POOR CLARE’S UPPER ASTON HALL LANE, HAWARDEN CH5 3EN

FEASIBILITY REPORT ON THE RE-USE OF EXISTING BUILDINGS FOR EMPLOYMENT GENERATING USES

ON BEHALF OF:

BY: JONTY GOODCHILD, MLE, MRICS

17th December 2018 Bolton Birch 10 St John Street, , CH1 1DA Tel: 01244 311681 Email: [email protected]

CONTENTS

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Scope / Context 1.2 Qualifications 2.0 PROPERTY LOCATION

3.0 PROPERTY DESCRIPTION 4.0 KEY PLANNING ISSUES

5.0 SUITABILITY / POTENTIAL FOR CONVERSION TO OFFICE USE

5.1 Location 5.2 Car Parking 5.3 Size and Layout 5.4 Market Demand 5.5 The UK Economy 5.6 Financial Constraints 6.0 CONCLUSION

APPENDIX 1 – LOCATION PLANS APPENDIX 2 – PHOTOS

APPENDIX 3 – FLOOR LAYOUT PLANS

APPENDIX 4 - PRE-PLANNING APPLICATION ADVICE REPORT

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Scope / Context 1.1.1 Bolton Birch have been instructed by Eccleston Homes Limited to prepare a report in respect of Poor Clare’s Community Buildings located on Upper Aston Hall Lane, Hawarden, . The report is required in the context of a proposed planning application for the demolition of the buildings and part redevelopment of the site for residential housing.

1.1.2 The remit of this report is not to provide a detailed comment or response to the proposed planning application, as this is dealt with within the supporting Planning Statement carried out by Cass Associates. The remit of this report is to analyse and draw conclusions as to whether or not there are other non-residential employment generating uses of the existing buildings which are viable, deliverable and sustainable as an alternative to the redevelopment of the site for housing.

1.1.3 The site and buildings are located in an area designated as a green barrier where there is a planning presumption against inappropriate development.

1.1.4 The Pre-Planning Application Advice Report dated 10th September 2018, Reference No. 058956 and Case Officer, Mr M Harris, states that “Planning Policy (PPW) provides clear guidance that there is preference for employment generating uses for buildings in open countryside.” 1.1.5 The factors which we will analyse to reach our conclusions include the physical constraints of the existing buildings, locational factors, local, regional and UK market conditions and demand for employment generating uses, the UK economy and political stability, and financial constraints and considerations in the conversion of the existing monastery buildings. 1.1.6 We are advised that the remaining nuns have now moved to a Poor Clare’s Community attached to a parish in Nottingham and that the complex of buildings at Upper Aston Hall Lane have been vacated.

1.2 Qualifications

1.2.1 Bolton Birch is an independent firm of commercial property consultants based in Chester and we cover the geographical areas of Chester, , Wirral and . 1.2.2 Bolton Birch is the longest established firm of commercial property consultants in Chester, having been trading for 37 years since we were established in 1981.

1.2.3 Jonty Goodchild, MLE, MRICS, has 23 years experience in the office and industrial sectors and his expertise is in the marketing, sale, letting and acquisition of commercial property. He has been a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) for 20 years and is also an accredited RICS registered valuer.

1.2.4 For further information on the practice please go to www.boltonbirch.com.

1.2.5 On a day-to-day basis the practice advises a wide variety of clients in connection with all aspects of commercial property and has a significant client base including Chester Cathedral, Chester Racecourse, London & Cambridge Properties, Handlesbanken, Sykes Cottages, Salmon Harvester Opportunity Fund, The Ursula Keyes Trust, Knight Frank Investment Management, to name but a few.

2.0 PROPERTY LOCATION 2.1 The Poor Clare’s Community is located on the eastern side of Upper Aston Hall Lane on the outskirts of the village of Hawarden and to the north west of the village centre. Please see location plan in Appendix A.

2.2 Hawarden is located in , North Wales and is a village, community and electoral ward in the Deeside conurbation on the Welsh / English border and was historically a significant settlement in the area and is home to Hawarden Castle. The population of Hawarden Ward is relatively low, comprising of 1,858 in the 2001 Census increasing to 1,887 in the 2011 Census. Hawarden is located 6.7 miles to the west of Chester and is 4 miles from the English border.

