Item 6 6.1 14/00813/OUT LAND BETWEEN WINDERMERE AVENUE and LOWER ROAD, MALYONS LANE, HULLBRIDGE OUTLINE PLANNING APPLICATION FO
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DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE Item 6 - 22 March 2016 14/00813/OUT LAND BETWEEN WINDERMERE AVENUE AND LOWER ROAD, MALYONS LANE, HULLBRIDGE OUTLINE PLANNING APPLICATION FOR DEVELOPMENT OF 500 DWELLINGS, TOGETHER WITH ASSOCIATED ACCESS, CAR PARKING, LANDSCAPING, OPEN SPACE AND RELATED WORKS APPLICANT: SOUTHERN AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENTS LTD. ZONING: SER 6a and SER6b – SOUTH WEST HULLBRIDGE PARISH: HULLBRIDGE AND RAWRETH WARD: HULLBRIDGE AND DOWNHALL AND RAWRETH 1 THE SITE 1.1 The application site relates to an area of 21.79ha and is varied in shape to the south - west of the existing built up area of Hullbridge bounded by Windermere Avenue to the north and extending down to Lower Road to the south. 1.2 The site is currently farmland in use for grazing and hay making divided into seven fields of varying size each broadly rectangular in shape bounded by well kept hedges and fencing. To the middle part of the site exist a group of farm buildings accessed from Malyons Lane. The application site includes the farmhouse shown to be retained. The application site shows the bungalow to the east of the envelope of buildings “Little Malyons” to be redeveloped. The more recent bungalow “The New Bungalow” located on the north eastern edge of the farm building complex is shown excluded form the site by way of the site surrounding this bungalow to be retained. 1.3 Within the envelope of farm buildings are four telecommunications masts. 6.1 DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE Item 6 - 22 March 2016 1.4 The site slopes downhill from Windermere Avenue to the north down to Lower Road at the southern edge of the site. The topography of the site varies from its highest point at some 22 metres Above Ordnance Datum (AOD) in the northern part of the site to the lowest point at some 5 metres AOD towards the southern boundary of the site with Lower Road. 1.5 This southern boundary of the site features a hedgerow with trees. 1.6 A group of trees located in the verge along Windermere Avenue just outside the northern boundary of the site comprising one Field Maple, Two Oaks and six Hawthorn trees are the subject of Tree Preservation Order TPO/00006/07. 1.7 The site is crossed west to east by Public Footpaths 2 and 7 which extend from Malyons Lane through the farm buildings area westwards to Highlands Road. 1.8 The majority of the site falls within The Parish of Hullbridge. Two areas of the application site south west and north west of the envelope of farm buildings are sited within the Parish of Rawreth. The administrative area for Rayleigh Town Council extends west of Hullbridge Road as far as the junction with Watery Lane to within 40m of the south west corner of the application site. 1.9 Following the adoption of the Allocations Plan in February 2014 the application site is allocated for residential development under Policy SER6a and SER 6b. The whole of the SER6a and SER6b allocation site allocation is identified to provide up to 500 dwellings over a total site area of 23.4ha at a density of 30 dwellings per hectare with associated open space. That part of the site nearest the existing built up area forming allocation SER6a is allocated from adoption. The north western area of the site allocated SER6b will be safeguarded form development until 2021 unless required in order to maintain a five year supply of housing land. 1.10 A concept masterplan showing all of the land within the SER6a and SER 6b allocation has been submitted with the application to indicate how the proposed development would relate to the parcels of land which would be developed. 2 PLANNING APPLICATION DETAILS 2.1 This application is an outline application with all matters reserved apart from access to the site which is shown by a new roundabout formed from the site onto Lower Road 100m east of the junction made with Watery Lane and by a road way extension of Malyons Lane into the site. Further pedestrian and cycle access is proposed from the site onto Windermere Avenue, Harrison Gardens to the north of the site and off The Priories to the south east. 6.2 DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE Item 6 - 22 March 2016 2.2 The key matters for determination at the outline stage are therefore the acceptability of:- o the principle of residential development of the site o the quantum of residential development proposed o the proposed access arrangements and o other planning considerations including issues such as flood risk, drainage and ecology. 2.3 The key plan for determination at this outline stage is the Concept Masterplan which shows the areas of the site intended for residential, play areas, open space and flood attenuation basins. If approved, this plan would form the basis for the working up of a detailed site layout at the Reserved Matters stage. 