Proposed Housing Development Dark Lane, Newchurch, Rossendale Pre-Application Consultation Report 06 July 2012 MAZE Planning Solutions 8 Wrigglesworth Close BURY BL8 3PB t: 0161764 9929 e. info@mazeplanning.co.uk w. mazeplanning.co.uk Contact: Andrew Watt Document Reference: MPS/AW/143/PreAppCons Status: Final – 06 July 2012 Contents 1. Introduction 1 2. Project description 2 3. The consultation process 4 4. Consultation responses 8 5. Summary & conclusions 15 Annexes 1. News release 2. Media coverage 3. Consultation briefing note and feedback forms 4. Summary of consultation response forms Dark Lane, Newchurch, Rossendale, BB4 7UA Pre-application Consultation Report Proposed Housing Development 06 July 2012 1. Introduction Why consult? 1.1 This Pre-Application Consultation Report has been prepared by MAZE Planning Solutions on behalf of Rossendale United Holdings Limited (the Applicant). It is provided in support of an application for planning permission to redevelop the former football club’s ground at Dark Lane to provide about 50 houses. 1.2 The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), published on 27 March this year, provides specific encouragement for consultation before a planning application is made because of the benefits than it can bring for coordination between public and private resources and improved outcomes for the community. 1.3 In this case, pre-application consultation with the Local Authority, the County Council and the public has been used as a means to: explain why the football club had failed, explore the principles of a housing development; and put forward details of a potential scheme and invite feedback. Project background 1.4 The football club, its ground and the social club were put up for sale in autumn 2009, through Nolan Redshaw Chartered Surveyors. No offers were received. 1.5 Rossendale United ceased to be an active football club in summer 2010, at the end of the 2009/2010 playing season. Significant debts had built up and there was no way of balancing the books. It was not a viable going concern. 1.6 Unoccupied, the football ground and its associated facilities quickly became a target for vandalism and anti-social behaviour. The interior of the former club house has been vandalised extensively and on the evening of 15 January this year an arson attack led to a fire that devastated the main stand. 1.7 The fire underlined the increasingly urgent and important need to identify a positive future for the site to prevent it becoming a serious blight on the local community, and to remove the risks and dangers of a repeat of the recent fire. 1 mazeplanning.co.uk Dark Lane, Newchurch, Rossendale, BB4 7UA Pre-application Consultation Report Proposed Housing Development 06 July 2012 2. Project description 2.1 This section of the report provides a brief description of the proposed housing development. Fuller details are set out in the Design & Access Statement, which forms part of the planning application package. 2.2 The football ground is situated in the predominantly residential area of Newchurch. It adjoins established housing along Staghills Road and Queensway, and also neighbours St Nicholas Primary School. To the south the football ground borders Staghills Wood and open land. 2.3 Housing has been acknowledged as a potentially appropriate use by the Local Planning Authority, subject to thorough consideration of all relevant issues. The Proposed Site Plan, below, shows a possible development of 50 family homes - a mix of 2, 3 and 4 bed accommodation with gardens and parking. Access to the site is from Dark Lane, which will be widened and new footways provided to serve St Nicholas Primary School. 2 mazeplanning.co.uk Dark Lane, Newchurch, Rossendale, BB4 7UA Pre-application Consultation Report Proposed Housing Development 06 July 2012 2.4 The Proposed Site Plan, which formed the basis for pubic consultation, shows a development of traditional family housing, all assumed to be 2-storey. The architect’s calculations suggest a total development floorspace of about 4,707 square metres, provided in homes that vary in size from a 2-bed terrace of 87sqm to a 4-bed detached of 127sqm. 2.5 To meet the diverse needs of future residents, the designers have sought to provide a high-quality environment, where people will want to live and where they will be able to choose from homes ranging in size, cost and style, feel safe and included, share good public transport links and have good access to green open spaces. 2.6 All homes will be energy efficient, provided with high levels of insulation to comply with Building Regulations and ensure occupiers can manage energy use. As the finer detail is added to the development at later stages in the planning process it will incorporate some of the solutions available to meet the challenge of carbon emissions and climate change, taking advantage of contemporary technologies that can help with the move towards creating a zero carbon world through the use of improved construction methods, materials, and equipment. Installations will also help to minimise water consumption. 