Selwood Garden Village Development Vision and Prospectus DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT Produced by NVB Architects Document ref 1731 1800A Date 08/02/2018 Purpose MDC Part 2 Reps 2 NVB Architects CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION 7.0 URBAN DESIGN PRINCIPLES 1.1 Purpose of Report 4 7.1 Engagement and local input 18 1.2 Executive Summary 4 7.2 Walkable neighbourhoods 18 7.3 Distinctive neighbourhoods 18 2.0 PROPOSED SITE 7.5 Permeable Neighbourhoods 19 2.1 Options for Frome Expansion 5 7.6 Local centre 19 2.2 Location and boundaries 6 7.7 Green Space and Sports Provision 20 2.3 Existing uses Inside the site 7 7.8 Legacy and maintenance 20 2.4 Existing uses Outside the site 7 8.0 MASTERPLAN SUMMARY 3.0 CONSULTATION 8.1 Summary 21 3.1 Meeting with the Community 8 8.2 Conclusions 21 3.2 Key Messages from Stakeholders 8 4.0 CONTEXT 4.1 Landscape 9 4.2 Connectivity 9 4.3 Heritage 10 4.4 Ecology 10 5.0 VISION 5.1 Mendip District Council 11 5.2 Frome Town Council Vision 12 5.3 Development Vision 13 5.4 The Garden Village 13 6.0 THE PROPOSALS 6.1 Proposal Summary 14 6.2 Landscape Framework 14 6.3 Movement Networks 15 6.4 Use and Character 16 6.5 Phasing 17 6.7 Energy Resources 17 Selwood Garden Village 3 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Purpose of Report 1.2 Executive Summary NVB Architects and Grassroots Planning have responded We are in the midst of a housing crisis, and there is to the recently issued Local Plan Part 2 site allocation broad cross party political support for providing new plan and have put forward an alternative development strategy for Selwood Garden Village which is located to next generation of home buyers. This appears locally the south of Frome incorporating approximately 2000 as minimum land supply targets which district councils homes, commercial land and supporting infrastructure. are required to meet. In the event that authorities do This Development Vision and Prospectus is an not meet the targets they become open to ‘predatory explanation of the proposal in support of the strategy. applications’ which seek to provide new housing in inappropriate areas, without making suitable contributions to the local communities where they are located. This has happened in the district and will happen This document is to be read in conjunction with the in Frome unless new development is planned more supporting drawings, planning statements, ecology strategically. report, transport study, strategic landscape & visual assessment (SLVA) and heritage reports. Frome is a sustainable town for development - primarily because of its railway station and comparatively good transport links to the A36. Frome has also been under provided for with new homes over the last 10 years compared to Wells, Glastonbury and Shepton Mallet despite it being the largest town in the district. It is therefore highly likely that it will be required to grow in the next 10-20 years. Unless this growth is planned at the start, it is likely to come from poorly planned incremental expansion (such as the currently proposed pt2 sites) which make little or no contribution to local infrastructure. This causes creates disconnected areas - such as new housing under construction at Wallbridge. The Selwood Garden Village proposals have been prepared by an independent consortium (including Frome residents) representing the landowners and is intended to insure that Frome gets well planned development that provides high quality housing and infrastructure, whilst minimising the impact of development and providing a positive contribution to a prosperous and thriving town. 4 NVB Architects 2.0 PROPOSED SITE 2.1 Options for Frome Expansion Frome is the best-connected town in Mendip and a sustainable location for new development. It is the largest town in the Mendip area and the only town with rail connections. Frome has proved to be a very popular place to live with several national surveys referring to its recent renaissance. It has recently experienced earnings remain relatively low in comparison. become a valuable recreational resource. The wider the west a steep escarpment creates a strong landscape north the landscape setting of the historic Orchardleigh Park, challenging topography and the potential for visual coalescence with Beckington, to the east lies the barrier the south lie the relatively gentle hillsides where land is Extract from submission drawings railway embankments and cuttings provide. The landscape constraints around the west, north and east leave the gentle gradient hillside to the south as the most sustainable location for further growth. Whilst the site is on the southern edge of the town it is only 30 minutes’ walk from the town centre and only 10 minutes by bicycle. Existing bus services already run to the edge of the area and these can be combined into a loop improving bus services across the south of Frome. Much of the town lies to the south of the