Boundary Review of Surrey Hills AONB

We have received details in connection with a Surrey Hills 'Boundary review' for Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) being undertaken by Natural England  See> AONB hatched area under consideration which includes the Nutfield Parish area north of the railway line (use the + sign on pdf to enlarge image)

See also the details reported in the Surrey Mirror regarding this review                 SM article Dec 2021 - AONB review

The first phase of the boundary review is to gather evidence about the natural beauty of areas (currently outside of the AONB) which are under consideration. We are liaising with Nutfield Parish Council regarding this project to provide the necessary evidence regarding the area of this parish which is included in the review process.

The formal inclusion of Nutfield Parish area in this AONB boundary will provide added protection against inappropriate development.

Gatwick Northern Runway Consultation

We strongly oppose the planned Gatwick expansion involving conversion of the current emergency runway into a 'Northern' runway inflicting unnecessary environmental damage through a huge increase in annual flights.

Gatwick is one of several UK airports seeking expansion although it is well established that aviation is a significant polluting industry. Expansion will inevitably lead to increases in pollution of all types including carbon release. The aviation industry should be taking a responsible attitude and desist from expansion projects. This would at least avoid increasing the already high rate of harmful emissions. We are at a point of no return in relation to environmental damage. The current favouring of alleged economic advantages over pollution reduction and achieving Government environmental targets should be reversed. Gatwick should take the opportunity to present itself as a responsible organisation and lead the industry in abandoning the planned expansion.

HAVE YOUR SAY by responding to the public consultation                                     GATWICK AIRPORT/future-plans/northern-runway

See: NCS Response to Consultation

TANDRIDGE LOCAL PLAN update

Tandridge provided an update to the Inspector advising that they expected to be in a position to respond by 5 Jan 2022 by which time they hoped to have received the appropriate detail from their transport consultants (see TED49 Nov 2021)

13 September 2021: Tandridge received a reply from the Inspector (ID19 - Sept 2021) in response to their letter. This would now seem to inevitably lead to a new Local Plan being necessary with maybe Tandridge needing to revert to a housing supply via several smaller sites (as suggested in para 11 of this latest letter).

27 August 2021: Tandridge sent an update (TED48) to the Inspector on the latest delay with the high-level transport modelling  This letter proposes the actions they will be undertaking to address the issues raised by Surrey County Council and Highways England. They will also propose an alternative option prompted by the ongoing delay to the traffic modelling and regarding the August timeframe.

19 July 2021: Tandridge wrote to the Inspector (TED47) to update him on the Council’s thoughts on how to progress the Local Plan Examination. They also provided him with a Statement which outlines the initial findings of the assessment of potential mitigation measures for Junction 6 of the M25.

30 June 2021: Tandridge sent a response outlining the progress of the high-level transport modelling work and the decision-making process TED46 Update to Inspector.

 

See the TDC website for full update details of the Local Plan

NUTFIELD GREEN PARK - Application update

We are pleased to report that the planning application TA/2021/1040 was REFUSED at a Tandridge Planning Meeting last night (20 Sept).  The decision was overwhelming with a unanimous vote from council after the planning report identified numerous issues with the application - justifying the reasons to refuse > see issues in TDC report

The NCS objection covered several of these issues > see NCS Objection August 2021

NCS hope that the Government will scrap their ill-advised planning reforms and allow councils to determine local housing policy.

NUTFIELD GREEN PARK - update July 2021

We have been advised by Nutfield Parish Council that the closing date for objections has been extended by a further 24 days whilst corrected site notices are installed by Tandridge District Council.    Meanwhile we have submitted the >>NCS objection to this inappropriate development and hope that Tandridge Planning will reject the application and prevent this beautiful rural amenity from being ruined by a large development involving considerable disturbance during construction phase and causing massive harm to a sensitive green belt area.

THE TIME EXTENSION ALLOWS MORE RESIDENTS TO RECORD THEIR OBJECTIONS TO THIS UNWELCOME INTRUSION IN THIS LOVELY RURAL SETTING   These can be emailed to comaps@tandridge.gov.uk before 24 August quoting reference TA/2021/1040

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Page entry: 5 July 2021

Further to the Developer leaflet distributed last year we have been advised that an Outline Planning application has now been submitted to Tandridge Planning and recorded under ref TA/2021/1040.

Request 'application ref ' as search detail - and enter TA/2021/1040

We have a number of concerns as this is a large development within local green belt and lying within a Landscape Character Area and close to an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

Construction traffic alone will involve HGV movements of 292 per day plus other workforce movements to and from the site. These are added to existing HGV movements to/from a) the Biffa Waste Site and b) Mercers Quarry using the busy A25 which narrows through Nutfield High St containing numerous heritage buildings.

Reports were received regarding the destruction of wildlife habitat in Spring 2020 despite the land  being an SNCI site and also part of a Biodiversity Area (BOA).

NCS representatives are studying the content of this outline application and are liaising with Nutfield Parish Council, Tandridge Council and Surrey Council.

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Previous webpage (2020)

Residents of Nutfield Parish have received a leaflet from Nutfield Green Park Ltd providing updated detail of their proposed plans to form an application to Tandridge District Council for outline planning permission. The development proposes to include the following:

- 239 new homes set in four separate areas

- A rehabilitation and respite facility

- 100 'Extra Care' apartments

- An Outdoor Activity Park

- A Wellbeing Centre (to include GP Surgery, Community Shop, Restaurant/Cafe, Creche, Business Hub, Community Event Space, Indoor+Outdoor Gyms, Sport Treatment Rooms, Outdoor Play Area, Changing Rooms, Toilets and other amenities

The details now shown on this leaflet differ from that originally advised and from that previously shown on the document submitted  > Scoping document March 2019               The leaflet refers to the new vision being available via their website. 

