Welcome to our exhibition

The Homes & Communities Agency (HCA) welcomes you to this public exhibition explaining our proposals for the redevelopment of the former Lea Castle Hospital site.

About the Homes & Communities Agency The Homes & Communities Agency (HCA) is a government body that is tasked with the delivery of, and investment in, new homes. This includes developing public sector land primarily for housing, as well as for a range of other uses including employment floorspace. The HCA seeks to work locally to meet local priorities. In 2014/15 the HCA helped to build more than 50,000 new homes through investment in land, and released enough public sector land to the market to create 23,000 new homes. For more information please visit the HCA’s website: www.gov.uk/hca

Aerial of site

The former Lea Castle Hospital site is a brownfield site to the north of . The site is identified by the Council in its adopted plan for new housing, business uses and sports facilities.

As a responsible landowner, the HCA has a positive role to play in bringing this previously developed site back into use and assisting the Council in meeting its needs for new housing and for employment land.

HCA is preparing an outline planning application for the site to include up to 600 new homes and up to 3,500 square metres of employment floorspace.

This exhibition shows how HCA land at the former Lea Castle Hospital site could be developed, whilst

Site location retaining the existing wooded setting and tree cover in the site.

Please take this opportunity to ask any questions you might have and let us know your thoughts on our proposals to redevelop the site. Your feedback will be used to inform a future outline planning application for the site which we hope to submit in early 2017.

Key site facts • Total site area of around 48 hectares. • Around 330,000 sq ft of existing floorspace. Around 19 hectares of existing woodland. Derelict hospital buildings • Context and the site

The need for new homesmes Access into the site is currently via Lea Castle The Lea Castle site is identifiedfied Drive to the north-west, for development in the Wyree accessed from the A449 Forest Site Allocations and and from Park Gate Road Policies Local Plan (adoptedd to the south. July 2013). Main site access from Park Gate Road The site area, including The Council is currently 19 hectares of woodland preparing a new Local is around 48 hectares. Plan for the District to coverr thethe The boundaries of the period up to 2032. It has identifiedentified the the need need for for site are covered by dense significantly more new homes to be provided in this woodland and vegetation period. It is, therefore, important that ‘brownfield’ that screen the site well View of site and mature woodland screening sites such as the Lea Castle site are developed in from the surrounding areas. order to help the Council provide for local housing To the north-west, there are existing houses along and employment land needs. This may also assist The Crescent that adjoin the site. To the east and in reducing the number of more sensitive greenfield west of the site is agricultural land owned by the Green Belt sites that need to be developed for HCA. housing. There are a number of local facilities in There are a number of areas in Wyre Forest and North Kidderminster / Broadwaters including District where it is difficult for residents to afford schools, shops and other services. There is a pub open market housing. Redevelopment of the Lea / restaurant almost adjoining the site to the south- Castle site will assist in providing a mix of housing, east. Bus services 9 and 125 run close to the site including housing that local people can afford. along Wolverhampton Road and Stourbridge Road.

History • Majority of site acquired by HCA in 2005. • Hospital closed in 2008. • Remainder of site acquired by HCA in 2013.

The site and surrounding area

The site is a brownfield site within the Green Belt, located to the north-east of Kidderminster, around 1.5km to the south-east of Cookley. The site was formerly occupied by Lea Castle Hospital. The hospital closed in 2008 and the site was fully transferred to HCA ownership in 2013.

The majority of the derelict buildings and associated access roads are still present on site with around 330,000 sqare feet of floorspace. The Derelict hospital buildings on site buildings range from small Local facilities and services bungalows to larger three storey buildings. A number of buildings on site are unsafe.

The site also includes playing pitches and Derelict bungalows an associated small clubhouse that are used by Mostyn Rangers Football Club.

Sports pitches and clubhouse Understanding the area: Supporting technical work 1

To help understand the implications of development a wide range of technical work is being undertaken. This information is being used to help design the scheme, make sure that impacts are properly considered, and produce a high quality masterplan with wider community benefits.

