The long running dispute between residents of Rye Harbour and the Bakewell (Derbyshire) based company Long Rake Spar could soon be coming to a close. Additional information has been submitted to Rother District Council (RDC) in support of Long Rake Spar’s application to expand its operations on Harbour Road.
Long Rake Spar’s planning application has has proved to be one of the most unpopular developments to be proposed in some time. Nearly 1,500 people have sent in their objections, either direct to RDC or via a petition. Objectors included Icklesham Parish Council, Sussex Wildlife Trust and Rye Conservation Society.
The new information submitted to RDC in support of Long Rake Spar’s planning application include an acoustic report by MRL Acoustics on behalf of Long Rake Spar which concluded, ‘it is considered that with the implementation of the recently completed scheme of noise mitigation measures, the noise from the aggregate drying plant will be of a ‘low impact’ in accordance with BS 4142 and will be within acceptable limits and will not result in an adverse effect on any residential amenity.’
A further report tackling the increase of HGV traffic along Harbour Road was produced for Long Rake Spar by a company called DHA, and it concluded, “that the proposed development should not result in significant detrimental impacts in transport terms and therefore there should be no sound transport-based objection to this proposal.”
Council questions reports
Residents of Rye Harbour beg to differ, including Icklesham Parish Council who has re-submitted its members objection to the expansion of operations on the site, saying, “We reconfirm our objection of 11/08/2021 and feel that the noise reports and transport report now submitted may not have measured the noise and traffic levels at a time and in a way that fully reflects the extent of nuisance and disturbance to both the neighbouring housing and the wildlife in the area.”
The accuracy of the new transport report has also been questioned by an eagle-eyed resident of Harbour Road, who said: “The aim of the proposed extension to working hours is described as relating to intended significant increases in aggregates brought into the site for processing and resale.
“The assessments noted above do not appear to make any reference to outgoing materials. I assume that the amount of material moved out of the site must be similar to the amount coming in for the business to be viable; in which case it seems that transport movements might be around 100% greater than those mentioned.”
The deadline for making a comment on Long Rake Spar’s planning application to expand its operations is fast approaching and can be made here.
Image Credits: Kevin McCarthy .
Today (26 Feb) is actually the deadline so please add your comments if you have a moment. An interesting fact is that the LRS site is now as large as the main village itself! This is well illustrated by an aerial photograph submitted by a resident and can be viewed on the Rother website under Online Comments.
Thank you Bet Edwards saying the 26th February was the deadline.
Just put in another objection…
Hoping the number of objections will be genuinely carefully read and considered.
The place is loud and dusty not to mention and eye sore. We hear it in the town and it is ruining lives in the harbour. Expanding this operation is shameful and has no thought to the wildlife in the reserve.