Land at Meadcroft, Road, Whalley:

Outline Planning Application for Residential Development

Design and Access Statement

On behalf of Mr and Mrs Day

Date: 01/07/2014

Smiths Gore 26 Coniscliffe Road Darlington DL3 7JX

smiths gore .co.uk

A Design and Access Statement in support of an outline planning application by Mr and Mrs Day for residential development on land at Meadcroft, Clitheroe Road, Whalley

Introduction We have been instructed by Mr and Mrs Day to prepare an outline planning application (with all matters reserved) for the demolition of existing buildings and the erection of residential development on land at Meadcroft, Clitheroe Road, near Whalley. This Design and Access Statement forms part of the application and should be read in conjunction with the accompanying Planning Statement and other supporting documentation.

The Design and Access Statement has been carried out in accordance with the guidance published by CABE and the guidance set out by Borough Council regarding the preparation of such statements. The statement demonstrates that the proposed development is compatible with the site’s surroundings, having regard to local character, and will be accessible and inclusive.

Assessment of existing site and surroundings The application site is situated off Clitheroe Road; sited between the settlements of Barrow and Whalley and is approximately 0.99 hectares in size. Access to the site is to be gained direct from Clitheroe Road.

The site is located outside Green Belt and is bounded by open countryside to the east, the A59 runs west – east to the south of the site, a cemetery lies to the west and existing development lies to the north, which includes Whalley Industrial Park (on the east side of Clitheroe Road) and housing, the Spread Eagle Public House and Berkins’ delicatessen and gift shop (on the west side of Clitheroe Road). Planning permission has also been recently granted in the local area for residential development.

There is a good range of local services and facilities, beyond those referred to above. These include Barrow Primary School, a general (Co-operative) store, a church, a mobile library, several takeaways / restaurants and many businesses providing local employment opportunities.

Moreover, bus services run along Clitheroe Road at frequent intervals during the day, providing direct connections to Clitheroe and Whalley (every 15 minutes) and other destinations such as Preston, and (service intervals of 30 to 60 minutes).

More extensive shopping, community and public transport (including rail) services and facilities are to be found in Whalley, approximately 1.4km to the south and Clitheroe, approximately 5km to the north.

Access to the site is available direct from Clitheroe Road which would be upgraded in association with future development.

The application proposes the development of new build residential units (including the demolition of the existing buildings). The indicative drawings illustrate that this can be achieved in the form of modern detached housing with associated parking and amenity space and have been designed to fit in with the locality with minimum impact on the adjacent residential units, graveyard and the visual amenity of the surrounding area. Please see the indicative plans for further detail.

The proposal is for an attractive, low density development similar to the type that has received planning permission in the area. The biggest factors in determining the layout were the busy A59 road to the south, the topography of the site, the route of a public footpath, site drainage and retention of existing mature trees.

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The new housing are illustrated on the indicative drawings to be one and two storey and of a size and scale that matches the existing dwelling on site, other new housing developments with recent planning permission in the locality, and existing housing in the area.

Use / Amount The proposed development is to provide new build residential units and associated parking on the site. Due to the proposal being over the required threshold for affordable units, the 0.99 hectare development site comprises 9 detached dwellings; 6 of which are two storey “market” houses with integrated double garages and 3 of which are single storey “affordable” dwellings with off-street parking. A Section 106 Agreement will be signed as part of any future consent to ensure that three units remain affordable in perpetuity.

There are three different indicative types of dwelling proposed, ranging from two to five bedroomed properties. Please see the indicative plans for further detail.

Each unit will have an adequate number of parking spaces as set out in the Manual for Street guidance. Parking would be situated within the development site therefore avoiding the creation of a road frontage on Clitheroe Road dominated by on-street parking.

The indicative design prepared for the site indicates that up to 9 dwellings of footprints of between 65 and 318 square metres each on the site would be appropriate and achievable. In addition to this, space is available for adequate gardens to be provided to the front and rear of each of the properties.

An indicative schedule of numbers and sizes is provided on the submitted layout drawing. The amount of development is, however, a reserved matter in this outline planning application.

Layout As this is an outline planning application, specific details would be agreed at reserved matters stage. The layout of the indicative scheme, however, takes the form of detached housing which has been staggered so the buildings are not regimented. This staggered form also relates to the contours of the existing site.

As stated above, the proposal is for an attractive, low density development of the type that has received planning permission in the area. The biggest factors in determining the layout were the busy A59 road to the south, the slope of the site (east down to west), the route of a public footpath, site drainage and retention of existing mature trees.

The layout is centred on an attractive attenuation pond that will collect surface water from the site and the flow from two small, intermittent watercourses that flow across the site. The access road sweeps around this and serves houses that are arranged on the most level part of the site and along the contours. This reduces the height of the overall scheme and puts the majority of the housing plots as far from the A59 as the scheme permits.

The houses are arranged so the majority overlook the pond and have private space to their rears. Around the pond is a landscaped area which will form a focal point for the small community that will develop here.

The existing trodden route public footpath route has been retained and incorporated into the scheme. Please see the indicative layout plan and Planning Statement for further information on this matter.

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Several alternative schemes have been looked at including a mock converted farmstead (e.g. farmhouse with converted barns, stables etc.) and variations on the attenuation pond theme with it being further to the south and with different arrangements of housing around it. None of these were thought to be as attractive or as practical as the submitted scheme.

This is a contemporary scheme with variety and interest introduced into the house types, sizes, and materials. It has a focus on the design and quality of the environment.

The entrance to the site will be from Clitheroe Road.

Scale As this is an outline planning application, specific details (such as heights and widths) would be agreed at reserved matters stage. However, an indicative layout has been prepared which indicates that the height and massing of the proposed development being 2 storey and single storey residential units, incorporating from two to five bedrooms, would be appropriate on a site of this size. Dwellings of such size are considered to have ample garden and parking areas as shown on the indicative layout plan.