2.3 Hawarden is primarily a residential area with very limited business or industry. The predominant property type is housing, serviced by a small selection of local shopping facilities including public houses / restaurants, The Gladstone Library, Hawarden Station, Hawarden Village Church School, , Hawarden Estate Farm and a golf course.

2.4 Upper Aston Hall Lane is characterised by estate housing in the western side and sporadic development and open space on the eastern side of which the subject property forms part, and also includes detached houses, a day nursery, and Gladstone playing fields.

2.5 The only business and industry is located beyond the Hawarden settlement boundaries in two distinct locations. To the north west of Hawarden at is St David’s Park which is accessed directly off a main junction of the A494 dual carriageway and comprises St David’s Park Hotel and an office development known as Lakeside Business Park with occupiers including Moneysupermarket and Redrow. To the south east of the settlement boundary is Hawarden Industrial Park which comprises a variety of industrial / warehousing units and facilities. There is very limited business / industry located within Harwarden itself. 3.0 PROPERTY DESCRIPTION

3.1 The Poor Clare’s Community comprises a complex of buildings which were purpose built as a monastery and dates from the period following the Second World War.

3.2 The design, function and layout of the buildings is bespoke to their use as a monastery and comprises of a variety of chapels, meeting, chapter and prayer rooms, dining rooms, kitchens, laundry, refectory, canteen, bedrooms, lounges, bathrooms, dormitories etc.

3.3 In total, the footprint of the building extends to approximately 2,168 sq m (23,336 sq ft) and the size of the whole building over two storeys is approximately 3,750 sq m (40,365 sq ft). 3.4 As a consequence of the bespoke nature of the building it is extremely compartmentalised in nature with in excess of 100 specifically designed areas / rooms. We refer to photographs taken on our site inspection contained within Appendix B and to the floor layout plans contained within Appendix C.

3.5 The construction type is two-storey, load bearing brick under pitched and slated roofs with elevations incorporating white UPVC double glazed windows, in addition to some original timber framed windows 3.6 It is clear from the construction type, and particularly the brickwork used, that the complex has been extended and added to over the years.

3.7 Internally, the accommodation is of a basic and dated nature with little modernisation or upgrading having been carried out since its original construction in the 1940’s / 1950’s. In our opinion the property requires a significant programme of refurbishment and improvement. 3.8 The property is accessed from a private driveway from Upper Aston Hall Lane which leads to the front of the premises. For a property of this size there is very limited car parking available with space for only 5 to 10 vehicles. 3.9 To the rear of the property there is established woodland which we are advised is to be retained and does not form part of the proposed planning application.

4.0 KEY PLANNING ISSUES

4.1 We do not propose to describe or refer to the relevant planning policy in detail as this is contained within The Planning Statement prepared by Cass Associates. Briefly, however, we comment as follows. 4.2 The subject site lies outside the settlement boundary for Hawarden and Ewloe in the Flintshire Unitary Development Plan (FUDP). The FUDP is for the period 2000 – 2015 and, as such, it is time expired. As a consequence, particular regard needs to be given to consistency between the FUDP and Planning Policy for Wales.

4.3 The subject site is located within green barrier designated land which has a presumption against housing development. However, according to Planning Policy Wales (PPW) there could be Very Exceptional Circumstances (VEC’s) to justify housing in the green barrier. One of the VEC’s is if it can be demonstrated that, by way of an analysis of the property market, other non-residential uses on the site are neither viable, deliverable or sustainable.

4.4 I refer to the Pre-Planning Application Advice Report (Appendix D), Reference No. 058956 under Case Officer, Mr M Harris, dated 10th September 2018. Within this document under the heading “Planning Policy Framework” Mr Harris states that “it is unlikely that there will be a need for such a large building / site within the community for a community use and that Planning Policy Wales (PPW) provides clear guidance that there is preference for employment generating uses for buildings in open countryside.”

