A28 Link Road
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SECTION D DEVELOPMENT TO BE CARRIED OUT BY THE COUNTY COUNCIL Background Documents: the deposited documents; views and representations received as referred to in the reports and included in the development proposals dossier for each case; and other documents as might be additionally indicated. Item D1 Construction of part of a new road (A28 Link Road) including viaduct between A28 Sturry Road and A291 Sturry Hill and associated on-line improvements at A28 Sturry Link Road, Sturry, Canterbury, Kent CT20 – 19/00904 (KCC/CA/0091/2019) A report by Head of Planning Applications Group to Planning Applications Committee on 9th March 2021. Application by Kent County Council for Construction of part of a new road (A28 Link Road) including viaduct between A28 Sturry Road and A291 Sturry Hill and associated on-line improvements at A28 Sturry Link Road, Sturry, Canterbury, Kent CT20 – CA/19/00904 (KCC/CA/0091/2019) Recommendation: Subject to the issuing of planning consents for applications CA/20/02826 and CA/18/008681 planning permission be granted subject to the imposition of conditions. Local Members: Robert Thomas, Alan Marsh & Classification: Unrestricted Graham Gibbens Site 1. The land through which the scheme passes is essentially open countryside which lies approximately 3km to the north-east of Canterbury. It is bounded to the south by the A28, to the west by industrial premises and retail units on the Canterbury Retail Park, to the north by agricultural land and woodland, and to the east by the A291 Sturry Hill. Cutting across the middle of the site, slightly elevated on an embankment, is the Canterbury to Ramsgate railway line, which runs in an east-west direction. To the north of the railway line is the southern slope of the Stour Valley that gently rises to the north, whilst to the south of the railway is the low-lying land forming the floodplain of the Great Stour through which two branches of the river flows. 2. Land use north of the railway line is currently a mixture of arable farming and rough grassland, with large blocks of mixed plantation woodland. To the south of the railway the land is characterised by pasture fields, playing fields associated with The King’s School and private land plots all within the flood plain of the Great Stour. The village of Sturry is divided by the railway line and access across this is via a barrier controlled level crossing. Most of the later built residential areas of Sturry lie to the north of the railway and the west of Sturry Hill, with the historic centre and housing, amenities and facilities to the south of the railway, covered by the Sturry Conservation Area. There are two public rights of way which run through the locality of the proposal, one along the northern side of the railway line and one which runs north-south and crosses the railway close to the King’s School. 1 CA/20/02826 and CA/18/00868 are planning applications for up tp 630 houses and associated community facilities, and 456 residential dwellings associated open space and commercial development respectively. Canterbury City Council resolved to grant planning permission subject to conditions and conclusion of s106 legal agreements 9th February 2021 D1.1 Item D1 Construction of part of a new road (A28 Link Road) including viaduct between A28 Sturry Road and A291 Sturry Hill and associated on- line improvements at A28 Sturry Link Road, Sturry, Canterbury – CA/19/00904 (KCC/CA/0091/2019) 3. There are a number of environmentally significant sites within the vicinity of the scheme and these include: • Den Grove Wood Ancient Woodland • West Blean and Thornden Woods Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) • Stodmarsh SSSI • Stodmarsh Special Protection Area (SPA) and Ramsar • Stodmarsh Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and National Nature Reserve (NNR) • Sturry Pit SSSI • AS27 Great Stour, Ashford to Fordwich Local Wildlife Site (LWS) • Sturry Conservation Area • Listed Buildings within Sturry and Fordwich • A former landfill site south of the A28, now used as a community park The KCC section of the Sturry Link Road directly affects the Sturry Conservation Area (it being within the Conservation Area), but otherwise has indirect effects on these other designations. 4. The A28 is the principal road corridor between Canterbury and Thanet. At Sturry, the A28 has a junction with the A291 Sturry Hill, which provides a route north to Herne Bay. This junction also forms part of the submitted application details, as described in paragraph 20. 5. The proposed scheme lies within an area which traverses flood risk zones 2 and 3 which are associated with the Great Stour River. The site lies within the Sturry Conservation Area, a Green Gap and an Area of High Landscape Value as designated in the Local Plan. It lies outside the Canterbury Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) which lies further to the west along the A28 and encompasses the City Centre roads. 