Planning – Application Comments

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It is a little disturbing in the first instance that HCC have backed this project (politically) and clubs, etc; close to H4H have been congratulating them on getting their planning permission for this village. If this project were to go ahead it would lead to subtantial harm and significant loss to the local, and wider community. It cannot be demonstrated that there will be substantial public benefits that would outweigh the harm of loss to this area. There are a significant number of brownfield sites that this development would better suit and, make better use of existing infrastructure. Having a large group of veterans in one area poses significant risks, not only to the veterans but, to the local community. This project will only serve to isolate them and make them a target. As a veteran i am well aware of the on-going risk that is posed to those that have served in war zones. It will also serve to undermine the quality of life and community cohesion. This area helps to support healthy lifestyles particularly in the veteran community that it already supports. The value in terms of mental health and wellbeing for veterans and non-veterans alike is immeasureable, particularly those suffering from PTSD. This area is demonstrably special to the local community and holds particular local significance because of its beauty, recreational value, tranquility and, the richness of its varied wildlife, which includes bats. It has orchids and orchards and has recently has 200 trees planted on it. To take this away would be an unnecessary loss of a valued facility and would reduce the community's ability to meet its day-to-day needs. There would not be a sufficient choice of school facitilies and the existing infrastructure would struggle to meet the demands of this facility e.g. GP's, shops, etc. It is too far away from the services the veterans would need to access. Whilst it is on a bus route, veterans suffering with PTSD struggle significantly to use public transport. Year-onyear we har the workds 'unprecedented rainfall'. This is a flood plain and every year floods more and more, i haven't seen anything that takes into account the unprecedented levels of rainfall that we see year-on-year, only what is average rainfall. As a veteran working with veterans i do not see what this facility would offer tha is not already available to the veteran community, including accommodation. Hull is the lead in the country with what is does for veterans and, what is has done, has been done using existing infrastructure and not costing millions that could be better spent or, taking away from local community's. It should be about integration and working with the local community's not being liberal with the truth. Also, as a veteran, you would be taking away an area that i and, many of my fellow veterans, use for our own mental health and wellbeing.

I am entirely opposed to this proposed building work for a 'Veteran's village' on the site at Coronation Road North (application number 19/00989/FULL) for a pyriad of reasons. Firstly, it is a completely unsuitable location for veterans, who are likely coming from a place of vulnerability, PTSD, and substance abuse being common afflictions for thiese men and women means that moving to an area rife with drug abuse and the frequent fireworks and loud parties that are associated with this could be very problematic. To clarify, there are at least 3 prominent drug using and dealing families living on just one of the small streets that overlooks setting dyke. Neither the police nor the council have shown and interest in handling the drug use in the area and introducing veterns into that sort of environment will in no way benefit their rehabilitation back into society. Secondly, the area is an extremely popular and well used local green space with sometimes hundreds of daily visitors enjoying the area. It is used for dog walking, family exercise, nature education and mental wellbeing for people both locally and from all across the city. My own family use the space almost every day and it was a key factor in our choosing to buy our house here. Taking this away from the local people, who put a lot of time and love into maintaining it, is completely unjust. Setting Dyke is a vital flood protection factor for the surrounding areas and any manner of building will increase our overall flood vulnerablitity. This risks incurring millions of pounds worth of damages locally when the next big flood hits. Building the new individual residences on stilts sounds like a great idea for them until you consider that the veterans and their families would literally have to use some waders or boats to get around, should they wish to leave their houses at all during flooding. Additionally, the area is home to such a wide variety of plants and animals, including legally protected species of bats and newts. Already w have seen efforts made to minimise the present of the creatures residing in the area for the benefit of this proposed construction, such as th removal of nesting boxes, however the animals still remain here and will lose their homes and lives if this building work goes ahead. There are other issues which i'm sure other objectors will have covered, but i urge anyone with a say in this to understand what a terrible proposal it is and reject it. There are many sites that would be far more suitable for what they want to create here, but affluence shouldn't grant the proposers the right to do whatever they want wherever they want.

I would like to object to 19/00989/FULL. I have been told by the University of Hull that HVSC (Hull Veterans Support Centre) now have Thwaite Hall in Cottingham, which theywill be able to go ahead with developing for giving support to veterans after the Covid-19 restrictions are lifted. Why do we need a second site and hub on Setting Dyke field? A field that is much loved by residents and wildlife.

