HICKS GATE Development Concept OPTIONS REPORT
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
HICKS GATE DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT OPTIONS REPORT MARCH 2013 2 CONTENTS 1 Introduction 4 2 Site analysis 9 3 Constraints and opportunities 18 4 Concept options 24 5 Infrastructure requirements 30 6 Viability and delivery 36 7 Summary 39 3 1. INTRODUCTION 4 Study area locations - B&NES BRISTOL 1.1 Overview Bath and North East Somerset Council (‘B&NES’) Hicks Planning Service appointed Ove Arup and Partners Gate Limited (‘Arup’) to investigate development concept options for ten locations to inform the consideration of KEYNSHAM additional housing led development. The locations are East Ensleigh West Lower slopes largely adjacent to the principal settlements within and Keynsham Keynsham at Weston associated with Bath and North East Somerset. Four locations are on the edge of Bath, two on the south edge of Bristol and four on the edge of Keynsham. Whitchurch South of K2 Uplands These Concept Option Reports are not the work of the Council and are not planning policy. They West of are assessments used to help the consideration of Twerton BATH these locations for development. By publishing these reports the Council is not agreeing to the development capacities identified in the Concept Options presented. As such the Reports have no planning status. The planning policy relating to any locations taken forward will need to be formulated in the first instance through the Core Strategy and sites will then be allocated with detailed site Odd Down requirements in the Placemaking Plan. Work on the Placemaking Plan will be done in conjunction with local community involvement and supported by further detailed site work e.g. relating to environmental impacts. green belt 5 1.2 Development concept 1.3 Fit with the wider options Core Strategy Review The Development Concept Options work will build As part of the wider Core Strategy Review, the Council The publication of this study is not an endorsement by upon the work already undertaken by the Council is also currently developing, reviewing and updating the Council of a particular strategy for location; rather within its Core Strategy preparation process. The a number of related relevant technical evidence it is to test different development scenarios in order to study areas, selected by the Council, have previously documents. For this report, the following evidence base assess the relative capacity and development impacts. been assessed either through the Strategic Housing documents are particularly relevant: Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) and/or the Environmental Capacity Study. - Green Belt Review: A strategic review of the entire Green Belt in B&NES to assess the The locations have all been previously considered importance of different areas of land in serving unsuitable for development due to strategic policy the purposes of the Green Belt in order to inform reasons, i.e. the draft Core Strategy did not propose consideration of whether land should be removed any changes to the general extent of the Green Belt, in from the Green Belt to accommodate development the form of either extensions or deletions. in a sustainable location. The Development Concept Options work is - Transport Assessment: To examine the transport to contribute to the identification of additional impact of development at the ten locations; development capacity within the review of the identification of infrastructure ‘trigger points’; Council’s Core Strategy. and consideration of the cumulative impact of development across the related locations and The work will identify: viable potential development District. capacity, illustrate and test potential outline spatial scenarios; and place-making principles. The analysis of these evidence base documents together with the existing work carried out by the As part of this report no site selection Council has informed the production of this report. recommendations will be made by the design team in its reporting. This exercise will be undertaken by the Council Members and Officers post completion of the technical analysis. 6 Study area locations - Keynsham/Bristol fringe BRISTOL 1.4 Bristol fringe context The Council selected two locations adjacent to the boundary between Bath and North East Somerset Council and Bristol City Council: - Land at Whitchurch Hicks - Hicks Gate Gate These locations each cover areas of a significant size, River which represent a diversity of landscape and contextual Avon challenges. The locations both sit wholly within the KEYNSHAM green belt and act as urban extensions to Bristol while West sitting within the B&NES administrative area. Keynsham East Keynsham A4 South of Whitchurch K2 SALTFORD Uplands River Chew A37 A39 development boundary 7 Hicks gate study area location BRISTOL 1.5 Hicks Gate This report concerns the Hicks Gate study area (right). BRISTOL COUNCIL B&NES Area 84 hectares Evaluation The Council’s previous assessment history of this area has provided the context for