Rural Masterplanning WARWICK BRIDGE LITTLE CORBY & CORBY
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Carlisle District: Rural Masterplanning WARWICK BRIDGE LITTLE CORBY & CORBY HILL WARWICK BRIDGE, LITTLE CORBY AND CORBY HILL Figure 1: Location of Warwick Bridge, Little Corby and Corby Hill May 2013 Page 1 Carlisle District: Rural Masterplanning WARWICK BRIDGE LITTLE CORBY & CORBY HILL Settlement Profile Strategic Position Warwick Bridge sits in an elevated position looking North West towards the River Eden. It is in a strategic location on the main A69 Carlisle to Newcastle trunk road; 5 miles east north east from Carlisle and 4.5 miles south west of Brampton. This main road provides easy access to the local market town of Brampton. Warwick Bridge serves a number of rural hamlets and is well served by local bus services operating between Brampton and Carlisle, and cross-country services between Carlisle and Newcastle. The village is made up of the three merged settlements of Corby Hill, Little Corby and Warwick Bridge. The village grew historically due to the mill that is located just outside the village. This served as the main source of employment for the population of the village. General description of settlement Little Corby, Warwick Bridge and Corby Hill each developed individually before expansions in various directions led them to merge, to appear now as one settlement. The village has grown in a linear form along the busy A69 route with further later residential growth expanding Little Corby and Corby Hill. There is a busy crossroads controlled by traffic lights towards the end of the village in the East. There is a small area of village green adjacent to the crossroads. The A69 road running through the village has a distinctive historic character with key buildings including a church abutting the road. The village, however, does not have a centre, as key functions are spread along its spine (the A69). It is clear that residential developments throughout the village have developed at different stages with early properties along the main road and later 20th Century development causing the village to expand outwards and in length. Schooling is provided in the village for children of primary school age, thereafter children travel to the neighbouring market town of Brampton to attend William Howard School. Warwick Bridge Primary School is located in the western area of the village. Significant key buildings such as the Methodist Chapel present a definite edge to the village and create an abrupt transition from the built up area to the open rural hinterlands. Topographical and landscape context The village slopes down from south to north where it meets Trout Beck. Thereafter land rises along a gradual incline (where the majority of development has taken place) until it falls away sharply down towards the River Eden and its floodplain. Its elevated position above the river and above trout beck affords Warwick Bridge good views to the north looking over the River Eden and to the south towards the North Pennines. The use of surrounding agricultural land varies between grazing and arable. May 2013 Page 2 Carlisle District: Rural Masterplanning WARWICK BRIDGE LITTLE CORBY & CORBY HILL Biodiversity Landscape variations suggest that there is diverse biodiversity along the River Eden and Trout Beck and their associated floodplains. There are also areas of thick tree cover that surround the village and equestrian land creating a diverse ecology over the wider area. Private gardens, church yards and recreation grounds also play a part. Tourist features/context Warwick Bridge is situated close to the path of Hadrian’s Wall, however, in comparison to a number of other rural settlements it is not as well situated. There may, however, be some opportunities to expand on this due to the strategic position of Warwick Bridge lying on a main trunk road. Tourism facilities have been developed in the form of Warwick Hall (a Grade II Listed neo-Georgian building) which can be hired for a number of functions or used as a hotel or for self catering purposes and Brookside B & B is also available within the village. Additionally visitors can take advantage of country walks along the banks of the River Eden. Settlement services and facilities A number of other villages relay on Warwick Bridge for its services. Villages such as Wetheral (1.25 miles SW) and Heads Nook (approx 1 mile SE) and Warwick-on-Eden (0.8 miles away) for its primary school, medical practice and village shop. There is also pub and church. A butchers shop is located within a residential area. Down-a-Gate Community Centre lies on the southern approach to the village. It provides space for a wide range of community groups. There are also adjacent playing fields with 2 full size football pitches, 3 mini-pitches, children’s adventure playground and changing rooms. Warwick Mill Business Village, a business centre has developed in a listed former mill complex located just outside the settlement and is within walking distance of the village. The business centre provides facilities such as industrial units, meeting rooms and a cafe and gym. The outlying rural populations that are not within a specific settlement will also depend on the services that Warwick Bridge has to offer. CABE1 Pre-consultation Comments on Scope for new development It could be suggested that the settlements of Warwick Bridge, Little Corby and Corby Hill have already expanded further than may have been desired as this has forced these three small settlements to merge completely as one. There is therefore limited potential for development here, however, if development were to occur in the future the attached map of Warwick Bridge and associated photographs highlight where there may be capacity for development in terms of impact on the surrounding landscape. In areas where land is sloping, development would not be supported as it would have a greater, imposing impact on the existing village and could also have an adverse impact on how the settlement appears from other spatial cells that are located further away. May 2013 Page 3 Carlisle District: Rural Masterplanning WARWICK BRIDGE LITTLE CORBY & CORBY HILL One site where there may be scope for development is to the north east of the settlement (part of Corby Hill) where land is relatively flat and sheltered. It is also well related to the existing residential area and it is considered that development would not have a negative impact on the surrounding landscape. 1 Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) Community Consultation Warwick Bridge is divided by the parish boundaries of Wetheral and Hayton. The majority of households in part of Warwick Bridge, Little Corby and Corby Hill fall within Hayton Parish. Hayton Parish Council A focus group meeting was held on 04/07/12 with members of Hayton Parish Council. This included residents of Hayton, Heads Nook, Warwick Bridge, Corby Hill and Little Corby. The Parish Council wished to seek the views of the inhabitants of the Parish. A leaflet was delivered to all households within the Parish including Warwick Bridge, Corby Hill and Little Corby and surrounding area. There were 12 responses from the residents of Warwick Bridge, Corby Hill and Little Corby within Hayton Parish, north of the A69. Seven respondents were generally positive about some further development and identified 6 possible sites on the settlement profile map. Comments included: ● build a primary school north of the A69 main road which would avoiding flooding problems, also other shops to avoid the need to cross the busy road. ● build more housing south of the A69 where the local services and amenities are located, this would improve the settlement form. ● more pensioners bungalows on the left of Burnrigg Road which would be close to amenities, a new footpath would be needed. ● a good mix of housing gives a good mix of children in the school. Concerns about further development were mostly aimed at traffic problems and congestion. To summarise the comments from the 5 respondent that had concerns about future development: ● road traffic accidents particularly on the Little Corby/Newby East Road are a problem, this road has no capacity to take more traffic; ● Corby Hill/Little Corby are already too busy, too much traffic is putting pedestrians at risk; ● limited spaces in the local primary school; and ● character of the village will be further eroded In addition suggestions for sites in Faugh, Fenton and Townhead were also suggested. Wetheral Parish Council A focus group meeting was held on 23/2/12 with members of Wetheral Parish Council. The Parish Council included a detachable comments page on the future shape of the villages in the Parish to their annual report that was distributed to all, including 322 households in Warwick Bridge and Warwick on Eden villages. There were no responses returned. Wetheral Parish Council undertook community led planning in 2010. As part of this consultation a question asked of all households: ‘would you object to a small number May 2013 Page 4 Carlisle District: Rural Masterplanning WARWICK BRIDGE LITTLE CORBY & CORBY HILL of low-cost rented houses being built in the parish, to meet the needs of local people?’ 75% of people who responded said that they would have no objection (from the whole parish not just Warwick Bridge, Corby Hill and Little Corby villages). However, many expressed their concern that the existing low cost housing did not go to local families. For a full summary of responses go to end of document. Socio-economic picture for Wetheral Parish Council1 Population 5203 All dwellings