Supporting Planning and Design & Access Statement Land East of Vounog Hill, Penyffordd, CH4 0EX

Prepared for Tevir Group (Previously Roundfield Limited)

August 2019 Aaron Marrs MRTPI

Contents

Supporting Planning Statement Land East of Vounog Hill, Penyffordd

1. Introduction 3 2. Site and Surroundings 4 3. The Proposal 7 4. Principle of Development 9 5. Conclusion 21 6. Design & Access Statement 21

Appendices Appendix A – Letter from Planning Inspectorate

Park House, 37 Lower Bridge Street, Chester, CH1 1RS  01244 354888 2

Planning Statement – Land East of Vounog Hill, Penyffordd

1. Introduction

Strutt & Parker have been instructed to submit an outline planning application on behalf of Tevir Group Limited (previously Roundfield Limited) for a development of 37 dwellings on land east of Vounog Hill, Penyffordd.

This application is a resubmission of reference 058164. The original application was refused by Flintshire Council on 11th September 2018. An appeal was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate in March 2019 but in a letter dated 25th March 2019 the Inspectorate stated it could not accept the appeal as valid as there is insufficient information to satisfy the requirements of Part 2, Article 3 (4) of the Town & Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (Wales) Order 2012 (relating to scale) (see Appendix A).

Part 2 Article 3 of the Town & Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (Wales) Order 2012 states that “where scale is a reserved matter, the application for outline planning permission must state the upper and lower limit for the height, width and length of each building included in the development proposed”.

The applicant is therefore required to resubmit the application with additional clarification around the potential minimum and maximum scale of the properties. The development proposed has not changed since the original application.

Accordingly, this information is now included within the resubmission application as summarised below and set out in full within the Extended Mix Schedule.

Lower Limit (Metres) Upper Limit (Metres) Height (to pitch) 6.9 8.7 Width 4.9 10.7 Length (depth) 6.9 10.7

Part 2 Article 3 of the Town & Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (Wales) Order 2012 also states that “where layout is a reserved matter, the application for outline planning permission must state the approximate location of buildings, routes and open spaces including the development proposed”.

The “indicative layout” plan (drawing no.1586SAP/MVP/SK01 Rev. E) shows the approximate location of buildings, routes and open spaces with the development ethos being five small collections of houses which can easily access a designated community open space (to the north of the site) and are serviced by one main road which enters the site from Vounog Hill and then disperses into four quieter cul-de-

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Planning Statement – Land East of Vounog Hill, Penyffordd

sac roads.

This planning statement provides an assessment of the proposal against the relevant national planning policy guidance and local planning policy. It also provides a summary of the relevant site characteristics such as ecology, highways and design.

This statement forms part of the documentation submitted to Flintshire County Council in support of the application including:

. Site Location . Proposed Plan . Flood Risk and Drainage Strategy . Highways (updated). . Arboricultural Assessment. . Agricultural Land Classification Assessment. . Ecological Appraisal (updated) . Design & Access Statement. . Pre-Application Consultation Statement (updated) . Landscape & Visual Impact Appraisal. . Utilities Appraisal. . Topographic Survey. . Sustainability Report. . Viability Report.

2. Site and Surroundings

The site is situated directly adjacent to the settlement boundary of Penyffordd. The main village centre can be found 800m north of the site. The site is bound to the east by the Min Y Ddol hospital re- development, to the south by properties along Wrexham Road, existing development along Vounog Hill to the west and to the north lies open countryside until the main village centre. The site is fronted by Vounog Hill.

The site is greenfield land bound by existing hedgerows along its east, south and western boundaries.

The site topography slopes upwards north to south, across the site towards higher ground where the Min y Ddol access road and associated houses are situated. There is an existing public right of way across the site, this will be retained, improved and incorporated into the proposed development (see proposed site plan).

Within approximately 1.5 miles of the site, there are the following services and amenities:

Service/Facility Provision Location Education Ysgol Penyffordd Juniors Penyffordd Road, Penyffordd Education Ysgol Penyffordd Infants Park Crescent, Penyffordd Education St John the Baptist VA Primary School Chester Road, Penyffordd Health Cambrian Dental Practice Chester Road, Penyffordd Health Imaan Limited (Pharmacy) Vougnog Hill, Penyffordd Church Emmanuel Church Off Wat’s Road, Penyffordd

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Planning Statement – Land East of Vounog Hill, Penyffordd

Church St John the Baptist Church Fedwen Arian, Penymynydd Community Tennis Court Park Lane, Penyffordd Community War Memorial Institute* Penymynydd Road/ Community Centre Chester Road, Penyffordd Community Youth Centre Hawarden Road, Penyffordd Community Bowling Green Park Crescent, Penyffordd Retail Spar Convenience Store & Post Office** Hawarden Road, Penyffordd Retail Baughan’s Butchers Wood Lane, Penyffordd Retail Jackson’s Garden Centre Hawarden Road, Penyffordd Restaurant The Mill Stone Hawarden Road, Penyffordd Take-Away Happy Walk Coed Y Graig, Penymynydd Café Jemoley’s Café & Ceramics Chester Road, Penyffordd Public House The Red Lion Corwen Road, Penyffordd Transport Penyffordd Railway Station Corwen Road, Penyffordd

* The War Memorial Institute hosts a variety of clubs and societies for use by the residents including Rainbows, Brownies, Guides, toddler group, Lucy Palmer’s Palates, watercolour classes and ballroom dancing.

** The Spar Convenience Store is open seven days’ a week between 7am and 11pm.

A new Penyffordd Primary School on the site of the existing infant school on Abbots Way has been approved.

There is currently an application for a new Co-Op retail store on the old bowling green site adjacent to The Millstone pub. This is awaiting determination (reference 059373).

There are also the following services and amenities within approximately 6 miles of the site which are readily accessible by regular public transport links.

. Castell Alun High School – secondary and sixth form education located in Hope (2.2 miles). Accessible by public transport via the B525D bus service.

. Elfed High School – secondary education located in Buckley (3.4 miles). Accessible by public transport from Penyffordd by either 3 service operated by Arriva or 28 service operated by Townlynx Limited.

. Alun School – secondary and sixth form education located in Mold (5.9 miles). Accessible by public transport via the 28M bus service.

. Clwyd Health Surgery and Mill Lane Surgery, Buckley (3.3 and 3.4 miles respectively) – accepting new patients (February 2018).

. NHS dentist – accepting new patients (February 2018). Bistre Dental Practice, Buckley (3.5 miles).

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Planning Statement – Land East of Vounog Hill, Penyffordd

There are a range of larger supermarkets within approximately 7 miles of the site:

. Tesco Extra Broughton (3.6 miles) – open seven days’ a week 24 hours Monday to Saturday and 11am to 5pm on Sunday.

. Asda Queensferry (5.9 miles) – open 24 hours Monday to Friday, Saturday closes at 10pm, Sunday 10am to 4pm.

