LAND AT BADSHOT LEA COMMUNITY PLANNING WEEKEND REPORT BACK PRESENTATION 18 October 2016 • St George’s Church, Badshot Lea INTRODUCTION COMMUNITY PLANNING WEEKEND KEY THEMES ANALYSIS VISION NEXT STEPS The Site The Site Planning Policies Farnham Town Council Walkabout Event flyer Press Informal conversations Walking/cycling routes Community Animation Community Animation Informal Conversations Informal conversations with 40 local people at or along: Badshot Lea Road Road leading to Preymead Farm The Cricketers The Pond & the Park The Green St George’s Road Runfold St George Lower Weybourne Lane Swiftshore Cadets building William Cobbett Primary School Upper Hale Road Squire’s Garden Centre, and Café Starbucks, at Sainsbury’s The Kiln (Leapfrogs staff member) Cycle route from Shepherd & Flock roundabout Community Animation Squire’s • ‘We need houses’ • ‘We’d prefer it to stay as fields’ • ‘This doesn’t affect us’ • ‘We’re not bothered’ • ‘Develop Farnham’ • ‘It’s a commuter town’ • ‘I don’t think you can really change how it is, the older generation usually dominate the conversation, it’s always been like that’ • ‘You have to consider what the community needs, otherwise it’ll become a dormitory town’. Community Animation Squire’s Young Families: • ‘We need places for kids at weekends’ • ‘We don’t knock on our neighbours doors anymore and say ‘do you want to come and play’. Weekends are parents and kids times rather than leaving your kids to go off and play’ • ‘Anywhere for [the kids] to let off some steam is a good thing.’ Young Adults: • ‘We need new housing, especially affordable housing for first time buyers’ • ‘We found it really hard to find a place to live, really hard!’ • ‘We’re moving in a few weeks, it’s too expensive here.’ • ‘There’s not much for them to do around here.’ Community Animation INTRODUCTION COMMUNITY PLANNING WEEKEND KEY THEMES ANALYSIS VISION NEXT STEPS Team Tour Start/end point Bus routes Walking routes Team Tour A31 Badshot Lea Village Infant School Team Briefing Exhibition Problems-Dreams-Solutions Workshop Problems – Dreams - Solutions Workshop Problems-Dreams-Solutions Workshop Issues • Attitude to proposal: Total opposition by many residents, especially members of Badshot Lea CA; resignation or indifference by others, and support by some if it provides facilities and affordable housing for young adults and families. "We don't want all these houses!" "We’re not bothered!" "I believe the area is crying out for new housing, and a large development with the focus on green space and ecologically friendly building can only be a good thing." Issues & Actions Issues • Planning issues: Site not in Waverley Local Plan or Farnham Neighbourhood Plan - lots of effort has been put in by Badshot Lea residents "A lot of people have put themselves out to make the village what it is.” • Local politics: cynicism, “dodgy” developers, section 106 money goes elsewhere "People round here feel badly let down – S106 money hasn't been spent round here." Issues & Actions Issues • Identity of village: village feels “besieged” by development; change is difficult but inevitable "Change and adaption is a natural process in life. Without it this village will be left in the past, and the “community” will continue to dwindle." Issues & Actions Issues • Community spirit: no consensus on whether it exists or not / generation divide "Badshot Lea’s community spirit is exemplary in the Farnham context." "Maybe it’s a community of some people, but it’s not a community of all of us." Issues & Actions Issues • Impact on infrastructure: sewage capacity, drainage; stress on local health care; schools already oversubscribed "We need improvements to the sewage." "My granddaughter has to go to Tilford, she couldn't get into school here." Issues & Actions Issues • Getting around: major traffic issue already: congestion / parking / poor cycling and walking links "The traffic situation makes my blood boil." "You've got to get people out of their cars." Issues & Actions Actions • Need to provide integrated development – a holistic approach • Less focus by Waverley BC on Badshot Lea as a focus for housing development • Respect “green wedges” between Badshot Lea, Weybourne / Farnham / Aldershot • Crucial to “sort out” the traffic; development must not make it worse • Provide walking / cycling link to Farnham station (and elsewhere) • Need for a whole range of really well designed and affordable homes Issues & Actions Actions • Support for self build and custom build opportunities • Village amenities: corner shop (safe for children to walk to), good facilities for teenagers; playing fields; grazing fields, stables; informal places to meet and socialize; family friendly pub / restaurant • Masterplan design: to include lots of