PROPOSED RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT LAND NORTH OF REMPSTONE ROAD,

HIGHWAYS STATEMENT BY TIM ROSE, BA(HONS) MCIHT

JUNE 2013

APPEAL REF: APP/X2410/A/13/2194622

LPA REF: P/12/2117/2

M-EC REPORT REF: 20435/TR/06-13/3394

PROPOSED RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT LAND NORTH OF REMPSTONE ROAD, WYMESWOLD

HIGHWAYS STATEMENT BY TIM ROSE, BA(HONS) MCIHT

JUNE 2013

APPEAL REF: APP/X2410/A/13/2194622

LPA REF: P/12/2117/2

M-EC REPORT REF: 20435/TR/06-13/3394

CLIENT: R.A and M.J Birkle

ENGINEER: Mewies Engineering Consultants Wellington House Leicester Road Ibstock LE67 6HP

Tel: 01530 264753 Fax: 01530 588116 Email [email protected]

Report Prepared By:

………………………………. Tim Rose, BA(Hons) MCIHT

COPYRIGHT The contents of this document must not be copied or reproduced in whole or part without the written consent of Mewies Engineering Consultants. Highways Statement by Tim Rose Rempstone Road, Wymeswold

CONTENTS 1.0 QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE 2.0 REASONS FOR REFUSAL 3.0 HIGHWAYS PLANNING POLICY 4.0 ASSESSMENT OF EXISTING SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL OPPORTUNITIES 5.0 MEASURES TO ENHANCE SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL OPPORTUNITIES 6.0 RESPONSE 7.0 SUMMARY

APPENDICES A. WYMESWOLD PARISH COUNCIL OBJECTION LETTER B. DRAWING 20435_15_001 - LOCAL FACILITIES AND AMENITIES PLAN C. DRAWING 20435_15_003 – CYCLE ROUTES D. DRAWING 20435_15_002 – BUS ROUTES AND BUS STOPS E. 2001 CENSUS DATA – AREA OF WORKPLACE DATA F. DRAWING 20435_03_001 REV J – PROPOSED ACCESS DESIGN

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Highways Statement by Tim Rose Rempstone Road, Wymeswold

1.0 QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

1.1 I am an Associate Transport Engineer and manage M-EC’s pre-planning Transport Team that comprises of a Senior Transport Engineer, a Transport Engineer and a Graduate Transport Engineer.

1.2 I hold an Upper Second Class Honours degree in Environmental Management and Transport Planning and I am a Member of the Chartered Institute of Highways and Transportation (MCIHT). My expertise principally lies within Traffic and Transportation where I have over 6 and a half years’ experience.

1.3 To date I have spent my career working with consulting engineers on highways and transportation issues throughout the UK and I am well versed in all transport matters pertaining to this appeal.

1.4 I can confirm that I have visited the site on a number of occasions and am familiar with the location and adjacent areas.

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Highways Statement by Tim Rose Rempstone Road, Wymeswold

2.0 REASONS FOR REFUSAL

2.1 On the 17th October 2012 an outline planning application was submitted to Charnwood Borough Council for a residential development of up to 32 dwellings on land north of Rempstone Road, Wymeswold.

2.2 The application was refused on the 1st March 2013 and 3 reasons for refusal are cited and summarised below:

1. The local planning authority is of the opinion that the proposal would represent an unsustainable development, sited as it would be in a settlement with only limited services and facilities and with a limited service by public transport that does not provide direct access to key services in other settlements. As such, the occupants of the dwellings proposed would have to rely heavily on the use of the private car to access these services and facilities, which would reflect the present experience for residents of the village. This would be contrary to interests of the establishment of a sustainable pattern of new housing development in the Borough, which would be contrary to the intentions of national and local planning policy set out in policies 1, 3 and 45 of the Regional Plan, policies ST/1 and ST/2 of the Borough of Charnwood Local Plan and in the National Planning Policy Framework, taken as a whole. The proposal would also conflict with the evidence accrued as part of the Council’s work to progress the new Local plan relating to the hierarchy of sustainability of settlements in the Borough as locations for new development. The Council is of the view that the development would offer no identifiable or quantifiable benefits in terms of the vitality or viability of the village community that would outweigh the harm to the wider policy intentions of the development plan, including the modest contribution to the provision of new housing land.

2. It is considered that the development would result in unwarranted harm to the character and appearance of the landscape at this important entry to the village of Wymeswold. The site forms a substantial part of the open, sloping land rising towards the high ground to the west of the village which marks the crest of the topographical bowl in which the village is sited. Seen from the village the development would rise above that crest and obliterate the hedge a and tree line that marks the crest and likely creating a built-up outline to the edge of the site As

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Highways Statement by Tim Rose Rempstone Road, Wymeswold

such, the proposal would have a damaging impact on the beauty of the countryside in that it would introduce an uncharacteristically intensive form of new housing which would be alien to the low key, subdued character of the edge of the settlement. It would severely curtail the open rural aspect from nearby residential properties, and views of the countryside from Storkit Lane through the site. The important hedgerow on the main road frontage which reinforces the sweep of the road into the edge of the village would be lost. As such the proposed development would conflict with the provisions of saved policies ST/1, CT/1, CT/7, H/16 and EV/1 of the adopted Borough of Charnwood Local Plan, which are reflected by the guidance in the National Planning Policy Framework, principally, but not exclusively, set out in paras. 7, 14 and 17 of the Framework document. The Borough Council is of the view that the adverse impact on the character of the landscape would outweigh the modest housing supply benefit.

3. The local planning authority is concerned that the Design and Access Statement submitted with the application indicates a development that pays too little regard to the character and appearance of the Wymeswold Conservation Area, showing, as it does, a development of suburban layout and design, uncertainty around the incorporation of the bridleway into the development and, with the requirements for the design of the access into the development, a detrimental impact on the much simpler, enclosing, cottage/barn configuration of the individually designed street frontages opposite and on the entry to the village. As such the development would be contrary to the intentions of policies ST/1, EV/1 and H/16 of the adopted Local Plan and the guidance in the National Planning Policy Framework on design generally, particularly but not exclusively, in paragraph 64, and also its guidance as to the protection of heritage assets. The development would also conflict with the guidance in the adopted Village Design Statement.

2.3 An appeal has been submitted against this decision in March 2013.

2.4 The first reason for refusal cites the Sustainability of the site as a reason for refusal and therefore this statement has been prepared to provide a response to this reason for refusal along with comments provided by the Parish Council and local residents outlined below.

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Highways Statement by Tim Rose Rempstone Road, Wymeswold

Wymeswold Parish Council 2.5 Wymeswold Parish Council in their written objection to the planning application (see Appendix A) object to the grating of planning permission on the following grounds:

“1. This application is contrary to the current planning guidelines regarding the village In Charnwood Borough Council’s ‘Settlement Hierarchy’ Wymeswold is defined as an ‘Other Settlement’. Charnwood’s planning guidance was amended in May 2012 to incorporate the new National Planning Policy Framework, as set out above. It is quite clear that the proposed development is both outside the existing limits to development and not small scale. It is also questionable whether it would ‘enhance or maintain’ what is already a very vibrant community. Since 2004 Wymeswold has seen a total of 85 new properties developed and the Parish Council feels that Wymeswold has more- than fulfilled any capacity for new development outlined in the 2004 Local Plan.

