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2015

Note: This plan is provided for purposes of siteidentification only.

DOV 15 00256

Land at Salvatori

North of Grove Road

Preston

CT3 1EF

TR24906152

Dover District Council Licence Number 100019780published

Dover District Council

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Dover District Council

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Dover District Council

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Dover District Council

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Dover District Council

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Dover District Council

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a) DOV/15/00256 - Reserved matters application for the erection of 70

residential dwellings and related infrastructure on Site B (details pursuant to outline permission DOV/14/00842 - for the erection of 73 residential dwellings and related infrastructure, together with the creation of meadow land (existing buildings to be demolished)) - Land at Salvatori, North of Grove Road, Preston

Reason for report: The number of third party contrary views. b) Summary of Recommendation Recommend approval. c) Planning Policy, Guidance and Material Considerations Dover District Core Strategy

• Policy CP4 sets out that development should identify the purpose of the development in terms of creating, reinforcing or restoring the local housing market in which they are located and develop an appropriate housing mix and design.

• Policy DM13 requires that parking provision is a design-led process, based upon the characteristics of the site, locality and the nature of the proposed development.

• Policy DM15 states that development that would adversely affect the

character or appearance of the countryside will only be permitted if it meets certain criteria. Development should incorporate measures to reduce, as far as practicable, any harmful effects on countryside character.

Land Allocations Local Plan

• Policy DM27 requires that development will be required to provide or contribute towards the provision of open space, which includes outdoor sports facilities and equipped play space.

National Planning Policy Framework

The NPPF states that at its heart is a presumption in favour of sustainable development. It emphasises the importance of good design and states that developments should be visually attractive as a result of good architecture and appropriate landscaping and should function well and add to the quality of the area.

Kent Design Guide (KDG) The Kent Design Guide sets out design principles for new development.

Manual for Streets (2007) and Manual for Streets 2 (2010)

Manual for Streets provides guidance and case studies on residential street design, to encompass both urban and rural situations.

Building for Life (2012) Building for Life provides advice to create attractive, functional and sustainable places.

Preston Parish Plan The Preston Parish Plan 2006 comprises parishioners’ views on subjects such as traffic, transport, crime and housing and provides an action plan.

Preston Village Design Statement The Design Statement sets out key principles for development.

d) Relevant Planning History

DOV/14/00842 - Outline application for the erection of 73 residential dwellings and related infrastructure, together with the creation of meadow-land (existing buildings to be demolished) (all matters reserved) – granted.

e) Consultee and Third Party Responses County Highways: The amended plans are acceptable in highways terms.

The layout is in accordance with Kent Design and Manual for Streets and the amount of vehicle parking is in accordance with Core Strategy policy DM13. The details are also sufficient to satisfy conditions 35, 40 and 41.

Ecological Officer: No objections. Is pleased that hedging is used for separating rear boundaries of properties. The Landscape Management and Maintenance Plan is satisfactory.

Environmental Health: No comments. Southern Water: Confirms that there is capacity within the existing sewerage

system to accommodate the foul-only flows from the proposed development site. Provides advice and states that Southern Water will require a formal application for a connection to the public sewer to be made by the applicant.

Environment Agency: No objections. Veolia Water: No comments received. Community Safety: No comments received. Public Rights of Way: No comments. EDF Energy: No comments received. Scotia Gas Networks: No comments received. Transco: No comments received.

Natural England: No objections. Provides advice. Canterbury City Council: No observations.

County Archaeology: Requests a condition for a staged programme of archaeological investigation comprising evaluation, to be followed by appropriate safeguarding and/or recording measures.

Internal Drainage Board: No comments received. Fire Officer: No comments received. Preston Parish Council:

• The Parish Council agrees that the dwellings on the outer line of the site should face outwards to maintain the linear appearance of the village. It would be good to incorporate some soft landscaping in the form of hedges, to soften the appearance of the development;

• The most important buildings are those on the periphery of the site and particular care should be taken with the detail of these;

• It is encouraging that the developer proposes to use rainwater goods having the appearance of cast iron. Whilst the orange brick used at Charing was considered to be appropriate, it may be appropriate to build some houses using a yellow stock brick. Consideration should also be given to the use of ‘quarter bond’ brickwork;

• White weatherboard is not appropriate, as it does not appear as prominent features in the village and tends to discolour. Other colours would be better;

• Consideration should be given to road surfaces. The road to Grove Ferry gives a grey gravel appearance, rather than the usual tarmac and that finish should be considered for the estate roads;

• Although not part of the application, serious thought needs to be given to using the opportunity for the provision of traffic calming along the main route through the village, together with safe pedestrian access.

