Earlsfield Park – Public Open Space Masterplan
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EARLSFIELD PARK – PUBLIC OPEN SPACE MASTERPLAN LORD DERBY MEMORIAL PLAYING FIELDS AND OAK PLANTATION PUBLIC CONSULTATION DRAFT December 2018 This page is left intentionally blank CONTENTS Page 1. Introduction 1 Purpose of this Document 1 Status of the Masterplan 2 Masterplan Vision Statement and Objectives 2 2. Site Description 4 Local Context 4 Existing Site Profile: Oak Plantation 6 Existing Site Profile: Lord Derby Memorial Playing Fields 13 3. Policy context 20 Site Specific Planning Policy 20 Neighbouring Site Planning Policy 27 Other Policy 27 Further Background Policy Documents 29 4. Masterplan Development 30 Opportunities and Influences 30 Masterplan Options and Evaluation 32 5. Draft Masterplan 35 Draft Masterplan: Oak Plantation 34 Draft Masterplan: Lord Derby Memorial Playing Fields 39 Draft Masterplan Diagram 45 6. Draft Delivery Plan 47 Draft Delivery Phasing Plan 46 Phasing of Delivery 47 Timescales 48 Funding 49 7. Have your say on the Draft Masterplan 51 Appendix 1: Football Association Ground Grading 52 Requirements (Step 7) This page is left intentionally blank Figures Page(s) Figure 1: Earlsfield Park – SUE Site Boundary 1 Figure 2: Local Context Plan 4 Figure 3 :Public Open Space Boundaries 6 Image Gallery: Oak Plantation 8-12 Image Gallery: Lord Derby Memorial Playing Fields 15-19 Figure 4: SPD Spatial Development Framework 23 Figure 5: Extracts from Ion Masterplan 25 Figure 6: Draft Public Open Space Masterplan 45 Figure 7: Draft Delivery Phasing Plan 46 All Ordnance-survey based plans reproduced from the Ordnance Survey Mapping with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office © Crown Copyright Unauthorised Reproduction infringes Crown Copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil Proceedings. Knowsley MBC. 100017655. 2018 This page is left intentionally blank 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Purpose of this Document This document presents the masterplanning work that has been undertaken by Knowsley Council with support from WSP Ltd. and Steve Wells Associates Ltd. in relation to the regeneration and improvement of the public open space (POS) offer within the Knowsley Lane Sustainable Urban Extension (SUE), known formally as Earlsfield Park. This document sets out a detailed draft Masterplan for the two existing POS sites recognised with the Knowsley Green Space Strategy and known locally as Lord Derby Memorial Playing Fields and Oak Plantation, which lie within the Earlsfield Park site boundary. Figure 1: Earlsfield Park – SUE Site Boundary © Crown Copyright Knowsley MBC 100017655, 2018 The Masterplan is a direct requirement of Knowsley Core Strategy Local Plan policy SUE2, which states: “Proposals for development within each of these locations will only be granted planning permission where they are consistent with a single detailed masterplan for the whole of the Sustainable Urban Extensions which is approved by the Council.” A Masterplan for the Earlsfield Park Sustainable Urban Extension was approved at Planning Committee in September 2017 and included the land known as Lord Derby Memorial Playing Fields and Oak Plantation. The approved Masterplan illustrated one hectare of employment land to the west of George Hale Avenue (i.e. on land adjacent to Lord Derby Memorial Playing Fields) with the remainder of the land Earlsfield Park POS Masterplan- Consultation Draft 1 retained and enhanced as Lord Derby Memorial Playing Fields and Oak Plantation for the use of existing and proposed residents. The approval of the Masterplan was followed by the submission of a planning application for residential and commercial development east of George Hale Avenue, which was approved in June 2018. The granting of the planning permission for residential development secured a financial contribution of £0.750m which will enable the enhancement of these spaces as anticipated by the adopted Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) for the site. This draft Masterplan seeks to focus further on Lord Derby Playing Fields and Oak Plantation with proposals to improve and enhance the public open space for the community and local residents. Prior to the Masterplan being finalised, this report invites public consultation on the proposals. For further details of how to get involved, please see section 7 of this document. 1.2 Status of the Masterplan This document is a consultation draft of the Masterplan. Following consultation, it is proposed that the Masterplan will be presented to Knowsley Council’s Planning Committee for formal approval. If adopted, it will then become part of the Council’s approved Masterplan for the overall Earlsfield Park SUE site. Further information on how the POS Masterplan will relate to the wider Earlsfield Park Masterplan is set out within section 3 of this document. Once finalised and approved, the Masterplan will have significant weight in the planning process. 