2. The village of Wymeswold does not have the required key facilities or services to be considered a Service Centre within Charnwood Borough Council’s Settlement Hierarchy, and does not have the required level of services to be considered as a sustainable community. Whilst recognising that the village does have some key facilities, such as a primary school, it does not have important other services such as a secondary school, supermarket, health-care provision, employment or transport links in order to be considered sustainable. It is difficult to argue the provision of an allotment area, pine furniture shop or go-kart racing as ‘key’ services when other key services such as education, healthcare or public transport provision are absent. The Parish Council states that:

• The General Stores is a small newsagents/shop and not a supermarket; • The Pharmacy is open daytimes Monday to Friday, but not in the evenings or weekends; • The Post Office Outreach Service is available for 12 hours per week over three days. The Saturday opening of the service was cancelled in November 2012; • The Mobile Library service is fortnightly; • The bus service is daytime only and does not run in the evenings or Sundays; • The recent expansion of Wymeswold Primary School was actually paid for by monies received from the S106 agreement with Wimpey Homes over the Wysall Lane development. Wymeswold School is currently running on sustainable numbers and is projected to do so for the coming 3-4 years. There is no

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Highways Statement by Tim Rose Rempstone Road, Wymeswold

evidence to support the need to build new properties to ensure the school maintaining numbers. Indeed, any new influx of families as a result of the proposed new properties could potentially present a capacity problem for the school; • Of approx 40 staff recruited by the Dogs Trust this year only one person was recruited from Wymeswold. It cannot be argued that this represents as significant employment opportunity for the village; • There is no public transport access to the medical centres at Barrow or . Wymeswold falls within the defined catchment area of both these surgeries and evidence from Wymeswold Pharmacy (Oct 2012) has shown that over 90% of Wymeswold residents are registered with either Barrow or East Leake surgeries. Any new development would inevitably create new car journeys from residents using these services, which underlines Wymeswold status as ‘unsustainable’.

Contrary to the applicant’s claim in his Planning Statement, geographically, Wymeswold sits in the middle of a circle of smaller villages, namely Burton-on-the- Wolds, Cotes, Prestwold, , Rempstone, Wysall, and Willoughby which are themselves in close proximity to other Service Centres, namely Barrow, , East Leake, Keyworth and, to a lesser extent, Melton Mowbray. The application only considers Wymeswold’s relationship with other settlements in the Borough of Charnwood. However, Wymeswold sits on the very edge of the Borough and only four miles from East Leake and Keyworth, both of which have medical facilities, secondary schools, supermarkets, banks and leisure centres known to be used by village residents. The Parish Council has referred in its submission to the evidence that has been collected to support its contention that Wymeswold plays a limited role as a local centre for residents of the village and nearby communities. Members should acquaint themselves with this information on the web site.

3. The Parish Council raises serious road safety issues on Rempstone Road. In September 2012 a Community Speedwatch initiative identified a total of 496 vehicles exceeding the 30mph limit at the proposed junction over a total of 28 hours monitoring at this point. The average speed recorded was 38.6mph. In October 2012 Leicestershire Police identified this location for mobile speed enforcement, due to the high number of incidences of speeding in the Community Speedwatch scheme. Whilst the application addresses technical issues such as visibility splays, it does not

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Highways Statement by Tim Rose Rempstone Road, Wymeswold

address the safety of pedestrians attempting to cross the A6006 at this point and the dangers therein. The recent 68-property development of land off Wysall Lane has seen considerable problems with pedestrians trying to cross the busy A6006, often with young families. The Parish Council believes that similar problems could occur with the proposed development on land north of Rempstone Road. The proposed development would generate many additional car movements as parents will drive children to school, firstly because of fears crossing the road and secondly because the school is at the opposite end of the village to the proposed site. The Parish Council feels that the proposed new development would only add to the problems of pedestrians trying to cross the A6006 to access village services and therefore does not consider this to be a safe location for development.

4. The Parish Council objects to the loss of the lower part of Storkit Lane, being a valuable green lane used by the community for walking, riding and enjoying the diverse mixture of fauna and flora. It has been used by the parishioners of Wymeswold for walking, dog walking, riding and enjoying the rich diversity of wildlife. It also acts as a bridleway and while this right of way is retained on the proposed plan, it is shown directly next to a public road and pavement with no segregation, which represents a risk to public safety. Storkit Lane is used as an agricultural access road for several landowners with fields further along the lane to the north of the development. Whilst an access route has been retained, this would see the movement of agricultural vehicles and horseboxes through the new development in order to access these fields. Such movements are incompatible with a quiet residential area and would also represent a safety risk to pedestrians.”

Local Residents 2.6 Local reaction is expressed in letters representing 18 addresses in the village and in 6 letters from other residents who did not give an address. Three issues dominated the responses. The first were objections on highway safety grounds due to the speed of traffic at the proposed access point, the preponderance of heavy lorries on the route, the safety of pedestrians and the lack of visibility at the proposed road junction. The second objection is that the village has insufficient infrastructure to cater for the development and that the village is not a Service Centre. Several refer to the school already being at capacity. The third main objection is to the impact on the Storkit Lane bridleway and the conflict with users of the lane and the proposed traffic.

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Highways Statement by Tim Rose Rempstone Road, Wymeswold

2.7 This statement will demonstrate that the proposed development is located in a sustainable location to encourage modal shift and that the Appeal site has good accessibility to a number of existing local facilities and amenities. This statement also demonstrates that the provision of the site access will not compromise highway safety with safe and suitable access provided for all people.

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Highways Statement by Tim Rose Rempstone Road, Wymeswold

3.0 HIGHWAYS PLANNING POLICY

3.1 This section considers a number of national and local policies which are relevant to the application and appeal process.

National National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) 3.2 At the heart of the NPPF is a presumption in favour of sustainable development, which means:

• Approving development proposals that accord with the development plan without delay; and • Where the development plan is absent, silent or relevant policies are out of date, granting permission, unless any adverse impacts of doing so would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits, when assessed against the policies in the Framework taken as a whole; or where specific policies in the Framework indicate development should be restricted.

Delivering sustainable development 3.3 The Framework indicates that this involves:

• Building a strong competitive economy; • Ensuring the vitality of town centres; • Supporting a prosperous rural economy; • Promoting sustainable transport – ensuring that safe and suitable access to the site can be achieved for all people and that developments that generate significant movement are located where the need to travel will be minimised and the use of sustainable transport modes can be maximised; and • Supporting high quality communications infrastructure.

Promoting Sustainable Transport 3.4 Paragraphs 29 – 32 of the NPPF indicate that transport policies have an important role to play in facilitating sustainable development, but also in contributing to wider sustainability and health objectives. The transport system needs to be balanced in favour of sustainable transport modes, giving people a real choice about how they travel. Measures will be required in different communities and opportunities to maximise sustainable transport solutions will vary from urban to rural areas. All developments that generate significant

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Highways Statement by Tim Rose Rempstone Road, Wymeswold

amounts of movement should be supported by a Transport Statement or Transport Assessment. Plans and decisions should take account of whether:

• the opportunities for sustainable transport modes have been taken up depending on the nature and location of the site, to reduce the need for major transport infrastructure; • safe and suitable access to the site can be achieved for all people; and • improvements can be undertaken within the transport network that cost effectively limits the significant impacts of the development. Development should only be prevented or refused on transport grounds where the residual cumulative impacts of development are severe.

Local Borough of Charnwood Local Plan Policy TR/1 3.5 Seeks to ensure that development is not granted which results in serious congestion on the main traffic routes through the Borough, or otherwise prejudice the ability to provide for safe and efficient movement of traffic.

Policy TR/6 3.6 Indicates that developments which would result in unsafe and unsatisfactory operation of the highway system or have a significant impact on the environment will not be permitted, unless measures are proposed to overcome any harmful effects.

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Highways Statement by Tim Rose Rempstone Road, Wymeswold

4.0 ASSESSMENT OF EXISTING SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL OPPORTUNITIES

4.1 This section outlines the existing sustainable transport opportunities from the Appeal site and specifically in relation to walking and cycling distances, public transport opportunities and availability of key local amenities and facilities which are cited as the first reason for refusal.