Landscape and trees Utilities / services

The landscape is a key feature Discussions are taking place with utility providers to of the site. Our approach aims ensure that there is sufficient capacity in the existing to retain and enhance existing networks to serve the needs of the site. Where woodland and vegetation necessary, upgrades will be made to the surrounding on site whilst providing network. The initial indication from Western Power appropriate public access to the woodland. is that an upgrade is required to the existing high The masterplan will work with the existing green voltage cables. infrastructure to create a pleasant, green setting to development with links to the wider countryside. There are a number of existing services on the site associated with its former use as a hospital. The landscape and visual Where possible these will be utilised as part of the assessment of the proposed redevelopment. Where it is not possible to re-use development shows that the services, these will need to be removed. impact of the scheme on the surrounding area would be Land quality minimal, due to the presence of existing dense woodland Some site investigations have been undertaken. that filters and screens views. From this work we are These have identified some pockets of potential identifying which parts of the site may benefit from contamination around some of the buildings which enhancement planting to improve screening further. will need to be cleaned up as part of development. There are also some areas of made ground where A tree survey of the site has been undertaken to further investigation is required. ensure that the most important trees are identified, and to ensure that the root protection areas of trees can be protected from development. Heritage

There are no designated Ecology heritage assets within the site, and the redevelopment An ecological survey of the of the site would not impact site has been undertaken on the nearby Grade II Listed along with specific species Building, North Lodge and surveys relating to bats, Gateway. There are some surviving WWII structures badgers, dormice, reptiles, on-site, the details of which will be recorded prior to great crested newts and redevelopment. breeding birds. Much of the existing habitat on site will be retained and new habitat will also be Archaeological evaluation has been undertaken provided. on the site. There were no finds of significant archaeological interest on the site. The bat surveys found a number of bat roosts in the derelict buildings on site. Therefore, a protected species licence will be submitted to Natural Local facilities and so that replacement roosts (bat houses and bat sports pitches boxes) can be provided on-site. This well be well in advance of development so that bats can move to The emerging plans seek to new roosts before demolition of buildings. Habitat for retain the existing playing other species such as badgers and dormice is being pitches on the site. retained on-site. As well as proposing new homes and employment on the site, it is important Flood risk and drainage that local facilities can cope. Where funding is required for extra capacity this will be funded by The site is not in an area at the development through a legal agreement. We are risk of flooding. The drainage having discussions with the Education Authority and strategy will manage water NHS Primary Care Team. It is likely on-site so that runoff does that a financial contribution will be made towards not affect surrounding land creating new primary school places. The Education or make flooding worse elsewhere. Sustainable Authority in consultation with local schools will drainage systems or dry ponds will be an integral decide how best to spend this financial contribution. part of an attractive infrastructure network creating A contribution may also be made towards new opportunities for new wildlife habitats as well as secondary school places. managing surface water on site.

Discussions are taking place with Severn Trent to identify suitable connection points for surface and foul water. Understanding the area: Supporting technical work 2

Traffic and transport The highway network A transport assessment (including traffic modelling) Public transport is being prepared for the site to ensure that new There are good public transport links in the area, traffic is minimised, and that local roads are able to and discussions are taking place about the cope with new traffic. Improvements to the wider possibility of routing the existing bus service 9 highway network / key junctions will be proposed (serving Kidderminster and Cookley) through the to ensure that the road network can cope with the site. This would provide excellent access to the new traffic. This may involve improvements to the service for new residents and existing residents junction of the A449 / Park Gate Road. The Crescent. A possible new bus stop for the 125 service on the A451 Stourbridge Road is also being Site access looked at to provide more convenient access for new The site can be safely accessed through the residents. existing main site access off Park Gate Road, with a smaller amount of traffic coming in from the Pedestrian / cycle links north via Lea Castle Drive. These accesses were New pedestrian and cycle links are being previously used for a number of years when the site considered, including links through the site to was a hospital, and improvements are proposed to the A449 Wolverhampton Road to link to existing these. Consideration is being given to the potential walking and cycling routes. A new footway from the for accessing a very small number of houses main site access on Park Gate Road linking on to from Axborough Lane. The existing road network the footway on the Stourbridge Road is also being within the site will be utilised as part of the new considered. The existing Public Right of Way that development where possible. Natural traffic calming passes through the site linking Axborough Road to features will be used to slow traffic along straight the Wolverhampton Road will be retained. sections of road.

