To
Cumberland Council
Planning Application 23/0225 – Removal of Melbourne Park Weir by Eden Rivers Trust.
Objection from Carlisle Flood Action Group
We write further to our initial comments of 4 April 2023 having now had a meeting with representatives for the Applicants, their principal sponsor (the Environment Agency) (EA) and Cumberland Council (weir owners). This meeting took place on 20 April – names can be supplied if required.
The meeting was very helpful for us in focusing upon the intent of the Applicants project and allowing discussion in respect of potential impacts upon our wider concerns to lower flood risk and how such issues may be mitigated. It was however clear to us that there was insufficient detail and control being exercised for us to withdraw our objection.
On a procedural front we are concerned that the main sponsor for the project is the EA ie. the same agency that the Authority (LPA) looks to for independent consultee advice on such matters to check the Applicants submitted reports and calculations. We have called Philip Carter (planning consultee at the EA) regarding this aspect but he has not returned our calls. There is clearly a conflict here which concerns us considerably. Whilst Cumberland Council, itself, is both asset owner as well as being the presiding statutory Planning Delivery Authority we have seen no particular strength of feeling to suggest the same level of conflict however taken together it is also less than ideal. Fundamentally it is inappropriate to base an important decision judgement upon the advice of the Applicants own sponsor. As we, as a group, are not sufficiently funded to instruct independent advice ourselves, particularly within a planning application time frame, it seems entirely appropriate that the LPA delays any decision until a suitably qualified independent expert can supply an opinion. Such an opinion we believe should include the matters raised here in our objection, not just the documents submitted due to the sensitivity of the location and the potential impacts including another Storm Desmond scale event.
Use this link for the full PDF
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OJBKIIMALDJVcCcovb1G8f5ZHdmMM7X-/view?usp=sharing
