Hart District Council Local Plan Site Assessment: Stage 2 – High Level Site Assessment – SHL153 – Brook House, Fleet Confidential Draft - 1.1 – April 2015

High Level Site Assessment Proforma

Site Reference SHL153 Site Name Brook house, Fleet Parish Blackwater & Hawley Site Address Brook house, Fleet

Capacity Assessment and Categorisation Site Size (ha) 45.8ha (Reduced to 8ha) Estimated Capacity 144 Comments on capacity The site contains areas of Flood Zone 3, a SINC, Ancient Woodland and parts are within the 400m TBH SPA Exclusion Zone. Due to the configuration of the flood risk areas across the site and areas of woodland to the north it is likely that development will be restricted to the area around the previously developed land in the centre of the site and the land to the south, which is not located within Flood Zone 3. The reduced area was used to calculate the capacity using a dph figure of 18 (in accordance with gross-to-net ratio of 60%).

Housing Strategy Category(s) 2 – Dispersal Strategy Land Supply Category D – Potential Rural exceptions (Although the site does adjoin the settlement boundary to the south it is unlikely that the boundary would be extended to include the whole site as the majority of it is not developable.)

Key to Site Assessments: No overriding constraint to development of the site

Constraint requiring further detailed assessment

Major constraint undermining suitability of site

Site Assessment Assessment Criteria Assessment comments Coloured assessment Accessibility to o Bus Stop: (opp Harvest Crescent – Bus route No. 72, 77) – 0.99km Employment and o Railway Station (Fleet) - 1.64km services o Employment Centre (N. Ancells Road) - 0.99km o Public Open Space: Ancells Road Park) – 1.64km o Health facility: (Fleet Medical Centre) 2.76km o Primary School: (Elvethem Heath Primary School) – 3.24km o Secondary School: (Calthorpe Park School) – 4.85km o Supermarket: (Sainsburys - Fleet) – 2.76km

Infrastructure Whilst this site is located within the Parish, it is much more likely that the site will be provision serviced by the Fleet area due to the wider choice of schools, shops and health facilities coupled with shorter travelling distances.

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Schools: There is a projected (2018) deficit of 3% for infant/primary schools in the Fleet area. This takes into account the planned 1FE expansion of Junior School. Therefore additional housing not already planned for will exacerbate the deficit. Primary is unlikely to have any capacity, as it is currently oversubscribed. For secondary schools the projected (2018) surplus in the Fleet area is 9%.

Retail: The most recent evidence found that there is no pressing need to increase convenience and comparison floorspace. However, some of Fleetʼs supermarkets are overtrading (inc. Waitrose) and there is a modest deficit in convenience floorspace. Therefore, additional housing not already planned for will increase the need to expand retail floorspace (convenience and comparison) in the Fleet area. It is also more likely that consumers will travel to Farnborough for comparative shops than Fleet due to the wider variety of shops and entertainment available.

Health: Richmond Surgery (Fleet) has been identified in a previous PCT Estates plan as having potential for improvement. Any additional housing not already planned for will exacerbate any deficiencies at that surgery.

Transport (road): From the available evidence, there are several road/junction improvements in close proximity to the site, including improvements to the A3013 Fleet Road/ Road roundabout, which is currently operating at full capacity during peak travelling times. In addition, the latest available HCC Transport Statement (project schedule) indicates that the other junctions in central Fleet require improvement and this need could be exacerbated by development on this site.

Transport (other): Stagecoach has recently reorganised several bus routes in Hart. There is currently no bus service operating along the Minley Road north of the M3, the closest Bus route is the 72 from Farnborough to Reading via Fleet, which is approximately a 1km walk to the nearest stop. The HCC Transport statement notes a wide range of improvements required in the cycle path infrastructure of Fleet and also the on-going improvements required at Fleet Railway Station.

Green Infrastructure: The Hart Infrastructure Delivery Schedule highlights that this site could benefit from two strategic projects, which could help to address future deficit; These are the replacement of Hart Leisure Centre at Hitches Lane, and the Hitches Lane Country Park improvements.

