Landscape and Visual issues associated with the Little Hay proposals
Hertfordshire County Council has commissioned a Landscape
Architect to ‘comment on the landscape and visual issues of a planning
application for’ the remodelling of Little Hay Golf Course'. As the area forms the outlook from many of our homes,
I have read this with a view to picking out those aspects relevant to us.
- No reference whatsoever is made to Bourne End other than Upper Bourne End Lane.
- In a reference to Upper Bourne End Lane, the following statement is made. ‘From a landscape point of view a one way system would reduce damage to verges and keep vehicles in the centre of the lane under the trees’. (ref. 2.6)
·
Given the
distance from the site, the proportion of view affected and the likelihood of
travellers concentrating on safe passage the impact on these views would
however be minor adverse during construction and would be minimal once the site
is established. (ref. 9.1) We are not at a great distance from the site,
and we are not driving when we look out of our windows.
·
‘While the
proposed landform is likely to be of great interest and appeal to golfers owing
to its intricate moulding, it is likely to attract a mixed reception from the
public, with many finding it quite alien and incongruous, leading to a major
adverse impact for some. It may be that in time the new landform would become
more widely appreciated or screened, but this type of golf course is relatively
novel and there is little experience of how much it will be appreciated, and
particularly within sight of the AONB’ (ref. 9.3)
·
‘The
proposed grading is extensive and may be considered incongruous to non-golfers
but it is part of the design of a golf course and an inevitable feature.’
(ref. 9.8)
·
‘The
northern part of the site is more visible from the higher ground on the other
side of the valley but this is looking into the sun and the detail in the
landscape is harder to pick out.’ (ref. 9.7) This requires no comment!
As with the plan itself the wider perspective on this area
of land has been ignored. It raises significant questions about the driving force behind the plan, and brings to the fore again the lack of local knowledge by those involved.
But don’t let these extracts colour your view. Do read the report yourself, it’s quite
lengthy, but failure to comment on it might well enable it to be taken as a
fair representation of the proposals.
The report can be found at the following link
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