like to learn something of the reaction to the Horkesley Park application from members of the public and the various concerned organisations. The Stour Valley Action Group's latest newsletter gives details of the current situation to their members. This can be viewed on their website newsletters page. The deadline for letters to CBC is now passed. The decision, however, is not made yet. You can still influence it by making your views felt through the democratic process. Please continue to spread the message to your friends and neighbours, and take the time to l write to the following:
|
|
|
More
information, press coverage and the key issues of concern surrounding
this planning application can be found on the Stour
Valley Action Group website.
|
Famous
name against heritage centre
East Anglian Daily Times 28 April 2009
Dr John Constable, the great-great-great grandson of the artist who painted landscapes in the Dedham Vale, said he believed the Horkesley Park conservation and heritage centre was out-of-sacle and out-of-keeping with the countryside around it. He said, "There is not a chance of it becoming a major Constable centre. It is too far away from the major Constable associations of Dedham and Flatford Mill." He went on to say, “It would become a large retail site and I really don't think people want to come to Constable country for Bluewater-on-Stour. It just doesn't seem the right thing to do." Click to view the full article (pdf 237Kb)
Horkesley Park Heritage and Conservation Centre
On
behalf of the Dedham Vale Society, Charles Clover, submitted
an objection to the Horkesley Park proposal at Great Horkesley to
Colchester Borough Council.
Click here to view |
 |
Horkesley
Park: 77,632 would visit in August alone
Report shows huge projected numbers
An article in the Essex County Standard on 27 March 2009 revealed figures given in a report accompanying the Horkesley Park planning application. Charles Clover, chairman of the Dedham Vale Society, questioned whether the visitor figures were accurate – and if the centre would be viable. “ There are major elements that don’t stack up”, he said. “ We must continue to assess if these predicted visitor numbers are too high and if this is really viable”. “ We must also ask if the retail element is against planning law.” “ And if it all goes wrong, will it become a development which does irreparable damage to both Colchester and the countryside?” |
Parish Church of All Saints' (with St. John's), Great Horkesley
A brief glance at the map showing the area of the proposed Horkesley Park development reveals that the thriving church of All Saints' is juxtaposed on three sides by land owned by the Buntings family. A visit to the church, church-yard and adjacent footpaths offers the visitor a good opportunity to judge for themselves what is involved and the extent to which the present peace and tranquillity of the area might or might not be affected if the proposal is accepted. To find
All Saints' Parish Church, take the A134 towards Nayland, turn
left just past the Rose and Crown PH into London Road, then
immediately right onto a shared lane, (cricket ground on right).
The church is on your left where the lane divides. John
Osborn 24th March 2009 |
 |
Horkesley Park Heritage and Conservation Centre
The following letter will be sent to every member of the Dedham Vale Society during the week commencing 16 March 2009. The committee feel it is really important that members consider the effect of this proposal on the AONB and register their views by letter or email to Mr John Davies well before the final date for submissions on April 17. (Available as downloadable pdf here) Dear Member, For the last 70 years the Dedham Vale Society has seen its role as being to protect the peace, tranquillity and beauty of the Dedham Vale from inappropriate development. Whilst fulfilling this role, the Society has always recognised that we live in a rapidly changing environment and sought to assist in managing that change. Although the educational elements of the Horkesley Park proposals contain much that can be admired, the Society believes that it must be opposed as a totally inappropriate development because of its sheer size and serious adverse impact on the Dedham Vale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty as a whole. |
 Click to view full image (pdf 503Kb) As shown the majority of the proposed heritage park site lies within the AONB (boundary in purple) |
As the application is outside the Colchester Plan, it has been designated a departure application and, thereby, any decision by CBC must be reviewed to the Regional Office of Government.
We would ask you, and as many others as you can persuade, to write to:
John Davies, Principal Planning Officer,
Colchester Borough Council,
PO Box 889,
Town Hall,
Colchester CO1 1FL.
or e-mail to: planning.services@colchester.gov.uk
Application No. 090231 MUST be quoted and your address must be given on any letter or e-mail, which must be received by 17th April. Your letters and emails need not be long but will weigh in the consideration of this application. NUMBERS REALLY DO MATTER – IT IS VITAL THAT AS MANY LETTERS/E-MAILS AS POSSIBLE ARE SENT.
The following objections have been agreed by the committee of the Dedham Vale Society and you may care to consider them in composing your response:
- The application predicts first year attendance of 485,000 with a turn over of £13.4 m – this must represent an inappropriate development as defined in the CBC Core Strategy Document.