4.2 In order to assess the development against suitable and robust measures the Appeal sites proximity to local facilities and amenities is assessed against the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation publication ‘Providing for Journeys on Foot’ (2001) which identifies a preferred maximum acceptable walking distance to local amenities and facilities of 1,200m. It should be noted that this is a robust assessment criterion when compared against the previous national walking guidance in PPG13 (superseded by NPPF) which highlighted an acceptable walking distance of 2km.

4.3 When considering the Appeal site’s proximity to local facilities these have been outlined on drawing 20435_15_001 in Appendix B. This drawing shows the location of various amenities and facilities along with a 1,200m isochrone in accordance with the above guidance.

Walking to key local amenities 4.4 According to the National Travel Survey (Goodman et al, 1998), walking constitutes 29% of all journeys made in a year, on a national scale. The DfT National Statistics, Personal Travel Fact Sheet No.4 – January 2003 – entitled “Walking in Great Britain” states that 4 out of 5 (77%) of walking trips were under a mile (1.6km) and only 8% were 2 miles or above in length.

4.5 When considering walking distances, the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT) publication ‘Providing for Journeys on Foot’ (2001) identifies the following suggested walking distances set out in Table 1 below.

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Highways Statement by Tim Rose Rempstone Road, Wymeswold

Table 1: CIHT Suggested Walking Distances

Walking Distance (m)

Town Centres Commuting/School Elsewhere

Desirable 200 500 400

Acceptable 400 1000 800 Preferred 800 2000 1200 Maximum

4.6 All local amenities and facilities within Wymeswold are located to the east of the site. Outlined below are the key amenities and facilities within Wymeswold and their distance from the site via the existing footways and footpath network:

• St Mary’s Church (Far Street) – 500m; • Bus stops on Brook Street and The Stockwell – 430m; • Butchers (Far Street) – 300m; • Three Crowns Public House (Far Street) – 350m; • Wymeswold Outreach Post Office (Operates from Three Crowns Pub) – 350m; • Pharmacy (Hoton Road) – 430m; • Stockwell Stores (Newsagent) (The Stockwell) – 500m; • Wymeswold C of E Primary School (The Nook) – 800m; • Windmill Inn (Brook Street) – 900m; • Memorial Hall – 400m; • Sports Field – 520m.

4.7 Based on the above all key facilities within Wymeswold are located within the CIHT guidance of 1,200m and it is considered Wymeswold is well served in terms of local amenity provision for a village of this size.

Existing Cycle Facilities 4.8 The DfT National Statistics, Person Travel Fact Sheet 5A – January 2003 – entitled “Cycling in Great Britain”, states that the average length of a cycle stage was 2.4 miles (3.86km) and that 10% of cycle trips were 5 miles (8km) or over in length.

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Highways Statement by Tim Rose Rempstone Road, Wymeswold

4.9 Although it is noted that there are not any formal cycling facilities on Rempstone Road it is noted that the roads in the local area are generally lightly trafficked apart from the A6006 and relatively flat in nature, which makes them viable routes for cyclists.

4.10 Drawing 20435_15_003 in Appendix C shows the cycle routes to key employment areas in the surrounding area including Wymeswold Industrial Estate, The Dogs Trust, Loughborough Train Station and Loughborough Town Centre.

Existing Bus Provision 4.11 Travel further afield can be achieved by sustainable transport modes via the use of existing bus services accessible from the bus stops situated along Brook Street. The service number 8 can be accessed from these stops.

4.12 There is one regular bus service operating within walking distance from the site providing links to a range of destinations such as Loughborough, Melton Mowbray and Grantham. Table 2 below provides a summary of the service number 8.

Table 2: Summary of bus services operating in Wymeswold

Service Operating Time Frequency Route

Mon –Sat 0702 – 1802 Loughborough – Melton 8 Centrebus (Loughborough bound) Hourly Mowbray – Grantham 0648 – 1848 (Melton bound)

4.13 The nearest bus stops to the site are located to the south east of the Appeal site on Brook Street and to the east on The Stockwell approximately 430m walking distance from the proposed site. These stops are served by the number 8 service as detailed in Table 2 above. The bus stop on The Stockwell features a shelter, layby and timetable information. The bus stops on Brook Street are flag stops with timetable information. Drawing 20435_15_002 in Appendix D shows the bus route and bus stops relative to the Appeal site.

4.14 Within the main urban areas of Loughborough, Melton Mowbray and Grantham and number of amenities and facilities can be accessed directly via the number 8 service and these are highlighted in Table 3 below. It also noted that from the bus stations in these locations inter-connecting services to other amenities within these urban areas

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Highways Statement by Tim Rose Rempstone Road, Wymeswold

are available as well as accesses to other urban areas including Leicester and Lincoln.

Table 3: Amenities available from bus service number 8

Location Key Facilities Town centre (with associated leisure, shopping and employment) Loughborough train station Loughborough Industrial and employment areas and the northern side of Loughborough (adjacent to train station)

Town centre (with associated leisure, shopping and employment) Melton Mowbray train station (accessible on foot – approximately 500m from town Melton Mowbray centre bus stops) Melton Mowbray hospital Industrial and employment areas Tesco supermarket

Industrial and employment areas Retail park Town centre (with associated leisure, Grantham shopping and employment) Grantham train station (accessible on foot – approximately 350m from bus station) Walton Girls School

Wymeswold to Melton/Grantham (Eastbound Service) 4.15 The first eastbound service is available from Wymeswold at 6.48am terminating at Melton Mowbray at 7.15am. The eastbound service provides a direct service to employment and retail centres at Melton Mowbray and Grantham.

Wymeswold to Loughborough (Westbound Service) 4.16 The first westbound service is available from Wymeswold at 7.02am terminating at Loughborough at 7.25am. The westbound service provides a direct service to Wymeswold Industrial Estate, Loughborough Train Station and Loughborough Town Centre.

4.17 Bearing in mind the rural location afforded to Wymeswold it is considered an hourly public transport service provides reasonable connectivity to key urban locations in the local vicinity with regular services during the peak periods and throughout the day.

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Highways Statement by Tim Rose Rempstone Road, Wymeswold

The service number 8 provides direct access to a number of key employment locations including the Wymeswold Industrial Estate, Loughborough Town Centre, Melton Town Centre and Loughborough Train Station as part of a linked trip onto other employment destinations such as Leicester and . As the service is a regular hourly service, it is considered passengers would plan their journey accordingly and would therefore walk to the bus stops at an appropriate time when they know the service is due, rather than travel to the bus stops and wait up to an hour for the next service. On several site visits at various times during the day, I noted that the service number 8 is a relatively well used service by a mixture of age groups and user types.

Access to Education Facilities Wymeswold C of E Primary School 4.18 Access to the Primary School is noted above and lies within close proximity to the Appeal site and is accessible via existing walking routes.

Secondary Education 4.19 The Appeal site falls within the catchment of Humphrey Perkins School in Barrow- upon-Soar. The school is located approximately 8.5km travelling distance from the site via Burton Lane and Nottingham Road. School pupils from Wymeswold can access Humphrey Perkins School via the existing free school bus service which picks up and drops off from bus stops on The Stockwell.

4.20 Discussions with LCC Public Transport Policy team has determined that the free school bus services are reviewed on an annual basis, however, children from the Appeal site will have travel provided to them to access Humphrey Perkins school as they are within the catchment.

4.21 A number of other schools and colleges are also accessible by free public transport from Wymeswold for eligible pupils. These include (as confirmed by Leicestershire County Council):

• East Leake Academy – Service 704 free service which picks up and drops off from bus stops on The Stockwell.

