Site Assessment – Land north of Avenue Road, Maids Moreton Site: Land to the north of Avenue Road, Maids Moreton - HELAA site reference MMO001 Assessment of Suitability for Residential Development Date: 5th September 2016 Authors: Kike Giwa and Duncan Hartley, Rural Solutions Land Owners: Andrew Threipland and Ben Marten Appendix A: Map showing extent of land promoted for development Appendix B: Site Designations Issue Commentary Settlement Maids Moreton Site Area 4 hectares / 9.9 acres Local Planning Authority Aylesbury Vale District Council Site Address Land to the north of Avenue Road, Maids Moreton, MK18 1PZ Type of Site Agricultural Current / Previous Use Agricultural Description of Site The site comprises three parcels of land, which, for the purposes of this assessment will be referred to as Field 1 (land to the west of Scotts Lane), Field 2 (land to the north-west of Scotts Lane) and Field 3 (land to the east of Scotts Lane). The site is situated in the village of Maids Moreton, occupying the south west corner of the village. The western boundary of Field 1 is flanked by the A413 which leads to Buckingham to the south, and offers connections to the wider road network and to smaller nearby villages including Akeley to the north. The remaining boundaries of the site are edged immediately by built up residential areas (with reference to development along Avenue Road, Glebe Terrace, Hall Close, Main Street and parts of Duck Lake), whilst the tree-lined Scotts Lane splits Fields 1 and 2 from Field 3, offering access to the dwellings to the north and to the rest of the village of Maids Moreton. NOTE: this site assessment needs to be read alongside the representations submitted on the Vale of Aylesbury Local Plan Summer 2016 consultation. A. AVAILABILITY Ownership The site is in the ownership of the joint land owners, Ben Marten and Andrew Thriepland. Agent Promoting Rural Solutions Availability Summary Because the site is in dual ownership, and there are no insurmountable constraints affecting the land that would restrict its development as will be further assessed in the remainder of this document (see sections B and D), it is considered it is immediately available for development. B. ACHIEVABILITY ISSUES Infrastructure / utilities A general utilities search reveals that the site is in proximity to available services including electricity and mains gas and adequate drainage facilities. Superfast Infinity broadband is available in the immediate area along with estimated download speeds of up to 80MB. Access Vehicular access to Fields 1 and 2 can be gained from a gated entrance located along the west of the site just off the A413. Field 3 can be accessed off a gated entrance located along Avenue Road to the south of the field. There is a public footpath that runs between Fields 1 and 2, connecting to another footpath along the north of Scotts Lane and providing direct links to the centre of the village. A public footpath also runs along the northern boundary of Field 3. In terms of access to wider towns, Maids Moreton is served by bus services including the number 60, X60 and 151 which provide access to Akeley, Buckingham, Thornborough, Winslow and Aylesbury, whilst there is a term time only service that runs between Buckingham and Brackley which also serves the village. The nearest railway station is located in Wolverton which is situated just over 13km to the north-east of Maids Moreton. It provides regular services to London Euston, Coventry, Birmingham and Northampton. Milton Keynes station is also located approximately 14km to the east of the village as an alternative. It is important to note that previous refusals for planning permission for the residential development of the land (references: 00/00907/AOP and A/97/2020/AOP) did not include any highways or transportation related issues in the notices/letters. Legal covenants None Phasing The site is deliverable within the short term (0-5 years). Flood Risk The site is in Flood Zone 1 according to the Environment Agency’s flood risk maps and is therefore at the lowest risk of flooding (see Figure 2). Ground conditions No known ground contamination issues. Contamination No known risks. Achievability Summary In terms of achievability, it has been demonstrated that there are no insurmountable infrastructure delivery issues associated with the development of the site. The site can be easily accessed off the A413 and Avenue Road, whilst there are very good pedestrian links to the centre of Maids Moreton through the presence of the public footpaths. The local area benefits from bus services which provide connections to Buckingham and Aylesbury, whilst there are two rail stations accessible in under a 20 minute drive time from the site. There are no specific ground condition issues, no evidence of contamination on the land and the site does not fall within an identified flood risk area (see Figure 2). It is therefore clear that the development of the site is achievable. C. VIABILITY Market appraisal/competing potential uses The land is owned