COMMITTEE REPORT Application 13/03166/OUT Reference Site Address Land Off Sutton Lane, Lower Brailes Erection of 18 dwellings, associated garages and public open space, Proposals with all matters reserved except access. Case Officer Tony Horton Presenting Officer Tony Horton Applicant Feldon Homes Ltd, Feldon Housing Ass. and Spitfire Properties Ward Member(s) Cllr P Seccombe Parish Council Brailes Reason for Referral Scale of Development to Committee Recommendation Grant subject to completion of s.106 legal agreement 1. DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSAL Outline planning permission with all matters except access reserved for further approval. 18 dwellings on 0.9ha of land (density of 20 dwellings per ha) most of which is in agricultural crop cultivation and part of which relates to an existing access to the adjacent Millers Way development of 8 affordable housing units. The site edged red links to the public highway at Sutton Lane via Millers Way. The proposed housing is in illustrative form with details to be agreed but is currently proposed as: • 8 social rented units made up of 5 x 2 bed flat over garage, 1x 3 bed, 1x 4 bed and 1 x 5 bed • 6 shared ownership units made up of 2 x 2 bed, 3 x 3 bed, 1 x 4 bed • 4 local market units made up of 2 x 3 bed , 2 x 4 bed This would provide a total of 18 residential units of which 14 (78%) would be affordable and 4 (23%) would be local market housing. Of the affordable housing, 8 (57%) would be Social Rent and 6 (43%) Shared Ownership. A number of the affordable units are proposed to be ‘provision in kind’ from a separate application (13/03160/OUT), a proposal for 7 dwellings at Attens Byre in Lower Brailes which is elsewhere on this agenda. The illustrative submissions show that the proposed housing would be mostly 2- storey in scale with 2 units being 1.5 storey height and with single storey garaging. The proposed external materials would be approved at the reserved matters stage but are indicated as brick and stone with tiled roof. The illustrative layout shows parking provision for 39 vehicles in garaging or surface spaces which equates to an average of just over 2 spaces per dwelling. The illustrative site layout shows a large area of Public Open Space on the southern part of the site. Amendments to the scheme have been submitted following officer’s and consultee comments. The key changes include:- • Revisions to highway/footway to deal with WCC Highway comments • Swap of plots 17 & 18 (illustrative) • Landscape buffer to south and west boundaries (illustrative) • Reduced hardstanding (illustrative) • Screen planting for bins (illustrative) • Increase in some garden sizes (illustrative) 2. DESCRIPTION OF SITE AND SURROUNDINGS (INCLUDING RELEVANT PLANNING CONSTRAINTS) The site is farmland to the south of Lower Brailes on the edge of the settlement. Brailes is designated as a Local Centre Village within the Local Plan Review and a Local Service Village (category 2) within the Proposed Submission Core Strategy 2014. The site falls within the Cotswolds AONB and is mainly greenfield land except for the access arrangements. The Lower Brailes Conservation Area lies around 300m away to the north east and a listed building (Grove End) is around 200m away to the west. The site is part of a generally exposed ridge which rises to the south and with higher land also to the west at Grove End, part of Upper Brailes. Land to the north and east falls to the main part of Lower Brailes. Affordable housing at Millers Way lies immediately to the east, part of a ribbon of development along Sutton Lane. Open undeveloped land surrounds the remainder of the site, and a pond with Great Crested Newts lies in an adjacent parcel of land to the north and a public footpath runs on an east-west alignment to the north. Key facilities of the village lie within a reasonable distance of the site – 200m to bus stop; 300m to primary school; 300m to shops at The Feldon Centre; 500m to Village Hall and recreation fields. 3. HISTORY/BACKGROUND Whilst the main application site has no planning history the adjacent development at Millers Way, through which the site is accessed has the following history:- Reference Number Proposal Decision and date 10/02201/FUL 8 dwelling units comprising of 3 three Approved bedroomed houses and 5 two 21.01.2011 bedroomed houses and associated external works 4. RELEVANT POLICY CONTEXT The Development Plan Stratford–on-Avon District Local Plan Review 1996-2011 PR.1 Landscape and Settlement Character PR.7 Flood Defence EF.1 Cotswolds AONB EF.6 Nature Conservation and Geology EF.7 Nature Conservation and Geology EF.9 Trees, woodland and hedgerows EF.10 Trees, woodland and hedgerows EF.11 Archaeological sites EF.13 Conservation Areas DEV.1 Layout and Design DEV.2 Landscaping DEV.3 Amenity Space DEV.4 Access DEV.5 Car Parking DEV.6 Services DEV.7 Drainage DEV.8 Energy Conservation DEV.9 Access for people with disabilities DEV.10 Crime Prevention COM.1 Local Choice COM.4 Open Space COM.5 Open