The Geography Department
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The Geography Department |
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Travellers sites at Langham Summer 2003
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an overview of the Severalls Lane sites from the airfield perimeter track .. click for a much larger picture!
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Severalls Lane East
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The familiar happenings at the junction of Langham Lane and Langham Road/Severalls Lane. People are going to Coleman's for their meat, to The Garden Centre, and Robert is off delivering the milk! |
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| The entrance to the East Severalls Lane site is, at present, at a lethal bend on the road. | The East Severalls Lane site is a large field, admittedly beyond the needs of the project, that has a steep bank leading to the road as it climbs up the A12 bridge. | The entrance to the site is presently ploughed up, presumably to deter travellers! | ||||||
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| Issues that affect near-neighbours of the East Severalls Lane site include the selling of property, the price that the property will now fetch, and the security of livestock. | Many fields in the area of the three sites contain horses kept in paddocks. 'Horseyculture' is a well-known phenomenon of the land next to urban areas, but the presence of travellers adjacent to these fields will inevitably cause a radical rethink. | An electricity sub-station lies between the site and seven Saints Rare breeds. Access to this facility is via a steep ramp down from Severalls Lane. | ||||||
| Severalls Lane East | ||||||||
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| The attractive drive to Whitehouse Farm, looking back towards Severalls Lane and both sites. | From the farm drive towards Severalls Lane and the bridge over the A12. the trees to the right, on the skyline, screen the site from the A12. | The approach to Whitehouse Farm. The Severalls Lane West site is to the left of the drive. | ||||||
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| From Severalls Lane towards the A12, services, and Whitehouse Farm. | From the bridge over the A12 on Severalls Lane. The trees on the skyline are a wedge of greenery leading from the bridge almost to the services. | A long shot over the site from the elevated lie of Severalls Lane where it meets the A12 bridge. | ||||||
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| New neighbours for the site are being erected daily at Mersey Homes, on the corner of Mill Road and Severalls Lane. Rapid Electronics can also be seen in the distance. | Rapid electronics will be the first business on the Colchester side of the A12. | The roundabout at Colchester Business Park, showing building from that park, Rapid Electronics and the estate of Mersea Homes. | ||||||
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businesses are conscious of restricting access to parts of a site.
Rapid Electronics really is a good landmark. This photograph has been taken from the airfield track. The rural nature of the northern side of the A12 is clearly seen. |
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| off Ipswich Road | ||||||||
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| The site is approached from Colchester along the slip road to the A12. | A public footpaths skirts the site on its southern flank, a path which then traverses the site towards the north. | From the same vantage point as the footpath photo, the A12 is seen at the foot of a steep cutting. | ||||||
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A number of issues surround the site off the old Ipswich Road, from its access through an aggregates firm's yard, to footpath access to any settlement, for services or schools, and to its location within an area of small, but burgeoning local businesses that are in isolated positions, despite proximity to an urban area. |
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| The present access to the site is occupied by an aggregates firm, where stock is left out in the yard at all times. | Any access to Colchester by foot will have to contend with the Ipswich Road roundabout | |||||||
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| The site is presently rough grassland, and a sometimes store for lorry trailers. | The nearness of the dual-carriageway to Ipswich, and its eye-level position, would not be easily sound-proofed! | |||||||
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Worries about unauthorised access to potential sites for travellers have caused many openings in the area to be blocked off. |
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| A field opening roughly blocked by soil on Birchwood Road. | A field next to the Car Boot site is blocked by tree stumps. | |||||||
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Tier 3 criteria |
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Severalls West East |
Cymbeline |
Lodge Lane |
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This will relate to the more detailed and site specific aspects of the site assessment process, relating to areas such as: Ease of acquisition Notional cost in acquirement and delivery Satisfaction of identified need Impact on residential amenity of settled and travelling residents Level of obtrusiveness Possible site design |
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