Define for Bloor Homes Penkridge
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Penkridge North Landscape & Visual Appraisal December 2019 1 Introduction PURPOSE OF THE REPORT railway line, close to the south-western corner of the site, and a small on the south and east bank of the River Penk and it is also bisected by cluster of houses is located on the A449 to the immediate north. the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal. As a settlement, Penkridge This is a high-level landscape and visual appraisal for a development Dunston Business Village, a small standalone complex of employment has generally grown southwards, with the settlement contained to opportunity on land to the north of Penkridge. Its conclusions have units, is also located along the A449, approximately 2.5 kilometres the east by the M6 and to the west by the railway line. Beyond the informed the evolution of the masterplan proposals that were further north. M6 to the east lies Cannock Chase, approximately 4 kilometres from originally set out in the Greater Penkridge Vision Document, previously Penkridge. The site gently slopes from a high point of around 87.5m AOD on submitted to South Staffordshire Council in November 2018. the northern boundary to around 81m AOD alongside Stafford Road The traditional centre lies approximately a kilometre to the south of the and then falls again towards the River Penk at around 75m-80m AOD. site and is mainly focussed around Stafford Road and Market Street. It THE SITE Beyond the site the land continues to rise to the north around Honey contains a wide range of local services and facilities, including three Pots woodland (100m-105 AOD) and to the east towards Cannock local convenience shops, a library, community centre and medical The site is located to the north of Penkridge and covers approximately Chase (at around 155m-160m AOD). Two watercourses cross the site practice. Penkridge Market takes place twice a week, and is also within 27 hectares. It extends from the existing northern limits of the village from the western and northern boundaries and meet before entering a kilometre of the site. St Michael and All Angels Church is located flanking the A449 (Stafford Road), between the railway line to the west a culvert beneath the A449. on the western side of the A449 and the tower is a prominent local and the River Penk to the east (see Figure One). It is mainly comprised landmark. There are three primary schools in the centre of Penkridge of mixed farmland, with smaller pastoral fields to the south (closest to A public footpath also runs through the southern part of the western and a middle school and high school towards the eastern periphery the edge of the village) and larger arable fields to the north. Hedgerows part of the site and provides a connection between the A449 to the of the settlement. and tree belts provide a strong sense of enclosure along many of east and the surrounding countryside to the west, crossing over the the field boundaries, particularly on the lower ground surrounding the railway line on a pedestrian footbridge. Penkridge train station is located approximately 1.5km from the pastoral land. Around 9.78 hectares of the site (highlighted in blue on site in the centre of the settlement, providing frequent services Figure One) has an outline planning permission for 200 dwellings. (approximately every 30 minutes) between Birmingham (southbound) PENKRIDGE and Crewe (northbound). There are also bus stops located close The rear boundaries of residential properties within Penkridge define to the site along Stafford Road, and Penkridge is well served by a The site lies immediately to the north of Penkridge, a market town the edges of the site to the south west, while open countryside lies wide range of services operating to Wolverhampton, Cannock and in South Staffordshire. The settlement is located between Stafford beyond the site to the north, east and west and is principally comprised Stafford. The 75a bus service also provides a link to the wider extents (approximately 8km to the north) and Wolverhampton (approximately of arable farm land. A caravan storage area is located alongside the of Penkridge from the Stafford Road bus stops. 