THIS REPORT RELATES STIRLING COUNCIL TO ITEM ON THE AGENDA PLANNING PANEL ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES 7 MARCH 2002 NOT EXEMPT DETAILED PLANNING APPLICATION FOR ERECTION OF 30NO. DWELLING HOUSES AT BANDEATH PARK, KERSIE ROAD, THROSK, STIRLING – S/01/01070/DET 1 PURPOSE 1.1 To determine planning application S/01/01070/DET. 2 SUMMARY 2.1 The issues generated by this application are:- • Whether or not the application complies with the Development Plan policies concerning housing, and general development in the countryside. • Access onto the A905 from the site and local roads infrastructure • Density of residential development in a rural location • Design and layout of housing site • Affect on amenity of adjacent housing • Play area provision • Landscaping • Stirling Council ownership of site frontage • Objections and representations 3 RECOMMENDATION(S) 3.1 To refuse the application for the reasons set out within the Appendix attached to this report. N:\DEMSUPP\NEWDECISIONS\PLANNING\REPORTS\PP20020307011070IJ.DOC 4 CONSIDERATIONS The Site 4.1 The application site is located approximately 200 metres to the east of Throsk and adjacent to the Bandeath Industrial Estate. Adjacent and 50 metres to the east of the application site is a small group of houses which are addressed as Popple Trees. Along the front of the site is the A905 public road. The site forms an island of land which is broadly triangular in shape and is bordered on the other 2 sides with a roadway which was the former alignment of Kersie Road prior to the re-alignment along the site frontage. Directly across the road and to the south of the site is farmland, to the east of the site is grass open space, to the north of the site is Bandeath Industrial Estate, Bandeath Lodge, an access road into Bandeath Industrial Estate, and Woodside Cottage. 4.2 The application is for the erection of 30no. 2 storey detached dwelling houses. The site is to be accessed via the former alignment of Kersie Road (Loop Road). Along the site frontage indicative landscaping is shown on the proposed site plan and the internal site access comprises of a cul-de-sac. The houses generally back onto the A905 public road. Planning Policy 4.3 Policy H5 (a) of the Stirling Council Local Plan states: The Council will support new residential development in the Countryside and within Green Belts only where it can be demonstrated that the occupant has a genuine housing need and that the dwelling is necessary in connection either with the use of land in the vicinity for agriculture, horticulture or forestry; or for the management of an established rural business. Preference will be given to the sensitive re-use conversion or rehabilitation of redundant vernacular rural buildings and to developments located sensitively with existing buildings or building groups, rather than isolated new dwellings in the open countryside. 4.4 Policy E7 of the Stirling Council Local Plan states: - In relation to development proposals falling within Countryside Policy Boundaries, the Council will only give favourable consideration to those which are essential to the proper functioning of the primary rural activities, or other uses which can be shown to have an overriding need for a countryside location. Such developments will be subject to further assessment in relation to traffic generation and access, services, pollution, and potential conflict with established neighbouring users. 4.5 Policy HPO4 (1) of Central 2000 Structure Plan states: - New housing development in the countryside will only be acceptable in the following circumstances: 1. Where it is essential in the association with an enterprise or activity which requires a rural location. Such developments should only be permitted where a design sympathetic to the vernacular architecture and location ensures no adverse visual intrusion; where any necessary infrastructure costs are borne by the developer; and where plot sizes adequate to achieve an appropriate fit in the landscape. 4.6 Policy ENPO3 of Central 2000 Structure Plan states: - In areas of countryside, there will be a general presumption against new developments which do not require a rural location and are not essential for the maintenance or promotion N:\DEMSUPP\NEWDECISIONS\PLANNING\REPORTS\PP20020307011070IJ.DOC of agriculture, forestry or outdoor recreation except where justified exceptionally under Policies EPO.19 or HPO.4. 4.7 Policy H6 of the Clackmannanshire and Stirling Structure Plan – Finalised Plan August 2000 which states: - New housing development in the countryside will only be acceptable where:- 1. It is essential in association with an enterprise or activity which requires a countryside location, subject to design and locational criteria defined through Local Plans and to a Section 75 Agreement or planning condition restricting occupancy. 