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12th January 2021
RE: Scrutiny review of the Future Hospital Preferred Access Route to Overdale.
Dear Scrutiny Panel members,
In regards to the request for evidence published on 4th January 2020 please find my comments below. As I sit writing this response I am 14 feet from the planned demolition and construction site yet have been deemed as not directly affected'.
1. Will you be affected by the proposed access route to Overdale? If so, how?
Answer: Yes – The effect will be the devastation of the family life and home we have formed and the future we have planned. In particular, the negative impact on our children at this critical time in their lives is heart-breaking. Our situation has barely been acknowledged.
Despite being part of the Castle View close, 40% of which is to be demolished right on our doorstep, we are not classed as Directly affected' so were not contacted in anyway until the preferred site selection and access route proposals were submitted in October 2020.
The proposed highways works, being the massive road widening scheme of Westmount road was not shared with us at all and we only became aware of it when it went public' as an indicative plan alongside the proposition to compulsory purchase 1 and 5 Castle View. Immediately our home became practically unsellable and we are now stuck in a home we will not be able to live in if this goes ahead nor can we sell it at market value.
There have been continuous statements that those directly affected' were consulted / communicated from July 2020. This is simply not true:
• Our neighbours whose homes are required (for demolition) were not contacted at all until they received a letter on 10th September 2020
• We were not contacted at all and whilst out home is not currently flagged for required' for the construction you will see from the evidence below that we are unequivocally directly affected'.
As a family we have concluded that we cannot and will not reside in this property should the development go ahead for the following reasons:
• The proposed demolition of numbers 1 and 5 Castle View are, at the nearest point, less than 14 feet from my property.
• We will literally have construction happening adjacent to both ground floor and 1 st floor levels of our property due to demolition and then road construction (our ground floor is
below road level whilst all 1st floor rooms will be road level) – there will be no escape from it.no matter what efforts are made to minimise any disruption'
• That work to demolish and build the new' Westmount road will be happening right at the start of my Son's final GCSE year and at the start of my Daughters GCSE courses.
• Design and construction partners assertions that they will minimise any disruption' is not workable.
o Are they able to stop construction at 3:30pm every day and not work weekends so my Children can do their GCSE coursework in the correct environment?
o Will they not work during the online exams?
o Will they 100% guarantee that mains services and telecommunications are never interrupted?
o Will they guarantee noise, vibration and dust particulates remain below acceptable levels at all times?
o What is the stress impact, especially on children, on living in this environment?
o Will massive construction vehicles avoid problematic times too? (note: this issue will last YEARS with the road on our doorstep being used for the Hospital)
• We cannot sell the property, we are actively trying but with the threat of the road scheme no right-minded buyer would seriously consider our property. We have a
house that now has little appeal for prospective buyers and indeed is already tarnished for us as a family. (This impact can be evidenced by the enquiries that are ended as soon as prospective buyers become aware of the location).
• The impacted area where my children study, sleep, relaxevery level from kitchen to bathrooms to bedroom to study will be exposed to construction during the most important academic period in their lives.
• I have started the process of defining and capturing localised environmental data to provide long-term evidence of the negative impact. This will include levels both during demolition/construction and post construction on:
o Noise, Vibration, Particulates
(PM10/PM2.5 – studies on which clearly indicate construction activities increase levels these harmful particulates on nearby downwind areas)
o Traffic
o Light levels (reduction due to proximity of new walls etc)
o Highway safety
o To date, we have seen no information on baselined nor target / acceptable / safe levels set or communicated. Should the development go ahead I will deploy a private 24/7 environmental monitoring system on my property
• An early indicative data set I have taken noise measurements with a decibel meter at 3 comparative locations in December:
o 1) my property – east facing
o 2) 14ft from a moderately busy 2 lane road representing the new road'
o 3) 60ft from a construction site. Representing levels during construction (distance was closest I could safely achieve)
Measure | Average | Min | Max |
3 Castle view current levels (3pm weekday) | 40 | 39 | 44 |
14 ft from 2 lane road representing distance than new Westmount road will be from my property (3:15pm weekday) | 70 | 60 | 86 |
60 ft from construction site - my property will be 14ft but this test was restricted by access – (3:30 pm weekday) | 79 | 63 | 98 |
• Construction tools and machines are documented to create noise ranging from 95db to 125+db.
• An ambulance siren operates at 87-97db at 50m – the distance to every single room in my house will be less than 1/3rd of that range.
• With 2 children trying to study for GCSEs in this environment and my business now working from home' the impact is devastating.
• The noise factor alone makes it untenable for us to remain in the not directly affected property'.
• Our property value has already been decimated. Sn. Farnham 's' pure speculation that in the- long term values will recover and possibly increase is just speculation with no supporting facts. The facts that ARE available is that the value has ripped out of our home – as can be shown from written agent valuations (prior and post road development proposals). Even if we dropped the price to that level – no-one would buy a home that is about to be
surrounded on 3 sides by a building site. This home is our sole asset – the value of which has been taken from us.
We have heard from the OurHopital project that to-date everything is a desk-based study' and yet on the other hand are told that it will improve the area. How can a desk-based study' conclude the area will be improved? Senator Farnham 's assertions that it will ultimately improve the area are unfounded spin' to manipulate those unfamiliar with the area in to believing the destruction then construction that will increase traffic, litter, noise, pollution is a good thing.
As previously mentioned, this will devastate our home and lives and so both scrutiny and the OurHospital project should be aware that I will oppose and challenge this development at every possible step.
Whilst the public interest' argument may prevail in the long term in regards to the physical development, that public interest should not be met at the cost of individuals. These issues, which will become lengthy and costly for all, can be avoided but no dialogue has bene forthcoming despite repeated attempts.
Further to the information above, the images below, taken from my property, hopefully go some way to highlighting the massive impact that this development is going to have on my home and family.
Yours,
Attached below: Images taken from 3 castle view and location overhead picture.
