Local Plan Supporting Documents - HRA and SA

Object

Representation ID: 7046

Received: 04/01/2024

Respondent: Oakham South Action Group

We believe that promoting Oak04 as a preferred site, runs counter to the following Sustainability Objectives in the “Sustainability Appraisal (SA) for the Rutland Local Plan” AECOM Nov 2023:

Strategic Objective 1:
More cars at an already congested crossing will increase pollution and increase the risk of harm to
people waiting there. Moreover, more cars on the congested roads around the crossing will increase
pollution as traffic is more likely to be stationary as the traffic cannot flow as it would on a main
arterial road.

Strategic Objective 2:

Development on Brooke Rd cannot meet “today’s needs” as the roads here are at capacity and the
schools are full, contrary to what RCC Officers are telling their Councillors. There is one space at Vale
of Catmose PS and three at Brooke Hill Academy. This means that, were there to be a development
on Brooke Road, the increase in congestion (and therefore carbon emissions) due to children being
taken to schools that are not full, would increase significantly.

Strategic Objective 3:

Taylor Wimpey’s proposed development does nothing to meet this requirement as the houses would
not be built with any particular aspect of the laudable objectives outlined above and would certainly
do nothing to meet the supply of what is actually needed here ie social housing that is “affordable”
and offered on a rental basis.

Strategic Objective 8:

This is an area of the town of historic significance where the Edwardian ribbon development gives a unique and significant backdrop, which in order to save Oakham’s heritage, should not be compromised. It is unfortunate
2 that modern development in the 1970s did not recognise the importance of this site and makes it all the more important that development does not further compromise the Edwardian feel enjoyed by the two halves of the road: into Mill Street and up to Brooke village.

Strategic Objective 9:

It is certainly not prudent use of agricultural land to build on this when it could be supplying food at a
time when food security is so important and runs counter to the Plan’s Policy EN6 - Protecting
agricultural land.
Much emphasis in the Plan is placed on the importance of building within the Planned Limits of Development (see below). According to the “Planned Limits to Development Final Report, Oct 2023”,
Brooke Road forms the edge of this and should therefore not be built on as it would contravene the
new PLD.

Strategic Objective 10:

There is no suggestion that there are any plans to improve the infrastructure here as the doctor’s surgery is at capacity, as are the local primary schools south of the crossing. The only infrastructure that could mitigate the highway congestion at the railway crossing, would be
a bridge. This has been assessed by Network Rail through a Cost Benefit Analysis and found not to be a viable option. The cost would be prohibitive for both RCC and the site promoter.