CALL FOR SITES REPRESENTATION TO EAST DEVON DISTRICT COUNCIL
Land off Oak Road, West Hill, Devon EX11 1SJ
(OS Map. Licence number 100022432)
March 2021
Prepared for: Morrish Homes Prepared by: George Williams
Development Land and Planning Department Greenslade Taylor Hunt Winchester House Deane Gate Avenue Taunton Somerset TA1 2UH
T: (01823) 334466 E: [email protected]
Client: Morrish Homes
Job Number: 2395
Document Checking:
Prepared by: George Williams Initialled: GHW
Checked by: Stephen Baimbridge Initialled: SJB
Verified by: Stephen Baimbridge Initialled: SJB
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Contents
1. INTRODUCTION ...... 4 2. THE SITE AND PLANNING HISTORY ...... 4 3 SITE CONSTRAINTS AND PLANNING ASSESSMENT ...... 6 4 CONCLUSION ...... 8
This report has been prepared by Greenslade Taylor Hunt for the sole use of our client in accordance with the Agreement under which the services were undertaken. This report cannot be distributed or reproduced in whole or in part and may not be relied upon by any other party without the prior and express written agreement of Greenslade Taylor Hunt. No other warranty, expressed or implied, is made with regards to the professional advice in this report.
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1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 East Devon District Council is reviewing its Local Plan. The emerging plan is currently under consultation at the ‘Issues and Options’ stage. Alongside the consultation, East Devon District Council has opened a ‘Call for Sites’. This is to invite landowners to submit their land and allow the Council to identify potential sites that may be suitable for providing housing, employment and/or other uses. The Council will review whether the land is suitable, available and deliverable and its findings will form part of the Council’s evidence base to support the emerging Local Plan and ensure that there is sufficient land available within East Devon to meet its needs.
1.2 This representation is submitted in support of land known as Land off Oak Road, West Hill, Nr. Ottery St Mary, Devon EX11 1SJ, as a site that is suitable, available and achievable for housing development.
1.3 This representation is submitted on behalf of our client, Morrish Homes, who is the promoter / prospective developer.
1.4 The landowners (Mrs C Sanders, Mr R G Compton, Mrs S R Stephenson and Mrs V Olliff) are all aware and consent to this representation.
1.5 The landowners have unencumbered title to the land and there are no legal constraints that would inhibit its development as proposed.
1.6 The land is available for development for housing development within a period of 1 to 5 years from the date of submission of this document.
2.0 THE SITE AND PLANNING HISTORY
2.1 The land
The full address of the land is:- Land off Oak Road West Hill Nr. Ottery St Mary Devon EX11 1SJ
The land is located on the southern fringe of West Hill and is surrounded by built form to both the north and east.
The site is bound by Oak Road to the south, existing dwellings that front onto Higher Broad Oak Road the east, existing dwellings that front onto Brackendown to the north, and existing agricultural land to the west.
The site’s boundaries are well formed by mixed species of hedgerow / post and wire fence, along with an intermittence of trees. The trees form an important component of the local character of the site. The land promoter has engaged an Arboriculture Consultant to advise on the protection of trees as part of any proposed schemes overall design.
The land is irregular in shape and gently slopes from west to east.
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The site extends, in total, to approximately 1.99 hectares (4.91–acres). A map to identify the site is shown in figure 1 below;
Figure 1- Map of Site. (OS Map. Licence number 100022432)
The site is currently in agricultural use and benefits from vehicular access to/from the site from Oak Road on its southern boundary. A new access would need to be formed in order to provide suitable capacity and allow the appropriate level of visibility splays to be provided to serve the proposed form and scale of development. The land promoter has engaged a Highways Engineer who is confident that the required standards for highway access can be met.
The site falls wholly within flood zone 1, land at least risk of flooding. A flood risk assessment conducted by Hydrock (in 2015) confirms this, and that the site meets the requirements of the Sequential Test. Therefore flooding should not act as a limitation to any development on the site. Additional enquiries made by the land promoter’s appointed Drainage Engineers indicate that foul and surface water drainage from housing development can be discharged acceptably.
The site is located by the yellow marked on figure 2 below;
Figure 2 – Flood Zone Data (www.flood-map-for-planning.service.gov.uk)
There are no formal Public Rights of Way on the site.
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2.2 Planning History
An application (reference number 7/45/94/P2094/01500) was refused on the land in March 1995. Since that determination, both West Hill and the policy context has changed considerably, the latter at national, local and neighbourhood levels.
This site is submitted for consideration based on the current planning policy context and the presumption in favour of sustainable development. It is also noted that the East Devon Local Plan is being reviewed and as such the Council is looking for development sites to meet the district’s need for the next 20 or so years.
2.3 Locality/Connectivity
The village of West Hill is located 1 mile south west of Ottery St Mary, in-between Honiton (to the north- east) and Exeter (to the west).
Facilities and amenities in West Hill include (but are not limited to); a primary school, Church, village hall, convenience store (McColl’s), Post Office and garage.