- The income for the first year includes £2.8 m from food and restaurant sales and £7.3m from “gifts” – this is, therefore, a retail outlet and such out of town retail facilities are specifically excluded by the national guidelines (contained in PPS6).
- The forecast attendance is vastly larger than Flatford (250,000), Sutton Hoo (>200,000), Colchester Castle (93,000) – only Colchester Zoo (nowhere near the AONB) is comparable.
- The estimate is that 179 jobs would be lost in local businesses, but that only 155 would be created. They also claim it would create other unquantified jobs in the local economy.
- The application includes “hopper bus” services from Horkesley Park to Carter’s Vineyard, Dedham and Flatford – it is therefore obvious that the management of Horkesley Park plan to encourage people to visit the whole of the Dedham Vale.
- The road infrastructure
giving access to the park is inadequate – the application assumes
that the A12 Cuckoo Farm junction will be complete by 2011 and the
vast majority of traffic will move up the A134. There must be serious
doubts, in the present financial climate, that a major junction will
be built in that timescale - they cannot afford to mend the potholes!!
Additionally, people are not sheep and they will exit the A12 anywhere from Higham to Eight Ash Green and move across the AONB. This will be exacerbated by the increasing number of SATNAV systems, which do not follow the directions of developers. - The road structure around the Park is totally inadequate – the A134 itself has been assessed by the AA as being one of 40 most dangerous roads in England and many side roads into the AONB are single track.
- Horkesley Park stands on a hill looking out over the Dedham Vale and will undoubtedly create light and noise pollution across a wide area.
- Public Rights of Way are under threat. Footpaths 3/4/5 run through the “country park” – is the intention to fence these or close them to the public?
- There are very few “Protected Lanes” in north Essex and the Colchester Borough Council have a policy to protect these from any increase in vehicular traffic and yet the entrance to Horkesley Park is within 300 metres of one of these historic lanes and will certainly be exposed to increased traffic levels.
- Finally, a thought for All Saints Church, a Grade 1 listed building, which has stood in the peace and tranquillity of the Vale for many centuries – it will find itself in the middle of a theme park!!
The list above is not an exhaustive one, but does summarise the main problems – size, commercial viability, infrastructure and the adverse impact on the Dedham Vale AONB. Further details may be seen on our website, or that of the Stour Valley Action Group, www.stourvalleyactiongroup.org.uk
Charles Clover, 12th March 2009
Ready
To Fight The Heritage Centre
following the resurrection of the Horkesley Park planning
proposal
 |
Saying no - William Pavry, Chairman of the Stour Valley Action Group, and Robert Erith, president of the Dedham Vale Society, with Little Horkesley residents protesting against the proposed centre. |
The Dedham Vale Society and the Stour Valley Action Group are leading protests against the plans for the Horkesley Park Heritage and Conservation Centre which they believe will have a major impact on the area. Charles Clover, chairman of the Dedham Vale Society said, "This site is in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) on the hill above Nayland, which is a unique medieval settlement. The volume of traffic which would be generated by the proposed 485,000 visitors each year is too great. Total sales from the scheme have been put at £13.4 million a year - this is retail development." He also disputes claims that 155 jobs would be created at the centre and believes an equal number of jobs could be lost if the development was allowed. Mr Erith, president of the Dedham Vale Society, said, "The Society has concerns about this development including noise and light pollution." He added, "The construction of a major retail park, which is in essence what the so-called Heritage Centre will be, could well predjudice any application for the inclusion of the Dedham Vale on the UK's nominations for the World Heritage List." |
More information, press coverage and the key issues of concern surrounding this planning application can be found on the Stour Valley Action Group website. | |
|
The public have a right to see the Proposal in full at the Colchester Borough Council offices in Angel Court, High St Colchester. Some details can also be found on the Colchester Borough Council website on www.colchester.gov.uk/planning and a request can be made for a copy on CD for which you will have to pay.
The Society believes that, if successful, this Application would destroy the peace and tranquillity of the Dedham Vale. It must be stopped and we strongly urge you to write with your own comments to:
Mr John Davies, Colchester Borough Council PO Box 889 Town Hall Colchester CO1 1FL
You must quote the Application Number 090231. Your letter must be delivered by 17th April 2009 at the latest.
You can also respond by e-mail to: planning.services@colchester.gov.uk
You must quote the Application Number and your postal address on any e-mail response.