We the undersigned wholly object to the plan Ref: 12/0455/FUL (Partial re-plan of Phase 2B and 2C to create 100no. dwellings) proposed by David Wilson Homes to build properties on the existing fruit tree orchard at Greylees. These plans were not in the original plan and are trying to be pushed through under our noses without any type of public consultation from the people of Greylees. 

WILDLIFE HABITAT LOST 
The orchards are used by Greylees residents for dog walking and enjoying the outdoors, as well as fruit picking in the autumn. By removing the orchard David Wilson Homes would be removing one of the few remaining wildlife habitats left on the site. The orchards have been there for around 100 years and in this time have become a haven for many different species of plants and animals, these animals will also feed on the fruit in the autumn and if the above plans go ahead would have their habitat destroyed. One of the great selling points of Greylees is that it is in the countryside, and we have woodland and orchards to enjoy within the village itself, if David Wilson Homes remove most of the green space all you are left with is just another village. 

EXTRA TRAFFIC 
Another thing to consider is the amount of traffic these new houses will generate. With 100x extra houses comes extra cars, the most conservative estimate would be 100 extra cars, and that is with only one car per household, for families with 2 or more cars this would make the traffic situation in the morning getting onto the main road even worse, causing the tailbacks to be even longer. 

LOTS OF HOUSES BUT NO AMENETIES 
Many people in Greylees have had problems selling their properties because of the lack of amenities in the village, adding more houses to the equation will only make this problem worse. Everyone was promised amenities many years ago when moving into their houses and this was one of many ‘lines’ that have been used time and time again to get people to ‘sign on the dotted line’, but so far nothing has materialised, we feel that David Wilson Homes should concentrate on renovating the Greylees core (the original existing hospital buildings in the centre of the village) and provide the services there, which they have planning for already, instead of building on one of Greylees natural assets that would make people want to live here. 

THE INTERNET SLOWDOWN WILL CONTINUE 
A lot of people in Greylees have complained that the internet speed is very slow and after talking to several BT engineers about this problem they all agreed that this is due to the antiquated Rauceby exchange which cannot cope with such a large amount of traffic. Adding another 100 houses to the equation will only serve to make this problem worse and cause even more problems for Greylees residents and businesses using the internet. 

DESTROYING THE NATURAL HISTORY OF GREYLEES 
Records show that much of the landscaping, particularly the planting, was carried out by the male patients as a part of their therapy. The orchards and woodland stand as one of the few remaining natural parts of the old Rauceby Hospital site history and should be preserved for all to enjoy. The proposed site could also possibly fall within the Rauceby Hospital registered Park and Garden of Special Historic Interest and partly within the Conservation Area and as such particular regard must be had to matters of landscape conservation and heritage.

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The following is an extract from the refusal of planning permission for application N/57/1066/08 , I feel that the following points raised also apply to application 12/0455/FUL as both applications relate for the same orchard area as a whole and thus both applications relate to the same trees with  the same historic significance

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Historic records sourced by the District Planning Authority confirm that the application site, which is currently an Orchard, is one of the last vestiges of the original parkland grounds designed by Landscape Architect William Goldring in 1900 to serve the former Kesteven County Asylum. The grounds were carefully designed to serve as both a parkland setting for the architecture of the Asylum buildings whilst also providing for horticultural activities to aid the on-going therapy of Asylum residents, including through the provision of fruit trees in an Orchard. The site has been consistently identified, including through the Rauceby Hospital Development Brief and evolving site Concept Plans, as being retained as open space rather than being set aside for residential development.

 The application site is one of those few remaining open spaces and has historically significant landscape elements that can be traced back to the initial development of the Asylum. The proposal would result in the loss of this important landscape, and would consequently adversely affect the character, appearance and setting of the registered Park and Garden and would fail to preserve or enhance the Conservation Area.

It is considered that these matters, on balance, outweigh other material planning considerations relevant to the application. As such, the proposal is contrary to Policies BE3 and BE5 of the Lincolnshire Structure Plan, Policies C1, HE7 and HE9 of the adopted North Kesteven Local Plan 2007 and to guidance contained in Planning Policy Guidance Note 15 (Planning and the Historic Environment).

Informative: Records obtained by the District Planning Authority show that the application site was part of the original Goldring design, serving as an Orchard and kitchen garden. The planting of the Orchard was contemporaneous with the erection of the Asylum, becoming an established and enduring feature of the Rauceby landscape that has subsequently been replanted as part of the husbandry of a productive Orchard.

In our opinion the Greylees Planning Objection Document linked below is true and correct and we agree with all the points raised within it.

www.key4design.co.uk/Planning-Application-Objection-For-Ref-12-0455-FUL-.rtf

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