BASE HEADER

Yes

ID sylw: 107294

Derbyniwyd: 07/03/2025

Ymatebydd: Cotswolds National Landscape Board

Shipston on Stour
Summary of Shipston on Stour sites
In the draft Local Plan, Shipston on Stour is identified as:
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a small town;
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a ‘Priority Area 1’ location, with a ‘Priority Area 2’ buffer;
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a Strategic Growth Location (with all of the potential allocations being collectively classed as Strategic Growth Location SG17 (Shipston on Stour Group)).
There are approximately 14 sites in consideration at Shipston on Stour. From a CNL perspective, the largest and most significant sites are Ref ID 148 and Ref ID 747, on the east side of Shipston on Stour and within the CNL 3km buffer.
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Ref ID 148: Land at Fell Mill Farm, Shipston; 33.91ha (indicative capacity = 678 dwellings).
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Ref ID 747: Land at Leasow Farm; 47.45ha (indicative capacity = 909).
The other sites are smaller in scale and are mostly located on the west side of CNL, outside the CNL 3km buffer (and on the opposite side of the town from the closest part of the CNL), although RefID 689 protrudes incongruously into the open countryside.
Potential impacts on the natural beauty of the CNL
Sustainability appraisal
The Sustainability Appraisal states:
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The Shipston-on-Stour SGL is likely to impact long-reaching views from the Cotswolds National Landscape. The closest point to of the SGL in the east lies 1.6km from the National Landscape, whilst the southernmost point of the SGL is located approximately 3.2km from the designation. Ebrington Hill is the tallest hill in the Plan area which lies in the south west of the Stratford-on-Avon District with an elevation of 261m. The SGLs in proximity to Ebrington Hill, most namely Shipston-on-Stour, have the potential to impact views from the peak. However, it is worth noting that Shipston-on-Stour is surrounded by built form. Overall, a minor negative impact is expected for Shipston-on-Stour on landscape.194
RefID 148 and RefID747
The largest sites within SGL 17 and, therefore, the sites that are likely to be the most visually intrusive, with regards to views from the CNL, are sites RefID 148 and RefID 747, on the eastern side of Shipston-on-Stour, which, together, cover 81ha.
RefID 747comes within approximately 1.7km of the CNL boundary and within approximately 2km of elevated views from public rights of way (PROW) on the western slopes of Brailes Hill, within the CNL. The existing settlement boundary on the west side of Ref ID 747 is approximately 2.7km from the CNL boundary so RefID 747 would bring built development 1km closer to the CNL (or 37% closer).
RefID 148 comes within approximately 2.2km of the CNL boundary and within approximately 2.5km of elevated views from PROW on the western slopes of Brailes Hill, within the CNL. The existing settlement boundary on the west side of RefID148 is approximately 2.8km from the CNL boundary so RefID 148 would bring built development approximately 600m closer to the CNL (or 21% closer).
Brailes Hill is located within Landscape Character Type (LCT) 1 - Escarpment Outliers.195 More specifically, it is located within Landscape Character Area 1G (Escarpment Outliers - Brailes Hill and Castle Hill). One of the key features of LCT 1 is the ‘dramatic panoramic views from upper slopes’. Therefore, an important consideration, with regards to the Shipston on Stour sites (particularly RefID 148 and RefID 747) is the potential impact on these panoramic views from Brailes Hill.
The scale and extent of RefID 148 and RefID 747, including the extent to which they extend built development towards the CNL, means that development on these sites is likely to be a prominent feature in views from PROW on Brailes Hill. This development would significantly increase the prominence of Shipston on Stour in these views. However, there are a couple of small hills to the east of the site, including Borough Hill, which might help to reduce the visual impact of these sites.
RefID 747 could potentially also have an adverse impact on views looking towards the CNL, for example with regards to views from Fell Mill Lane, which passes through the site and which forms part of National Cycle Route 48.
It is worth noting that the western section of these two sites is identified as an ‘area of restraint’ in the adopted Core Strategy on the basis that makes an important contribution to the character of the settlement.196 Parts of the two sites are also within the floodplain, which the Core Strategy identifies as being ‘an overriding constraint to development’.197 These constraints further restrict the scope for development on these two sites.
RefID 689
RefID 689, which protrudes incongruously into the open countryside on the north side of Shipston-on-Stour, could also have an adverse impact on views from the CNL.
Traffic movements / tranquillity
Given the scale of development that is being considered at Shipston on Stour, there is likely to be a significant increase in the number of traffic movements generated in Shipston. This, in turn, could potentially increase the number of traffic movements on roads within - and along the boundary of the CNL (to the east, west and south of Shipston on Stour). As outlined in the Board’s Tranquillity Position Statement (Section 4.5), we consider that an increase in traffic movements of more than 10% would be significant and would adversely affect the relative tranquillity of the CNL.
Conclusions
We recommend that RefID 148 and RefID 747 should not be taken forward, at least not to their full extent.
If any development is allocated on RefID 747, we recommend that the site boundary should not extend further east / south-east than Fell Mill Lane, where it passes through the site. This would help to prevent development extending over the brow / ridge of Borough Hill and becoming more visible in views from the CNL. It would also help to avoid adverse impacts on views from Fell Mill Lane towards the CNL.
For both sites, development should also not extend into the ‘area of restraint’ or into the floodplain.
Ideally, RefID 689 should also not be taken forward.
The other sites within SGL 17 would potentially be acceptable, from a CNL perspective, as they are smaller in scale and more in keeping with the existing settlement pattern
We recommend that further assessments should be undertaken to assess the visual impacts of RefID 148, Ref ID 689 RefID 747 on views from the CNL. We also recommend that an assessment should be undertaken of the likely increase in traffic movements that would result from the allocations at Shipston, including on roads within - and along the boundary of - the CNL.