The Role of the Greenbelt at Drayton Manor Park

Prepared by

KATE WATSON / IAN SPINDLER

Reference: BIR 4073 Date: September 2012

5 The Priory • Old London Road • Canwell• Sutton Coldfield • B75 5SH Telephone: 0121 308 9570 •Fax: 0121 323 2215 Email: [email protected] and [email protected]

Birmingham • Bracknell •Bristol • Cambridge • Cirencester • Leeds • Nottingham

CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION 3

2. PLANNING POLICY CONTEXT 3

3. DESCRIPTION OF THE SITE AND ITS CONTEXT 5

4. VISUAL AMENITY 9

5. CONTRIBUTION OF THE SITE TO THE OPENNESS AND

CHARACTER OF THE GREENBELT 12

6. CONTRIBUTION OF THE SITE TO VISUAL AMENITY OF GREEN BELT 15

7. CONCLUSIONS AND SUMMARY 16

FIGURES

Figure 1 Site Location and Photo Location Plan;

Figure 2 Former MDS and Existing Green Belt Location

Figure 3 Landscape Character Plan;

Figure 4 Photographic Viewpoints 1 to 4.

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1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Pegasus Landscape Design, part of the Pegasus Group was instructed by Drayton Manor Park Limited, in September 2012 to undertake a review of the existing Green Belt boundary and the boundary of Drayton Manor Park, in relation to the proposed removal of the MDS designation under changes to the emerging Local Plan arising from the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) which makes no provision for Major Development Site’s.

1.2 The purpose of this review is to determine the extent to which the land associated with Drayton Manor contributes to the openness and character of the Green Belt in this location, and considers the potential effects of removing land associated with Drayton Manor Park from the Green Belt.

1.3 For clarity, where reference is made in this document to Drayton manor Park or ‘the Site’ this relates to the land holding of Drayton Manor Park Limited and the adjacent Drayton Manor Business Park, illustrated on Figure 1. A site description is provided in section 3, below.

1.4 Where applicable, the methodologies set out in Guidelines for Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (2nd edition) – Landscape Institute/Institute of Environmental Assessment 2002, has been adopted.

2. PLANNING POLICY CONTEXT

2.1 The study area and its context are within the jurisdiction of Lichfield District Council. The area is currently designated with the Lichfield Local Plan as Green Belt with both the and Drayton Manor Business Park identified as a Major Development Site (MDS).

National Planning Policy Framework 2.2 The Department for Communities and Local Government issued the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) in March 2012. At the national level of policy the NPPF states that the Government attaches great importance to Green Belts

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and explains that the fundamental aim of Green Belt policy is to prevent urban sprawl by keeping land permanently open; the essential characteristics of Green Belts are their openness and their permanence.

2.3 The five purposes of including land in the Green Belt are:  to check the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas;  to prevent neighbouring towns merging into one another;  to assist in safeguarding the countryside from encroachment;  to preserve the setting and special character of historic towns; and  to assist in urban regeneration, by encouraging the recycling of derelict and other urban land.

2.4 The NPPF sets out a general presumption against inappropriate development within the green belt. Inappropriate development is, by definition, harmful to the Green Belt. Very special circumstances to justify inappropriate development will not exist unless the harm by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, is clearly outweighed by other considerations.

2.5 Paragraph 81 of the NPPF states: ‘Once Green Belts have been defined, local planning authorities should plan positively to enhance the beneficial use of the Green Belt … to retain and enhance landscapes, visual amenity and biodiversity …’

2.6 The emerging Lichfield District Local Plan Strategy sets out the Local policy relating to Green Belt. Policy NR2 states that opportunities to enhance the beneficial use of the Green Belt will be supported, however reiterates the constraints set out within the NPPF that all development within the Green Belt must retain its character and openness. Furthermore, the construction of new buildings is regarded as inappropriate in the Green Belt, unless it is for one of the exceptions listed in the National Planning Policy Framework.