4.5 It is generally regarded that employment generating uses are those uses contained within Use Classes B1 (Business), B2 (General Industrial) and B8 (Storage or Distribution) of the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987 as amended. Use Classes B2 and B8 cater for industrial processes and warehousing and operate out of bespoke industrial / warehouse units and clearly, such uses are not appropriate to the construction type or layout of the subject property, so will not be commented on further in this report.

4.6 Consequently, this report focuses on the suitability of the subject property for re-use and conversion to uses within Use Class B1 office use.

5.0 SUITABILITY / POTENTIAL FOR CONVERSION TO OFFICE USE 5.1 Location

5.1.1 In our opinion, Hawarden Village is not a proven, established or sought-after location for office premises. It is a completely unproven market with no examples of office buildings of this size having been let or sold in recent times.

5.1.2 Having practised in the sale, letting and acquisition of office premises for the last 23 years, as a practice we have not handled the letting or sale of any office premises within the Hawarden Village boundary settlement of a comparable size.

5.1.3 In our opinion, commercial use of the subject properties is inappropriate to the surrounding land use which is primarily private housing. 5.1.4 Companies seeking office premises in the locality have significantly better, more viable and sustainable options. An example of this is Lakeside Business Village, located to the north west of the subject property and on a main junction with the A494.

5.1.5 Ease of access and reducing travel time for members of staff is one of the principle decision making factors when companies select office premises. As a result, the large majority of modern office parks are located on main arterial routes and dual carriageway / motorway junctions. Locations such as Lakeside Business Village, Chester Business Park, Chester West Business Park and various other business parks in the region, all provide this ease of access which is required by modern office occupiers.

5.1.6 Access to the subject property is significantly compromised with the requirement to travel through Hawarden and along small residential streets such as Upper Aston Hall Lane.

5.1.7 The subject property is large, extending in total to 3,750 sq m (40,365 sq ft). In our opinion, an office building of this size could potentially house between 200-300 members of staff. The road access through Hawarden and along Upper Aston Hall Lane is, in our opinion, totally unsuitable and inadequate for this potential additional traffic flow, which is primarily along a residential street. 5.1.8 It is appreciated that some companies will chose to concede ease of access in return for a city centre location to benefit from being within the central city centre business hub and all the shopping facilities and other associated amenities. This is true of the main regional cities of Chester, Liverpool and , however, Hawarden Village does not provide these attractions or infrastructure. We would not envisage a situation where a company would specifically chose to locate itself in Hawarden Village as opposed to one of the significantly more accessible and purpose built business parks in the region or indeed one of the previously mentioned city centres. 5.1.9 In conclusion, we do not consider the location of the subject property as a viable or sustainable option for office premises.

5.2 Car Parking

The subject property only has a small tarmacked area to the front of the main building which is dedicated to car parking and there is only the capacity to park between 5 and 10 vehicles at any one time. 5.2.1 As previously discussed, an office building of this size could accommodate between 200 – 300 people and would, in our opinion, require private dedicated car parking in the order of 100 – 150 spaces on site. This would involve significant redevelopment and surfacing of garden and woodland areas which would result, in our opinion, in a significantly more detrimental impact on the green barrier, in comparison to the demolition of the existing structures and the redevelopment with detached housing as per the planning application.

5.2.2 If adequate on-site car parking were not provided within the confines of the site for office use, this would result in unacceptable levels of car parking congestion on the residential streets nearby. It is also worth noting that the level of car parking allocation specified within Planning and Highways policy is often lacking in terms of the allowed number of car parking spaces with new developments. As a consequence, there is often significant pressure on the local residential streets to take up the surplus car parking requirements of office occupiers.

5.2.3 In conclusion, for office use to be viable it would require a large area of the site to be surfaced as a car park, resulting in a high degree of harm to the open character of the green barrier. 5.3 Size and Layout

5.3.1 The physical attributes of the subject complex of buildings is a major constraint to its viability for conversion to office use. Extending in total to 3,750 sq m (40,365 sq ft) this is an extremely large building, taking into account the constraints of location, access and car parking already highlighted.

