Design & Access Statement

On behalf of: Punch Taverns

In respect of: The erection of 9 no. of dwellings with access, parking and associated works on land to the rear of The Festival Inn, Ilkeston Road, Trowell, Nottinghamshire NG9 3PX

Date: March 2009

Reference: CC/07/0460/5

[email protected] Festival Inn Trowell – Design & Access Statement

1. Introduction

1.1. This document has been prepared on behalf of Punch Taverns in relation to their full planning application for the erection of 9 no. of dwellings on land to the rear of The Festival Inn, Ilkeston Road, Trowell, Nottinghamshire.

1.2. This statement includes a description of the development site and planning history, an evaluation of the context of the site, an appraisal of all relevant planning policies, followed by a Design and Access Statement to justify the design rationale behind the proposed development. The statement is concluded with a summary of the main planning considerations relevant to this case.

1.3. This statement should be read in conjunction with the proposal drawings:

 5034/00 – Site location plan  5034/05 – Plots 1 -7 proposed plans  5034/06 revision A – Plots 1 -7 proposed elevations  5034/07 – Plots 8 & 9 proposed plans and elevations  5034/08 revision B – Proposed site layout  5034/09 revision B – Block plan  STP/17070281/201 – Topo survey  J/D0035/TT/SK01 – Swept path analysis

2. The Development Site

2.1. The Festival Inn is a substantial 2 storey public house fronting on Ilkeston Road (A609) at its junction with Nottingham Road and Stapleford Road (A6007) in the village of Trowell in Broxtowe Borough in western Nottinghamshire close to the River Erewash forming the Derbyshire boarder. The pub is named in recognition of Trowell being selected as the “Festival Village” for the 1951 Festival of Britain as a “typical example of British rural life”.

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2.2. The pub sits within a 0.85 hectare site and is surrounded by extensive hardstanding with car parking for around 212 cars including 3 disabled spaces, however 91 of those spaces are disused and closed off in the northern section of the car park. The car park is accessed by a single point onto St Helen’s Crescent, there is a second disused access further along the St Helen’s Crescent frontage where a conifer hedge forms the boundary.

Left – The Festival Inn Trowell Ilkeston Road frontage main entrance Right – Disused car park

2.3. The pub site is set on gently sloping ground rising to the north east away from the River Erewash which lies to the west of the village.

Left – St Helen’s Crescent frontage Right – Disused car park looking towards north west boundary

2.4. The development site comprises the disused car park and the northern section of the existing car park, measuring around 0.3 hectares. The site is surrounded by existing development with Nos. 29 to 32 St Helen’s Crescent backing onto the disused car park on the north west side separated by a 1.8m high wooden close boarded fence and low brick wall around the back of

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No.32. To the north east beyond a 1.6m high wire mesh fence is an area of open land associated with St Helen’s Church Hall which is to the east of the site. The south eastern boundary is formed by a 1.8m high wooden close boarded fence with Nos. 7, 9 (Walkers of Trowell), 15 and 19 Nottingham Road beyond.

2.5. There is no relevant recent planning history at the development site.

3. Site Context

3.1. Trowell is a large village with a predominately suburban character and a mixture of building styles. The development site is located behind the historic village core spread along Nottingham Road on the south eastern side. These cottages are set within an informal layout to the road with a variation of building set back and orientation resulting in an organic development form, with small scale simple cottage proportions constructed of traditional materials not exceeding 2 storeys high, including two 20th century infill bungalows.

Above – Cottages on northern side of Nottingham Road

3.2. Elsewhere on St Helen’s Crescent, the south east side of Nottingham Road, Ilkeston Road and Hill Rise are 20th century suburban developments of 2 storey high detached and semi-detached properties set within larger plots within in-curtilage parking and garaging. These properties date from the 1930s where bay windows dominate the frontages under hipped roofs

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Top – Semi-detached and detached properties on St Helen’s Crescent and Ilkeston Road Below – Detached properties on Hill Rise

3.3. The use of a red facing brick and white painted render to the elevations, under a plain tile or pantile roof is a consistent feature of all properties.