2.7 Under the new NPPF, the previous identification of Major Developed Sites (MDS) has been removed and consequently Lichfield District Council now no longer propose to incorporate any MDS designations within the emerging Local Plan, leaving any future assessments of development at Drayton Manor Park to be

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made against the Green Belt policies deriving from the NPPF, as outlined in paragraph 2.4 above. Openness of the Green Belt

2.8 The openness of the Green Belt can be described very generally as an “absence of development”. It does however comprise a number of elements, including (amongst other things) landscape amenity value; visual amenity value; land use; land management, presence of infrastructure and built form; access and permeability; and moreover, the integration of all of the above.

2.9 The characteristics of different Green Belts, and different part of the same Green Belt varies, and so therefore does the ‘openness’, which consequently works on a spectrum dependent upon the nature and scale of interplay between the component parts. In this part of the Green Belt within which Drayton Manor Park is sited, the amenity value of the landscape plays a significant role. If this amenity value were to be influenced in any way, by a proposed development framework to a greater or lesser extent, so too would the openness of the Green Belt. The extent of the Green Belt and the former MDS boundary is illustrated on Figure 2.

2.10 Within the NPPF, ‘openness’ is considered to be the most important attribute of the Green Belt. Preserving the openness is a key test in respect of any development framework coming forward for the land holding at Drayton Manor Park.

3. DESCRIPTION OF THE SITE AND ITS CONTEXT

Site Context 3.1 Drayton Manor Park (the Site), lies approximately 2.5km to the south-west of Tamworth and comprises Drayton Manor Theme Park and Drayton Manor Business Park. Immediately to the north and extending to the north-west of Drayton Manor Park lies the residential areas of and Mile Oak, with the A5 dual carriageway and isolated areas of residential and commercial land use beyond, set mainly within a rural landscape framework.

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3.2 To the immediate east of the Site lies an area of woodland beyond which lies Fazeley Mill Marine, located between the Birmingham / Fazeley Canal and the A4091 Coleshill Road. Further east of this road and housing that fronts on to it, are several agricultural fields and the River Tame, with further residential districts of Tamworth lying approximately 1km to the east of Drayton Manor Park.

3.3 Immediately to the south of the Site lies Drayton Park Golf Course with the small village of beyond. Further south lies open countryside.

3.4 To the west lies open farmland with small, isolated areas of mature woodland.

Landscape Character

3.5 Drayton Manor Park is located within the broad landscape character area of the Trent Valley Washlands, an area identified as reference number 69 in the Countryside Agency’s Countryside Character Volume 5: West Midlands. The key characteristics of the Trent Valley Washlands are:

 Flat broad valleys, contained by gentle side slopes, with wide rivers slowly flowing between alluvial terraces;  Constant presence of urban development, mostly on valley sides, in places sprawling across the valley and transport corridors following the valley route;  Contrasts of secluded pastoral areas, with good hedgerow structure, and open arable with low hedges;  Strong influence of riparian vegetation, where rivers are defined by lines of willow pollards and poplars; and  Open character punctuated by massive cooling towers of power stations and strongly influenced by pylons, sand and gravel extraction, and roads.

3.6 Of these, the constant presence of urban development and transport corridors is evident within the study area surrounding Drayton Manor Park, particularly to the north and east. These contrast with the adjacent open areas of arable and mature field boundary vegetation to be found to the south and west.

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3.7 At a regional and district level, the landscape character of the study area is defined by ‘Planning for Landscape Change’ Supplementary Planning Guidance and Lichfield District Council’s Biodiversity and Landscape Supplementary Planning Document (draft), illustrated on Figure 3. The studies define the Site and the study area within the Lowland Village Farmlands landscape character type, and the site within a ‘Parkland’ sub-type, the boundaries of which closely follow the Drayton Manor Park landholding, with the inclusion of the golf course to the south. In terms of landscape policy objectives, the study identifies discrete zones, to describe landscape quality and landscape policy objectives for conservation, maintenance, enhancement, restoration or regeneration.

