Housing Development Potential
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Housing Development Potential Site at Jones Lane/Jacob’s Hall Lane Great Wyrley The Holford Farm Partnership Appendices APPENDIX 1 - Framework Plan 2 Representations 1. Cerda Planning has been instructed by the landowners (The Holford Farm Partnership) to make representations to the above consultation. They own a site approximately 37 hectares in size at Great Wyrley. 2. We are fully aware that the document does not propose site allocations and that at this moment in time the Council are seeking views on various spatial options for the delivery of the required housing numbers across the district (plus a share of the unmet need for adjoining authorities within the housing market area) but we have taken the opportunity to include details of our client’s site together with a Framework Plan which outlines the extent of the site, constraints to development, together with opportunities/mitigation. Based on a density of 32dph, the site could deliver a yield of 600 dwellings. We want to emphasise that the site is suitable, available and deliverable and that the Council should give it proper consideration when formulating their housing strategy. 3. The site was submitted to the Call for Sites in 2018 under three reference numbers (134, 525 and 526). The SHEELA notes that the site is potentially suitable but subject to policy constraints – it is located within the Green Belt and a small part of the site within Flood Zone 3. Officers consider that together sites 525 and 526 are a potentially suitable option, provided they come forward together, comprehensively. 4. The evidence papers which have been produced to support the Council to formulate its options for housing growth have relied upon various documents. Key to this site and its location are the Rural Services and Facilities Audit 2019, the Green Belt Assessment 2018 and the Landscape Sensitivity Assessment. 5. Great Wyrley is a tier 1 village – one of the highest-ranking settlements in the District. The Rural Services and Settlement Audit 2019 confirmed this because of the excellent range of services and facilities that are located within the village. 6. The Council’s own audit confirms that within the village there are six convenience stores, one supermarket, at least 32 non convenience shops, two community halls, two community centres, one pharmacy, boutique shops, cafes, restaurants, one GP surgery, one health centre, one dentist, one cemetery, four churches, train station, five pubs, two sports grounds, speclialist shops,one library, two clubs, one day nursery, three 1 Representations primary schools and one high school. 7. Within 1 mile of village boundary, there are also additional services and facilities comprising of one leisure centre, four pubs, two GP surgeries, takeaways, cafes, restaurants, hair and beauty, one hall, one community centre, one dentist, two newsagents, estate agent, one club, boutique shops, specialist shops, one library, funeral services, two churches and a Sainsburys superstore. 8. In addition to this, the village provides good access to employment, main centres, a hospital and supermarkets via public transport. 9. The railway station at Landywood provides regular trains to Rugeley, London Euston, Birmingham International, Birmingham New Street, Wolverhampton, Northampton and Hednesford. Regular bus services from various locations within the village are provided to Walsall, Cannock, Huntington and Bloxwich. 10. Three bus stops are located within walking distance of the site, all located on Walsall Road to the west of the site near to the junctions with Jones Lane, Hazel Lane and outside of the Home Farm Livery and Riding Centre. 11. Buses running from these bus stops provide services to Landywood Station, although it is actually within walking distance (being approximately 750 metres west of the site (Jones Lane)). 12. The site is located to the east of the village and provides the opportunity to provide a logical extension to this highly sustainable village. Great Wyrley adjoins and essentially merges with Cheslyn Hay to the west (which is also ranked as a tier 1 village), whilst considered to be two separate villages, there is no distinct boundary and therefore it is entirely feasible to develop the whole of my client’s site for residential development, without considering such a development to be disproportionately large with the adjoining villages. The Framework plan acknowledges that an area of the site within the south eastern of the northern portion (corner of Jones Lane and Hazel Lane) is located within Flood Zone 3. This area would remain undeveloped, either as open space, landscaped/ecological area with the potential to provide surface water balancing ponds (subject to further testing). 