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Planning Statement
PS
On behalf of O&H Properties LtdMarlborough Oasis LtdDavid
Wilson Homes Ltd
By
David Lock AssociatesPeter Brett AssociatesLDA DesignCgMs
ConsultingEFM LtdBBP Regeneration LtdSegal Quince Wickstead (SQW)
LtdKing Sturge
NOVEMBER 2009
OUTLINE PLANNING APPLICATIONS
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Great Haddon, Peterborough
Planning StatementGreat Haddon Consortium
(O&H Properties Ltd, Marlborough Oasis Ltd, David Wilson
Homes Ltd)
David Lock Associates November 2009
1
CONTENTS
1.0 INTRODUCTION
............................................................................................................3
Scope and Purpose of the Planning Application
...................................................................3
Content of the Planning
Statement..........................................................................................3
Description of
Development.....................................................................................................4
Great Haddon Core Area
Application.......................................................................4
Great Haddon Employment Area Application
.........................................................4
2.0 THE
SITE........................................................................................................................6
Site Location
..............................................................................................................................6
Great Haddon Core Area
...........................................................................................6
Great Haddon Employment
Area..............................................................................6
Land Ownership
.........................................................................................................7
Planning History
........................................................................................................................7
The Site
.......................................................................................................................7
3.0 THE PROPOSED
DEVELOPMENT.............................................................................11
The Need and Rationale for Great Haddon
...........................................................................11
Peterboroughs inclusion in the LSCP Growth
Area............................................11 Regional Spatial
Strategy (RSS14)
.........................................................................11
Sub Regional Studies
..............................................................................................11
Local Planning Context
...........................................................................................13
Timing of Outline Applications for Great
Haddon................................................................14
The Consultation Process and Evolution of the
Scheme....................................................14 The
Application Proposals
.....................................................................................................16
Description of Development
...................................................................................16
The Land Use Budget
..............................................................................................17
Parameter Plans
.......................................................................................................17
Rights of Way
...........................................................................................................18
Section 106 Agreements
.........................................................................................18
4.0 EVALUATION OF PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT AGAINST CURRENT PLANNING
POLICY.........................................................................................................................19
National Guidance
...................................................................................................................19
Delivering Sustainable
Development.....................................................................19
Protection and Enhancement of the Environment
...............................................23 Other National
Guidance
.........................................................................................25
Regional, Sub Regional and Strategic
Policy.......................................................................26
Regional Spatial Strategy for the East of England (RSS) (May
2008).................27 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Structure
Plan 2003.....................................28 Cambridgeshire and
Peterborough Waste Local Plan (2003)
.............................29 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
Minerals and Waste Development Plan Documents (2008)
....................................................................................................29
Local Planning Policy
.............................................................................................................31
Peterborough Local Plan (First Replacement) (2005)
..........................................31 Peterborough Local
Transport Plan (March
2006)................................................33
Huntingdonshire District Council Planning Policy Framework
..........................33 Conformity of the Application
Proposals with the Planning Policy Framework33 Housing
Provision....................................................................................................33
Density
......................................................................................................................35
Employment Provision
............................................................................................35
Retail Provision
........................................................................................................37
Community and Education Facilities
.....................................................................39
Open Space Provision
.............................................................................................41
Transport...................................................................................................................45
Protection of Natural and Historical
Environment................................................47
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Great Haddon, Peterborough
Planning StatementGreat Haddon Consortium
(O&H Properties Ltd, Marlborough Oasis Ltd, David Wilson
Homes Ltd)
David Lock Associates November 2009
2
5.0 CONFORMITY WITH LDF POLICY
CS3.....................................................................50
6.0 INDICATIVE PHASING
................................................................................................53
7.0 SUMMARY
...................................................................................................................54
APPENDICES
Appendix 1: PST021/DFP/01 Rev I Development Framework Plan
Appendix 2a: PST021- PA-03 Rev A Tenancies Plan Great Haddon
Core Area. Appendix 2b: PST021- PA-04 Rev A Tenancies Plan Great
Haddon Employment Area Appendix 3a: PST021- PA-01 Rev D Great
Haddon Core Area Planning Application
Boundary Appendix 3b: PST021- PA-02 Rev B Great Haddon
Employment Area Planning
Application Boundary Appendix 4: Site Location and Context
(reproduced from ES Figure 8.1)
Appendix 5: Environmental Designations (reproduced from ES
Figure 8.2)
Appendix 6: Preferred Spatial Strategy for Peterborough
(reproduced from ES Figure 5.7)
Appendix 7: IGS Recommended Option (reproduced from ES Figure
2.3)
Appendix 8a: Great Haddon Development Area- Summary Land Use
Budget Rev I
Appendix 8b: Great Haddon Core Area Land Use Budget
Appendix 8c: Great Haddon Employment Area Land Use Budget
Appendix 9: Proposed Public Access (reproduced from ES Figure
8.13)
Appendix 10: Proposed Education Strategy
Appendix 11: Draft Heads of Terms for s106 agreements
Appendix 12: Full List of Submission Documents for
Applications
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Great Haddon, Peterborough
Planning StatementGreat Haddon Consortium
(O&H Properties Ltd, Marlborough Oasis Ltd, David Wilson
Homes Ltd)
David Lock Associates November 2009
3
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Scope and Purpose of the Planning Application
1.1 This Planning Statement has been prepared by David Lock
Associates Ltd with input
from Peter Brett Associates, LDA Design, David Shaw Planning,
EFM Ltd, SQW,
BBP, King Sturge and CgMs on behalf of the Great Haddon
Consortium (comprising
O&H Properties, Marlborough Oasis Ltd and David Wilson Homes
Ltd), the
promoters of and applicants for the Great Haddon urban
extension.
1.2 The Great Haddon proposal comprises 390.03ha (963.02 acres)
of land and is
located in the south of Peterborough district between the A1(M)
and the western
boundary of Hampton. The village of Yaxley in Huntingdonshire
lies to the
immediate south east of the site.
1.3 The site is bounded to the north by the A1139 Fletton
Parkway, to the west by the
A1(M) and Great North Road, to the south by the A15 London Road
and to the east
by the Orton Pit SAC, Haddon Lake and the existing Hampton
development area.
The Great Haddon area currently comprises a mix of agricultural
land and farm
buildings, three blocks of mature woodland and several
waterbodies.
1.4 The Great Haddon scheme comprises two application areas the
Great Haddon
Core Area and the Great Haddon Employment Area. Although for
legal purposes
two applications are submitted, these are to be considered and
implemented jointly,
and as such all supporting material sets out the details of the
overall Great Haddon
scheme.
1.5 This Statement sets out the national, regional and local
planning context against
which the two application proposals should be considered. An
Environmental
Statement, Statement of Community Involvement, Design and Access
Statement,
Energy Strategy, Transport Assessment, Flood Risk Assessment,
Retail Impact
Assessment and draft Sustainability Strategy have also been
prepared to accompany
the two submissions (see Appendix 12 for a full list of
submission documents).
1.6 Each document has assessed the Great Haddon development area
as a whole.
However where appropriate, specific reference has been made to
the separate
outline planning applications.
Content of the Planning Statement
1.7 Section 2 of this Statement identifies the Great Haddon
application sites and outlines
their key characteristics and land ownership details.
1.8 The development proposed as part of each application and a
summary of the
consultation process is described in Section 3. (A Statement of
Community
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Great Haddon, Peterborough
Planning StatementGreat Haddon Consortium
(O&H Properties Ltd, Marlborough Oasis Ltd, David Wilson
Homes Ltd)
David Lock Associates November 2009
4
Involvement has been submitted as a separate document setting
out the consultation
process in full).
1.9 Section 4 assesses both applications in relation to national
guidance and against
regional and local planning policy. Section 5 addresses the
relationship between the
application proposals and the emerging Local Development
Framework Core
Strategy Preferred Option CS3 and Site Specific Allocations DPD
Policy UE001.
1.10 Section 6 sets out the indicative phasing arrangements for
the 20 year project, and
Section 7 provides a summary of the relevant issues considered
pertinent to the
determination of the applications.