. Morrisons Connah’s Quay (7.2 miles) – open seven days’ a week 7am to 10pm Monday to Saturday and 10am to 4pm Sunday.

There are also the following existing public transport services within the village:

Bus Service Bus Route Operation

3/3A Mold – Buckley – Penyffordd – Saltney Monday to Saturday. One per hour. – Chester First 0644; last 2249. No service on a Sunday. 3/3A Chester – Bretton – Broughton – Monday to Saturday. Two per hour. Penyffordd – Buckley – Mold First 0651; last 2301. No service on a Sunday. 28/28A Wrexham – Hope – Penyffordd – Monday to Friday. One per hour. Buckley – Mold – Northop – Flint First 0812; last 1747. Saturday 1044, 1244, 1444, 1644. 28/28A Flint – Northop – Mold – Buckley – Monday to Friday. One per hour. Penyffordd – Hope – Wrexham First 0726; last 1607. Saturday 0927, 1127, 1327, 1527.

Penyffordd Railway Station offers direct connections Bidston and Wrexham. Connections can also be made to various locations within Wales and England as follows:

. Shotton for services to Chester, Manchester Piccadilly and destinations west into Wales including Llandudno Junction and Holyhead.

. Bidston for services to Liverpool Lime Street.

. Wrexham General for services to Shrewsbury, Birmingham New Street and South Wales through to Cardiff.

. With two changes at Wrexham General and Chester, London Euston can be reached in as little as three hours.

Extensive amenities and facilities are available in Mold (6.3 miles), Wrexham (8 miles) and Chester (11.6 miles).

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Planning Statement – Land East of Vounog Hill, Penyffordd

3. The Proposal

This is an outline application for the development of 37 dwellings, the design and layout of the proposed development is described below, with further detail provided in the accompanying Extended Mix Schedule.

3.1 Housing Mix The proposed 37 dwellings will be two, three and four-bedroom family homes. There is a mixture of dwellings proposed, including detached, semi-detached and terrace dwellings.

The mosaic data on housing stock within Penyffordd and Penymynydd indicates a high concentration of detached dwellings in the community when compared to the county as a whole (38.9% compared to 28.2%). Detached dwellings make up the largest share of the housing stock in the community and the second most prevalent is semi-detached (38%). There is an especially low level provision of terraced dwellings (5.2% compared to 14.1% for the county) and a smaller proportion of both social and private rented households within the settlement (7.3% and 3.9% compared to the county’s 16.5% and 6.5%) (LPA reference 055590 – Rural Solutions Sustainability Appraisal).

As outlined in policy 4.22 Planning Policy Wales, an appropriate provision of affordable housing needs to be made. Of the total dwellings developed, eleven of these will be affordable, making the scheme compliant with the Affordable Housing Policy within the Flintshire Unitary Development Plan Policies HSG10 and HSG11. The affordable housing provision has not yet been identified in terms of specific plots, as this will be determined through consultation with Flintshire County Council to ensure the dwellings are evenly distributed within the development complying with Council policy. Consideration has also been given to the Penyffordd Place Plan, which states in paragraph 3.04 “affordable home provision of 30% is essential”.

3.2 Layout and Access This part of Penyffordd is currently characterised by the separation of the hospital redevelopment housing from the main core of the village along Vounog Hill, which has created an anomaly to the visual layout of Penyffordd. This site presents the opportunity to reconnect the outlying residents of the hospital redevelopment housing with the core of the village community, resolving the current sense of distance from the village.

The proposed dwellings will branch off the internal road layout which has been designed in a way to reflect a country lane with winding turns and cul-de-sacs.

Vehicular access will be taken from a single access point off Vounog Hill, taking the form of a simple T-Junction with internal roads for the development reflecting a rural setting.

A new footpath is proposed across the site frontage along Vounog Hill. A pedestrian refuge is also proposed. This will ensure safe pedestrian links from the site to the village, for both existing and new residents.

3.3 Scale Part 2 Article 3 of the Town & Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (Wales) Order 2012 states that “where scale is a reserved matter, the application for outline planning permission must state the upper and lower limit for the height, width and length of each building included in the development proposed”.

Accordingly:

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Planning Statement – Land East of Vounog Hill, Penyffordd

Lower Limit (Metres) Upper Limit (Metres) Height (to pitch) 6.9 8.7 Width 4.9 10.7 Length (depth) 6.9 10.7

(See Extended Mix Schedule for additional details).

3.4 Open Space TAN16 states that public open space should be provided in all new housing developments, for all schemes of ten dwellings or more. To comply with policy, the proposed development incorporates 0.27 hectares of open green space to the northern extent of the development. This open space will provide the occupants of the new dwellings and the existing community with a new amenity space incorporating a hard surfaced footpath linking into the existing footpath on the site, a specific request from the community engagement with Local Councillors. The existing footpath is to be upgraded as part of the proposed development. The location of the proposed open space will also act as a buffer between the proposed development site and the green fields further north, minimising the impact on the surrounding landscape.

3.5 Pre-Application A pre-application meeting was held with the Local Authority Planning Policy Officers (for application 058164). It was noted that the proposed scheme is much smaller in scale than the majority of the then current applications and proposes benefits that are bespoke to the community. The Authority did raise concerns regarding the amount of cumulative development being proposed around the village and that if all proposals were developed, in their opinion, overdevelopment could occur.

3.6 Community Consultation A pre-application consultation exercise was carried out prior to the submission of the original application. The exercise ran from 28th November to 26th December 2017 and notice was given to members of the community via a leaflet drop and site notices erected. As part of this exercise, a meeting was also held with the Local Councillors to discuss the application prior to the submission.

Prior to the resubmission application being lodged with the Authority, we undertook another pre- application consultation exercise which ran from 3rd May to 31st May 2019.

Please refer to the Pre-Application Consultation Statement for further information (updated version).

3.7 Drainage Surface water drainage will either be managed through soakaways or if this is not possible, the water will be discharged to Black Brook. Attenuation storage is also proposed to control the surface water discharged rate and this will be in the form of a pond which has both drainage management benefits and ecological and landscape deliverables. The development’s foul water will drain into the public sewer. As part of the drainage strategy, roof water from a public building will be diverted out of the public sewer and into the applicant’s land (see drainage report).

Since the original application (058164) we have started the SuDS Approving Body (SABs) application process.

An initial pre-application meeting between Mr A Marrs (Strutt & Parker), Mr A Williams (Waterco) and the Flintshire Council SABs Team has been held. The meeting concluded that SABs approval would not be possible at this outline planning stage, however, Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) still need to be considered to ensure the application complies with Welsh statutory SuDS guidance. We

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Planning Statement – Land East of Vounog Hill, Penyffordd

are therefore progressing with the SuDS works in order to obtain initial feedback from the SABs team and proceeding with the SABs process as far as possible at this outline application stage.

