Representation by Swanscombe and Greenhithe Town Council (Swanscombe and Greenhithe Town Council)
- Date submitted
- 29 March 2021
- Submitted by
- Parish councils
Swanscombe and Greenhithe Town Council would like to submit the following representations regarding the proposed London Resort, Swanscombe Peninsula, Kent. The Town Council welcomes both the wealth generation opportunity for this part of North Kent, and also the job creation both during the construction phase and in resort operation, as long as these jobs remain local. The Town Council has serious concerns regarding the impact on the local transport network that the resort will bring both in increased traffic and parking. Although the dedicated route from the A2 will, to an extent, assist to minimise traffic, local roads will undoubtedly still be used and effected. As parking is proposed to be chargeable visitors will seek other options such as the opportunity to park off residential roads within neighbouring communities and utilise the walking route to the site. Emphasis has been placed on the promotion and use of both Greenhithe and Northfleet train stations. This has been to avoid the cost to update and upgrade Swanscombe Station to the required standard of accessibility. This station, although not intended to be promoted by London Resort, is by far the closest and sits just 50 metres from the walking entrance to the resort and will therefore be utilised by the users, and employees, of the resort. The use of Greenhithe station would vastly increase the amount of bus/shuttle journeys which would in turn not only change the character of Ingress Park but would also affect how other services elsewhere in the borough are dispersed. The Town Council has serious concerns about the impact the development has on the open mosaic habitat from previously developed land contained within the site, and about how the wildlife and green spaces will be managed and remain freely accessible to the public. Liaison with the local community is key to the successful delivery of this scheme and the formation of a residents’ discount will work to actively promote a good relationship. The plans provided for the site show buildings that would appear to greatly overlook both local neighbouring buildings and impose on visitors to the wider town of Swanscombe and Greenhithe. These include the car park located adjacent to Galley Hill Road, the back-office sites located to the rear of both Stanhope Road and Swanscombe High Street. The back-office area for Gate 2 is located close to the residential development of Ingress Park, with direct vehicle access located close to the junction of the housing development itself. Some of the landscaping proposed in this area impacts on the delivery of much needed community buildings. The proposed 500 units for staff accommodation will greatly impact on local infrastructure. No provision has been made for the additional demand this population will have on existing recreation and medical facilities in the area. The Town Council feel that there is insufficient information supplied at this stage by the developer to assure that every step will be taken to mitigate the impact of the resort on the existing community. The basis for this report is taken from the 2012 site assessment, which is out of date with local demands. The construction phase has concerned members, both with the potential noise generated (comparisons have been drawn with the new warehouse building being built along the river), and the construction traffic. We are aware that it is proposed that the river will be used for this, but that this is not guaranteed. Mention has also been made of using access roads from Swanscombe High Street to bring plant and lorries onto the quarry behind. This road is not suitable for this type of vehicles and another route would need to be considered. A lack of consideration has been given to the relocation of the businesses already located on site. This is both from the perspective of a loss/relocation of local jobs, but also where these businesses will be relocated and the impact, they will have given the types of industries in place. The Town Council would like to see details of what sort of jobs will be available at the resort and where will the people who fills these jobs be brought in from? The Town Council would like to see far more detail of what is involved with a project of this magnitude and finds that this is not currently provided by the developer for example, phasing details do not appear to be included which would mean there is nothing in place that obligates the developer to do X before they do Y etc.