Glaxo - Harris's Lane

[ultrasteve]

Hi everyone.

First post, please be gentle!

I just wondered if anyone had any real-world knowledge of the new development at Glaxo, at the top of Harris's Lane and Park Road.

Planning application 3/14/0639/FO states Erection of Respiratory Manufacturing Facility with associated works, and I just wondered if anybody knew if the building itself is going to come right up to the boundary with Park Road? At the moment there are portacabins there for the builders but what looks like concrete bases leading right up to the new building (which looks to be almost finished?). The plan seems to suggest that the building itself will stop short of the boundary, but I'm no expert at interpreting planning applications!



Any local residents able to confirm? Thanks.

[Alec]

Honestly, the best people to ask would be GSK, as they should *know*, whereas other residents may well not! I'm sure they should be reasonably willing to answer a factual question line this.

But, following the domestic detective line, this google maps view shows the previous building, whose northernmost boundaries appear in line with that of the building to the left of Harris's Lane, i.e., about a tree's width away from the fence. That appears to correspond to the thin black line in your map.

If the new building is the thick red line, then the map shows it stopping quite a way back from the northern boundary. Of course, "concrete bases" could be anything permanant/temporary, or even just part of groundworks.

[ultrasteve]

Hi Alec.

Thanks for the swift, and very helpful, answer. I agree that it 'seems' the building will finish further back than the original one. I'll try GSK and see what they say!

Thanks again.

[Ian]

Hi Alec.

Thanks for the swift, and very helpful, answer. I agree that it 'seems' the building will finish further back than the original one. I'll try GSK and see what they say!

Thanks again.

Rather than talking to GSK, why not use the East Herts Planning portal? They have all the documents and maps of the site that have been used to obtain planning permission so these will be the most accurate. The documents for this application are http://online.eastherts.gov.uk/rkyvport ... 14/0639/FO

From what I can see the most helpful document is http://online.eastherts.gov.uk/rkyvport ... dex=674412. My interpretation of tis drawing is that the red area you can see is only the site boundary and there is an "emergency steam pipe" that is on the very edge. However, the building itself doesn't come that far out, the path and the shrubs are show to be still there.

[ultrasteve]

Thanks for the reply Ian. Yes, I'd been on the East Herts site, and indeed that's where my screen grab in the first post comes from. Thanks for adding the useful links though. Looks like the building definitely won't come right up to the boundary.

[Alec]

The problem with using the planning information can be interpreting what's in there.

That's where talking to the owner might help more. And would also help to interpret the other things that you're seeing, that may be part of the facility that don't require permission - like portakabins.

[ultrasteve]

An update on the site - we received this letter and plan today:



We'll certainly be going along to find out more, and probably object to the planning application if we think it unreasonable. There's already a lot of light throughout the whole night from the new stairwells and yard of the just-opened new building, and with the plan above showing that the new (new) building seems to come right up to the site boundary this will only get worse.

I'd say more of a problem, though, will be the proposal to make the current Harris's Lane emergency exit an in-use exit. This will mean lorries and vans (as it will be a development facility) exiting from there straight to the junction with Park Road which is already dangerously busy.

Unfortunately, I can't see East Herts not granting permission for this with the level of 'presence' GSK have in Ware.

Any thoughts, anyone?

[Mel]

I thought they didn't have any money anyway?