4. Principle of Development

4.1 Overview Planning Policy Wales 2018 sets out the context for planning in Wales. Within this wider context, Local Planning Authorities prepare their Statutory Development Plans. Planning Policy Wales is the principal source of national planning policy outlining the main policy objectives and principles. The Flintshire County Council Unitary Development Plan was adopted on 28th September 2011. Although it is currently outdated, the Unitary Development Plan is still the main planning policy document for the Authority as the Flintshire Local Development Plan is currently in its draft consultation stage. This new Local Development Plan will establish the appropriate level of growth for Flintshire, setting out options for the strategic level and locations of housing development over the Plan period 2015-2030.

4.2 National Planning Policy – Planning Policy Wales and TANs There is a clear requirement to provide a five-year housing land supply within Planning Policy Wales 2018.

4.2.1 TAN1 – Joint Housing Land Availability Studies (2015). Paragraph 6.2 states that “where the current study shows a land supply below the five year requirement, the need to increase supply should be given weight in dealing with planning applications provided that the development would otherwise comply with necessary planning policies”.

The Authority does not have an adopted Unitary Development Plan or Local Development Plan and does not currently have a five year supply of land for housing.

Application reference 055590 for 150 dwellings on Chester Road was granted planning permission at appeal on 25th May 2018 (appeal reference APP/A6835/17/3174699). The Inspector’s report confirmed that the settlement boundaries defined by the UDP were informed by evidence on housing need and supply which is now long out of date which limits the weight to be attributed to them. In assessing the potential for harm, the Inspector concluded that there was “no compelling evidence to suggest that existing local services and facilities in Penyffordd could not accommodate the proposal, (which would also increase patronage to such services, facilities, as well as to local clubs and associations”) and whilst the “landscape would inevitably change as a result of the proposed development”, “its impact would be limited and localised due to the contained nature of the site and its relationship with the surrounding built form”.

Application reference 056694 for 32 dwellings on Hawarden Road, Penyffordd, was granted planning permission at appeal on 14th February 2018 (the application was also recommended for approval at committee in September 2016 (appeal reference APP/A6835/A/17/3182034)). The Inspector “concluded that the proposed development would cause little harm to the landscape or to the character and appearance of the area, that the development would make a useful contribution towards the much needed provision of housing in the area, and that it would be a sustainable development, an important factor in the absence of a five year supply of housing land. I consider the development would contribute towards a detrimental cumulative effect on social and community cohesion (in conjunction with growth due to other housing developments in the settlement constructed or granted planning permission in the last few years), however this is substantially outweighed by the need for and the benefits of the development”. This recent appeal provides support for the application being proposed which is for a development of the same scale on a site that is closer to the settlement boundary than the Hawarden Road application.

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Planning Statement – Land East of Vounog Hill, Penyffordd

Furthermore, the Local Housing Market Assessment for Flintshire identifies an annual shortfall of 165 dwellings. The application will both help increase the supply of housing land and affordable housing stock within Flintshire County Borough, through a proposal that is both sustainable and deliverable.

In addition to the above appeals, another appeal was allowed in 2016 for up to 40 dwellings on Land at Rhos Road, Penyffordd (appeal reference APP/A6835/A/16/3149082). As with the Hawarden Road appeal, the proposed development did not comply with GEN3 (Development in the Open Countryside) due to the site’s location outside of the settlement limit. The appeal site, like the site being proposed, was, however, adjacent to the settlement limit. The lack of a five year housing land supply within Flintshire was a material consideration within the appeal decision, stating that the proposed “development would meet that urgent need for housing”.

All three appeals, which have been allowed, demonstrate that sustainable development and contributing towards Flintshire’s five year housing land supply, prevails over open countryside policy. Therefore, considering the similarities of this application with the referenced appeals (i.e. outside but adjacent to Penyffordd with no physical planning constraints), on this basis this application should also be granted planning permission.

We acknowledge that the Welsh Government issued a temporary disapplication of paragraph 6.2, whereby removing the reference to attaching “considerable” weight to the lack of a five year housing land supply as a material consideration in determining planning applications for housing.

However, as acknowledged by Flintshire Council within the original applications Officer Report, “this does not mean that a lack of land supply is no longer a material planning consideration to be weighed in the planning balance”. “The weight that should be attributed to the need to increase supply is dependent on the planning balance providing that the development would otherwise comply with the development plan and national planning policies”.

The proposed development will help increase the supply of housing land within Flintshire and complies with paragraph 5.1 “…The development complies with the necessary planning policies”, as demonstrated within this supporting planning statements.

4.2.2 Sustainable Development Planning Policy Wales states “the planning system should create sustainable places which are attractive, sociable, accessible, active, secure, welcoming, healthy and friendly. Development proposals should create the conditions to bring people together, making them want to live, work and play in areas with a sense of place and well-being, creating prosperity for all”.

It provides the policy framework to manage the use and development of land in a way which is consistent with key sustainability principles. The proposed development is in a sustainable location due to its proximity to a range of local amenities and services by both bicycle and regular bus services. One of the key features of the site is its location, immediately adjacent to the settlement boundary of Penyffordd.

Planning Policy Wales states that “legislation secures a presumption in favour of sustainable development in accordance with the development plan, unless material considerations indicate otherwise to ensure that social, economic, cultural and environmental issues are balanced and integrated.

In compliance, the development has considered people and their quality of life by offering the provision of 37 additional homes which are a mix in terms of size and tenure to contribute towards the borough’s housing demand as identified within the Rural Solutions Sustainability Appraisal (for application reference 055390 Chester Road). The development will also deliver a usable and generous area of open space which will become a valued, managed green community area. The development is in a

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Planning Statement – Land East of Vounog Hill, Penyffordd

sustainable location in close proximity to a wealth of existing services. Importantly, the proposed development will also help reconnect the residents of Min Y Ddol to the main village fabric, due to its siting between the two areas. The proposed development integrates into the existing settlement.

This development achieves an equilibrium between meeting existing and future housing needs, whilst ensuring that the level of housing proposed can be well integrated into Penyffordd’s existing community, structure and built form.

4.2.3 TAN2 – Planning and Affordable Housing The development proposes a 30% affordable housing provision, equating to 11 dwellings. This provision will help contribute towards the identified affordable housing need within the village.

4.2.4 TAN 5 – Nature Conservation and Planning The application site is not within an area of conservation, nor does the proposed development have a negative ecological impact, as confirmed within the accompanying report.

4.3 Flintshire Unitary Development Plan 2000 to 2015

4.3.1 Policy GEN1 – General Requirements for Development The policy outlines the general principles that development is expected to adhere to. The proposed development meets the requirements of policy GEN1 as the development harmonises with the site and surroundings in terms of its siting between the Min Y Ddol development and the existing built fabric along Vounog Hill. The scale of the proposed development is not extensive, instead forming a modest infill type development, reflecting the existing built fabric to the east and west of the site. The design and layout of the proposed development is of low density, reflecting the existing developments along Vounog Hill and the site’s countryside location.

