Planning Application No. P/07/2896/2
Location; 23 Dovecote Street, Hathern.

We are concerned about the scale of this proposed development.
The new extension building is large and imposing, and will detract from the character, appearance and siting of the existing listed building. To all intents and purposes, the extension is a second house located in the rear garden of the existing building.
In its response the Parish Council cannot currently support this application.

Planning Application No. P/08/0056/2
Location; College Garth, Derby Road, Hathern.

No objections in principle to the development. However we have a number of concerns:
1) Concerned about the access on to the A6 and the potential increase in traffic that will result.
2) The development should be in keeping with the rural context of the site and appropriate materials used e.g. brick and timber should be selected for the external facings of the building.

Appeal Ref No : APP/X2410/A/07/2059246/NWF Charnwood Borough Council Planning Application - P/07/1311/2 - Proposed Erection of 15 Houses at Brunsleigh Croft and at the Rear of 71 Loughborough Rd, Hathern, LE12 5HV
18 Feb 2008

Hathern Parish Council has strongly objected to this application and that position is confirmed in our letter to Mr S Moffat at Charnwood Borough Council Planning, and dated 2 nd Oct 2007. That objection and the points we make still stand. Our primary concern is highway safety and the consequential safety of residents. In this respect we felt that it would be valuable to more fully detail our concerns that safety on the affected stretch of Loughborough Rd (A6) through our village will be compromised by such a development and the proposed highway alterations.
Firstly the presence of a concrete platform with an illuminated bollard between Hunts Orchard and Golden Square will create further collision potential on an already hazardous bend in the main road. Residents park their cars on-road along the inside of this bend and in order to pass these safely vehicles frequently have to drive over the diagonal striped area in the middle of the road. The bollard visibility splay for traffic travelling toward Loughborough will be restricted and therefore we can foresee a serious risk that further accidents will follow as a result of drivers swerving to avoid hitting the bollard.
Secondly the proposed right turn lane into the proposed development is totally inadequate and right turners into the development will create potentially dangerous tailbacks on the A6 as will the shortening of the right turn lane into Wide Street. Furthermore converting the existing right turn lane from the A6 into Wide Street into both a left and a right turn lane has the potential to create a serious accident blackspot. There will be insufficient room for left and right turners to queue during the busy periods of the day and drivers will become confused as they approach this section of the road. The risk of collision between vehicles from opposite directions intending to turn right and left respectively must be considered very real as is this risk of accidents as the queue of vehicles in both directions spills out onto the main part of the carriageway.
These safety issues are considered paramount by residents of Hathern and we foresee a significant increase in the risk to both drivers and pedestrians if this proposed development and associated highway alterations are carried through.
R G Dann, Chair Hathern Parish Council

Application No. P/08/1302/2 Listed Building Consent.

We note the very high standard of design and finish in this application.

We have no objections to this application.

Planning Application: P/08/2115/2 - King's Arms

The Council has concerns over the potential overbearing nature of the proposed development. It is placed on the edge of the village and has a rural outlook to much of the new buildings. A planting scheme associated with the car parking area that bounds an agricultural landscape is suggested together with careful selection of building materials to suit its countryside location.

Planning Application P/08/2048/2 - Dishley Grange.

Hathern Parish Council is totally opposed to the proposed development of the countryside to the North and West of Dishley Grange for the following reasons :

1. Much of this development (53%) lies within the designated floodplain and as such presents further risk of flooding to neighbouring communities along this section of the Soar Valley. By developing on floodplain we are surely storing up problems for the future.
2. A large parcel of farm land (8.5 hectares - almost as much again and the proposed development area) will be turned over for “flood compensation”. This means that this land cannot be used for agriculture, recreation or any future development. This cannot be a sensible use of such a valuable resource. Surely there must be alternative sites where the land can be used much more effectively.
3. The land under consideration here forms part of the important green corridor between the village of Hathern and the encroaching sprawl of Loughborough. The Council is opposed to any development that further erodes that area of countryside and threatens its settlement identity.
4. Clearly such a development will attract a significant additional level of traffic into the local area. Apart from that associated with the 800 new employees there will be a large number of HGVs and other commercial vehicles coming and going from the site. All of these vehicles will have to use the A6 and most of these will come through Hathern on their way to the M1/M42/A50. There will be additional noise, disturbance and airborne pollution affecting all who live within the vicinity, together with an increased risk of serious accident as these vehicles travel through our village.
5. The consequential increase in traffic that will use the A6 through Hathern runs contrary to one of the Priority Outcomes from the recently published Leicestershire Sustainable Communities Strategy 2008, ie “Less traffic goes through the centre of Hathern (A6)”
6. The proposed development is speculative with no current need demonstrated. There are many industrial units in and around Charnwood that are empty. Such development should be focused on existing brown field sites.

Charnwood Borough Council Planning Application - P/09/0276/2 - Proposed Erection of 10 Houses at Brunsleigh Croft and at the Rear of 71 Loughborough Rd, Hathern, LE12 5HV

Hathern Parish Council objects to this further application to build on this site. Our primary concern is highway safety and the consequential safety of residents.

This section of the A6 through Hathern has a poor safety record with many accidents over recent years. Vehicles from the additional 10 houses using the shared access junction will further increase the risk of further accidents to both pedestrians and road users especially as the proposed access to the development conflicts with the junction opposite, ie between the A6 and Wide St.

The proposed provision for right turn into the development is inadequate and right turners into the development will create potentially dangerous tailbacks on the A6. These vehicles will, at best, queue up parallel to the vehicles queuing to turn right into Wide St from the Kegworth bound carriageway of the A6 and will have to cross through that line of stationary vehicles into the path of vehicles coming from Loughborough. At worst right turning vehicles into the development will cross into the lane dedicated to right turners into Wide St and queue there, potentially head to head with vehicles turning right into Wide St. There will be insufficient room for right turners from both carriageways to queue during the busy periods of the day and drivers will become confused as they approach this section of the road. The risk of collision between vehicles from opposite directions intending to turn right into Wide St and the proposed development must be considered very real as is this risk of accidents as the queue of vehicles turning right into Wide St spills out onto the main part of the carriageway.

The visibility onto the A6 from the access road is of utmost importance – the A6 is a busy and fast road (despite the 30mph speed limit). The Council is concerned that safety is being compromised by an insufficient line-of-sight requirement. A bollard in the centre of the A6 will be required – another hazard for drivers to negotiate and no doubt create its own accidents.

Furthermore the recent changes to the road marking on the A6 toward Kegworth providing on-road parking bays has made the approach to the access point to the development and the turn into Wide St even more hazardous by narrowing the available road and affecting the line of sight around the bend

These safety issues are considered paramount by residents of Hathern and we foresee a significant increase in the risk to both drivers and pedestrians if this proposed development is carried through in its current form.

Yours Faithfully

Mrs M Spencer, Clerk to HPC,
CC. RG Dann, Chair Hathern Parish Council