Keresley Sustainable Urban Extension SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES Prepared by Pegasus Planning | Bluemark Developments Ltd/The Queen’s College, Oxford/Cala Homes (Midlands) Ltd | May 2009 | Bir.2588 KERESLEY SUSTAINABLE URBAN EXTENSION SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES Pegasus Planning Group 5 The Priory Old London Road Canwell Sutton Coldfield West Midlands B75 5SH Telephone: (0121) 308 9570 Facsimile: (0121) 323 2215 PPG Ref: BIR.2588 Date: May 2009 COPYRIGHT The contents of this document must not be copied or reproduced in whole or in part without the written consent of Pegasus Planning Group LLP Keresley Sustainable Urban Extension Social, Economic and Environmental Issues CONTENTS Page No 1. Introduction 1 2. Existing Baseline Position 4 3. Strategic Policy Context 27 4. Strategic Outputs 29 5. Specific Outputs 34 6. Conclusions 54 APPENDICES (BOUND SEPARATELY) 1. Retail Appraisal 2. Ward Based Study Area Plan – Drawing No. 38-1 3. Site Location Plan – Drawing No. 25-1 4. Open Space Provision Plan – 26-1 5. Education Provision Plan – Drawing No. 27-1 6. Community Services Plan – Drawing No. 28-1 7. Employment and Public Transport – Drawing No. 39-1 8. Priority Neighbourhoods BIR.2588 Keresley Sustainable Urban Extension Social, Economic and Environmental Issues 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 This document has been prepared to inform and support the development of a new sustainable urban extension on land on the northwest edge of the built up area of Coventry. It is prepared on behalf of clients the Queen’s College Oxford, Bluemark Developments and Cala Homes (Midlands) Ltd. The site itself is entirely contained within the Bablake Ward of the city. However, it abuts the Holbrook and Radford Wards within Coventry City Council’s administrative area, the Exhall ward within Nuneaton and Bedworth Council’s administrative district and the Fillongley ward within North Warwickshire’s administrative district. 1.2 The site incorporates an area of open land which is predominately in use for agricultural purposes. The area also contains other uses which could be expected in the urban fringe. These include a golf driving range, playing fields, areas of woodland, former mineral workings and recreational open space. The area also contains various buildings including areas of linear residential development located on the Tamworth Road (B4096), Bennetts Road, Fivefield Road and Thompson’s Road. 1.3 To the east of the site is the small settlement of Keresley. To the south of the village is the former Coventry Colliery now redeveloped as ProLogis Park. To the south of ProLogis Park is the President Kennedy Secondary School, its playing fields and further south again is the largely residential area which makes up the Holbrook area of the Coventry. 1.4 Beyond the most southerly part of the site is the Cardinal Newman Roman Catholic School and Community College and its playing fields located off Sandpits Lane. To the west are the largely linear settlements of Brownshill Green and Hawkes End. To the northwest is the rural settlement of Corley and further north is the M6 motorway including the Corley Motorway Service Area. 1.5 The site is largely defined by clear boundaries. To the north this site is defined by the administrative boundary between Coventry City Council and Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council, which in turn follows a public footpath. The eastern boundary is largely formed by Bennetts Road, with the exception of an area of open land located east of Bennetts Road which in turn is defined by Penny Park Lane, existing development off Brookford Avenue/Bantam Gardens/Hall Brook BIR.2588 Page 1 Keresley Sustainable Urban Extension Social, Economic and Environmental Issues Road and Watery Lane. To the south the site is defined by Sandpits Lane whilst its western boundary is formed by Tamworth Road. Policy Background 1.6 The proposal involves the release of Green Belt land on the north western edge of Coventry to help to achieve the housing targets identified in the RSS Phase II Revision. As part of the evidence base for Coventry City Council’s Core Strategy, areas of search were identified where land could be identified to meet with long term housing needs. As part of this process the City Council in its Core Strategy Proposed Submission has identified a site on the north western edge of the city as the Keresley Eco-Suburb (safeguarded land). The general location of this site is shown on the Spatial Strategy diagram. The Keresley Eco Suburb site is identified as having the capacity for 3,000 new dwellings, to form part of the housing supply to be delivered between 2006 – 2026. 