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Highways Statement by Tim Rose Rempstone Road, Wymeswold

• De Lisle College, Loughborough – Service 191 subsidised service which picks up from a bus stop on Far Street (opposite the Three Crowns Pub) and drops off at a stop on The Stockwell.

• Loughborough Grammar School – free service laid on by school.

4.22 It is noted that Planning Permission has previously been given to a residential development off Wysall Lane which would also be subject to the same access provision to secondary education facilities within Wymeswold. Based on the fact this site was granted a planning permission it is considered the free bus service provides a more than adequate alternative to travel by private car to secondary education facilities.

4.23 Further education is not subject to catchment requirements and so pupils have greater scope and choice of their destination for further education. Further education is noted as follows:

• Rawlins Community College, Quorn – access via bus service number 8 to Loughborough and then bus service X27 to Quorn. Approximate journey time = 40 minutes.

• Charnwood College, Loughborough – access via bus service number 8 to Loughborough and then either via bus services 5 or 126/127. Approximate journey time = 34 minutes.

• Loughborough College – access via bus service number 8 to Loughborough and then bus service SPR. Approximate journey time = 27 minutes.

• Loughborough University – access via bus service number 8 to Loughborough and then bus service SPR. Approximate journey time = 27 minutes to 33 minutes.

Existing Rail Provision 4.24 The nearest train station to the site is situated in Loughborough approximately 7km to the south west of the site. This station is located on the East Midlands Mainline. Loughborough Station provides regular train services to all the major employment

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Highways Statement by Tim Rose Rempstone Road, Wymeswold

centres along the line including Market Harborough, Leicester, Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield to the north and Wellingborough, Bedford, Luton and London St Pancras International Station to the south.

4.25 Loughborough Station provides sheltered cycle parking, self-service ticket machines, 180 space car park, which is open 24 hours-a-day, a taxi rank and links to local bus services. Table 4 below provides a summary of the current rail services from Loughborough Station.

Table 4: Summary of train services operating from Loughborough Frequency Route Travel time* (Outward journeys)

Market Harborough Up to 3 per hour 25mins to 38mins

Leicester Up to 5 per hour 10mins to 26mins

Derby Up to 3 per hour 15mins to 55mins

Nottingham Up to 3 per hour 17mins to 41mins

Sheffield Up to 3 per hour 56mins to 1hr 47mins

Wellingborough Up to 3 per hour 41mins to 1hr 02mins

Bedford Up to 3 per hour 55mins to 1hr 14mins

Luton Up to 3 per hour 1hr 10mins to 1hr 41mins

London Up to 3 per hour 1hr 20mins to 1hr 47mins *Times vary depending on whether changes are required on a particular service

4.26 Loughborough Train Station is accessible by both bus, cycling and by car. The service number 8 provides a direct link from Wymeswold to the Train Station with a travel time of 18 minutes. A cycle journey from Wymeswold to the Train Station takes approximately 29 minutes with secure, sheltered cycle parking available at the Train Station. A car journey is approximately 12 minutes from Wymeswold to Loughborough Train Station.

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Highways Statement by Tim Rose Rempstone Road, Wymeswold

Access to Supermarkets 4.27 There is a General Store/Newsagent located within Wymeswold, however, the closest Supermarkets to the site are located at Loughborough. The following Supermarkets provide home delivery deliver to addresses within Wymeswold and will therefore serve the proposed development site:

• Asda; • Tesco Extra in Loughborough; • Sainsbury’s (Loughborough and Nottingham); • Iceland (following a £25 spend in store); • Marks and Spencer’s Simply Food; • Ocado.

4.28 It is not considered access to Supermarkets should be a material reason for refusal of the planning application. Supermarkets are by their own nature not usually located within villages and the fact that home delivery services are available means alternative travel options are available rather than travelling to supermarkets by private car. Supermarkets will schedule deliveries to cover multiple stops in the same area or along a given route and this not only makes best use of their resource but is a sustainable solution.

Access to Doctor’s Surgery 4.29 The closest Doctor’s Surgeries are located in East Leake (East Leake Medical Group) and Barrow upon Soar (Dr N H R Simpson & Partners). There are no commercial bus services available from Wymeswold to access these locations; however, there is a Loughborough dial-a-ride service which can be used to access the surgeries.

4.30 Based on the information contained on the NHS website these surgeries are the following distances from Wymeswold:

• East Leake Medical Group = 3.64 miles away; • Dr N H R Simpson & Partners = 4.18 miles away.

4.31 It should be noted that trip generation from the development to the surgery will not be significant and therefore trips by private car to the surgeries are likely to be undertaken on a sporadic basis. The Wysall Lane development would have

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Highways Statement by Tim Rose Rempstone Road, Wymeswold

encountered similar issues with access to a surgery and therefore based on the fact this site was granted planning permission it is considered access to a surgery cannot be considered as a barrier to development of this site.

4.32 Notwithstanding the above, the existing Pharmacy in Wymeswold offers a repeat prescription service limiting the number of trips required to the Doctor’s Surgeries.

Access to Employment 4.33 In order to determine the Area of Workplace for existing residents of The Wolds Ward (note Parish information is note available within this dataset), data has been sourced from the NOMIS website for 2001 as 2011 data is not yet available.

4.34 Table 5 below provides a summary of the main employment locations determined from the 2001 census data and a copy of the results is provided in Appendix E.

Table 5: 2001* Area of Workplace Census Data (The Wolds Ward) Total Area of Workplace % of Total People (All People) 31UCHJ : The Wolds 441 34.2% Loughborough town (all wards) 293 22.7% Leicester 135 10.5% Nottingham 105 8.1% 54 4.2% North West Leicestershire 47 3.6% 31UCGH : Barrow and Sileby West 25 1.9% Melton 23 1.8% Derby 21 1.6% 31UCHD : Shepshed East 15 1.2% Hinckley and Bosworth 15 1.2% 31UCHB : Quorn and Mountsorrel Castle 14 1.1% Oadby and Wigston 12 0.9% 31UCHK : Thurmaston 11 0.9% 31UCHE : Shepshed West 10 0.8% 31UCHL : Wreake Villages 9 0.7% Erewash 9 0.7% 31UCHF : Sileby 8 0.6% 31UCGM : Forest Bradgate 6 0.5% 31UCHC : Rothley and Thurcaston 6 0.5% 31UCHH : Syston West 6 0.5% Broxtowe 6 0.5% Gedling 6 0.5% 31UCGK : Birstall Watermead 3 0.2% Harborough 3 0.2% Rutland 3 0.2% *Note 2011 data is not currently available

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Highways Statement by Tim Rose Rempstone Road, Wymeswold

4.35 Table 5 above shows the majority of residents (34.2%) who reside in The Wolds Ward also work within The Wolds Ward. 22.7% of all residents work within the Loughborough wards (note this figure comprises a number of wards within Loughborough) and 10.5% work in Leicester. Further high percentages are noted for Nottingham (8.1%) but all other locations are less than 5%.

4.36 It is considered that sustainable alternative modes of travel exist to access all of the Top 4 employment locations as summarised below:

• The Wolds – Walking, cycling and Public Transport (bus service number 8);

• Loughborough – Cycling and Public Transport (bus service number 8);

• Leicester – Linked bus (service number 8 to Loughborough, Skylink from Loughborough to Leicester) or bus/train trips (service number 8 to Loughborough, Train from Loughborough to Leicester). Both of these trips can be undertaken in less than 1 hour (58 and 54 minutes respectively);

• Nottingham – Linked bus (service number 8 to Loughborough, service number 9 from Loughborough to Nottingham) or bus/train (service number 8 to Loughborough, Train from Loughborough to Nottingham). Both of these trips can be undertaken in less than 1 hour (58 and 40 minutes respectively);

4.37 It is considered the Appeal site has reasonable public transport opportunities available to access key employment areas, as supported by the 2001 Area of Workplace data for the The Wolds Ward.