I am opposed to the decision to go ahead with the 19/00989/FULL planned building. I live overlooking the area where the building will take place. There are only 2 primary schools in the immediate area, one of which my young grandchild attends. Both are already oversubscribed, so i can't understand where any children who are to be housed in this 'village' would be schooled? One of these schools is already in 'special measures' as decided by Ofsted so not really suitable for any child, let alone a child who already has to cope with the unheaval of recently moving to a rough area. I am also extremely concerned about the impact the increased number of vehicles on the road. Priory Road, as a main connection between Hull and Cottingham, already suffers from severe congestion issues so increasing the number of construction vehicles and cars in the area will compound the problem further and increase local frustrations. Many of us local residents were attracted to this area by its beauty and abundance of plants and animals. It is a great horizon on our doorsteps which we all truly value. This can be seen in the passions and efforts we have all put into keeping setting dyke and Garrowby Orchard in good condition. The number of trees that we planted there are a part of the essential flood alleviation measures and removing them or reducing their numbers will put us all at greater risk of flooding. I'm also worried for the mental health of the people who will be going into these residences. Collecting together a large number of people with the issues that they will probably have is going to be a recipe for disaster and not knowing how their issues might manifest themselves terrifies many in the area. Also, those in charge of these plans have been purposely un-transparent. There were 15 other locations found to be suitable to this proposal, so why was this location chosen? Why have the planner purposely chosen to buildng the village so far from their own doorsteps? There are certainly more suitable and less used open areas around Bilton for example.

I work on a Community space in Hull and i am very aware of the benefits of outdoor green spaces. Green spaces are very important for getting people together and encouraging them to get out in the fresh air. Getting people together encourages community cohesion; people end up working together for a common aim and begin to take a sense of ownership and pride in their location. I have seen first how people who have felt socially isolated and in a state of depression become happier and make friends. Garrowby Orchard is a very important resource in the Derringham Ward as there are very few wide open spaces in this very urban area. There appears to be a gradual loss of open and accessible green spaces within Hull and the East Riding and we need to hold on to the ones that are left. This is a very accessible green space to the people who live in this area. It is a well-researched fact that green spaces in built up areas increase the bio diversity of Flora and Fauna, this area has trees, shrubs, grass and water encouraging Birds, bee, dragonflies and other wildlife to live and visit. The Dyke itself is teeming with life, dragonfly larvae, great diving beetles and tadpoles to name a few. Priory Road which is a very busy road is very close and it known that green areas help to improve air quality and help with noise reduction. With a general decline in people's mental health and increased stress levels it seems critical top hang onto our green spaces. People can walk, run, play and have fun events on this site. Green spaces are known to reduce stress and boost mental and physical health. This site is also prone to flooding. This could be seen as a negative and it definitely is with regard to building on this site. However having a green area that can act as a soak away from a largely urban area is a very real positive. We have all seen the detrimental effects over the last 20 years or so that looding can have on communities. In the current climate, with the Coronavirus pandemic upon us green spaces have become even more important and precious. This is a site where people can go and get fresh air and social distance easily. My son lives literally a stone's throw away from this area and it has been invaluable to him and his family throughout the lockdown. Last but not least, the friends of Garrowby Orchard work really hard and are committed to keeping this valuable green space, their work should not be ignored.

I am objecting to the application 19/00989/FULL. In the introduction of the application's Full Design and Access statement it states that 'the concept of the Veterans Village and the successful transitional journey of the veterans on site is dependant on the links and bonds with the loval residents.' I am afraid to say that there are no links or bonds, nor will there be any links or bonds, with local residents at this site. This application is for building on an Asset of Community Value. This statue was granted by Hull City Council last year as the site meets the needs for community cohesion through it being used for leisure, recreation and cultural events on the site. The site is currently open and green space. It is used in many ways by residents and the wider Derringham community for our physical and mental well-being. We can walk and exercise our dogs on or off the lead, it is a safe space for our children and grandchildren to play and explore. We have held community events on the site. It brings nature and wildlife into our city. And this is all accessible at anytime by anyone of their own free will. It is looked after and cared for by the local residents who have formed a community group. We keep the fields free of litter, we mow the footpaths and football pitch whilst leaving space for lidelife and nature. We have planted over 1500 trees and over 60 fruit trees. We keep the Willerby Carr Dyke free of rubbish and remove overgrown vegetation. It is a cimmunity space for the Ward. We all feel that if this application is given the go ahead then it would be discriminating against us residents by taking away our valuable asset for this part of our city. The local community now have a sense of ownership of this site and intent on keeping it for themselves and future generations of Hull citizens. We have called it the Setting Dyke Community Greenspace. If it were lost then residents would have to travel outside of their Ward, or into the East Riding, to experience the same quality and quantity of open and green space. The Design and Access Statement for the application also states that it wants the development to be an 'extension of the existing established community'. If this application takes away our Asset of Community Value then this intention would not be achievable. Derringham Ward already embraces our ex'service personnel in our community. They are not perceived or treated differently from any other member of the community. If this development were to go ahead it would mean that future clients of the Village project would be part of a physically and socially isolated enclave on the edge of our city: we do not want this to happen for their sake and ours.