The site is located 2 miles south of the A30, which offers connectivity to Exeter (to the west) and Honiton (to the north-east). The site is also located 2 miles north of the A3052, which offers connectivity to Exeter (to the west) and Newton Poppleford (to the east). The M5 is located 9 miles to the east by road.
The village is served by a comprehensive bus service that provides access to Ottery St Mary, Honiton, Axminster, Sidmouth, Exeter, Whimple and Colyford. There are therefore a number of employment opportunities located within close proximity.
Honiton railway station is approximately 10 miles, providing mainline services to London Waterloo. Exeter St Davids and Exeter Central railway stations are both approximately 12.5 miles, offering services to London Paddington and London Waterloo respectively.
Exeter International Airport is located 4.4 miles from the site, offering a range or national and international flights.
3.0 SITE CONSTRAINTS AND PLANNING ASSESSMENT
3.1 Site Constraints
The site not located within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty or Site of Special Scientific Interest. The site is within an area defined as “Lower Rolling Farmed and Settled Slopes” with the East Devon District Landscape Character Assessment. The land does not present any obvious physical or planning constraints that would limit its development.
The entirety of the site falls within Flood Zone 1, the lowest category of risk from flooding, and appears to be relatively free draining. There do not appear to be any local issues with surface water flows that might otherwise prevent development from taking place.
The land has been in agricultural use for many years and there is no evidence on site or in the historic mapping record to suggest that potentially contaminative activities may have taken place in the past.
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Ecology should not represent a major constraint to development. The land has been actively farmed over many years and other than the established hedgerow network and possible presence of species within the general area, the land is considered to have limited ecological potential. Ecological surveys to be provided in support of any future planning application. The promoter has already commissioned a Preliminary Ecological Appraisal from a local Ecological Contractor, and that this has not identified any significant constraints to development. There is no indication that biodiversity represents a significant constraint.
There appear to be limited heritage sensitivities, with no nearby Conservation Areas. There are no listed buildings located within close proximity to the site (as shown on Figure 3 below – blue triangles would ordinarily identify listed buildings). Any development scheme delivered would be designed with any sensitivities in mind. Therefore heritage assets and sensitivities should not act as a hindrance to the sites deliverability.
Figure 3 - Historic England Map Search (https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/map-search)
3.2 Planning Assessment
The site is located in a sustainable location within convenient walking or cycling distance of the various services, facilities, and the limited employment opportunities within the village. There are genuine sustainable transport options (as previously mentioned) that will be available for future residents. West Hill is identified as a sustainable settlement by East Devon Council.
In terms of landscape impact, the site is surrounded by existing development on two sides. Looking at aerial images of the site it appears as a logical site to develop within the village, while keeping the cluster of built form in a tight nucleus within the village.
It is anticipated that a suitable design and layout may be achieved to minimise impact of development upon local character. There is sufficient space within the site to provide a range of house types and sizes, including affordable housing, and/or employment opportunities in a high quality development.
In terms of the scale of the development the site could accommodate, it is thought that in principle the site could reasonably accommodate up to 60 dwellings given the density of development in the immediate local area, at a density of 30 dwellings per hectare. However, given the sites edge of village location, taking into consideration the character of neighbouring development and other site constraints, a more realistic number is in the region of 30 to 35 dwellings.
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It is expected that development of this site will be viable as the location is likely to have significant market appeal for residents and businesses.
Other than the items noted above there are not considered to be any unusual costs or encumbrances associated with the development of this land for housing.
The development of this site offers the village the opportunity to grow in a limited scale that would be commensurate with the size of the village itself. It would offer housing that would allow new generations to stay within the village, and existing generations to purchase family homes or downsize. The village as a whole would benefit from increased patronage, supporting existing local services and creating demand for new enterprises. The vibrancy and vitality of the village would benefit in the long-term, and there would also be short-term job creation through the construction phase.
4.0 CONCLUSION
4.1 The land owners, along with Morrish Homes acting in partnership, are proposing the land known as Land off Oak Road, West Hill, Nr. Ottery St Mary for inclusion within the Emerging East Devon Local Plan as a site for residential development.
4.2 The landowners have unencumbered title to the land, there are no legal constraints that would inhibit development for housing, and the land is available for development.
4.3 Other than as noted herein, there are no known costs or encumbrance to development that would prejudice the viability of housing development in this location. The site is located a reasonable distance from large residential areas that provide all of the necessary amenities and employment opportunities to justify its development.
4.4 There is no reason to suggest that the site is unachievable or undeliverable. The land is available for development and of such a scale that development could commence on-site without significant delay. An application could be submitted on the land in the short-term, allowing for construction within the next five years.
4.5 Given the road network, bus network and services within the locality, the land offers a genuinely sustainable development option. Any development could be carried out in such a way that complements the character of the local area.
4.6 In conclusion, the land is considered to be suitable, available and achievable for housing and/or employment development.
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