3.8 The LDC study notes that the Lowland Village Farmlands is a flat to gently rolling intensively farmed large scale arable land, although there are pockets of irregularly shaped ancient fields. There is a general loss or deterioration in hedgerow and tree cover although where small woodlands are present they combine with hedgerows to give a strong sense of enclosure. Commercial and post-war residential developments frequently impinge on the character and more recent development is eroding its character. The poor condition of typical landscape features is locally-limiting to landscape quality. With the exception of the Drayton Manor Parklands sub-type, the Lowland Village Farmlands LCT has been identified as a landscape ‘at risk’ of sudden loss of quality for which the landscape policy objective is one of landscape restoration. The study considers there is great potential for habitat improvements with benefits to the landscape and to biodiversity particularly with respect to reducing the fragmentation of ancient woodland cover and a benefit from the addition of larger woodlands.

3.9 With respect to the ‘Parklands’ sub-type, the LDC study notes that wetlands, woodlands and parkland all form key aspects and that the LCT requires care when planning and future changes to the landscape, in particular a detailed historic appraisal. The Drayton Manor Parklands are excluded from the landscapes ‘at risk of sudden loss of landscape quality’ common to the rest of the Lowland Village Farmlands of the study area and the landscape policy objective for the Parklands is one of landscape enhancement.

Topography

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3.10 The topography of Drayton Manor Park is varied, but generally falls in a west to east direction following the Bourne Brook water course and the Bourne Brook Cut as they flow eastwards towards the River Tame, with several smaller watercourses connecting the feature lakes within the Theme Park itself. Along the western boundary, levels in the vicinity of Bourne Brook are approximately 73m Above Ordnance Datum (AOD), reaching approximately 85m AOD in the vicinity of the residential units at Mile Oak.

3.11 Along the northern boundary levels range from 85m AOD in the north-west to 65m AOD in the north-east, within the vicinity of Drayton Manor Business Park. To the east and south, levels vary between 65m and 70m OAD and are consistent with levels within both the theme park and adjacent business park.

3.12 In the wider landscape, levels rise from the River Tame to the east of the site, in a westerly direction reaching elevations of 99m AOD in the vicinity of Hill Farm, approximately 1km to the west of Drayton Manor Park. To the north, east and south-east of the site, levels continue to fall towards the River Tame reaching a level of 62m AOD in the vicinity of Coleshill Road Bridge.

Vegetation Pattern 3.13 There are several different types of vegetation pattern adjacent to and around Drayton Manor Park which all combine to create a very strong framework across the landscape that casts considerable influence over the inter-visibility between different parts of it and restricts visual connectivity across the wider landscape. Vegetation includes a particularly strong and mature hedgerow network that in many places appears as a linear row of trees; riparian vegetation along the Bourne Brook corridor and smaller watercourses connecting the ‘feature’ lakes within the theme park; rectangular woodland blocks of varying scale; more ‘designed’ vegetation associated with the theme park and the golf course to the south and also the mature vegetation to the east of the Site, notably the Fazeley Mill Marina and the Birmingham / Fazeley Canal .

3.14 Hedgerow species mixes include Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna), Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa), Dog Rose (Rosa canina), Elder (Sambucus nigra), Hazel (Corylus avellana) and Holly (Ilex aquifolium). Hedgerow trees include Oak (Quercus robur), Ash (Fraxinus excelsior) and occasionally Birch (Betula

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Pendula). Along the Bourne Brook corridor, riparian vegetation includes Alder (Alnus glutinosa) and Willow (Salix sp.).

Public Access 3.15 There are no public footpaths crossing the Site; however the public can gain access to the theme park and associated car parks. Within the study area, there are a number of public footpaths. The long distance footpath ‘Heart of Way’ runs approximately 1.2km to the south, through the village of Drayton Bassett. There is another public footpath to the south-west that links the village of Drayton Bassett to the Sutton Road, running for a short length along the Site’s southern most boundary. To the east, a public footpath and off-road cycle route follows the towpath to the Birmingham / Fazeley Canal.

