Yesterday morning Colin and I attended a Development Committee site inspection in Great Waldingfield. This was in respect of an application for change of use of land with farm buildings at White Hall Farm from agricultural to B1 (Light industrial) use. The site in question is on the corner of Bantocks Road and Valley Road. The existing farm buildings mark the site of the expected industrial units, and so the look of the site will not be much altered; in fact it might well be improved. There will however be increased traffic generated by any new businesses; traffic which it is planned will exit from the site via a new entrance on the local race-strip otherwise known as Valley Road.
A very similar application was made in the past, but was refused by Babergh, and this refusal was upheld on appeal. The grounds for refusal were, firstly loss of amenity to neighbouring properties, secondly access issues and thirdly impact on adjacent open countryside. The Committee has asked for further information to satisfy itself as to whether these issues have been adequately addressed in the new application.
It is probable that the application will be decided by Babergh Development Committee on Wednesday 25 June, although the need for additional information might postpone this. The plans are available for inspection at Babergh, but the consultation period is now closed. 28 residents and the Parish Council have registered objections to the plans.
I feel that the site as it stands is pretty unattractive, but do question the need for employment land in this particular spot. The notion that the proposed businesses will be staffed by people from Great Waldingfield (who will presumably bike or walk to work) is contradicted somewhat by the provision on the plans of quite a lot of parking spaces! More traffic coming and going on already crowded roads is therefore likely. The alternative for the site I suppose would be housing, but given current density standards and the size of the site this would mean another significant rise in the number of homes in the village, with all the well known attendant problems. Not a straightforward situation in my view, but one in which the objections of a significant number of residents ought to be taken into account.