Public Representations: Eight letters of objection have been received, stating the following:

• The application does not include the three dwellings on the Salvatori site, there is no provision of affordable housing and the gift of land for affordable land is not included;

• The site now removes all hedging and exposes the site adjacent to a Conservation Area;

• It would increase the sewage problems, which cannot be dealt with at present levels. If the site is connected, it would lead to increased flooding or raw sewage into the properties currently connected;

• Will the developer be charged for the extensive cost to upgrade the system or will the cost be down to Southern Water and ultimately on the general public in the form of increased water charges?

• The drainage from surface water is shown to drain into existing waterways;

• The pumping station breaks on a regular basis already and more pressure on the pumping station will cause more problems;

• Concerns that surface water will run down into polluted areas and then leach into the Preston, Deerson Stream and Preston marsh drainage system, where there are many species;

• Has pollution from the lorry site been assessed? • Removal of asbestos; • Over-development on Grade I agricultural land when adequate

brownfield land is available; • Concerns that the application has been submitted for half of the

original site; • Queries about ensuring that the change of use and remediation of

the Salvatori site will be controlled; • There is no common recreational or community area within the

development; • The layout of the entrances from Grove Road and Stourmouth Road; • The application does not comply with the restrictions on

DOV/14/00842; • There is no mention of traffic calming measures from Wingham or at

the Stourmouth village exit; • The proposal does not comply with the Village Design Statement; • Supports the better integration along the road to reflect the linear

build currently in the village. f) 1. The Site and the Proposal

1.1 The application site relates to a 5 hectare area of farmland that fronts

Stourmouth Road and Grove Road in Preston. Part of the land has been used as an apple orchard and the rest of the land has been used for strawberry crops and is currently under arable cultivation. The fields have established windbreak hedges along the boundaries.

1.2 The site is one of three parcels of land that formed the previous

outline consent DOV/14/00842, for the erection of 73 residential dwellings and creation of meadow-land. The other two parcels of land are the two depots located off Grove Road and are not part of this planning application. All sites were owned by Salvatori and this parcel of land has since been sold to David Wilson Homes, the applicant of this application.

1.3 This planning application is a Reserved Matters application and seeks

planning consent for seventy dwellings. The application is not to revisit the principles of development, which have already been accepted under the outline application. Instead, the considerations for assessment are the Reserved Matters details, which are the landscaping, appearance, layout, access and scale of the proposed residential development.

1.4 The proposed layout shows the provision of 70 dwellings – all of which

are road-fronting, predominantly detached dwellings. There would be ten main house types provided within the scheme, incorporating a variety of designs and finishes.

1.5 An adopted road would run through the site, linking two vehicular

accesses off Grove Road and Stourmouth Road. Accesses would lead off the main route, providing access to residential perimeter blocks. Internal pedestrian footpaths would connect the site to the meadowland and the public footpath network to the south, with internal footways through the site to a centrally located play area.

1.6 A Biodiversity Action Plan, Landscape Management and Maintenance

Plan, Soft Landscape Specification and Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment have been submitted as part of the application. Details have also been submitted in relation to some of the conditions attached to the outline consent.

1.7 Plans will be on display.

2. Main Issues

2.1 Matters of principle have already been accepted under the outline consent and are not for further consideration under this Reserved Matters application. This includes matters such as the principle of use of the site for housing, the provision of affordable housing, the number and type of residential units, the traffic implications arising from the number of dwellings and the financial contributions.

2.2 A number of other matters will be resolved when details relating to

conditions to the outline consent are submitted. This includes the proposed measures for foul sewage disposal and surface water, remediation measures required for the depot sites and the pedestrian improvements in Preston (which will be subject to a separate Section 278 application to KCC Highways). As such, these matters are also not for consideration under this Reserved Matters application. Reference has nevertheless been made to some of these issues (in particular drainage) within the report, where they have been raised in letters of representation.