5.3.2 We would envisage no serious demand for a building of this size for office use in this location.

5.3.3 In addition, we comment that the subject buildings are extremely bespoke in nature and have been designed specifically as a monastery with in excess of 100 separate rooms and areas devoted to a wide variety of different types of uses including bespoke chapels, meeting, chapter and prayer rooms, refectory, canteens, dormitories and residential bedrooms and associated bathrooms. 5.3.4 There is virtually no demand, irrespective of location, for office buildings with this type of internal layout. Modern office occupiers almost universally require completely open plan floor plates which provide high degrees of efficiency and flexibility in terms of being able to partition out, to create the exact layout required by that particular occupier.

5.3.5 In our opinion, it would be virtually impossible from a structural point of view, to adapt the internal layout of the subject property to meet modern occupier criteria and it would simply be financially non-viable to even attempt to do so.

5.4 Market Demand

5.4.1 In general market demand for office premises in the Chester and North Wales regions can at best be described as patchy and unpredictable. As a practice, we have noticed a gradual decline in the number of enquiries for office premises over the course of the last 12 months for both city centre and out of town business park locations. 5.4.2 There are many examples of perfectly adequate modern and fully refurbished open plan office suites and buildings remaining vacant and on the market for considerable lengths of time.

5.4.3 Examples include Knights Court which extends to 20,000 sq ft and is a fully refurbished office building providing modern open plan space in a prime location on the Nicholas Street section of the inner ring-road of Chester city centre. This has now remained on the market for in excess of five years. In addition, the HQ development in Chester city centre has had approximately 25,000 sq ft currently on the market and still unlet for the last two years. This development is less than 10 years old and provides Grade A prime city centre space of the highest standard.

5.4.4 Moving out of town, there are vacant office buildings on Chester Business Park within The Pavilions and International House by way of example, where modern open plan office suites ranging in size from 2-10,000 sq ft, have remained unlet for significant periods of time.

5.4.5 Moving across the border to Ewloe, we have been letting agents for Seasons House on Lakeside Business Park which is located on the A494 dual carriageway to the north west of the subject property. We have had a small refurbished open plan office suite of approximately 1,500 sq ft on the market and it has taken us in excess of 2 years to secure a letting. Demand for these smaller sized offices is significantly greater than large amounts of space, as provided by the subject property. 5.4.6 If prime office space within Chester city centre and some of the North West’s most established and sought-after office parks remain unlet for significant periods of time, it puts into context the viability of the subject office building ever being taken up as office premises. There is a significant supply of significantly superior, open plan, more modern, better located and attractive vacant office premises currently on the market regionally, and we are of the opinion that this stock of available offices would never get to such a distressed position to make the subject property, with all its constraints, a real option as an office premises. 5.4.7 If one looks further afield at the UK market for commercial property, it reveals a similarly uncertain picture. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) carries out a quarterly market survey of its members and the Q3 2018 results “point to a fairly subdued trend across the occupier market with respondents citing Brexit uncertainty as weighing on occupier decisions.” It goes on to state that demand from office tenants in prime London localities have ceased to increase and is now flatlining. It anticipates a downward trend in London secondary office rents.

5.4.8 In conclusion, we would not envisage any demand for the subject building complex from office occupiers as there is a significant supply of vacant office buildings and employment sites in the region which represent a significantly better quality offering than the subject property. Demand for office premises on a local and regional basis is decreasing as it is on a UK wide basis and, in our opinion, this is only likely to worsen in light of the current uncertainties with the UK leaving the European Union.

5.5 The UK Economy

5.5.1 The UK economy’s recovery has been steady and progressive since the country emerged from a double recession and credit crunch in 2008 and 2009. The commercial property markets largely followed suit although it is noticeable that there was more activity and growth in the market for industrial premises, with the markets for office and retail premises improving to a lesser degree. 5.5.2 Current economic forecasts for the UK economy vary considerably in light of the current political instability and lack of any form of certainty regarding Brexit. 5.5.3 At the time of writing this report, there is significant division and disagreement within the Conservative party surrounding Brexit which has resulted in an unusual vote of no- confidence against our Prime Minister, Theresa May, which took place last week and which she has survived.