The accompanying ecological appraisal confirms there will be “no residual ecological impacts posed as a result of the scheme”. The accompanying landscape and visual impact assessment has confirmed that there will be no adverse impacts on the existing landscape. The accompanying highways report confirms “that there are no overriding objections to the proposal on highways grounds”.

The accompanying flood consequence assessment and drainage strategy confirms that the site is at very low risk of flooding from all sources and confirms that surface and foul water can be adequately dealt with.

The agricultural land classification report confirms that 68% of site is Class 3b, moderate quality land with only 32% of the site being 3a, good quality. The Inspector’s report for APP/A6835/A/17/3182034, confirms that where there is an overriding need for housing land, little weight can be given to policy RE1. The development would only result in a relatively small scale loss of best most versatile land and its development will not prevent the remaining land ownership from continuing agricultural use. The site’s location and topography also limits the ability to take full advantage of the lands productivity.

4.3.2 STR1 - New Development Although slightly outdated, the proposed development complies with the requirements set out within policy STR1 as the scheme is of high quality design and appropriate to the site’s locality. The policy requires sites to generally be located within the settlement boundary. Although the site is not located within the settlement boundary, it is important to note that the site is directly adjacent to it. Emphasis should be placed on the term “generally” as the proposed development will contribute to the Local Authority’s housing land supply through a scheme that is sensitive towards the sites location and characteristics and in a sustainable location. Compliance with policy STR1 is therefore demonstrated.

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Planning Statement – Land East of Vounog Hill, Penyffordd

4.3.3 STR4 - Housing Although slightly outdated, policy STR4 has still been adhered to as the application is proposing new development within a Category B (main villages) settlement. Further compliance is demonstrated as the proposed site is comparatively smaller in scale than many of the more recent applications, therefore enabling “a range of type and size of housing sites within Penyffordd”.

4.3.4 STR7 - Natural Environment The proposal complies with policy STR7, as the proposal incorporates generous areas of community open space and landscaping rich in ecological value and resident amenity. Through this provision the landscape character is protected, as confirmed within the accompanying landscape and visual impact assessment.

4.3.5 Policy GEN3 – Development in the Open Countryside Policy GEN3 sets out the requirements for development proposals outside settlement boundaries within the open countryside. Ordinarily the proposed development would not be supported by policy GEN3, however, as the Local Authority do not have a five year housing land supply this policy is out of date and therefore the application cannot be refused on the grounds of the open countryside location. The proposal is for a sustainable development within a sustainable location, adjacent to the settlement boundary of Penyffordd.

4.3.6 Policy D1 – Design Quality, Location and Layout and HSG9 Housing Mix and Type Chapter 5 (Design) states that good design is in the interests of everyone, making the built environment responsive to the needs and aspirations of those who use it, whether they live, work or are visitors to the area.

Policy D1 refers to the need for proposed development to respect the scale of the surrounding development, location, siting and layout, making the best use of land and minimising the need to travel. The policy also requests that the highest net density, appropriate to the setting and function is proposed.

A core deliverable of this development is that by referencing the existing built context of housing to the east and west, the scheme is able to connect an outlying part of the settlement with the main core of the village, making the best use of a parcel of land in between. This sense of connection will be reinforced by incorporating the existing footpath from the hospital site to the village into an improved community open space setting and providing a new length of footway along Vounog Hill to assist walking into the village.

The proposal respects the scale of the existing development surrounding the site to the east and west. The proposal is not seeking to maximise the number of houses on the site, rather proposing a low density housing scheme with generous amounts of open space including a formal area of open space as well as informal landscaping embedded into the scheme, ensuring the proposal integrates into the landscape.

There is also a requirement for developments to create positive and attractive building alignments and frontages with adequate provision made for space around buildings, their setting and landscaping solutions. The proposed development will create a positive and attractive building alignment and frontage as there are a mix of property types proposed (i.e. detached dwelling, semi-detached and terrace dwellings). The proposed internal layout and landscaping is imaginative in its nature through its country lane style internal roads and provision of additional landscaping.

The design of the proposed development will protect the character and the amenity of the site’s locality due to the careful consideration of the site’s context, retaining the existing boundary treatment and providing a generous amount of open space and landscaping provision.

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Planning Statement – Land East of Vounog Hill, Penyffordd

4.3.7 Policy D3 – Landscaping Policy D3 sets out the landscaping requirements that new proposals are required to adhere to. New developments will be required, where appropriate, to include a hard and soft landscaping scheme. The landscaping scheme proposed for this development has taken into consideration the topography of the site, the existing trees and vegetation and ensured appropriate boundary treatment is proposed. Policy D3 states that landscape will be treated as an integral part of the overall context of the development. The proposed scheme demonstrates that landscaping has been treated as an integral part of the overall development context through the commission of a landscape visual impact assessment, forming the basis for the scheme of landscaping proposed. The proposal seeks to retain existing trees and vegetation and also enhance the existing boundary hedgerow treatment. The retention of the trees and hedgerows complies with policies TWH1, TWH2 and TWH3. Trees and hedgerows are explained in greater detail within the supporting arboricultural survey.

The proposed development also complies with policy L1 (Landscape Character) as the proposal has taken the existing features within the landscape into consideration. This has been achieved through; the retention of the existing trees and hedgerow, the proposed area of landscaping throughout the site, open space to the north of the site and creation of additional species rich hedgerow, new mature hedgerow, pond side trees, pond and public open space seeded with a mix of hardy grasses.

4.3.8 Chapter 8 - Wildlife and Biodiversity The accompanying ecological appraisal confirms that the proposed development will have no adverse ecological impacts on the site. The development will provide improved hedgerow with a wildflower/nectar rich mix species, new mature hedgerow, pond-side trees, pond and public open space seeded with a mix of hardy grasses. This will be managed for amenity value.

4.3.9 Policy HE2 – Development Affecting Listed Buildings and their Settings The accompanying landscape and visual impact appraisal, confirms that there are no Conservation Areas located within 3km of the site. The site does not sit within, or form any part of the setting to any Listed Buildings, nor any Registered Parks or Gardens of Special Historic Interest. There are no Scheduled Ancient Monuments that have a direct relationship with the site.

4.3.10 Chapter 10 – Access and Communications Policy AC2 (Pedestrian Provision and Public Rights of Way) sets out the requirements for proposals to promote safe, direct and overlooked foot access and any existing public rights of way to be retained. The proposal seeks to retain and improve, through the introduction of hard surfacing, the existing footpath incorporating it within the scheme, and implement additional public rights of way throughout the site. In line with policy AC3, the proposed development will promote cycling and walking. A new footpath across the site’s frontage along Vounog Hill and a pedestrian refuge will provide a safe pedestrian route to the village, linking into the existing pedestrian network. Additionally, the site’s location and presence of roads with good visibility will promote sustainable commuting to the village by foot or bicycle. The internal road layout will also promote cycling within the immediate site through its provision of paths around the site and proposed open space.

