green business park by Kate Scotter, Archant (Evening News, April 14, 2008) Pioneering plans for Norfolk's first purpose-built green office development have been met with opposition from families living close to the proposed site. The Dakenham Project would see the development of 20 offices on the border of Salhouse and Rackheath, on Station Road, Salhouse, powered by renewable energy sources such as wind turbines. Plans have been submitted to Broadland District Council for the scheme which is aimed at small businesses with a green conscience. However, people living near to the proposed development have claimed the proposals are “inappropriate” for the area. Stephen Heard, 53, who lives on Station Road, said: “There are lots of oncerns, lots of local residents who are not happy with it, and are worried that it will get steam-rolled through. “It’s one development in a wrong place and it’s inappropriate for a village such as Salhouse. “It’s not as green as it’s portraying to be and we are concerned people are using the so-called green bandwagon to get developments through.” The proposals would see two buildings built on the 3.7 acre (1.5ha) site with facilities for cyclists, car parking for 86 cars, wind turbines, recycling facilities for waste produced within the offices, a footpath to Salhouse railway station and additional tree planting. It is hoped that, if given the scheme is given the go-ahead, workers would use trains to travel to and from the business park. However, critics have pointed out that trains only run once an hour and every other hour they do not stop in Salhouse. Paul Knowles, chairman of Norwich-based developer Building Partnerships, which is behind the plans, said the site had been specifically chosen because it sits above an aquifer, a water-bearing layer of materials, including gravel, silt, or clay, which can be harnessed to heat and cool the buildings using ground source heat pumps. He added the location enables the maximum use of natural light, which would in turn reduce energy usage for all of the buildings. He said: “Businesses are increasingly made aware of their environmental responsibilities, but there are few real chances for small businesses in particular to make a noticeable difference to their environmental impact. This project has been carefully designed to help businesses to bridge this gap and test some innovative green technologies. For example, the buildings will be constructed from sustainable materials which can help to save up to 85pc of the carbon used by conventional buildings.” Andrew Boswell, deputy convenor of the Green Group on Norfolk County Council, said: “We very much welcome these kinds of schemes. What we need to be doing is moving much more towards onsite renewable energy generation and the government to provide the framework to make this possible.” Developers hope the project, if given the green light by the district council’s planning committee, would be finished by the end of 2009. |