2.3 The main issues for consideration are:

• Policy context and background; • Layout and design; • Highways implications; • Provision of play-space; • Drainage; • Conditions and Section 106 requirements.

3. Assessment Policy context and background 3.1 Outline planning permission was granted by Members at Planning

Committee (14/12/2014 - agenda item 86) for the erection of 73 residential dwellings and related infrastructure. This involved the demolition of the Salvatori depots, the cessation of the business and

the remediation of the land and the creation of publically accessible meadowland.

3.2 A legal agreement accompanied the Decision Notice, which included a

number of obligations and triggers for their implementation. In summary, the Section 106 Agreement includes the following obligations:

• Demolition and removal of all buildings from the depot site; • Cessation of operations and traffic movements associated

with the operation of the buildings; • Remediation of the depot site; • Completion and maintenance of meadowland; • To permit public use of the meadowland; • An affordable housing site option for the Council; • Affordable Housing contribution; • Outdoor Sports contribution; • Green Infrastructure contribution; • Village Hall contribution; • Submission of a Community Space Scheme as part of the

Reserved Matters application; • Establish a management company; • Library contribution; • Primary Education contribution; • Secondary Education contribution; • Public Rights of Way contribution; • Covenant to relocate the Salvatori business.

3.3 A condition to the outline Decision Notice requires that the mix of

housing to be provided at this site is for 10 3-bed dwellings, 28 4-bed dwellings and 32 5-bed dwellings. This has been complied with.

3.4 Some of the concerns raised by third parties within this Reserved

Matters application relate to matters of principle that were considered under the outline consent – however, as mentioned under paragraph 2.1, the principle of residential development on this site for 70 dwellings is not for consideration under this application.

3.5 In addition, the trigger points for the cessation of the Salvatori

business, the demolition of the depots, remediation and the provision of meadowland are all controlled under the legal agreement attached to the outline consent and are therefore not for consideration under this application. A number of the trigger points are specifically connected to the residential development at this site and the applicant has a legal obligation to ensure compliance with these triggers.

3.6 Concern has been raised in relation to the fact that the application

relates only to part of the land covered by the outline permission - and does not include the additional three dwellings on the depot site. However, it was anticipated that the plot of land subject to this current application would be owned and developed by a different company and there was an expectation that Reserved Matters applications would be submitted for different parts of the site by different applicants. The legal agreement and planning conditions were worded

appropriately, with the applicant’s involvement. The applicant is aware that the site must be developed in accordance with the outline Decision Notice and the accompanying legal agreement.

Layout and design 3.7 Comments have been raised in relation to the fact that the layout

proposed under this application is very different to that shown on plan under the outline application. However, the layout and design were not for consideration under the outline application (they were Reserved Matters). Officers had a number of concerns about the layout initially proposed and as a consequence, the applicant entered into pre-application discussions prior to the submission of this application. The main elements that officers wanted to see within the layout were;

• The creation of a layout that draws upon the linear road pattern of

Preston; • The incorporation of rural lanes rather than cul-de-sacs; • The provision of road-fronting residential development along

Stourmouth Road and Grove Road; • The incorporation of semi-detached properties along Grove Road; • The reduction of large areas of open space and the creation of larger,

irregular plots; • The location of any drainage pond/s and a landscape buffer to be

situated along the northern boundary. 3.8 The layout submitted under this planning application is considered to

address these points and is a vast improvement on the scheme that was originally put forward in the outline application.

Layout and design

3.9 The spatial character of Preston is overwhelmingly of linear, road-fronting development. Preston Village Design Statement describes the majority of buildings along The Street as ‘set back to a greater or lesser extent behind lawns, driveways, gardens or hedging’ (p. 13). In an attempt to reflect the spatial character of Preston, the layout now demonstrates a range of plot sizes and the dwellings are shown to be well spaced, sited within the plots at different positions; successfully steering away from the more regimented layout of dwellings shown on original plans. This reflects the irregularity of building lines currently found in Preston. Dwellings are designed to be road-fronting, with individual accesses and parking arrangements. Thought has also been given to ensure that the dwellings address the corners well, with double frontages incorporated. Hedgerows are the main form of boundary treatment, which will help to provide soft edges to the development and reflect the rural location of Preston.

