Hart District Council Local Plan Site Assessment: Stage 2 – High Level Site Assessment – SHL106 – (Police Training Centre) Confidential Draft - 1.1 – May 2015

High Level Site Assessment Proforma

Site Reference SHL106 Site Name Bramshill (Police Training Centre) Parish Bramshill Site Address Bramshill (Police Training Centre)

Capacity Assessment and Categorisation Site Size (ha) 106ha (Reduced to 17ha) Estimated Capacity 300 Comments on capacity Approximately 50% of the site is within the Thames Basin Heaths SPA 400m Exclusion Zone and a further 10% is located with Flood Zone 3. Due to the location of the flood risk area across the potential access and the majority of the site being effected by groundwater flooding at the surface or woodland it is probable that the development will be restricted to the area that has been previously developed. The reduced area was used to calculate the capacity using a dph figure of 18 (in accordance with gross-to-net ratio of 60%). Although if the assumption of restricting proposals to the previously developed land is not correct then approximately 760 units could potentially be achieved on site.

Housing Strategy Category(s) 6 - Other Land Supply Category Category D – Potential rural exception

Key to Site Assessments: No overriding constraint to development of the site

Constraint requiring further detailed assessment

Major constraint undermining suitability of site

Site Assessment Assessment Criteria Assessment comments Coloured assessment Accessibility to o Bus Stop: (adj police college turn – Bus route No. 72) – 1km Employment and o Railway Station (Winchfield) - 6.47km services o Employment Centre ( Centre) – 4.22km o Public Open Space: (N of Mitchell Avenue Park) – 6.15km o Health facility: (Hartley Wintney Surgery) 4.05km o Infant School: (Oakwood Infant School) 4.69km o Junior School: (Greenfields Junior School) – 4.69km o Secondary School: (Calthorpe Park School) – 9.20km o Supermarket: (Tesco - Fleet) – 7.43km

The site is large and so the distance from the middle to the access point on the B3011 is long. This has slightly skewed the accessibility figures, particularly for the bus stop, which is almost adjacent to the entrance to the site.

Adams Hendry Consulting Ltd 1 Council Local Plan Site Assessment: Stage 2 – High Level Site Assessment – SHL106 – Bramshill (Police Training Centre) Confidential Draft - 1.1 – May 2015

Infrastructure • Schools: There is a pressure for school places at primary level in the Hook/Odiham area where most schools provision are full or close to full although there are several expansions takeing place in 4 schools of between 1 and 0.5 FE; similarly in the Yateley/Frogmore area all schools are running close to their capacity but with no planned expansions. Any development at this site would further increase the pressure on schools in both areas.

• Health: There is believed to be some available capacity at local doctor surgeries and dentists in the area. There are no planned expansions of health facilities in the Hook area, but it is likely that any significant level of development in the centre of the district will require additional provision.

• Retail: Hook is the most likely centre to service this site for convenience shopping with a large Tesco just outside the town, however like most of the larger supermarkets in Hart it is overtrading therefore any new development in the area will place demand on the region for more convenience floorspace. Consumers are more likely to travel further to Basingstoke for comparative shopping due to a wider variety of shops and entertainment venues.

• Transport (road): Due to the remote location of this site, there are few road schemes in the immediate vicinity of the site due for improvement; Traffic calming and a new 40MPH speed limit will be introduced to Bramshill. Additionally there will be traffic calming introduced along the A30 in Hartley Wintney. Junction improvements to the B3349 in Hook to improve visibility

• Transport (other): Improvements to be made to the main equestrian access to Bramshill Plantation. There are a number of improvements to cycle and pedestrian links within Hartley Wintney especially along the A30 with more, safer crossings at junctions and a cycle link to Hook running parallel with the road. The entrance to the site is served by the No. 72 bus service (Reading/Farnborough), which provides a regular service six days a week.

• Green Infrastructure: Large sections of this site are within the 400 meter SPA exclusion zone, and the remaining parts of the site are not in either of the Hawley Meadows and Blackwater Park or Hitches Lane SANG catchment areas; Therefore it is unlikely that either SANG would be able to support a site of this size outside of the catchment area, nor will the site itself be able to provide the facilities for its own SANG.