5.5.4 The Prime Minister has negotiated a Brexit deal which was due to be voted on by MP’s but the vote has recently been cancelled as it was fairly evident that it would not secure the necessary support for it to be passed, meaning an increased likelihood of a No Deal Brexit. It is not clear whether further visits to Brussels by our Prime Minister has improved the deal but it is generally felt that this is not the case. The Prime Minister has now revealed that the House of Commons is to vote on her Brexit plan in the week of 14th January 2019.

5.5.5 At present it is completely unclear what the outcome of our Brexit plans will be. It still looks unlikely that the House of Commons will support the existing deal. There is mounting support and speculation of a second referendum. In the absence of these two options, a Hard Brexit is likely. 5.5.6 Ultimately, what transpires with Brexit and its impact on the UK economy is simply not known at present. However, it is generally accepted that we are in a period of unprecedented political uncertainty surrounding Brexit, with the possibility of this significantly affecting the UK economy in the short and medium term. Mark Carney, Bank of Governor, delivered a chilling warning to the Cabinet that a Hard Brexit or No Deal Brexit could lead to economic chaos including a property crash that could see house prices falling by a third. In addition, he predicted a fall in the value of sterling.

5.5.7 At the time of writing this report, the impact of Brexit on the UK is extremely uncertain but it is looking increasingly unlikely that a smooth, well-thought out and transitional Brexit will be achieved and the date by which we are required to leave the EU in March 2019 looms ever closer. In conclusion, we are of the opinion that this level of uncertainty can only have a negative impact on the commercial property market and the UK economy.

5.5.8 This means that, in our opinion, it is extremely unlikely that an owner-occupier or investor is likely to invest in purchasing Poor Clare’s Community buildings for conversion to office use taking into consideration all the other constraints highlighted in this report.

5.5.9 It is also worth noting that banks are becoming increasingly cautious in their lending criteria for employment use development and whilst is it available, it is generally only available in the prime locations. These prime locations are major town and city centres for offices and prime out of town business parks. The location of the subject property at best can be described as secondary and consequently, we feel that it is extremely unlikely that bank finance would be available for the conversion of the subject buildings to offices.

5.6 Financial Constraints 5.6.1 We have not been instructed to carry out a formal financial appraisal and are not of the opinion that this is required as it is fairly self-evident, in our opinion, that a conversion of the existing buildings to office premises is not financially viable.

5.6.2 The internal layout of the buildings is extremely compartmentalised and from a physical and structural perspective, we are of the opinion that it is extremely unlikely that the building can be opened up to provide modern open plan space in tune with occupier demand. If it were physically possible to do this, the cost would, in our opinion, be undoubtedly prohibitive. 5.6.3 In addition to the above structural work, a full internal refurbishment would be required which would include a full strip-out, brand new mechanical and electrical installations throughout the whole building to make them compliant with current best practice for working environments, health and safety, fire risk and energy performance. In addition a full scheme of modernisation would be required. Externally, a large car park for between 100 – 150 cars would need to be created.

5.6.4 In our opinion, if the above works were carried out, the resulting property would have a value as offices in the region of £1,100 per sq m (£100 per sq ft) taking into account our comments and observations contained within this report. In our opinion, it would cost more than this to carry out the required works and so, we conclude that conversion to offices is not financially viable.

6.0 CONCLUSION 6.1 In our opinion, the location of the subject property within the boundaries of Hawarden Village is neither a proven nor established location for office premises and we would envisage very poor or no demand for an office building in this location. Furthermore, access along a narrow residential street is inappropriate for the likely traffic flow generated if the complex of buildings were to be re-used as offices.

6.2 To facilitate use of the buildings as offices, a significant sized, tarmacked car park would need to be constructed in the grounds of the garden and woodland areas in the order of 100-150 car parking spaces. In our opinion, this would result in a significantly high degree of harm to the open character of the green barrier, in comparison to a relatively modest scheme of detached houses.

