Planning Statement
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Story Homes March 2021 Planning Statement Land at Station Road, Middleton St George Planning Statement Land at Station Road, Middleton St George Contents 1. Introduction 1 2. Site and Context 4 3. The Proposed Development 6 4. Planning Policy Context 8 5. Public Consultation Update 17 6. The Planning Balance 19 7. Conclusions 30 Appendices 31 Appendix 1 – Site Location Plan 32 April 2021 1 savills.co.uk Planning Statement Land at Station Road, Middleton St George 1. Introduction 1.1. This Planning Statement has been prepared by Savills UK Ltd on behalf of our client Story Homes (hereafter referred to as “the Applicant”). It supports a Full Planning Application submitted to Darlington Borough Council (hereafter referred to as “the Council”) for the delivery of 260 dwellings with associated access, estate roads, parking, landscaping and engineering works on 13.9ha of land off Station Road, Middleton St George (“the Site”). 1.2. The ‘proposed development’, as set out on the accompanying application form, is as follows: “Full planning application for the development of 260 dwellings including access, open space, landscaping, Sustainable Drainage Systems and associated infrastructure” 1.3. The application is made in full with no matters reserved. 1.4. This Statement draws upon the findings of various technical information and should be read in conjunction with the accompanying application material to provide a comprehensive understanding of the proposal and its associated benefits. Background 1.5. The Site, edged in red on the plan at Appendix 1, comprises a number of agricultural fields which are bound by trees and hedgerows which divide the site and create screening along parts of the site boundary. 1.6. Since 2016, there has been a live outline planning application for up to 260 dwellings on the site, also lodged by Story Homes (ref: 16/00976/OUT). Whilst the application was recommended for approval by officers in 2019, a decision by the Council was not taken and it remains with the planning authority undecided. The live outline application focusses on the principle of development and does not provide or seek approval for any detailed design proposals such as house types, landscaping and materials. Story Homes is now, in 2021, proposing to submit a full and detailed application (on the same site) for 260 dwellings which will, in effect, supersede the live outline application as well as providing a range of additional design information for the Council to consider. Environmental Impact Assessment 1.7. The proposed development has been assessed in the context of Part 10b of Schedule 2 of the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) (England and Wales) Regulations 2017 (“the EIA Regulations”) as the proposed development falls above the screening thresholds of more than 1 hectare in size (1.41ha). It is the view of the applicant that this application is not EIA development and indeed, this was the view of the Council when it screened the outline application for up to 260 dwellings on this site in 2016. April 2021 1 Planning Statement Land at Station Road, Middleton St George Application Documents 1.8. The application submission has been prepared in line with national and local planning application validation requirements and agreed with Darlington Borough Council. 1.9. The following documents and plans have been submitted as part of this application package: Document Prepared By 1. Application Forms and Certificates Savills (UK) Ltd 2. Planning Statement including Statement of Community Savills (UK) Ltd Involvement 3. Design and Access Statement Savills (UK) Ltd 4. Ground Investigations Sirius Group 5. Noise Assessment NJDEnvironmental 6. Air Quality Assessment NJDEnvironmental 7. Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment & Landscape Pegasus Landscape Architects Masterplan 8. Transport Statement and Travel Plan Tetra Tech 9. Tree Survey, AIA and AMS AllAboutTrees 10. Geophysical Survey + Written Scheme of Invesigation Durham University 11. Flood Risk Assessment and Drainage Details RWO Associates 12. Ecological Impact Assessment E3 Ecology 13. The following plans: PLN1. Site Location Plan PLN2. General Arrangement PLN3. Proposed External Finishes and Boundary Treatments PLN4. Site Execution Plan PLN5. Noise Mitigation Plan Story Homes PLN6. Ecology Mitigation Plan PLN7. Tree Protection Plan PLN8. Indicative Adoption/ManCo Plan PLN9. Affordable Units Plan PLN10. Public Right of Way Diversion Plan PLN11. Key Pedestrian Route Plan 14. Planning Booklets for the Following House Types: Beauford Branford Charlton Clifford Fraser Hartford Story Homes Langford Layton Masterton Newford Sanderson Standford Wilford Wilson April 2021 2 Planning Statement Land at Station Road, Middleton St George Pre-application Consultation 1.10. The Applicant has undertaken a comprehensive programme of consultation with representatives from the Council, local ward Councillors and the local community, amongst other interested groups, including public exhibitions, information leaflets, a website and a dedicated email address. This covers the principle of development (discussed in 2016 and summarised in the outline application submission) and the detailed design (through a leaflet drop with this 2021 full application). 