Object
Draft Local Plan - Supplementary Consultation
Representation ID: 7527
Received: 11/03/2019
Respondent: Mr Peter Sutton
46.5 houses per hectare too high;
Councillors objected to high density of Phase 1;
Council allocated 400 in 2016, therefore only 158 now needed on Phase 2; more in keeping with houses in Blackford Road;
Bund trees and attractive screening around Hotel would need to be demolished;
Low density, more trees retained;
Low density, more open space;
New housing set back, 2 car spaces
Pedestrian/cycle access improved
Council not set parameters for Applicant, eg maximum density, community facility, shop.
I object to the proposed density of 46.5 houses per hectare as approved by the Council on 13th February 2019.
The Council approved 242 houses/flats on the first phase, even though the majority of the Councillors at the Planning Committee Meeting on 16th January 2019 complained that the density was too high. An enquiry as to how this scheme was approved on 13th February 2019 is being considered at the moment.
The Council allocated 400 houses on Site 11 in November 2016. Therefore, only a further 158 are needed on the Phase 2 site to meet the Council's requirement. This will allow for low density housing, which will be more in character with the existing housing in Blackford Road, which forms the western boundary of the site.
The car park behind the Village Hotel has a very attractive screen of shrubs and trees on its north boundary to the Blackford Road houses, complete with a raised bund and high level perimeter fence on the north-east boundary. All of this could be retained and new housing located a reasonable distance away in order that new resident families will not be adversely affected by noise and nuisance from the Hotel bar.
A low density scheme will also allow for the retention of all the trees along the boundary with Blackford Road and there would be more public open space available, particularly adjacent to the proposed car dealerships.
All the new housing should be set back from the road so as to provide additional parking/amenity space to supplement the basic requirement of 2 spaces per house.
I note that pedestrian/cycle access is proposed from the site through the private drive between the two Care Homes and leading to the A34 Stratford Road. A better route would be along the existing spine road (Lucas Way), leading to the pelican crossing on the A34.
The Council do not appear to have set any parameters for the Applicant, M7, to comply with such as a maximum density, provision for a community facility or a shop, etc. As it stands, this will be an isolated development completely car dependent - who is going to walk across this large site, across the busy A34 and then down Cranmore Boulevard to the nearest shops, nearly 1/2 a mile in total, on a wet winter's day.