Access to Retail Centres 4.38 Wymeswold is located close to a number of major retail centres all of which are accessible by sustainable transport modes as highlighted in Table 6 below:

Table 6: Accessibility to retail centres

Destination (Distance)* Travel Mode Travel time

Loughborough (8km) Bus service number 8 23 minutes

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Highways Statement by Tim Rose Rempstone Road, Wymeswold

Bus services 8 and Skylink 58 minutes Leicester (20km) Bus service 8 and train 54 minutes

Bus services 8 and Skylink 1 hour 16 minutes Derby (28km) Bus service 8 and train 38 minutes

Bus services 8 and 9 58 minutes Nottingham (19km) Bus service 8 and train 40 minutes

Melton Mowbray (18km) Bus service number 8 27 minutes

Grantham (33km) Bus service number 8 1 hour 7 minutes

* Distances are taken from direct routes on Google Maps

4.39 From the number 8 bus service major supermarkets in Loughborough and Melton Mowbray are accessible and include:

• Tesco supermarket located within 300m of central bus stops in Loughborough and therefore accessible within approximately 27 minutes (23 minutes bus journey plus 4 minutes walking time).

• Sainsbury supermarket located within 400m of central bus stops in Loughborough and therefore accessible within approximately 28 minutes (23 minutes bus journey plus 4 minutes walking time).

• Tesco supermarket adjacent to bus stops in Melton Mowbray and therefore accessible within approximately 37 minutes (note journey time higher than Table 6 above as supermarket located north west of the town centre).

4.40 It is considered the Appeal site has good accessibility via public transport to key retail areas and local supermarkets.

Accessibility Assessment 4.41 Table 7 below provides a summary of the distance and time taken by various modes to travel to key amenities and facilities in the local area.

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Highways Statement by Tim Rose Rempstone Road, Wymeswold

Table 7: Accessibility Assessment to all Key Facilities by Mode Approx. Journey Time Approx. (minutes)* Facility Distance (m) Walking Cycling PT**

Newsagent/Local Store 500 6 2 N/A

St Mary's Church 500 6 2 N/A

Primary School 800 10 3 N/A

Pharmacy 430 5 2 N/A

Allotments 250 3 1 N/A

Wymeswold Court Care Home 150 2 1 N/A

Sports field and Scout Hut 850 10 4 N/A

Memorial Hall 400 4 1 N/A

Furniture Shop and Café 150 2 1 N/A

Butchers 300 4 1 N/A

Hairdressers 950 11 4 N/A

Three Crowns Pub and 350 4 1 N/A Outreach Post Office Hammer and Pincers 500 6 2 N/A Restaurant

Windmill Inn 900 0 0 N/A

Children's Play Area and 270 3 1 N/A Bowling Green

Methodist Church 600 7 3 N/A

The Dogs Trust 2900 35 12 N/A

Wymeswold Industrial Estate 1930 23 8 8

Loughborough Railway Station 7000 N/A 29 28

*Assumes a walking speed of 1.4m/second (3.2mph) taken from the Guidance for Providing for Journeys on Foot (IHT 2000) and cycling speed of 4m/second (9mph) taken from Local Transport Note 1/86. ** Public Transport journey times are combined bus and walking times to reach final destination (source: transportdirect.info)

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Highways Statement by Tim Rose Rempstone Road, Wymeswold

4.42 Overall it is considered the site has reasonable sustainable travel opportunities to access key education (primary and secondary schools), employment and retail centres. Although sustainable travel to Doctor’s Surgeries is limited to dial-a-ride services, it is not considered this constitutes a barrier to development at the Appeal site.

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Highways Statement by Tim Rose Rempstone Road, Wymeswold

5.0 MEASURES TO ENHANCE SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL OPPORTUNITIES

5.1 In order to ensure sustainable travel is encouraged from the proposed development a number of measures are proposed which have been discussed and agreed with LCC. The measures which have been agreed are outlined and discussed below.

5.2 The measures outlined below are provided to help promote and maximise the use of sustainable transport mode in line with the requirements of the National Planning Policy Framework.

5.3 LCC as part of their consultation response have requested the following as part of the Section 106:

• Travel Packs – To be provided to each dwelling; • 6 month free bus passes – 2 per dwelling on application by the residents; • Improvements at 2 nearest bus stops (Brook Street).

5.4 It is considered the above improvements along with the provision of the pedestrian island crossing facility as part of the access proposal will help to enhance sustainable travel opportunities.

Bus Stop Improvements 5.5 The 2 nearest bus stops located along Brook Street will be improved to help facilitate safe access on to buses and help make travelling on public transport a more attractive option for all users (both of the proposed development and existing residents of Wymeswold). A contribution is to be provided as part of the Section 106 Agreement for implementing raised and dropped kerbs to allow low level access to support modern bus fleets with low floor capabilities and information display cases to inform all new and existing residents of all the bus services in the area.

Pedestrian improvements as part of site access 5.6 As part of the site access an uncontrolled pedestrian island crossing has been discussed and agreed with LCC to facilitate pedestrian movements to/from the site. The crossing will also benefit all pedestrians using the Storkit Lane bridleway. The safety of pedestrians crossing the A6006 Rempstone Road is known to be a key concern of the Parish Council and local residents and therefore the provision of the

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Highways Statement by Tim Rose Rempstone Road, Wymeswold

uncontrolled pedestrian island crossing will help to alleviate these safety concerns. The uncontrolled crossing points comprise of tactile paving and dropped kerbs as shown on drawing 20435_03_001j in Appendix F.

Travel Packs 5.7 The National Planning Policy Framework states that a key tool to facilitate sustainable development will be a Travel Plan and all developments which generate significant amounts of movement should be required to provide a one. As the development is not considered to generate significant amounts of movements, however, the key component of Travel Plans is Travel Packs (Welcome Packs) which include key information of sustainable transport along with the application form for the temporary free bus passes.

5.8 The key components of the Travel Packs are summarised below:

• Plans of safe pedestrian routes to all local amenities including Primary School and local shops and bus stops;

• Bus timetable information and routes maps of the service number 8 including a list of potential destinations (including Loughborough Train Station, Employment areas etc);

• Train timetable information for Loughborough Train Station as part of a linked trip (i.e. bus journey or cycle trip to the station);

• Provide details of car share websites operating in area to encourage residents to car share, such as:

° https://carshare.liftshare.com/; ° https://leicestershare.liftshare.com/.

5.9 It is considered the above improvements are considered reasonable and appropriate to promote sustainable alternative modes of travel for the Appeal site.

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Highways Statement by Tim Rose Rempstone Road, Wymeswold

6.0 RESPONSE

6.1 This section will provide a response to the reasons for refusal detailed in Section 2.0.

Local Planning Authority 6.2 In order to demonstrate to Charnwood Borough Council the Appeal site is sustainable a response is given against each of the key local policies as outlined in Section 3.0.

Policy ST/1 6.3 The site is located in close proximity to a number of facilities and amenities within Wymeswold which are outlined below:

• General Store/Newsagent; • Butcher; • Pharmacy; • Post office; • Primary School; • Recreation Ground; • 3 x Public Houses/Restaurants;

6.4 All these facilities are assessed as being within suitable and acceptable walking distances in accordance with the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation publication ‘Providing for Journeys on Foot’ (2001).

6.5 Wymeswold also has the benefit of an hourly bus service (service number 8) that provides a link to key retail and employment locations including the Wymeswold Industrial Estate, Loughborough, Grantham and Melton Mowbray.

6.6 Notwithstanding the above, as part of the planning application submission, a detailed Transport Statement and access design was prepared detailing measures to be implemented as part of this development including:

• New footway and pedestrian island crossing point on the A6006 Rempstone Road; • Improvement to local bus stops to aid movement and help facilitate use; • Provision of temporary free bus passes to all new residents.