4. Planning Policy Context

4.1. The development plan for the area includes the East Midlands Regional Spatial Strategy published March 2009 and saved policies from the Broxtowe Borough Local Plan adopted September 2004. The principal Local Plan Policy is H7 providing criteria to assess new windfall housing developments.

H7 - Residential development on sites within existing built-up areas will be permitted provided that the following criteria are all satisfied: (a) Occupiers of the new dwelling(s) would have a satisfactory degree of privacy and amenity;

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(b) The development, by itself or by the precedent it would set, would not result in an undesirable change in the character or appearance of the area; (c) The development would not be piecemeal in character and likely to prejudice the potential for the satisfactory development of a larger area; (d) Satisfactory arrangements can be made for access and parking; (e) The development would not have an unacceptable effect on the privacy and amenity of the occupiers of nearby properties; (f) The site is not of significant value to nature conservation or local visual amenity; and (g) The site is not identified or required to be retained for another purpose within the local plan.

4.2. The advice contained within Planning Policy Statement 1 – Delivering Sustainable Development, Planning Policy Statement 3 - Housing, and Planning Policy Guidance Note 13 – Transport are also relevant to the proposal.

4.3. Relevant Supplementary Planning Guidance / Documents 4.3.1. County Parking Standards 4.3.2. Sustainable Developer Guidance for Nottinghamshire 4.3.3. Driveways and hard standing guidance note 4.3.4. Residential development on small infill sites guidance note

4.4. The Trowell Parish Design Statement was published by the Parish Council in 2006 and sets out the design principles for new development.

5. Design and Access Statement

5.1. The following sections seek to explain how the proposed development addresses the site context, planning policies and local characteristics in respect of its use, amount, layout, scale, landscaping, appearance and access.

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Use (Principle of development) 5.2. The development site comprises the curtilage of The Festival Inn and constitutes previously developed land in accordance with the PPS 3 definition.

5.3. Trowell village has been excluded from the Green Belt and as a sustainable built-up area both Local Plan and RSS polices strongly support further ‘windfall’ housing development through the reuse of suitable previously developed land and buildings in the built-up area, subject to detailed planning considerations of Local Plan Policies E1 and H7.

5.4. The car park is disused and overlarge (see Access), this vacant previously developed land is a resource which can be more effectively used for new housing, to contribute towards the Borough meeting is strategic housing requirement for 340 new dwellings per annum (East Midlands RSS 2009 – Policy 13a). PPS 1 and 3 strongly encourages the reuse of vacant and underused land in a sustainable location for new housing, thereby making use of existing services and infrastructure through developing on brownfield land.

5.5. The site lies within a predominately residential area and the proposed housing development will be compatible with neighbouring uses. The land has lain disused for several years and as it is poorly related to the pub and not overlooked from neighbouring properties has been a problem area with reports of anti-social behaviour and vandalism in the open car park where youths congregate.

Amount of Development 5.6. Local Plan Policy H6 requires new developments to make an efficient reuse of land in accordance with PPS 3. The net developable area extends to 0.3 hectare and based on the proposed development for 9 dwellings this equates to 30 dwellings to the hectare. Having reviewed several layout concepts for the site we believe the scheme for 9 units makes the most efficient use of land without compromising the quality of the environment due to: 5.6.1. The backland location of the site surrounded by residential properties so suitable separation distances need to be provided to protect neighbouring amenities,

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5.6.2. A large section of the 0.3 area is taken by the access road leading to the site from St Helen’s Crescent that effectively reduces the developable area, and 5.6.3. The units are all proposed to be 3 bedroom family housing which reflects the local suburban character, size of houses and gardens.

Layout, Scale, Appearance & Landscaping 5.7. The houses are arranged to front onto the access road leading into the site providing a focus and street scene in a traditional arrangement reflecting the suburban pattern of housing in the locality. Due to the backland location with residential properties to both the north west and south east sides the houses are positioned away from these boundaries and are internally arranged to protected neighbouring residential amenities to ensure no loss of privacy. Car parking for each of the houses will be well related to the host property and overlooked with visitor parking in the communal areas. Front gardens will be defined with low level planting and private gardens are positioned to the rear of each property of a suitable size for these 3 bedroom family houses.

