Draft Local Plan Review

Further to a number of conversations with the Council on behalf of the Land Owner Mr Nigel Curtis I would like to put forward the land at New Holly Farm, Holly Lane, Balsall Common, CV7 7EB to be considered as an alternative or additional site as part of the current Local Plan Review.
As can be seen from the attached plan the land which is bounded by a red line and shown hatched in green is roughly rectangular in shape and totals around 41.83 hectares. On the west side the site is bounded by Holly Lane and the southern boundary is Table Oak Lane. The northern boundary is by the Police Dog Training Centre and is very close to the existing centre of Balsall Common and two other sites proposed by the Council. (Frog Lane and Windmill Lane/Kenilworth Road)
The Holly Lane site is very well situated being centrally located between Balsall Common and the 200 acre Jaguar Land Rover site on the former Honiley Airfield with the long rectangular shape of the New Holly Lane Farm site almost linking Balsall Common and the former Airfield. This factor is part of its Previously Developed Land history which we have previously discussed during our telephone conversations.

HISTORY OF PREVIOUS DEVELOPMENT ON THE SITE
- During the Second World War the New Holly Lane Farm land was built on to create the accommodation and service centre for the Honiley Airfield. The site included a network of roads and various buildings which provided accommodation and sleeping quarters for the airmen, ground crews and all other staff. It included the canteen and kitchen facilities and storage facilities for supplies and munitions. The buildings covered much of the site which had been selected so it was outside the main airfield and was less likely to be hit if the airfield was bombed by enemy aircraft whilst at the same time it was easy enough for the people stationed there to walk to the airfield or to Balsall Common. For obvious reasons the site like the airfield and many other such sites nationally did not appear on ordinance survey plans at that time but the previous owner Mr Norman Moore did have a copy of a Ministry of Defense Plan plan layout of the site which showed a network of roads and pathways on a grid with a large number of mainly rectangular buildings which provided the wartime accommodation. From what I recall the site was accessed from two entrances off Holly Lane. One access point was in the same location that currently serves the site and New Holly Farm and this was closest to the airfield with the second access located midway between Holly Grange and the Police Dog Training Centre which was closest to Balsall Common. As I understand it sometime after the war was over the buildings were demolished (in the 1950's) but even now when the land is ploughed debris can be brought to the surface from the roads and buildings which to some extent blights the land.

-In the 1990's planning consent was granted for an agricultural dwelling (New Holly Lane Farm) which has been built. The dwelling is located close to Holly Lane and is hidden from the lane by the existing hedgerow and a small wood to the north and this sits just outside the redlined land proposed as a housing development site.

-In the early 2000's the agricultural tie on New Holly Farmhouse was removed.

-In around 2007/2008 the Council granted consent for a new golf course which included a clubhouse and other facilities. The planning conditions associated with this approval were all discharged and following the submission of a Building Regulation Application to the Council foundations for the Clubhouse were installed and inspected by the Council. Unfortunately the last recession came shortly after that work was carried out and the completion of the golf course has not taken place although the consent is still live.

In general terms the site is located on the southern side of Balsall Common as are the adjacent Frog Lane and Windmill Lane/Kenilworth Road sites so the Holly lane site is in the right general area on the side of Balsall Common which the Council are considering for new housing. The other larger site the Council are considering is at Barrett's Farm on the eastern side of the settlement.

The alternative site proposed at New Holly Farm has land divided by hedgerows and includes some wooded areas and there are hedgerow boundaries to Holly Lane and Table Oak Lane. This would allow any development to be carried out in stages if required and with the retained hedgerows as was proposed with the approved Golf Course application would settle the development within the existing landscape in a sensitive way. There is a power line situated at the northern end of the site but this would have little or no impact on any development proposals.

The land as noted above does meet a number of key points which the Council have suggested as tests when considering potential sites. The land is in a good location and is in the general area of growth to Balsall Common which the Council are promoting. It is previously developed land as described above and has a live planning consent in place and would be well suited for new development and could deliver over 1000 new homes if required which could be built in phases over the plan period if not all built at one time. The site is situated very close to the Jaguar Land Rover site and could deliver houses in walking distance of that site as well as Balsall Common. It would present a good opportunity for the Council and on behalf of the landowner and I would ask it be seriously considered as land to be included in the Local Plan for future development.