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Highways Statement by Tim Rose Rempstone Road, Wymeswold

6.7 Based on the above it is considered the Appeal site accords with Policy ST/1 of the Charnwood Local Plan with good public transport (bus and train) links to key local facilities and amenities and employment locations.

Policy TR/1 and TR/6 6.8 The Transport Statement submitted as part of the planning application demonstrated through the use of TRICS data that the Appeal site would generate in the region of 27 trips during the AM and PM peak periods. A maximum peak impact of 27 trips (or 1 trip every 2 minutes), based on the 85th percentile TRICS data, will be imperceptible on the ground and this is supported by the DfT guidance on Indicative Thresholds for Transport Assessments which states that any development creating less than 30 two- way trips during the peak periods will not cause any significant junction capacity issues and consequently no junction assessments are required. On this basis it is considered the site will not create any congestion concerns or prejudice the ability to provide for safe and efficient movement of traffic and therefore the Appeal site accords with Policy TR/1 and TR/6. The access and pedestrian island crossing also provide betterment for existing users of Storkit Lane.

Wymeswold Parish Council and Local Residents 6.9 A response to the key points raised by the Parish Council and local residents is provided below.

Lack of Facilities within Wymeswold 6.10 There are a number of facilities available within comfortable walking distance of the Appeal site including a Primary School, hourly bus services, general store/newsagent, a post office and a number of Public Houses. On this basis it is considered future residents should not generate additional vehicle trips to the primary school and other local facilities.

6.11 It has been highlighted throughout this statement that although there is no secondary school, supermarkets or doctor’s surgeries located within Wymeswold, this is not uncommon to villages of this size in rural locations and should not be considered as reasonable grounds for refusal. Alternative methods of transport are available to secondary schools (free school bus travel) and supermarkets (home deliveries) along with dial-a-ride services for access to the local surgeries and therefore it is

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Highways Statement by Tim Rose Rempstone Road, Wymeswold

considered private car journeys are not the only mode of travel and travel choice is available.

Highway Safety 6.12 As part of the Transport Statement issued as part of the planning application an analysis of Personal Injury Accident (PIA) was obtained from LCC for the whole of Wymeswold and all roads leading to/from the village for the most recent available 5 year period.

6.13 The data shows there have been 7 accidents in total, 6 of which were of slight severity and 1 serious. There have been no accidents recorded in the location of the proposed site access on Rempstone Road. A summary of the accident data is provided in Table 8 below.

Table 8: Breakdown of accidents within the study area Accident Severity Year Total Slight Serious Fatal 2007 0 0 0 0 2008 1 0 0 1 2009 2 1 0 3 2010 1 0 0 1 2011 2 0 0 2 2012 0 0 0 0 Total 6 1 0 7

6.14 The serious accident occurred in 2009 at the Hoton Road/Brook Street junction and involved a Moped colliding with a Minibus travelling in the opposite direction. The accident description states this was a result of the Moped ‘Centre Stand’ which would suggest mechanical failure is the causation factor. There is no accident cluster location within Wymeswold and Figure 1 below shows the location of each accident that has occurred during the 5 year period considered within the Transport Statement.

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Highways Statement by Tim Rose Rempstone Road, Wymeswold

Figure 1: Accident Location Plan

Source: Leicestershire County Council Accident Studies Team, 2012

6.15 All of the remaining 6 accidents were of slight severity. No accidents involved pedestrians or cyclists and all occurred in different locations within Wymeswold. Further to the review of the PIA records it is considered that given the small number of accidents recorded in the study area it is considered that there is no existing accident problem or pattern that requires further investigation.

6.16 In order to facilitate pedestrian movements from the site to the local amenities and facilities within Wymeswold, an uncontrolled pedestrian island crossing is proposed on Rempstone Road to the east of the site access that comprises a 2m wide central refuge, tactile paving and dropped kerbs. It is considered the crossing will aid pedestrian movements across Rempstone Road for both future residents of the Appeal site and existing residents using Storkit Lane. It is noted the ability for parents with young families (pushchairs) to cross the A6006 was highlighted as a concern by the Parish Council following the completion of the Wysall Lane development and therefore the provision of the 2m wide central refuge is considered sufficient as part of the development proposal to aid these movements.

6.17 The uncontrolled pedestrian island crossing has been subject to a Stage 1 Road Safety Audit included as part of the Transport Statement submitted as part of the planning application.

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Highways Statement by Tim Rose Rempstone Road, Wymeswold

6.18 The speed of vehicles travelling along the A6006 through Wymeswold has also been highlighted by the Parish Council and residents as a concern. A 7-day ATC was undertaken in September 2012 to consider speeds in the location of the proposed development access. The ATC survey has determined the following 85th percentile speeds on Rempstone Road in the location of the proposed access:

• Westbound = 37.0mph; • Eastbound = 33.3mph.

6.19 It is noted based on the above that existing speeds are in excess of the 30mph subjected speed limit in this location, and measures including vehicle activated speed (VAS) signs have been installed on the approach to Wymeswold to warn drivers of excessive speed. Although the speeds of vehicles is an existing issue which is for the highway authority and police to enforce, it is considered the provision of the uncontrolled pedestrian island crossing will help to reduce speeds in this location via the provision of a physical refuge.

Loss of Storkit Lane 6.20 Essentially the Storkit Lane link will be retained and incorporated into the scheme as part of the development proposal and therefore it is not considered this is a fundamental issue or valid reason for refusal. This is supported by the local planning authority comments on Page 63 of the committee report.

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Highways Statement by Tim Rose Rempstone Road, Wymeswold

7.0 SUMMARY

7.1 In summary it is my view the Appeal site is located in a sustainable location with access to a good range of facilities and amenities which are located within acceptable walking distances as stated in the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation publication ‘Providing for Journeys on Foot’ (2001).

7.2 The development proposals do not give rise to any capacity or highway safety issues with key factors including speeds, existing highway safety and traffic generation all considered in detail as part of the development proposals.

7.3 As part of the development proposals a number of measures will be provided which will further aid and improve accessibility to the Appeal site and encourage sustainable movement. This meets the aims and aspirations of the National Planning Policy Framework by facilitating the use of sustainable modes of transport.

7.4 The Appeal site has been considered against various existing national, regional and local policies and has been shown to meet all relevant criteria. The lack of sustainable access to a Doctor’s Surgery is acknowledged, however, it is considered access to all other key amenities and facilities including a primary school, secondary school, local shops and regular bus services are available within acceptable distances from the Appeal site.

7.5 It is my view the Appeal Site supports and facilitates the use of sustainable modes of transport and it is noted the Highway Authority (Leicestershire County Council) do not object to the development proposals.

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APPENDIX A

Response from Wymeswold Parish Council to Charnwood Borough Council regarding planning application P/12/2117/2: Site for the erection of up to 32 dwellings on land north of Rempstone Road, Wymeswold

Wymeswold Parish Council considered the above planning application at its meeting of s'" November 2012 and objects to the application for the following reasons:

• This application is contrary to the current planning guidelines regarding the village

• The village of Wymeswold does not have the required key facilities or services to be considered a Service Centre within Charnwood Borough Council's Settlement Hierarchy, and does not have the required level of services to be considered ·as a sustainable community

• The application raises serious road safety issues on Rempstone Road

• The Parish Council objects to the loss of the lower part of Storkit Lane, being a valuable green lane used by the community for walking, riding and enjoying the diverse mixture of fauna and flora

The reasons for these objections are detailed below:

1. Current Planning Guidelines for Wymeswold

In Charnwood Borough Council's 'Settlement Hierarchy' Wymeswold is defined as an 'Other Settlement'. The process of defining the settlement hierarchy has taken a number of years and Wymeswold Parish Council has helped to gather evidence in this process through consultation, surveys and also attending workshops as part of the Service Centre Capacity Assessment. As a result, The Parish Council agrees with Charnwood's designation.

