Development Management Report
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Committee and date Item/Paper South Planning Committee 26 February 2013 9 Development Management Report Responsible Officer: Stuart Thomas email: [email protected] Tel: 01743 252665 Fax: 01743 252619 Summary of Application Application Number: 12/04646/OUT Parish: Shifnal Proposal: Outline application (access) for residential development; erection of a community swimming pool, a medical centre and community allotments, with associated parking, public open space, including balancing pond, and associated earthworks and other ancillary works Site Address: Proposed Residential Development Land North Of Haughton Road Shifnal Shropshire Applicant: Lioncourt Homes Case Officer: Richard Fortune email: [email protected] Grid Ref: 374773 - 308704 © Crown Copyright. All rights reserved. Shropshire Council 100049049. 2011 For reference purposes only. No further copies may be made. Contact: Stuart Thomas (01743) 252665 South Planning Committee: 26 February 2013 Recommendation:- Subject to withdrawal of the Direction by the Highways Agency and satisfactory agreement on the extent and form of off-site traffic calming works, Grant Permission subject to a Section 106 Agreement relating to affordable housing provision and the financial contribution towards the swimming pool and the conditions set out in Appendix 1, together with any other appropriate conditions/matters to be included within the legal agreement requested by the Highways Agency. Recommended Reason for Approval The proposed development on this safeguarded land would be contrary to current Development Plan policies relating to residential development and the restrictions placed on the land by saved Bridgnorth District Local Plan policy S4. However the Council has accepted with the publication on 1st February 2013 that the Shropshire administrative area does not have the minimum 5 year land supply and buffer percentage required by the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). In these circumstances the NPPF states that the policies for the supply of housing must be considered out of date and there is a presumption in favour of sustainable development. The proposed development would constitute sustainable development in this location and there are no material considerations relating to landscape impact, highway safety, neighbour amenity, drainage, ecology , archaeology or the delivery of affordable housing that would override the presumption in favour of development in this case. In arriving at this decision the Council has used its best endeavours to work with the applicant in a positive and proactive manner to secure an appropriate outcome as required by the National Planning Policy Framework, paragraph 187. REPORT 1.0 THE PROPOSAL 1.1 This proposal relates to some 18 hectares (44.5 acres) of land to the north of Haughton Road, Shifnal. The application site extends northwards to the M54 boundary, to Newport Road to the east and to the edge of the Haughton Conservation Area to the west. It is land outside of the Shifnal development boundary shown in the Bridgnorth District Local Plan and forms part of the safeguarded land around the Town. This land is not within the Green Belt but has been afforded some protection from development by saved Local Plan Policy S4 which states:- “Within the areas of safeguarded land planning permission will only be given for the types of development that would be acceptable in the Green Belt (see policy S3), provided that no such development will be permitted where it would prejudice the possible future use of the land to meet the settlement’s long term development needs.” 1.2 The proposal is an outline planning application for residential development of up to 400 dwellings, along with the erection of a community swimming pool, a medical centre and community allotments, together with associated parking, public open space, balancing ponds and associated earthworks to facilitate surface water drainage and other ancillary works. All matters are reserved for later approval, with the exception of the two proposed ‘T’ junction access points into the application site which would each feature a raised speed table in the Haughton Road carriageway. Contact: Stuart Thomas (01743) 252665 South Planning Committee: 26 February 2013 There would also be improvements to the junctions of Haughton Road and Drayton Road with Newport Road by the creation of double mini roundabout. There would be new pedestrian crossings at the south east corner of the site across both Haughton Road and across the Newport Road double mini roundabouts. 1.3 The illustrative master plan shows a medical centre in the south eastern corner of the site with its own dedicated parking area. The community allotments are shown in the north eastern corner of the site, at the eastern end of a landscaped buffer area to the M54. Just offset from a central position in this landscaped buffer/open space area a swimming pool building is shown, with its own parking area. Immediately to the south of this building a spine of open space is shown, incorporating balancing ponds, which would extend down to Haughton Road. An internal loop road extending up to the open space buffer in the northern part of the site, linking the two access is shown, with subsidiary spur roads off this min internal access road. The layout demonstrates how Mews Courts and public squares could be incorporated into the development, along with the retention of stone walls and hedgerow. The supporting Planning Statement makes it clear however that, in the event of outline planning permission being granted, the final layout of the site would be determined through the consideration of reserved matters application(s). 1.4 The proposed dwellings would be up to two storey in height, with eaves lines between 4.5m and 6m, and ridge lines between 7m and 9m. It is indicated that the swimming pool and medical centre would also be two storey structures, with eaves lines ranging from 5m to 7m and ridge lines from 7m to 12m, with detailed design considerations being determined at the reserved matters stage. Affordable housing would be provided at the current rate of 13%, with the density of the proposed development being 22 dwellings per hectare gross, which equates to some 32-33 dwellings per hectare net. 1.5 The agent states that the proposal will provide a serviced site for a community swimming pool at the northern end of the application site within the open space, as well as £750k funding for the delivery of the pool, which will need to be supplemented by funding from other sources. This facility has been included in the proposal as a result of feedback received at public consultation events. However they advise that the applicants will not be managing the operation of the swimming pool and the pool will only be delivered if there is a robust business to sustain a pool. The applicants would reserve the land for the delivery of the swimming pool for a period of five years from implementation, with the opportunity for the land to subsequently be used for an alternative use upon expiry of this period if there is deemed insufficient interest of business case for the delivery of the pool. 1.6 With regard to the medical centre element of the proposed scheme, the agents state that this has been included in the scheme in response to the currently unmet need within Shifnal for a replacement for the existing medical centre. The applicants propose to reserve land for the delivery of a medical centre for a period of two years from implementation, with the opportunity for the land to subsequently be used for an alternative use upon the expiry of this period if there is deemed insufficient interest in delivering a medical centre on this site. Similarly the applicants propose that land would be reserved in the north east corner of the site for a period of two years from implementation to facilitate the potential delivery of allotments. The inclusion of allotments is in response to feedback received at the public consultation events. Contact: Stuart Thomas (01743) 252665 South Planning Committee: 26 February 2013 1.7 The application is accompanied by a Planning Statement; Archaeological Assessment; Baseline Ecological Summary Assessment; Flood Risk Assessment; Landscape and Visual Appraisal; Noise Assessment; Air Quality Assessment; Transport Assessment; Framework Travel Plan; Arboricultural Assessment; Statement of Community Involvement; Conservation Area Setting Assessment and a Design and Access Statement. 1.8 A screening opinion was issued in October 2012 to the effect that the proposed development would not require an Environmental Impact Assessment (ref: PREAPP/12/00249). 1.9 An outline planning application has also been submitted recently for the development of 3,000 sqm of office floor space, with associated parking, earthworks and other ancillary works within the north eastern corner of the current application site (ref13/00273/OUT). These offices would be sited between the indicative sitings for the swimming pool and the allotments and application will be the subject of a separate report. 2.0 SITE LOCATION/DESCRIPTION 2.1 The application site comprises of a single agricultural field, located on the northern side of Shifnal. The site is bounded by Haughton Road to the south, which has existing residential development along its southern side, and by Newport Road to the east, beyond which is the Admirals Farm housing development. To the north is the M54, while to the west is farm track associated with Haughton Village Farm, agricultural land and, adjacent to the south western corner of the site, existing dwellings (including a nursing home) and the Haughton village conservation area. The field gate access is in the south eastern corner of the field, at the junction of Haughton Road with Newport Road. 2.2 The land is generally level, but slopes gently down from higher land along the northern boundary to the lower land at Haughton Road.