Question 37 - Compensatory Provision for removal of land from Green Belt.

Showing comments and forms 121 to 122 of 122

Comment

Draft Local Plan - Supplementary Consultation

Representation ID: 10495

Received: 13/03/2019

Respondent: Richborough Estates

Agent: Star Planning and Development

Representation Summary:

In reference to SHELAA Site 99, west of Cheswick Green, Tanworth Lane:
The use of some parts of the wider site for biodiversity enhancements and the provision of accessible play areas would provide the opportunity sought by the Framework to improve environmental quality and provide access to this land.

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6. Richborough Estates is supportive of the Consultation Document's reference to removing Cheswick Green from the Green Belt, particularly where there is the unusual situation of Mount Dairy Farm not being within the Green Belt but all the other properties in the settlement are. It is clear planning sense that a settlement of some 900 dwellings, together with a good range of local facilities, ought not to be washed over by the Green Belt because it makes little contribution to openness of the Green Belt.

7. However, in removing Cheswick Green from the Green Belt the opportunity should be taken to identify either at least one housing allocation or, as required by the National Planning Policy Framework, safeguarded land to meet longer-term development needs stretching well beyond the plan period.

8. The need to identify additional allocations, including at Cheswick Green, arises from Richborough Estates' answer to Question 1. It is considered inevitable that further housing allocations will need to be identified in the emerging Local Plan. Cheswick Green is a settlement where no allocations are currently proposed notwithstanding the settlement being served by public transport and having local facilities and services, including a primary school, parade of shops, public house, community hall and sporting facilities. The accessibility and sustainability credentials of Cheswick Green were recognised by the allocation and subsequent housing development at Mount Diary Farm (Cheswick Place).

9. These same accessibility and locational credentials, alongside the first opportunity to define a boundary, provide the basis for the identification of safeguarded land at Cheswick Green to meet longer-term development needs.

10. Promotional Brochure is being prepared by Richborough Estates for the land fronting Tanworth Lane which lies between the recent housing development at Mount Diary Farm and Highleys Farm. The land is referred to as Site 99 in the Borough Council's Site Assessment document.

11. The Brochure will be submitted to the Council and will identify how the site could come forward for housing development for circa 130-140 dwellings. Based upon the content of this Brochure, and consideration of the wider evidence based published by the Council, an up-date assessment of this site has been undertaken upon the Site Assessment's criteria and this is included at the end of this representation. Also attached to this representation is the draft illustrative master plan which shows how the site could come forward for development. The approach adopted will be explained in more detail the Promotional Brochure.

12. A landscape-led approach to the master planning of the site has been adopted as a key principle with the existing boundary vegetation being retained and creation of a physical and defensible Green Belt boundary. Areas of open space are identified which provide the opportunity for biodiversity benefits of the type of compensatory improvements to environmental quality and accessibility sought by the Framework when land is released from the Green Belt.

13. Other than Green Belt, there are no policy or insurmountable physical constraints to the development of the site for as illustrated in the Promotional Brochure.

14. There would be the opportunity to provide for a range of dwelling types and sizes at a density that respects the adjacent pattern of development and the site's location on the edge of Cheswick Green. Housing on the site would not be visually intrusive within the wider landscape setting of Cheswick Green when viewed from the surrounding countryside, nor would it pose issues of wider coalescence.

Attachments:

Comment

Draft Local Plan - Supplementary Consultation

Representation ID: 10557

Received: 14/03/2019

Respondent: The Home Builders Federation Midland Region

Representation Summary:

Any compensatory provision made for land removed from the Green Belt should be determined in accordance with the 2019 NPPF (para 137).

Full text:

See Letter

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