Representation by Phillip Freer
- Date submitted
- 14 July 2024
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
Views and opinions expressed by the owners and residents of Bridge House Farm / Bridge House Boarding Kennels (Business) / Switherland/Montravia show dogs (Business), NG24 2AA which is extremely close to the proposed new Brownhills junction. Bridge House Farm was purchased with a view that it could be developed into an environment where the owners could live with their dogs where they could run free and express their natural behaviours without the worry of complaints from neighbours. Over 24 years of investment the property has evolved to the purpose-built premises it is today. • Switherland/Montravia is a successful show kennel of the highest level, having been Best in Show at Crufts twice, producing Champion dogs and high-quality, sought-after puppies for over 50 years. • Bridge House Boarding Kennels is a successful and valued 5-star kennelling establishment which is designed to provide a pension income for the owners for the rest of their lives. There are serious concerns on numerous points regarding the impact the scheme design will have on home life and the businesses during both construction and once in operation. The owners of Bridge House Farm/Bridge House Boarding Kennels/Switherland/Montravia show dogs are 70 years and 66 years old. The businesses they have developed are designed to earn them the money to live through their retirement and pay for the food and vet bills for their show dogs. The potential development of such a massive road infrastructure in such proximity to their home and businesses seriously threatens their health and wellbeing and their financial income both in the short and long term. The realisation of this 10m high new road development surrounding their property and flooding their field, threatening their business and the security into their retirement which they have worked hard to create is giving them much unneeded anxiety and stress. There has been 24 years of heavy investment to create a retirement home, which will be significantly devalued by the creation of an additional 5 lanes of traffic (4 lanes A46, and slip road) plus a substantial roundabout encasing the property on 2 sides, in addition to the existing 4 lanes of A1 running along one other side. All these additional roads are raised considerably above ground level and to a height of 10m at the closest point to the property meaning it will not be possible to escape the sight, sound and vibration of traffic day and night from all 4 sides of the property. A height of 10m (33 feet) above ground level for the Brownhills underbridge and the A1 overbridge make it a huge construction encasing the property, even with a planted embankment the outlook and skyline will be non-existent. It would no longer be possible to enjoy sitting in the front garden or conservatory due to the continuous traffic sight, sound, vibration, and emissions. It would no longer be possible to open any windows in the property during warmer months due to excessive noise and pollution levels, especially at night. Currently Bridge House Farm is situated at the end of an unlit lane adjacent to the unlit A1 and surrounded by agricultural land. At night the level of light pollution is extremely low with the nearest lights being barely seen from the streetlights of the existing Brownhills roundabout. The proposed Brownhills scheme will introduce a great deal of light pollution close to the property from the new slip road, roundabout and the headlights of traffic travelling on the raised and significantly closer A46. This will have a detrimental impact from lighting up the property and from interfering with the nocturnal wildlife. The new design creates a bottle neck which should any part of the new proposed Brownhills junction become blocked, including if there is an accident which results in a blockage of the existing Brownhills roundabout means that it would be impossible to leave the premises and emergency services, staff and customers would be unable to access it. Currently there is the option to turn either left or right at the end of Winthorpe Road should one direction be blocked. The outlook will be adversely affected in a major way. The property currently overlooks open farmland on 3 sides surrounded by mature trees and all this land will be used in the construction of the new road network, creating a view of raised concrete construction instead. Even if some of this could be mitigated using planting, the trees planted would need to be mature at the time of planting to be of necessary size to mitigate any noise, pollution, and visual impact. Sapling growth would take very many years. How will it be possible to screen the 10m high roadway seen from the entire frontage of the property? The information provided already shows that the noise and pollution levels at Brownhills junction are at sensitive levels so the addition of 4 lanes of fast flowing traffic, a slip road with decelerating vehicles and a roundabout and connecting road with accelerating vehicles can only increase these levels to an intolerable and unacceptable level. Noise • The Preliminary Environmental Information Vol.2 shows that Bridge House Farm already lies in a noise important area due to the A1. Long term noise level monitors placed at locations LT6 and LT7 showed similar daytime and night-time noise level results, well above the recommended limits. These monitors were placed on the opposite side of the raised A1 from Bridge House Farm and there was no monitoring taken place close to the location of the proposed new Brownhills junction where the noise levels are likely to increase significantly from not only the traffic on the raised A46 but from the decelerating and accelerating vehicles on the slip road and roundabout to the side and in front of the property What further increase in this level should be expected by bringing the proximity of the A46 significantly closer to the property and by creating a slip