green, trees, pond, allotments, orchard; area for community events – so people can have much more ‘togetherness’ • Additional school provision Issues & Actions Lunchtime Talk on Custom and Self Build Homes Custom Build & Self-Build Homes Custom build • Working with a specialist developer to help deliver home Self-build • Directly organising the design and construction of home including: o traditional 'DIY self build' home o arranging architect/contractor to build home for them o kit homes where the self builder finds the plot, arranges for the slab to be installed o community-led projects with community organising and doing construction work Lunchtime Talk on Custom and Self Build Homes Community Land Trust • Local organisations set up and run by ordinary people to develop and manage homes • Can also include other assets like community enterprises, community spaces, food growing or workspaces. • Homes should be genuinely affordable, based on what people actually earn in their area, not just for now but for every future occupier. Lunchtime Talk on Custom and Self Build Homes Hands-On Planning Hands-On Planning: Badshot Garden Village Hands-On Planning: Badshot Garden Village Badshot Garden Village – Red Site •1 Development of 2 4 appropriately scaled farmyard clusters 2• North south and east 2 west pedestrian and cycle linkages – greened links 2 1 3 •3 Creation of a central 2 greened space as a focus to the links 4• Important to maintain the setting of the listed buildings Hands-On Planning: Badshot Garden Village Badshot Garden Village – Blue Site •1 Promote sports and leisure on the “blue site” 2• Create a bridge link across the A31,recreating the old PROW and 2 providing a new, direct 1 link to the SANG Hands-On Planning: Badshot Garden Village Badshot Garden 1 Village - SANG •1 Simple car park 2 •2 More organised activities also encouraged • Essential items: interpretation boards, way markers, dog bins, footpath surfacing where needed (5-10%) • Green infrastructure should include; structural planting buffers to sensitive edges, central copse planting, and boundary planting of mixed native hedges. Hands-On Planning: Badshot Garden Village Hands-On Planning: Connect Badshot Lea Hands-On Planning: Connect Badshot Lea Connect Badshot Lea 3 •1 Currently problems at Shepherd and Flock roundabout 4 2• Identified arm of the roundabout that causes / contributes to this issue •3 Think about links and 2 connectivity to services e.g. schools, Sainsburys, 1 community centres 4• Improve footpath provision into Badshot Lea along Badshot Lea Road Hands-On Planning: Connect Badshot Lea Connect Badshot Lea 2 •1 Existing bus routes – important however recognition of a reduced service recently 1 2• Importance of pedestrian and cycle routes to the 3 school 1 •3 Dangerous junction on 4 A31 slip road / St George’s road 4• The maintenance of pedestrian and cycle routes is important – current routes are overgrown Hands-On Planning: Connect Badshot Lea Hands-On Planning: Anti-Belmopan Hands-On Planning: Anti-Belmopan Anti – Belmopan • Communities needed to grow naturally –can be nurtured but not created • Belmopan in Belize was cited as an unsuccessful example of a ‘planned community’ • Providing spaces for local community events is important • Providing homes for a range of income groups is an important aspect of nurturing communities. • Upgrade the sewage works is vital Hands-On Planning: Connect Badshot Lea Hands-On Planning: Mixed Use Diversity Garden Village Hands-On Planning: Mixed Use Diversity Garden Village Mixed Use Diversity Garden Village •1 New access from north- 1 west 7 2• Primary school 3• Courtyard housing – mixed tenure and price 6 4• Community focus at 2 cross roads •5 Employment buffer 4 3 8 5 9 •6 Drainage pond at lowest point of site •7 Custom/self-build plots •8 Hotel •9 Re-engineered access from south-east Hands-On Planning: Mixed Use Diversity Garden Village Hands-On Planning: Badshot Lea Hands-On Planning: Badshot Lea Badshot Lea • 1 Green “fingers” running west-east used to define and scale areas of development 2• North south and east 3 west pedestrian and cycle 1 linkages – greened links 2 •3 Creation of copse 2 woodland to the west in association with allotments in the areas 4 beneath the power lines. 4• Realign bridleway to avoid A31 Hands-On Planning: Badshot Lea Badshot Lea 1 • 1 Improvements to the cycle route to Farnham station, linking the existing footpath off Badshot Lea Road through the site, across 1 the A31 via the new bridge to a safer route 2 into Farnham 1 2• Exciting play space Hands-On Planning: Badshot Lea Hands-On Planning: Renew Hands-On Planning: Renew Renew • Younger members of community felt there was little in the village for them • They wanted a new meeting place: a café with Wifi and exhibition