Christon Park Vision document August 2015 Christon Park | Vision document 1 Adderstone Group is an innovative Newcastle-based property development organisation with a long-standing history of sourcing residential and commercial regeneration opportunities throughout the North East. By working in partnership with the communities local to our developments and by valuing the people that work on our projects, Adderstone Group regularly delivers development solutions that stand the test of time. Adderstone Group’s vast portfolio of property developments include: the 100,000 sq. ft. Quay West Business Village in Sunderland (RICS Special Commendation), the salvage and restoration of the Grade 1* Listed Tyne Theatre (the world’s last remaining working Victorian theatre) and creation of the 228 bed student accommodation, Union Square, awarded North East Student Hall of the Year 2015. The Group portfolio also includes sympathetic refurbishment of various listed buildings throughout the North East including the Rehearsal Rooms, Thomas Bewick House and Gateshead Railway Club, as well as a number of luxury residential developments in Gosforth, namely Moorlands Hall, Westcliffe and Elmfield Road. www.adderstonegroup.com This document is formatted for double sided printing. © Nathaniel Lichfield & Partners Ltd 2015. Trading as Nathaniel Lichfield & Partners. All Rights Reserved. Registered Office: 14 Regent’s Wharf All Saints Street London N1 9RL All plans within this document produced by NLP are based upon Ordnance Survey mapping with the permission of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. © Crown Copyright reserved. Licence number AL50684A Contents 01 Introduction 06 02 Site & surroundings 10 03 Planning context 22 04 Opportunities & constraints 28 05 The vision 32 06 The benefits 44 07 Phasing & delivery 50 Chapter 01 INTRODUCTION 1 Introduction Following positive feedback from a pre-application consultation with Newcastle City Council planning department in 2013, Adderstone Group was invited to prepare, submit and make public a vision document outlining their proposals for a new and sustainable residential development on the site known as Gosforth Industrial Estate. This document has been prepared by Nathaniel Lichfield & Partners (“NLP”), on behalf of Adderstone Group. This proposal could transform Gosforth Industrial Estate into a new, high quality housing development - Christon Park. The proposed development would make an important contribution to addressing current and future housing requirements through the provision of new homes on brownfield land at Gosforth. Within walking distance of Gosforth High Street, Regent Centre and South Gosforth Metro Station, the site presents an ideal location for new housing. The proposal represents a logical brownfield development on an estate which was established in the mid 1960s but, for a range of reasons, is becoming unsuitable for modern light industrial use. The former Greggs site, which comprises a substantial area at the entrance to the estate, is available for development now. This Vision document has been prepared in consultation with Nexus and refers to the potential for change of use over various other tenanted elements of the site when commercial ground leases naturally diminish in value as expiry approaches. Nothing in this document should be interpreted in such a way as to assume there would be any disruption in trade to current businesses operating on the park. 6 Christon Park | Vision document Introduction 1 Christon Park | Vision document 7 Chapter 02 SITE & SURROUNDINGS 2 Site & surroundings The site Gosforth Industrial Estate is located to the north east of Gosforth and east of Regent Centre. The site extends to approximately 13.5 hectares of brownfield land and is bound: • to the north by existing residential development around Hollywood Avenue; • to the east by the Metro railway line (Coastal Line), with existing residential streets on both sides; • to the west by the Metro railway line (Airport Line); beyond which lies existing residential development and allotment gardens; and • to the south by the Metro railway lines towards Newcastle, beyond which lies existing residential development and the grounds of St Nicholas’ Church. 10 Christon Park | Vision document Site & Surroundings 2 Christon Park | Vision document 11 2 Site & surroundings Site conditions The site comprises Nexus’ Metro operations to the north Since the relocation of Greggs main bakery operations in and Gosforth Industrial Estate to the south, which is 2012, and with limited demand from alternative business occupied predominantly by aged one-storey and two- occupiers, it has become clear that buildings on a large storey industrial buildings. portion of the estate are approaching the end of their useful, economic life. 12 Christon Park | Vision document Site & surroundings 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Christon Park | Vision document 13 2 Site & surroundings Site history The historic maps illustrate the growth of Gosforth and It is clear that the railway lines surrounding the site had the development of the site between 1864-2015. been established by 1921, now used by the Tyne and Wear Metro. 