road and a roundabout where the vehicles will be continuously decelerating and accelerating creating additional road and vehicle noise? Referring to the proposed A46 development the second inspector for the secretary of state Graham Kean stated, “I have no doubt that the potential exists for a greater adverse impact because of the closer proximity of a dual carriageway.” (Appeal Decision, 13.06.22) • Noise levels from the existing A1 already exceed guidelines in BS8233:2014 which relates to noise levels in and around buildings as was found by a noise survey conducted on behalf of inspector Chris Preston for the secretary of state when the land adjacent to the property was subject to a refusal of planning permission on 2 occasions. It recommends that external areas used for amenity space should not exceed 50dB, with an upper guideline of 55 dB for noisier environments. Noise levels were found to average 63.5 dB during the daytime and 60dB at night. 2.4M high acoustic fencing was deemed inadequate to reduce the levels enough. (Appeal Decision 26.02.19) Pollution • A big concern is the dramatic increase in pollution levels from such a large number of vehicles (approx. 3800 a day based on Technical Note Traffic Modelling Data), many of which are heavy goods vehicles and lorries, decelerating along the slip road and onto the roundabout and accelerating off the roundabout in such close proximity to the house and garden as well as the emissions from the continuous stream of traffic along the raised A46 now substantially closer to the property. This concern is not only for the residents of Bridge House Farm own health but for that of their dogs and their staff. 182 receptors were assessed within 200m of the affected road network and 12 of those receptors deemed most impacted upon by the scheme were listed on p.82 A46 Preliminary Environmental Information Vol.1. Why were there no recordings taken outside Bridge House Farm as it will be the greatest impacted by the slip road and large roundabout which will involve many vehicles decelerating and accelerating, all within 200m of the house as well as the largest section of raised A46 creating increased pollutants within the airspace? Readings taken from receptor R151, 79 Low Wood Lodge, Gainsborough Road, Winthorpe cannot be suitably representative as they are separated by the raised A1 and are on the opposite side to the proposed roundabout and slip road so would be far less impacted than Bridge House Farm. Having so much open agricultural land, hedgerow and trees around encourages wildlife, regularly seen in the fields such as deer, rabbits, pheasants, stoats, voles, foxes, and hedgehogs. Birdlife includes garden birds such as sparrows, tits, blackbirds, robins, and finches but also kestrel, buzzards, red kites, barn owls and bats. How can you mitigate the loss of habitat for this wildlife in this area and prevent numerous animal deaths by creating such large-scale infrastructure in their commuting corridors? An area of the property belonging to Bridge House Farm has been identified on the development plans as part of the Brownhills borrow pit / floodplain compensation area. What does this mean and how does this affect it? It has not been identified in Preliminary Environmental Information Vol.1 as a permanent land requirement, however if it is to be permanently under higher threat of flooding or likely to be wet all year round then this is catastrophic to the businesses at Bridge House Farm. That land is a CRITICAL part of both Bridge House Boarding Kennels and Switherland/Montravia businesses, neither can function without the use of this land. It is used all day as free running exercise area for the 40 show dogs and for the 30 boarding kennel dogs. To what extent will this land be flooded? For how long? Will it still be useable? Will it remain as part of Bridge House Farm or is it intended to be purchased? What are the knock-on effects to the other areas of the property regards floodplain? Will this area be dug out as it is indicated it is part of the borrow pit? It has been stated in Preliminary Environmental Information vol.1 That there will be an increase in flood risk once the road is in operation and the solution is the floodplain compensation sites meaning water will be diverted to this area. Highways representatives visited Bridge House Farm only a few days after the release of the new development plans to include the Brownhills junction. They came to explain what the plans involved. At no point during this meeting did they explain that part of the property was included in the proposed borrow pit and floodplain, even though it was discussed what impact the flood area could have on Bridge House Farm. It was described as an area of wetland to be developed in the area surrounding the road and at no point was the inclusion of the field pointed out. The proposal of the inclusion of the land has only come to light since the owners have read the plans attached to a lamp post outside their house. As stated in Preliminary Environmental Information Vol. 1 p. 45, the proposed new roundabout at Brownhills junction is adjacent to an established drain and there WILL BE an INCREASED RISK of surface water runoff directly into this drain. The concern is that since the site adjacent to Bridge House Farm was illegally covered in many tonnes of hardcore, previously agricultural land, they experience a much larger and more frequent increase in surface run off which floods the area directly outside the property and flows down the driveway to contribute to flooding under the A1 bridge. It also states that the additional roundabout and proposed new roads at Brownhills junction will be 2m above existing ground levels which is within an area of flood risk. Impacts to flood plain compensation requirements and flood propagation will need to be managed. How will this be done? The property currently sits on a zone 2 flood plain so is at medium risk of flooding. The field sits in flood zone 3 for the river Trent, so is at the highest risk