There is a lack of provision in certain types of infrastructure in the area and development on the site will only increase the pressure on existing services. It is unlikely that the site is of sufficient size to provide the supporting infrastructure onsite.

Current Use and Most of the site is agricultural land and woodland. However, parts also appear to be used for residential purposes. Relevant Planning It contains properties and farm buildings with areas of open grassland and woodland. Refer to separate sheet for History planning history.

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Nature Conservation Site is within the 5km Thames Basin Heaths SPA Zone of Influence. A site of this scale is unlikely be within the capacity of the Hitches Lane SANG to mitigate its potential impact on the TBH SPA. Therefore on-site provision should be required.

This site contains a small area (< 5%) of land to the west of the site designated Brook Meadow SINC. Approximately 20% of the site is within a 400-meter Exclusion Zone of the nearby Thames Basin Heath SPA, which is located 130m to the west. Approximately 15% of the site is covered by Ancient Woodland. The site is adjoined by SINCs on three sides (Mallards Copse, Minley Wood South and Tobridge Copse) and Foxlease and Ancellʼs Meadows SSSI is 85m to the north. There are groups of TPOs to the south and Elvetham Heath, a local nature reserve, is located 620m to the southwest. Overall, the site is considered to be severely constrained in relation to nature conservation.

Minerals Resources The Minerals and Waste Plan Policies Map indicates that a small part of the site to the northwest corner may be subject to minerals safeguarding for sharp sand and gravel (policy 15 of the Hampshire minerals and waste plan). The extent to which this represents a constraint to development would need to be assessed.

Landscape HCC Integrated LCA (2012) Landscape type: Lowland mosaic heath associated Landscape character: Northeast Hampshire Plantations and Heath

Hart District LCA 1997: Landscape type: patchwork of farmland, open heath, parkland and woodland Landscape Character Area: Minley Main features of the Minley LCA: The extensive open commons of and Hawley that are heavily used for recreation. The LCA has a suburbanised and fragmented character created by the intrusion of roads especially the M3 and A327. The wooded parkland landscape of Minley Manor is also contained within this LCA.

Summary Assessment: The landscape character of the site is consistent with the wooded parkland surrounding Minley Manor. As a result the site is well screened, with dense lines or trees or areas of woodland on all sides. The potential for views from any publically accessible locations is low suggesting that visual impact from the development of the site would be limited. However, whilst the integrity of the LCA is compromised to the south of the Motorway due to the level of development and the road infrastructure, to the north of the M3, the landscape character remains rural and largely undeveloped. Therefore, irrespective of any visibility of the development at the site, it would have the potential to significantly harm the landscape character.

Agricultural Land This site is on a mixed area of Grade 4 agricultural land and Non-Agricultural land.

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Heritage Assets The site itself contains Brook House, which is a locally listed building. The northern boundary is adjacent to Minley Manor historic park grounds and a Grade II listed lodge house is located immediately to the north of the site.

Water resources and There are no groundwater source protection zones in close proximity to the site, but there is a licensed medium quality size surface water abstraction point 250 meters south of the site, which could pose a constraint to development on site, therefore further assessment is required.

Air Quality The site is not within an Air Quality Management Zone, however consideration would need to be given to the proximity of the M3 motorway, which is adjacent to the south.

Flood risk Approximately a 50% of the site is within Flood Zone 2 and/or Zone 3 and so would not be appropriate for residential development. The area surrounding Minley Brook, which runs through the site, has the potential for surface water flooding. The entire site has limited potential for groundwater flooding but there are no risks of flooding from artificial sources (reservoirs).

Location and scale of The M3 Motorway separates the site from the settlement boundary of Fleet. The centre of the site appears to be development used for residential purposes, containing dwellings and farm buildings but the majority is greenfield. It is located within The Strategic Gap, which separates Fleet and Farnborough and settlements to the north of the district. Although development of the site may not cause coalescence between the settlements, it would extend the line of development north of the M3, which is currently not the case in this location. Development in the surrounding area is limited and the character is rural and any proposals will need to reflect this. Anything other than a lower-density small-scale scheme may appear incongruous in this location.