Space COM.9 Walking and Cycling COM.13 Affordable Housing COM.14 Mix of Dwelling Types COM.15 Accessible Housing CTY.1 Open Countryside IMP.1 Supporting Information IMP.2 Supplementary Planning Guidance IMP.4 Infrastructure Provision IMP.5 Infrastructure Provision Other Material Considerations Central Government Guidance National Planning Policy Framework 2012 Planning Policy Guidance 2014 Supplementary Planning Guidance and Supplementary Planning Documents Meeting Housing Needs 2008 Car and Cycle Parking Standards 2007 Sustainable Low Carbon Buildings 2007 Provision of Open Space 2005 Stratford on Avon District Design Guide 2002 Other Documents High Court judgements on Shottery appeal and Tewkesbury appeal Recent appeal decisions Coventry & Warwickshire Joint Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA) (November 2013) Warwickshire Landscape Guidelines 1993 Brailes Village Design Statement (1998) Brailes Parish Plan (2005) Brailes & Winderton Parish Council Action Plan (May 2012) Brailes & Winderton Parish Council Action Plan Local Housing Needs Report (April 2013) Cotswolds AONB Management Plan (March 2013) Cotswolds Conservation Board Position Statement – Housing and Development (Revised 2013) Cotswolds Conservation Board Position Statement – Affordable Housing (Revised 2013) District Council PPG17 Open Space, Sport and Recreation Assessment and Playing Pitch Strategy (Arup, April 2011) Corporate Strategy 2011-2015 Landscape Sensitivity Study (July 2011) Water Cycle Studies 2011 and 2012 Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment Review & updates (SHLAA) 2012 Proposed Submission Core Strategy 2014 Extending Your Home: Planning Advice Note Planning and Community Safety - Design and Crime Reduction 2006: Planning Advice Note Other Legislation Human Rights Act 1998 Equality Act 2010 Section 17 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 Natural Environment and Rural Communities (NERC) Act 2006 The Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010 Community and Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Legislation Localism Act 2011 5. APPLICANT’S COMMENTS The application is supported by the following documentation: • Design and access statement; • Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment • Ecological Appraisal; • Energy statement; The applicant’s agent has provided the following comments:- The application is promoted under Policy COM.1 of the Local Plan Review to deliver 14 affordable houses (plots 1 to 14) and 4 Local Market Houses (plots 15 to 18). More specifically: • Plots 1 to 8 social rented; a mix of 2, 3 and 4 bedroom • Plots 9 to 14 shared ownership; a mix of 2, 3 and 4 bedroom • Plots 15 to 18 local market houses; a mix of 3 and 4 bedroom houses. The Proposed Submission Core Strategy identifies Brailes as a Category 2 Local Service Village, which is capable of accommodating approximately 51 to 75 homes. The Brailes & Winderton Parish Plan (June 2012) reports a need for 11 x 4- bedroom dwellings, 21 x 3-bedroom dwellings, 24 x 2-bedroom dwellings and 17 x bungalows – all of which are catered for on the application site. The Brailes & Winderton Parish Council Action Plan Local Housing Needs (April 2013) specifically identifies the application site at chapter 7. It states “It is also recommended that the Parish Council invites Mr Graham Warmington, the owner of land at the rear of Millers Way, Brailes, to present detailed proposals for mixed tenure ‘Local Choice’ housing scheme for local people.” The report concludes that a ‘realistic housing need’ for the parish would be: • Rented from a Housing Association (24) • Shared Ownership (10) • Local Market Ownership (27) The application is thus supported by the Parish Plan, Housing Needs Survey, Parish Council and Warwickshire Rural Community Council. The locally-based Feldon Housing Association Ltd will be the registered social landlord for the affordable units. FHA Ltd does not attract government support but nevertheless is able to acquire and manage the affordable houses without recourse to the taxpayer or local authority ratepayer. The site includes a large public open space at its centre, whereby plots 1 to 18 are laid out in a “U” shape to face each other. Plots 15 to 18 are orientated with rear gardens facing the farmland to the west. The linear buildings lines reflect the theme established by the existing Millers Way houses. All the houses will be 1.5 or 2 storeys tall. The application site is adjacent to Lower Brailes and is within walking distance of many of its services and facilities. The Drainage Strategy consists of a treatment plant located in the Public Open Space for the foul drainage and a pumped arrangement to an existing pond south of the site for treated foul and surface water, all subject to Environment Agency consent to discharge. 6. PARISH COUNCIL Brailes Parish Council: Support the application. Highlight that the village is within the Cotswolds AONB and development should enhance and conserve the environment.