Roger Wright Strikes Again

[Richard Tarleton]

This is the area that was under three feet of water in 2013. The Maltings complex itself narrowly avoided the same fate.

Exactly

And the footbridge would presumably have to be next to the road, if the wherry is to continue to be able to moor next to the Maltings. So a bit of a trek in your best shoes

[oddoneout]

Also, many councils are working under a presumption "in favour of development" - driven by government - whatever that means.

It's what the National Policy says and means in effect that local opinions and problems can be and are over-ridden, provided the developer has put a suitable tick-box case forward. Once any mention of housing gets into the mix then practical considerations re flooding and the like go out the window, and as for eco- and environmental issues - forget it. The only realistic chance of successfully opposing development is to have big names with big money on your side.
Apologies for sounding bitter - I am facing some of this on my doorstep - or more accurately at the bottom of my garden.

[Dave2002]

It's what the National Policy says and means in effect that local opinions and problems can be and are over-ridden, provided the developer has put a suitable tick-box case forward. Once any mention of housing gets into the mix then practical considerations re flooding and the like go out the window, and as for eco- and environmental issues - forget it. The only realistic chance of successfully opposing development is to have big names with big money on your side.
Apologies for sounding bitter - I am facing some of this on my doorstep - or more accurately at the bottom of my garden.

I sympathise. Actually the way the NPPF and Green Belt policies are operated does seem somewhat hit and miss, and sometimes inspectors and even the Secretary of State opt for no development - but it's a dubious business, and I wouldn't place bets on any new proposal - either way.

Re the Snape car park issue, if the current fields are likely to be submerged from time to time, and if the current operations are not totally hopeless, then why not just carry on - or perhaps put a bit more money and effort into managing the situation as it is now, rather than building more permanent structures which themselves will require management/ maintenance, and simply put money into the hands of others - probably unnecessarily?

[Serial_Apologist]

And then the Consecration of the Car Park.

Possibly the original poster had Hindemith's childrens' opera Wir Bauen einer Stadt in Mind - children being more likely to have the sensible solution everyone would be after.

[oddoneout]

Could Bentwaters Park be use as a Park and Ride, at least for the known maximum influx occasions, preferably using minibuses rather than the overgrown urban variety to avoid problems on narrow country roads?

[teamsaint]

It would be interesting to see some closer observations of what the real issues for those visiting and living there really are.

Salisbury has some long standing issues with traffic. ( Although where doesn't ?).

But here the council here seemed to start with a solution rather than questions, and ended up with park and ride white elephant (!), which has had to be rapidly adapted ( down graded), while other ,cheaper and more appropriate solutions are scrapped/abandoned/ignored/no longer cost effective, and anything approaching an integrated transport solution is just something other places do.

Rant over.....

[Dave2002]

Is there much warning of flooding in the Snape area? It might be helpful to have arrangements in place for when there is flooding to avoid cars being stranded. Otherwise is it so terrible using fields as temorary car parks? Are there problems with access - ingress/egress - when the flood waters rise?

[Richard Tarleton]

Is there much warning of flooding in the Snape area? It might be helpful to have arrangements in place for when there is flooding to avoid cars being stranded. Otherwise is it so terrible using fields as temorary car parks? Are there problems with access - ingress/egress - when the flood waters rise?

The last two big events (2013, and - almost - last winter) were associated with North Sea storm surge events which travelled down the North Sea coast and were well trailed in advance. As well as tidal inundation, fresh water in the river is unable to exit in the normal way and spills onto the flood plain. They were winter events, of course.

Nothing wrong in my view with using fields as temporary car parks in the right circumstances. But these are wet meadows - as it says in the Graun article, The car park would take up four acres – the area of two and a half full-size football pitches – of a 17-acre field in a sensitive area of wetland on the banks of the river Alde, which is a haunt of birds such as snipe, barn owls, marsh harriers, wigeons, godwits and avocets, as well as otters and water voles. Part of a corridor of marshes and reedbeds, the land is overseen by Suffolk Wildlife Trust on one side of the road and the RSPB on the other.
- you're not just going to be able to cut the grass and park on it.

It's wetland, it's habitat, part of an ecosystem and part of a flood plain. You're going to have to put in drainage, engineer (harden) the surface in some way. And reducing the extent and absorbency of flood meadows exacerbates the potential for flooding issues in the vicinity. These are the sorts of issues the EA, Natural England and conservation NGOs will be looking at very closely (I expect).

[oddoneout]

Is there much warning of flooding in the Snape area? It might be helpful to have arrangements in place for when there is flooding to avoid cars being stranded. Otherwise is it so terrible using fields as temorary car parks? Are there problems with access - ingress/egress - when the flood waters rise?

Even if there were warnings(not a given, even in this day and age of prediction and communication technology), would it necessarily make any difference? If there is a designated carpark the assumption will be that it's OK to leave the vehicle there. I can't imagine a favourable reaction to either a) being denied access because of likelihood of flooding or b)being required to relocate said vehicles during an event due to risk of flooding having changed status. Look at the problems of places where cars are parked on beaches/seashores and then folks are surprised on return and despite prominent warnings about tides, to find that their pride and joy is bathing.
In terms of using fields as temporary parking it rather depends on the nature of the field. Where I work we have to use 3 grazing/hay fields for several events each season. It is light stony land with a long established sward but even so it takes a while for everything to settle down after such use and cars do sometimes have to be pulled out(but less so since the laying of some tracks and improvements to gate areas). Stubble fields tend to be OK but I can't see that marshy ground/wash meadows are suitable by any consideration for such use.

[oddoneout]

It's wetland, it's habitat, part of an ecosystem and part of a flood plain. You're going to have to put in drainage, engineer (harden) the surface in some way. And reducing the extent and absorbency of flood meadows exacerbates the potential for flooding issues in the vicinity. These are the sorts of issues the EA, Natural England and conservation NGOs will be looking at very closely (I expect).

Given that protection of the natural environment and related matters such as endangered flora and fauna looks like an early casualty of breaking ties with the EU a bit of patience will overcome such 'obstacles'.....

[Dave2002]

Overall then, bearing in mind the last three postings, (53-55) it seems a really bad idea to use those fields for car parking, either permanent or temporary. I am well aware that modern developers claim that they can overcome problems - but they don't always get this right. SUDS is one such scheme, which has been known to fail, for example round Gatwick airport. However, SUDS systems might be a way forward if they can be designed well and function well enough - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustai...rainage_system

The loss of wetland habitat seems another definite reason not to do it, though if "the people have spoken" and HMG is determined to wreck the country by throwing out every bit of legislation from the EU which would protect such habitats, there is not much I can do other than protest against it.

It is beginning to sound to me more as though other solutions to what may not in fact be a totally unmanageable problem should be investigated.

[Zucchini]

I suspect that Roger has grander ideas than just a car park - to remove existing buildings and cover area with astroturf, site a Ferris wheel disguised as a windmill in the car park and commission a Shard or Gherkin designer to build an eco-friendly bandstand with deckchairs on the astroturf. Dead cert for planning approval and grants from ACE and Lottery money.

[gradus]

Announced officially today, the car park project is not going ahead.

[Richard Tarleton]

'Phew.

Thanks for the update. Drinks all round at the Crown.

[Old Grumpy]

Announced officially today, the car park project is not going ahead.

Please tell me this is not fake news (I cannot find a link to it). I have only been to Snape Maltings once, but have very special memories of it.

OG