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These sites are well known for high levels of noise and light pollution due to the nature of the works and their 24hr funcionalilty.
Even the modern electric sites still remain noisey and often rely on Diesel powered generators as back ups in case of power failures (This area of Norfolk is well known for power outages/interuptions).

To have such a site this close/within a village respected for its natural environment, wildlife and geographic position overlooking the Norfolk & Suffolk broads will be looked at in many years to come as a planning disaster.

The local highways network already struggles to keep up with demand with the present traffic counts, to add additonal high volumes of HGV traffic will cause more disruption. HGV’s destined for GT Yarmouth will have to cross the ageing bridge at St Olaves which already operates a give and take system via traffic signals.
Further more, HGV’s heading towards Beccles will have to pass the Infant School at Toft Monks, causing a serious risk to children, parents and teachers.
If however, the local B1136 was used by yet more HGVs, I have major conerns about the already dangerous junction at Hales and exits to Thurlton whcih have already claimed many drivers over the years.

The burried services below the roads (namely frest water, sewage etc..) will be put under more stress from the increased HGV usage leading to an increase in burst mains/leaks etc…

This needs some serious inteligent thought if the local planners who’s responsiblity is to sanction this site do not want to go down in history for all the wrong reasons or worse, end up with blood on their hands.
Lets have a bit of thought about what we are really trying to achieve, its commercial value & impact, environmental impact and above all else peoples quality of life within the lovely villages of Norfolk and the Broads.

Im sure the Broads Authority and Environment Agency will also have much to comment on regarding the surrounding sites of special scientific interest and the impact it may have on the local wildlife.
I urge you to think again !
It takes thousands of years to form such a pretty landscape, it only takes a couple of stupid planners to ruin it for eternity.

The effects of the lorries on this small village will also be very bad , there will also be lots of dust caused by gravel extraction.

I hope the comments of people on this site will put a stop to this scheme ,locals have a good slogan “stopit”

I completely agree with this slogan

1. Pollution of the Local Environment

What legally enforcible guantantee is there that the site will never be used for domestic, medical, or low grade chemical waste? Clearly if this were to occur the resulting consequences would be numerous and potentially hazardous to the health of the local community, many of whom would be living literally only yards from the edge of such a site.
Decomposition of organic waste leads to the production of methane and other chemicals, many known to be carcinogenic. In the long term leachate from such a site will have a direct pollutant effect on Haddiscoe Marshes – an area which is in many ways unique – and attracts many rare species of birds and wildlife. Contamination of the marshes will almost certainly be an insoluble problem and lead to ever increasing degradation of the wildlife habitat.
It is well known that sites such as these attract vermin, notably rats. I have already witnessed a rat population in recent years surrounding organic waste material on Crab Apple Lane adjacent to the proposed site. Currently the use of pharmacological agents in an attempt to control these pests has become far less dependable and in many cases ineffectual (e.g. a known and growing reistance of rats to the effects of Warfarin). On a site of 60 acres, a large and potentially uncontrollable rat population would be likely to occur. Residents living close to the site and any children straying on to it could contract Wiel’s Disease which can result in kidney and liver failure and potential death.

2. Use of Agricultural Land

The rules governing ’set aside’ have, I understand, been recently changed, presumably to increase areas of productive agricultural land. It would seem, therefore, to be illogical to reduce the area of such land in view of future increased demand for food production.
I am informed that there are approximately 140 sites within Norfolk from which gravel may be extracted. How many of these sites are currently not used for agricultural purposes? If there are such sites available surely it would be more sensible to use them rather than the site proposed at Haddiscoe.

3. Effects on Local Roadways

The proposed site is only accessible by the B1136 which is hardly suited to cope with the type of heavy vehicles associated with, what after all is, an industrial, not agricultural, undertaking. I understand that another local firm using such vehicles does not use the A143 (Beccles to Yarmouth Road) for safely reasons. Apparently the rate of extraction from this site would require 80, 40 ton lorries per day. Any of the vehicles travelling to Great Yarmouth would have to use the A143 (Haddiscoe Dam) increasing the risk of traffic accidents on this already hazardous stretch of road, either side of which are deep dykes. Having used this road on a daily basis for fifteen years I have witnessed, on a number of occasions, accidents involving large lorries skidding off the road into dykes causing injury and prolonged disruption to traffic flow to Great Yarmouth, for up to 24 hours. With such an increased usage by heavy vehicles on this road potentially lethal accidents would become more frequent. In my capacity as a Consultant Surgeon at the James Paget Hospital in Gorleston I have personal knowledge of such accidents and have dealt with their consequences.

4. Reduction of Local Amenites

Apart from siting a busy, noisy, and essentially polluting undustrial process in a rural/agricultural/residential area there will also be the loss of a Bridle Path which runs for 300 metres through the proposed site. If permission is given for this proposal, can one assume that as a result of the degradation of the immediate environs of Haddiscoe that there would be a reassessment of Council Tax banding, to reflect the inevitable reduction in value to all surrounding properties?

5. Fly Tipping

An industrial site is bound to attract fly tipping. To underline this point, since the arrival of amenities on Crab Tree Lane, recently provided for the workforce undertaking road alterations on the B1136, fly tipping has already occured.

I trust that these comments will receive your close attention.

J. R. Sansom F.R.C.S.
Dale Farm

As this is a County Council consultation the County Council have mentioned it in their version of the Link magazine (Norfolk Matters/Your Norfolk).