Representation by Diana Varbanescu
- Date submitted
- 23 August 2019
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
Historic landscape, heritage Painshill House and Painshill Estate have been Grade II* listed. The house was built in the landscape garden (mid 18th century) as the creator C. Hamilton had intended: as an integral part to a timeless landscape garden. The gardens of the original house survive largely intact and this proposed development will impact the current status. Painshill Park has been awarded multiple medals for the restoration work. The restoration started with the local council having to buy the fragmented plots of land and recreate the original landscape garden. Restoration grants were awarded to enable the recreation of this unique landscape garden by recovering 158 acres of the original 200+ acres. The proposed development is a significant step back that will undo a great part of this work (and granted investment). Taking large parts of land running past the Gothic Tower will destroy a high number of trees from the ancient woodlands. Safety Traffic congestion on the Painshill roundabout is not addressed, the proposed development will only aggravate the current situation (generating more traffic in a congested area). Security Painshill Park and Painshill Estate residents’ security will severely be affected Pollution The increased volume of traffic associated with the A3 widening and the Access Road is expected to increase further the high levels of air pollution and noise pollution experienced by residents and visitors to the park. Losing trees from the ancient woodland (natural sound barrier) will further impact the remaining park and estate. Human Rights of Residents The right to a family/private life and enjoyment of property enshrined in European legislation is relevant in this context. We believe that the current proposals would violate the rights of approximately 30 people who live on the Painshill Estate. It also appears that in the consultation process to date the rights of Painshill residents have been assigned a much lower priority vs. impact. Impact on Property Values The current proposals will lead to substantial compensation claims by the 12 households on the Painshill Estate for the “blight” caused by the construction work including loss of market value of the properties. Better Options Exist I believe that better options exist to avoid the problems highlighted above.