5.8. The 9 houses are designed as a group. The scale and height of the houses are deliberately kept low with a low eaves and ridge extending from a front facing gabled roof that provides a variation of roof heights and building form around the access road. This small scale reflects the backland location at the join between the suburban 20th century development and the historic village core on the north west side of Nottingham Road.

5.9. The design reinforces the village setting with a variation between frontage materials using red brick and rendered sections with feature brick band courses and bricked arched detailing, chimneys and alternative porches providing a sympathetic use of materials and traditional design elements. The dormer windows reflect the traditional village core detailing.

Access and Parking Provision 5.10. Pre-application consultation was carried out between Barry Roberts of Opus Joynes Pike Highways Consultants and Paul Ghattaora of Nottinghamshire

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County Council. Initially a speed survey was undertaken to establish visibility requirements for the new access road junction on St Helen’s Crescent, resulting in the positioning of the access and off-site works consisting of the widened of St Helen’s Crescent by 0.5m. The proposed road conforms to NCC requirements for a 5.5m wide shared surface road incorporating a 2m wide footway on one side and a 1m wide service strip. The road has been designed to allow delivery vehicles to the new pub service yard and refuse vehicles to service the new dwellings as they are positioned over 60m from the existing public highway, as shown by the AutoTRACK swept path analysis plan J/D0035/TT/SK01.

5.11. 14 car parking spaces are provided for the residential development, an average of 1.5 spaces per unit, in accordance with local maximum parking standards.

Public house parking provision 5.12. There are currently 212 car parking spaces serving The Festival Inn. 121 spaces are open to use by customers, including 3 disabled spaces on the Ilkeston Road frontage and separate 5 staff parking spaces to the right side of the main entrance. The overflow car park contains 91 spaces and has been closed off for several years, now lies derelict and overgrown.

5.13. The proposal requires an adoptable standard road to be built as well as a new service yard to enhance the trade operation for the pub. These both take up a significant section of the existing underused section of the open car park. These changes will result in the reduction in customer car parking to 74 spaces including 3 disabled, with a further 9 staff parking spaces to the rear in the new service yard in a more appropriately sized car park.

5.14. Punch Taverns consider that the existing amount of car parking spaces is well in excess of what they require to meet current and future business needs. The existing layout dates from a time whereby it was attractive to the trade operation and customers to have significant open areas for car parking, however this no longer accords with the modern business and customer approach where the overflow car park was permanently closed off as it was

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not used. The overflow car parking area is poorly related to the main building and is not overlooked by the pub. It is barrier secured, however as it lies derelict it has inevitably attracted anti-social behaviour with a considerable amount of broken glass and other debris on the surface. The operator and neighbouring residents have reported youths congregating and anti-social behaviour on the site including vandalism of the boundary walls to neighbouring properties.

5.15. The 212 spaces also do not accord with current local and national planning policies seeking to apply maximum parking standards and to reduce reliance on the private car in accessible areas. We consider that a reduced provision is justified in planning and highway terms.

5.16. A key objective of planning policies is to reduce the need to travel in both Planning Policy Statement 1 – Delivering Sustainable Development (PPS 1) and Planning Policy Guidance Note 13 - Transport (PPG 13). Paragraph 27 (vii) of PPS 1 states that an important approach to deliver sustainable development is to:

“Reduce the need to travel and encourage accessible public transport provision to secure more sustainable patterns of transport development. Planning should actively manage patterns of urban growth to make the fullest use of public transport and focus development in existing centres and near to major public transport interchanges.”

5.17. PPG 13 states that the availability of car parking has a major influence on the means of transport people chose for their journeys. Paragraph 49 states that:

“Car parking also takes up a large amount of space in development, is costly to business and reduces densities. Reducing the amount of parking in new development (and in the expansion and change of use in existing development) is essential, as part of a package of planning and transport measures, to promote sustainable travel choices.” Key to the approach to

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reduce the amount of parking and dependence on the private car is to “not require developers to provide more spaces than they themselves wish”.