1.3 Masterplan Vision Statement and Objectives 1.3.1 Vision Statement The vision for the Earlsfield Park SUE, as set out in the adopted SPD, is that: “It will become a prestigious employment and housing location. The business park and employment uses on the site will ensure that this part of Huyton continues to contribute to the City Region’s economic growth, building on the success of the nearby Kings Business Park, while the sustainable, high-quality family housing will help to broaden the district’s housing appeal. The existing Lord Derby Playing Fields and Oak Plantation will be retained and improved as a valuable asset for new and existing residents, workers and visitors” This draft Masterplan for the POS within the Earlsfield site seeks to deliver on the second part of this vision. Earlsfield Park POS Masterplan- Consultation Draft 2 1.3.2 Objectives The Earlsfield Park SPD sets out a specific development objective for the POS part of the site, that is to: “Protect and enhance the Lord Derby Memorial Playing Fields and Oak Plantation within the site”. A further objective relating to Environmental Infrastructure is set out as an aim within the SPD: “Promotion of the ‘green’ aspects of the Borough—for example, a high proportion of the Borough is Green Belt—with further strengths being its existing green infrastructure and excellent leisure/recreation facilities and resources. The Lord Derby Playing Fields which form part of the site provide an opportunity to enhance the environmental infrastructure of the Borough. “ Earlsfield Park POS Masterplan- Consultation Draft 3 2. SITE DESCRIPTION This section aims to provide a profile of the two adjoining existing public open spaces (POS) of Oak Plantation and Lord Derby Memorial Playing Fields and their context within the locality. Figure 2: Local Context Plan © Crown Copyright Knowsley MBC 100017655, 2018 2.1 Local Context Oak Plantation and Lord Derby Memorial Playing Fields lie in the northern border of Huyton. The flyover of Knowsley Lane (B5194) over the M57 lies in the north western corner of the site, with Knowsley Lane continuing to form the southern boundary of the POS and M57 to the north. Centrally along the southern boundary of the site, a single privately owned property and area of land breaks the otherwise complete site boundary along Knowsley Lane opposite the junction with Thornton Way. George Hale Avenue is a private road serving the Knowsley Hall Estate and forms the eastern boundary of the site. Knowsley Hall lies to the north of the POS, parts of which once fell within the historic boundary of the estate before the M57 construction. The estate is listed as an Historic Park & Garden, though this status does not extend to any part of the POS covered in this document. Archaeological evidence may still be present, within Oak Plantation of the former boundary wall to the estate. The POS has importance in complementing the landscape heritage associated with the Knowsley Hall Estate by representing the historic perimeter Earlsfield Park POS Masterplan- Consultation Draft 4 woodlands that would have once screened the estate, as well as forming the landscape value surrounding the George Hale Avenue approach to the Estate. Directly south of the POS lies the Hillside residential estate, which forms part of the wider North Huyton Housing Renewal and Regeneration Area. Substantial Residential Area 11 within the Green Space Audit that feeds into the Local Plan defines in practice the residential area that would be directly served by this POS (although officially the POS lies outside of this SRA). This residential area is characterised by the following:- Census: the population locally is characterised by being generally younger than average. Significant proportion of single parent households exist locally, with a generally lower than average level of car ownership. Index of Multiple Deprivation 2015: the neighbourhoods of North Huyton represent some of the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods within the UK, with pockets of the areas that would be served by the POS being within the top 0.3%. This represents the significant issues affecting these communities, including extreme levels of low income and unemployment, as well as educational attainment. Additionally, the locality faces extremely high levels of health deprivation issues. Income Deprivation affecting Children and Older People: in both cases, the neighbourhoods otherwise served by the POS are wholesale recognised for their extreme deprivation levels affecting these vulnerable groups, with pockets being identified as being as low as the 18th most deprived in the UK (out of 32,844 Lower Super Output Areas