NCS have provisionally responded to Nutfield Green Park Co Ltd to request clarification of exactly what is proposed in an application and meanwhile maintain opposition to the proposed concept  - see NCS response Dec 2020 

Formal comments will be made once full detail of the planning application are known.

<map included on leaflet>

CAA - latest Night Flights Consultation

See the relevant consultation night-flight-restrictions-at-heathrow-gatwick-and-stansted-airports-between-2022-and-2024-plus-future-night-flight-policy/night-flight-restrictions

The government recognise that noise from aircraft taking-off and landing at night is often regarded by communities as the most disturbing form of airport operations. They also recognise that there is evidence, including in the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) revised Environmental Noise Guidelines for the European Region, that sleep disturbance caused by aircraft night operations can have adverse health impacts on overflown communities.

Here is Nutfield Conservation Society response to the first part of this consultation which closed on 3 March 2021 NCS Response to Night Flights Consultation (part I)

This is a two-stage consultation process which seeks views on the regime at the designated airports beyond 2022, and night flights in the national context.

Stage 1 of this consultation has 2 purposes. Firstly, the CAA are formally consulting on their proposal to maintain the existing night flight restrictions for the designated airports (Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted) from 2022 to 2024, and a proposal to ban QC4 rated aircraft movements during the night quota period (23:30 to 06:00). Responses to this section of the consultation will allow them to make a final policy decision on the regime for the designated airport beyond 2022 in summer 2021.This part of the consultation is for a period of 3 months, and closed on 3 March 2021.

Secondly, they are also seeking early views and evidence on policy options for the government’s future night flight policy at the designated airports beyond 2024, and nationally. This includes whether the national noise policy should be amended to include a specific policy for night noise, revising the CAA night flight dispensation guidance, whether criteria should be set for airport designation, and what any future night flight regime at the designated airports should look like. This second section has been extended in a separate consultation, running from 4 March to 31 May 2021, all responses received will be treated equally to those of the new consultation.

 

January 2021

 

     

Jubilee Wood – Nutfield Parish Council and Nutfield Tree Wardens

The pandemic has certainly wrecked plans for the planting of the new Jubilee Wood.  The young trees have arrived, and are currently heeled in garden soil but they do have to be planted this year, no later than the end of March, so help is needed.  

Restrictions mean that a community tree planting event which was to be organised by the Parish Council and the Tree Wardens, is out of the question. However, one person only arriving on site to plant and one other person there to show where to plant, is possible under the current regulations.  Planting is good exercise after all.    

Preparations beforehand will be everything.  The little trees – they are small year old whips - will be put into bags of 20 containing five different tree species, and the bags brought to the site.  Planting areas, each enough for 20 young trees, will also be marked out in advance by the Tree Wardens. Each bag will come with the right number of guards, stakes and ties. One of the Tree Wardens will be on site to show the next block to be planted. Volunteers will be contacted beforehand with online “how to plant” information, and written instructions will be available too. No previous tree planting experience is needed.  The Tree Warden and the volunteer planter will keep at least 2m apart at all times.   

We would like single volunteers to come forward: one person only from a family.  You will be able to choose, or be asked to come, at a specific time and leave at a specific time. You will be about an hour and a half on site.  You will have to bring your own tools – a garden spade and fork, secateurs, and if you have them, a mallet or similar for driving in tree stakes,  and a wheel barrow might be useful. The ground is wet, heavy clay so strong boots and gloves will be essential; and you will have to provide your own refreshments.  Sanitiser sprays and wipes will be on site should they be needed. 

The date when this is to happen is the weekend of the 6^th and 7^th March.   If the weather is really poor, then planting might be moved to the following weekend but that would be a last resort. 

If you want to volunteer, please could you email Liz Ramsay (Tree Warden): lizramsay@aol.com, or Nicky Chiswick:  parishclerk@nutfieldpc.com

Sadly for this year, we are going to have to say that no children can come to the tree planting.  This is not the community tree planting event the Parish Council and the Tree Wardens wanted.  But all things will end - the pandemic included. Jubilee Wood is an ongoing project, and next year, let’s hope, children, families, couples, everyone can be welcomed together to plant more of the new Jubilee Wood.

There is another special tree that will also have to be planted this year.  The Nutfield Tree Wardens and Nutfield Parish Council have been awarded a special elm tree to celebrate the 30^th anniversary of the national Tree Warden Network.  It is also being delivered this winter but, as it is in a pot, there is less urgency to get it into the ground.   The elm is Ulmus ‘New Horizon’, and is totally resistant to Dutch Elm disease, which over the past fifty years has killed mature elm trees throughout the country.  There are no large elms now left in Surrey - only hedgerow ones.  This elm will grow to a mature tree in time, and will be a key feature near the entrance to the new Jubilee Wood.

Planting weekend: 6th and 7th March.  

If you wish to volunteer, please contact

Liz Ramsay (Tree Warden) : lizramsay@aol.com

Nicky Chiswick (Parish Clerk) :  parishclerk@nutfieldpc.com

To supplement the appearance, Nutfield Tree Wardens have received a Grant from Surrey County Council to  place bespoke benches in the newly planted area. It is hoped that all users of the fields will enjoy the new trees and can rest for a while on the new benches.