BASE HEADER

Yes

ID sylw: 107293

Derbyniwyd: 07/03/2025

Ymatebydd: Cotswolds National Landscape Board

Lower Quinton
For context, it is worth noting that the Quinton Neighbourhood Plan includes a map of land parcels / sites adjacent to Quinton that are considered to be potentially deliverable (with potentially deliverable sites shaded amber and cross hatched).186
Approximately 75% of the hamlet of Upper Quinton, including the heart of the hamlet, at The Green, is located within the CNL. As such, we consider Upper Quinton to be a CNL settlement. The whole of the village of Lower Quinton is located outside of the CNL but is still within the setting of the CNL. At present, the minimum gap between the settlement boundaries of Upper and Lower Quinton is approximately 130m, on the west side of Goose Lane.
Summary of Quinton sites
There are six sites in consideration in the vicinity of Upper and Lower Quinton:
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RefID 151: Land to the North of Tailor’s Lane; 4.21ha (indicative capacity = 138 dwellings).
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RefID 410: Land East of Goose Lane; 1.17ha (indicative capacity = 38 dwellings).
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RefID 414: Lower Quinton Garage; 2.05ha (indicative capacity = 67 dwellings).
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RefID 431: Land at Goose Lane; 9.05ha (indicative capacity = 298 dwellings).
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RefID508: Land North of Main Road; 11.77ha (indicative capacity = 235 dwellings).
• RefID 822: East of Goose Lane; 1.72ha (indicative capacity = 56 dwellings).
None of the sites are located within the CNL but two (RefID 151 and RefID 414) are adjacent to the CNL boundary and all the sites are within the setting of the CNL.
A key consideration for these sites is the extent to which they would impact on views from public rights of way (PROW) within the CNL, particularly the Heart of England Way, Monarch’s Way and Centenary Way on the norther slopes of Meon Hill.
RefID 151: Land to the North of Tailor’s Lane
RefID 151 is adjacent to the CNL. It would form an extension to Upper Quinton and, at 4.21ha in size, would increase the size of the settlement by approximately 50%, compared to the baseline area of approximately 8.52ha. Given that Upper Quinton is a CNL settlement, we consider that it would be appropriate to apply the 5% ‘rule of thumb’ threshold for proportionality. The site would be 10 times larger than this threshold.
In conjunction with RefID 414, it would increase the size of the settlement of Upper Quinton by approximately 75%. This would be 15 times larger than the 5% ‘rule of thumb’ threshold for proportionality.
The settlement boundary of Upper Quinton currently extends approximately 150m north of Tailor’s Lane. RefID 151 would extend the settlement boundary a further 180m northwards. It would bring the northern limit of the settlement boundary of Upper Quinton as far north as the southern limit of the settlement boundary of Lower Quinton.
Even if the site didn’t extend beyond the current northern limit of built development for Upper Quinton, it would still cover 2ha, which would be a 23% increase compared to the current settlement area baseline of 8.5ha. This is five times larger than the 5% ‘rule of thumb’ threshold for proportionality.
In conjunction with RefID 431 it would result in the coalescence of Upper and Lower Quinton.
In the Quinton Neighbourhood Plan the southern half of the site is shown as not being potentially deliverable and the northern half of the site is not considered in this regard.187
The Neighbourhood Plan also shows that the entire site is ‘ridge and furrow’.188 This ridge and furrow land is contiguous with - and is a continuation of - the ridge and furrow land in the CNL. This provided a continuity in landscape character between the CNL and the adjacent land.
In north-facing views from the Heart of England Way, west of Upper Quinton, there is currently an undeveloped gap of approximately 815m between the Heart of England Way and built development at Lower Quinton. However, RefID 151 would reduce this undeveloped gap to just 330m. Allocating the site would, therefore, have a significant adverse impact on these views.
RefID 410: Land East of Goose Lane
Ref ID 410 is on the south-east side of Lower Quinton, south of - and adjacent to - RefID 822. It would bring the built development of Lower Quinton a further 60m south than RefID 822, although it would not extend the southern limit of built development on the opposite side of Goose Lane.
In the Quinton Neighbourhood Plan, the site was identified as not being potentially deliverable.
The site is clearly visible in views from the Monarch’s Way / Centenary Way on Meon Hill, to the east of Upper Quinton. However, in these views, the site is in front of existing, recently built development. It would be more prominent in these views than RefID 822. As such, it would be more appropriate to develop RefID 822, which is already a reserve site in the Quinton Neighbourhood Plan.