16km to the south) along the A449. The majority of the settlement lies The church tower is a local landmark Railway viaduct over the River Penk The A449 cuts through the site heading northwards out of Penkridge 2 Figure One THE SITE LEGEND Site Boundary Part of site with planning permission for 200 dwellings STAFFORD ROAD A449 RIVER PENK RAILWAY LINE TEDDESLEY ROAD PARK LANE M6 PENKRIDGE N 3 Landscape & Visual Appraisal LANDSCAPE CHARACTER The site is also located within a Landscape Policy Zone for ‘Landscape site as ‘Post 1880s Reorganised Piecemeal Enclosure’, where the Restoration’, as shown on Figure Two. In these areas, the landscape field pattern has been impacted by the large scale removal of field Due to the relative size of the proposed site, the most appropriate quality is considered to be Low, where a range of causes, including boundaries during the mid to late 20th century. Two smaller fields on landscape baseline is provided by the Staffordshire County Council mineral working, industrial activity, urban fringe or changes in the south eastern edges of the site are defined as earlier ‘Piecemeal (SCC) “Planning for Landscape Change” SPG (adopted 2001). It is agricultural practice, have led to a loss of the landscape elements Enclosure’. A historic farmstead, identified as having a loose located to the north of Penkridge on the easternmost fringes of the that formerly contributed to character and quality. This sits towards courtyard plan form, lies on the Stafford Road immediately adjacent ‘Ancient Clay Farmlands’ Landscape Character Type (LCT), as shown the bottom of the 5 point qualitative scale set out in the SPG, ranging to the northern boundary of the site. Other features of interest that on Figure Two. Further to the east (approximately 1.5km from the from most degraded (needing regeneration) to those of most quality have been highlighted within the zone, including the Grade II Listed site) the landscape merges into the adjacent ‘Settled Heathlands: (needing conservation). The surviving character should be used to railway viaduct over the River Penk and a Grade II Listed vicarage lie Estates’ LCT, broadly along the alignment of the M6. This tract of land guide any restoration efforts. beyond the railway line to the west of Penkridge. separates the site and its surrounding area from the nearby Cannock Chase AONB, whose western boundary is located approximately The character of the Settled Heathlands: Estates’ LCT to the Key recommendations for PKHECZ 1 within the HECA include the 4km to the east of the site. east of the M6 corridor starts to mark the transition towards the retention of mature hedgerows and conservation of field boundaries adjacent Cannock Chase AONB, with the gently sloping landscape that typify a ‘Piecemeal Enclosure’ landscape and the conservation Some of the distinctive features of the ‘Ancient Clay Farmlands’ LCT characterised by intensively farmed arable estate lands and large of earthwork features, such as the water meadows and any remnant of relevance to the site and study area include: blocks of managed woodlands. It is a highly managed landscape ridge and furrow. with fewer hedgerows and an estate character reinforced by 19th • Rolling lowland plain; Century farm complexes and straight widely spaced lanes. There is The recently published South Staffordshire Landscape Sensitivity • Landscape of mixed arable and pastoral farmland, the character also occasional remnant parkland. Assessment (SSLSA - July 2019) effectively updates the previous of which is strongly influenced by existing land use and farming landscape sensitivity assessments undertaken in 2015 and 2017. It is practices; The site is also covered by the “Historic Environment Character intended to inform the Local Plan for South Staffordshire and notably Assessment: South Staffordshire” (Jan 2011), and specifically PKHECZ • In the areas of pastoral farming an intact irregular ancient pattern the selection of development allocation sites. 1 – North and west of Penkridge. It identifies the majority of the of hedgerows and hedgerow trees is still retained; • Where there has been a decline of hedgerow tree cover it has led to a generally open character - where landform has become dominant over vegetation cover and trees are now often viewed as individual elements; • Local small-scale ancient woodlands and plantations provide areas of denser visual containment; • Canals running through the area, are picked out by lines of willow, poplar and alder, providing some structure in the more open arable areas; and • Major road corridors have a significant localised effect and result in some areas being particularly well viewed. The site and its immediate surroundings display many of the typical characteristics identified within the ‘Ancient Clay Farmlands’ LCT. There is a mix of farmland types, with smaller, more enclosed pastoral fields adjacent to the settlement edge giving way to larger arable fields further north. Urbanising impacts are provided by the neighbouring housing edge and railway line and the nearby M6 and A449 road corridors. The church tower in Penkridge is a local landmark in the surrounding landscape and can be seen above the existing housing edge from higher ground on the edge of the site. Overhead view from the north, looking back towards Penkridge, showing mixed farmland and hedgerow enclosure set alongside the existing settlement edge.