HARPER GREEN Garden Village
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October 2018 HARPER GREEN Garden Village Vision Document Bloor Homes and the Department of Health are pleased to present this vision for a Garden Village at Harper Lane, Radlett. We believe this is a unique opportunity to create a healthy place to live with a strong sense of community and of the highest design quality that reflects all of the Garden City principles. A Bloor Homes Development Contents 1 The Opportunity 6 2 The Strategic Opportunity 8 3 The Components of a Garden Village 12 4 The Components of a Healthy Town 16 5 Our Commitment to the Delivery of Harper Green Garden Village 18 6 Our Vision 24 7 Our Masterplan 32 8 Our Principles for Place-Making 36 10 Summary and Conclusions 48 Page 6 1 The Opportunity Introduction The Site The land at Harper Lane, Radlett offers an exciting and The site covers an area of approx.135ha (333.6 acres) and is unique opportunity to deliver a 21st Century Garden Village located 1.4km to the north east of Radlett and 1km to the that provides a wide range of high quality housing and north west of Shenley. The site is immediately adjacent to community facilities in a sustainable location. and encloses a development site for 206 dwellings that are currently under construction. The proposals set out in this Bloor Homes and the Department of Health are committed document seek to build on this approved development to to the delivery of vibrant new communities comprising create a larger mixed use development with the critical mass quality homes and we are excited and passionate about to deliver community facilities and services. The site is 2.5km this opportunity to deliver a new Garden Village for from Radlett Railway station which is served by regular trains Hertfordshire, with potential to support growth in St Albans to St. Pancras station, a journey time of 27 minutes. The and Hertsmere. We have a track record of delivering high extents of the site provide the opportunity to design into the quality developments and are proud of our achievements. proposals a permanent “stop” in the form of a well-defined We see this as an opportunity to create an exemplar new green edge to protect the setting of Shenley and Radlett and settlement that embodies the principles of Garden Cities and prevent any potential for future coalescence. The topography Healthy New Towns. rises up towards these settlements visually containing the site. Gently sloping terrain, rising up towards Shenley In this document we set out our initial vision and proposals for Harper Green Garden Village together with a set of commitments that would ensure the delivery of a transformational healthy new community. We have taken time to carefully consider the potential of the site, its strategic influences and the benefit that a Garden Village in this location could bring. Importantly, we have also reviewed what is meant by “Garden Village” and “Garden City” principles both today and historically in order to consider how these can be genuinely and meaningfully applied to this location. We have identified what we believe are the essential components to delivering a genuine Garden Village. We have also identified the elements and features that will make this a healthy town with reference to the NHS Healthy New Towns Initiative. We set out our vision for Harper Green Garden Village in Chapter 3 with Radlett train station approximately a 20 minute walk Former Harperbury Hospital undergoing demolition details of our masterplan in Chapter 4. from site Page 7 M25 London Road B5378 Colney Street Employment Area Approved Bloor Homes development Kingsley Green Hospital The Site Lime Way Harper Lane B556 Equestrian Centre Shenley 300m 500m Potters Park Golf Club Railway Station Radlett Page 8 2 The Strategic Opportunity The Strategic Opportunity The plan presented on the opposite page shows the key The landownerships provide the opportunity to create a strategic influences and drivers for the Harper Green Garden new, well-defined and permanent green edge to the new Village. These include; community to ensure that the new community is well- contained and that the physical separation with Radlett and » Radlett Railway Station (1.5km from the site) offering Shenleybury is protected. This green edge will ensure that the regular services to London, St Albans and beyond. Garden Village has ample opportunity to provide community » The M25, B5378 and B556, allowing the Garden Village gardens, allotments and leisure facilities. to be connected to the wider context » Existing employment opportunities at Colney Street Hertfordshire Business parks and Kingsley Green Hospital. » Existing Public Rights of Way, enhancing walkability to neighbouring settlements and the railway station. » The approved proposed re-development of part of the hospital site for 206 dwellings by Bloor Homes. » Existing nearby schools and other community facilities and the potential to provide more on the sites. These will all contribute to the foundations for a thriving new community. View along the B556 outside the