3.10 The amount of hard-surfacing has been reduced significantly, with a

road hierarchy allowing for a main adopted road running through the site, with narrower lanes leading off the main road. Having narrower streets around the periphery of the site will help to provide a soft edge and integrate the site with the surrounding countryside. Views through the site from Grove Road to the countryside have also been

incorporated in the layout. The centrally located play-space would help to create a sense of place and the provision of a through-route with two accesses into the site would provide a layout that is easy to understand and would ensure that the development is easy to move through; which are objectives of Preston Village Design Statement.

Internal road layout and provision of parking

3.11 Streets have been designed in a way that encourage low vehicles

speeds and provide pedestrian-friendly streets. The road widths, visibility splays and traffic calming measures have been formulated as a result of consultation and discussion with KCC Highways at pre-application stage and throughout the course of this planning application and are considered to be acceptable.

3.12 Considerable time has been spent on working with the applicant to

ensure that resident parking does not dominate the street scene and is well positioned to people’s homes. The dwellings all have parking spaces within the curtilages. In some instances, especially along Grove Road and Stourmouth Road, in order to achieve an active frontage, (by providing vehicular accesses to the front, rather than to the rear of properties) shared accesses have been required, in order to achieve the required visibility splay requirements. A number of these plots have also needed turning areas within the curtilages, so that cars do not reverse onto the main roads. This has resulted in some large areas of hard-surfacing within some of the plots – however, efforts have been made to ensure that the access points are as narrow as possible and that the plots are well landscaped with planting and hedgerows to ensure that the driveways do not dominate the street scene.

Design of dwellings

3.13 Preston has developed over many years and as a result encompasses

a mix of old and dwellings, with a wide-ranging display of styles and sizes; acknowledged in Preston Village Design Statement. The dwellings along Grove Road are predominantly two-storey red-brick semi-detached and terraces; some incorporating render at first floor, with bungalows and detached yellow-brick properties further along. A white-painted brick detached house is sited at the junction of the site, with various brick-built out-buildings within its curtilage. There is a real mix of dwellings types and sizes along The Street; Preston Village Design Statement identifies that ‘there are spaces between the houses, which are mainly detached or paired’ (p.12).

3.14 The proposal incorporates ten different house types using a variety of

material types (material samples are required by condition), including brick, render and weather-board finishes. The majority of the dwellings would be detached, with a few semi-detached pairs fronting Grove Road, to help reflect the mix of dwelling styles currently along Grove Road and along The Street.

3.15 The dwellings are all shown to have private rear gardens and have

been designed to prevent any overlooking. It is considered that the

dwellings would provide an acceptable standard of residential amenity for occupants.

3.16 The design of the dwellings is considered to be acceptable and meets

one of the objectives of the Preston Village Design Statement, which encourages variety in the form of buildings and in materials. The applicant has amended parts of the layout in order to ensure that all the dwellings are road-fronting and to provide dual frontages to all the dwellings that are on corner plots. Overall, the house design is considered to be acceptable.

Soft landscaping

3.17 The proposal includes ponds and a soft landscaped buffer along the

northern boundary, which would incorporate wildflower grassland and an alder hedgerow – this will help to provide an element of separation between the built development and the surrounding countryside and is supported.

3.18 A detailed landscaping scheme has been submitted, which shows that

the majority of boundary treatment would incorporate hedge planting. This is much more preferable to walls and fences and would help to contribute to the rural character of the village. The Council’s Ecologist is satisfied with the Landscape Management and Maintenance Plan that has been submitted alongside the landscaping scheme.

3.19 Concerns have been made in relation to the loss of the hedgerows

along Grove Road and Stourmouth Road. The loss of the hedgerows was an inevitable consequence of achieving a layout that provides active frontages along Grove Road and Stourmouth Road and integrates with the village - and could not have been avoided. The retention of the hedgerow would have resulted in a very insular and inward-looking development, which would not have been acceptable. The hedgerows are windbreaks for the agricultural fields and are not considered to of be any significant quality and their loss is not considered to be unacceptable. Whilst normally, efforts are made to retain hedgerows, in this case, it would have been to the severe detriment of the overall layout of the development. Soft landscaping, including new hedges, would be provided as part of the scheme, set back from the road edge to enable the provision of pedestrian footways. The resultant road-fronting layout was supported by the Conservation Officer and is considered to reflect and be sympathetic to the road-fronting residential development in the Conservation Area along The Street.

