Ashford Borough Council - Report of Development Control Managers Planning Committee 4 February 2015 ______
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Ashford Borough Council - Report of Development Control Managers Planning Committee 4 February 2015 ___________________________________________________________________ Application Number 14/01017/AS Location Former Naccolt Brickworks, Naccolt, Brook Grid Reference 05047/44485 Parish Council Wye with Hinxhill Ward Wye Application Erection of 8 new dwellings and associated car parking Description and landscaping Applicant Oxenturn Road Naccolt Ltd, 15 Regent Street, London SW1Y 4LR Agent RDA Architects, Evegate Park Barn, Evegate, Smeeth, Ashford TN25 6SX Site Area 0.85 Hectares (a) 13/6S & 1R (b) - (c) KH&T X; ESM X; KWT X; EA X; KCC Her X; OSSS X; SW X; PO Drainage X Introduction 1. This application is reported to the Planning Committee because it represents a departure from the development plan. Site and Surroundings 2. The application site comprises a 0.85 hectare area of land that forms part of the former Naccolt Brickworks site. The site is therefore previously developed land. 3. The site fronts, and is accessed from, Oxenturn Road and lies 1.5Km to the south of the village of Wye. The land inmmediately to the north and south of the application site falls within the applicants ownership although does not form part of the application site. The land to the north comprises woodland and there is a group of 7 detached dwellings beyond. The land to the south is also wooded and directly opposite this are 4 pairs of semi-detached cottages fronting the road (1-8 Pottery Cottages). To the east of the site is the North 2.1 Ashford Borough Council - Report of Development Control Managers Planning Committee 4 February 2015 ___________________________________________________________________ Kent Downs AONB, the boundary of which runs along the eastern edge of the road. To the west is the Naccolt Pond Local Wildlife Site which is managed by Kent Wildlife Trust. 4. The site lies within countryside for development control purposes. Although it lies outside of the AONB it is immediately opposite and falls within the Naccolt Higher Fields Landscape Character Area (LCA) which is considered of moderate sensitivity. 5. The site contains a number of buildings, some of which are now in a poor state of repair, along with associated areas of hard standing. The brickworks commenced production in the late C19 with production ceasing in approximately 1972 and the large kiln chimneys demolished 3 years later. There were subsequent planning permissions for employment use with Wye Cycle being the most recent occupier of the site. There are no buildings on the site of architectural significance. 6. At the southern end of the site are 2 dilapidated dwellings which used to house workers associated with the brickworks and these are in a very poor state of repair and currently uninhabitable. The footprint of buildings on the site amounts to approx. 2143 sq.m with a further 1755 sq.m of associated hardstanding. There are 2 points of access to the site. The main access is to the north with a secondary access to the south which also serves the wildlife site. 7. There are a number of trees on the site although none are of amenity value and none the subject of TPO. 8. There are no public rights of way that run through or are immediately adjacent to the site. 9. A site location plan is attached as an annex to this report. 2.2 Ashford Borough Council - Report of Development Control Managers Planning Committee 4 February 2015 ___________________________________________________________________ Figure 1: Site location plan Figure 1: Site Location Proposal 10. The application seeks full planning permission for the demolition of the former brickwork buildings and associated hardstanding and the erection of 8 dwellings with associated parking, garaging and landscaping. A new access is proposed to the north eastern corner. The proposal comprises 4 x 4 bedroom detached houses and 4 x 3 bedroom semi-detached houses. The proposed development would be on the area of the site that is previously developed and does not include the undeveloped wooded areas to the north and south of the site. The development, with the exception of unit 1 to the front, would be 1.5 storeys. Unit 1 would be full 2 storey. All of the units are market houses with no on site affordable housing proposed (NB affordable housing is applicable as the site area exceeds 0.5 hectares). The density of the development equates to 9.5 units per hectare. 2.3 Ashford Borough Council - Report of Development Control Managers Planning Committee 4 February 2015 ___________________________________________________________________ 11. The development proposed would take on a traditional design approach and comprise buildings of an agricultural form and appearance to appear set in a cluster around a farmhouse. Traditional materials would be used with clay tiled roofs and brick, tile hung and dark stained weatherboarding used for the elavational treatment. 