Policy AC10, states proposals will only be permitted if approach roads to the site are of an adequate standard to accommodate the likely traffic generation and that safe public and vehicular access can be provided both to and from the main highway network. The accompanying transport assessment confirms that the proposed development would not detrimentally impact on the local highway network and that safe access can be provided. The report concludes that there are no highways grounds on which the application can be refused.

4.3.11 Policy HSG4 – New Dwellings Outside Settlement Boundaries Although this policy does not implicitly support the proposed application, it is important to note that the site is located directly adjacent to the settlement boundary and that this policy is now outdated due to the Local Authority’s lack of a five-year housing land supply. As the proposal complies with wider Local

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Planning Statement – Land East of Vounog Hill, Penyffordd

Policy, permission should be granted enabling the Local Authority to reach their housing figures through the delivery of housing on sustainable sites. This approach to delivering additional new housing is supported in the recent appeal decision for Hawarden Road, with the Inspector stating “there is a need to make provision for additional housing land, which will involve changes to the settlement boundaries and existing settlement”. Throughout this report, it is demonstrated that the proposal complies within not only local but national planning policy.

4.3.12 Policy HSG5 9 – Limited Infill Development Outside Settlement Boundaries Paragraph 11.9 within this policy states that in the absence of significant housing allocations in rural areas, and recognising the need to strictly control housing development outside settlement boundaries, there is a need to ensure some opportunities exist for small scale development to take place to meet the social and economic needs of rural areas. Although this policy is now of limited weight, due to the lack of a five-year housing land supply, consideration has been given regarding the proposed scale of development. The site is bordered to the east and west by existing built development complying with the spirit of infill planning policy. The proposed development will deliver dwellings to meet local needs within Penyffordd, providing a mix of property types required by the local community, such as detached, semi-detached and terrace properties, as identified within the Penyffordd Place Plan.

4.3.13 Policy HSG8 – Density of Development This policy requires new housing development to have a density which makes the most efficient use of available land whilst reflecting the characteristics of the site and surrounding area. The development is purposefully low density to achieve a scheme which is rural in character and embedded into a landscaping scheme to promote health and wellbeing.

4.3.14 Policy HSG11 – Affordable Housing in Rural Areas Paragraph 11.7 states that affordable houses are particularly important in rural areas where building rates are lower and houses are generally more expensive. As referenced in the Rural Solutions Sustainability Appraisal for application reference 055590, the private provision of affordable homes may be the only means to deliver the scale of affordable housing required across the district. Although the site is not specifically within a rural area, the village of Penyffordd on balance can be seen as more rural than urban. Policy HSG11 requires schemes on sites that abut settlement boundaries thus forming logical extensions to settlements and that the proposal is of a scale, design and layout that is sympathetic and appropriate to the size and character of the settlement. It has already been confirmed within the pre-application response that the site abuts the settlement boundary of Penyffordd. The scale, design and layout of the proposed development is sympathetic and appropriate to the size and character of Penyffordd. Compliance with policy HSG11 is therefore demonstrated.

4.4 Supplementary Planning Guidance 2017 Although not planning policy, supplementary planning guidance should be afforded considerable weight as a material planning consideration in the decision making process. The proposal has therefore considered the following supplementary guidance documents which were adopted by Flintshire County Council on 17th January 2017.

4.4.1 SPG No.3 – Landscaping Paragraph 4.4 of SPG3 refers to the importance placed on a site survey being undertaken at the concept stage of the proposed development and how this should form the basis for the layout of the proposed development. The proposed application complies with this requirement, as a full landscape and visual impact assessment has been carried out for the site. This verifies the presence and absence of key characteristics of the landscape that have been considered within the proposed development.

Section 5 provides guidance on design standard solutions. Paragraph 5.6 requires hard landscaping to be properly located and designed through the use of appropriate materials, relating to the surroundings and intended function of the development. Although this application is an outline

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Planning Statement – Land East of Vounog Hill, Penyffordd

application, strong consideration has been given to the design of the proposal. The proposed roads and footpaths are located and designed within the site in such a way that they reflect that of a country road style, therefore relating to the surroundings of the site and its location.

Paragraph 5.10 makes reference to tree and shrub planting and the enhancement this provides such as screening and adding to the visual quality of the proposal. It can be seen from the proposed site plan, that emphasis has been placed on providing tree, shrub and species-rich hedgerow planting throughout the site helping to complement the existing mature hedgerow screening ensuring that the proposal integrates into the existing landscape without causing any visual harm.

Paragraph 5.15 refers to open space and how this can be used for walking, cycling and recreation. The open space within this proposal is usable for both the residents of the proposed dwellings and neighbouring housing. The hard standing path will ensure all residents, young and old, can utilise this open space provision to its full potential.

Paragraphs 5.21 and 5.24 refer to the importance of retaining existing trees and hedgerows. The proposed development seeks to retain the existing trees and hedgerow, only removing a single area of hedgerow which is required to gain access. Retention of the existing trees and hedgerow will ensure that the proposed development integrates into the existing site’s setting, causing no adverse impact to the existing landscape character.

4.4.2 SPG No.11 – Parking Standards Section 4.1 of SPG11 outlines the general considerations for the design of parking areas, emphasising the importance of avoiding parking provision that is over-dominating within a proposed development. In order to minimise the impact, parking should be carefully integrated into development proposals. As reflected in the proposed plan, the parking is spread around the site. This has enabled the proposed parking to integrate into the landscaping and planting schemes proposed, resulting in a scheme that provides high development standards. The design of the proposed scheme ensures that there are no extensive areas of unbroken tarmacadam through the country lane style internal layout and scheme of landscaping.

4.5 Flintshire Local Development Plan The Preferred Strategy Consultation Document (November 2017 – for which a full consultation response was submitted) identifies Penyffordd as a “Sustainable Village”, which benefits from services and facilities within a sustainable location.

4.5.1 Identified Sites within the Preferred Strategy Consultation Document The Preferred Strategy Consultation Document identifies and reviews 27 housing sites within Penyfford of which two have been identified as complying with the Preferred Strategy and having the potential to contribute to meeting future growth. 17 sites are deemed to have potential to contribute to meeting future growth, five are considered to be unsuitable and the rest already have planning consent.

Of particular interest are the sites coded green and amber within the Consultation Document. The sites coded red have been concluded that they do not comply with the Council’s Preferred Strategy.

