Outline Application Submission – Land adjacent to Forge House, Egerton Road, Charing Heath. Design and Access Statement Introduction This document forms part of the outline application submission for the development of the land adjacent to Forge House to provide five new dwellings consisting of 1x semi-detached four-bedroom dwelling over two stories, 2x semi-detached three-bedroom dwellings over two stories, 1x single storey detached three-bedroom dwelling and 1x semi-detached two-bedroom dwelling over one storey with accommodation in the roof space. The existing Grade II dwelling and outbuildings sit outside the application site and separated from the proposed development by a mature hedge which is to be retained, the proposals have been carefully designed to ensure that the impact on the retained dwelling and its setting are minimal. Existing Site The application site is located on Egerton road in the hamlet of Charing Heath which is approx. 1.5 miles from the nearest village of Charing. The site is defined by the existing curtilage of the paddock to the west of Forge House and measures approx. 2500sqm in area. Forge House is a Grade II Listed building with several outbuildings including a recently constructed oak-framed carport that abuts the eastern boundary of the application site, the listed house itself is set further away from the site beyond the drive. The application site has its own clearly defined boundary with only a timber pedestrian gated access to the paddock which will be stopped up. The site is located on the southern side of Egerton Road at the junction with Church Hill and forms part of a small cluster of dwellings located south-west of the Red Lion Public House at the centre of the hamlet. Egerton road is a quiet country road that runs along the southern edge of the settlement of Charing Heath, which includes a local public house, church, village hall and Heath Farm School. Other services such as a primary school, shops, butchers, coffee shop and post office and station can be found in the nearby village of Charing (1.5miles) with similar services found in Lenham (2.6miles) and Egerton (1.7miles). The application site, which has previously been used as a paddock is surrounded on all sides by developed land and as such can reasonably be defined as an infill site. The site is bounded by walls and fencing to all sides with mature tree and hedge planting to the south, east and west boundaries, which will be retained for the proposed development. The application site is broadly triangular in form with dwellings on the opposite side of Egerton Road to the north and west, Forge House to the east and Heath Farm School to the south, existing mature hedging and trees ensure a dense and obscured view of the school from the application site. The main school buildings are primarily positioned to the centre of the school site, several additional buildings have been recently added to the north east of the main school however these buildings have no windows on the northern elevations meaning that there will be no loss of privacy to these buildings from the application site. The North boundary of the site adjacent to Egerton Road is defined by a combination of a stone wall, timber fencing and hedging, there is an existing metal five bar gate that provides access to the paddock. P131-April 2017 Planning Policies The planning policies that are relevant to the proposals, include: Ashford Borough Council - Core Strategy 2008 Tenterden and Rural Sites DPD 2012 National Planning Policy Framework 2012 (NPPF) There is also an emerging planning policy document that could be considered to carry some weight in considering the proposals: Ashford Borough Council Local Plan to 2030 (under review) Tenterden and Rural sites DPD includes policy TRS 1 which addresses minor residential development or in filling and states the following: Policy TRS1 - Minor residential development or infilling Minor development or infilling will be acceptable within the built-up confines of Tenterden and the following villages: Aldington, Appledore, Bethersden, Biddenden, Boughton Lees, Brabourne Lees, Challock, Charing, Chilham, Egerton, Great Chart, Hamstreet, High Halden, Hothfield, Kingsnorth, Mersham, Pluckley, Rolvenden, Shadoxhurst, Smarden, Wittersham, Woodchurch and Wye; providing that the following requirements are met: a) the development can easily be integrated into the existing settlement without the need to substantially improve the infrastructure or other facilities; b) the proposal is of a layout, scale, design and appearance that is appropriate to the character and density of its surrounding area; c) it does not result in the displacement of other active uses such as employment, leisure or community uses in the area; and, d) the proposal would not result in the loss of public or private open spaces or gaps that are important characteristics of the settlement. Whilst Charing Heath is not referenced in the list of villages in this policy it should be noted that the proposal would meet the criteria of this policy. A new