Planning Committee Report Applicant: Langton Developments Ltd Application Ref: 16/00802/FUL Location: Land off Dingley Road, Great Bowden Proposal: Erection of 17 dwellings, including affordable bungalows with infrastructure, means of access and open space Application Validated: 17.05.2016 Target Date: 16.08.16 (Extension of Time Agreed) Case Officer: Susan Garbutt Recommendation The application should be REFUSED for the following reasons: 1) The proposed housing scheme and associated vehicular access will lead to less than substantial harm to the significance of Great Bowden Conservation Area and the established setting of the nearby listed buildings. The harm to the designated heritage assets identified are not outweighed by public benefits of the proposal. The proposal is therefore contrary to policies CS1, CS11 and CS17 of the Harborough District Core Strategy and Framework policy 12. 2) The proposed scheme will have an adverse impact upon the survival of the moated platform, an archaeological remain. Furthermore, it will have an adverse effect on the significance of the setting of the Victorian cemetery. The scale of harm to these non- designated heritage assets is of such a degree that is would have a significant and detrimental impact on their original setting. The proposal is therefore contrary to policies CS1, CS11 and CS17 of the Harborough District Core Strategy and Framework policy 12. 3) Plots 1 and 2, by virtue of their scale, design and positioning will not safeguard the amenities of existing and future residents of number 10 Dingley Road. Plots 3 and 4 and plot 9 by virtue to their southern orientation and close positioning to existing mature trees, which are proposed to be retained, would result in considerable future pressure for them to be removed. Furthermore, there is insufficient information relating to boundary treatment to demonstrate that an acceptable relationship will be created between plot 11 and number 27 Knights End Road. The proposal is therefore contrary to policy CS11 of the Harborough District Core Strategy and Framework policy 7 and Core Planning Principle 4. 1. Site & Surroundings 1.1 The application site (hereafter referred to as ‘the site’), measures just under 3 hectares and is located to the southern side of Dingley Road, on the eastern fringes of Great Bowden, circa 2.1km northeast of Market Harborough. The irregular 3 hectare site comprises two large sub-rectangular adjacent fields on the eastern side, another large ‘L-shaped’ field to the immediate south-west and a narrow projection of land westwards towards the village core, neighbouring two smaller rectangular fields to the north. There is an area of archaeology in the north-east of the site. There is an established spinney of trees to the northern boundary adjacent to Dingley Road. There is evidence of ridge and furrow in the western half of the site. 1.2 The site is bounded to the north by Dingley Road itself, and a terrace of houses (most of which are Grade II listed) on the opposite side. To the west the site adjoins the rear of existing residential properties fronting Knight’s End Road, whilst there is a cemetery to the east and agricultural fields to the south. The A6 is located circa 450m east of the site. 1.3 A wooden stable block is situated in the north-western field parcel; a defunct, steel- sheet clad cow shelter is situated on the northern boundary to the west of the cemetery and a cow shelter is located on the north-eastern boundary of the central field parcel. Site Location Plan Aerial Location Plan 1.4 The River Welland is located to the east. The main ordinary watercourse in the area is Gunn’s Brook which runs through the centre of Great Bowden and the site (west to east) through a number of culverts and open ditch courses. There is also an existing ditch which runs along the site’s western boundary, to the rear of gardens of the properties along The Green and Knights End Road, which joins the Brook. 1.5 There are no public footpaths located through the site; but there is a right of way A54 to the south from Station Road to Dingley Road 1.6 The Site lies beyond but adjacent to, the Limits to Development of Great Bowden, a Selected Rural Village. The site is located within an Area of Separation as identified on the 2001 Local Plan Proposal’s Map, shown in green below (the site is within parcel C). Area of Separation 1.7 Part of the site is also within the Great Bowden Conservation Area (shown in blue below). The Church of St Peter and St Paul, a Grade I Listed Building is situated immediately to the north-west of the site. Part of the Site within the Conservation Area 1.8 The site generally falls from east to west forming a valley with higher points to the north and south. The highest topographical point lies in the north west corner although similar heights are also present to the southwest corner. The lowest topographical point is along the full length of the eastern boundary with Dingley Road. 2. Site History 2.1 The site itself has no previous planning history. However it should be noted: 1) An outline application for 5 dwellings on the opposite side of Dingley Road was allowed by Planning Committee on 17th January 2016 (16/00997/OUT). 