Hart District Council Local Plan Site Assessment: Stage 2 – High Level Site Assessment – SHL034 – Land Adjoining Winchfield Court Confidential Draft - 1.1 – April 2015 High Level Site Assessment Proforma Site Reference SHL034 Site Name Land adjoining Winchfield Court Parish Winchfield Site Address Land adjoining Winchfield Court, Pale Lane, Winchfield Capacity Assessment and Categorisation Site Size (ha) 1.06ha Estimated Capacity 25 Comments on capacity The capacity was calculated using a dph figure of 24. This allows for a gross-to-net ratio of 80% from the baseline 30 dph. Housing Strategy Category(s) Category 6 - Other Land Supply Category Category D – Sites not adjoining existing urban areas Key to Site Assessments: No overriding constraint to development of the site Constraint requiring further detailed assessment Major constraint undermining suitability of site Site Assessment Assessment Criteria Assessment comments Coloured assessment Accessibility to • Bus Stop (Odiham Road, Winchfield no. 1/2) – 2.7 km. This is a regular scheduled service to Hook, Hartley Employment and Wintney, Yateley and Camberley operated by Hartley Wintney Parish Council). services • Railway Station (Winchfield) – 2.4 km • Employment (Fleet Town Centre) – 4 km. • Public Open Space (Hitches Lane SANG) – 1 km. • Health facility (Fleet Community Hospital) – 3.2 km. • Primary School (Dogmersfield CofE Primary School) – 1.6 km. • Secondary School (Calthorpe Park School) – 3.4 km • Supermarket (Morrisons, Elvetham Heath) – 2.5 km. Note that Pale Lane and other roads in this area have no pavements and would not be suitable for pedestrian access, for children in particular. Infrastructure • Schools: There is a projected (2018) surplus of 16% for Infant/Primary schools in the Hook/Odiham/Hartley provision Wintney area. This takes into account the planned 1FE expansion of Greenfields Junior School and Oakwood Infant School, in Hartley Wintney. However, the nearest school (Dogmersfield CofE Primary) is oversubscribed. For secondary schools the projected (2018) surplus capacity across Hart District is 9%. Adams Hendry Consulting Ltd 1 Hart District Council Local Plan Site Assessment: Stage 2 – High Level Site Assessment – SHL034 – Land Adjoining Winchfield Court Confidential Draft - 1.1 – April 2015 • Retail: The most recent evidence found that there is no pressing need to increase convenience and comparison floorspace. However, some of Hartʼs supermarkets are overtrading (inc. Morrisonʼs Elvetham Heath and Tesco in Hook) and there is a modest deficit in convenience floorspace. Therefore, additional housing, not already planned for will increase the need to expand retail floorspace (convenience and comparison) either in Fleet or potentially in Hook village centre. • Health: There are no planned expansions of health facilities in the Winchfield / Hartley Wintney area, but it is likely that any significant level of development in the centre of the District will require additional provision. • Transport (road): From the available evidence, there are no road/junction improvements in close proximity to the site. However, the road infrastructure in the Winchfield area reflects the areas rural character and has limited capacity for additional traffic. • Transport (other): There are no commercial bus services that serve Winchfield. However, Hartley Wintney Parish Council has recently started operating a regular scheduled community transport bus service that connects Winchfield with Hartley Wintney, Fleet, Yateley, Hook and Camberley. The HCC Transport Statement notes a number of pedestrian and cycling improvements in the area, the most significant of which is the scheme to provide new route running parallel to the A30 lining Hook, Hartley Wintney and Winchfield. • Green Infrastructure: The Hart Infrastructure Delivery Schedule highlights two strategic projects, for which development could help to address the deficit. These are the replacement Hart Leisure Centre at Hitches Lane and the Hitches Lane Country Park (SANG) improvements. There is a lack of provision in certain types of infrastructure in the area and development on the site will only increase the pressure on existing services. It is unlikely that the site is of sufficient size to provide the supporting infrastructure onsite. Current Use and There is no evident current use and much of the site appears overgrown. The site appears to have had a previous Relevant Planning use as a sewage works. History A planning application for 18 dwellings was refused in 2014 and pre-application advice has been sought for a smaller scheme. See separate planning history. Nature Conservation Site is within the 5km Thames Basin Heaths SPA Zone of Influence. A site of this small scale should be within the capacity of the Hitches Lane SANG to mitigate its potential impact on the TBH SPA. If this proves not to be the case, any development at the site would require contributions for the provision of appropriate SANGs. There are a number of area-based TPOs on the site including