MID SUSSEX DISTRICT COUNCIL District Wide Committee 20 FEB 2020 RECOMMENDED FOR PERMISSION Hassocks DM/18/4979 © Crown Copyright and database rights 2019 Ordnance Survey 100021794 LAND NORTH OF CLAYTON MILLS OCKLEY LANE HASSOCKS WEST SUSSEX OUTLINE PLANNING APPLICATION WITH ALL MATTERS RESERVED EXCEPT FOR ACCESS FOR UP TO 500 RESIDENTIAL DWELLINGS AND LAND FOR A TWO-FORM ENTRY PRIMARY SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY BUILDING, LAND FOR A BRIDLEWAY LINK BETWEEN HASSOCKS AND BURGESS HILL, ASSOCIATED INFRASTRUCTURE INCLUDING INFORMAL OPEN SPACE, HARD AND SOFT LANDSCAPING, SUSTAINABLE DRAINAGE FEATURES AND A NEW SITE ACCESS ONTO OCKLEY LANE, AND PROVISION OF IMPROVED PEDESTRIAN ACCESS ACROSS THE RAILWAY LINE. MR ROBERT PHILLIPS POLICY: Areas of Special Control for Adverts / Built Up Areas / Countryside Area of Dev. Restraint / Classified Roads - 20m buffer / New Street Works Order / Planning Agreement / Planning Obligation / Aerodrome Safeguarding (CAA) / Radon Gas Safeguarding Zone / Archaeological Notification Area (WSCC) / ODPM CODE: Largescale Major Dwellings 13 WEEK DATE: 30th August 2019 WARD MEMBERS: Cllr Sue Hatton / Cllr Benedict Dempsey / Cllr Alexander Sparasci / CASE OFFICER: Stephen Ashdown PURPOSE OF REPORT To consider the recommendation of the Divisional Leader Planning and Economy on the application for planning permission as detailed above. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Outline planning permission is being sought for the erection of up to 500 dwellings, land for a two form-entry primary school, land for a community building and associated infrastructure (including formal play facilities and informal open space). The application includes the details of the proposed new site access onto Ockley Lane, with all other matters (layout, appearance, scale and landscaping) reserved for future consideration as part of any Reserved Matters process. The application was deferred by the Committee at the meeting held on the 17th December 2019 in order to allow the proposed access to be investigated further. In particular the Committee raised concerns over the analysis and assumptions relating to pupils that might originate from Burgess Hill and as a result the impact that this would have on the proposed access and whether a right hand turn lane was required. The applicants have investigated the matter further and this has only confirmed their position that the proposed priority T junction is suitable and safe to serve the proposed development and that there is no justification for an alternative arrangement. WSCC has considered this information and confirmed that it has no highway objections to the proposed access arrangements as originally submitted. The site is allocated for development within the Mid Sussex District Plan (policy DP11 refers) and the application seeks to secure an outline planning permission in accordance with the terms of this policy, and other relevant policies contained within the Development Plan as a whole. It should be noted that the draft Hassocks Neighbourhood Plan is currently at examination and as such the weight that can be afforded to it is moderate. Planning legislation requires the application to be determined in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. It is therefore necessary for the planning application to be assessed against the policies in the development plan and then to take account of other material planning considerations including the NPPF. The NPPF states that planning should be genuinely plan-led. The Council has an up- to date District Plan and is able to demonstrate that it has a 5 year housing land supply. Planning decisions should therefore be in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. As the Council can demonstrate a 5 year supply of deliverable housing land the planning balance set out in the NPPF is an un-tilted one. In terms of the principle, the site is located within the built-up area as defined by the Mid Sussex District Plan, with the boundary being formally extended upon the adoption of the District Plan in March 2018. As such the principle of the development is acceptable under the provisions of Policy DP6 of the Mid Sussex District Plan which states that development will be permitted within towns and villages with defined built-up area boundaries. In this case the site is one of the strategic allocations in the District Plan. Policy DP11 is the relevant Policy in the District Plan which allocates the site. This supports in principle a strategic mixed-use development and accordingly allocates the land to the north of Clayton Mills, subject to meeting a number of criteria. As highlighted within this report, the proposal will have a number of benefits that need to be taken into consideration. The proposal will provide up to 500 new homes. 30 per cent of these will be affordable which equates to 150 dwellings. The proposal will also provide a financial contribution to provide 5 permanent gypsy and traveller pitches on an alternative site. The proposal will make provision for the site of a new primary school which will include Special Educational Needs and Disability and Early Years provision, along with a financial contribution towards its construction. A financial contribution to additional secondary and sixth form provision in the district is also being provided. The proposal provides a site for a community building and a contribution towards its construction. In addition, the scheme will provide for a number of open spaces in addition to two equipped areas of play. Provision for a community building on site, along with a contribution towards its construction is also proposed. Public right of way improvements are proposed between the site and Hassocks, along with a new bridleway to provide an entirely off-road link Burgess Hill (with existing routes then providing onward links to the railway station and town centre). A number of off-site highways infrastructure improvement works are proposed that will include junction improvements, a new bus stop, traffic calming/improvement schemes, pedestrian and cycle access improvements and provision and provision of additional cycle parking at Hassocks train station. The proposals provide for a greenspace buffer to the northern boundary of the site, in accordance with policy DP11, which is secured through the parameter plan. This will provide a strong defensible boundary to the site and protect against the coalescence and retain the separate identities of Hassocks and Burgess Hill. The applicants have committed to part funding the improvements to the Woodside Level Crossing with the provision of a pedestrian tunnel to replace the existing stepped arrangement. The Council are currently considering, separately, a submission from Network Rail for the tunnel. In terms of measures to improve levels of sustainability, the submissions indicate that the 'fabric first' approach will be adopted to reducing emissions and the provision of electric vehicle charging points form part of the proposed travel plan measures. Conditions are proposed to secure the travel plan and the submission of other associated details through the reserved matters submission. The committee report for this proposed development has, however, identified a number of adverse effects that need to be taken into consideration and weighed against the benefits. As identified within the heritage assessment of the report, the proposal will cause less than substantial harm to nearby designated heritage assets and great weight needs to be given to this. The test set out at paragraph 196 of the NPPF is that this harm (less than substantial) should be weighed against the public benefits of the development. In this particular case there are clear, substantial, demonstrable and compelling public benefits outlined in this report which are considered to outweigh the less than substantial harm to the settings of the heritage assets identified. Historic England has not raised an objection to the application on heritage grounds. Whilst the proposal will cause less than substantial harm to the non-designated heritage assets of moderate to high significance, a balanced judgement on this issue must be made in accordance with the NPPF. This less than substantial harm has been balanced against the positive benefits that flow from the development of up to 500 dwellings and the provision of land for a primary school on the site that forms one of strategic site allocations within the District Plan (DP11 refers). It is judged that the benefits of the scheme significantly outweigh the less than substantial harm to the non-designated heritage assets. It is inevitable that the proposal will have adverse landscape effects during the demolition and construction phase. These will, however, be temporary in nature and mitigated for as best as possible through the use of conditions. In time, the establishment of the landscape mitigation, will reduce the perception of the proposed development and allow it to assimilate into the wider landscape. The proposal will result in some harm to the residential amenities of neighbouring residents, which is inevitable with a development of this size and nature, in a location such as this. The illustrative master plan identifies green space buffers between new and existing properties, which will be secured through the parameter plans, which will ensure that acceptable separation can be maintained. It is not considered that these impacts are likely to give rise to significant harm, particularly