by joint landowners. It is a clean, greenfield site that adjoins the existing village confines and its development would represent a natural extension of the main residential built up area of Maids Moreton. Adjoining land uses are therefore complementary, whilst there are employment hosting sites (see section E) in the vicinity of the village. Site Preparation Costs Because there are currently no known abnormal costs associated with bringing the site forward for development, the land is considered viable with short term development potential. Viability Summary Given the above conclusions on viability, it has been demonstrated that the site is viable for residential development. There is strong market interest from the regional and national house building community for this site (previous house builders have sought planning permission for the development of the land). D. SUITABILITY Designations Land north of Avenue Road falls within the boundary of the Maids Moreton Conservation Area which was formally designated in 2009. The Maids Moreton Conservation Area Appraisal qualifies the reason for including the site within the Conservation Area as follows: 1. Historic maps of the village show this area to have been open and undeveloped and it maintains some of its historic field boundaries. Comment: the Conservation Area Appraisal does not raise any value (significance) of the subject land as important to the setting of a heritage asset or setting to an important area of heritage value eg. setting to and of valued buildings. The existence of a number of presumed historic field boundaries is an important consideration and one that can be addressed by a sensitively designed scheme which observes those features and the full character of the sites (three fields, 1, 2 and 3). It is therefore important to note that draft proposals for the development of land north of Avenue Road can and will ensure that the established historic field boundaries will be retained in the design of the scheme and will not be lost. The development of the land also brings forward opportunities to reinforce and maintain these boundaries through a well-designed landscaping scheme. The full extent of the developable area on a layout plan has not yet been explored post the designation of Conservation Area. The owners wish to explore these matters with the Council as part of this iterative policy review process. 2. This area of open space acts as an important buffer between Maids Moreton and Buckingham. The undeveloped nature of these fields reinforces the identity of Maids Moreton as a separate and distinct village. Comment: at appeal decision reference APP/J0405/A/98/295147/P7 concerning residential development for up to 25 dwellings the Inspector is unequivocal in stating that the field to the east of Scotts Lane (Field 3) and field to the north of Scotts Lane (Field 2) are developable – paragraph 20 states: “To the east of Scotts Lane, though, the perception would be different. Because Scotts Lane and the trees and vegetation along its length are so effective at isolating the east, any development there would not be likely to be seen as a significant addition to the development on each side of Avenue Road. Even were housing to be built on the northern part of the proposed development area, it would tend to be seen against the backdrop of the village, and would also be some distance from the A413.” This evidence is vital in the assessment of the developable built area of the subject sites. The character or appearance of the subject area and its neighbouring development has not changed significantly since the issue of the Inspector’s decision letter. The Inspector concludes on this matter of the importance of this open space acting as a buffer between Maids Moreton and Buckingham as follows (paragraph 20 continues): “In the strict terms of the development plan I do not therefore consider that this would be more likely to be perceived as a significant consolidation of the link between Maids Moreton and Buckingham.” The Conservation Area appraisal is very brief and circumspect on this matter of the sites’ significance as a landscape buffer between two settlements and provides very little substance of argument to support that role. The Inspector, however, fully evaluates the role played and gives a clear and unequivocal assessment. It is therefore clear there is significant potential for part of whole development of the subject area without causing harm to the Council’s identified need to retain separation of the two settlements. The Conservation Area Appraisal discusses the importance of the streetscape along Duck Lake / the A413 on approaching Maids Morten. It is our considered view that a buffer between the two settlements can be maintained through an effective layout and landscaping scheme that will ensure the retention of open space of value to the apparent buffer and, where possible, enhancement of the existing mature trees and hedges and field boundaries which provide enclosure to the site along Avenue Road and the A413.