Charnwood's planning guidance was amended in May 2012 to incorporate the new National Planning Policy Framework, and the new approach to development for 'Other Settlements' such as Wymeswold is:

"Residential development will only be permitted where the proposal is within the limits to development, small scale (appropriate to the size of settlement) and where it will enhance or maintain the vitality of rural communities".

It is quite clear that the proposed development is both outside the existing limits to development and not small scale. It is also questionable whether it would 'enhance or maintain' what is already a very vibrant community.

The Planning Statement in support of the application references the Borough of Charnwood Local Plan from January 2004 (Paragraph 4.81), noting that in the plan Wymeswold was identified as "one of the larger rural settlements in the Wolds Area where some limited housing growth would be appropriate to help serve and sustain the Wolds communities"

However, since 2004 Wymeswold has seen: • 68 new properties developed on land each side of Wysall Lane • 6 new properties developed on Manor Court • 4 new properties developed on Paget Croft • 5 new properties developed on Mantle Croft • 2 properties recently being granted planning permission (on Brook Street and Wysall Lane)

With a total of 85 new properties developed (or being developed) since the 2004, the Parish Council feels that Wymeswold has more-than fulfilled any capacity for new development outlined in the 2004 Local Plan. 2. Sustainability and Key Local Services

The Boyer Planning application makes several references to Wymeswold's range of service facilities and its role as a service centre within the local area. For example, paragraph 6.6 states:

"The services and facilities on offer demonstrate the sustainability of the settlement for a modest increase in development"

Whilst recognising that the village does have some key facilities, such as a primary school, it does not have important other services such as a secondary school, supermarket, healthcare provision, employment or transport links in order to be considered sustainable.

In paragraph 6.4 of the Planning Statement the applicant lists the current range of facilities.

These are described as 'key' facilities although the Parish Council would question how many could be defined as 'key'. For example, it is difficult to argue the provision of an allotment area, pine furniture shop or go-kart racing as 'key' services when other key services such as education, healthcare or public transport provision are absent.

The Parish Council wishes to add the following notes against the range of services available:

• The General Stores is a small newsagents/shop and not a supermarket. • The Pharmacy is open daytimes Monday to Friday, but not in the evenings or weekends. • The Post Office Outreach Service is available for 12 hours per week over three days. · The Saturday opening of the service was cancelled in November 2012. • The Mobile Library service is fortnightly . • The bus se~ice is daytime only and does not run in the evenings or Sundays .

In addition:

• In paragraph 6.5 the applicant cites the recent expansion of Wymeswold Primary School byJhe County Council. This expansion was actually paid for by monies received from the S106 agreement with Wimpey Homes over the Wysall Lane development. Wymeswold School is currently running on sustainable numbers and is projected to do so for the coming 3 -4 years There is no evidence to support the need to build new properties to ensure the school maintaining numbers. Indeed, any new influx of families as a result of the proposed new properties could potentially present a capacity problem for the school.

• · Paragraph 6.5 refers to the recently-developed Dogs Trust Rehoming Centre which opened in June 2012 and, it is argued, provides further employment opportunities. In fact, of the approx 40 staff recruited by the Dogs Trust this year only one person was recruited from Wymeswold. The specialist nature of the work has entailed staff being recruited from other rehom ing centres elsewhere and therefore it cannot be argued that this represents as significant employment opportunity for the village. It should be noted that two of the staff who have re-located to the area to work at the Dogs Trust have since settled in Wymeswold.

• There is no public transport access to the medical centres at Barrow or East Leake. Wymeswold falls within the defined catchment area of both these surgeries and evidence from Wymeswold Pharmacy (Oct 2012) has shown that over 90% of Wymeswold residents are registered with either Barrow or East Leake surgeries. Any new development would inevitably create new car journeys from residents using these services, which underlines Wymeswold status as 'unsustainable'. In paragraph 4.14 of the Planning Statement, the applicant states that:

"Wymeswold, as the largest settlement in the Wolds, has a service function in respect to other small settlements"

Similarly, in paragraphs 6.3 and 7.3the applicant states:

Wymeswold is the principal settlement in the rural part of the district and serves a substantial rural hinterland"

Neither of these statements are qualified and are not supported by any evidence.

Geographically, Wymeswold sits in the middle of a circle of smaller villages, namely Burton­ on-the-Wolds, Cotes, Prestwold, Hoton, Rempstone, Wysall, Willoughby and the Six Hills area.

These villages are themselves are in close proximity to other Service Centres, ,namely Barrow, Loughborough, East Leake, Keyworth and, to a lesser extent, Melton Mowbray.

The Boyer Planning application only considers Wymeswold's relation with other settlements in the Borough of Charnwood. However, Wymeswold sits on the very edge of the Borough and only four miles from East Leake and Keyworth, both of which have medical facilities, secondary schools, supermarkets, banks and leisure centres known to be used by village residents.

Local evidence presented at a meeting of the Wolds Joint Parish Councils meeting in April 2010 suggests that for essential services, the villages surrounding Wymeswold are served as follows:

Village Service Centre Burton Barrow & Loughborough Prestwold Barrow and Loughborough Hoton Loughborough Rempstone East Leake and Loughborough Wysall East Leake and Keyworth Wi,lloughby Keyworth

In order to investigate this further, Wymeswold Parish Council carried out a survey within the village residents in July 2010 to assess:

• The extent to which Wymeswold acts as a 'Service Centre' to the surrounding Wolds villages

• The extent to which other settlements (particularly Loughborough, Barrow, East Leake and Keyworth) act as Service Centres to provide facilities to the parishioners of Wymeswold.

The sample points were two village services in Wymeswold: the Outreach Post Office and the village Pharmacy. These points were chosen simply because neither of these two services are available in the 'ring' of surrounding villages (ie Burton, Hoton, Rempstone, Wysall, Willoughby and Six Hills) but are available outside that circle, namely at Barrow, Loughborougti, East Leake, Keyworth and Melton. The results of the survey were fol'Warded to Charnwood Borough Council and were incorporated into the final Service Centre Capacity Assessment published in December 2011 as follows: (Paragraph 3.53)

"The suNey results indicate that whilst Wymeswold offers a primary school, provision for some day to day shopping and limited post office facilities, the lack of a full time post office and other key seNices in close proximity (such as a main food store, secondary school, doctors surgery, fixed library and bank) mean most people have to travel elsewhere (especially to Loughborough, Barrow upon Soar and East Leake) with many car based trips notably between local villages because of the limited public transport seNices available. The survey's findings seem to confirm that Wymeswold plays a limited role as a local centre for residents of the village and nearby communities"

On the basis of evidence gained and provided, Wymeswold Parish Council therefore does not agree with Boyer Planning's claim that Wymeswold acts as a service centre within the local area.

3. Road Safety Issues on Rempstone Road

The Parish Council has concerns regarding safety at the proposed T-junction onto the busy A6006 on Rempstone Road.

In September 2012 a Community Speedwatch initiative identified a total of 496 vehicles exceeding the 30mph limit at the proposed junction over a total of 28 hours monitoring at this point. The average speed recorded was 38.6mph.

In October 2012 Leicestershire Police identified this location for mobile speed enforcement, due to the high number of incidences of speeding in the Community Speedwatch scheme.

Whilst the application addresses technical issues such as visibility splays, it does not address the safety of pedestrians attempting to cross the A6006 at this point and the dangers therein.