4.8 Policy ENV3: of the Clackmannanshire and Stirling Structure Plan Finalised Plan – August 2000 states: - In areas of countryside, as defined in Local Plans, development will only be permitted where: 1. The proposed enterprise or activity is dependent upon a countryside location. Site History 4.9 In 1991 outline planning permission was refused for the erection of 9 houses at the site. (Reference E/90/164); a further outline application was refused in 1991 for the erection of 9 dwelling houses (Reference E/91/52); an appeal against the refusal of this second application was upheld and outline planning permission granted; following the appeal decision, the reserved matters application was approved for 9 service plots at the site in 1992 (Reference U/92/644); In 1993 detailed planning permission was granted for 14 single storey dwelling houses at the site (Reference U/93/059/DET). These permissions have all expired. Application Assessment. 4.10 The application site is located in an area of open countryside as defined by the Adopted Stirling Council Local Plan. The relevant policies for assessing proposals for residential development in the countryside are the above Development Plan policies and Draft Structure Plan policies, which relate to residential development and general development in the countryside. Whilst the wording of these policies varies slightly, the principle in each case is the same in that new residential development is supported when the development is essential to the proper functioning of primary rural activities, ie the proposal is required in connection with an established rural business and there is a necessity for the development to be located in the countryside. In this case, the proposal for 30 detached 2 storey dwelling houses is a “speculative” residential development which is not related to any established rural business and does not of necessity require a rural location, and, as such, is clearly contrary to the above policies. 4.11 Given that the principle of a ‘speculative’ residential development on the site is contrary to the Development Plan Policies and Draft Structure Plan Policies referred to in paragraphs 4.3 – 4.8, any proposal for a similar development to the application for 14 houses would also be contrary to these policies and, as such, would be unacceptable in Planning Policy terms. N:\DEMSUPP\NEWDECISIONS\PLANNING\REPORTS\PP20020307011070IJ.DOC 4.12 The location plan and block plan attached to this report show that the site is located on an island of land, bordered by the A905 public road and the former alignment of Kersie Road. Access from the site is via a cul-de-sac – local access road onto the former Kersie Road which is a general access road. Access from there is directly on to the A905 which Technical Services classify as a district distributor road which has a national speed limit of 60 mph. Technical Services have advised that the transfer from a general access (loop) road onto a district distributor road is contrary to Technical Services standards which requires an intermediate road – a local distributor road so that there is a hierarchy of step changes from local access (cul-de-sac), general access (loop road), local distributor road, and district distributor road so as to ensure that drivers are not faced with steps in a hierarchy which are too great to cope with safely. In this case, access from the loop road onto the A905 which is categorised as a district distributor road, of which a main feature is to provide for safe and expeditious movement of traffic and to limit the number of direct accesses onto such roads, would not be in the interest of road safety. Increased use of these accesses to the east and west of the site would also interfere with the free flow of traffic on the A905. 4.13 The east and west access points of the loop road onto the A905 have a sub- standard visibility in terms of falling short of the required sightlines of 9 metres x 215 metres in either direction with no obstruction to visibility over carriageway level. 4.14 Technical Services have advised that it is not desirable to increase right hand turning manoeuvres at a location where vehicle speeds can be excessive, where visibility is compromised and where vehicular conflict could have serious consequences. The proposal would generate an increase in right hand turning manoeuvres by 300 movements per day, and given the limited forward visibility when approaching the junctions to the east and west of the site, approval of the application would not be in the best interests of road safety. 4.15 The area of the site is 3.22 acres and given that 30 houses are proposed, the average number of houses per acre is approximately 10 which in itself, is not a high density. However, given that the site shape is irregular and is broadly triangular, and the proposed layout shows a combination of 30 detached 4 bedroom and 3 bedroom houses, the layout appears to be crammed and the site overdeveloped.