an Oak tree and a Yew tree with their own Adams Hendry Consulting Ltd 2 Hart District Council Local Plan Site Assessment: Stage 2 – High Level Site Assessment – SHL034 – Land Adjoining Winchfield Court Confidential Draft - 1.1 – April 2015 designations. There are TPO areas around the outside of the site to, with a medium sized area immediately west of the site. Minerals Resources The Hampshire Minerals and Waste Plan Policies Map indicates that the whole site may be subject to minerals safeguarding for sharp sand and gravel (policy 15 of the Hampshire minerals and waste plan). The extent to which this represents a constraint to development would need to be assessed. Landscape HCC Integrated LCA (2012) Landscape type: Loddon Valley and Forest of Eversley West Landscape character: Lowland mosaic medium scale Hart District LCA 1997: Landscape type: Farmland and woodland Landscape Character Area: Winchfield Main features of the Winchfield LCA: Strong healthy woodland characteristics with birch, pine, bracken and gorse evident to the south, but absent from farmland to the northeast. The LCA is a moderately enclosed landscape with exception of the area to the east of Winchfield which has an exposed character. The area is fragmented and bounded by roads including the M3, A30, A323 and B3016 as well as the railway line all of which intrude on the rural character. Summary Assessment: This is a small site that is contains a significant number of trees, some protected. The site is well screened from Pale Lane to the west, but the screening to the north, south and east are intermittent. Any development at the site may give rise to visual intrusion into the existing residential properties at Winchfield Court and into the countryside of the Hart Valley to the east. Additional tree screening at the boundaries may be able to reduce this effect. Agricultural Land The land is classified as Grade 3, which may include ʻbest and most versatileʼ agricultural land. Heritage Assets There are no heritage assets on this site or in close proximity to it. Water resources and There are no Groundwater Source Protection Zones or licensed water abstraction points in close proximity to the quality site. Adams Hendry Consulting Ltd 3 Hart District Council Local Plan Site Assessment: Stage 2 – High Level Site Assessment – SHL034 – Land Adjoining Winchfield Court Confidential Draft - 1.1 – April 2015 Air Quality There are not believed to be any Air Quality Management Areas in close proximity to this site. On the basis of evidence seen, none of the surrounding land uses would be likely to cause any air quality issues for the site. Flood risk The whole of the site is within Flood Zone 1. A small area within the south of the site is noted to be at risk from surface water flooding. However, this is likely to be possible to overcome through mitigation. The whole site is within the zone of limited risk of groundwater flooding. Location and scale of The site appears to be greenfield although if it previously has a use as a sewage works, there may be previously development developed areas within the site. The site is not located within a strategic or local gap. The site is adjacent to a small group of dwellings at Winchfield Court. Although this area benefits from a settlement boundary under the current Hart Local Plan, it is within the lowest tier of settlements with no facilities or services whatsoever and therefore, the site is effectively isolated in the countryside. In spite of its rural location, Winchfield Court is relatively high-density and therefore, a density of up to 30 dph on the site may not be out of character. Un-neighbourly Uses There are no un-neighbourly uses evident on, or in close proximity to this site. Availability The site is believed to be available and this is supported by the fact that it was submitted to HDC for inclusion in Assessment the SHLAA post November 2013. The landowner has indicated that the site would be available in the short term (0-5 years). Site Access The site is adjacent to Pale Lane, which could provide a suitable access point. The provision of access would need to take account of the protected trees on the boundary with Pale Lane and of the narrow and rural nature of the road, which is likely to be unsuitable for any significant increases in traffic movements. Summary of • Accessibility to services and facilities is poor which is likely to encourage car dependency. Constraints • Infrastructure deficiencies have been identified which would need to be addressed. • Site contains a significant number of trees (some subject to TPO) and these may provide habitats for protected species. • Most of the site is subject to minerals safeguarding for sharp sand and gravel. • Development may cause visual intrusion into the Hart Valley. • The feasibility of providing safe vehicular and pedestrian access to the site needs to be considered. Summary of This is a small site but has the potential to provide for residential development, assuming the various constraints can be overcome.