2) A full application to change the use of the agricultural land to extend the existing cemetery to the east is also on this Agenda for determination (16/01847/FUL). 3. Pre-application Engagement 3.1 A pre-application meeting was held with the applicant in August 2015, following the submission of a pre-application enquiry. This put forward a proposal for 16 dwellings on 1.5ha of land south of Dingley Road (referred to as ‘Option A’). The enquiry also made the LPA aware of a further parcel of land available for development, that could form part of a broader proposal with pedestrian access from Knight’s End Road (Option B). 3.2 In October 2015, formal pre-application advice was provided. The advice advised the applicant that the LPA did not have a 5 year land supply and the site was within a Selected Rural Village with good links to Market Harborough. The applicant was advised that to aid the LPA in being able to determine the planning application, information relating to flood risk; highways; landscape and visual; archaeological; conservation area appraisal; heritage impact assessment would be necessary. 3.3 Following this response, the applicant undertook further work and decided to amalgamate Options A and B to put forward a comprehensive proposal for residential development. 4. Summary of Proposals ORIGINAL SUBMISSION 4.1 The application originally submitted sought full planning permission for 29 dwellings, together with a small children’s play area to the west of the site and a pedestrian link to the south-west of the site, connecting onto Knights End Road. A new green was proposed at the north-east corner of the site, with paddock fields to the south. 4.2 Access is proposed via a new junction introduced to Dingley Road, creating a spine road and driveways set further within the site. 4.3 The buildings fronting onto Dingley Road comprised a terrace of ten units; a terrace of five units bound the southern edge of the archaeological earthworks; larger link- detached and detached units were proposed to the west and south. 4.4 In addition the Site Location Plan, Proposed Site Plan and Design and Access Statement (prepared by BRP Architects); the application was originally accompanied by the following supporting documents: Arboricultural Survey and Generic Report (Richard Jones, July 2015) Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment (ULAS, February 2016) Archaeological earthwork survey, ULAS, May, 2016 Archaeology – geophysical survey report, Stratascan, April 2016 Extended Phase 1 Habitat Survey, REC, August 2015 Flood Risk Assessment Heritage Impact Assessment Landscape and Visual Impact Appraisal (Munro + Whitten Ltd, May 2016) Planning Statement Transport Statement Proposed Boundary Treatment Plan Proposed Detached Garages Proposed House types Existing Site Plan 4.5 During the course of the application, the scheme has been amended twice to reflect comments from the case officer, consultees and the community. AMENDMENT A 4.6 Amendment A was submitted in September 2016. The number of dwellings reduced to 23; the play area had been replaced with a car park for up to 14no. vehicles – made available for the local community, either directly by people using the Village Hall or for the general public use by those accessing the local amenities in and around The Green; the pedestrian link to the south-west had been removed; the access road had been realigned; the terrace fronting the earthworks to the north-east of the site (Plots 19-23) had been further set back; informal buffers between residential curtilage and hedge proposed to encourage and support wildlife and biodiversity; the existing spinney was largely retained, maintaining the soft/green approach to the village when entering from the east and lessening the impact upon the setting of St Peter and St Pauls Church and the proposed dwellings in this location had been set further back from Dingley Road. In addition southern plots had been re-orientated to reduce the impact on 27 Knights End Road and although not within the application red line boundary an area of land which the applicant has an option on to be potentially be transferred to the LPA in lieu of off- site POS contributions. 4.7 The following supporting information accompanied Amendment A o Heritage Impact Assessment Issue 2 (Purcell, August 2016) o Conservation Area Appraisal Issue 3 (Purcell, August 2016) o Trees and Hedges – As existing o Trees and Hedges – removal over existing o Trees and Hedges – proposed layout o House types A, B,C,E,F,G,I1, I2, J1, J2, K,M o Proposed detached garages o Dingley Road Sketch perspectives 1 & 2 o Tree Protection Plan o Design and Access Statement (Rev A) o Drainage Strategy o Visibility Access o Landscape Proposals (Rev B) o Arboricualtural Impact Assessment o Flood Risk Assessment (Rev B) o Field Evaluation Report o Proposed Site Plan (Rev A) 4.8 Whilst some of these amendments were welcomed, concerns were still raised in particular by the case officer, conservation officer and LLFA.