5.18. In terms of local parking standards the Nottinghamshire parking guidelines are set out in Appendix 4 of the Broxtowe Local Plan (Policy T11). ‘Elsewhere’ in Nottinghamshire i.e. in village and settlement envelopes such as Trowell, the parking standard for public houses is a maximum of 1 space per 8m² gross floor area. This guidance reflects the PPG 13 principle that the presumption will be in favour of developers not being required to provide more spaces than they wish, unless in exceptional circumstances, with the guidance expressed as a maximum and not a target to be reached.

5.19. In this case, The Festival Inn has a Gross Floor Area of 1,526m² including a drinking area of 308m² and space for 140 dining and drinking area covers. The pub also has an external drinking area of 218m². Based on the GFA of 1,526m² there should not be more than 191 spaces on the site.

5.20. There are 121 spaces open to use by the public at The Festival Inn to be reduced to 74 spaces to accommodate the proposed development meeting business and customer needs.

5.21. It is clear that the Council should seek to encourage a reduction in existing car parking provision to reflect current Government advice to reduce car ownership and dependence, taking into account accessibility and most importantly the operator’s wishes and actual usage as it is them who know their site the best.

5.22. In this case, The Festival Inn is located in a large village well related to both the Nottingham Urban Area and Ilkeston Urban Area and is primarily a ‘local’ pub, serving Trowell as the only pub in the village and within 800m, a ‘walk to pub’ meeting local residents day to day needs, where there are safe and convenient routes for people to walk from the residential areas. Nottingham Road and Ilkeston Road (the A609) is a main bus route with a stop directly outside the pub site on Ilkeston Road providing high frequency services as shown in Table A, thereby a good alternative to the private car.

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TABLE A Service Time Frequency Mon to Fri Saturday Sunday Trent Barton Rainbow 2 – Daytime Every 12 mins Every 12 30 mins Cotmanhay Farm > Ilkeston mins > Trowell > Nottingham Evening Every 15 mins Every 15 30 mins mins Trent Barton Service 15 – Daytime Every 10 mins Every 10 Hourly Ilkeston > Trowell > then every 20 mins then Stapleford > Long Eaton > mins every 20 Old Sawley mins Evening Hourly Hourly Hourly Trent Barton Service 20 – Daytime No service No service Hourly Heanor > Ilkeston > Trowell > Stapleford > Beeston > Evening No Service No Service Hourly Nottingham Trent Barton Service 21 – Daytime Hourly Hourly Hourly Ilkeston > Trowell > New Stapleford > Nottingham Evening Hourly Hourly Hourly

5.23. Given levels of current public house car park usage, the relatively good accessibility of the site to walking, cycling and its proximity to good quality high frequency bus routes there are considered to be clear reasons to justify a reduction in car parking provision to 74 spaces with 9 separate spaces for staff. These spaces are considered by the operator as sufficient to meet current and future business and customer needs and would be adequate provision on occasions such as pub events or live entertainment. This provision would be in accordance with PPG 13, RSS Policy 48 and Local Plan Policy T11 as car parking will meet demand and will not exceed the maximum standards.

6. Summary of Planning Considerations

6.1. As a vacant and underused brownfield site within the Trowell built-up area, local and national planning policies strongly support the principle of its redevelopment for housing, thereby making an effective and efficient reuse of land in an accessible and sustainable location, making use of existing services and infrastructure.

6.2. The reduction in car parking for the public house will meet current and future business and customer needs and accords with Government advice to reduce

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reliance on the private car and does not exceed maximum car parking standards.

6.3. The layout, scale, appearance and landscaping of the houses has been carefully designed so that it responds to the local context and has been configured to protect neighbouring amenities and provide sufficient garden sizes and car parking for future residents.

6.4. For the above reasons the proposal complies with relevant Broxtowe Local Plan Policies E1, E2, H6, H7 and T11, RSS Policies 1, 2, 3, 12, 13a, 43, 48, and SRS3, PPS1, PPS3 and PPG13, we recommend that planning permission should be granted.

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