Connectivity 3.20 The site is on the edge of the village and the development would

generate additional pedestrian movements between the site and the village. There is a pedestrian footway opposite the site, but there are sections along The Street where pedestrians have to walk in the carriageway – as such, the outline consent requires pedestrian improvements to be made in Preston. This will form part of a Section 278 application to KCC Highways and details of the works are also required under a condition of the outline consent.

3.21 A pedestrian link will also be provided through the site to the

meadowland, so that existing and future residents would be able to walk to the meadowland safely.

3.22 There is an existing footpath that runs parallel to The Street, which is

accessed off The Street by the Mill Lane junction and opens out onto Grove Road, adjacent to the site. The legal agreement for the outline consent includes a financial contribution to provide improved surfacing of this public footpath, so that it would enable all-weather use of the Public Right of Way, which would provide an improved alternative footpath connection to the village centre.

3.23 There would be pedestrian footpaths around the edge and through the

site, connecting the development to the meadowland footpath, the existing Public Right of Way and the main route into Preston.

Conclusion 3.24 The layout now incorporates road-fronting properties with individual

accesses and most importantly provides strong street-scene frontages along Stourmouth Road and Grove Road. The result is a layout that is no longer insular, but now integrates far better with the layout of village. The large areas of open space that were incorporated into the original designs and which had no real function have been removed from the scheme and integrated instead into individual plots. This would provide a spacious character for the development, appropriate for the rural location, and would ensure that the areas are well managed. The layout is considered to reflect as much as possible the character of Preston and is considered to meet the design objectives set out in the NPPF.

Highways implications 3.25 A number of meetings have been held to work on achieving a scheme

that would provide resident and visitor parking spaces that are well-related to the dwellings they intend to serve – whilst also allowing for sufficient visibility at the accesses – this has been a challenge particularly along Grove Road and Stourmouth Road frontages. The amended plans are now considered to provide sufficient parking for each dwelling and KCC Highways raises no objections. KCC Highways is also content with the road layout, speed restraint measures, junctions, visibility splays and footways.

3.26 Details relating to construction accesses are required under condition

and KCC Highways will continue to be involved when these details are submitted under the details for the Construction Management Plan.

3.27 Concern has been raised that there is no mention of traffic calming

measures from Wingham or at the Stourmouth village exit. The pedestrian improvements along The Street are required by condition and are likely to involve the construction of build-outs, which will have a traffic calming effect. It is also worth noting that the existing measured speeds and introduction of frontage development means that the existing 30mph limits could be extended out along Stourmouth

Road and Grove Road to encompass the main development site. This is outside the remit of this Reserved Matters application however.

Play space provision 3.28 Plans and details of the Local Equipped Area of Play (LEAP) have

been submitted as part of this application, to comply with requirements set out in the outline consent and legal agreement.

3.29 The LEAP would be provided in a suitable central location within the

site and would be well equipped with good access; well overlooked by surrounding dwellings and footpaths. The applicant has been positive in providing a good range of equipment that will meet the needs of the new residents.

Housing mix and housing types 3.30 The lack of on-site affordable housing was accepted at outline stage

and is not for re-assessment at this stage. The housing mix is set out in a condition of the outline consent and this proposal complies with the house-type specifications in the condition.

Drainage 3.31 The implications of this scale of residential development on surface

water drainage and foul drainage have been an ongoing concern of residents at outline and reserved matters stages. All the relevant authorities were consulted during the outline stage, when the principle of residential development was being considered and no objections were raised by these bodies, subject to conditions being required to the outline consent. This Reserved Matters application is not therefore the mechanism for consideration of the proposed drainage schemes – as they will be submitted as part of the condition detail requirements and the applicant is working on the detailed design. The proposal does incorporate retention ponds designed into the landscaped areas to the north of the site.