4.5.2 Sites PEN006 and PEN037 (Green) These sites have been identified within the Preferred Strategy Consultation Document as “complying with the Councils Preferred Strategy and may have potential to contribute to meeting future growth subject to a satisfactory technical assessment”.

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Planning Statement – Land East of Vounog Hill, Penyffordd

. Site PEN006 The site is situated on Wrexham Road. The site is on the eastern side of the settlement boundary and is bordered to the west by existing residential development and to the north and south by sporadic residential development. Open countryside lies to the west.

The site is 0.48 hectares and therefore, in line with Flintshire’s Unitary Development Plan policy HSG8, has the potential to support approximately 15 dwellings (based on 30 dwellings per hectare). To increase housing delivery, an alternative larger site should be identified instead of site PEN006, or an additional site submitted as well as site PEN006. We believe the Vounog Hill Site, should be allocated in addition to site PEN006, thus enabling the delivery of a more significant amount of new residential dwellings, resulting in a greater contribution towards Penyffordd’s future housing needs.

. Site PEN037 A 3.48 hectare site situated on land north of Wood Lane Farm, east of the A550. The site is in the north western extent of the village. The site’s size means it has the potential to deliver approximately 105 dwellings in line with policy HSG8 of the Flintshire Unitary Development Plan. When taking into consideration the existing built fabric within the north western extent of Penyffordd, the development of this site to its full potential would result in overdevelopment in this area of the village. Furthermore, there has already been a high concentration of development in the northern extent of the village. Identifying sites in the southern and eastern extents of the village would enable a less concentrated level of development in the north of the village, ensuring a balanced level of development across Penyffordd.

4.5.3 Sites PEN038, PEN043, PEN034, PEN003, PEN013 and PEN0001 (Amber) These sites (amongst others) have been identified as having the potential to contribute towards the Council’s housing land supply, however, there are site constraints to be overcome. The sites referenced below are those considered to have the greater development potential out of all of the sites coded amber within the Preferred Strategy Consultation Document.

. Site PEN038 A 7.7 hectare site located north of Beaumont, Chester Road. It has been identified within the Preferred Strategy review that the site has development constraints that need to be overcome. Upon review, it is anticipated that the site constraints relate to highways and access issues. The site is bordered by Chester Road to the south and it is anticipated that access from the southern end of the site is not possible. This is bordered to the north by an existing bridleway, constraining access from this area of the site despite initially appearing to be the most logical point of access. Furthermore, Lower Mountain Road to the east of the site is a single track road and it is anticipated that this will be unable to support additional traffic flows from a proposed development on the site.

The site is too large to deliver sustainable development, having the potential to deliver approximately 231 dwellings. If the site was developed it would result in an overdevelopment of the north western extern of the village. As referred to above, the northern extent of the village has experienced high levels of development. Due to the site’s size and the highways constraints, it is anticipated that the site could be undeliverable and therefore unable to contribute towards the Authority’s housing land supply and therefore should not be included within the Preferred Strategy as a housing land allocation.

. Sites PEN043 and PEN034 A 1.814 hectare site located in the southern extent of the village. The site is currently an area of open space provision for the village, is adjacent to Ysgol Penyffordd Infant School, has the bowling green club to the north and has existing residential development along Vounog Hill to the east, Park Lane to the south and Abbots Lane to the west. We understand from a meeting

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Planning Statement – Land East of Vounog Hill, Penyffordd

with Local Councillors that Penyffordd is currently short of approximately 5 hectares of open space. Open community space provision is a vital requirement to ensure that sustainable local communities are maintained and local vitality enhanced. It can therefore be concluded that this site should be retained as open space at the heart of the village and not allocated for housing land within the Preferred Strategy.

Site PEN034 is 0.29 hectares and is also open space, linked to PEN043. As outlined above, this site should therefore not be allocated for housing land within the Preferred Strategy.

. Sites PEN003 and PEN013 These sites are located to the north and south of Station Way and extend to 1.7 hectares and 1.08 hectares respectively. Both sites have been identified within the Preferred Strategy Consultation Document as having site constraints which, upon review, we anticipate to be highways and access issues.

Station Way is a relatively narrow access road (believed to be unadopted) leading to existing dwellings which are sporadically located along the road. The presence of existing properties either side of the access point where Station Way and Vounog Hill intersect result in the sole access point for both sites off this junction being unacceptable from a highways perspective. It is anticipated that this highways constraint will not be overcome due to the constraint of existing dwellings. It is therefore concluded that both sites PEN0003 and PEN013 are unable to be allocated as housing land within the Preferred Strategy.

. Site PEN001 The land adjacent to Bryn yr Haul on Wrexham Road is located to the southern extent of the village. The site is 0.18 acres and it is anticipated it could accommodate approximately six dwellings based on policy HSG8 of the Unitary Development Plan. Within the Preferred Strategy Consultation Document the site has been identified has having the potential to deliver housing, subject to a possible settlement boundary change.

The site is located directly adjacent to the southern tip of the existing settlement boundary as outlined in the Flintshire Unitary Development Plan. The site is bordered to the south by an existing property, to the west by existing development along Manor Fields and Wrexham Road and to the north and east lies open countryside. Abutting the site lies site reference PEN008 which has been identified as not complying with the Council’s Preferred Strategy as it is divorced from the settlement. It is believed that a similar viewpoint should be taken with site PEN001 due to its location on the southern tip of the settlement boundary and potential to expand within the open countryside. This is due to a lack of existing development surrounding and naturally confining the site. Furthermore, due to the site’s size it is unable to make a significant contribution towards the Authority’s housing land supply. It is therefore concluded that the site should not be allocated within the Preferred Strategy for housing development.

It is important to note that the site was not included within the 2017 consultation, as it was yet to be considered by The Local Plan Team. No formal consideration of the site has been undertaken, prior to the submission of this application.

4.5.4 Summary Matrix Analysis of Sites Set out below is a summary table which identifies key site attributes relevant to Penyffordd. For the benefit of simplicity, the scoring adopted is not weighted or adjusted in any way.

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Planning Statement – Land East of Vounog Hill, Penyffordd

Sites Attributes Appropriate Technically Balanced Does Not Total Scale Deliverable Development Compromise Attributes of the Village Open Space Met

PEN006 Y* Y Y Y 4 PEN037 N Y N Y 2 PEN038 N N N Y 1 PEN043 Y Y N N 2 PEN034 Y Y N N 2 PEN003 Y N N Y 2 PEN013 Y N N Y 2 PEN001 N Y N Y 2

Vounog Hill Site Y Y** Y Y 4

Key: Y Yes N No Complies with Council’s Preferred Strategy. Site constraints to be overcome.

PEN034 & 043 Potential to contribute towards Council’s windfall allowance. PEN001 Possible settlement boundary change.

* Scale would be appropriate if combined with another site. ** As demonstrated by supporting technical information documents for outline application currently being progress.

