The key objections to development on the LCL site continue to be sustainability, flood water disposal and increased traffic. These same issues appear in objections to other sites and the resulting council decisions do not always reflect the real situation experienced by local residents.
There is perhaps hope for change, arising from the recent refusal by Councillors on the Development Management Committee (DMC) to permit the building of 50 houses at Lower Road, Bedhampton (ref: APP/19/00427). A visit by councillors quickly showed that reality was very different from Hampshire Highways position that a pedestrian route on Lower Bedhampton Road, likely to be used by young children, is safe. After visiting the route, councillors disagreed.
In their decision Councillors also acknowledged that they had a duty of care to new and existing residents. They raised concerns over traffic safety, the loss of green space and the distance new residents need to travel to reach local services. All of those concerns apply to the proposed LCL site.
We still await the Mainland Transport Assessment. It is unlikely to provide detail on LCL but scrutiny is required to ensure that any negative consequences on the neighbourhood are identified. Traffic in LCL has increased recently as the road delays in and around Emsworth have increased. The LCL team will inform Hampshire Highways of traffic safety incidents. This is to ensure that Hampshire Highways are fully aware of the dangers and reality of current and future increased traffic on LCL.
The LCL site is an inappropriate location for housing since there will be no easy access to services. For example, there are no secondary schools in Emsworth. Travel distances will be lengthy and potentially hazardous.