1864 1898 - 1899 1920 - 1921 1938 14 Christon Park | Vision document Site & surroundings 2 By 1952, the map shows that the majority of Gosforth’s Ground leases were granted by Gosforth Urban District existing housing stock had been built and the large Council in the mid 1960s and by 1979 it is evident that Electric Car Shed was also on the site. Gosforth Industrial Estate had become established on the southern part of the site. 1951 - 1952 1975 - 1979 2006 2015 Christon Park | Vision document 15 2 Site & surroundings Gosforth Business Park Sustainable site 1,200m As demonstrated by the plan opposite, the site is ideally positioned within very close proximity to Gosforth High Street and other nearby facilities and services in and around Gosforth. This demonstrates the site’s extremely sustainable location. The nearest Metro Station (South Gosforth) is located less than 500m from the centre of the site providing regular services towards Newcastle city centre, the 800m Airport and the Coast. The nearest bus stops are also situated within a 5 minute walking distance. KEY 400m Site Boundary Restaurants Regent Centre Bus Stop Bar Metro Station Place of Worship Hospital/ Health Centre Salon Pharmacy School Cafés Banking Petrol Station 16 Christon Park | Vision document xxx x Gosforth Business Park 1,200m 800m 400m Regent Centre Christon Park | Vision document 17 2 Site & surroundings These images provide a representation of just some of the facilities which are easily accessible from the site. 18 Christon Park | Vision document Site & surroundings 2 Christon Park | Vision document 19 Chapter 03 PLANNING CONTEXT 3 Planning context Planning should operate to Presumption in favour of encourage and not as an sustainable development. impediment to sustainable growth. NPPF, paragraph 14 NPPF, paragraph 19 National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) (2012) The NPPF establishes a presumption in favour of sustainable development. There are three elements of sustainable development – economic, social and environment. This means there is a need to deliver economic growth and meet the country’s need for more housing whilst safeguarding high quality environments for future generations to enjoy. Where there is no reasonable prospect of a site being used for the allocated employment use, applications for alternative uses of land or buildings should be treated on their merits having regard to market signals and the relative need for different land uses to support sustainable local communities. NPPF, paragraph 22 22 Christon Park | Vision document Planning context 3 Encourage the effective use of land by reusing land that has been previously developed. NPPF, paragraph 17 – Core Planning Principles General Election 2015 During the 2015 General Election campaigns, the main political parties targeted the use of brownfield land to help deliver housing growth. 200,000 new starter homes by A Labour Government would 2020 through construction on strengthen brownfield first. brownfield land. Roberta Blackman-Woods – Shadow Planning Minister – Prime Minister David Cameron speaking in speaking at the Labour Party Conference, September 2014 Colchester, 2 March 2015 Budget 2015 The Chancellor of the Exchequer gave his Budget to Automatic planning permission Parliament on Wednesday 8 July 2015 which includes in principle will be granted for plans for a new ‘zonal’ system to give automatic planning housing land that has been permission on all suitable brownfield sites, removing unnecessary delays to redevelopment. placed on statutory brownfield site registers. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Summer Budget 2015 Christon Park | Vision document 23 3 Planning context Core Strategy and Urban Core Plan for Newcastle City Council Employment Land Gateshead and Newcastle upon Tyne Review (ELR) (2014) (2010-2030) Gosforth Industrial Estate was assessed as part of the The Core Strategy sets out that a better range and City Council’s Employment Land Review: 2014 Update choice of quality housing is needed to improve the (ELR). The site appraisal work undertaken as part of the housing offer – “the right homes in the right locations with ELR (Appendix C) awarded the site a score of 27 (from a the right facilities and services” (para 10.15). The Core maximum of 50). In particular, the site was considered to Strategy prioritises the use of brownfield land to help score poorly with