The recent 68-property development of land off Wysall Lane has seen considerable problems with pedestrians trying to cross the busy A6006, often with young families. Wymeswold Parish Council has been working with .Leics CC Highways to address these issues and one suggested solution was the provision of a school crossing patrol person. Agreement was reached for the provision of an SCP in February 2012 but a safe location on the A6006 for the patrol could not be identified.

Wymeswold Parish Council believes that similar problems could occur with the proposed development on land north of Rempstone Road. The Council also believes that proposed development will generate many additional car movements (based upon the Wysall Lane development experience) as parents will drive children to school, firstly because of fears crossing the road and secondly because the school is at the opposite end of the village to the proposed site.

The Parish Council feels that the proposed new development would only add to the problems of pedestrians trying to cross the A6006 to access village services and therefore does not consider this to be a safe location for development. 4. Loss of Storkit Lane as a village amenity and 'green lane'

For many years the lane known as Storkit Lane has been used by the parishioners of Wymeswold for walking, dog walking, riding and enjoying the rich diversity of wildlife. The proposed application sees the removal of the lower part of Storkit Lane therefore Wymeswold Parish Council objects to the loss of this important public amenity.

Storkit Lane also acts as a bridleway and while this right of way is retained on the proposed plan, it is shown directly next to a public road and pavement with no segregation. The Parish Council feels that this represents a risk to public safety as horses would be accessing the same areas as members of the public and youngsters, as well as the service road.

Storkit Lane is also presently uses as an agricultural access road for several landowners with fields further along the lane to the north of the development. Whilst an access route has been retained, this would see the movement of agricultural vehicles and horseboxes through the new development in order to access these fields. Wymeswold Parish Council feels that such movements are incompatible with a quiet residential area and would also represent a safety risk to pedestrians.

For the above reasons Wymeswold Parish Council feels that planning permission for this development should be refused. APPENDIX B

1 2 3 4 5 6

5 7 8 9 13 10 9 6 12 2 10 1 18 5 11 1516 8 17 14 12 4 11 3 13 7

14 15 16 17 18 19

REV: AMENDMENTS: DRN: CHK: DATE: PROJECT: REMSTONE ROAD WYMESWOLD

DRAWING TITLE:

LOCAL FACILITIES/AMENITIES 19

CLIENT: R.A AND M.J BIRKLE

DRAWING NUMBER: 20435_15_001

REVISION: SHEET SIZE: DATE: A3 14.05.13

DRAWN BY: CHECKED BY: SCALE: MM TR NTS

Wellington House Leicester Road Ibstock Leicestershire LE67 6HP T: 01530 264 753 F: 01530 588 116 [email protected] www.m-ec.co.uk APPENDIX C

REV: AMENDMENTS: DRN: CHK: DATE: PROJECT: REMPSTONE ROAD WYMESWOLD

DRAWING TITLE:

CYCLE ROUTES

CLIENT: R.A AND M.J BIRKLE

DRAWING NUMBER: 20435_15_003

REVISION: SHEET SIZE: DATE: A2 14.05.13

DRAWN BY: CHECKED BY: SCALE: MM TR NTS

Wellington House Leicester Road Ibstock Leicestershire LE67 6HP T: 01530 264 753 F: 01530 588 116 [email protected] www.m-ec.co.uk APPENDIX D

REV: AMENDMENTS: DRN: CHK: DATE: PROJECT: REMPSTONE ROAD WYMESWOLD

DRAWING TITLE:

BUS ROUTES

CLIENT: R.A AND M.J BIRKLE

DRAWING NUMBER: 20435_15_002

REVISION: SHEET SIZE: DATE: A3 14.05.13

DRAWN BY: CHECKED BY: SCALE: MM TR NTS

Wellington House Leicester Road Ibstock Leicestershire LE67 6HP T: 01530 264 753 F: 01530 588 116 [email protected] www.m-ec.co.uk APPENDIX E

20435 - Rempstone Rd, Wymeswold

2001 census - UK travel flows (ward) ONS Crown Copyright Reserved [from Nomis on 13 May 2013]

Area of Residence: 31UCHJ : The Wolds (2003 CAS ward) Date: 2001

T206:1 T206:1 Area of Workplace (Total : All people - Total ) (% of All people ) 31UCHJ : The Wolds 441 34.2% *Loughborough town (all wards) 293 22.7% Leicester 135 10.5% 31UCGS : Loughborough Lemyngton 106 8.2% Nottingham 105 8.1% 31UCGX : Loughborough Southfields 72 5.6% Rushcliffe 54 4.2% North West Leicestershire 47 3.6% 31UCGN : Loughborough Ashby 34 2.6% 31UCGR : Loughborough Hastings 31 2.4% 31UCGH : Barrow and Sileby West 25 1.9% Melton 23 1.8% Derby 21 1.6% 31UCHD : Shepshed East 15 1.2% Hinckley and Bosworth 15 1.2% 31UCGW : Loughborough Shelthorpe 14 1.1% 31UCHB : Quorn and Mountsorrel Castle 14 1.1% 31UCGT : Loughborough Nanpantan 13 1.0% 31UCGY : Loughborough Storer 12 0.9% Oadby and Wigston 12 0.9% 31UCGP : Loughborough Dishley and Hathern 11 0.9% 31UCHK : Thurmaston 11 0.9% 31UCHE : Shepshed West 10 0.8% 31UCHL : Wreake Villages 9 0.7% Erewash 9 0.7% 31UCHF : Sileby 8 0.6% 31UCGM : Forest Bradgate 6 0.5% 31UCHC : Rothley and Thurcaston 6 0.5% 31UCHH : Syston West 6 0.5% Broxtowe 6 0.5% Gedling 6 0.5% 31UCGK : Birstall Watermead 3 0.2% Harborough 3 0.2% Rutland 3 0.2% South Derbyshire 3 0.2% 31UCGG : Anstey 0 0.0% 31UCGJ : Birstall Wanlip 0 0.0% 31UCGL : East Goscote 0 0.0% 31UCGQ : Loughborough Garendon 0 0.0% 31UCGU : Loughborough Outwoods 0 0.0% 31UCGZ : Mountsorrel 0 0.0% 31UCHA : Queniborough 0 0.0% 31UCHG : Syston East 0 0.0% Corby 0 0.0% Daventry 0 0.0% East Northamptonshire 0 0.0% Kettering 0 0.0% TOTAL PEOPLE IN EMPLOYMENT (16-74): 1,289 100.0%

Notes:-

Data sourced from nomis website using an advanced query of the "Census of Population" theme (UK travel flows ward). https://www.nomisweb.co.uk All wards from the Stratford and Warwick districts are included as well as data for surrounding local authority areas.

Charnwood District wards are shown in red text.

Please note that all wards within Loughborough town are shown in italic bold text and an aggregate town sub-total has been included in the table above.

31UCGN : Loughborough Ashby 34 31UCGP : Loughborough Dishley and Hathern 11 31UCGQ : Loughborough Garendon 0 31UCGR : Loughborough Hastings 31 31UCGS : Loughborough Lemyngton 106 31UCGT : Loughborough Nanpantan 13 31UCGU : Loughborough Outwoods 0 31UCGW : Loughborough Shelthorpe 14 31UCGX : Loughborough Southfields 72 31UCGY : Loughborough Storer 12 *Loughborough Town Total 293

2013-05-13 the wolds ward resident pop_nomis_2001 jtw census data The Wolds (Resident Pop.) 20435 - Rempstone Rd, Wymeswold

"The Wolds" ward boundary:

PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT SITE LOCATION

2013-05-13 the wolds ward resident pop_nomis_2001 jtw census data The Wolds (Resident Pop.) APPENDIX F

Drainage

Transport

Structures

Contamination

Environment

Surveying

Wellington House Leicester Road, lbstock Leicestershire LE67 6HP

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