entrance to the current Bloor Public Right of Way along from the east Radlett Town Centre Homes development Page 9 Page 10 The Route to Radlett Town Centre and Train Station There is an existing direct walking and cycling route made up of existing Public Rights of Way and quiet neighbourhood streets from the site to Radlett town centre and the train station, which together make for a pleasant and scenic route. The S106 for the committed development provides a financial contribution to improve this route. See plan below and views along the route opposite. On foot the route takes about 20 minutes to walk or 10 minutes to cycle. There are opportunities to make improvements to this route in the form of surface treatments and lighting to optimise its attractiveness as a route for pedestrians and cyclists. Page 11 1. Foot/Cycle path along Lime Way 2. Intersection of Foot/Cycle paths to other parts of site 3. Foot/Cycle path through southern part of site 4. Follow path through woods 5. Turn left along The Warren 6. Follow path along The Avenue 7. Along Shenley Hill across the bridge from Train Station 8. View of Town centre along Watling Street on your left 9. Arrive at Station Page 12 3 The Components of a Garden Village If Harper Green is to truly be a ‘Garden Village’ and reflect the qualities of historic garden cities and suburbs it is useful to reflect on what the key principles of Garden Cities are and how the Government sees them applied to new developments. The View of MHCLG The View of the TCPA Paragraph 72 of the National Planning Policy Framework (2018) states: The Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) which started out as the Garden City Association states: “The supply of large numbers of new homes can often be best achieved through planning for larger scale development, such as new settlements or significant extensions to existing villages and towns, “At the heart of the Garden City ideals is the development of holistically planned new settlements provided they are well located and designed, and supported by the necessary infrastructure and which enhance the natural environment and provide high-quality affordable housing and locally facilities. accessible jobs in beautiful, healthy and social communities.” Working with the support of their communities, and with other authorities if appropriate, strategic The Hertsmere Local Plan Issues and Options Consultation (September 2017) suggests that policy-making authorities should identify suitable locations for such development where this can help new required housing could be delivered in part through “Garden Suburbs” and “Garden to meet identified needs in a sustainable way. In doing so, they should: Villages”. - ensure that their size and location will support a sustainable community, with sufficient access to services and employment opportunities within the development itself (without expecting an unrealistic level of self-containment), or in larger towns to which there is good access; - set clear expectations for the quality of the development and how this can be maintained (such as by following Garden City principles), and ensure that a variety of homes to meet the needs of different groups in the community will be provided; ” High quality homes at Letchworth Garden City A tree-lined street at Letchworth Garden City Page 13 Letchworth Bloor Homes Developments Page 14 Welwyn Garden City - attractive houses set within landscaped streets The Garden City Principles The TCPA lists 9 key Garden City principles which are set » Development that enhances the natural environment, out below: providing a comprehensive green infrastructure network and net biodiversity gains, and that uses zero-carbon and A Garden City is a holistically planned new settlement which energy-positive technology to ensure climate resilience. enhances the natural environment and offers high-quality affordable housing and locally accessible work in beautiful, » Strong cultural, recreational and shopping facilities in healthy and sociable communities. The Garden City walkable, vibrant, sociable neighbourhoods. principles are an indivisible and interlocking framework for » Integrated and accessible transport systems, with walking, their delivery, and include: cycling and public transport designed to be the most » Land value capture for the benefit of the community. attractive forms of local transport. » Strong vision, leadership and community engagement. » Mixed-tenure homes and housing types that are genuinely affordable. » A wide range of local jobs in the Garden City within easy commuting distance of homes. » Beautifully and imaginatively designed homes with gardens, combining the best of town and country to create healthy communities, and including opportunities to grow food. Page 15 The Relevance of Garden Cities Today The original Garden Cities were radical, socialist experiments characterised primarily by land ownership on behalf of the community. This model in its purest form is unlikely to be realistic or viable today although there are opportunities and examples of how this can be incorporated.