Description of Development
Great Haddon Core Area Application
1.11 In summary this outline planning application seeks
permission for:
Development of an urban extension comprising up to 5350
residential dwellings;
a district centre (with up to 9,200 square metres (99,031 sq.ft)
retail floor space) and
two neighbourhood centres (with up to 2,300 square metres
(24,758 sq.ft) retail floor
space) comprising district/neighbourhood retail (A1-A5),
community and health (C2,
D1), leisure (D2), residential (C3) and commercial (B1) uses.
Provision for education
facilities (sites for three primary and one secondary school);
sports and recreational
facilities; site for 5 gypsy and traveller pitches; a range of
strategic open spaces
including new landscaping, woodland and allotments; and cemetery
provision.
Associated highway infrastructure (including pedestrian,
bridleway and cycle routes),
public transport infrastructure and car parking for all uses.
Utilities and renewable
energy infrastructure; foul and surface water drainage networks
(including SuDS and
lakes).
1.12 The description of development is wholly in accordance with
the Development
Framework Plan Ref: PST021/DFP/01 Rev I (see Appendix 1), the
Great Haddon
Core Area Application Boundary (Plan Ref: PST021-PA-01 Rev C see
Appendix 3a)
and Great Haddon Core Area Land Use Budget (See Appendix
8b).
Great Haddon Employment Area Application
1.13 In summary this outline planning application seeks
permission for:
Development of up to 65 hectares of employment land (B1, B2 and
B8 including
provision of a site for a household recycling centre).
Associated highway
infrastructure (including pedestrian, bridleway and cycle
routes), public transport
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Great Haddon, Peterborough
Planning StatementGreat Haddon Consortium
(O&H Properties Ltd, Marlborough Oasis Ltd, David Wilson
Homes Ltd)
David Lock Associates November 2009
5
infrastructure and car parking for all uses. Utilities and
renewable energy
infrastructure; foul and surface water drainage networks
(including SuDS and lakes)
and strategic landscaping.
1.14 The description of development is wholly in accordance with
the Development
Framework Plan Ref: PST021/DFP/01 Rev I (see Appendix 1) the
Great Haddon
Employment Area Application Boundary Plan Ref: PST021-PA-02 (see
Appendix 3b)
and Great Haddon Employment Area Land Use Budget (see Appendix
8c).
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Great Haddon, Peterborough
Planning StatementGreat Haddon Consortium
(O&H Properties Ltd, Marlborough Oasis Ltd, David Wilson
Homes Ltd)
David Lock Associates November 2009
6
2.0 THE SITE
Site Location
2.1 The development area of Great Haddon is located in the
southwest of the
Peterborough district, lying between the A1(M) and the western
boundary of the
Hampton development. The area is bounded to the south and east
(in part) by the
A15 London Road, with the existing urban area of Yaxley
(Huntingdonshire District)
lying to the south east (see Appendix 4).
2.2 The Great Haddon development area is 390.03 hectares in size
and currently
comprises a mix of agricultural land and farm buildings, blocks
of mature woodland
and several waterbodies.
Great Haddon Core Area
2.3 The Great Haddon core area is 302.8ha in size and lies in
the southern part of the
Great Haddon area. Its southern boundary is formed by the A15
plus a Scheduled
Ancient Monument (SAM) and residential properties at Norman
Cross, and
residential properties on the north western edge of Yaxley. The
old Great North
Road and the A1(M) lie to the west. The Orton Pit Site of
Special Scientific Interest
(SSSI)/Special Area for Conservation (SAC) lies to the north
east of the site and an
area of existing woodland ( Chambers Dole and Two Pond Coppice-
County Wildlife
Site) is situated between the two application boundaries.
2.4 The Stanground Lode watercourse crosses west to east through
the northern part of
the Great Haddon Core Area (see Appendix 5: Figure 8.2
Environmental
Designations for details).
Great Haddon Employment Area
2.5 The Great Haddon employment area is 87.23ha in size and lies
in the northern part
of the Great Haddon area. Its northern boundary is formed by the
A1139 Fletton
Parkway, with the Alwalton Hill strategic employment site
(consented for strategic B8
employment) immediately to the west (planning application
reference 06/00346OUT).
2.6 Immediately to the east of the application site lies the
Orton Pit Site of Special
Scientific Interest (SSSI)/Special Area for Conservation (SAC)
(designated for its
large populations of Great Crested Newts and charophyte
(stonewort) species).
2.7 A public bridleway (Bridleway No 1) runs north-south through
the centre of the
employment area (see Appendix 5: Figure 8.2 Environmental
Designations for
details).
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Great Haddon, Peterborough
Planning StatementGreat Haddon Consortium
(O&H Properties Ltd, Marlborough Oasis Ltd, David Wilson
Homes Ltd)
David Lock Associates November 2009
7
Land Ownership
2.8 The Great Haddon development area as a whole is under the
control of three
principal landowners: O&H Properties Ltd, the Marlborough
Group and David Wilson
Homes. The land ownership plan in Appendix 2a shows the land
ownership of the
Core Area application to include all three principal owners
(O&H 69%, Marlborough
20% and David Wilson Homes 11%). It also shows that O&H
Properties Ltd is the
sole landowner of land within the Employment Area application
boundary. The
decision to submit two separate applications has been governed
by legal reasons in
order to facilitate the drawing up of a development agreement
between the three
parties prior to submission of the applications. There are a
number of other
landholdings adjacent to the application boundaries, but as none
of these are
proposed for development or require works to them as part of the
Great Haddon
proposals they are not included within the application
sites.
2.9 The majority landholder, O&H Properties, has a proven
track record of delivery of
large scale development within Peterborough at Hampton. The
company and its
consultant team have a good working relationship with officers
within the City
Council, and the Great Haddon consortium as a whole is
experienced in delivering
development on this scale both within Peterborough and
elsewhere.
Planning History
The Site
2.10 The Great Haddon planning application sites have very
little planning history because
of the nature of the sites and the current land use. A number of
individual
householder applications have been made in relation to existing
properties adjacent
to the old A1 and fronting the A15. In 1996 a change of use
application was made by
Natural England at land south of Fletton Parkway from
agricultural land to nature
reserve (ref: 96/0032) following the designation of the SAC, and
in 1997 permission
was granted for the extraction of brick clay (97/0209) on land
south of Fletton
Parkway (this has since been revoked, (see paragraph 4.60
below).
Development in the Wider Area and its relationship to Great
Haddon
Development at Hampton
2.11 The area of south Peterborough has seen considerable change
over the last 20
years, most notably the redevelopment of the 1000-acre Fletton
brickworks for the
new township of Hampton.
2.12 The existence of an established historic city centre in
Peterborough, and the strategic
constraints to its expansion (Fens to the east, floodplain to
the west and brickfields to
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Great Haddon, Peterborough
Planning StatementGreat Haddon Consortium
(O&H Properties Ltd, Marlborough Oasis Ltd, David Wilson
Homes Ltd)
David Lock Associates November 2009
8
the south) led the planners of the New Town to a concept of a
cluster of distinct
Townships, each of which was designed to accommodate the needs
of between
20,000 and 30,000 people1.
2.13 Peterborough City Centre was seen as having a future as a
regional centre, the
nucleus of a Greater Peterborough comprising the historic centre
and four
Townships. While the Townships of Bretton, Orton, and Werrington
were built as
proposed, plans for the fourth at Castor were later dropped.
2.14 Hampton was allocated as the Southern Township of
Peterborough in the approved
Cambridgeshire Structure Plan (April 1989) as the fourth
township for the city,
following participation in the development plan process during
the 1980s by the then
owners of the brickworks, London Brick Property Limited.
2.15 The new township was the subject of an outline planning
application submitted to
Peterborough City Council and Huntingdonshire District Council
in 1991, for:
Development of a Township to include approximately 5,200 houses
together
with community, educational, social, industrial and commercial
areas and
associated open spaces, roads and service infrastructure.
2.16 At the time the application was lodged the administrative
boundary between
Peterborough City Council and Huntingdonshire District Council
bisected the
application site, and thus Peterborough City Council and
Huntingdonshire District
Council were the two determining authorities.