of flooding and during wetter months will be muddy to boggy. The Environment Agency shows Bridge House Farm on the Newark Parish flood map PDF as being part of flood zone 3. (https://www.newark-sherwooddc.gov.uk/media/newark-and-sherwood/images-and-files/flooding/parish-flood-maps/Newark300small.pdf) It was explained to us by Kerri McGarrigle from Highways that the area designated as floodplain is most likely to be wetland area, being wet for most of the time. This raises concern for the increased risk to humans and dogs on the premises from rodents and water-borne disease, of most concern, rats and Leptospirosis. How will this be managed? If the field is to become wetland as described, how can it then still be used as a floodplain for the river Trent and how would the increased flood risk to Bridge House Farm be managed? How can it be guaranteed that with the increase in concrete structures from the substantial development of the A46, slip road and roundabout and the subsequent decrease in surrounding agricultural land which would naturally drain and store water that the property and businesses would not be at a greater flood risk? The living accommodation for the boarding kennel dogs meets the borderline of the proposed floodplain compensation area. Will this increase the insurance premiums for the property and businesses? In 2019 part of the field was underwater for a significant period. There is a contributor stream which flows from the village, under the A1 bridge and directly across the middle the field which in times of heavy rain can become active. Has this been considered in the design? When determining any planning application, local planning authorities should ensure that flood risk is not increased elsewhere. (14.2.17 PEI Vol.1) When assessing the development of living accommodation on the land adjacent to Bridge House Farm 26.02.2019, Chris Preston, inspector appointed by the secretary of state deduced that the Environment Agency hydraulic model for the river Trent should use the proxy for the 1 in 1000-year event plus 50% allowance for climate change so estimate that would produce a flood level of 11.09m. At the height of the house at Bridge House Farm flood depths of 0.29m and at the field level flood depths of 2.32m could be expected. This view was upheld by Graham Kean, 20.01.22, another inspector appointed on behalf of the secretary of state. By designating the highest flood risk level part of the property as part of the borrow pit/flood plain/wetland for the scheme development, would this increase the risk also to the house, dogs living accommodation and boarding kennels? If there was an increased risk of flooding to these premises an emergency evacuation plan would be needed to evacuate 30 boarding kennel dogs and 40 show dogs as they would be closest to the floodplain. Affects on the businesses at Bridge House Farm:- The nature of both businesses means that a large proportion of the day the owners and their staff work outside, exercising and training dogs so the health and wellbeing of both humans and dogs from a noise and pollution level will be greatly impacted by the road development being so close to the property. The statutory consultation booklet states there will be a construction compound off A46 at the new Brownhills junction. Preliminary Environmental Information Vol.1 states the specific location of construction work areas is still to be confirmed, however with the construction of 4 lanes of raised new section of the A46, a slip road, a roundabout and a connecting road to the existing roundabout it would be sensible to assume one such compound will be at the site of Brownhills junction or if not then considerable works activity will be taking place during a large part of the 3 year construction phase. How can this be thought of as not affecting quality of life or business activity as was suggested by the Skanska people that visited to discuss the design? The lane that Bridge House Farm sits at the bottom of (Winthorpe Road) is a single-track private lane accessed off the existing A46 (to be developed into the new A46 south slip road) Is this road the access you will be using to develop the fields either side of it? This lane is the only access to Bridge House Farm and Bridge House Boarding Kennels and Switherland/Montravia. Whilst there has been small scale drilling in the field opposite the property, adjacent to the A1 there have been several tractors, trailers and smaller vehicles parked in the lane and using the lane as access for the field. This has brought with it considerable dirt, namely mud dragged off the ploughed field and left in clumps on the lane. It also caused disruption to some of the clients bringing and collecting their dogs from the boarding kennels who had to wait whilst vehicles manoeuvred in the lane. This was only a small scale for a short period of time but caused disruption so how can the disruption to the businesses be mitigated for 3 years? There are several major concerns during the construction phase and once the road is in use of how it will have a negative impact on the boarding kennel business :- People like quick access to services, they will not be prepared to sit in roadworks or have their journeys disrupted long term – they will use alternative, more convenient kennels. Day boarders dropping dogs off before work will not want to risk being late for work by getting caught in traffic queues around the construction site or again when collecting after a day’s work – they will use alternative, more convenient kennels. People going on holiday will not want to risk being delayed getting to the airport from dropping their dog off and becoming stuck in roadwork traffic – they will use alternative, more convenient kennels. Customers will not want to drive down a lane covered in mud or construction materials deposited by works vehicles, making their own vehicles dirty. Customers will not want to unload or collect their dogs or leave them to stay where there is an increase in noise from construction