The southern edge of the site does not follow an existing field boundary. As such, it is very exposed in views from the CNL. If the site was to be allocated or development was to be permitted, a new hedgerow should be planted along the southern boundary together with some additional tree planting along this boundary.
Overall, compared to the current baseline, we consider that allocating the site would harm the natural beauty of the CNL, particularly with regards to impacts on views from the CNL. However, if Ref ID 822 was to be allocated / developed first, the impact on views from the CNL would be more limited.
RefID 414: Lower Quinton Garage
RefID 414 is on the boundary of the CNL. It would be an extension to Upper Quinton. At 2.05ha in size, it would increase the size of the settlement by approximately 24%, compared to the current baseline of 8.5ha. Given that Upper Quinton is a CNL settlement, we consider that it would be appropriate to apply the 5% ‘rule of thumb’ threshold for proportionality. An increase of 8.5ha would be five times larger than the 5% ‘rule of thumb’ threshold for proportionality.
There is already some built development on site for an agricultural services company. This includes a large barn-type structure. In addition, there is currently a lot of machinery and vehicles on site, which creates a sense of visual clutter, for example, when viewed from the Monarch’s Way / Centenary Way, within the CNL on Meon Hill.
Well-designed housing could potentially be less intrusive, in these views, than the existing use of the site. However, the main part of the site is not contiguous with the existing settlement of Upper Quinton, being approximately 30m from the current settlement boundary. This gap is clearly visible in views from the Monarch’s Way / Centenary Way. Developing the site for housing would also be at odds with the existing (and historic) settlement pattern at Upper Quinton, which is focussed around Hill Lane and Tailor’s Lane.
On balance, we consider that allocating the site would harm the natural beauty of the CNL, particularly in relation to impacts on views from the CNL.
RefID 431: Land at Goose Lane
Allocating the whole of RefID 431 would result in the coalescence of Upper and Lower Quinton. This would result in Upper Quinton losing its character as a hamlet within the CNL and would, instead, create a perception of urban sprawl spreading up to and into the CNL.
When viewed from PROW within the CNL, particularly the Monarch’s Way, on Meon Hill, to the west of Upper Quinton, the southern half of the site can be seen quite clearly whereas the western part of the northern half is well screened by an existing hedgerow. Development on the northern half of the site would be viewed in the context of the existing built development immediately to the north, and could potentially be accommodated without harming the natural beauty of the CNL. In contrast, development on the southern half would be more prominent in these views and is likely to harm the natural beauty of the CNL.
The Quinton Neighbourhood Plan (Figure 11) identifies that the northern half of the site would be potentially deliverable. We would agree with this conclusion, providing that a robust hedgerow, with an additional tree planting, was planted along the full length of the southern edge of northern half of the site. Ideally, development should not extend further south than the adjacent built development. It should certainly not extend further south than the current southern limit of built development in Upper Quinton (i.e. Meon Medical Centre).
RefID508: Land North of Main Road
RefID 508 is on the north side of Lower Quinton (i.e. on the opposite side of Lower Quinton from the CNL). It is approximately 680m from the CNL boundary and approximately 1.3km from elevated views on PROW within the CNL.
The site would be partially visible in views from the PROW to the south east of Upper Quinton (i.e. Monarch’s Way / Centenary) but the magnitude of change in these views is likely to be limited because of the intervening, built development. The site would be less discernible in views from the PROW to the south west of Upper Quinton (i.e. the Heart of England Way). Any potential impacts could be minimised by ensuring that the southern boundary of the site is well vegetated (i.e. hedgerow and trees).
Overall, we consider that allocating this site would not adversely affect the natural beauty of the CNL, including views from the CNL.
RefID 822: East of Goose Lane
RefID is located on the south-east side of Lower Quinton, immediately to the south of some relatively recent built development. In the Quinton Neighbourhood Plan, the site is identified as being potentially deliverable and is allocated as a Reserve Housing Site, with the potential for future residential development of up to 30 dwellings (Policy HO.2).189 Policy HO.2 specifies that the site will only be released during the plan period (i.e. before 2031) if it can be demonstrated, through the submission of evidence, that there is an identified need for its early release. Policy HO.2 also specifies that an updated landscape sensitivity assessment should be provided as part of any future planning application for the reserve site, paying specific attention to the proximity of the CNL.
