Ref: PDW04591 HMCA\Topic: Outer South West

Subject: Rejected site

Site: 1266 - Road (land at), Drighlington

Agree with proposed use? No

Soundness

Consider the plan sound? No

Test of soundness addressed: Positively prepared Effective Justified Consistent with NPPF

Comments on soundness: See Enclosed Statement

Changes required to make sound: Allocated site Shlaa ref: 1266 (as set out in the enclosed representation)

Issues

Legal compliance

Consider the plan legally compliant? Don't know

Legal compliance issues addressed:

Local Development. Scheme Statement of community involvement Duty to co-operate Consultation of statutory bodies

Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act Sustainability appraisal Town and Country Planning Regs

Comments on legal compliance: n/a

Future updates

Take part in public examination? Be informed of submission to examination? Be informed of adoption of the plan? Submitter details Agent details Ref PDP04234 Ref Title Mrs Title Forename Hannah Forename Surname Andrew Surname Address 1 Arndale Court Address 1 Address 2 Headingley Address 2 Address 3 Address 3 Town Town PostCode LS6 2UJ PostCode Leeds Site Allocations Plan Publication Draft

Land at Wakefield Road, Drighlington SHLAA REF: 1266

WYG act on behalf of Clugston Ltd in relation to Land at Wakefield Road, Drighlington). The site has been promoted through the SHLAA process and previous rounds of consultation on the Sites and Allocations DPD. To date this has not resulted in a recommendation to release the site from the Green Belt for development and we remain disappointed that it has been excluded from the Sites and Allocation Plan, Publication Draft.

The site is in a sustainable location with all essential facilities within 1,000m and a bus stop located at the sites frontage on Wakefield Road with regular bus services to Leeds and . The site was previously used as a quarry and landfill site and displays evidence of former workings including gas monitoring points dotted within the area. Previous assessments undertaken by our client have confirmed that its remediation and development would be viable (as confirmed in earlier representations).

Site Allocations Consultation 2015 (Housing Proposals for Outer South West)

The total housing target for the north is 7,200 units (11% of District wide total). The Council contends that identified housing sites / commitments equate to 2,265 units leaving a balance of 4,935 units to be identified through new allocations. Of the 7,200 identified housing sites 5,302 have yet to be started.

Phase 1 allocations total 1,320 units, Phase 2 allocations total 1,404 units and Phase 3 allocations total 1,788, which provides a total housing allocation for the South of 4,512 units which the Council acknowledge as being 423 units under the target (paragraph 3.10.8).

Soundness

We consider that the Site Allocations Plan is unsound on the grounds that it is not:

 Positively Prepared;  Justified; and  Effective.

Our clients site (Shlaa ref: 1266) has not been taken forward for an allocation on the basis that “development would lead to the merging of Drighlington and , contrary to one of the purposes of Green Belts to prevent coalescence of settlements”. No evidence of any detailed assessment of the sites landscape character and role as green belt is provided to support this statement and our client has continuously objected to the view that the site forms this function. In order to seek to address this WYG have been instructed to undertake a formal landscape assessment of the sites role within the wider landscape and as green belt. The site was visited on the 17th June 2015 by a Chartered Landscape Architect experienced in landscape and visual impact assessment and the following observations made:

Landscape Baseline

Photograph 1: Entrance into the site viewing south

The site is located south of the B6135 with access available into the site from the north east corner. The northern boundary of the site is boarded by mature and semi mature vegetation along the road frontage situated behind a low dry stone wall in places or a timber post and rail fence. Breaks in the vegetation allow views through into the site, which is currently used for horsiculture and a number of horses were witnessed grazing the site during the visit. A billboard is situated towards the centre of the northern boundary of the site which visually dominates its immediate surroundings. The southern boundary of the site is bounded by the A650; the eastern boundary by the curtilage of the Premier Inn Hotel and Brewers Fayre Pub (the signs of which are clearly visible from the B6135); and the western boundary by the garden of an existing residential property and industrial/warehouse units.

The site lies within the LCM1 Landscape Character Unit - Glidersome Fringe – as defined within the Leeds Landscape Assessment (LUC, 1994). The key characteristics of this unit include open ridges; pockets of arable farmland; small fields of pasture; drystone walls and gappy overgrown hedgerows; wooded becks; pockets of industrial development; golf courses, caravan sites and cemeteries; and motorways and major roads.

The site displays a number of these properties, including the drystone wall along the boundary and the influence of the motorway and industrial areas but is less typical of the characteristics of managed farmland referred to in the above. The site, labelled as disused workings on the OS map, is primarily used for horse grazing rather than agriculture. The site was previously used as a quarry and landfill site1 and displays evidence of former workings with gas monitoring points dotted within the area. The site currently lies within green belt land but is disassociated from the adjacent green

1 As detailed on http://maps.environment- agency.gov.uk/wiyby/wiybyController?value=Drighlington%2C+Leeds&lang=_e&ep=map&topic=wast e&layerGroups=default&scale=9&textonly=off&submit.x=12&submit.y=13#x=423087&y=428291&lg =1,2,10,&scale=11 belt land to the north of the B6135. The green belt land to the north comprises undulating farmland with long views towards Leeds. The busy traffic on the B6135 aids to this disassociation between the two areas of land.