Current Use and The site was, until recently, in use as the national police training centre. Existing development is concentrated in Relevant Planning the centre of the site with the surrounding area consisting of open grassland and woods. There is no relevant History planning history for this site.

Adams Hendry Consulting Ltd 2 Hart District Council Local Plan Site Assessment: Stage 2 – High Level Site Assessment – SHL106 – Bramshill (Police Training Centre) Confidential Draft - 1.1 – May 2015

Nature Conservation The site is not within the Thames Basin Heaths (TBH) SPA but adjoins its boundary at points on the northeast and southwest sides of the site. Nearly 50% of the site is within the 400m Exclusion Zone of the SPA. There are two SINCs adjacent to the site (Peatmoor Copse and Crabtree Copse Complex) and Bramshill and Heath SSSIs, which are consistent with the SPA boundary, also adjoin the site. There are no TPOs, National or Local Nature Reserves within or near the site.

Minerals Resources The Minerals and Waste Plan Policies Map indicates that parts of the site to the east and south may be subject to minerals safeguarding for sharp sand and gravel (Policy 15 of the Hampshire minerals and waste plan). The extent to which this represents a constraint to development would need to be assessed.

Landscape HCC Integrated LCA (2012) Landscape type: Woodland and plantation on heath Landscape character: Northeast Hampshire Plantations and Heath

Hart District LCA 1997: Landscape type: dense woodland and historic parkland Landscape Character Area: Bramshill

Main features of the Bramshill LCA: Extensive areas of dense woodland on former heathland creating a highly distinctive and enclosed forest landscape. The area can also be characterized by the commercial forestry plantations, mineral extraction, and landfill operations as well as ʻdesignedʼ landscape feature associated with the historic parkland at including cleared areas, glades, rides and forest edges. The LCA is quiet and secluded in the less accessible parts of the forest, with some localised noise associated with Blackbushe Airport, the A30 and A327. There are no settlements in the LCA and a sparse pattern of farms around the edges of the forest.

Summary Assessment: The site is set within the Bramshill Historic Park, which consists of areas of woodland and open grassland. Long distance views are limited due to the wooded nature of the area, which is consistent with the wider landscape character. It does not seem possible to obtain views of the site from publically accessible locations. Assuming that development is restricted to the areas currently developed, it is not anticipated that further harm to the landscape character would be necessarily caused. This would not be the case if additional development on currently greenfield land were to be proposed.

Agricultural Land This site is on a mixture of Grade 4 agricultural land and non-agricultural land.

Adams Hendry Consulting Ltd 3 Hart District Council Local Plan Site Assessment: Stage 2 – High Level Site Assessment – SHL106 – Bramshill (Police Training Centre) Confidential Draft - 1.1 – May 2015

Heritage Assets The Site is located within the Bramshill House Historic Park and Garden. There are several Grade I buildings and structures within the site, including the main house and the bridge marking the access point to the estate. There is also potential for the site to have archaeological value as significant archaeological features have been found within it. Careful consideration would need to be given to the value of the existing heritage assets and the means to protect these were any development to be taken forward. Bramshill Conservation Area is located 300m to the north. There are no Scheduled Ancient Monuments in close proximity to the site.

Water resources and There are no Groundwater Source Protection Zones or licensed water abstraction points in close proximity to the quality site.

Air Quality There are no believed to be any Air Quality Management Aras in close proximity to the site. On the basis of the evidence seen, none of the surrounding land uses would be likely to cause any air quality issues for the site.

Flood risk The River Hart runs through the southwest corner of the site and consequently approximately 10% of it is located within flood risk zone 2 and 3. There are areas, again approximately 10%, which are at risk from surface water flooding associated with the River Hart and also the existing ponds and lakes within the site. 15% of the site is at risk from flooding from reservoirs. In addition, a large band across the centre of the site, including many of the previously developed areas, is at significant risk of groundwater flooding at the surface.

Given the extent of flood risks from multiple sources, any development at the site will need to be informed by a site- specific FRA. In particular, this will need to demonstrate that mitigation could be applied to enable safe access to and from the site at times of flood.