The existing built development, north of RefID 822, comes within approximately 1km of elevated views on PROW in the CNL (specifically the Monarch’s Way / Centenary Way) south east of Upper Quinton). Allocating RefID 822 would bring built development within approximately 900m of these views. However, in these views, development on the site would be seen in the context of the adjacent built development to the north. The field is also partly screened by an existing hedgerow on its southern boundary. As such, the magnitude of change in these views would be limited, possibly negligible. Potential impacts could be further mitigated by planting trees along the hedgerow on the southern boundary.
Conclusions
A clear gap should be retained between Upper and Lower Quinton to avoid coalescence between the two settlements. Ideally, development at Lower Quinton should not extend further south than the current southern limit of built development and development at Upper Quinton should not extend further north than the current northern limit of built development.
It is important that Upper Quinton should retain its character as a hamlet and not expand to the extent that it would be considered a settlement. Further consideration should be given to RefID 822 as it is already identified as a Reserve Housing Site (and as being potentially deliverable) in the Quinton Neighbourhood Plan.190 At the very least, reference should be made to this fact in the Local Plan. Adverse impacts on views from the CNL are likely to be minimal.
The Neighbourhood Plan covers the period 2011-2031, whereas the Local Plan would cover the period up to 2050. As such, we acknowledge that additional housing may be required in Lower Quinton during the Plan period.
If further housing is required, we consider that the following sites should potentially be given further consideration:
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RefID 431 (northern half)
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RefID 508
We recommend that the following sites should be sifted out and not given further consideration:
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RefID 151.
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RefID 410 (at least until RefID 822 has been developed).
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RefID 414.
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RefID 431 (southern half)
When allocating sites at Lower Quinton, consideration should still be given to whether the allocations, both individually and collectively, would be proportionate to the existing settlement. As outlined above, the Board applies a 5% rule of thumb threshold for proportionality for settlements within and directly adjacent to the CNL. However, given that Lower Quinton is not directly adjacent to the CNL boundary and given that it is a Category 1 Local Service Village, a higher threshold may be appropriate (e.g. 10%). Not exceeding this threshold would help to ensure that, in views from the CNL, there does not appear to be a significant increase in the scale and extent of built development at Lower Quinton.
Finally, we have some concerns regarding the Priority Area zoning that overlaps with this part of the CNL, including Upper Quinton. Upper Quinton lies within:
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the Priority Area 2 ‘buffer’ zone relating to Meon Vale;
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the Priority Area 3 zone relating to Lower Quinton.
We acknowledge that the zoning is just based on set distances from particular locations. However, in the context of the CNL, it should be more nuanced than this. Ideally, the CNL, including Upper Quinton, should be excluded from these Priority Area zones. There are two main reasons for this, as outlined below.
Firstly, national planning policy requires the scale and extent of development in National Landscapes to be limited. Inclusion within the Priority Area zones risks proposals being put forward, within and / or directly adjacent to, the CNL that would conflict with this policy requirement.
Secondly, national Planning Practice Guidance states that National Landscapes ‘are unlikely to be suitable areas for accommodating unmet needs from adjoining (non-designated) areas’.191 Policy CE15 of the CNL Management Plan expands on this by stating that ‘in the context of the CNL, this includes unmet needs relating to adjacent urban areas’.192 As such, the CNL, including Upper Quinton, should not be expected to accommodate growth relating primarily to Meon Vale / Long Marston and Lower Quinton. Growth at Lower Quinton should also take into account potential impacts on views from the CNL and potential increases in traffic movements on roads through - and along the boundary of - the CNL.