Photograph 2: Views to the north of the B6135

Visual Baseline

Photograph 3: View east along the B6135

The B6135 along the northern boundary is the main approach road to the site. On approaching the site along the B6135 from Drighlington views open out from the road to the north, over the open countryside stretching to the built up area of Leeds in the distance beyond. Built development continues on the southern side of the road, with the line of vegetation along the site boundary restricting views into the site. The vegetation forms a visual barrier to the site (in summer months) and the eye is led towards the advertisement billboard on the site followed by the substation building and the signs of the Premier Inn and Brewers Fayre beyond. Built development is evident on the northern side of the road with a row of terraced houses and more recent stand alone residential building.

Where gaps in the vegetation allow, views are available across the site to the roofs of the industrial/retail estate south of the M62. Vertical structures are prominent within the view including pylons, industrial flues and lighting columns. Vehicles travelling along the M62 are evident in the foreground of the units. Long distant views are available beyond the industrial features over Kirklees to the south.

Properties situated to the north of the B6135 opposite the site, are likely to afford long views in a southerly and northerly direction, with the views to the south dominated by the industrial units in the foreground and the views to the north over rolling open countryside with built development in the distance.

Photograph 4: View across the site south

Views across the site are available from the A650 running along the southern boundary, particularly on the approach from the west. These views reach up to the B6135, which forms the horizon of the view, with the houses and the vegetation along the B6135 clearly visible. The brickworks chimney is a prominent feature within the view from this location. Views to the south from the A650 are over to the industrial/retail estate south of the M62.

Views into the site from the east and west are restricted by built development and vegetation.

Properties along the western edge of Gildersome view in the direction of the site. These properties have views of the houses on the B6135 but due to the topography views are not available beyond this ridgeline. The vegetation on the northern boundary of the site is clearly visible on the horizon.

5: View form Reedsdale Gardens, Gildersome

The Green Belt designation

The site is currently designated as green belt and when viewing in a map form on the Local Development Framework Policies Map appears to link to the green belt designated land to the north of the B6135 and separate the built developments of Gildersome and Drighlington. However, when visiting the site and surrounding area, it is clear that the site does not carry out this function for the following reasons:

 Existing built development along the B6135: existing built development along the B6135 already visually creates coalescence between the spur from the settlements of Gildersome and Drighlington. The residential properties along the northern side of the B6135, the Premier Inn, substation and associated signage on the south of the B6135, and the advertising billboard on site all act at creating a visual link between the settlements. The only visual break in the settlements is created by the green belt area to the north of the B6135;  Topography: the site slopes away from the B6135 towards the A650. It is not visually prominent from the B6135 and not visually connected to either settlement from the A650. The topography of the site is a gentle slope from the B6135 down to the A650. It is different in character to the green belt land to the north of the B6135 which is undulating farmland;  Land use: the site has been worked historically as a quarry and landfill site, which is reflected in its landscape character, and is currently used for horses grazing. It does not appear to be of the same landscape quality as the farmland to the north of the B6135; and  Barriers: the B6135 creates a physical and visual barrier between the green belt land to the north. The vegetation along the northern boundary of the site emphasises this barrier and segregates the site from the surrounding area.

We consider the justification for inclusion for allocation can be summarised as follows:

 The Site is in a sustainable location adjacent to the Main Urban Area;  The Site has good accessibility to services and facilities in Gildersome and Drighlington;  The Site has good public transport accessibility to a range of locations which provide accessibility to a wider range of services and employment opportunities;  The site does not perform a Green Belt function and development of the site would have no impact on the purposes of the Green Belt;  The sites previous use for landfill means its redevelopment is much less sensitive than other sites proposed for release which have an increased agricultural value;  It is important to ensure that the plan allocates sufficient sites which are suitable, available and deliverable / viable as flexibility and choice across the District is essential to ensure housing delivery in the early plan years and maintain a rolling 5 year supply of housing;  The need for new housing is District wide. Allocating insufficient sites would have the effect to compound more local need, heighten the issue of affordability and prejudice access of the local population to local housing;  The site is available to deliver now and there are no known land use or other constraints that would prevent this from being fully developed. The Site is of a scale where the level of infrastructure delivery required would make it attractive for a developer to bring it forward early in an area considered to be an attractive market area.

To make the Plan sound we consider that it is necessary that the site, (Shlaa ref: 1266) should be included within the Phase 1 allocations. The site is available now, deliverable and achievable.