I am objecting to the application 19/00989/FULL.
On the veterans village website is states that the intended scheme invludes enhancements of the existing open space. These 'enhancements' will involve the removal of ALL the existing wildlife habitat and biodiversity on the Coronation Road site as whole.
This would mean the existing orchard of over 60 mixed fruit trees would be remoded along with the 1500 mixed deciduous and conifer trees in the existing woodland that were planted by local residents. The existing under-storey of plants and wildlife would be removed with resultant loss of biodiversity. The site is already home to the Brimstone buttferly - the emblem of Hull. In the Willerby Carr Dyke there are Smooth and Great Crested Newts. Their habitat would be completely destroyed. Replacing recently removed trees with new trees risks the new trees inheriting impoverished soil and diseases left behind by the previous tree. It is generally recognised that any intended replanting site needs to be left empty for at least 20 years before replanting can be guaranteed to succeed. The proposed wildflower meadow will not work as the semi-improved grassland would have to be stripped bare and replaced with sterile soil. The applicant's planting strategy for the site will not replace in any way what is already there and to be lost. The land given over to sky-dome and trim-trail will be managed and populated with the human occupants of the site with a resultant limiting of wildlife necessary for biodiversity. Whilst the Coronation Road site may not currently be a special site for ecologists, conservationists and scientists it is a special site for local residents who can experience nature and wildlife first hand in our ward. It brings nature and wildlife into our city. It is a very special place for us and for the city's biodiversity potential. To remove most of the existing trees along with their under-storey of flora makes no sense in terms of permaculture and future biodiversity potential for the site. At the moment the site is cared for and mainted by local residents and volunteers from other parts of the city. This is being done with the lightest of touch to encourage the biodiversity needed. We are working in partnership with the wider green network of organisations in the city to find the best way forward for this site as a biodiverse resource not just for the residents of Derringham Ward but for the city as a whole, especially in light of last year's declaration by Hull City Council of a Climate Emergency and a move to update the city's biodiversity action plan.

I wish to object to this proposed development for the following reasons:
1. Loss of greenspace. This is an area allocated as Greenspace on the local plan. Hull as a whole is short of greenspace, but this land in particular seems to be much valued by local people, who have planted an area of woodland and an orchard. The proposed development development incorporates some tree planting but it seems to be nowhere near to the amount currently available. With increaed focus on climate change the city needs to find more land for tree planting, and certainly needs to hold on to as much land which already has trees as possible.
2. Loss of space for community activity. I understand that the site is officially recognised as an Asset of Community Value. The Friends of Garrowby Orchard and other local people maintain open access to it for casual walks and childrens play etc.. and maintain a 5-a-side football pitch. The future occupiers of the proposed veterans' development may choose to allowed people who do not live in the veterans village to use some of their facilities, but that would be very different situation to the casual open use that is available as present. It is causal areas of open space like this one that are needed if we are to encourage children to explore their environment and persuade people to get more exercise.
3. Potential damage to wildlife value. According to both the ecology reports and reports of local people, the site is rich in wildlife, including some rare flowers which are not generally found this far east. I understand the hedgerows are particularly species rich and may be at risk due to ditches that need to be dug to enable drainage. The proposed development includes provision of some facilities for wildlife off Priory Road but it is not clear whether it will provide for equivalent species and how long this will take to develop. Again it seems to be a more 'organised' facility, different in nature to the existing naturalised grassland, woodland and hedgerow.
4. Flood risk. This site flooded in 2007 and has flooded since, most recently in November 2019 when much of the site had standing water covering it for several weeks. I expect conditions would be attached to any approved development requiring measures to contain flood water and prevent it affecting nearby houses, but this will be untried until floods take place, and the buns and deep lagoons will have a more artificial appearance than the present natural flood meadows. I'm sure veterans need houses. However, these would be more appropriately located on land allocated for housing. Green spaces are precious in our densly built up city and should be preserved for their allocated purpose.