2.17 Peterborough City Council (91/P0556) and Huntingdonshire
District Council
(H91/0815) granted outline planning permission for the
development (5,200 dwellings
and associated infrastructure) in March 1993. Permission was
subject to the
provisions of a section 106 planning agreement covering the
following:
Development procedures;
Provision of social housing and the defining of a housing
mix;
Provision of education facilities;
Provision of community facilities;
Provision of a dual use leisure centre, sports pitches and play
areas;
Provision and subsequent management of an extensive network of
open space,
including a nature reserve to house a translocated protected
species (great
crested newt) and the establishment of a Hampton Country
Park;
Transport facilities, including the construction of new highways
and
improvements to the existing highway, subsidised bus services,
provision of
cycleways and footpaths, and reserving of land for a new
station; and
1 The Greater Peterborough Master Plan Peterborough Development
Corporation (1971)
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Great Haddon, Peterborough
Planning StatementGreat Haddon Consortium
(O&H Properties Ltd, Marlborough Oasis Ltd, David Wilson
Homes Ltd)
David Lock Associates November 2009
9
Technical provisions relating to ground treatment, monitoring of
landfill gas and
air quality, transfer of open water features and adoption of
land drainage.
The Western Peripheral Route
2.18 The section 106 agreement included the provision of a
Western Peripheral Route
(WPR) connecting the A15 with the Fletton Parkway and providing
a western bypass
of Yaxley. Specifically it requires that the WPR is delivered as
part of the Hampton
proposals in order to (a) provide a connection between the A15
south of Yaxley and
junction 2 of the Fletton Parkway, and (b) to provide a western
bypass for Yaxley
itself.
2.19 Stage 1 of the WPR (between Junction 2 of the Parkway and
Hampton Hargate) was
the subject of a reserved matters planning application which was
granted consent in
February 2005 (planning ref: 04/01204/REM).
2.20 A full application was submitted on 19 November 2004 to
implement Stages 2 and 3
of the WPR along a revised alignment, which was designed to
minimise impact on
the SAC whilst still delivering a connection between the A15 and
Junction 2 of the
Parkway. Planning permission was granted in August 2008
(04/01900/FUL).
2.21 Following discussions with PCC, the latter stages of the
WPR have been
incorporated into the design of Great Haddon forming a principal
structuring element
for the scheme, and a more sustainable approach to the delivery
of this strategic
highway link.
Hampton Leys
2.22 Changes to national planning policy and implementation
resulted in a review of the
existing outline permission for Hampton in 1998/9. In 2002, a
new outline application
for the area known as Hampton Leys (east of the A15) was
approved by the City
Council (02/01845/OUT). The new application proposed an
additional 1,700
dwellings and associated infrastructure in addition to the 1,475
dwellings already
permitted on this land under consent 91/P0556.
Alwalton Hill
2.23 In 2006 outline planning consent was granted for up to 5
warehouses/ distribution
units with a maximum of 172,000sq.m floorspace, ancillary office
space, car parking
and a new access road on land at the intersection of the A1(M)
and the A1139
Fletton Parkway known as Alwalton Hill (planning application
reference
06/00346OUT refers). This site lies immediately to the northwest
of the Great
Haddon Employment application area. A reserved matters planning
application was
approved in October 2009 for the siting, design and external
appearance of the
warehouse buildings (5 individual units with maximum of 172,000
sq metres floor
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Great Haddon, Peterborough
Planning StatementGreat Haddon Consortium
(O&H Properties Ltd, Marlborough Oasis Ltd, David Wilson
Homes Ltd)
David Lock Associates November 2009
10
space) with ancillary offices, car parking and service yards and
the landscaping of the
site including strategic landscaping, new woodland lakes and
ponds the provision of
public art (09/00725/REM).
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Great Haddon, Peterborough
Planning StatementGreat Haddon Consortium
(O&H Properties Ltd, Marlborough Oasis Ltd, David Wilson
Homes Ltd)
David Lock Associates November 2009
11
3.0 THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT
The Need and Rationale for Great Haddon
Peterboroughs inclusion in the LSCP Growth Area
3.1 In February 2003 the Governments Sustainable Communities
Plan was published,
outlining a strong commitment to accommodate the economic
success of London
and the wider South East while detailing action for areas of low
demand and
abandonment in the Midlands and North.
3.2 As part of the Communities Plan, four Growth Areas were
identified for investment,
one of which was the London-Stansted-Cambridge corridor. A year
later, this Growth
Area was expanded northwards, to include Peterborough and parts
of north
Cambridgeshire. The area is expected to develop around 180,000
new homes
between 2001 and 2016.
Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS14)
3.3 The Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) (adopted in May 2008)
identifies Peterborough
as a Key Centre for Development and Change (Policy SS3),
establishing the overall
strategy as one of growth and regeneration, strengthening its
role as a major regional
centre and focus of the northern part of the London-
Stansted-Cambridge-
Peterborough Growth Area.
3.4 Policy PB1 states specifically that the strategy is for
growth and regeneration should
strengthen Peterboroughs role as a major regional centre and
focus of the northern
part of the London-Stansted-Cambridge-Peterborough Growth Area.
Policies should
seek to achieve an increase of at least 20,000 additional jobs
in the period 2001-
2021 together with sustainable transport improvements and
provision of social,
community and green infrastructure and the delivery of a of a
significant and
sustained increase in housing.
Sub Regional Studies
3.5 The primary purpose of the Peterborough Growth Area Study
produced by Llewelyn
Davies (2004) was to examine the capacity and demand of the
Peterborough sub-
region to provide for the additional growth anticipated by the
Sustainable
Communities Plan to 2016 (in light of the Governments extension
of the London-
Stansted-Cambridge Growth Corridor to include Peterborough) and
the growth
required by Regional Planning Guidance for the East of England
(RPG14) to 2021.
Beyond this, the study was required to advise on the most
appropriate spatial
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Great Haddon, Peterborough
Planning StatementGreat Haddon Consortium
(O&H Properties Ltd, Marlborough Oasis Ltd, David Wilson
Homes Ltd)
David Lock Associates November 2009
12
approach to urban development and expansion to accommodate any
additional
sustainable growth.
3.6 The studys mapping exercise showed that the area around
Peterborough is highly
constrained, particularly in terms of the floodplain and wide
ranging policy and
environmental designations. However, it identified that
significant opportunities exist
on the periphery of the urban area which, together, could inform
a spatial
development strategy.
3.7 The Peterborough Growth Area Study sets out that the
preferred areas for the
direction of growth are based on the following aspects:
Renaissance of the city centre, based upon implementation of the
City Centre
Framework;
Utilising opportunities for development within the boundary of
the urban area,
based upon land whose opportunities for residential development
and the re-use
of previously developed land and buildings as identified within
the urban area
capacity study;
Expansion of the urban area, to those peripheral sites allocated
in the local plan
(but not included in the urban capacity study) and other
opportunities to the
south, north and east where there is the potential to provide a
mix of dwelling
types and range of facilities, subject to the impact on
surrounding villages,
agricultural land and remediation issues.
3.8 The Great Haddon area was identified as one of the preferred
spatial options to
accommodate the additional growth. (Appendix 6: Figure 5.7
Preferred Spatial
Strategy for Peterborough). This diagram recommends the
development of the
Hampton Township to its full potential and highlights the Great
Haddon area as a site
for a potential urban extension/ growth area.
Peterborough Integrated Growth Study (February 2008) (IGS)
3.9 The IGS was commissioned jointly by the City Council and
Opportunity Peterborough
(the Citys URC) in 2006 in order to inform the emerging LDF Core
Strategy. It is
recognised in the IGS study - and reflected in the Core Strategy
Preferred Option -
that urban extensions form an important part of Peterboroughs
growth agenda if it is
to achieve its RSS minimum growth targets. The IGS sets out that
the development
of urban extensions is expected to bring several advantages,
including economies of
scale in the provision of new infrastructure, and the
opportunity to adopt sustainable
development principles. It also highlights that the public and
stakeholders have
expressed general support for the concept of urban extensions,
provided that the
potential for urban sprawl and settlement coalescence was
managed appropriately.