12. The total floor area of built development proposed amounts to 1325 sq.m. 26 car parking spaces are proposed to serve the development along with associated turning and manoeuvring space. The access has been tracked and can accommodate a refuse collection vehicle so that refuse collection can take place within the site itself. The site layout plan along with street scenes and typical elevations are set out below: Figure 2: Site plan showing the application site and the areas of blue land. 2.4 Ashford Borough Council - Report of Development Control Managers Planning Committee 4 February 2015 ___________________________________________________________________ Figure 3: Site layout Figure 4: Proposed street scenes 2.5 Ashford Borough Council - Report of Development Control Managers Planning Committee 4 February 2015 ___________________________________________________________________ Figure 5: Elevations of plot 1 fronting Oxenturn Road Figure 6: Elevations of plots 2 & 3 Figure 7: Elevations of plot 7 13. In support of the proposal the following documents have been submitted: Phase 1 Ecological Assessment – This looked at the potential for the development to impact on both European & UK protected species. The survey shows no evidence of badgers or badger setts on the site. Likewise there was no evidence of Great Crested Newts on the site. The potential for 2.6 Ashford Borough Council - Report of Development Control Managers Planning Committee 4 February 2015 ___________________________________________________________________ reptiles was considered to be low. Potential for the site itself to support bats was also low with the buildings being examined and considered to be low or negligible for supporting roosting bats. It concludes that no further survey work is required and biodiversity improvements can be incorporated. The proposal is also considered to not have any direct impact upon the adjacent local wildlife site. Arboricultural Impact Assessment – Identified 8 individual trees and 7 groups of trees within the site. This identifies that all of the trees surveyed are either C category trees (less than 10 years longevity) and U category trees (should be removed). Some of these will be removed to facilitate the development with U category trees removed for reasons of sound arboricultural management. None of the development would be in the RPA of retained trees. Detailed landscaping to the road frontage is proposed in place of the overgrown boundary treatment with structured planting within the development. Feasibility Report – Looks at potential alternative employment uses for the site. Concludes that due to the remote location, site layout and existing buildings (in hazardous condition), access, limited IT services and close proximity of residential properties then this would significantly affect viability of the site for continued/alternative employment uses. Residual valuations of the site for employment scenarios (demolition and re-instatement of existing buildings and the replacement of the existing buildings with new industrial buildings) has been carried out. These result in a negative residual value of approx. £3million. Based upon this the site is not considered to be viable economically for continued or alternative employment usage. Viability Assessment – This looks at the above in respect of reuse of the site for employment purposes and concludes it is not viable. It also looks at the viability of the redevelopment of the site for residential with either 8 or 10 dwellings. It concludes again that reuse for employment purposes is not and is unlikely to ever be commercially viable. In respect of the residential scheme this shows that the 8 unit scheme (when factoring in 20% developer profit) would result in a loss of £219,707. A 10 unit scheme shows a small deficit with 20% developer profit factored in. Based upon the fact that both schemes would be in deficit it is stated that developer contributions should not be sought as this would make the schemes commercially unviable. Transport Statement – States that the site ceased operation 40 years ago but until recently was occupied by Wyecycle. The proposal is expected to produce 5 two way trips and 7 two-way trips in the AM and PM peak periods respectively with 59 daily two-way trips anticipated. The last use of the site for Wyecycle produced 22 daily vehicle movements although these in the main would have been larger vehicles. The additional vehicle movements on the surrounding highway network as a result of this development would 2.7 Ashford Borough Council - Report of Development Control Managers Planning Committee 4 February 2015 ___________________________________________________________________ therefore be insignificant. Parking on site exceeds the Council’s SPD. Swept path analysis shows a refuse collection vehicle can be accommodated on site and the proposed new access will provide improved visibility over the existing. The proposal is considered acceptable in highway safety terms. Geo-Environmental Investigation Report – identifies that beneath the thickness of made ground is Gault Clay. Contamination associated with the previous use of the site as a brickworks identified although concentrations of toxic metals were generally low.