river and it is largely 20th century developments that have extended the town north. The modern town is now split equally north and south of the river and there is little undeveloped and unconstrained land within the current built up area. Extract from drawings showing gradients in Frome (darker colours = steeper slopes) Extract from drawings showing site constraints including Railway, Bypass, Blatchbridge, Existing Lanes and steep gradients. Selwood Garden Village 5 2.2 Location and boundaries The proposed site is on the southern side of Frome. It is approximately 161Ha in area (excluding the area around Blatchbridge) and is bounded by the river, railway and bypass to the south and east, by the bypass to the west and by the industrial estate to the north. The site straddles the boundary of Frome Town and Selwood Parish Councils. The railway line cuts across the valley on a prominent embankment closing the valley views to the east. The embankment is approximately 5m above river level and has become quite wooded in part. The bypass is also raised on an embankment and closes the valley to the west. The bypass landscape margin is Proposed site boundary also wooded especially on the eastern side as it climbs the hill. A small section of the northern boundary adjoins Feltham Drive , The Mount and Little Keyford Lane. These are the nearest residential communities to the site and are supported by a primary school and a small supermarket. Between Culverhill in the east and the Marston Gate retail area in the west the boundary is predominantly larger industrial and commercial units. These are visually prominent along the ridgeline. Administrative Boundaries General site topography 6 NVB Architects 2.3 Existing uses Inside the site Most of the land contained within the railway, bypass and arable. There are a few isolated residential properties located along the lanes and a cluster of properties around Blatchbridge. Within the site are several old farm complexes but the only operational farm is Side Hill Farm located to the south of Little Keyford Lane. Little Keyford Lane itself starts as part of the Culverhill area and has a variety of residential properties on both sides to the east of the site. Keyford Manor lies to the north of the lane and is a listed building with mature trees in its grounds. south to Maiden Bradley, Mere and Shaftesbury. It is still National Landscape Character Areas a country road with grass verges and hedges. It crosses an old bridge over the river at Blatchbridge and has been improved as it approaches the bypass 2.4 Existing uses Outside the site The Marston Gate Retail area comprises a large supermarket (Sainsburys), a DIY store (Homebase Extract from Ordinance Survey Drawings currently being re-branded), Halfords and a few other retail units, and McDonalds and KFC fast food outlets. The police also have their mobile units based there. The area east of the retail centre is an extensive industrial and commercial estate containing a wide variety of manufacturing (Singers and Dairy Crest), warehousing (J Harding and Sons), builders merchants (Tipadel and Jewsons), and service companies (ATS and Platinum Cars). There are also a large number of smaller units and the Somerset County Council recycling centre operated by Viridor. Outside the line of the railway and bypass to the south is an extension of the agricultural landscape, largely dairy and pasture. There is a cluster of buildings at Feltham but the nearest villages at Corsley, Woodlands, Tytherington and Trudoxhill are some distance away. Extract from Access Plan 1731 1071A Selwood Garden Village 7 3.0 CONSULTATION 3.1 Meeting with the Community 3.2 Key Messages from Stakeholders Discussions with the Town Council had previously The following key messages are noted from the public highlighted a dissatisfaction with the way that piecemeal engagement. development has been coming forward in the town with little or no supporting infrastructure that has wider There is an urgent need for new housing in Frome, Architects involvement with the charitable body ‘Fair younger people staying in the town. employment sites as the town has grown, increasing out-commuting. Frome need a range of employment discussions with various stakeholders. Meetings were then held over November 2017 – January 2018 with There is consensus at all levels that new housing a range of stakeholders including the Town, District should be high quality, and should not provide bland and Community Councillors for the town. Most of the standard developer house types but should aspire to the best possible design as evidenced around the councillors representing Frome residents attended country. meetings and the feedback received was overwhelmingly positive with the overriding message being well planned New development should be planned such that it development, even at a large scale, was encouraged makes a reasonable contribution to the infrastructure in preference to piecemeal.