Land Allocation MDC Feb 18 333:Bridgeman
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Mendip Local Plan Part II: Sites & Policies – Pre-Submission Consultation Consultation Response Form Please use this form to respond or make representations on Local Plan Part II and associated Consultation documents. For information or advice, please contact the Planning Policy Team by email at [email protected] or phone (0300) 303 8588. Contact Details If you have appointed somebody to act as your agent, please give their contact details. All correspondence will be sent to the agent Name: Mr Roger Hutton/ Mr Pat Bridgeman Agent Name: Lee Wright Organisation (if applicable): Company Name: Wright Consult LLP Address: Bay Tree, Cooks Lane, West Cranmore, Shepton Mallet, Somerset Postcode: BA4 4RH Email: [email protected] Tel: 07778 747072 Date Completed: 02.02.2018 Do you wish to be notified of future stages of Local Plan Part II (tick box) Ö Öaa We will contact you by e-mail only unless you confirm here (tick box) Data protection – please read - The information collected as part this consultation will be processed by the Council in accordanCe with the Data Protection Act 1998. The purposes for collecting this data are: to assist in plan making; and to contact you, if necessary, regarding the planning consultation process. Please note that representations must be attributable to named individuals or organisations at a postal address. Representations and contact names will be published on the Mendip website but no other personal information Copies of this form are available from Council Offices and Access Points or can be downloaded from www.mendip.gov.uk/loCalplanpart2 . If you require this document in another format such as Braille, large print or another language then please contact us. Please use a separate form for each site or main issue you wish to make. You can also attach one contact form to a group of representations. Please make sure any separate documents include your name –so they Can be clearly identified. Please return your response by 5pm Monday 12th February 2018. By post to: Planning Policy, Mendip District Council, Cannards Grave Road, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, BA4 5BT By email to: [email protected] By hand to: The Council offices in Shepton Mallet (address above). Mendip Local Plan Part II: Sites & Policies - Issues and Options Consultation For office use Details of Objection/ Comment./Representation Name /Organisation: Lee Wright of Wright Consult LLP, on behalf of landowner 333 Homes Ltd Please indicate the document to which your representation relates (e.g. policy, paragraph BUT018 - Land North of Butleigh Hospital number, HELAA site reference) Do you consider the Local Plan is Legally Do you consider the Local Plan is Sound 1 ? 1 Compliant? Yes Ö No Yes No. Ö Do you consider it neCessary to participate at examination hearings? (eg present oral Yes evidence) Please provide details below of why you consider the Local Plan is not legally compliant or is unsound. Please be as precise as possible. If you wish to support the legal compliance and soundness of the plan, please also use this box to set out your comments. HELAA Site Number BUT018 – Land North of Butleigh Hospital, Butleigh 1. Introduction & Summary Our client, 333 Homes Ltd in conjunction with Bridgeman Ltd recently redeveloped the former Butleigh Hospital site (now known as Grenville Court); a brownfield site on the southern edge of the village of Butleigh, with a development of 15 homes. At the same time, our client provided 8 Affordable Homes to rent at Adam’s Orchard, just off Chapel Lane in Butleigh. Planning Policy required affordable homes to be built on the same development site and the Butleigh Hospital site should have delivered 2 or 3 affordable homes; however, our client, who has ‘one arm’ as a landlord provided off site affordable housing and instead of 2 or 3 affordable homes that should have been delivered, they delivered 8 affordable homes for local people to rent. These homes remain owned and rented by our client, they have been built without any government grant or subsidy and remain affordable in perpetuity (secured through a S106 agreement). This level of affordable housing that is way in excess of policy requirements, has not been reduced throughout the development process and should demonstrate that our client consistently delivers on their promises and intentions. Furthermore, the Adam’s Orchard affordable housing development is held in high regarded by many villagers, as referred to in the issues and options stage response; where the Issues and Options Stage Summary of Responses (December 2017), section 7.4.6 stated: ‘The recent development at Adam’s Orchard was identified as a welcome and sympathetic development of socially affordable housing that demonstrated it was possible to build new housing stock that was in keeping with the rest of the village. The use of natural stone and pantile roofs meant that this development sits well with the surrounding houses; when it has weathered down in a few years, will be nearly indistinguishable.’ 