The new housing will be one and two storey and of a size and scale that matches the existing dwelling on site, other new housing developments with planning permission and existing housing in the area.

Landscaping As this is an outline planning application, specific details in relation to landscaping would be agreed at reserved matters stage. However, an indicative layout has been prepared which indicates that new planting can be proposed within and on the boundary of the site to add further amenity value to the development site. Please refer to the indicative plans for further detail.

The site consists of trees along the western boundary. It is proposed that these trees will remain as part of the future scheme. In addition, the indicative plans illustrate that the site could incorporate additional landscaping along the boundary of the site which will enhance the ecology and biodiversity of the area whilst screening the site from the A59.

As mentioned above, the layout is centred on an attenuation pond that will collect surface water from the site and the flow from two small, intermittent watercourses that flow across the site. These watercourses will be diverted to suit the layout of the housing and will be more akin to swales than streams until they reach the point where they receive surface water, when they will be hard lined and culverted under paths and roads. It is believed that a culvert already exists parallel with Clitheroe Road and this takes drainage from the north easterly watercourse, possibly intersecting with the south easterly watercourse and then passing into another culvert under Clitheroe Road, thence discharging into the stream on the western side of the road (opposite the southern western corner of the site). The attenuation pond will ensure that water is discharged at a rate that avoids increasing flood risk further down the stream.

The intention is that the feel of the rest of the landscaping will be relatively undomesticated and as close to the unimproved meadow feel that the non-forested parts of the site currently have.

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The copse planting to the upper, south eastern part of the site will be removed to provide clear, meadow type garden space if required by the purchasers. The existing A59 planting (within the Highways Agency boundary) will of course remain to retain what screening there already is. The trees along the edge of Clitheroe Road will be retained as shown on the plan. Hedging further along Clitheroe Road will also be retained and there will be the option to plant hedging along the northern and eastern boundaries.

Appearance Although the appearance of any dwelling is to be agreed at reserved matters stage, the indicative plans submitted show that careful consideration has been given to the proposal to ensure that the proposed development would maximise the use of the site without affecting the visual amenities of the adjacent graveyard or negatively impacting on the existing built up environment to the north and south of the site. The proposed illustrative dwellings have been designed to reflect the character of the surrounding area in order to integrate with the local context whilst having a slight contemporary feel to the units to avoid a monotonous approach to the housing design.

Exact materials to be used will be decided during the preparation of a reserved matters application and samples will also be submitted to and approved by the Council before building works commence.

Notwithstanding the above, it is the intention that the development matches the style of architecture in the area (in Whalley village and along Clitheroe Road). This is actually quite diverse and includes brick, stone and render.

Access The vehicular entrance to the site is proposed off Clitheroe Road, as existing. This allows good visibility in both directions, ensuring the safety of vehicles entering and exiting the site, in line with the provisions of Manual for Streets.

The location of this access is shown on the indicative plans provided in support of the application.

A single 5.5m wide macadam road with parallel 2m wide footpath accesses the site. It is proposed that this is adopted and it includes an appropriately sized turning head at the end. The radius of the entrance curves is 6m and there are 2.4m x 120m and 100m visibility splays to the north and south respectively. At the end of the entrance radii and at the point where the public footpath crosses the road there are speed bumps which bring the road up to footpath level.

In addition to the parallel path there is also a meandering, 2m wide, landscaped path that runs around the attenuation pond on the western side of the road. This connects with the parallel path to form a complete circuit.

There is a public footpath (Footpath 11) across the site that is trodden on the ground. This route has been retained and is a 2m wide paved path that is part of the landscaped western path referred to above. Beyond the last dwelling the public footpath reduces to a gravelled surface of minimum 1.2m width. Please see the indicative proposed plans and Planning Statement for further information regarding the Footpath.

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The access road avoids inappropriate gradients by entering at the most level part of the site and then turning to follow the contours at the foot of the slope. There are two lay-bys for visitor parking and each property then has off-street parking (with provision for wheelchair access) comprising a double garage and double driveway for each of the four/five bedroom houses and a single off-street space for the two bedroomed bungalows. The proposed plans also illustrate visitor parking within the scheme.

There will be a footpath to each dwelling that are clear of parking, 1.2m wide and at a maximum gradient of 1:20 to ensure that wheelchair access is maintained.

Each house will be designed to be compliant with Approved Document M of the Building Regulations hence they will be suitable for disabled access on the ground floor. This proposal provides an inclusive access to the development.

Existing Business The existing wholesale Flower and Christmas Tree business will cease to trade upon development of the site. The business was set up by our clients and they are no longer in a position to carry on trading. As such the development of the site is to ensure that the best use of the site is obtained.

The number of current employees is 3 (all family); as such the closure of the business would not have an impact on the local economy. It is considered that the employment associated with the construction and sale of the new dwellings will outweigh the end of the small family business. As such, the proposal would not have an adverse impact of existing employment. Please see the Planning Statement for further information regarding this matter.

Conclusion Overall, the proposed development site at Meadcroft, off Clitheroe Road, aims to create a place that addresses sustainable design objectives and makes a positive contribution to the surrounding area.

The design proposed accords with all relevant planning polices and has taken into account the requirements of the Local Authority. The design, albeit indicative (as this is an outline planning application will all matters reserved), is considered to make a positive contribution to the character of the area.

Through this report and accompanying documents for the planning application an appraisal of the site in relation to its surroundings has been undertaken to inform the initial design process. Every effort has been made to take account of any relevant planning issues that may emerge through the consideration of the application. Notwithstanding this, we remain willing to discuss any aspect of the proposal with the Local Planning Authority.

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