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Great Haddon, Peterborough
Planning StatementGreat Haddon Consortium
(O&H Properties Ltd, Marlborough Oasis Ltd, David Wilson
Homes Ltd)
David Lock Associates November 2009
13
3.10 The IGS also states that in the light of existing housing
pressures in the UK and
subsequent current focus on the concept of creating successful
urban extensions to
accommodate required new growth, delivery of truly sustainable
urban extensions in
Peterborough would help the area to lead the way in delivering
significant new
growth in an environmentally sustainable manner, thus
contributing towards its vision
of becoming the Environmental Capital of the UK. The
Peterborough Integrated
Growth Study sets out in its recommended spatial option (see
Appendix 7: Figure 2.3
The Recommended Option) that an urban extension area should be
located at Great
Haddon.
Local Planning Context
Peterborough Adopted Local Plan
3.11 The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 includes
transitional arrangements
from the old Local Plan system to the new LDF plan preparing
system. During this
transitional period policies from the statutory development plan
(under the provisions
of the Town and Country Act 1990) remain in force for a period
of time. In order to
ensure continuity in the plan-led system and a stable local
planning framework, the
Secretary of State issued a Direction in July 2008 stating all
but 20 policies from the
Peterborough Local Plan could be saved for a further period
until they were replaced
by policies in forthcoming Development Plan Documents
3.12 The assessment of the Great Haddon application proposals
against planning policy
in section 4 includes these saved policies.
Emerging Peterborough LDF
3.13 PPS3 (2006) requires local authorities to identify
sufficient land for at least 15 years
of housing supply from the date of adoption of the Core
Strategy. Peterborough City
Councils (PCC) Core Strategy Preferred Options (June 2008)) sets
out the location
of new housing and employment land, and the need for sustainable
urban extensions
in order to deliver the scale of growth that is expected of
Peterborough up to 2021
and beyond, in terms of both housing and employment
provision.
3.14 As the Core Strategy is not due for adoption until April
2011 it is necessary that it
incorporates provision for residential development to March
2026. The outstanding
net dwelling requirement to 2026 of 27,600 was established by
taking into account
remaining completions and outstanding permissions. The focus of
attention was
therefore on the options for locating these dwellings.
Opportunity Peterborough (OP)
(the citys Urban Regeneration Company) prepared the IGS with the
City Council in
2008, and the Recommended Spatial Option in the IGS was taken
forward as the
Preferred Option of the emerging Core Strategy.
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Great Haddon, Peterborough
Planning StatementGreat Haddon Consortium
(O&H Properties Ltd, Marlborough Oasis Ltd, David Wilson
Homes Ltd)
David Lock Associates November 2009
14
Timing of Outline Applications for Great Haddon
3.15 The outline planning applications for the Great Haddon
development area are
submitted to the City Council during a time of significant
change in Peterborough.
Since its inclusion in the governments
London-Stansted-Cambridge-Peterborough
Growth Area in 2003, the City Council and Opportunity
Peterborough have been
promoting the strategic growth of the city, in terms of
broadening employment
opportunities, promoting new development within the city centre,
exploring the
potential for redevelopment of district centres, and the
allocation of sustainable urban
extensions. These changes are being promoted through the Local
Development
Framework for Peterborough. The Core Strategy Preferred Options
(June 08) and
the Site Allocations DPD propose the inclusion of Great Haddon
as one of two
sustainable urban extensions to the city.
3.16 Great Haddon is the first of the two sustainable urban
extensions to be considered at
the outline planning application stage and will need to be
considered in advance of
the adoption of the LDF Core Strategy. This is supported in
principle by the City
Council and its partners in recognition of the need to make
early provision for the
delivery of such large scale developments if the targets of the
Growth Area are to be
met.
3.17 The decision to submit two outline applications reflects
development agreement and
land ownership arrangements only it is intended to submit,
progress and implement
both consents in tandem and having regard to market conditions,
with linked 106
agreements as necessary.
The Consultation Process and Evolution of the Scheme
3.18 Since 2004, the suitability of the site for development
(previously known as the
Strategic Southern Expansion of Peterborough) has been explored
both technically
and through a series of consultations and engagement with
relevant stakeholders
and policy makers. During the later stages of the evolution of
this scheme the
consultation process ran in tandem with the IGS and LDF process.
This is fully
documented in the Statement of Community Involvement.
3.19 A series of Working Papers (1-6) outlining the opportunity
for strategic growth in this
area were submitted to the City Council (PCC) and
Huntingdonshire District Council
(HDC) Planning Officers in May 2004 for information and
comment.
3.20 The submission of a Technical Assessment was presented to
PCC Planning Officers
in January 2006 (summarised in Working Paper 7) and a Member
Presentation was
made to PCC and HDC in August and September 2007
respectively.
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3.21 In September 2007 a stakeholder consultation workshop was
held to explore options
for the emerging development concept and to define key
principles for Great
Haddons development, which included a seminar exploring the key
issues relating to
strategic development, a master planning workshop and a site
visit (see Working
Paper 10 dated December 2007). Subsequent presentations and
discussions of the
proposals were made to local Ward Members in Spring 2008.
3.22 A public consultation event was held during May and June
2008, running in tandem
with the consultation on the emerging Peterborough LDF Core
Strategy Preferred
Options document (see Working Paper 11 and the Report of the
Public Consultation
for Great Haddon published in September 2008).
3.23 The results of the consultation process have been fully
documented in the Statement
of Community Involvement (SCI) accompanying the
applications.
3.24 The following is a list of organisations that the
applicants have made contact with as
part of the ongoing consultation process either through
briefings, meetings or
involvement in the stakeholder consultation events - prior to
the submission of the
outline applications:
Government Office for the East of England;
Peterborough City Council (various departments);
Cambridgeshire County Council (highways and archaeology);
Opportunity Peterborough;
Inspire East;
ATLAS;
Huntingdonshire District Council (Planning and Highways);
Environment Agency (EA) (various departments);
Internal Drainage Board / Middle Level Commissioners
(IDB/MLC);
Anglian Water;
Statutory Undertakers (various utility companies);
Highways Agency (HA) and its consultants Faber Maunsell;
Natural England (NE) (in relation to ecology and landscape);
English Heritage (EH) (in relation to Scheduled Ancient
Monument);
Peterborough Environment City Trust;
Cambridgeshire Constabulary;
Cambridgeshire Fire Service;
Peterborough Primary Care Trust;
Sport England;
Plantlife;
Buglife;
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Froglife;
Peterborough Natural Networks Group;
Cambridgeshire Bat Group;
Wildlife Trust for Cambridgeshire;
Stagecoach and other bus operators;
Yaxley Parish Council;
Local residents associations, business groups and local interest
groups.
The Application Proposals
Description of Development
3.25 The outline applications seek permission to develop the
Great Haddon area to create
a new sustainable urban extension for Peterborough. The range of
land uses
comprise:
Great Haddon Core Area:
up to 5,350 residential dwellings at an average density of 40
dwellings per ha
(ranging between 10dph in low density areas to 100 dph in the
district centre);
a district centre (with up to 9,200 square metres (99,031 sq.ft)
retail floor space)
and two neighbourhood centres (with up to 2,300 square metres
(24,758 sq.ft)
retail floor space in total), comprising district/neighbourhood
retail (A1-A5),
community and health (C2, D1), leisure (D2), residential (C3)
and commercial
(B1) uses;
provision for education facilities (sites for three primary and
one secondary
school);
sports and recreational facilities;
site for 5 gypsy and traveller pitches;
a range of strategic open spaces including new landscaping,
woodland and
allotments;
provision of land for a cemetery extension;
associated highway infrastructure (including pedestrian,
bridleway and cycle
routes), public transport infrastructure, and car parking for
all uses;
utilities and renewable energy infrastructure;
foul and surface water drainage networks (including SuDS and
lakes);
Great Haddon Employment Area:
up to 65 hectares of employment land (a mix of B1, B2 and B8
uses);
a site for a household recycling centre within the employment
area;
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associated highway infrastructure (including pedestrian,
bridleway and cycle
routes), public transport infrastructure, and car parking for
all uses;
utilities and renewable energy infrastructure;
foul and surface water drainage networks (including SuDS and
lakes).