3 mazeplanning.co.uk Dark Lane, Newchurch, Rossendale, BB4 7UA Pre-application Consultation Report Proposed Housing Development 06 July 2012 3. The consultation process 3.1 This section of the report records the approach taken to consultation for the project. It illustrates how the consultation connects with the design process and, where possible, how it has informed the content of the scheme which is now advanced through the formal planning application process. 3.2 The objective of the consultation process has been to: provide stakeholders, the local community and other consultees an opportunity to see and respond to the proposed housing development; to take account of all the views expressed; and respond positively to feedback where possible and provide a clear explanation where the proposal cannot be altered in response to consultee comments. Approach 3.3 The consultation process has taken place in two stages: Consultation with officers of Rossendale Borough Council, which commenced in April 2011; and Consultation with the pubic and other interested parties which started in February 2012 Consultation with Borough Council officers 3.4 Early consultation with Borough Council officers focussed on providing an explanation of the events leading up to the demise of Rossendale United Football Club as an active team and exploration of options for redevelopment capable of providing a positive future use for the redundant site. 3.5 Those early discussions indicated that: The circumstances of the football club were unusual and locally exceptional. There is no objection in principle to redevelopment of the site for housing because it is situated within the Urban Boundary. There is however a need to consider more carefully the planning policy issues that arise because the site was identified as Recreation Area and Greenlands in the Local Plan, and that designation has more recently been carried over into the Council’s Core Strategy development plan document. Development must provide something of benefit to the wider public in terms of sport and/or recreation provision to make up for the loss of the football pitch, even though it was a private facility. Pre-application consultation with the local community is desirable because of the location of the site and the former use. 4 mazeplanning.co.uk Dark Lane, Newchurch, Rossendale, BB4 7UA Pre-application Consultation Report Proposed Housing Development 06 July 2012 Consultation with the community 3.6 Consultation with the community was launched on 14 February 2012 and was planned to run for a minimum period of 3 weeks, ending 7 March. Community awareness of the proposed development and the related consultation activity comprised of: Media coverage to create community awareness and provide information about how and when to get involved. A bespoke website to provide details of the proposed development and enable online feedback to be provided A display at Rawtenstall Library. An open day hosted at the football ground. Meetings with local stakeholders. Media coverage 3.7 A news release was issued on 14 February to key media organisations covering news and events in the Rossendale area. A copy is provided in Annex 1. The release was reported by: Rossendale Free Press - a key weekly local newspaper with a readership of about 27,000 and website coverage. Both website and newsprint articles about the Dark Lane story were published on 17 February 2012. Lancashire Telegraph - a key daily sub-regional newspaper with a readership of about 61,000 and complementary website coverage that attracts over 400,000 unique online users each month. Both website and newsprint articles concerning the Dark Lane consultation event were published on 15 February 2012. About My Area - a web-only publication providing a very broad range of community focussed news and information. The website is free to view and a weekly newsletter is emailed to subscribers who have opted in. The Dark Lane consultation story was featured on the website, with articles added on 15 and 23 February. It was included in 3 consecutive email news letters sent on 16 and 23 February, and 1 March. Place North West, a web-only publication, providing news coverage of property and regeneration activity throughout the North West, read by about 40,000 unique visitors each month. The Dark Lane consultation story was covered in detail on 14 March and included on the same date in the daily email news alert sent to around 10,000 subscribers. 3.8 In all cases the media coverage included reference to the project website, library consultation point and open day. It ensured there was widespread awareness of the launch of the consultation and the varying opportunities available to participate in it. Media coverage is detailed in Annex 2.
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