Agenda item

6/2020/0013  - To erect 17 dwellings, creation of an access and associated parking and landscaping - Land at White Lovington, Bere Regis

Mr and Mrs Aldous

“This submission has been prepared and discussed by the residents of White Lovington and is submitted with the agreement of all those who signed the request for an extension on 30/3”

 

 

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John & Helen Locke

(This submission has been prepared and discussed by the residents of White Lovington and is submitted with the agreement of all those who signed the request for an extension on 30th March. To avoid unnecessary contact during COVID restrictions we have not collected signatures a second time but can provide e-mail confirmation of support if needed)

 

We wish to express our disagreement with the planning officers’ recommendation for this application as follows:

1. The planning office report, Para 15.6 & 15.7 states that the “officers consider that the proposal does not conflict with the Bere Regis Neighbourhood Plan (BRNP)’. We disagree, and fully endorse the statement of the Parish Council in this regard.

Specifically, the wording “approximately 12 homes” was discussed by the community, agreed with the Parish Council and voted on by the village. Approximately 12 means 12 plus or minus a small number. Not a 42% increase.

Surely local buy-in is important to achieving sustainable development.

2. The proposed development will have a significant detrimental impact on the SSSI, with new housing built up to the limit of the 400m buffer zone, the main access road running through it, with a significant projected flow of vehicle and pedestrian traffic. The effect will be to marginalize the SSSI boundary. The mitigation offered involves a temporary HIP to be developed on site until the proposed SANG at Back Lane, on the other side of the village, becomes available. The land for the temporary HIP, which currently has no public access, will then revert to agricultural use. This seems to be very ad hoc and not consistent with the concept of sustainable development, and would benefit from more consultation with the local community, as indicated by the Parish Council.

3. Para 15.58 of the planning office report is confusing. The 11m x 62m area mentioned is an established woodland/copse frequented by wild life, includes a number of protected trees and with no public access. Is this part of the application? What landscaping is being proposed and if so where is the detail?

4. In paras 15.27 to 15.36 the officers have dismissed the concerns of residents of White Lovington about the loss of privacy and security resulting from the new road and public access to the rear of their properties. The officers, in a number of places, erroneously refer to the existence of ‘mature trees and hedgerows’ as mitigation of the noise and disturbance. In fact, many of the existing houses in White Lovington have open aspects to the rear with no significant screening by hedgerows or mature trees. The proposed development of housing, access road and path will result in a significant loss of privacy and security which has not been addressed adequately.

5. The proposed new road and path layout (Drawing 19-1057-003-P3) is confusing. Does the new footpath only extend in front of Nos 12 to 16?

We request the committee to urge the applicant to engage directly with the Parish Council and amend the proposal to bring it into line with the Neighbourhood Plan.

 

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Ian Ventham - Chairman, Bere Regis Parish Council

 

Bere Regis Neighbourhood Plan (BRNP) was completed and adopted by Dorset Council following a local referendum in August 2019 and after full consultation with all statutory consultees and residents. It is very much in favour of development on the White Lovington site (BRNP Policy BR7: Residential Development (page 18)).

However, Bere Regis Parish Council believes this application does not conform with the BRNP in a number of key respects:

1. BRNP Policy BR7 Residential Development, in respect of White Lovington, (page 18) states:

"Land extending to about 1.0 Hectare (2.5 acres) approximately 12 homes".

We do not consider an increase of 42% in house numbers from 12 to 17 is acceptable. The figure of 12 dwellings was originally put forward by the developer and land owner during the early consultation process and was accepted by Bere Regis Parish Council (BRPC). This density was confirmed by the then planning authority, Purbeck District Council, as being appropriate and 'in line with the requirements being included in their local plan'.

2. BRNP Development Sites section (page 17) states: 

"The White Lovington site should be developed at a lower density [than other sites in BRNP] to respect the existing development in the area, and this site is expected to provide around 12 dwellings". We do not consider 17 dwellings to meet this requirement.

This section (page 18) further states:

"....White Lovington sites should include areas for informal recreation". This application fails to include any such recreational area.

3. In the Housing section of BRNP ( page 15), it states clearly that "Developers need to work closely with BRPC to consider development density...before submitting planning applications...."

