Issue and Options 2023
Search form responses
Results for Lagan Homes search
New search2.0 THE SITE Site Location and Context 2.1 The location of the site is shown at Figure 1 below. The site is located adjacent to the current settlement boundary of the village of Long Marston, which had a recorded population of 436 at the 2011 census. The site extends to circa 5.28 hectares located to the north east of Long Marston and is accessed from Welford Road, which runs north/south through the village, via Perry Orchard where access rights exist. 2.2 East of the site, on the boundary of the wider land holding, is the Long Marston Greenway, a former railway that has been converted to a footpath and cyclepath. The site is surrounded to the north and east by agricultural land. The village of Long Marston is located immediately to the west and the south of the site. 2.3 The site is not located within, or near to, any Green Belt, National Park, or Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The site is situated in Flood Zone 1, an area with the lowest probability of flooding. The site is not within, nor affecting, any Special Protection Area (SPA), Special Area of Conservation (SAC), or Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). 2.4 Lagan Homes gained planning permission for the 20 dwellings now constructed on what is Perry Orchard. The approved application did include a new community centre and sports field, although this has yet to come forward. The relevant land for the community centre was gifted to the Parish Council by Lagan Homes. The Proposal 2.5 The Concept Plan available at Appendix 1 shows the potential layout for development at the site. This has been informed by the Opportunities and Constrains Plan shown within Appendix 2. 2.6 To respect the village character and density, a community-led scheme of 30-35 dwellings would be considered a sensitive and appropriate level of development considering the size of the site and the village. The layout would reflect surrounding development patterns and leave a substantial site area to the east for the purposes of open space, biodiversity net gain, and creation of a strategic gap / landscape buffer (in perpetuity). The accompanying concept plan demonstrates how residential development can be delivered in this sensitive manner. 2.7 The primary benefit of the allocation and delivery of this site would be the ‘unlocking’ of the stalled community building provision for the village. Furthermore, the creation of a substantial area of re-wilding to the east of the proposed dwellings would ratify the boundary between the village of Long Marston and the significant development likely to come forward at the airfield to the east. The site is available and could be delivered early in the plan period to help facilitate the delivery of the community centre.
3.2 There is concern regarding the methodology when selecting the settlements that form the settlement analysis. The study only considers those Main Town or Main Rural Centres within Stratford-upon-Avon or Urban Areas and Growth Villages within Warwick District. There is no clear justification as to why other category settlements have not formed part of the sustainability appraisal. 3.3 Long Marston is a category 4 village within the Stratford-upon-Avon Local Plan. Such settlements should provide 400 dwellings between them to assist meeting the housing requirement. This confirms that such settlements are capable of providing some growth, and the Council is seeking to ensure a broad distribution including such villages. Such villages could have the potential to bring forward a site of 50 dwellings. The sustainability appraisal should therefore be widened to assess villages such as Long Marston. The village can also support the new developments at the Airfield and Meon Vale, which again are not being considered within the sustainability appraisal.
Q-S4.1 – Do you think that growth of some of our existing settlements should be part of the overall strategy? 3.1 Yes. The spatial strategy will no doubt seek to provide growth in a variety of settlement types. This should also filter down to smaller settlements such as Long Marston, to support services and facilities. Small scale development in the villages can also ensure that deliver rates are realistic, given the lack of reliance on larger scale infrastructure works. Q-S8.1 – For settlements falling outside the chosen growth strategy, do you think a threshold approach is appropriate, to allow more small-scale developments to come forward? 3.9 No. Placing a threshold on a particular site may not make efficient use of a site. For such settlements, capacity should be considered on a site-by-site basis. If for example a threshold of say 20 units is placed on settlements, but a site has a clear capacity for more, then these additional numbers would have to go elsewhere, potentially forcing development into less sustainable locations. A threshold approach will not assist in making best use of land and good sites such as at Long Marston. Further contributions to the community centre would be lost in a threshold scenario. 3.10 If the Council consider a threshold approach to be necessary, then it is suggested that it could include some flexibility. An example would be a higher threshold where it is agreed in dialogue with the local Parish Council or relevant Neighbourhood Plan Group. Q-S8.2 – For sites coming forward as part of this threshold approach, what do you think would be an appropriate size limit for individual sites? 3.11 As noted in the response to S8.1 above, a threshold approach would impact on best use of land. For the site at Long Marston, it has a capacity of circa 30-35 dwellings. Any policy must ensure flexibility that such capacities can be achieved on appropriate sites such as Long Marston.
3.12 Table 10 shows that affordable housing need is high, particularly compared to the housing needs figures proposed. As such, a key method to ensure affordable housing delivery is to plan for a larger number of overall houses, knowing that the designated proportion will be assigned as affordable. At present, a figure of for example 40% of dwellings being affordable will not come close to meeting the identified need.
selected
selected
selected
No answer given
No answer given
3.13 The incorporation of any shortfall housing numbers should be informed by the wider South Warwickshire strategy. It is noted that existing shortfall is focussed on Stratford-upon-Avon. Any additional numbers should incorporate an aspect of the dispersed option as highlighted in the response to question S7.2. Settlements such as Long Marston have the ability to provide small levels of growth to support local services and facilities, ensuring South Warwickshire can meet its housing requirements.