The Land Use Budget
3.26 Detailed Land Use Budgets for the Great Haddon development
areas are included in
Appendix 8 and should be read in conjunction with the
Development Framework Plan
(Appendix 1).
Parameter Plans
3.27 Eight Parameter Plans for the Great Haddon development are
included as part of the
formal applications and explained in detail in the Design and
Access Statement
(DAS):
Parameter Plan PST021-DFP-01 Rev I - Development Framework (Land
Use); Parameter Plan PST021-DFP-02 B - Primary Movement Network;
Parameter Plan PST021-DFP-03 B - Public Transport Movement Network;
Parameter Plan PST021-DFP-04 B - Dedicated Pedestrian/Cycle and
Equestrian Routes; Parameter Plan PST021-DFP-05 B Density;
Parameter Plan PST021-DFP-06 B - Building Heights; Parameter Plan
PST021-DFP-07 C - Open Space Provision; Parameter Plan
PST021-DFP-08 B - Landscape Framework.
3.28 It is intended that the Parameter Plans to which the DAS
relates will be approved as
part of the outline planning permissions, thereby fixing the key
design elements of
the proposal. Section 1 of the DAS sets out how design issues
will be subsequently
controlled through a process of approval of Development Briefs
and/or Design Codes
for each phase of development.
3.29 The DAS is a single comprehensive document accompanying
both applications and
sets out how a co-ordinated approach to the design and context
of the Great Haddon
development area as a whole has been followed.
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Rights of Way
3.30 As part of the application proposals it is proposed to
divert three public rights of way
through the application sites as illustrated on Figure 8.13 (see
Appendix 9), namely:
Footpaths No 12 and 14; Bridleway No 2 / No 11 (also known as
the Peterborough
Green Wheel) and Bridleway No 1.
3.31 Should outline consent be granted for the two Great Haddon
applications, then
separate applications for formal Diversions will need to be made
and Orders granted.
Core Area Application
3.32 The rationale and justification for the diversions is
explained fully in the
Environmental Assessment Volume 1: Chapter 8. In summary
Footpaths No. 12 and
14 are proposed for partial diversion and incorporated into the
proposed open space
corridors provided as part of the development. Bridleway 2/11
(Green Wheel) is
proposed for partial diversion south of the Stanground Lode in
order to minimise
ecological impacts on the SAC through increased access and
disturbance, and to
provide an underpass crossing of the western peripheral road at
a location which
minimises environmental impacts. (also see the Environmental
Assessment Volume
1: Chapter 6)
Employment Area Application
3.33 A partial diversion of Bridleway No 1 (approximately 500m
in length and 30m east of
the existing) is also proposed as part of the Employment Area
application. This is to
allow safe crossing of the proposed employment access road and
construction of a
highway link to Fletton Parkway Junction 1. This is required to
access the
development as part of the overall transport strategy. The
diverted bridleway will be
reinstated within a landscaped area and further details are
contained within the
Design and Access Statement. The Environmental Assessment Volume
2: Figure
8.13 provides an illustration of the diversions in relation to
the overall development
area.
Section 106 Agreements
3.34 It is anticipated that consents for both applications will
be subject to the signing of
s106 agreements. At the request of the City Council, Appendix 11
sets out the draft
Heads of Terms for Great Haddon proposed by the applicants as
appropriate to the
scale and nature of development proposed.
3.35 These draft Heads of Terms have been drawn up with regard
to the provisions of
Circular 1/98 and taking into account the conclusions of the
technical assessments
and Environmental Assessment accompanying these
applications.
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4.0 EVALUATION OF PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT AGAINST CURRENT PLANNING
POLICY
National Guidance
4.1 Established national planning policy is contained in
planning policy guidance notes
(PPGs) and planning policy statements (PPSs). The key relevant
documents that
provide national guidance on the delivery of this sustainable
urban extension are:
PPS1: Delivering Sustainable Development (2005) and the
supplement to PPS1: Planning and Climate Change (2007)
PPS3: Housing (2006); PPG13: Transport (2001) PPG17: Planning
for Open Space, Sport and Recreation (2002); and PPS22: Renewable
Energy (2004)
4.2 The principle and allocation of the site for development is
underpinned by:
PPS11: Planning and Regional Strategies (2004) PPS12: Local
Spatial Planning (2008)
4.3 Sustainable development as defined in PPS1 also involves the
protection and
enhancement of the natural and historic environment, and the
quality and character
of the countryside. National guidance on these matters is
provided by:
PPS9: Biodiversity and Geological Conservation (2005) PPG15:
Planning and the Historic Environment (1994); and PPG16:
Archaeology and Planning (1990)
4.4 Other guidance documents of relevance are:
PPG4: Industrial and Commercial Development and Small Firms
(1992) and the Draft PPS4: Planning for Sustainable Economic
Development;
PPS6: Planning for Town Centres (2005) and Proposed Changes
(July 2008); and
Delivering Sustainable Development
4.5 Paragraph 3 of PPS1 states that sustainable development is
the core principle
underpinning planning and at the heart of sustainable
development is the simple idea
of ensuring a better quality of life for everyone, now and for
future generations.
Paragraph 5 identifies how planning can facilitate and promote
sustainable and
inclusive patterns of urban and rural development by:
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making suitable land available for development in line with
economic, social and
environmental objectives to improve peoples quality of life;
contributing to sustainable economic development;
protecting and enhancing the natural and historic environment,
the quality and
character of the countryside, and existing communities;
ensuring high quality development through good and inclusive
design, and the
efficient use of resources; and
ensuring that development supports existing communities and
contributes to the
creation of safe, sustainable, liveable and mixed communities
with good access
to jobs and key services for all members of the community.
4.6 Paragraph 7 of PPS1 emphasises the need for a transparent,
flexible, predictable,
efficient and effective planning system if these broad
objectives are to be achieved,
including the provision of a framework (regional spatial
strategies and local
development documents) based on a shared vision drawn up with
extensive
community involvement.
4.7 PPS12 provides guidance on how local authorities through
their core strategies could
identify and allocate suitable strategic sites to accommodate
identified growth needs.
Whilst the Core Strategy looks to the long term, Paragraph 4.7
of PPS12 states it
may be beneficial for delivery if the details of key sites are
included in the Core
Strategy, if these sites are central to the achievement of the
strategy and where
investment/ delivery requires a long lead-in. The Great Haddon
Urban Extension
Area (covering both application areas) has been identified in
the Peterborough LDF
Core Strategy Preferred Options.
4.8 Paragraph 7 of PPS1 is also relevant as it allows for
flexibility from local planning
authorities should sites come forward that achieve the broad
objectives of
sustainable development. With regard to the Great Haddon
proposal, the site has
already been identified through the planning policy preparation
process following the
housing growth requirements identified for Peterborough
initially arising from the
districts inclusion in the LondonStanstedCambridgePeterborough
Growth Area.
4.9 The emerging Local Development Framework identifies Great
Haddon as an
appropriate location for a mixed use urban extension to the City
of up to 6000
dwellings. To date, the Great Haddon proposal has been prepared
in tandem with
the preparation of the Core Strategy. This has helped to
demonstrate the
deliverability of the preferred option for the largest urban
expansion in the district
whilst also ensuring the timescale for delivering the housing
can be met. The type
and amount of development proposed within the urban extension is
in accordance
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with emerging Core Strategy policies (Preferred Options CS1, CS2
and CS3) and is
discussed in more detail in 4.70 below.
4.10 The public and stakeholder consultation which has taken
place for Great Haddon has
been documented within the SCI. Paragraph 11 of PPS1 supports
the early
engagement of all stakeholders in the process of plan making and
bringing forward
development proposals which helps to identify issues and
problems at an early stage
and allows dialogue and discussion of the options.
4.11 Paragraph 12 of PPS1 also explains how pre-application
discussions are critically
important and benefit both developers and local planning
authorities in ensuring a
better mutual understanding of objectives and the constraints
that exist. In the
course of such discussions proposals can be adapted to ensure
that they better
reflect community aspirations and address all the relevant
issues. By adopting a
positive attitude towards early engagement in pre-application
discussions, formal
applications can be dealt with in a more certain and speedy
manner and the quality
of decisions can be better assured.