1.7 Separate representations will be made relative to the specifics of the policies relating to Keresley, particularly the need to identify the site specifically as a strategic allocation for development. Purpose 1.8 This document is prepared to support the proposed identification of land at Keresley to form a sustainable urban extension. It also seeks to set out current social and economic conditions within and adjoining the site. This information will inform the developer of the proposed urban extension and help in maximising the benefits associated with the development of the site to those who live and work in its immediate surroundings. It is one of a series of reports addressing such issues as transportation, masterplanning, design and landscape which are submitted to Coventry City Council as part of the Core Strategy process. 1.9 The report identifies an appropriate study area for an appraisal of existing characteristics. This includes population characteristics, housing stock economic activity, educational attainment, crime, health and other social/economic characteristics. The report also identifies existing infrastructure and whether it has any capacity, so as to maximise the sustainability credentials of an urban extension. BIR.2588 Page 2 Keresley Sustainable Urban Extension Social, Economic and Environmental Issues 1.10 This document also aims to identify and quantify potential outputs from the proposal. These can take the form of specific physical works, identified targeted regeneration initiatives, as well as more generic benefits from increasing households within a particular catchment area. These benefits can take the form of specific physical outcomes such as the development of new employment or retail facilities or improvements to training initiatives, recruitment of workers or improvements to the range of available housing stock to provide more balanced communities. 1.11 Finally it is intended to specify the linkages between the various policy and regeneration aspirations and the outputs associated with the Keresley sustainable urban extension so as to maximise the benefits associated with the proposal in the widest possible sense. This will also allow for targeting of explicit issues through Section 106 Obligations or other measures associated with the development. BIR.2588 Page 3 Keresley Sustainable Urban Extension Social, Economic and Environmental Issues 2. EXISTING BASELINE POSITION Introduction 2.1 Various sources of information are available to establish current socio economic conditions within both those areas of Coventry City which include or immediately adjoin the Keresley sustainable urban extension. Sources of information to provide for the most robust and wide ranging baseline position include the following: • 2001 census • Indices of Multiple Deprivation (2007) • Annual Public Health Report and Coventry Compendium • Coventry City Council’s statistics produced by the City Council Research and Strategy Team 2.2 In addition to the above a wide range of supporting evidence has been produced by the City Council in support of the Core Strategy submission. This includes the following information which is of relevance to the consideration of social, economic and regeneration factors associated with the Keresley sustainable urban extension. Such reports include the following: • Coventry Joint Green Belt Review – January 2009 • Coventry Habitat Biodiversity Audit • Employment Land Study • Green Infrastructure Study • Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment • Housing Market Assessment • Coventry Population Estimates and Projections • Shopping and Centres Study Update (October 2008) • Coventry Green Belt Review • Education Provision in Coventry 2.3 Finally due to the juxtaposition of this site relative to the boundary with Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council and in particular the likely relationship between the northern portion of the site and the settlement of Keresley Newlands village, it is appropriate to identify baseline characteristics for the adjacent area within Nuneaton and Bedworth Council’s administrative district. This will also focus on BIR.2588 Page 4 Keresley Sustainable Urban Extension Social, Economic and Environmental Issues publicly available statistic information including the Census, IMD rankings and associated data, annual report of the Director of Public Health 2008 (Coventry and Warwickshire PCTs), and further information provided in support of the Nuneaton and Bedworth Local Development Framework. Extent of the Study Area 2.4 The study area for the consideration of the social, economic and regeneration aspects of the proposal is Ward based. Predominately it is focused upon those Wards in Coventry within which the Keresley proposal is located or those which immediately adjoin it. These Wards would consist of the Bablake Ward, within which the site is now wholly located, the Holbrook Ward which