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ID sylw: 108046

Derbyniwyd: 07/03/2025

Ymatebydd: Rainier Developments Ltd

Asiant : Pegasus Group

Pegasus Group is promoting land north of Mill Street, Harbury for residential development on behalf of Rainier Developments.

The Site was promoted through the SWLP Issues & Options consultation, and is identified on the interactive maps as ref 459. Most of the Site is adjacent to Harbury's settlement boundary. Part of the Site is within the settlement boundary. Allocation for residential development is supported by Policy Direction 3, which supports small-scale development adjacent to settlement boundaries. The Site is within Priority Area 3, a preferred location for growth in the selected ‘Sustainable Travel and Economy’ spatial strategy.

The Site is on the north-eastern edge of Harbury, comprising approximately 1.95 hectares. The land comprises two adjoining agricultural fields, each defined by hedgerow and tree planting. The site is bounded to the south by existing residential development and Mill Street, open fields to the north, east and west. The wider settlement is characterised by areas of housing, along with some local services and facilities, including community uses, a Post Office, and two convenience stores. There is a GP surgery immediately adjoining the site on Mill Street. The nearest hospital is Leamington Spa Hospital, 6.3 kilometres northwest. The nearest primary school is Harbury Church of England Primary School, 223.83 metres southeast. Southam College, the nearest secondary school, is 4.89 kilometres northeast.

The Site can be accessed off Mill Street via an existing gate. A safe and suitable vehicular access point can be created using the existing location, shown on the Illustrative Masterplan. The Site is not located within the Green Belt. The terrain features a steep slope, descending from the south to the north. There is one public right of way on the Site. The illustrative masterplan shows how a high-quality development of circa 40 dwellings could be accommodated on the site. There has been little provision in recent years due to there being no allocated sites in Harbury in the Core Strategy. Development could provide financial contributions towards local infrastructure projects, schools and community services, provide natural accessible greenspace. A robust landscaping strategy would minimise landscape and visual impacts, include new green infrastructure and planting, and result in ecological enhancements and biodiversity net gains.

Harbury is an LSV1 in the Core Strategy given its size and access to a shop, primary school and public transport. These services are still in place and the village should therefore still be considered a sustainable location. The site was included in the 2020 Preferred Options SAP but then removed in the 2022 version. This was solely because Harbury had met its proportional housing requirement. This shows that the site has previously been assessed as suitable to accommodate residential development.

The Site was given a score of 40.40 in HELAA Part B and remained under consideration for allocation. The score is average and should be considered favourably. The Preferred Options SA establishes that most housing need will be met through new settlements and SGLs. Harbury is not identified as a residential growth option in the Issues and Option Sustainability Appraisal (2022) or the Preferred Options Sustainability Appraisal (2025). Nevertheless, it remains a sustainable location and the Site should be allocated for small-intermediate scale development. The Site is assessed against each SA Objective below:

1: Climate Change: The Site benefits from good access to local services and facilities, reducing everyday travel needs, reflecting the aspiration to deliver 20-minute neighbourhoods.

2: Flood Risk: The site is entirely within Flood Zone 1. There are elements of surface water flood risk along the eastern boundary, which could be addressed through suitable design and SUDs.

3: Biodiversity, Flora, Fauna and Geodiversity: The site is not in or close to a Special Conservation Area, National Nature Reserve, ancient woodland, Local Nature Reserve, Local Wildlife Site, Local Green Space or priority habitat. The Site is approximately 350m south of a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

4: Landscape: The Site is in the Dunsmore and Feldon national character area. The site can be developed without undermining the character of the Feldon landscape. A Landscape Note (Appendix 3) confirms that a scheme on this Site could incorporate an appropriate and robust strategy for landscape mitigation.

5: Cultural Heritage: The site is not within or close to designated heritage assets. Any development will be designed to be sensitive towards the adjacent Conservation Area.

6: Pollution: The site is not close to an Air Quality Management Area or any major roads. Any associated noise and air quality mitigation required is likely to be minimal.

7: Natural Resources: Land off Mill Street, Harbury is Grade 3 agricultural land. However, the site is small-scale compared to the wider agricultural land in this area and loss of agricultural land associated with this site is unlikely to be significant considered in the wider context. The entire settlement is within a Mineral Safeguarding Area (MSA). Development of this site is not significant given the scale of the MSA. The site is immediately adjacent to existing residential development on Mill Street and therefore is unlikely to be suitable for mineral extraction given associated impacts on residential amenity.

8: Waste: Household waste generated by residential development can be managed with provision of suitable recycling facilities for all households.

9: Housing Provision: The Site would deliver housing in a sustainable location. This would include affordable housing.

10: Health: The site benefits from good access to existing recreation and greenspace within the village. The closest health facilities are immediately adjoining the site to the south.

11: Accessibility and 12: Education: The site benefits from existing bus stops which provide a regular service to Napton and Leamington. Development in settlements like Harbury is important to support the ongoing viability of existing services and to secure improvements. Harbury has a primary school and the nearest secondary school is accessible via public transport. Growth in Harbury would assist in supporting and enhancing existing public transport provision, mitigating any accessibility concerns.

13: Economy: The site benefits from existing economic and employment opportunities in the local area.