4.12 The consultation activity undertaken by the applicants has
helped understand the
communitys aspirations and objectives as well as those defined
in Paragraph 3 of
PPS1. The evolving development concept and Development Framework
Plan for
Great Haddon has been underpinned by high quality and inclusive
design principles
that help to create a balanced and integrated development which
avoids segregation
and has well-planned public spaces that bring people together
and provide
opportunities for community activity and recreation, resulting
in a place that will
function well not just for the short term but over the lifetime
of the development and
beyond.
4.13 PPS3 sets out the national planning policy framework for
delivering the
Governments housing objectives and complements the objectives of
PPS1.
Paragraph 9 of PPS3 states that the Governments key housing
policy goal is to
ensure that everyone has the opportunity of living in a decent
home, which they can
afford, in a community where they want to live. To achieve this,
the Government is
seeking, amongst other things, to create sustainable, inclusive,
mixed communities in
all areas, both urban and rural.
4.14 Matters which have been considered (in line with Paragraph
16 of PPS3) and
identified on the Parameter Plans are: accessibility and
connection to public
transport, community facilities and services, efficient, safe
and user friendly spaces,
good access to public open space and green corridors via
pedestrian walkways and
cycle routes, a well integrated development that respects the
neighbouring (listed)
buildings, SAM and safeguards biodiversity, and how the
development reflects the
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local area more generally in terms of scale, density, layout and
access, and a range
and mix of housing that responds to identified local targets and
needs. Further
details are provided in section 6 of the DAS.
4.15 Of equal importance is the efficient use of resources and a
reduction in any impact
on climate change. Paragraph 8 of the Supplement to PPS1 also
states that the
planning system needs to support the delivery of the timetable
for reducing carbon
emissions from domestic and non-domestic buildings. The draft
Sustainability
Statement submitted in support of the application sets out the
way in which the Great
Haddon scheme is responding to the climate change agenda.
4.16 The provision of open space within the development is
guided by PPG17 which
states that well designed and implemented planning policies for
open space, sport
and recreation are fundamental to delivering the broader
Government objectives
including; supporting urban renaissance, promoting social
inclusion, health and well
being and the promotion of sustainable development. The guidance
addresses the
issues of maintaining an adequate supply of and adequate
provision of open space
and recreational sports facilities. The amount of open space
(including playing fields)
provided with the two application areas equates to 156.75 ha
(40.2% of the
application areas). Further details of the nature and type of
open space and green
infrastructure provided can be found in section 6 of the
DAS.
4.17 PPG13 emphasises the role of land use planning in
delivering an integrated transport
strategy. The prime objectives of PPG13 seek a closer
correlation between land use
planning and transport and the objectives of sustainable
development set out above
clearly identifies the important role of transport in delivering
these objectives.
4.18 The Great Haddon proposals include the promotion of more
sustainable transport
choices; the promotion of accessibility to jobs, shopping,
leisure facilities and
services by public transport, walking and cycling; and a
reduction in the need to
travel. Parameter Plan 02B: Primary Movement Network determines
the primary
movement corridors through the Great Haddon development area
(including the
realignment of the A15 London Road into the site), and shows the
main access
points into the site from the surrounding road network.
Parameter Plan 03B: Public
Transport Movement Network shows how public transport (bus)
routes and bus only
links through the development area and how they connect with the
surrounding
network, including bus priority options.
4.19 Parameter Plan 04B: Dedicated Pedestrian Cycle and
Equestrian Routes shows how
new dedicated cycle, pedestrian and equestrian routes through
the development will
link with existing and enhance routes in the surrounding
area.
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Protection and Enhancement of the Environment
4.20 Sustainable development as defined in PPS1 also involves
the protection and
enhancement of the natural and historic environment, and the
quality and character
of the countryside. National guidance on these matters is
provided by: PPS9:
Biodiversity and Geological Conservation (2005); PPG15: Planning
and the Historic
Environment (1994); and PPG16: Archaeology and Planning
(1990).
4.21 PPGs 15 and 16 provide a framework that protect, for
example: scheduled ancient
monuments (SAM); listed buildings; the settings of these sites;
and conservation
areas. There are no SAMs, listed buildings or conservation areas
within the
application sites. However, SAM CB268 lies to the immediate
southwest of the
Great Haddon Core Area, with two listed buildings positioned
close to the southern
application site boundary.
4.22 The archaeological surveys and fieldwork have identified
four distinct areas of
potential archaeological activity as well as periphery features
within the application
sites. None of the sites are considered to be of such
archaeological significance as
to require preservation in situ and thereby preclude
development. It is proposed that
a programme of archaeological work will be carried out prior to
the start of
construction to record any archaeological features from within
the site. This work will
preserve the archaeological features by record, as specified in
PPG16.
4.23 The Development Framework Plan (ref: PST021/DFP/01 Rev I)
fixes the boundary of
built development in the vicinity of the SAM and listed
buildings, allowing for an open,
landscaped buffer to preserve the setting of the SAM and listed
buildings..
4.24 The DFP also sets development back from the existing A15,
and proposes the
diversion of the A15 into the Core Area application site away
from the existing
village, thereby minimising any adverse impact on the setting of
the Yaxley
Conservation Area to the east. This approach has been agreed
with English
Heritage, Cambridgeshire County Council, Peterborough City
Council and
Huntingdonshire District Council, and is explained more fully in
the DAS and the
Environmental Assessment Volume 1: Chapters 7 and 8.
4.25 Orton Pit Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)/
Special Area of Conservation
(SAC)/ candidate Special Area of Conservation (cSAC) lies
adjacent to the boundary
of both application sites. Detailed ecological survey work has
been undertaken over
a number of years and a desk study has been undertaken to
collect ecological
information from the wider area and the study area for field
based ecological surveys
extends beyond the application site boundaries. (see
Environmental Assessment
Volume 3: Appendix 6.5).
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4.26 The range of surveys and methods have been agreed with
Peterborough City
Council, Cambridgeshire County Council, Environment Agency and
Natural England.
The notification under Section 28c of the Wildlife and
Countryside Act 1981 states
the reasons for the SSSI designation, namely:
Great crested newts
Standing water habitats
Assemblage of rare and scarce charophyte species
(stoneworts)
Geological features
4.27 The identification and classification of Special Areas of
Conservation arises under
the EC Habitats Directive. Article 3 of the Habitats Directive
requires the
establishment of a European network of important high-quality
conservation sites that
will make a significant contribution to conserving the habitat
types and species
identified in Annexes I and II of the Directive (as amended).
The reasons for
selection of Orton Pit SAC include the following habitats and
species:
Annex I Habitat hard oligo-mesotrophic waters with benthic
vegetation of Chara
sp.
Annex II Species Great crested newt Triturus cristatus.
4.28 The cSAC area was put forward to the European Commission on
31 March 2006 as
a significant boundary extension to the existing Orton Pit
SAC.
4.29 Joness Covert Woodland complex is a County Wildlife Site
and comprises several
areas of woodland in close proximity. Joness Covert woodland
itself lies outside the
site boundary but also forms part of the Orton Pit SAC.
4.30 The Nene Washes SSSI/SAC lies approximately 5km to the
north-east of the
application sites. Although there is no shared boundary between
the application
sites and this SAC, the Stanground Lode (a stream) runs through
the Great Haddon
Core Area and discharges into the River Nene (and then into the
SSSI/SAC). The
Nene Washes supports nationally and internationally important
populations of
wildfowl and wading birds. The site is also notable for the
diversity of plant and
associated animal life within its network of waterways.
4.31 The application proposals have been developed with the
existing ecological
resources of the study area in mind, balancing impacts on
particular species or
habitats through an iterative process, taking into account all
relevant issues relating
to requirements, for example, for remediation and construction.
The ecology
baseline has provided guiding constraints to these other
requirements that have
been fine-tuned as further ecological survey data emerged to
inform the
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Development Framework Plan. Further details can be found in the
Environmental
Assessment Volume 1: Chapter 6.