4.5.5 Site Matrix Review It has been demonstrated in the table above that the Vounog Hill Site has the potential to contribute towards the Authority’s housing land supply on a sustainable and deliverable site, in priority to a number of other sites including those which are deemed to comply with the Council’s Preferred Strategy.

. Green The Vounog Hill Site is more strategic in scale and is closer to the village centre than site PEN006. Vounog Hill is a more logical infill site due to the presence of existing built development along the eastern, southern and western site boundaries which PEN006 does not. Allocation of Vounog Hill for housing development would help connect the existing Min- Y-Ddol development to the village, providing a logical and sustainable extension to the village.

Site PEN037 is unsustainable and unviable for housing allocation. PEN037 would result in overdevelopment of the northern extent of the village. The Vounog Hill Site would enable housing to be allocated in the southern extent of the village, where there has been subject to applications for housing and subsequent development. Allocation of the Vounog Hill Site as housing land within the Preferred Strategy, would promote sustainable housing development, helping to deliver the Local Authority’s housing need.

. Amber The Vounog Hill Site is much more sustainable and deliverable in terms of scale than the sites identified within The Authority’s Preferred Strategy Consultation Document. Vounog Hill is

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Planning Statement – Land East of Vounog Hill, Penyffordd

also free from development constraints as confirmed within supporting documentation for the application currently being progressed. The Authority’s identified sites (amber) are not free from development constraints. Site PEN038 is too large to be sustainably developed and would result in overdevelopment of the northern extent of the village. Allocation of site PEN043 would result in unsustainable development due to the loss of public open space. The application being progressed for Vounog Hill proposes generous amounts of public open space, helping to tackle the recognised shortfall (5 hectares). Allocation of site PEN043 would only exacerbate the issue.

Although adjacent to the settlement boundary, Sites PEN003 and PEN013 will result in an unsustainable encroachment into the open countryside. This is due to a lack of existing development on the north, east and southern boundaries of the sites. There are also the highways constraints identified within this report to consider regarding the sites’ allocation as housing land. In light of the above, the Vounog Hill Site is more suitable for housing land allocation within the Council’s Preferred Strategy.

The above has provided an overview of the sites reviewed by the Local Authority within the Preferred Strategy Consultation Document and has justified why the Vounog Hill Site should be allocated as strategic housing land within the Preferred Strategy in advance of the other proposed sites.

The above demonstrates that the Vounog Hill Site is both deliverable and sustainable and will contribute towards the Local Authority’s housing land supply, specifically in Penyffordd. From reviewing the Authority’s review of all the identified sites within Penyffordd, we believe that the Vounog Hill Site should be categorised as complying with the Council’s Preferred Strategy and may have the potential to contribute to meeting further growth (green).

The Vounog Hill Site will contribute towards the Authority’s housing need and five year housing land supply.

4.6 Penyffordd Place Plan We have considered the Place Plan, specifically two key areas; housing and environment.

4.6.1 Section 3 – Housing Page 39 of Section 3, refers to the comparatively recent developments within the village that are large scale, proving problematic for the village and deemed unsustainable by the community. Section 3.04 (House Types) states that affordable home provision of 30% is essential, stating development should contain a reasonable proportion of affordable homes. Section 3.11 refers to the importance of ensuring that development maintains clear separation between neighbouring communities. The proposed development will not lead to the merging of settlements, due to its location between existing development at Min-y-Ddol and Vounog Hill. Paragraph 3.18 outlines specific design criteria which are preferred: no more than two storeys, not harmful to wildlife and providing community green space. With regards to density, a preference for no greater than 23 houses per hectare is stated. The proposed development complies with the housing requirements, proposing a 30% affordable housing provision, through a small scale and sensitive development. Generous amounts of greenspace are proposed with an approximate density of 18 dwellings per hectare.

4.6.2 Section 5 – Environment This sets out the aims through which the local community wish to conserve and protect the biodiversity and countryside character of the village. Paragraph 5.01 (Countryside and Public Open Space) seeks developments to enhance such locations through the provision of landscaping and planting schemes, with paragraph 5.03, requesting the provision of community greenspace as part of new developments. The proposal complies with Section 5, specifically sections 5.01 and 5.03, through the proposed landscaping and community green space, which has been specifically tailored to reflect the wishes of

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Planning Statement – Land East of Vounog Hill, Penyffordd

the local community. Furthermore, the accompanying landscape report confirms that the “landscape and visual effects are not at such a scale that the identified landscape or visual harm would be sufficient to prevent development”. The ecology report recommends additional survey work and subsequent mitigation measures, to ensure the proposal has no adverse ecological impacts.

Whilst the Place Plan does not form local planning policy and therefore the weight it can be given is debated, irrespective of this, we consider that we have designed a scheme which reflects the community’s overarching housing wish for small scale housing growth for a mix of tenure and size to cater for the village’s housing needs, together with the delivery of onsite community benefits.

4.7 Community Cohesion Community cohesion focuses on the challenges our increasingly diverse communities face, seeking to encourage everyone in a geographical area to live alongside each other with mutual understanding and respect. Although a broad concept with no definitive definition, reference to the potential impacts new development may have on existing services and amenities has often been discussed within the broader context of community cohesion.

Currently, the hospital redevelopment housing is physically disconnected from the village, by circa 125 metres. The development of this site which forms the intervening parcel of land, therefore provides the opportunity to actively improve community cohesion in this part of Penyfford, by providing a physical and social connection between the core of the village and existing residents of Min Y Ddol.

In the Hawarden Road appeal (reference APP/A6835/A/17/3182034), community cohesion was discussed due to claims from the local community that such rapid expansion of the village is damaging social and community cohesion.

The Inspector concluded that the proposal (32 dwellings) was much smaller than other schemes granted within the village and the Inspector added “it can no doubt be argued that the benefits of providing housing would make a positive contribution to well-being”.

The same positive view should be taken towards the development being proposed as it is of the same small scale (37 dwellings), therefore, having negligible effect on the community. It is well referenced within the Rural Solutions Sustainability Appraisal and the closing submissions document for appeal reference APP/A/17/13174699, that the village has a wide range of services and amenities and is capable of supporting “significant levels of growth” (hence its Category B Settlement status). It is logical to deduce that an additional 37 dwellings will have no negative impacts on the existing services.

Furthermore, it is also widely referenced in the above appeal that the village has a significantly ageing population, and therefore the village needs new residents in order to rebalance the demographic mix,

Services and community events are also struggling to be maintained with the play group closing because the staff have retired and the annual pantomime not showing due to a lack of residents who are able to run them. An influx of new residents will generate a potential source of new volunteers to the run the clubs/community events. Small scale, sensitive development on sustainable sites such as Hawarden Road and the proposed development on Vounog Hill, are vital to ensure that new residents come to the village, rebalance the demographic mix and ensure the wealth of services and amenities continue to thrive. The vitality of the village will then be maintained and improved ultimately promoting positive community cohesion.