Site Description

3.16 Drayton Manor Park is currently identified in Policy EMP.5 of the adopted Lichfield Local Plan as a Major Development Site (MDS) and comprises the Amusement / Theme Park and the existing Industrial / Business Park. Several buildings, including the newly built Drayton Manor Hotel fall outside of the designated MDS boundary, and lie within land designated as Green Belt.

3.14 The Industrial / Business Park is located within the eastern parcel of the former MDS and consists of several large commercial units with associated parking. Access is gained from the A4091 Coleshill Road to the east.

3.15 The theme park is located to the central and western areas of the former MDS and consists of several major amusement rides located around a central lake feature, coach parking facilities, conference facilities and administrative offices and a zoo. Access to the theme park is off the A4091 Coleshill Road and runs along the southern boundary.

3.16 To the west, beyond the defined MDS but within the overall Drayton Manor Park boundary are significant areas of open grassland allocated for approximately 6000 car parking spaces, caravan and camping facilities, service infrastructure and a 150 bedroom hotel with ancillary buildings. To the north of Bourne Brook

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Cut lie several fields under agricultural use and of irregular size that adjoin residential areas along the northern boundary.

3.17 There is significant woodland within the Site, whose boundary is also defined in places by belts of mature tree cover that comprise both deciduous and coniferous trees. These extend inwards in several locations and combine with extensive areas of grassland and woodland planting to create an established woodland character across the overall Drayton Manor site. This character extends to the north and east of the Industrial / Business Park and also to the south where it connects with the landscape infrastructure associated with the Drayton Park Golf Course.

4 VISUAL AMENITY

4.1 The following series of photographic panoramas (taken in summer 2012) are illustrative of the views towards or across the Site from the adjacent areas, with particular focus on views from the existing urban edge to the north and also from an elevated position to the south-west. The locations of the panoramas are illustrated on Figure 1, and the panoramas themselves on Figure 4.

4.2 View 1 is taken from the public footpath that crosses Hill Farm to the south-west of Drayton Manor Park, at an elevation of approximately 99m AOD, looking north-east. From this location, there are open views across the field network as a result of the falling topography and large field sizes. The mature stands of woodland vegetation along the southern and western boundary and vegetation to the Bourne Brook corridor are substantial, such that the Site is for the most part is not visible, with the exception of the two tallest rides (‘Apocalypse Tower’ and Roller Coaster Ride) within the theme park itself that are visible set amongst a well vegetated landscape.

4.3 View 2 is taken from the Mile Oak Rovers Football Club adjacent to the north- west boundary of the Site at approximately 80m AOD, looking south-east. From this location, the level topography and lack of intervening vegetation along field boundaries provides views across the northern areas of the Site, however further views southwards or towards the MDS are screened by the vegetation to the Bourne Brook corridor and 17 Acre Wood. Again, upper elements of the tallest

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rides within the theme park itself that are visible are set amongst a well vegetated landscape.

4.4 View 3 is taken from the residential area adjacent to the northern site boundary which fronts Brookside Road, at an approximate elevation of 74m AOD. From here, views southwards are again across arable fields within the northern area of the Site and lack any substantial field boundary vegetation other than isolated trees. The well wooded Bourne Brook corridor and Seventeen Acre Wood define the visual horizon, restricting the long range views across the wider Green Belt.

4.5 View 4 is taken from Dama Road to the northern site boundary of the Drayton Park MDS looking west at an elevation of approximately 67m AOD. Views from this location views are framed by the vegetation to the Bourne Brook corridor and 17 Acre Wood to the south and residential development to the north, providing views across the arable fields within the Site’s northern boundary.

4.6 In summary, Drayton Manor Park is well contained by tree groups and mature hedgerows on all boundaries, and also dense woodland to the south-west. From beyond the Site, the boundary trees and woodland vegetation form effective screening of all but the tallest built form elements within Drayton Manor Park, namely the ‘Apocalypse Tower’ and Roller Coaster Ride.