6.3 The size of the building is a further constraint as we would envisage no serious demand for a building of this size, in this location, for office use. Furthermore, the building is highly bespoke and provides in excess of 100 separate rooms and areas devoted to its use as a monastery. There is no demand, irrespective of location, for office buildings with this type of internal layout. In our opinion, it would be virtually impossible, from a structural point of view, to adapt the internal layout of the subject property to a more open plan format to meet modern occupier criteria.

6.4 Market demand for office premises in the Chester and North Wales region is patchy and unpredictable and as a practise we have noticed a decline in the market for office premises over the course of the last 12 months. There is a significant supply of vacant office buildings and employment sites in the region which represents a significantly better quality offering than the subject property. As a consequence, we would not envisage any demand for the subject building complex from office occupiers.

6.5 Political uncertainty within the Conservative Party and a lack of clear direction regarding Brexit, is creating an almost unprecedented sentiment of uncertainty in the UK which can only have a negative impact on the UK economy and commercial property markets. In light of this it is, in our opinion, extremely unlikely that an owner-occupier or investor is likely to invest in purchasing Poor Clare’s Community buildings for conversion to office use, taking into consideration all the other constraints highlighted in this report. It is also unlikely that bank finance would be available for the conversion of the existing buildings in such a secondary and inappropriate location. 6.6 Taking into account the end capital value of the premises after conversion to offices and the cost involved in doing so we are of the opinion this is not financially viable. 6.7 We conclude, in our professional opinion, that the re-use of the existing Poor Clare’s Community buildings for employment generating uses is neither viable, deliverable and sustainable as an alternative to the redevelopment of the site for housing.

APPENDIX A – LOCATION PLANS

APPENDIX B – PHOTOGRAPHS

APPENDIX C – FLOOR LAYOUT PLANS

APPENDIX D – PRE-PLANNING APPLICATION ADVICE REPORT

PRE- PLANNING APPLICATION ADVICE REPORT

Ref No: 058956 Case Officer: Mr M Harris

Proposal: Pre-app - Erection of 20no. dwellings

Location: Poor Clare Colettine Monastery, Upper Aston Hall Lane, Hawarden, Deeside, CH5 3EN

Applicant: Eccleston Homes Ltd

Agent:

Date Received: 10/09/2018

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Constraints identified UDP Settlement Boundary Coal Authority Standing Advice ______

Site History None relevant ______

Relevant Policies Flintshire Unitary Development Plan Policy STR1 - New Development Policy STR4 - Housing Policy STR8 - Built Environment Policy STR10 - Resources Policy GEN1 - General Requirements for New Development Policy GEN3 - Development Outside Settlement Boundaries Policy GEN4 – Green Barrier Policy D1 - Design Quality, Location and Layout Policy D2 - Design Policy D3 - Landscaping Policy TWH1 - Development Affecting Trees and Woodlands Policy TWH2 – Protection of Hedgerows Policy WB1 - Species Protection Policy AC2 – Pedestrian Provision and Public Rights of Way Policy AC3 – Cycling Provision Policy AC13 - Access and Traffic Impact Policy AC18 - Parking Provision and New Development Policy L1 – Landscape Character

1 Policy HSG4 – New Dwellings Outside Settlement Boundaries Policy HSG8 - Density of Development Policy HSG9 - Housing Mix and Type Policy SR5 - Outdoor Play Space and New Residential Development Policy EWP3 - Renewable Energy in New Development Policy SR5 – Outdoor Play Space and New Residential Development Policy IMP1 – Planning Conditions and Planning Obligations

Additional Guidance Planning Policy Wales Edition 8 January 2016 Technical Advice Note 1 Joint Housing Availability Studies 2015 Technical Advice Note 12 – Design Technical Advice Note 18 - Transport Supplementary Planning Guidance Note 2 – Space Around Dwellings Supplementary Planning Guidance Note 10 – New Housing in the Open Countryside Supplementary Planning Guidance Note 11 – Parking Standards

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Consultation & Responses

Planning Policy See Main Report

Public Open Spaces Manager: In accordance with Planning Guidance Note No.13 Public Open Space provision, the council should be seeking payment of £1100.00 per dwelling, in lieu of onsite play provision. The payment would be used to enhance Teenage play facilities at Gladstone play area, Hawarden

