environmental issues
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The green recreational area (east of the swimming baths car park wall) at Elvet Waterside is designated flood zone 3a by the Environment Agency, this is at the highest risk of flooding. If, as the developer proposes, houses and flats are built there, the developer intends to raise the ground level of the whole site by at least 6ft to mitigate the inevitable flooding (an increasing occurrence as the climate changes). This is not enough to stop flooding downstream of the development, towards the city. Therefore the developer has to widen the river upstream to ease the flooding, and their plans show that they are going to do this at Maiden Castle, abutting Durham University’s playing fields at the Graham Sports Centre, which will result in the loss of a substantial part of the University playing fields. This land is also in the green belt and as such is protected from development.
These new flood defences are only necessary if the Greenfield site at Elvet Waterside is built on. Therefore the bank of the River Wear will be altered, with the loss of wildlife habitats, part of the greenbelt will be eroded and the University will lose part of their recreational playing fields, all to build unneeded luxury houses on a green recreational site that should be protected.
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Racecourse Park is a Level 3a (highest level) …flood plain. The Environment Agency is now a Statutory Consultee with local planners and they strongly advise against building on a flood plain unless it can pass a sequential test. This is highly unlikely when the land concerned is a green field site as the Racecourse Park is.
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Building on a green field site on a Level 3a flood plain will increase flooding in this area and for the houses down stream as loss of green land will mean that rain water is no longer easily absorbed, and storm drains cannot cope with the loss of land able to absorb water, which is how the area around Tewksbury became flooded in the summer of 2007.
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The loss of this valuable recreational space is particularly pertinent at a time when the government are increasingly concerned about recreational activity and the population’s lack of fitness. If the City Council sells off this recreational space there will be few places left for people to exercise in the city environs; this contravenes the North East Planning Guidance report of 2002 ENV 9 3.26 and the Regional Planning Guidance for the North East of England SR1 Sport and Recreation.
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Bats have been found roosting in the Bowling Pavilion. This habitat and the loss of the mature trees nearby where they roost will be destroyed if development goes ahead.
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The developers intend to save some of the trees but raising the ground level by up to 2 metres will mean that the trees roots will be so far below ground level that they will probably die.
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There will be an increase of traffic into the area and therefore more traffic congestion, more stationary cars in queues and more carbon monoxide polluting the atmosphere.