Cherry lodge LANDFILL Action Group

Background

The Cherry Lodge Golf Club, in Biggin Hill, has put in an application to Bromley Council to re-develop their golf course (application no. 11/02499/FULL/1). This, in itself, is not the problem. The problems we have are listed below: 1. They plan to import 250,000 cubic metres of inert soil to re-landscape their course. This will require 70 deliveries per day of soil from other parts of the UK using 33ton tipper lorries. This will result in 140 lorry movements, per day, along Main Road, through Biggin Hill, one lorry every 3 minutes, 5 days a week, for at least 18 months (these figures are only estimates and could be much higher). 2. 70 deliveries a day is bad enough so long as they all arrive at the right time but what is more likely is that large numbers of the lorries will arrive at the same time (like Friday mornings so they can all get home for the weekend). Can you imagine the chaos with queues of lorries blocking Main Road from both directions? They say that deliveries will be between 9:30 and 4:30 but it is quite possible that these times will be stretched to accommodate the deliveries, which will be at the same time as the school runs, adding to the chaos (and potential dangers). 3. The A233 Main Road is not a usual 'A' road. In places it is barely wide enough to let two lorries pass from either direction (in fact, when they re-surfaced the road recently they had to close the road over night to do it as it is so narrow). Also, there are parts of Main Road that only have a pavement on one side. 4. So where are these lorries coming from and going to? They can come from any development sites around the UK. They can come from the South through Brastead, Oxted and Westerham and up Westerham Hill (more delays up the hill following slow lorries) or from the North down the A233 through Keston, Leaves Green and Biggin Hill itself. They will be arriving at a point along Main Road just North of the Aperfield Inn (what use to be the Fox and Hounds) over Strawberry Field and arriving at the South East corner of the golf course. At the moment there is a gap in the hedge where the public rights of way enter to cross the field. 5. In the plans they want to cut down 30 feet of hedgerow to make an entrance where they will lay a two lane (for the first part), concrete haul road which leads across the field, reducing to one lane, turning left at the far side of the field then running along the tree line. The road will then turn right and run along the Southern edge of the golf course to the South East corner where the lorries will enter the landfill site, sorry golf course, to dump their load of soil. The lorries will then return along the haul road, back up to the two lane section, where they will have there wheels cleaned before exiting back on to Main Road. 6. This haul road will have a dramatic effect on the public rights of way that criss cross the area: i. The footpath that runs from Main Road across the field will be re-positioned a few metres South of the existing field entrance where it will follow the edge of the small field to the South of the existing path. ii. The path/bridleway that cuts diagonally across the field will be diverted West half way up the field (from the golf course to Main Road) and exit on to the road a few hundred yards North of the existing entrance. iii. The road will run along the Southern edge of the course along side of an existing bridleway. Horses and lorries do not mix. iv. Where the haul road enters the course, it has to cross the bridleway which, it is said, will be manned at all times the site is operating. 7. The resulting increase in HGV traffic, and consequent congestion along Main Road through the village, will have a potentially devastating effect on local small businesses in Biggin Hill as people will find other routes around this area to avoid long traffic jams. Please click on the logo below for more details, plans and photos.