Un-neighbourly Uses The M3 is adjacent to the southern boundary of the site. It is likely that this use will be a source of noise, air and possibly light pollution. Consideration will need to be given to the design and layout of any development on this site. An overhead power line runs parallel to the northern boundary of the site. A sewage works is situated 550m to the west of the site, which is adjacent to a kennels and cattery.

Availability The site is believed to be available and this is supported by the fact that the site was submitted to HDC for Assessment inclusion in the 2013 SHLAA. Although the landowner indicated that the site would be available in the short term (0-5 years) this will need to be confirmed by the landowner.

Site Access The site can be accessed via the existing junction on to Minley Road, although it will be necessary to confirm whether sufficient visibility spays can be achieved as the access point is close to a bend in the highway. The existing access is a single lane and it may be necessary for the junction to be widened to accommodate the development possible on the site. A section of the existing access crosses an area within the site that is identified as being within Flood Zone 3. Therefore and development proposal relying on this access route must be able to

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demonstrate that safe access to and from the site could be achieved at times of flood.

Summary of The site is located within 250m of a surface water abstraction point. Infrastructure deficiencies have been identified and Constraints accessibility to services is generally poor to most services and facilities. The M3 is located to the south, overhead power lines run to the north and a sewage works is located in the vicinity. These maybe sources of disturbance to future residents. The availability of the site is not known. Development of the site would mean development within the Strategic Gap and the extension of the built area of Fleet north of the M3. The site is susceptible to a number of significant flood risks from several sources and the site has no safe access point at times for flood. Approximately a third of the site is subject to minerals safeguarding for sharp sand and gravel. The site has a number of nature conservation constraints on it or within close proximity and it contains a locally listed building and borders the Historic Park of Minley Manor. Any development may cause harm to the heritage value and nature conservation interests of the area and may negatively impact the landscape character of the Minley LCA.

Summary of Given the extent of flood risk at this site, following the sequential approach, set out in national policy, would result in not taking this Opportunities site forward for residential development. However, if the site is to be taken forward, and assuming the various significant constraints can be overcome, there may be potential for small-scale residential development focused on the previously developed areas of the site.

Focus of further The principle of extending the Fleet settlement boundary north of the M3 needs to be established if the site is to be progressed. assessment, should Infrastructure capacity issues will need to be addressed. Research is required to confirm the safety of the existing access and if the site be shortlisted alternatives are possible. The ability for the proposal to be sensitive to the landscape character and to the surrounding nature by the Council conservation and historical environment will also need to be investigated. The impact of the M3, the overhead power lines and the sewage works need to be understood and assessments into noise, light, pollution may be required. Research is required into the impact development in this area will have on the surface water abstraction licence. The availability of the site will need to be confirmed. The implications of the minerals safeguarding and the mitigation needed to address the flooding issues will also need to be fully understood.

Site Assessment Name: JR (Revised by PH 16/04/2015) Completed by Date: 26/03/15

HDC Conclusion and Shortlist the site: Do not shortlist the site: recommendation HDC Comments:

Adams Hendry Consulting Ltd 5 ± SHLAA Site 153 - Constraints

Key SHLAA Site 153 Listed Buildings ! TPO - Individual SSSI SINC National Nature Reserve Local Nature Reserve Parish Boundaries Historic Parks and Gardens Conservation Areas Thames Basin Heaths SPA (5km zone of influence) Thames Basin Heaths SPA (400m exclusion zone) Thames Basin Heaths SPA Settlement Boundaries TPO - Groups Scheduled Ancient Monuments Strategic Gaps

1:12,500 0 62.5125 250 375 500

Meters Contains Ordnance Survey Data Crown copyright and database right 2015 ± SHLAA Site 153 - Flood Risk

Key SHLAA Site 153 Flood Zone 3 Flood Zone 2 Reservoir Flood Outlines Surface Water Flooding (1 in 30 year AEP) Surface Water Flooding (1 in 100 year AEP) Groundwater Flooding (Limited) Groundwater Flooding (Potential flooding to basements) Groundwater Flooding (Potential flooding at surface)

1:12,500 0 62.5125 250 375 500

Meters Contains Ordnance Survey Data Crown copyright and database right 2015