4.7 From the north and north-west, views are limited to views from the rear gardens of the residential properties that back on to the site boundary and from a limited number of publicly accessible viewpoints, principally the internal estate roads where they terminate at the Site’s boundary. From these locations minor variations in topography and mature boundary trees and woodland vegetation combine to enclose views, limiting them to short distance ones across the northern Site area, typically across either a single field or two at most, and restrict views to all but the tallest elements within the Theme Park. Views of the wider landscape to the south of Drayton Manor Park are also restricted by this vegetation, providing a sense of isolation from the surrounding Green Belt and wider countryside.

4.8 To the east and south-east in the vicinity of the golf course, views are restricted by the intervening land uses and the lower topography of the area in relation to

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the site. To the south where the landscape character and topography changes to larger field enclosures with broader undulations and a higher elevation, there are views across the fields towards the Site, where the boundary trees and woodland vegetation form effective screening of all but the tallest elements within Drayton Manor Park.

4.9 Views from within the Site itself are restricted to short distances, primarily as a result of the nature of the development and the significant amount of existing mature woodland within and to the Site’s boundaries. Views to the wider landscape outside of the site are also restricted by the same infrastructure and are limited to the sites southern boundary.

5 CONTRIBUTION OF THE SITE TO THE OPENNESS AND CHARACTER OF THE GREENBELT

5.1 The emerging Lichfield District Local Plan Strategy sets out the Local policy relating to Green Belt. Policy NR2 states that opportunities to enhance the beneficial use of the Green Belt will be supported, however reiterates the constraints set out within the NPPF that all development within the Green Belt must retain its character and openness. Furthermore, the construction of new buildings is regarded as inappropriate in the Green Belt, unless it is for one of the exceptions listed in the National Planning Policy Framework.

5.2 The Green Belt boundary within this area of Tamworth follows the rear garden boundaries of the residential areas fronting the A453 Sutton Road at Mile Oak and extends to the rear boundary of the residential areas to the south of the B5404 Watling Street before continuing eastwards and then returning in a southerly direction, following the alignment of the River Tame. This effectively encompasses the entire Drayton Manor Theme Park and Drayton Manor Business Park and surrounding areas within the Green Belt designation, a significant proportion of which forms part of the former Major Developed Site.

5.3 Following an appraisal of the landscape resources, landscape character and visual amenity of the Site and the study area, this section considers the role of the Site in maintaining the openness and character of the wider Green Belt, which are the two key landscape and visual considerations.

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Character of the Green Belt

5.4 As the Green Belt designation is coincidental with the landscape character types described above, the existing character of the Green Belt is as previously described in the landscape character section. In summary, this describes a landscape that is influenced by existing commercial and residential development, a flat to rolling large scale arable farmland with loss of landscape features, where woodlands are present they contribute to a strong sense of enclosure. The landscape quality of the land adjoining and beyond the Site has a landscape policy objective of landscape restoration, applicable to landscapes of low quality.

5.5 The Site, defined as ‘Parkland’, is covered by a policy objective of landscape enhancement, indicating a landscape of moderate quality which has suffered some erosion of strength of character and loss of condition of landscape elements. Within these zones there is a need to ‘encourage relatively small scale landscape conservation schemes such as hedgerow maintenance, habitat creation and tree and woodland planting to stem the decline in landscape quality that will otherwise become more evident’ (Planning for Landscape Change SPG).

5.6 Thus across the study area, the Green Belt has a predominantly low to moderate landscape character quality for which landscape policy objectives are landscape restoration and landscape enhancement, rather than the more sensitive policies of landscape maintenance or landscape conservation.

5.7 The visual analysis shows that the northern area of the Site, ie the arable fields which adjoin the residential areas to the north, is visually contained from the wider Green Belt. The woodland within the site visually defines the southern extent of this tract of land and screens views of existing development on the Site. There is no public access to the site and views across it are limited to private views from adjoining properties and limited publicly accessible vantage points on adjoining residential estate roads. Due to its relatively small scale (just a couple of fields wide) and its visual containment from the wider countryside, the landscape character of this tract of land is strongly influenced by the visible urban edge defined by the adjoining and overlooking residential properties associated with Mile Oak. In combination with intensively farmed arable land

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and an associated loss of landscape features, this urban fringe influence contributes to a lower landscape quality.