Proposed link between The Crescent and site

JJunctioni off WlWolverhamptonh RRoadd/ / ThThe CCrescent – potential improvement scheme

Junction of Lea Castle Drive / Park Gate Road – potential improvement scheme Understanding the area: Site opportunities and constraints

In assessing the potential of the site to be redeveloped for new homes and employment, we have considered the site opportunities and constraints that need to be addressed. These are summarised below.

Cookley Village Centre

To Wolverhampton

To Stourbridge

Key opportunities

and constraints Wolverhampton Road Wolverhampton

Stourbridge Road

To Kidderminster

Key Opportunities Key Constraints • To make use of a previously developed site • Location of existing extensive utilities on site. to provide much needed new market and affordable housing (including a range of tenures). • Need for significant site preparation works. To remove unsafe buildings from the site. • Need to maintain woodland and high quality • tree cover whilst respecting tree root protection • To provide land for employment (start up units) areas. and potentially include a small café/shop. • Need to ensure careful design response to • To reduce the need for development on interface with existing properties to retain greenfield sites. residents’ amenity. • To provide high quality housing in a natural • Need to retain playing pitches on-site. green environment. • Need to respect the Public Right of Way • To utilise some existing roads and services. route that crosses the site. • To enhance green spaces, wildlife habitats and • Need to create new roosts for bats prior to recreational links in the area. demolition of buildings. • To protect and enhance the existing woodland • Need to reduce speeds along existing roads that screens the development, resulting in limited through site where there are long straight landscape impact. sections. • To create new play areas and a multi-use games • Need to reduce volume of traffic using the area. northern site access (Wolverhampton Road). • To route existing local bus service through • Need to work with the natural topography the site. of the site to ensure that the visual impact of the development is limited. • To provide contributions to make sure there is enough capacity within community facilities, • Need to screen the area of proposed such as: employment development on the southern part of site. • Local schools and healthcare; and • Sports and recreational facilities. Developing an illustrative masterplan

In preparing our plans for the redevelopment of the site we have looked at different options. All of these options are guided by the presence of the existing woodland and tree cover, and the existing pattern of buildings and roads within the site.

Existing woodland belts Viability retained and enhanced to increase screening and improve biodiversity There are significant costs associated with development of the site. This is because there are a number of buildings to be demolished, some areas of contamination beneath the buildings, a number of redundant utilities / services to remove, and Existing green framework retained ‘Village green’ and enhanced bat licences are required from Natural England to focal public to create green open space on infrastructure provide new bat roosts prior to demolition of the existing area of network providing open space with network of SUDs buildings. The initial viability work suggests that quality mature and biodiversity trees corridors through development on the site needs to be of the scale and beyond the site proposed for the scheme to be viable.

Quality of development Retained sports pitches We understand that development needs to respond Green infrastructure to the local context. This includes: • Working with the existing pattern of development Existing site features and roads on site. The existing green infrastructure and road patterns • Ensuring the site is well integrated with the along with the other site opportunities and existing natural environment and mature constraints have guided the direction of the draft woodland setting. illustrative masterplan. The existing development Ensuring that there are links to the wider areas on the site have also guided the proposals and • countryside and other areas of open space. have been used to identify potential parcels that may be suitable for development. • Respecting valued habitats and species. • Ensuring the most appropriate drainage strategy Scale of employment for the ground conditions and topography of the site. Soft market testing indicates that there is no demand for large scale employment uses on this site. We are therefore proposing small scale employment on the southern part of the site to meet local employment Site boundary needs. The outline application will be for up to 3,500 square metres of employment floorspace.