traffic, drilling, digging and other works that could potentially frighten their dog. Customers will not want to leave their dogs in an environment of additional pollution and noise due to construction vehicles and dust. Customers will not feel confident unloading or collecting or allowing their dogs to stay or be exercised in an area so close to a major construction site from the safety of their dog should they accidentally get free. Once customers find a new kennels, they are highly unlikely to return after 3 years once construction completed. If the Winthorpe Road is to be used as access for development of the Brownhills junction, what happens to the existing footpath that connects Newark to Winthorpe village via the lane? This route is used frequently by many customers bringing their dogs to the kennels, most of whom will not want to walk past large moving construction vehicles once works start taking place. “The works to the Brownhills roundabout will potentially impact people’s ability to access the businesses at Brownhills junction.” Preliminary Environmental Information Vol.1 p.383. 13.11.21 Several receptors including residential properties and businesses are within or adjacent to the draft Order Limits and will potentially experience considerable adverse effects during construction- Preliminary Environmental Information Vol.1 p.393. 13.13.3 Sarah Ceriati has lived and worked at Bridge House Farm for the last 18 years, she has recently completed her 3-year MSc Animal Manipulation (Chiropractic) and is already a qualified dog trainer and dog training instructor. The plan is to develop the business further to include puppy training classes and animal therapy. The construction of the road will be highly detrimental to these additions both during construction and once in use. The constant increase in noise and pollution will mean that the front garden will no longer be usable for the purpose of training people with their young puppies and under the current scheme our field will also not be usable as it will be floodplain/wetland. Noise and pollution from being surrounded by 9 lanes of traffic and a roundabout is also not conducive for promoting a therapy business as well as all the other negative impacts which apply to the other businesses. To be able to reassure customers, Bridge House Boarding Kennels would need to have considerable alterations to the entrance and driveway areas to create an environment they would feel provided safety and security for themselves and their dogs. Currently customers park outside the gates at the quiet end of Winthorpe Road to unload and collect their dogs but this area would become very close to major development works for the new road with the noise and movement of industrial vehicles. There would need to be a secure, compound area customers could drive into and secure to offload their dogs. This area would need to be segregated also from the main driveway of the house and kennels to provide safety and security for the boarding and show dogs already on the premises. To create this would require the owner of the business to financially invest even more and only to mitigate the road development which itself is likely to lead to reduction in financial income and reduction in value of the property. Constant construction noise will concern many customers that it will scare their dogs whilst in boarding close by and would leave them uneasy at the thought of their dog being walked, exercised, and trained in a location so close to large machinery with the additional risk of them being spooked. Many sensitive dogs just will not tolerate this. The area which is available for the boarding and show dogs to be exercised and trained is severely limited by the construction of the new road. Winthorpe Road will no longer be suitable to walk along during construction or after completion. If the field belonging to Bridge House Farm is wet or muddy due to it being floodplain compensation area or no longer in the possession of Bridge House Farm, then this impacts all exercise and training opportunities for all dogs severely. The perimeter fencing for the entire property would need to be upgraded to make security even tighter based on the increased in the noise from machinery and development works more likely to spook the dogs, again which would require financial investment from the owner. Switherland/Montravia pride themselves in rearing healthy, well socialised puppies. In a property so close to major road construction works this will be severely impacted. The loud bangs, drilling, digging and movement of construction vehicles will always be unpredictable which means controlled introduction to such noises will be impossible and has the potential to be severely detrimental to young puppies throughout their growth and fear periods. Living in a rural location, the exposure to continuous loud noises is very low. Whilst all the adult dogs on the premises are well socialised the noise and pollution produced from such large-scale construction works in such proximity to their home will have a severe detrimental effect on their health and wellbeing and their mental state. Adverse impacts on those living at Bridge House Farm is anticipated to be a loss in quality of life from noise, vibration, pollution, and loss of outlook. There is also a strong possibility of a loss of income short and long term for the businesses which results in the loss of pension for the owners. There have been no ground level visuals of Brownhills junction and many people are unaware of the height of the new A46 and the size of the Brownhills junction as this is not clear in the diagrams, only being described in technical drawings found online. None of the plans released are to scale and no details have been provided as to how close each section of this road network will be to Bridge House Farm. Artist’s impressions provide a picture of a smaller scaled design set in a greener landscape than may be the case given the scale of the road development in the space proposed.