5.8 Consequently, removal of this visually contained area of land from the Green Belt would not remove an area of sensitive landscape quality which makes a significant contribution to maintaining the quality of landscape character across the wider Green Belt. In consideration of the potential for this tract of land to accommodate future development, there is an opportunity for landscape and biodiversity enhancements in keeping with landscape policy objectives. This would be brought forward as part of an inherent landscape and green infrastructure strategy to inform the scale and form of development within a framework of habitat creation including woodland creation.

5.9 The area of woodland which extends across from the western boundary to the MDS boundary, Seventeen Acre Wood, would be retained as landscape infrastructure within the park and could be protected by specific landscape or wildlife conservation policies, as could any other areas identified as of historic landscape, wildlife or biodiversity value.

5.10 With regard to the land to the south of Seventeen Acre Wood, these fields are not publicly accessible and are heavily screened from view by existing structural landscaping including vegetation around the site boundaries and adjoining woodland areas of the golf course and Seventeen Acre Wood. It is therefore the boundary and adjoining vegetation which contributes to the wooded character of the landscape in this location which frames the open farmed landscape beyond the Parkland landscape character type, rather than the character of the fields themselves.

Summary

5.11 Consequently, removal of the Site from the Green Belt would not remove an area of sensitive landscape quality which makes a significant contribution to maintaining the quality of landscape character across the wider Green Belt.

Openness of the Green Belt 5.12 With regard to the MDS, clearly this is already developed and therefore its openness has been removed. As far as land designated Green Belt within the Site, as has been described in previous sections, there is limited visibility from

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publicly accessible vantage points, and views across the Site arise principally from private views from adjoining properties on the northern boundary. There is therefore a very limited appreciation of the ‘openness’ of the undeveloped areas of the Site for the general public and therefore the Site makes a limited contribution to the openness of the Green Belt.

Summary

5.13 The Site makes a limited contribution to the openness of the wider Green Belt and perception of the openness of the wider Green Belt would not be materially affected by removal of the Site from the Green Belt.

6 CONTRIBUTION OF THE SITE TO THE VISUAL AMENITY OF THE GREEN BELT 6.1 If an area of land has a bearing on the visual amenity of the Green Belt, ie its visual pleasantness, it therefore needs to be visible so that it may be perceived within a certain landscape context. In this instance the visual appraisal that has been undertaken with regard to Drayton Manor Park has found the Site to be highly visually contained by strong structural landscape in the form of mature woodlands and by topography in the form of rolling landform. There are limited publicly accessible vantage points from where the Site is visible, including the existing developed areas within the MDS and adjoining land. From those vantage points where the Site is publicly visible, these views are gained in the context of existing built form for example the housing estate off the northern boundary or the business park within the eastern area of the Site. In principle, from close range views and the wider Green Belt, the landscape infrastructure combines to contain the visual envelope of the Site. This landscape infrastructure would be retained to continue to visually contain the Site in the longer term and form a framework for future development which may be proposed within the Site, screening and filtering views from the wider Green Belt.

6.2 As a consequence, the visual amenity of the wider Green Belt would not be materially harmed by removal of the Site from the Green Belt and a sensitive development that may come forward within an inherent landscape and green infrastructure strategy would be visually contained by the retained landscape infrastructure, which also conceals the existing developed areas of the Site.

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7 CONCLUSIONS AND SUMMARY

It is considered that the removal of the Green Belt designation from Drayton Manor Park would not have a material effect on the openness and character or the visual amenity of the Green Belt, either from the limited close range publicly accessible vantage points or the limited views from wider Green Belt. Extensive existing landscape infrastructure on the Site and around its boundaries form effective visual containment to existing and potential development which may come forward on the site.

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