The southern part of the site, close to the main access, with visibility from Park Gate Road is considered to be the most suitable location for employment uses. This also offers the opportunity to provide shared car parking for those using the playing pitches.

Scale of housing

The draft illustrative masterplan has been developed to maximise the opportunities for housing development whilst retaining the majority of boundary woodland planting and green infrastructure on the site. The development is focused on the parts of the site that had buildings on them. The illustrative masterplan has been designed to accommodate a range of house types, sizes and densities, with the central area being more suitable for higher density Potential development parcels development, with lower density areas to the north and adjacent to the site boundaries. The outline application is for up to 600 new homes. The draft illustrative masterplan

Informal Secondary Open space Lower density areas footpaths / access areas / play with larger houses fitness trail areas

Retained and Potential enhanced private drive woodland for small number of houses

Multi-use games area and open Medium space as density areas focal point Higher density area incorporating Main bus smaller houses route and some through site affordable apartments

Sustainable Natural traffic drainage calming and pond gateway features to Retained reduce speeds playing fields

Main site Potential employment access with small shop / cafe

Key features and benefits • Up to 600 new homes, including affordable homes and a range of house types and sizes. Makes the most of a previously developed site • Proposed including removal of unsightly and unsafe derelict development adjacent to buildings. The Crescent • Provision of land for up to 3,500 square metres of employment (including small local shop/café) in close proximity to new homes, reducing the need to travel. • Improves pedestrian and cycle connectivity in the area and improves public transport access with existing bus service proposed to route through site. • Retained and improved playing pitches. • New play areas and multi-use games area. Proposed Community recreation and enhanced green employment • development infrastructure links. • Existing woodland and high quality tree cover retained with managed public access. • Views of development are very limited due to the presence of existing and enhanced woodland planting. • New habitat creation including sustainable drainage. Wider benefits

Wider benefits

Our proposals can deliver a number of benefits for the local area: • Redevelopment of an unsightly, derelict site bringing it into use after a number of years. • Provision of affordable homes for the local community. • Provision of land for employment with opportunity for local shop / café. • Public access to woodland areas and new footpaths / trails through woodland. • New multi-use games area and play areas for use by new and existing nearby residents. • Financial contribution towards new primary school places. • Funding to improve other local services and infrastructure including off-site highway infrastructure. • Reducing the need for development in more sensitive greenfield Green Belt locations. • Economic benefits through support for jobs in the construction sector and additional income from residents being spent locally. Your views and what happens next

Your Views

We are keen to hear your views on our proposals for the redevelopment of the former Lea Castle Hospital site. We would be grateful if you could complete a feedback form and either: • Post it in the comments box before you leave; • Send it back to: Helena Deaville Amec Foster Wheeler Gables House Kenilworth Road Timeline Leamington Spa CV32 6JX Public exhibition 17th November or 2016 • Provide comments online on the project consultation website: www.leacastleinfo.com

Submission of Outline We would like your comments by Planning Application Thursday 8th December 2016 at the latest. Early 2017 to Council What Happens Next?

Once the project team has reviewed your comments and those of other key stakeholders, and once all of the technical supporting studies are complete, Wyre Forest District we will make any necessary amendments to the Spring / Summer Council determines illustrative masterplan and proposals. This will ensure 2017 that all views have been taken into account prior to application submission of an outline planning application. We will make a report available on the views received. It is anticipated that an outline planning application will be submitted in early 2017. Submission of reserved Once the application has been submitted, it will be matters applications Late 2018 published on Wyre Forest District Council’s website (house types, materials, for all interested parties to view, and there will be a landscape details) formal opportunity to comment on the application directly to the Council.

Assuming outline planning permission is granted next year, the HCA will select a development partner Start on site 2019 who would submit the reserved matters / detailed applications.

Thank you for taking the time to visit our exhibition.