Testun llawn:
We support the preferred option of land north of Rosswood Farm for the development of 35 dwellings. The consultation document refers to this parcel as "Land north of Rosewood Farm" however, this should actually be "Land north of Rosswood Farm", in accordance with the supporting evidence base and site plans.
Of all of the potential development sites in Baginton, this site has been identified to have the least negative impact with good connectivity with the settlement with suitable access and provides opportunities to enhance the visual appearance of this part of the village, clearly defining an entrance to the village from the south. The site would form a logical boundary to this end of the village with development extending no further south than the pub and fronting the highway.
Green Belt:
As set out in section 3.7 of this consultation document, in order to meet the full objectively assessed housing needs of the Districts growing population, development options in the District's more sustainable villages must be considered. Release of this small part of Green Belt land will not result in an unacceptable impact on the Green Belt.
The site was included as parcel BAG4 under the Green Belt and Green Field Review November 2013. Whilst the parcel received a high sensitivity rating this referred to the land parcel as a whole which stretched from the A46 and sewage works, across to Coventry Road and Stoneleigh Road, as far south as Stoneleigh and Gantry Heath Wood and includes the castle. The results are therefore broad brush and not indicative of the entire parcel which was then assessed separately as a sub-parcel.
The sub‐parcel was considered to be "one which could accommodate a village extension as part of a sustainable pattern of development within the proposed village inset, with a modest impact on the fundamental aim and purposes of the Green Belt."
Furthermore, all of the land parcels at Baginton were considered to have between medium and high landscape value, save for land parcel BAG6 which is the very small parcel adjacent to the A46.
Notwithstanding this, in order to better inform how this site can be sensitively masterplanned to accommodate the proposed level of development with least impact on the Green Belt, the site owners have sought specialist advice from landscape architects. The findings of this further detailed landscape work is anticipated to be submitted to the Council in support of this site in early 2014.
Access:
There is currently an existing access into the site on Church Road opposite the bus stop. The advice regarding highways and transportation is that the site has excellent access to public transport with a pavement which provides safe access for pedestrians into the village centre. There are likely to be major positive effects on access to public transport which will outweigh any negative effects of the increase in traffic through allocation of this site which are likely to be minor.
Flooding:
The effects on flooding are considered to be neutral for this site which lies outside of a flood risk zone and any development approved would be designed in accordance with SUDs and the NPPF requirement that development would not increase flood risk elsewhere.
Environmental Health:
Whilst the site could be subject to noise, odour, light and air quality due to the proximity of the airport and sewage works, all the sites assessed in Baginton were within proximity of the sewage works so this constrain affects all sites equally. With regard to the airport, this can be mitigated by appropriate masterplanning and noise attenuation measures.
Connectivity/Sustainability:
Whilst the site lies on the southern tip of the village it would be well connected to the existing village services, meaning development would not be peripheral or detached. The village does not have a defined "centre" with the main services (village hall, post office and pub) being spread throughout the village. The post office and village hall are to the north of the preferred site option with the pub in very close proximity to the south.
With the bus stop opposite the site and a pavement to all of the services it has excellent walking and public transport links. The pub lies directly opposite the site with open space (Millenium Field) directly adjacent. The village shop and post office is less than 500 metres from the site, an acceptable walking distance with the village hall just in excess of 500 metres from the site. The Manual for Streets (Paragraph 4.4.1) states "walkable neighbourhoods are typically characterised by having a range of facilities within 10 minutes' (up to about 800 m) walking distance of residential areas which residents may access comfortably on foot".
Whilst there are no healthcare or education facilities in Baginton, proximity of the village to Coventry means that it is reliant upon Coventry for such services.
Landscape:
The Landscape Sensitivity and Ecological & Geological Study has identified the site as having a high-medium sensitivity to housing development. To put this in context, of the 13 sites assessed in Baginton, 9 have been assessed to have a high sensitivity to housing development. Three were considered medium-high (including the preferred development site) and one assessed to have medium sensitivity. The medium site lies within the airport area and disconnected from the village.
The Landscape Sensitivity and Ecological & Geological Study recommends that development should be restricted to roadside only, with a landscape buffer of native tree planting to the west with development not being extended further south than the pub. These visual impact mitigation measures are all entirely achievable on this site. It also identifies that the visual appearance of the area has already been slightly degraded due to the lack of hedgerows which have been replaced by post and wire / tape fences and that Coventry Airport is very visible beyond the zone to the east. It identifies the potential for landscape enhancement as a result of development through replacing native hedgerows and the planting of a landscape buffer of native woodland around the new development.
The preferred site option has been demonstrated by the Landscape Sensitivity and Ecological & Geological Study and the Green Belt Review to be the most appropriate site in Baginton for development in visual landscape terms.
Notwithstanding this, in order to better inform how this site can be sensitively masterplanned to accommodate the proposed level of development with least visual impact, the site owners have sought specialist advice from landscape architects. The findings of this further detailed landscape work is anticipated to be submitted to the Council in support of this site in early 2014.
Sustainability Appraisal:
The Warwick District Council Local Plan Sustainability Appraisal of Potential Village Site Allocations is critical of development of any of the Baginton sites, identifying negative effects including loss of Green Belt and effects of pollution. However, this is not unique to Baginton; the SA identifies significant constraints in all settlements and without considering development options in the District's more sustainable villages (which includes Baginton), the district will be unable to meet the full objectively assessed housing needs of the Districts growing population. The SA identifies that all potential allocations are likely to lead to major positive long-term effects on housing needs.