1 See our Online Guidance note on what these terms mean 2 Mendip Local Plan Part II: Sites & Policies - Issues and Options Consultation BUT018 lies immediately to the north of the (former) Butleigh Hospital site and south of the only village pub (The Rose & Portcullis). The pub is distanCed from the centre of the village and its main core facilities, with no footpath between the two, requiring patrons from the centre of the village to walk along Chapel Lane and the busy Sub Road to the pub. Similarly, residents living in this area of the village in the environs of Barton Road have to walk along Sub Road to reach core village facilities in the centre of the village. BUT018 was carried through the earlier stages of the Part II Land Allocation process of the Local Plan, on the basis that development of this site could provide a footpath to the village along Sub Road on highway land (verge) as clearly shown on the roads record where it would connect to the existing footpath in Chapel Lane. Such a footpath would boost interConnectivity in the village and provide a safe walking route along the busy Sub Road to the benefit of the wider village and in doing so, also boost conneCtivity to the pub (as well as safeguarding the viability and vitality of the pub). The cost of the footpath would be met by the developer and the footpath Could be conditioned as being direCtly attributable to the development in order to enable it in turn to Connect with the centre of the village and its main core services. Notably, it is a desire of the majority of villagers, as Confirmed in the adopted 2013 Parish Plan to have such a footpath. The comments provided herein firstly, look at site specifiC issues and secondly, the wider Local Plan Part II and the proposed methodology to the allocation of sites aCross the district and thirdly, a summary as to why BUT018 should be allocated. The lynChpin of these comments are that the proposed methodology to the allocation of sites is flawed as evidenced; and there are in fact no access issues in preventing this site being allocated and its allocation, would provide better village Connectivity and sustainability than the site currently proposed for adoption (BUT003); as well as supporting the pub, a vital village facility. The landowner is as developer with a proven track record through existing highly regarded development in the village (Adam’s Orchard) and they confirm this site to be ‘deliverable’ and ‘developable’. In balanCe, there is the matter of five year housing land supply across the district and whether the council in fact have a five year supply and irrespectively, whether enough sites are being allocated. We herein expand upon this: SITE SPECIFIC ISSUES 2. Issues & Options – Butleigh Section (October 2015 to January 2016) The site was listed as: ‘Potentially suitable subject to consideration of landscape impact and constraints.’ 3. Mendip District Council Local Plan Part II (Sites & Policies) Issues and Options Stage Summary of Responses (December 2017) Section 7.4 Butleigh Parish Council Comments (underline added for emphasis) 7.4.1 Butleigh Parish Council provided detailed comments to the issues & options put forward in the consultation paper. They consider that Butleigh should not extend beyond its 3 Mendip Local Plan Part II: Sites & Policies - Issues and Options Consultation natural settlement limits i.e. restrict development south of Barton Road and east of Henley Lane/Back Town. The demand is for smaller houses either on shared ownership or for outright purchase – housing that would help the village demographic or age profile achieve something closer to the Mendip average. 7.4.2 The existing development limit is tightly drawn around the village, but does not allow for future development. A limited expansion to include some of the closest sites would be sufficient for the village to grow sustainably without adversely affecting the Conservation Area. 7.4.3 A proportion of villagers would like to develop a Village Hall. This could be achieved by extending the existing Pavilion on the Playing Field (off Back Town). Linked to this an extension of the Playing Field is envisaged to allow for realignment of the existing pitches and extra car parking. In the Parish Plan adopted in 2013 a majority of villagers wanted to have a safe pedestrian link between Chapel Lane along Sub Road to the junction with Barton Road. Our response to Parish Council comments; is that whilst BUT018 lies just south of Barton Road, it would assimilate with the existing Butleigh Hospital development and the pub, rounding off development in this area with a small cluster of houses, which is characteristiC of the outlying development in Butleigh as can be seen along Sub Road, Barton Road and Kingweston Road; and development here would not impact on the Conservation Area, unlike BUT003 as currently proposed for allocation that lies immediately adjacent the Conservation Area and abutting it on two sides.