13. The village has been identified by the Council as a tier 1 2 Representations settlement and is evidentially a sustainable location. My client’s site is located immediately adjacent to the settlement boundary and is therefore a logical extension to the village and can make a meaningful contribution to the housing needs of the district. The only real policy constraint to its development and ability to be considered for development is its location with the Green Belt. 14. The Council has commissioned a Green Belt Study. The Green Belt in its entirety has been assessed; it has been broken down into parcels, with conclusions being made about how each parcel performs against the purposes of the Green Belt as defined within the NPPF. Our client’s site is contained within the S13 Area of Study. In terms of its performance against the purposes of the Green Belt, the Study concludes the following; purpose 1 – to check unrestricted sprawl – the area of study performed strongly; purpose 2 - prevention of merging towns; the area of study performed moderately; purpose 3 – to safeguard the countryside from encroachment – the area of study performed strongly; there was no contribution to purpose 4 – preserving of the setting of a historic town. 15. The Study concludes that the overall harm to the Green Belt by the release of S13Bs1 would be ‘high’ as follows: “the sub-parcel makes a strong contribution to preventing the sprawl of the large built up area of Cannock/Great Wyrley and to preventing encroachment on the countryside, and a moderate contribution to maintaining the separation of the neighbouring towns of Great Wyrley and Bloxwich. It lies adjacent to Great Wyrley to the west but retains a strong relationship to the open countryside to the east and south. As such, the release of any uncontained land in this sub-parcel would somewhat partially weaken the integrity of surrounding Green Belt by significantly expanding the urban edge, however, this would be limited by containment provided by the wooded river valley in the east of the sub-parcel.” 16. Our client’s site is contained within S13B and makes up the most central plots (annotated 525 and 526 on the plan extract below from the Green Belt Study 2019). The impact upon the Green Belt by the removal of/development upon these plots would not, in our view be ‘high’. Land to the north and south retained within the Green Belt would continue to perform to 3 Representations prevent coalescence between Cannock to the north and Bloxwich to the south. The expansion of the urban edge would be limited by containment provided by the wooded river valley to the east and identified by the Green Belt study. 17. It is our view that due to the very excellent sustainability credentials of the village and the close proximity of the site to those facilities that the site has to be a strong contender for development. Although the Green Belt Assessment concludes that the development of the whole of parcel S13B would result in a ‘high’ level of harm to the Green Belt, we are of the view that our client’s site can be developed (as one part of this parcel) without incurring a ‘high’ level of harm to the Green Belt. As stated above, Green Belt would remain intact to the north, south and east of the site to prevent coalescence. 18. Existing natural boundaries consisting of hedgerow and trees would be retained where possible and enhanced to assist with the assimilation of development on the site with the surrounding countryside. With such measures, it is our view that ‘harm’ to the Green Belt could be reassessed as ‘moderate’ which would align with the Council’s aspirations in each of their growth options to only release Green Belt land which would result in low -moderate ‘harm’ to it. 19. The Landscape Sensitivity Study that was also undertaken to inform the development strategy places the site within parcel SL65 which is considered to have an overall moderate 4 Representations landscape sensitivity. 20. As is evident from the Framework Plan, detailed consideration of the main constraints to development of the site have been given. It illustrates logical primary and secondary access points off Jones Lane and Jacob’s Hall Lane. If necessary, junction capacity improvements to Walsall Road can be provided for if technical studies conclude that works are required to cope with additional traffic. It indicates the that the layout could respect existing field patterns and retain hedgerows. It could also provide natural surveillance of the open space within the south-eastern corner and result in positive frontage development along both sides of Jones Lane with dwellings facing each other. It also indicates the potential to create a central area of public open space, attenuation ponds. A sewer crosses the site and it is possible to develop around providing there is a suitable offset. 21. We have taken this opportunity to highlight the site and its development potential to the Council. Whilst we appreciate that the final site-specific identification process has not yet been concluded, we wanted to emphasise that this site is available and deliverable and could make a significant contribution towards meeting the districts housing needs.