LAND AT NORTH HARLOW: GILSTON AREA CONCEPT BROCHURE 22ND MAY 2014 CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION........................................................................................3 2.0 BACKGROUND.........................................................................................4 3.0 PLANNING CONTEXT...............................................................................5 4.0 HOUSING NEED.......................................................................................6 5.0 PRINCIPLES OF DEVELOPMENT ...........................................................7 6.0 SITE ANALYSIS 6.1 MASTER PLANNING.........................................................................9 6.2 TRAnsport & ACCESS.................................................................17 6.3 LANDSCAPE...................................................................................29 7.0 INITIAL DESIGN CONCEPTS.................................................................40 8.0 SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC BENEFITS.....................................................42 9.0 SUMMAry & NEXT STEPS.....................................................................43 1.0 INTRODUCTION This document is submitted as part of the supporting planning case for a residentially led, mixed use development of the Land North of Harlow Town, on behalf of our client City and Provincial Properties (CPP). CPP is one of the UK’s premier developers and one of the two main landowners within the Gilston Area identified for future housing growth. They have assembled a team of leading core advisors at this stage of the project, as listed below. • Savills (planning consultants) • Spacecraft Architects (masterplanners / architects) • Alan Baxter Associates (transportation consultants) • Churchman Landscape Architects (landscape consultants) The aim is to make the very best of the unique opportunity to deliver a high quality and sustainable development as part of the wider masterplan for the Gilston Area, which would contribute towards meeting the District’s existing and future housing needs, within East Hertfordshire District Council (EHDC) emerging District Plan plan period. 3 2.0 BACKGROUND The site is approximately 114 hectares and is located north of Harlow within the Gilston Area of the District of East Hertfordshire. The site is located east and west of Church Lane, north of the A414. The site is currently within the Green Belt and is in use as agricultural land, with some built form to include an existing farmstead (Brickhouse Farm) within the central part of the site. It GILSTON PARK is well contained by natural field boundaries to its north, the A414 to its south and a hedgerow as the site’s western boundary. The surrounding area to the north, east and west consists largely of countryside, primary agricultural use and pockets of woodland. SITE Further to its designation as Green Belt, the site contains modest pockets of land designated as an Area of Archaeological SITE Significance and is adjacent to two Wildlife Sites. Other than the Grade II Listed Brickhouse Farm and associated Barn and Stable, the site does not contain any other heritage A414 assets and it is not within a Flood Risk Zone. TRAINLINE RIVER STORT HARLOW TOWN PINNACLE Fig 1 Site Within Existing Context Form 4 3.0 PLANNING CONTEXT The NPPF sets out the Government’s current and future It states that Green Belt boundaries should only be altered in requirements for significantly boosting the country’s supply of “exceptional circumstances” and “through the preparation or housing, in order to facilitate nationwide economic growth. review of the Local Plan.” If under review, it is recommended that the local authority “not include land which it is unnecessary The National Planning Policy Framework establishes key priorities to keep permanently open,” and “define boundaries clearly, to “boost significantly the supply of housing,” “meet the needs of using physical features that are readily recognisable and likely present and future generations” and “widen the choice of high to be permanent.” quality homes.” It also places significant weight on sustainable economic growth - both in terms of new economic development In considering the value of Green Belt land, the NPPF identifies and new homes. 5 purposes of the Green Belt . These are: The NPPF requires Council’s to allocate land to meet objectively 1. To check unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas; assessed needs in order to boost the supply of housing. Paragraph 47 states that Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) should use 2. To prevent neighbouring towns from merging into one their evidence base to ensure that housing targets, based on another; objectively assessed needs, for market and affordable housing in the housing market area are set. 3. To assist in safeguarding the countryside from encroachment; The NPPF dictates that LPAs should identify and annually update a supply of specific deliverable sites sufficient to provide five 4. To preserve the setting and special character of historic years worth of housing against their housing requirements with towns; and an additional buffer of 5% (moved forward from later in the plan period) to ensure choice and competition in the market for land. 5. To assist in urban regeneration by encouraging the recycling of derelict and other urban land. The NPPF also states that LPAs must identify a supply of specific, developable sites or broad locations for growth for years 6-10, In order to meet objectively assessed needs EHDC and where possible for years 11-15. acknowledge that they will need to release Green Belt land to accommodate their future housing requirements. Logically, it For market and affordable housing, the NPPF states that LPAs makes sense that land which contributes least to the purposes should illustrate the expected rate of housing delivery through of the Green Belt should be released. a housing trajectory for the plan period and set out a housing implementation strategy for the full range of housing, describing Prior to consideration within the emerging District Plan, the how they will maintain delivery of a five-year supply of housing Gilston Area was an established residential allocation within land to meet their own target. the South East Regional Plan. Paragraph 83 of the NPPF states that LPAs with Green Belts in their administrative area should establish Green Belt boundaries in their Local Plans which set the framework for settlement policy. 5 4.0 HOUSING NEED The current Development Plan for the East Herts District In order to meet the future housing needs of the District and comprises: adjoining Local Authorities, EHDC have identified, at draft Policy GA1, the “Gilston Area” a Broad Location for development in • National Planning Policy Framework (2012) contributing a total of between 5,000 and 10,000 new homes to the year 2031 and beyond, with 3,000 new homes allocated to • Saved Policies from East Herts Local Plan (2007; Saved come forward pre-2031. Importantly, the CPP land is included 2010) within this draft allocation. In principle, EHDC’s recognition of the Gilston Area for accommodating future housing growth • Various Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs) is strongly supported. However it is considered that there is an opportunity for positively achieving in the region of 5,000 The Council are in the process of preparing a new District Plan, new homes within the plan period to 2031, in order to create which once adopted, will become the key document guiding the planning certainty within EHDC’s emerging District Plan and direction of planning and development within the District up to meet pressing future housing needs within the local area. These 2031. specific planning issues are addressed more comprehensively within Savills Planning Representations Document, which form The latest version of the emerging District Plan is the Preferred part of CPP’s formal representations. Options Consultation Document, which was published for public consultation in February 2014. Within this version, EHDC identify a minimum housing delivery target of 15,000 dwellings for the plan period of 2011 to 2031; however the planning representations that accompany the submission of this brochure question whether this target is sufficient to accommodate objectively assessed needs, the requirements of neighbouring authorities under the duty to cooperate and the historic undersupply of housing within East Herts. Notwithstanding this, even at a minimum housing target of 15,000 units, EHDC acknowledge that consideration must be given to the release of Green Belt land within the District. To assist this, the Council have produced a number of evidence base documents including a Strategic Land Availability Assessment (SLAA) (October 2012, with an update due in Summer 2014), a District-Wide Green Belt Review – Part 1 (September 2013) and EHDC’s Interim Development Strategy (January 2014). EHDC have also published and Interim Sustainability Appraisal Report (January 2014). 6 5.0 PRINCIPLES OF DEVELOPMENT Land at North Harlow, as part of the wider Gilston Area, offers a unique opportunity to deliver a sustainable development capable of capable of providing for a significant proportion of housing needs within the emerging District Plan plan period (and beyond). In light of the housing requirement and the necessity for Green Belt release within the plan period, the Gilston Area is the only location in the district that is capable of sustainably delivering the required levels of future growth. Based on the proposed