2.4 The application details as originally submitted illustrated off site works to provide a mini - roundabout for the Watery Lane / Lower Road / Hullbridge Road junction and the widening of the southern side of the Rawreth Lane / Hullbridge Road / Hambro Hill junction in front of Hambro Parade. These improvements were put forward by the applicant on the basis of their findings for the impacts of the scheme proposed in expectation to provide the basis for an agreement to form part of the grant of permission. These details were however revised on 21st August 2015 following consideration by the applicants of representations made to delete the mini – roundabout to the Watery Lane/ / Lower Road / Hullbridge Road junction and the provision of a new roundabout and junction improvement to the Rawreth Lane / Hullbridge Road / Hambro Hill junction. 2.5 The proposed development would access onto Hullbridge Road by way of a 28m diameter roundabout with 6m wide carriageway arms into the site. The roundabout would be formed slightly off centre in the alignment of the existing highway and extending into the application site. 2.6 A second access linking into the settlement would upgrade the existing access into Malyons Farm by improving Malyons Lane to a 5.5m wide carriageway reducing down to 4.6m wide carriageway entering the site with a 1.8m wide footway on the southern side and 1m wide footway widening to 1.5m on the northern side. The junction point where the existing Malyons Lane meets Elm Grove would be improved with minor widening and improvement to the kerb radius. 2.7 The transport assessment accompanying the application also shows improvements to provide a mini – roundabout to the junction of Watery Lane with Hullbridge Road and the improvement to junction of Rawreth Lane with 6.3 DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE Item 6 - 22 March 2016 Hullbridge Road by carriageway widening on the southern approach to the junction from Hambro Hill to increase the width of the main carriageway approach to 10m on this side by taking within the highway the existing pavement and part of the service road to the parade to increase the capacity of the existing junction. These works are outside the application site. 2.8 The agents for this application have also submitted a planning application the subject of a separate report and recommendation under application 16/00162/FUL that would provide a new roundabout junction on third party land on the field corner to the junction as an alternative and uplift to the requirements to mitigate the impact of the development in highway terms and resolve wider long standing issues a the capacity of this junction which the applicants argue the development of this site can deliver. 2.9 The submitted Concept Masterplan identifies areas of the application site for each proposed use, including:- o residential development (approximately14.3ha) o existing residential use to be retained comprising the existing farmhouse and an area of 0.19ha. o highway land comprising the main spine road between Lower Road and Malyons Lane (1.1ha). o open space (6.2ha) comprising natural and semi- natural green space through north south links through the site, green buffer to part of eastern edge, 0.06ha of children’s play space including two local areas of play (LAPs) and one Local Equipped Area of Play (LEAP).The applicants argue that the minimum 0.02ha for outdoor youth provision could include junior youth sports pitches to the north western part of the site. 2.10 The application is accompanied by a number of supporting documents:- o Planning Statement o Design and Access Statement o Transport Assessment o Flood Risk Assessment o Biodiversity Survey o Reptile Survey o Bat emergence and return to roost survey o Great Crested Newt Survey o Arboricultural Constraints report 6.4 DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE Item 6 - 22 March 2016 o Phase 1 Contaminated Land Desk Study o Services Appraisal o Archaeological Desk based assessment o Statement of Community involvement 2.11 The application follows pre – application advice with County and District officers. 3 RELEVANT PLANNING HISTORY 3.1 The site excludes an area to the north western corner of the allocation that was the subject of an outline application for 18 No. houses including siting and access refused permission for reasons of Green Belt, inadequate unmade highway network serving the site, on street parking, inadequate garden, lack of social infrastructure and to a layout out of character with Windermere Avenue on 8th August 2005 under application reference 05/00400/OUT. 3.2 The site includes part of the allocation and site that was the subject of an outline application for 14 No houses refused permission for reasons of Green Belt, Coastal Protection Belt, too low density and inadequate unmade highway network serving the site, on 12th June 2007 under application reference 07/00132/OUT.