Sadly, since the initial consultation which proposed 12 dwellings on this site, the developer has not entered into any discussions, despite numerous emails  from BRPC since the Plan was adopted in August 2019 inviting them to consult with us. No responses have been received and no indication of the intention to increase the number of dwellings by 42% has been given.

4.  Regarding comments put forward by the developer regarding housing land supply, we can confirm that figures included in the adopted Neighbourhood Plan were based on the most up-to-date evidence of housing need, and not on figures included in PLP1. Consequently, the figures shown in the adopted Plan are sound and, in our opinion, the arguments put forward by the developer for a higher density of housing are ill founded’.

 

Bere Regis Parish Council believes that the adopted Neighbourhood Plan should carry considerable weight and needs to be taken seriously when determining planning applications within the Plan area, as, indeed this committee did when considering another site within Bere Regis some months ago.

 

We would reiterate that the Parish Council is firmly in favour of development on this site, but requests that the developer be asked to submit new plans that are in accordance with the agreed, consulted upon and adopted Neighbourhood Plan

 

 

 

 

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Agent/Applicant - Kat Burdett – for Ken Parke Planning Consultants

Councillors, the application before you seeks permission for the delivery of one of the housing site allocations within the Bere Regis Neighbourhood Plan. The site forms part of the Council’s housing land supply and the principle of the development of the site for housing has been considered acceptable by an Independent Planning Inspector and by the local public in passing the plan through referendum to adoption.

 

The site is formally allocated for residential development and has been brought into the settlement boundary. Planning permission should be granted therefore, subject to consideration of the matters of detailed design and layout.

 

The public highway White Lovington is surrounded by an existing pocket of modern residential development. The houses were built in the early 1990s, the result of a series of interlinked planning permissions and comprise generous family homes, set over two storeys with well-proportioned gardens and off-street parking.

 

The Applicant is seeking consent for the erection of 17 dwellinghouses including the creation of a new access and associated landscaping and parking, arranged about a new estate road which snakes through the site and features several changes in surfacing, broken up with stone setts, in order to both control vehicular speeds and provide some variation to reduce the perceived amount of hard surfacing.

 

The scheme as proposed is heavily landscaped with properties featuring large rear gardens and modest front gardens and incorporating both all of the existing trees on site and allowing for new planting. Sufficient buffers have been provided to existing trees in order to ensure there is no future pressure to prune or fell resulting from the development.

 

The dwellings have been carefully detailed and articulated to provide interest through changes in materials and the design and form of the dwellings. The dwellings have been individually designed as opposed to reliance on a more uniform house type to ensure that they respond positively to their particular setting on the site and relationship with other dwellings. Separation distances to existing dwellings at White Lovington are substantial.

The proposals will deliver 6 affordable dwellings, all of affordable rented tenure, and a commuted sum contribution for a percentage of a unit to deliver a fully policy compliant 35% affordable housing provision. (CONTINUES BELOW)

 

 

The development will see mitigation land, in the form of a Heathland Infrastructure Project (HIP), secured immediately to the south-east of the site, which will provide space for dog walking and general recreation to reduce pressure upon protected designations of the Dorset Heathlands. This land will be secured by way of s106 legal agreement.

The proposal also seeks to deliver pedestrian improvements to White Lovington, comprising the creation of additional footway to link the site of the existing footway and promote sustainable methods of transport.

 

There are clear public benefits arising from the development. The development will not impact on the neighbouring residential properties and there are no objections from technical consultees to the proposals.

 

The presumption in favour of sustainable development applies and there are no issues which significantly or demonstrably outweigh the presumption in favour of the grant of permission.

I ask members to support their Officer’s recommendation and vote for approval

The development will see mitigation land, in the form of a Heathland Infrastructure Project (HIP), secured immediately to the south-east of the site, which will provide space for dog walking and general recreation to reduce pressure upon protected designations of the Dorset Heathlands. This land will be secured by way of s106 legal agreement.

The proposal also seeks to deliver pedestrian improvements to White Lovington, comprising the creation of additional footway to link the site of the existing footway and promote sustainable methods of transport.

 

There are clear public benefits arising from the development. The development will not impact on the neighbouring residential properties and there are no objections from technical consultees to the proposals.

 

The presumption in favour of sustainable development applies and there are no issues which significantly or demonstrably outweigh the presumption in favour of the grant of permission.