Leggatts Campus and Bill Everett Community Centre Site Planning Brief
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Leggatts Campus and Bill Everett Community Centre Site Planning Brief Adopted December 2007 Planning for a Better Watford Leggatts Campus & Bill Everett Community Centre Site Planning Brief Document Status This document is the final version which has been adopted by the Council as its policy approach to the redevelopment of this site. Obtaining a Copy Copies of the adopted brief can be downloaded from www.watford.gov.uk , or can be obtained from the Planning Policy Team on 01923 288970 or [email protected] Reference copies can be viewed at Watford’s libraries and at the Town Hall. What is a planning brief? A planning brief is a document that may be produced by a Local Planning Authority to state its attitude towards a particular site that is likely to be developed. It sets out the ways in which the Council would like the site to be developed. The brief will be a “material consideration” in the making of decisions regarding planning permission. This means that proposals, which are not consistent with the brief may be refused planning permission. Consultation Process The Council’s public consultation process took place during July and early August 2007. Local residents and other interested parties were able to comment on the content of the brief and respond to the key questions set out below until 13th August 2007. An exhibition setting out the issues ran for the duration of the consultation in the foyer of the BECC. On 25 th July and 8/9 th August officers from the Council’s Planning Policy team held a drop in session in the old part of the College Building on the Leggatts Campus providing an opportunity for residents to ask questions. Once the consultation period finished the comments received were analysed and set out in a table along with the Council’s response to the comment. This was made available to all interested parties and sent directly to all those who submitted a comment. A final version of the brief was adopted by the Council as the formal brief for the site on 10 th December 2007. 2 Timeline for Key Decisions March 2005 College decision to move out of Cassio and Leggatts Campus and consolidate their operation on the Central Watford Site. December 2005 College strategy approved in principle by Learning and Skills Council. May 2006 Site marketed by the College. May 2006 Planning statement for the site published by Council to be used to inform potential purchasers of planning constraints on the site. March 2007 College exchange contracts with George Wimpey North Thames (Taylor Wimpey UK Ltd). July 2007 Council publish draft planning brief for Leggatts site for consultation. August 2007 Consultation finishes and brief is reviewed and changes made. September 2007 College move final part of their operation out of Leggatts Campus. December 2007 Brief Adopted by The Council 3 Contents 1 Vision Statement ............................................................................................5 2 Reason for the Brief .......................................................................................5 3 Relationship with the BECC ...........................................................................5 4 Why is the College moving?...........................................................................6 5 Site Description ..............................................................................................6 6 Site Constraints..............................................................................................9 7 Key Development Plan Guidance.................................................................12 8 Legal Constraints .........................................................................................14 10 Development Proposals .............................................................................16 11 Design Framework .....................................................................................19 Appendices .....................................................................................................22 4 1 Vision Statement 1.1 The Council's vision for the Leggatts Campus and BECC sites is a new residential area with a small local shopping centre and some other facilities serving the local community. The new homes will include a mix of housing types and will be built to a medium density appropriate to the site reflecting surrounding development while recognising the new facilities and the scale of buildings currently on the site. The local centre will include a local convenience store and other local shops; it will be located so as to be accessible to and visible from the surrounding existing community to allow use by both existing and new residents. The new development will enhance existing pedestrian and cycle routes and add new connections to surrounding areas. The redevelopment of different parts of the site will be fully integrated with each other and with the neighbouring community. 2 Reason for the Brief 2.1 The key reason for producing a planning brief for this site is to ensure the proper comprehensive planning of development on the West Herts College Leggatts Campus and Bill Everett Community Centre (BECC) sites. The need for development results from the relocation of West Herts College activities away from the site and their consolidation of activities on the central Watford site and the resulting implications for the future of the BECC site. It is necessary to produce a brief, rather than moving directly to a planning application for the following reasons: • the site is not specifically allocated for development in the adopted plan (Watford District Plan 2000), although the plan does identify that residential development is acceptable in this location ; the production of a brief including consultation will therefore help identify issues that would have been identified in the Local Plan allocation process; • it represents the Council's and the community's views on the development of the site to potential developers and sets out criteria that must be met in order for development to take place; • the brief covers both the College and BECC sites as it is important, given their proximity, to plan for a co-ordinated redevelopment. Although the sites are likely to be developed at different times and possibly by different developers, the layout and design of the two elements must relate to each other, must work together, and neither must prejudice the development of the other. 3 Relationship with the BECC 3.1 The site of the Leggatts Campus abuts the Bill Everett Community Centre (BECC) which comprises sports and community facilities, including a swimming pool. There is a common access point to the BECC and the original college 5 building and any development on the Leggatts campus will have to consider the existing and future use of the BECC site. 3.2 The BECC is owned by Hertfordshire County Council and managed by Watford Borough Council, and one of its major users is West Herts College. The Council is in the process of building two new leisure centres on sites it owns elsewhere in the borough. Once the new centres are open, the Council will withdraw from the running of the BECC and West Herts College will relocate its sports training to the new leisure centre at the Central Baths site. It is possible that Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) may, therefore, decide to dispose of the BECC site. Should this happen, the redevelopment of the Leggatts Campus should allow for the successful integration of any possible new development on the BECC site with the redeveloped Leggatts Campus and the surrounding area. It is therefore important that the two redevelopment sites are properly co- ordinated. 3.3 Any concepts referred to in this brief which affect the BECC site are there to ‘allow for’ rather than ‘propose’ new development on the BECC site should HCC decide to dispose of the site. 4 Why is the College moving? 4.1 In March 2005 the College had its Property Strategy approved; the major element of the strategy is the redevelopment and consolidation of its facilities on the central Watford site on Hempstead Road. The College then made an Application in Principle to the Learning and Skills Council for the strategy, which was approved in December 2005. The strategy involved the closure of the College facilities on the two other sites in Watford: the Cassio and Leggatts Campuses. The College marketed the Leggatts site in May 2006 resulting in an exchange of contracts with Laing Homes (now George Wimpey North Thames part of Taylor Wimpey UK Ltd) in March 2007. On this basis, the College moved out of the Leggatts site in September 2007. The completion of the sale is anticipated to be in late 2007 once the transfer of the skills centre to Kings Langley has taken place. 5 Site Description 5.1 The site comprises the Leggatts Campus of West Herts College, adjoining playing fields and the Bill Everett Community Centre (BECC). The site is located to the south of the A41 – North Western Avenue in the north-west part of Watford and is easily accessible from main routes within the town. Size and Location 5.2 The approx 8.81 ha site comprises a further education college, car parking, the BECC and an extensive area of playing field covering 4.45 ha of the east of the site. It is bounded on the north side by the A41 North Western Avenue, on the west by domestic scale housing on Leggatts Way, and on the south by a small woodland area which is designated as a local nature reserve, a wildlife site and part of the wildlife corridor. The plan below shows the three key parts of the site and their areas. 6 Leggatts Campus BECC Playing Fields Area: Area: Area: 3.19 ha 1.07 ha 4.56 ha Map 1: Leggatts Campus and the BECC redevelopment area Designations 5.3 The site is not affected by any of the following designations: conservation area, listed or locally listed buildings, or tree preservation orders. The playing field part of the site is designated as part of a wildlife corridor and is open space. 7 Potential Phasing 5.4 The site is divided into 3 areas (see plan above). The playing fields will need to form part of the application site(s), but will not be redeveloped and will remain in use as playing fields, possibly with enhanced facilities.