Location and scale of The site is not located within a local or strategic gap but it is not adjacent to a settlement boundary and would need development to be progressed as a rural exception or exceptional allocation. There is existing built development in the centre of the site with the remaining area consisting open grassland and woodland. With the exception of the police training centre, development in the vicinity tends to be large detached properties and so high density built form may be incongruous in this location.

Un-neighbourly Uses No un-neighbourly uses are evident.

Availability The site is believed to be available and this is supported by the fact that the site was submitted to HDC for Assessment inclusion in the SHLAA post November 2013. The landowner has indicated that the site would be available in the short term (0-5 years).

Adams Hendry Consulting Ltd 4 Hart District Council Local Plan Site Assessment: Stage 2 – High Level Site Assessment – SHL106 – Bramshill (Police Training Centre) Confidential Draft - 1.1 – May 2015

Site Access The site is currently accessed from the B3011, although the boundary of the site does not extend all the way to the public highway and therefore, the site has no direct access to the public highway without crossing what is potentially third-party land. It is notable that the land between the B3011 and the site boundary is all within the Thames Basin Heaths SPA.

The existing access road within the site crosses through the Flood Zone 2 and 3 associated with the River Hart, which at present is traversed by a narrow Grade I Listed bridge. Arrangements to ensure safe access by the emergency services to residential development within the site will need to be confirmed.

Summary of Infrastructure deficiencies have been identified and accessibility to services is poor to all assessed services and facilities. The site Constraints is in an isolated location and its development would need to be progressed as a rural exception site or exceptional allocation. The site is susceptible to a number of different flood risks and approximately 20% of the site is subject to minerals safeguarding for sharp sand and gravel. The site contains a number of nature conservation constraints and is situated within a Bramshill House Historic Park and Garden. Any development will need to be sensitive to the heritage value and nature conservation interests of the area. The site has no direct access to the public highway without crossing potentially third-party land and the existing access crosses an area within flood risk zone 3, which may affect the ability of the emergency services to access the site during a flood.

Summary of Assuming the various constraints can be overcome, there may be potential for the site to be used for small-scale residential Opportunities development if it were to be focused on the previously developed land, outside the areas identified for their nature conservation or heritage value or for flood risk.

Focus of further The acceptability of progressing this site as a rural exception needs to be established if the site is to be progressed. Infrastructure assessment, should capacity issues will need to be addressed. Research is required to confirm the feasibility and safety of the existing access and if the site be shortlisted alternatives are possible. The ability for the proposal to be sensitive to the surrounding nature conservation and historical by the Council environment will also need to be investigated. The implications of the minerals safeguarding and the mitigation needed to address the flooding issues will also need to be fully understood.

Site Assessment Name: JR (Revised by PH 11/05/2015) Completed by Date: 26/03/15

HDC Conclusion and Shortlist the site: Do not shortlist the site: recommendation HDC Comments:

Adams Hendry Consulting Ltd 5 ± SHLAA Site 106 - Constraints

Key SHLAA Site 106 Listed Buildings ! TPO - Individual SSSI SINC National Nature Reserve Local Nature Reserve Parish Boundaries Historic Parks and Gardens Conservation Areas Thames Basin Heaths SPA (5km zone of influence) Thames Basin Heaths SPA (400m exclusion zone) Thames Basin Heaths SPA Settlement Boundaries TPO - Groups Scheduled Ancient Monuments Strategic Gaps

1:25,000 0 125250 500 750 1,000

Meters Contains Ordnance Survey Data Crown copyright and database right 2015 ± SHLAA Site 106 - Flood Risk

Key SHLAA Site 106 Flood Zone 3 Flood Zone 2 Reservoir Flood Outlines Surface Water Flooding (1 in 30 year AEP) Surface Water Flooding (1 in 100 year AEP) Groundwater Flooding (Limited) Groundwater Flooding (Potential flooding to basements) Groundwater Flooding (Potential flooding at surface)

1:25,000 0 125250 500 750 1,000

Meters Contains Ordnance Survey Data Crown copyright and database right 2015