The Penyffordd Community Group regularly posts updates on planning updates within the village under its own section on the Community Group website. There was a notice on the Penyffordd Community Group website planning page summarising the proposed development for the local residents (see Appendix J of Pre Application Consultation Report). The comments include:

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Planning Statement – Land East of Vounog Hill, Penyffordd

. “the density is good”;

. “there is plenty of green space and the houses set back so as to minimise the visual impact on the existing houses on the opposite side of the road”;

. “this developer has read our Place Plan, listened to the complaints from the community and our needs and tried to design something that could work”.

Although The Penyffordd Community Group are not in overall support of the application, “because this development, like all others, is outside of our settlement boundary and our facilities need time to catch up from the recent rapid development”, the Penyffordd Community Group have taken notice of the proposed design techniques employed within the development proposal to ensure a well-designed and sensitive development is brought forward on the site.

5. Conclusion

The application proposes the development of land east of Vounog Hill for 37 dwellings with associated landscaping and open space – a resubmission of application reference 058164. The proposal complies with both national and local planning policy, taking into consideration the wishes of the local community through reference to the Penyffordd Place Plan.

This development is significantly different to other housing schemes which are currently being proposed in the village. This is clear when considering the minimal scale of development proposed, with a design which is landscape led and rural in character, and the unique opportunity this site presents to actively contribute towards community cohesion by connecting the hospital redevelopment site with the core of the village. Accordingly, we consider that to achieve the best outcome for the community, the merits of this application should be considered in its own right, and not influenced by other development proposals presented to the Authority.

6. Design & Access Statement

The design and access statement has been written to accompany the submission of an outline planning application.

This statement accords with the guidance set out within Design & Access Statement in Wales (June 2017).

6.1 Summary of the Proposal This is an outline application and the indicative plan proposes 37 new dwellings on land east of Vounog Hill, Penyffordd. Of the 37 proposed dwellings, 26 will be market dwellings and 11 affordable dwellings.

6.2 Description of the Application The outline application proposes the construction of a mix of detached, semi-detached and terrace dwellings with associated gardens, 77 parking spaces and open space provision.

The “indicative layout” plan (drawing no.1586SAP/MVP/SK01 Rev. E.) shows the approximate location of buildings, routes and open spaces with the development ethos being five small collections of houses which can easily access a designated community open space (to the north of the site) and are serviced by one main road which enters the site from Vounog Hill and then disperses into four quieter cul-de- sac roads.

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Planning Statement – Land East of Vounog Hill, Penyffordd

6.3 Brief and Vision The brief was to propose an inclusive and sustainable housing scheme on the site and the vision was to create a scheme which connects and forms a logical extension to Penyffordd.

6.4 Existing Use The site’s current use is agricultural land.

6.5 Access and Location The site is situated directly adjacent to the settlement boundary of Penyffordd. The main village centre can be found 800m north of the site.

6.6 Site Context and Analysis The site is a 1.91 hectare parcel of greenfield land bound to the east by the Min Y Ddol hospital redevelopment, to the south by properties along Wrexham Road, existing development along Vounog Hill to the west and to the north lies open countryside until the main village centre. The site is fronted by Vounog Hill. The site topography slopes upwards north to south, across the site towards higher ground where the Min Y Ddol access road and associated houses are situated.

6.7 Interpretation The site and context analysis has underpinned the design proposed, ensuring an area of community open space is retained to the north of the site, therefore, proposing a natural buffer to the open countryside.

6.8 Scale Part 2 Article 3 of the Town & Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (Wales) Order 2012 states that “where scale is a reserved matter, the application for outline planning permission must state the upper and lower limit for the height, width and length of each building included in the development proposed”.

Accordingly:

Lower Limit (Metres) Upper Limit (Metres) Height (to pitch) 6.9 8.7 Width 4.9 10.7 Length (depth) 6.9 10.7

(See Extended Mix Schedule for additional details).

6.9 Design Development The scheme has evolved through the original pre-application consultation period. The changes made to the proposed development incorporate the comments received from the statutory consultees. As a result, the proposal now includes an access off an adoptable internal road to the community open space which is suitable for both vehicular and pedestrian access. The access will enable maintenance vehicles to enter the community open space. The existing footpath will also be surfaced and lit as part of the proposed development and the footpath will be to an adoptable standard. A new footpath along the site’s frontage is also proposed, along with a pedestrian refuge – this will promote safe pedestrian links from the site to the village. The design incorporates the comments received by the highways consultation response.

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Planning Statement – Land East of Vounog Hill, Penyffordd

6.10 The Proposal

6.10.1 Character The proposed dwellings will be designed to integrate into the appearance of the surrounding settlement, they will be between two and four bedrooms and two storeys in height reflecting the character of the surrounding existing housing.

6.10.2 Access The site will be accessed from a single point along Vounog Hill (see supporting highways assessment).77 parking spaces have been indicated on the proposed site plan. As this is an outline application, the parking provision may be adjusted at reserved matters stage to reflect the specific parking requirement in line with Table 1 – Maximum Motor Vehicle Parking Standards for New Development, of the Flintshire County Council Supplementary Guidance Document No. 11 – Parking Standards.

6.10.3 Movement Internally, vehicles will access dwellings along country lane style internal roads. Pedestrian access will be provided along the site’s frontage and the internal roads will link to the existing footpath which runs through the northern extent of the site.

6.10.4 Environmental Sustainability The site is situated within a sustainable location with a wealth of local facilities located within 1.5 miles of the site. These include:

. Railway Station with services to Bidston and Wrexham. . Spar. . Red Lion Public House. . Penyffordd Infant School. . Emmanuel Church. . The Millstone Restaurant. . Jemoleys Café/Bistro/Ceramics Studio. . Post Office . Penyffordd County Junior School. . St John The Baptist Church. . St John The Baptist School. . Penyffordd and Penymynydd War Memorial Institute.

A more extensive list of amenities and local services can be found within the supporting planning statement.

There is a bus stop at Bank Farm on Chester Road which is less than 100m from the site, providing services to Mold (3 and 3A) and Wrexham (28, 28A and 109). Extensive amenities and facilities are available in Mold (6.3 miles), Wrexham (8 miles) and Chester (11.6 miles).

6.10.5 Community Safety The site has been designed with community safety in mind, ensuring that the spaces benefit from natural surveillance. Lighting will be a reserved matter for future consideration.

6.10.6 Response to Planning Policy The proposal complies with both national and local planning policy, taking into consideration the wishes of the local community through reference to the Penyffordd Place Plan.

6.11 Conclusion

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Planning Statement – Land East of Vounog Hill, Penyffordd

In summary, the proposed development has been considered in relation to the physical, social, economic and policy contexts. These have been reviewed and evaluated as part of the design process to determine the most beneficial form of development on the site.

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