1.11. Full details of the consultation undertaken are outlined later in this statement. Section 106 Heads of Terms (Planning Obligations) 1.12. The Applicant will review the position with regards to a Section 106 Agreement (S.106) during the determination of the application, given the lack of adopted local policy relating to planning obligations. In doing so, the Applicant will take into account published local and national guidance on planning obligations as well as Regulation 122 of the Community Infrastructure Levy Regulations 2014. The National Planning Policy Framework confirms that planning obligations should only be sought where they meet the following tests: Necessary to make the development acceptable in planning terms; Directly related to the development; and Fairly and reasonably related in scale and kind to the development. 1.13. In this respect the Council must be satisfied in reaching a decision on this application that the planning obligations meet the above tests. Structure of Statement 1.14. Following this introductory chapter, this statement is structured as follows: Section 2: Site and Context; Section 3: The Application Proposals; Section 4: Planning Policy Context; Section 5: Public Consultation Updates Section 6: Planning Analysis; and Section 7: Conclusions. April 2021 3 Planning Statement Land at Station Road, Middleton St George 2. Site and Context 2.1. The Site is located south and west of Station Road, Middleton St George and extends to an area of approximately 13.9 hectares in total. 2.2. The site comprises of a number of agricultural fields with boundary trees and hedgerows which divide the site and create a visual screen. The site is crossed by a tributary of the River Tees which flows in a south westerly direction. 2.3. On the northern part of the site there are currently a number of farm buildings with vehicular access to the farm from Station Road to the north. There are also two Public Rights of Way which run from Station Road (east of the site) to the points on the southern boundary of the site. 2.4. To the north and east of the proposed development site are residential properties on and beyond Station Road. The south of the site is bound by the Middleton St George Water Park (balancing ponds) and to the west of the site there is agricultural land. 2.5. Middleton St. George Village Centre is approximately 0.5km from the site offering a range of shops and services including a hair salon, takeaway, restaurant, news agent and post office. 2.6. There are 4 bus stands on Station Road, at the perimeter of the site and Dinsdale Railway Station is located 0.6km from the site. These provide regular public transport services to Darlington, Newcastle and other surrounding areas. A summary of the public transport options available is provided in the Transport Assessment prepared by Tetra Tech. 2.7. The site is also within 2km of retail offer at Morton Park that includes a Morrison’s supermarket, hair salon, travel agent, news agent, dry cleaners, B&Q store, fast food, soft play, cafes and restaurants. Designations 2.8. The suite of supporting documents accompanying the appeal confirm the site: Is principally located within Flood Zone 1 with the exception of the stream that passes through the site. There is therefore a low risk that this development site will be affected by flooding; Is not designated locally, nationally or internationally for its geological or biological importance; Is not located within the Green Belt; Does not contain any locally or nationally listed buildings nor is it within or directly adjacent to a Conservation Area. Is not subject to any nationally significant designations, such as a National Park, Scheduled Ancient Monument or World Heritage Site. April 2021 4 Planning Statement Land at Station Road, Middleton St George 2.9. There are a number of trees around the perimeter of the Site and adjacent to the site boundaries. None of these trees are afforded specific protection. Further Arboricultural considerations are detailed within the Arboricultural Impact Assessment and Tree Survey documents which are submitted in support of this application. Relevant Planning History 2.10. The only relevant planning history for the Site relates to a live 2016 outline planning application for up to 260 dwellings (16/00976/OUT) by the same applicant (Story Homes). This outline application seeks approval for the principle of up to 260 dwellings on the Site and was, in 2019, taken to planning committee with a recommendation for approval by officers. In the Committee Report officers concluded that despite the proposal being in conflict with 1997 Local Plan (Policy E2) “it is important that the Council continues to support and grant planning permissions on sites which have been identified as suitable for residential development and are proposed allocations in the emerging Local Plan.