Expansion of Bristol Airport to 12mppa – Planning Appeal PINS Ref. APP/DO121/W/20/3259234 Planning Application Ref.: 18/P/5118/OUT ANNEX to LANDSCAPE (Mendip Hills AONB and setting) PROOF of EVIDENCE for XR Elders Christine Tudor BA Hons, Dip LP, M Phil LA, CMLI, FRGS XR/W5/2 June 2021 CONTENTS Five Letters from the Mendip Hills AONB Partnership to N. Somerset Council 1. West of England Joint Spatial Plan – Consultation 8/1/2018, 2. Airport Outline Planning Application – Scoping 23/7/18, 3. Joint Spatial Plan (JSP) – Additional Evidence Consultation 7/1/19, 4. Airport Outline Planning Application 29/1/19, 5. Airport Outline Planning Application 13/5/19) Mendip Hills AONB Partnership Charterhouse Centre, Blagdon Bristol BS40 7XR t: 01761 462338 e:[email protected] w: www.mendiphillsaonb.org.uk West of England Joint Spatial Plan c/o South Gloucestershire Council Planning P O Box 1954 Bristol BS37 0DD 8 January 2018 Dear Sir/Madam, West of England Joint Spatial Plan – Consultation With reference to the West of England Joint Spatial Plan (JSP) consultation, herewith comments from the Mendip Hills AONB Unit. The nationally protected landscape of the Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) covers 198 square kilometres from Bleadon in the west to Chewton Mendip in the east. The AONB partly lies within the West of England Plan area to the south-west of the wider Bristol area and south-east of Weston-super-Mare. Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) are some of the UK’s most cherished and outstanding landscapes. The Countryside and Rights of Way (CRoW) Act 2000 confirmed the significance of AONBs and Section 85 places a statutory duty on all relevant authorities to have regard to the purpose of conserving and enhancing natural beauty when discharging any function in relation to, or affecting land within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Potential development proposals outside of the boundaries of AONBs that may have an impact within the designated area are also covered by the ‘duty of regard’. 1 The Mendip Hills AONB Partnership produced the Mendip Hills AONB Management Plan 2014-19 as required by the CRoW Act on behalf of the joint local authorities and the Plan has been adopted by North Somerset Council, Bath & North East Somerset Council, Somerset County Council, Sedgemoor District Council and Mendip District Council. The Management Plan under paragraph 1.4 sets out a Statement of Significance on the special qualities of the Mendip Hills AONB that create the Mendip Hills sense of place and identity and these include views from the Mendip Hills AONB, settlements of Mendip stone largely confined to the spring line, retaining dark skies and a sense of tranquillity. As set out in Natural England’s National Character Area (NCA) profile for the Mendip Hills (141), the area is ‘renowned for its tranquillity and inspirational qualities …’ The NCA further recognises that ‘Light pollution from development threatens the extent of the recognised dark skies and out-of-character development is a continuing risk to the essential nature of the area.’ Within the NCA Statement of Environmental Opportunity under SEO1 it sets out ‘Safeguard inward and outward views and to the distinctive hill line and conserve and enhance the special qualities, tranquillity, sense of remoteness and naturalness of the area’. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) under paragraph 115 sets out that ‘great weight should be given to conserving landscape and scenic beauty in National Parks, the Broads and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, which have the highest status of protection in relation to landscape and scenic beauty.’ Specific comments as relates to the JSP draft policy and context as follows: Chapter 4 Policy 2 Spatial Strategy and Policy 7 – Strategic Development Locations Site Requirements The West of England JSP proposes a Spatial Strategy which includes proposals for around 1,900 dwellings at Banwell Garden Village and 2,700 dwellings at Churchill Garden Village in North Somerset and within close proximity to the Mendip Hills AONB. To enable these garden villages, significant transport and other infrastructure will be required. Transport infrastructure proposals include a new junction (21a) on the M5, delivery of the Banwell Bypass and onward link to the A38 though a new distributor route, improvements to the existing network and local bus services. Information as to the costing of this transport infrastructure in addition to the other S106 infrastructure requirements and CIL to support the two proposed garden villages is not yet available, however within the consultation documentation it sets out that funding will be required to include alternative sources of funding to enable the proposed development. Initial viability testing based on broad assumptions as set out in the study by BNP Paribas, West of England Joint Spatial Plan: An assessment of viability potential within the Strategic Development Locations draws a question around the delivery of affordable housing at Banwell and Churchill Garden Villages in line with planning policy requirements and other planning obligations. In addition to these proposals for 4,600 dwellings as set out above, a further 300 dwellings on land at Winscombe, Sandford and Churchill are proposed within the North Somerset Site Allocations Plan Proposed Modifications Plan. There is potential for further housing 2 development proposals adjacent to these settlements and surrounding rural areas as is evidenced from the number of residential development proposals outside of settlement boundaries recently put forward within this area on the basis of an absence of a five year housing land supply within North Somerset. The 300 dwellings are proposed within the next five years, with an indicative housing trajectory of housing delivery starting at Banwell Garden Village within 8 years and Churchill Garden Village within 9 years. Thus there are proposals for at least 4,900 new homes to the north of and within close proximity of the nationally protected landscape of the Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) within the timescales as indicated. The proposed garden villages would be visible from the Mendip Hills AONB and have a significant impact on the special qualities that create the sense of place and identity of the Mendip Hills. Views from protected landscape at viewpoints such as iron-age fort of Dolebury Warren, along the Limestone Link (the long distance path joining the limestone of the Cotwolds to that of the Mendip Hills), the landscape character of the area and settlements along the spring line, retaining dark skies and a sense of tranquillity must all be considered. There is strong concern that the proposed housing quantum and significant infrastructure to support the proposed development in such close proximity to the Mendip Hills AONB will have a significantly negative impact on the tranquillity, sense of remoteness and naturalness of the Mendip Hills AONB. There will be a cumulative impact on the road network system; one of the issues impacting on the Mendip Hills AONB is that routes across the AONB are frequently used as short cuts by through traffic, affecting both tranquillity and the environment of the nationally protected landscape. Views from the protected landscape towards the North Somerset Levels and Wrington Vale will be inextricably impacted and the landscape of the area and the settlements along the spring line will be changed to that of an urban edge with light pollution from development threatening the extent of the recognised dark skies. Soundness It is unclear how the SDL locations of Banwell and Churchill Garden Villages have been chosen using a sequential approach to ensure suitability, availability and achievability of site allocations in relation to other potentially more sustainable and viable locations, including those which have been previously considered. As identified within the draft Joint Spatial Plan, there are four critical issues facing the region including ‘… a critical need to substantially boost the housing supply, particularly affordable housing of which the need is acute across the Plan area’ and ‘… development in some parts of the West of England has resulted in significant pressure on infrastructure and settlement patterns which are over-reliant on the private car’. As highlighted above, there are questions regarding the viability of the garden villages proposed at Banwell and Churchill and the delivery of affordable housing as required by planning policy and other planning obligations. Further, given the location of these proposed garden villages and analysis within the Joint Spatial Plan Sustainability Appraisal there are concerns as to the sustainability of the proposed development, pressure placed on the surrounding areas infrastructure and the reliance on the private car. 3 We would question the delivery timescales of the proposed SDLs of Banwell and Churchill Garden Villages given the significant transport infrastructure and other infrastructure requirements. This could undermine the JSP Spatial Strategy and five year housing land supply requirements which may lead to further speculative developments within other settlements along the boundary of the Mendip Hills AONB and further impact on the special qualities of the protected landscape. Given the negative impact on the special qualities of the Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and concerns as set out above, we object to the inclusion of Banwell and