this Report. The relevant assessment document is: - Urban Extension Environmental Capacity Appraisal: Revision A (October 2006) - Hicks Gate, Bristol Statement of Deliverability (January 2010) - Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment: Report of Findings (May 2011) Appendix 1e Land at South KEYNSHAM East Bristol 8 2. SITE ANALYSIS 9 trading woods estate school 2.1 Land use 2.2 Topography P+R The Hicks Gate study area is located along the A4 The wider study area generally slopes west to east Bath Road in south east Bristol. It occupies an area of along the axis of the A4, falling from approximately the Bristol – Bath Green Belt, which lies to the south 55m AOD at the Brislington Park and Ride site to 30m and east of Bristol. This is a particularly sensitive part AOD at the Hicks Gate Roundabout. of the Green Belt as it forms part of the narrow gap golf between Bristol and Keynsham. Along the southern boundary is a high ridge that course follows Stockwood Lane and at its highest point is 78m There are strong defensible boundaries. The land to AOD. residential the north of the A4 is relatively self-contained, it is Land use bounded to the north by the Bristol to Bath main line This ridge falls towards the Scotland Bottom railway and to the east by the A4174 Avon Ring Road. watercourse and Hicks Gate Farm. Scotland Bottom Topography creates a natural drainage channel and route through The boundaries to the south of the A4 take the form of the area. topography in this area which rises steeply to the south towards the ridgeline on Stockwood Lane. Beyond the northern boundary, the ground falls away as a cliff between 20 and 25m high to the main railway Adjacent uses to the north and west include the St line. Brendan’s Sixth Form College, a small local trading estate and the recreational facilities of Brislington Football Club and Brislington Cricket Club. To the west, the Brislington Park and Ride and Brislington Enterprise characterise the edge of the Bristol urban area. 10 2.3 Access and connectivity The existing access is from the A4 Bath Road, Durley Hill, Stockwood Hill and Stockwood Lane. At this location, the A4 is a dual carriageway which bisects the site. A strategic cycle route passes along the south side of the A4 through the site. The Bristol to Bath transport corridor carries frequent bus services from central Bristol towards Bath and Keynsham along Greater Access and connectivity Bristol Bus Network Corridor 3. The Brislington Park and Ride facility has around 1,300 spaces and is served by buses into central Bristol. There are Public Right of Ways within the northern area of the study area which connect through to a wider network of public rights of way along the River Avon. 11 Designations 2.4 Designations There are a number of environmental and landscape designations both within and in close proximity to the boundary: - Public Rights of Way - Bristol-Bath Green Belt - Adjacent to Sites of Nature Conservation Importance (Eastwood and Keynsham Humpy Tumps Complex, Stockwood Open Space) - Near to Listed Buildings (Oakleigh House, Stockwood Farmhouse, Brislington House) - Near to Historic Park and Garden (Brislington House) - Adjacent to Local Nature Reserve (Stockwood Open Space and Avon Valley Woodland) - Near to Site of Special Scientific Interest (Cleeve Wood) Parts of the study area lie in an zone identified by the Environment Agency as falling within the flood zone (“Flooding from rivers or sea without defences”). 12 2.5 Landscape appraisal B&NES Environmental Capacity B&NES Landscape Character Green Belt Study Assessment This study area is located in the sensitive Green Belt Bath and North East Somerset Council’s report – The B&NES report Rural Landscapes of Bath & North gap between Keynsham and the south eastern urban Urban Extension Environmental Capacity Appraisal: East Somerset - A Landscape Character Assessment area of Bristol. Revision A (October 2006) looks at the capacity of places the study area within Area 10: Hicks Gate, the area to accommodate development while retaining located at the far north-western edge of the District. Green Belt within this land parcel is of high existing character. The area is noted as consisting of rising ground and importance on the basis that it prevents the merger of a ridge above Stockwood Vale and the Avon Valley, Bristol with Keynsham and ribbon development along Development of the study area was considered consisting of Lias Limestone on ridge line and Mercia the A4, while land in the north western and southern to involve the loss of rural character and loss of Mudstones on the lower land. parts of the parcel are of particular importance for distinctive and attractive small scale undulating preventing the sprawl of Bristol into open land. landform. South of the A4, the eastern area and the The area consists of small or medium sized fields Hicks Gate Ridge are identified as being the most of irregular shape surrounded by hedges of varying The Green Belt designation within this land parcel also visually prominent parts of the study area.