4.32 An outline biodiversity strategy for the site is included
in the Environmental
Assessment Volume 3: Appendix 6.2 and is supported by detailed
strategies to cover
the key issues that have been raised at the EIA scoping stage
and in pre-application
discussions. Additional strategies can be found in Appendices
6.3 and 6.4 and
include a Newt Connectivity Strategy and an Access Management
Strategy.
4.33 The key principles which are covered within these
strategies are:
1. To protect the Orton Pit SSSI/SAC/cSAC;
2. To provide suitable receptor habits for species that will
require translocation from
areas proposed for development;
3. To provide new habitat and biodiversity opportunities
throughout the site;
4. To encourage connectivity of newt habitat from the habitats
on site to the
SSSI/SAC/cSAC;
5. To create green corridors through the site and into the wider
countryside;
6. To provide public access to parts of the site and limit
access to more sensitive
habitats in particular the SSSI/SAC/cSAC.
4.34 Further details of the ecological strategy, mitigation and
compensation proposals will
be progressed in consultation with Peterborough City Council and
relevant statutory
agencies through future development briefs and/or reserved
matters applications and
in response to planning conditions should outline consents be
granted. The Access
Management Strategy for Orton Pit sets out a range of measures
to control
unauthorised access to the Orton Pit SSSI/SAC/cSAC by people and
domestic pets
in line with the formally agreed management and implemented
arrangements for the
Reserve.
4.35 Detailed proposals and arrangements for future amendments
to the control of public
access to Orton Pit will be progressed by O & H Hampton as
landowner of the
reserve, in consultation with the City Council, relevant
statutory consultees and the
reserve management organisation. Such discussions can only take
place within the
framework provided by the existing management plan for the
reserve which will be
amended as appropriate by the adjacent development proposal.
Other National Guidance
4.36 PPG4 takes a positive approach to the location of new
business developments and
assisting small firms through the planning system. The main
objective is that
economic growth and a high-quality environment should be pursued
together. The
locational demands of industry should be a key consideration in
drawing up plans.
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Development plans should weigh the importance of industrial and
commercial
development with that of maintaining and improving environmental
quality. The
Great Haddon Employment Area proposes 65ha of employment land
contributing to
sustainable economic development by providing jobs in this key
location. The site
will be served by good public transport links which will
minimise the length and
number of trips, especially by motor vehicles. The type of
employment and jobs
created is summarised in paragraphs 0 to 4.87.
4.37 The Government is committed to the provision of sustainable
communities, whereby
everyone has access to a good range of services and employment
opportunities.
PPS6 emphasises this importance of access to services and
establishes that
enhancing consumer choice by making provision for a range of
shopping, leisure and
local services, which allow genuine choice to meet the needs of
the entire
community. This highlights the need to make adequate provision
for existing and
future residents, especially when relating to new mixed use and
residential
developments. In April 2009 the Government published Draft PPS4:
Planning for
Prosperous Economies (Draft PPS4). The document is currently out
for consultation
and once adopted, will replace PPG4: Industrial, Commercial
Development and
Small Firms, PPG5: Simplified Planning Zones, PPS6: Planning for
Town Centres
and the economic development aspects of PPS7: Sustainable
Development in Rural
Areas.
4.38 In order to facilitate the delivery of this sustainable
mixed use urban extension, a new
District Centre and two new Neighbourhood Centres are proposed
as part of the
Great Haddon development. Although no Retail Impact Assessment
(RIA) was
requested by the City Council as part of the formal Scoping
Opinion it has
subsequently been agreed to provide this at the request of PCC
to address any
impact on surrounding centres. The RIA forms part of the
supporting information for
the Core Area application.
Regional, Sub Regional and Strategic Policy
4.39 Section 3 of this Planning Statement highlights the support
that can be found within
Strategic Policy for the Great Haddon proposals The London-
Stansted-Cambridge-
Peterborough (LSCP) Growth Area was first designated as one of
the Governments
four Growth Areas by the Sustainable Communities Plan (February
2003). The LSCP
Study (August 2004), and the Peterborough Growth Area Study
(August 2004)
were prepared to inform the East of England Plan (RSS14) both
recognised that
there were several strategic opportunities for growth in and
around the city which
merited further investigation. The area subject of this
application was identified in
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both studies as an area suitable for accommodating strategic
growth (Appendix 6
and 7).
4.40 These conclusions have been borne out in the background
strategic assessment and
sieve analysis undertaken in May 2004 by David Lock Associates
as set out in the
Working Papers (Working Paper 2: Options for Growth (May 2004)
included within
Great Haddon Statement of Community Involvement).
Regional Spatial Strategy for the East of England (RSS) (May
2008)
4.41 The RSS or East of England Plan sets out the regional
strategy for planning and
development in the East of England to the year 2021. The Plan
was adopted in May
2008 but an early review is currently being undertaken to update
policies for housing,
employment and the environment, and extend the timescale of the
Plan to 2031.
4.42 The regional policy document responds to a number of
regional policy drivers by
Putting in place a framework that promotes sustainable
development, especially to
address housing shortages, support the continued growth of the
economy and
enable all areas to share in prosperity, whilst driving up
energy efficiency and carbon
performance, improving water efficiency and recycling an
increasing percentage of
waste; and also Concentrating growth at the key centres for
development and
change, which include all the regions main urban areas and have
potential to
accommodate substantial development in sustainable ways to 2021
and beyond,
whilst maintaining the general extent of the green belt
(paragraph 1.11). However,
the RSS also requires growth to be reconciled with protection of
the environment and
to avoid adverse effects on sites European or international
importance for nature
conservation.
4.43 Policy SS3: Key Centres for Development and Change
designates Peterborough as
a suitable location for development which could be delivered in
accordance with the
principles of Policy SS1: Achieving Sustainable Development and
Policy SS2:
Overall Spatial Strategy. Paragraph 3.13 further sets out that
concentrating
development at these locations will make the most of existing
infrastructure and the
potential for improvements or extensions.
4.44 The principal aims for each of the centres are set out in
Section 13, Sub-Areas and
Key Centres for Development and Change. Policy PB1: Peterborough
Key Centre
for Development and Change, states that the strategy is for
growth and regeneration
to strengthen Peterboroughs role as a major regional centre and
focus of the
northern part of the London-Stansted-Cambridge-Peterborough
Growth Area.
Policies should seek to achieve an increase of at least 20,000
additional jobs in the
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period 2001-2021 together with strong housing growth,
sustainable transport
improvements and provision of social, community and green
infrastructure.
4.45 It is recognised that Peterboroughs influence extends over
a wide geographical area
with the potential to develop the Citys role even further as a
principal commercial,
retail and service centre for the north western part of the East
of England and East
Midlands.
4.46 The RSS also sets out other principles which have been
incorporated into the City
Councils emerging LDF such as affordable housing provision, the
natural
environment and climate change. To meet regional and national
targets for reducing
climate change emissions, new development should be located and
designed to
optimise its carbon performance Policy H2 requires Development
Plan Documents to
monitor and deliver against the target for some 35% of housing
coming forward as
affordable.
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Structure Plan 2003
4.47 Following the approval of RSS14 (the East of England Plan)
by the Secretary of
State on 12 May 2008, 13 policies from the Cambridgeshire and
Peterborough
Structure Plan 2003 remain in force. Of these only the following
two are relevant to
this application:
P6/1 Development-related Provision
P8/10 Transport Investment Priorities
4.48 Policy P6/1 sets out that development will only be
permitted where the additional
infrastructure and community requirements generated by the
proposals can be
secured, which may be by condition or legal agreement or
undertaking.
4.49 Policy P8/10 highlights that implementation of the
following transport schemes will be
sought over the Structure Plan period to meet strategic
requirements and the needs
of major developments. These transport schemes include :
measures to increase the capacity, usage and safety of
pedestrian and cycle
routes:
improvements to local roads that will increase the efficient
operation of the whole
transport system including Park and Ride sites for Cambridge,
Peterborough,
Market Towns and other locations;
bus priorities on key radial routes into Cambridge, Peterborough
and the Market
Towns.