Capital Projects & Planning: Request the payment of an educational contribution of £61,285 towards Penarlag County Primary School and £55,407 towards Hawarden Secondary High School

Highway Development Control Manager See Main Report

Pre – application enquiry relates to a proposal for the erection of 20 No dwelling units on land at Poor Clare’s Monastery, Upper Aston Hall Lane, Hawarden. It is proposed that the properties comprise 4 bedrooms and are envisaged to be

2 constructed having facing brick external walls and concrete tile roofs. Further to the consultation exercise undertaken with officers of other council departments who would have a key input into aspects of the proposed development, the following observations are made:

Planning Policy Framework The site lies outside the settlement boundary for Hawarden and Ewloe in the Flintshire Unitary Development Plan and in open countryside. It also sits within the green barrier between the settlements which at this location forms a narrow gap.

It is understood having seen recent press articles that the convent is moving to Nottingham and vacating the site. The site has been an important facility for surrounding areas, providing a valuable community facility. It is unlikely though that there would be a need for such a large building / site within the community for a community use. Planning Policy Wales ( PPW ) provides clear guidance that there is preference for employment generating uses for buildings in open countryside. PPW also permits the conversion and re-use of existing buildings in a green barrier provided that certain criteria are met as set out in para 4.8.17:

the original building is substantial, permanent and capable of conversion without major reconstruction; • the new use will not have a greater impact on the openness of the Green Belt or green wedge and the purposes of including land within it. Strict control will need to be exercised over the extension, alteration or any associated use of land for re-used buildings; and • the building is in keeping with its surroundings.

Form / impact The present buildings are set at the end of a landscaped drive and set within landscaped gardens whilst to the rear of the buildings is an area of woodland. The buildings ‘sit’ within the landscape. By contrast, the proposed residential development of 20 dwellings spreads development over the front part of the site and removes all traces of the gardens. The scheme appears to be imposed on the site, rather than sitting within it. By spreading built development across the site, it is considered that this is likely to harm the openness of the green barrier in comparison to that which exists as part of the present development.

For information, para 6.2 of PPW which required ‘considerable’ weight to be attached to proposals which increased housing land supply has been temporarily dis-applied. This does not mean that ‘no’ weight should be applied and there is still in PPW a presumption in favour of sustainable development. However, a proposal which causes harm to the character and appearance of the area as well as the openness of a strategic green barrier, does not, it is considered represent sustainable development.

3 Adequacy of Highways The Highway Development Control Manager has been consulted on the details submitted and advised accordingly:- Based upon the previous use of this site and the associated traffic generation, no objection is raised to the principle of the proposed development.

The proposed estate road, Road 1, should be constructed to adoptable standard; this would require the provision of 2.4x43m visibility splays at the junction onto Upper Aston Hall Lane. There is currently no footway on the development side and for safety reasons, adequate pedestrian provision with appropriate visibility should be provided. Provision of these visibility requirements is likely to impact on the existing boundary hedge (H2) and tree T13.

The indicative layout shows a turning head in front of plot 11, this appears inadequate to cater for the turning maneuvers of a refuse truck. It is likely that the leg in front of no.11 will need to be extended by 2m (minimum dimension is width of Road 1 + 6m radius + 2m); alternatively a swept path analysis showing the turning of an 11.5m refuse truck will be required..

Parking provision should be in accordance with SPGN 11 which, for a 4 bed-roomed dwelling, suggests the provision of 3 no. off road spaces (garage spaces are included).

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Summary Whilst it is noted that there is no objection to the principle of development from a highway perspective, the proposal as described and promoted in the covering correspondence does not justify how it conforms with national planning policy and development plan policies in respect of harm to the green barrier. In this respect and having regard to the recent disablement of paragraph 6.2 of TAN1,it is clear that the development proposed does not accord with either PPW or UDP Policies and the proposal is not considered to represent sustainable development. It is considered that on the basis of the submitted plans that the character of the green barrier and its function would be significantly compromised and should an application be submitted, the recommendation would be for permission to be refused.

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