Surface water drainage 3.32 At outline stage, the Internal Drainage Board and the Environment

Agency both raised no objections, subject to conditions being attached to the Decision Notice, which require the submission of a Surface Water Drainage System and a Remediation Strategy. The applicant will need to provide this information prior to commencement of development. When the surface water and remediation details are submitted, the Environment Agency, Internal Drainage Board and Environmental Health Department will be consulted to ensure that there are no contamination issues.

Foul drainage 3.33 Southern Water was consulted at the outline stage and raised no

objections to the scheme, subject to a condition requiring details of surface and foul drainage. Southern Water has since also confirmed that there is capacity within the existing system for the development.

Southern Water has been consulted on this application and has raised no objection, also advising that Southern Water can provide foul sewage disposal to service the proposed development.

3.34 A condition attached to the outline consent requires full details of on-

and off-site measures for the means of disposal for foul sewage prior to commencement of development – and is therefore the mechanism to ensure an adequate scheme, rather than this Reserved Matters application.

Conditions and Section 106 requirements 3.35 Details have been submitted to comply with some of the condition

requirements of the outline consent. 3.36 Condition 5 requires a Phasing Programme to be submitted. The

applicant has confirmed that David Wilson Homes intends to start constructing the first 35 units (mainly around the eastern part of the site, fronting Gove Road) with an estimated completion date of July 2016 and then the LEAP will be constructed. The remaining units intend to have been developed and completed by July 2017.

3.37 Condition 11 requires details of the long-term design objectives,

management responsibilities and maintenance schedules and timetables for the landscaped areas. The applicant has submitted a Landscape Management and Maintenance Plan that meets this condition requirement.

3.38 Condition 12 requires the submission of a Landscape Visual Impact

Assessment, soft landscape details, details of any earth-works and a programme for carrying out the works. Details submitted for this condition are considered to be acceptable.

3.39 Condition 13 requires full soft landscaping details, including a

schedule of plants, trees and a planting timetable. Full landscaping plans and supporting written details have been provided and are acceptable.

3.40 The scheme provides adequate parking details to meet the

requirements of condition 35. 3.41 Condition 40 requires details and plans of visibility splays at all access

roads, which has been complied with. 3.42 Condition 41 requires plans to show the provision of pedestrian

visibility splays at each private access, which has been complied with. 3.43 Condition 48 requires measures to be incorporated to minimise the

risk of crime. The applicant’s Design and Access Statement provides details on how crime prevention has been considered in the layout.

3.44 Condition 49 requires Reserved Matters applications to incorporate a

pedestrian link between the residential site and the meadowland. A pedestrian route is shown on plan and meets the requirements of this condition.

Conclusion 3.45 This Reserved Matters application proposal is the result of a number

of discussions with the applicant and officers are of the view that it is a vast improvement over the original layout ideas put forward. The layout would provide outward-facing development along Stourmouth Road and Grove Road, which would help to integrate the site with its surroundings. Streets would be well defined, with buildings addressing the street corners well. There is clear definition between public and private places and details have been submitted to show how these areas would be managed. The provision of two accesses into the site prevents a cul-de-sac development and the play-space would be centrally located within the site, lending itself to natural surveillance and to be well used. Overall, the layout is considered to meet the objectives set out in the NPPF and takes account of Building for Life 12 standards for good design.

g) Recommendation

The outline consent provides a comprehensive list of conditions and, as such, the conditions required for this decision are limited.

I RESERVED MATTERS BE APPROVED, subject to conditions to

include:

(i) A list of the approved plans; (ii) Archaeology condition for the implementation of archaeological field

evaluation works. II INFORMATIVES

It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure, before the development hereby approved is commenced, that all necessary highway approvals and consents where required are obtained and that the limits of highway boundary are clearly established in order to avoid any enforcement action being taken by the Highway Authority. The applicant must also ensure that the details shown on the approved plans agree in every aspect with those approved under such legislation and common law. It is therefore important for the applicant to contact KCC Highways and Transportation to progress this aspect of the works prior to commencement on site.

III Powers be delegated to the Head of Regeneration and Development

to settle and add any necessary planning conditions and matters, in line with the issues set out in the recommendation and as resolved by the Planning Committee.

Case Officer Sarah Platts