Police fear tragic Solihull child drownings could be repeated on housing site here in Ashbourne
POLICE fear that providing public access to an unmanaged pond on a proposed 87-home housing site in Ashbourne could lead to a repeat of the tragic drownings in Solihull.
Derbyshire police made the comments in response to plans from Woodhall Homes for 87 properties off Wyaston Road, parallel to the A52.
This comes as Derbyshire Dales District Council is due to make a decision on the plans at a meeting on Tuesday, December 12, with planning officers recommending approval.
The plans were initially for 102 homes but this has been reduced to 87 after talks with council officials.
Derbyshire police say a plan to build a public footpath through the proposed site, leading to Premier Avenue carries multiple risks, including the small distance from the planned path to an existing balancing pond (used to collect flood water).
They write: “I understand that there have been incidents of children playing within the enclosed area, and evidently some unsuccessful attempts to restrict this with temporary fencing, as an addition to the surrounding mid-height post and rail fence.
“A public route which would need to run around and parallel to the balancing pond is likely to increase this type of incident.
“The water is currently frozen, bringing to mind the tragic recent events in Solihull, and every step should be taken to avoid a repetition here.”
Four children, aged six, eight, 10 and 11, died after falling through ice on a lake in Babbs Mill Park, near Solihull, on December 11 last year.
Meanwhile, Ashbourne Town Council, Clifton Parish Council, Ednaston and Wyaston Parish Council, Derbyshire County Councillor Steve Bull and 70 residents have all lodged objections to the scheme.
Their concerns relate to the purported “overdevelopment” of Ashbourne with a number of housing schemes being approved and built, with associated pressure on infrastructure including schools, health services and roads - with added congestion from extra vehicles.
They also speak of potential flooding issues with the homes due to be built on a steep slope.
The county council says schools nearby have sufficient capacity and do not need any extra funding from the developers, Derbyshire’s NHS says it needs £78,480 to help improve health services to cater for the proposed new residents, while the Environment Agency says it has no flood risk concerns.
Cllr Bull wrote: “My feelings are that it is too many more houses and over-development in the same area. The road infrastructure is not good enough to deal with the extra vehicle movements in that area.
“It just makes the country lanes that run parallel with the main A52 very dangerous and a rat run. All the villages should be given a 30mph speed limit through them before any developments take place.”
The town council wrote: “There is a lack of infrastructure in Ashbourne to support the number of housing developments over the past few years and there is already pressure on the existing resources.
“There is a risk of increasing the flooding on Clifton Road, which already has issues with serious flooding.
“There is one proposed entrance and exit to the proposed development which is in a dangerous spot on the edge of a narrow brow. This will also cause additional traffic issues on the main entrances to and from the housing estates to Derby Road, particularly at peak times.”
Clifton Parish Council wrote: “The development would result in the loss of a green field site, with an impact on existing wildlife habitat and infrastructure. The site itself is on a very steep slope, which is not ideal at all.
“Flooding has already been experienced at Waterside Retail Park due to high rainfall and this development would potentially put it at greater risk of flooding with less natural ground drainage. Infrastructure in the town is overstretched. Overdevelopment of houses will have a severe impact even more on these services, healthcare and educational facilities.
“The increase in traffic on this already very busy road will have an impact on the environment and safety.”
District council planning officers, recommending approval, wrote: “The application demonstrates that it can be accommodated without any significant harm to highway safety or the amenity of neighbouring properties.
“The development would not be at risk of flooding or increase flood risk elsewhere and a sustainable urban drainage scheme would be delivered. The development would not result in any significant adverse visual impact or result in harm to landscape character.
“The development would result in modest benefit in terms of biodiversity net gain while delivering a significant amount of market housing and affordable housing at a time where the council cannot demonstrate a five-year supply.”