Local Plan is currently being prepared by Ashford Borough Council to address the accommodation of new homes and jobs within the borough up to 2030. A Regulation 19 version of the emerging Local Plan was published in June 2016 and was then the subject of consultation until August 2016. At present the council are considering the representations made on the Regulation 19 version of the plan with Spring 2017 reserved for any further consultations. Whilst it is to be acknowledged that these policies are still in draft stage and yet to be adopted, some limited weight can be afforded as a material consideration, as it indicates the councils anticipated direction of travel in the period leading towards 2030. The two relevant polices in the document are provided below and as can be seen, the list of settlements in Policy HOU 4 has been expanded to include Charing Heath. Policy HOU3 - Residential development in Ashford urban area Windfall residential development is acceptable within the built-up confines of Ashford providing that it can be easily integrated into the existing urban area and the development: Is of a scale, layout, design and appearance that is appropriate to and is compatible with the character and density of the surrounding area; P131-April 2017 Does not create an adverse significant impact on the amenity of residents; Would not result in harm to or the loss of public or private open spaces that contribute positively to the local character of the area (including residential gardens); Would not result in significant harm to the surrounding landscape; nearby heritage assets or important biodiversity networks.; Is capable of having safe lighting and pedestrian access provided without significant impact on neighbours or on the integrity of the street-scene. Policy HOU4 - Residential Development in the rural settlements Minor residential development and infilling of a scale that can be easily integrated into the existing settlement will be acceptable within the confines of the following settlements, Aldington, Appledore, Appledore Heath, Bethersden, Biddenden, Bilsington, Boughton Lees/Eastwell, Brabourne Lees/Smeeth, Brook, Challock, Charing, Charing Heath , Chilham, Crundale, Egerton, Egerton Forstal, Godmersham, Great Chart, Hamstreet, Hastingleigh, High Halden, Hothfield, Kenardington, Little Chart, Mersham, Molash, Newenden, Old Wives Lees, Pluckley, Pluckley Thorne, Pluckley Station, Rolvenden, Rolvenden Layne, Ruckinge, Shadoxhurst, Shottenden, Smarden, Stone in Oxney, Tenterden (including St Michaels) Warehorne, Westwell, Wittersham, Woodchurch and Wye. providing that the following requirements are met: The proposal adheres to the requirements (a) – (e) of policy HOU3 above; The proposal is able to be safely accessible from the local road network and the traffic generated can be accommodated on the wider road network, The proposal does not need substantial infrastructure or other facilities to support it; The proposal would not displace an active use such as employment, leisure or community facility. The NPPF and Five Year Housing Land Supply Paragraph 49 of the NPPF states: “Housing applications should be considered in the context of the presumption in favour of sustainable development. Relevant policies for the supply of housing should not be considered up-to-date if the local planning authority cannot demonstrate a five-year supply of deliverable housing sites.” Therefore, where a local planning authority cannot demonstrate a five-year land supply, as has been accepted by Ashford as being the present case, Policy TRS1, in so far as it relates to housing, can be considered to be out of date. In accordance with paragraph 14 of the NPPF the presumption in favour of sustainable development makes clear that where relevant policies in the development plan are out of date, planning permission should be granted unless any adverse impacts of doing so would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits, when assessed against the policies in this Framework as a whole and unless specific policies in the Framework indicate development should be restricted. The emphasis of that statement is clear, and where a plan is out of date means that instead of assessing the simple balance between positive and negative factors, it is only proposals that have adverse effects which significantly outweigh the benefits overall, and which would constitute development that is unsustainable, which should not be granted. The proposal site does not lie within a designated planning area such as an AONB or Green Belt where development is restricted. It is not subject to any nature designations, such as being within an SSSI, and does not contain, and is not in proximity to, any physical constraint such as areas at risk of P131-April 2017 flooding. As such there are no specific policies within the NPPF which indicate that the development of the site should be restricted. Ashford Borough Council also has an urgent need for housing as demonstrated by the authority’s lack of a demonstrable five-year housing land supply.