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Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Waste Local Plan (2003)
4.50 The Waste Local Plan addresses the land use planning
aspects of waste
management in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. It sets out the
policies and
proposals of the Waste Plan Areas (WPA) and provides the first
comprehensive
framework for determining planning applications for waste
development within the
Plan area.
4.51 The overall goal of the Waste Local Plan is set out as
being to achieve sustainable
waste management in the plan area. The Executive Summary states
that the goal is
'To provide a sustainable strategy and policy framework for
sustainable waste
management in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, in accordance
with the adopted
National Waste Strategy guidelines and the principles of Best
Practicable
Environmental Option; Regional Self-sufficiency and the
Proximity Principle.
4.52 In terms of sustainable waste management policies, Policy
WLP1 sets out that all
proposals for waste development will be considered in the
context of achieving the
best practicable environmental option taking into account
regional self-sufficiency,
the proximity principle and the waste hierarchy.
4.53 With regards to resource recovery and energy and waste,
policy WLP2 states that
all waste development proposals will need to demonstrate that,
wherever
practicable, they contain integrated proposals to recover
resources from waste. It
highlights that this can be achieved through recycling,
composting or energy
recovery.
4.54 The policy recognises the fact that notwithstanding the
benefits of resource recovery,
it will not take place unless it is economically viable. The
Plan highlights that this
may lead to the establishment of strategic waste management
sites, which have a
range of integrated waste management facilities i.e. where more
than one method of
waste management is used. Alternatively, recovery may take place
on individual
sites that are linked to other facilities, thus still achieving
integration of waste
management practices.
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Minerals and Waste Development
Plan Documents (2008)
4.55 The emerging Mineral and Waste Plan comprises three
Development Plan
Documents:
(i) The Core Strategy Preferred Options 2 sets out the strategic
vision and
objectives of the plan and includes development control policies
which guide
minerals and waste development;
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(ii) The Site Specific Proposals Plan Preferred Options 2 sets
out proposals for
minerals and waste at specific sites and provides policies
supporting these
proposals; and
(iii) The Earith / Mepal Area Action Plan (which is not relevant
to the Great Haddon
proposals).
4.56 Until the adoption of the Minerals and Waste Plan (the EiP
is scheduled for late 2010
with adoption in 2011), the saved policies of the Cambridgeshire
and Peterborough
Waste Local Plan (2003) and Cambridgeshire Aggregates (Minerals)
Local Plan
(1991) remain in force. However, the draft policies below are a
material
consideration in the determination of the application:
Core Strategy Preferred Option CS13 - Location of Future
Waste
Management Facilities and Commercial Resource Recovery and
Recycling
Facilities (non-landfill); and
Preferred Option CS14 (Household) Recycling Centres
4.57 Policy CS13 proposes a strategic allocation at Great Haddon
(labelled in the
document as the site West of Peterborough and also labelled
Orton (refined) in
the Site Specific Plan -Site Reference 115, Policy SS4). The
intention of the policy is
to provide an area of search for either type of facility.
Provision for a householders
waste recycling facility has been incorporated into the
proposals, and a general
location has been identified on the Development Framework
Plan.
Core Strategy Preferred Option CS23 - Safeguarding Mineral
Resources.
4.58 Mineral Safeguarding Areas (MSA) have been defined for
deposits of sand and
gravel, brick clay, limestone and chalk that are considered to
be of current or future
economic importance. The Mineral Planning Authority (MPA) must
be consulted on
planning applications for major developments in these areas.
4.59 The purpose of the MSA is to highlight the presence of an
economic mineral and to
ensure that land use planning decisions are not taken without
considering the finite
resource. The assumption is that development proposals would
need to be
accompanied by an appropriate assessment of the quality of the
mineral reserve and
the economic viability of extraction, which would also be
assessed against other
available reserves and predicted demand.
4.60 Notwithstanding the fact that the principle of the
development of the site has been
established through Peterborough City Councils Core Strategy
Preferred Options
Policies CS1, CS2 and CS3, both application areas include part
of a proposed MSA-
known as Site SS2-5 Orton.
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4.61 Two reports have previously been submitted to the MPA on
behalf of O&H Properties
detailing why the clay reserves identified in the MSA are
unsuitable for extraction and
should not be safeguarded. In addition, Schedule 5 of the S106
Agreement for
planning permission to extract clay at Must Farm and Kings Dyke
at Whittlesey is
particularly relevant, in that it states that previous
permissions to work minerals at the
Orton Pit Reserve have been revoked by the granting of these
permissions. The
ownership of surface and minerals are separate and there are
expressly no rights for
the land to be worked.
Local Planning Policy
Peterborough Local Plan (First Replacement) (2005)
Saved Policies
4.62 The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 includes
transitional arrangements
from the old Local Plan system to the new LDF plan preparing
system. The SoS
agreed in July 2008 that Peterborough City Council could save
all but 20 of the local
plan policies for a further period. The proposed development at
Great Haddon has
been identified through the planning policy preparation process
following the housing
growth requirements identified for Peterborough initially
arising from the inclusion in
the London Stansted Cambridge Peterborough Growth Area,
designated 8
years after the adoption of the Local Plan in 1995. Therefore
the adopted local plan
does not contain any specific policies to support a sustainable
mixed use urban
extension on an unallocated greenfield site in this location.
However, some of the
district-wide adopted Local Plan policies are still relevant
considerations for Great
Haddon and the local plan remains one of the statutory documents
against which the
planning applications must be assessed. The relevant policies
are listed here but are
considered in detail under the respective headings below:
Housing Provision- Policies H7 (unallocated sites), H20 (range)
, H21( affordable) and H23 (lifetime);
Density- H15 (density);
Employment Provision- Policy OIW5 (location);
Retail Provision -Policies R1 and R2 (scale nature and
location);
Community and Education Facilities- Polices CF7 (health) and CF8
(community buildings)
Open Space Provision Policies LT1 (level and type, and Appendix
VII- Minimum Standards), LNE6 (buffer zones), LNE9 (landscape),
LNE10 (details),
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LNE11 and LNE12 (trees, woodlands and hedgerows), and T2
(footpaths/PROW)
Transport- Policies T1 (new development), T3 (accessibility), T4
(cycle network), T5, (cyclists), T6 and T7 (public transport,) and
T8 (connections to
highway);
Protection of Natural and Historical Environment- Policies CBE1
(SAM), CBE7 (Listings) and LNE18 ( RIGS),
4.63 In light of the timescale of the emerging local development
framework, the planning
applications for Great Haddon have been progressed in tandem
with the preparation
of the Core Strategy. This helps to demonstrate the
deliverability of the preferred
option for the largest urban expansion in the district whilst
also ensuring the
timescale for delivering the housing can be met.
Local Development Framework Core Strategy Preferred Options
(March 2008)
4.64 Preferred Option CS1 sets out that overall development
strategy is to focus the
majority of new development in and around the urban area of the
City of
Peterborough, creating strong, sustainable, cohesive and
inclusive mixed-use
communities. Paragraph 5.3.11 recognises that the scale of
housing growth that the
RSS requires for Peterborough means that there will need to be
significant reliance
on urban extensions to deliver not simply dwellings but complete
sustainable,
inclusive, mixed use communities.
4.65 The locations for the two proposed new urban extensions of
which Great Haddon is
the largest - are based on the evidence and conclusions from the
IGS, which
examined all potential alternatives against a comprehensive
range of constraints
information and evaluation criteria. In total, around 15,300
additional dwellings in
Peterborough are planned to be delivered from extensions to the
urban area in the
period 2007 to 2026. Great Haddon is identified as a location
for up to 6,000 of
these new dwellings.
Site Allocations and Planning Policies Development Plan
Documents (DPD) (Issues and Options) 2008
4.66 The City Council is currently preparing Site Allocations
and Planning Policies DPDs.
These documents will identify sites and allocate land for
different types of
development throughout the District. Although at a early stage
of preparation, Great
Haddon is included in both the Site Allocations and Planning
Policies Issues and
Options documents (Site UE001 refers), reflecting its
identification as an urban