6. The Canterbury City Council sites referred to above together from the strategic allocation for housing in the Local Plan. The ‘Land at Sturry’ site is located between the villages of Sturry and Broad Oak and is approximately 54 hectares in area, on land which rises to the north. The east of the site is bounded by Sturry Hill and the west by Shalloak Road and Broad Oak Lodge Farm. The northern boundary is defined by the Den Grove Ancient Woodland and the south of the application site by the Canterbury to Ramsgate railway line. The ‘Broad Oak’ site is approximately 19 hectares in area and lies to the north of the ‘Land at Sturry’ site. It is bounded by Herne Bay Road (A291) and Broad Oak Farm Food Shop to the east, and Shalloak Road to the west. To the south is the Den Grove Ancient Woodland and Green Fields Shooting Range, whilst to the north of the site is Sweechgate. Background 7. Delivering the strategic infrastructure of the A28 Sturry Link Road (SLR) is identified in the Canterbury City Council’s (CCC) ‘Canterbury District Local Plan’ (adopted 2017) for the plan period 2011 to 2031. In the CCC District Local Plan Inspectors Report, the Inspector acknowledged that the relationship between transport projects such as Sturry Link Road and proposed developments was central to the success of the Local Plan D1.2 Item D1 Construction of part of a new road (A28 Link Road) including viaduct between A28 Sturry Road and A291 Sturry Hill and associated on- line improvements at A28 Sturry Link Road, Sturry, Canterbury – CA/19/00904 (KCC/CA/0091/2019) strategy. The Local Plan acknowledges that the A28 suffers from congestion due to high levels of traffic and the operation of the level crossing at Sturry. Mixed use development sites have been allocated at Sturry, Broad Oak and Hersden and whilst sustainable modes of transport would be provided by these new sites, it is accepted that new development would still create additional traffic. To mitigate the effects of this the provision of, or proportionate contributions to a Sturry Relief Road that would avoid the Sturry level crossing with a new road bridge, including a bus lane over the railway line or other associated improvements to the A28 corridor are required by Policy T14. 8. In 2017 an outline master plan application for a mixed-use development comprising up to 650 houses and associated community infrastructure comprising a primary school, community building, public car park and associated amenity space was submitted to CCC – their application reference CA/17/01383. The submission also included a detailed application for the construction of part of the Sturry Link Road (the section from the A291 to the western edge of the Canterbury City Council’s housing application) and a local road from the SLR to Shalloak Road. This application was refused by the CCC Planning Committee in November 2020, however a revised application which proposed the same facilities as above, but with a reduction in dwelling numbers to ‘up to 630 houses’ was then resubmitted (reference CA/20/02826) to the City Council in December 2020. The City Council’s Planning Committee resolved to grant planning consent, subject to conditions and conclusion of S106 agreements in February 2021. At the time of drafting this report, the s106 agreements are still be to be completed, and a verbal update will be provided for Members at the meeting. 9. The application above would only secure part of the link road (the east-west section), and the delivery of the complete SLR relies on KCC carrying out construction of the north-south section of the scheme, bridging over the railway, the river and connecting to the A28 to the west of Sturry, along with associated on-line improvements. Although the east-west part of the scheme would be delivered by the promoters of the housing/mixed- use schemes, it is intended that KCC would adopt the infrastructure at a later date. 10. KCC’s fourth Local Transport Plan (LTP4) for the Canterbury area, covering the period 2016-2031 identifies delivery of the SLR as a priority. As such KCC were considered best placed to ensure timely delivery of the southerly link, and therefore submitted the detailed planning application for the north-south link which forms the application before Members for determination. An award for financial assistance to ensure delivery of the link road has been made by the South East Local Enterprise Partnership Local Growth Fund (LGF) of £5.9m (see further comment on this in paragraphs 25, 37 and 42 below). Proposal 11. This is a detailed planning application for the construction of part of the Sturry Link Road, and the proposals are split into a number of parts as set out below.