Speech to Planning Committee Feb 2021
Design
• The design is of the properties is not in keeping with the designs of the other properties in the area. Pedestrian Access
• The Design and Access statement claims that pedestrian access will be via public footpath ‘Bard/101/1’. Bard/101/1 belongs to Bardney Group Parish Council not Lincolnshire County Council Highways and as such no request for amendment has been received from the developer.
Parking
• The NPPF s108 states ‘In assessing sites that may be allocated for development in plans or specific applications it should ensure that b) safe and suitable access to the site can be achieved for all users; and c) any significant impacts from the development on the transport network (in terms of capacity and congestion), or on highway safety can be cost effectively mitigated to an acceptable degree.
• Access on to the site by construction lorries will be difficult either via Station Rd or Abbey Road. Both roads are very narrow.
Abbey Rd entrance (See photographs)
• Currently there are issues with vehicles parked on Abbey Rd opposite the entrance to 15 Abbey Rd, which affects visibility for those travelling along Abbey Rd.
Station Rd entrance (see photographs)
• Previous and current residents at the site, have complained about the lack of visibility when pulling out of the site.
• Access from Station Rd is directly off one of the narrowest sections of road in Bardney which is regularly ‘gridlocked’. There is currently a request lodged with LCC Highways for this section of road to have double yellow lines due to the volume of traffic.
• There is not sufficient parking allocation available for all the properties. The document does not reflect that the one of the existing properties on the site consists of two sets of flats and as such there is an existing requirement for 8 parking spaces, not 5.
• Current residents are already parking on Station Rd due to the lack of parking. The local carehome only has parking for 18 vehicles (not 30 as claimed) and as such staff park on this stretch of Station Rd, parking provision at their site has been reduced due to an application submitted in September 2020.
- It must also be noted that the site is close to the local pharmacy.
• The pedestrian access off Station Rd will remove an existing parking space occupied by a current resident.
• It must be noted that Public bus provision in Bardney is very poor and there are only three buses per day (Monday to Saturday) operating between Bardney, Lincoln and Horncastle. Making it very difficult for those who work, or attend college, in Lincoln, to use the public bus as their main form of transport.
Drainage
- The proposed drainage solution of soakaways based on a 1:10 years risk is not acceptable, either for those in the new properties or for those living further down Abbey Rd, which already has a history of flooding. The requirements stated by Anglian Water must be fully addressed and complied with.
• Currently there is no spare capacity in the drainage system (foul and surface water drains).At the moment, in times of heavy rainfall the lack of capacity means that several properties are flooded with effluent.
• Drainage for both sewage and surface water is a known problem in Bardney and has affected other planning applications in the adjacent area (see 136548) where special conditions were applied due to the flood risk in the area.
• Surface water will naturally drain off on to Abbey Rd due to the incline of hill. Abbey Road has a history of flooding and this will exacerbate the problem. Surface water will probably drain off directly into the properties at the bottom of the hill from the entrance to Abbey Rd.
• In July 2018, Anglian Water responded to a planning application in Bardney stating that ‘proposed development will lead to an unacceptable risk of flooding downstream….’ It must be noted that since then Anglian Water have discovered the drainage plans for Bardney are incorrect and are operating above capacity.
• The Water Study of 2010, stated that drainage infrastructure for the Bardney area only had capacity for a further 333 dwellings, a rough calculation shows that nearly 400 have been approved or built. Since 2010, Chestnut Homes has implemented part II (93 homes) & III (170) of their development along, with Keir Homes building approx. 98 homes with permission for an additional 100. Records show that Keir Homes implemented a Water Course Improvement Study due to the drainage/flooding problems in this area.
• The situation in Bardney, with regards to the lack of capacity, means that in times of heavy rain fall Anglian Water having to deploy a tanker to pump out the drains.
Infrastructure
• These properties are clearly aimed at families however the local primary school is currently operating at full capacity. The secondary schools at Branston and Horncastle are also fully subscribed.
- There is no reference to either s106 or CIL in relation to the application.
NPPF and Local Policies
• The Local Plan LP13: Accessibility and Transport states that: ‘Development should demonstrate; c) well designed, safe and convenient access for all.’ The access to this development does not comply with this.
• Paragraph 59 of the NPPF states that in the Government’s objective in significantly boosting the supply of homes, it is important that a sufficient amount and variety of land can come forward where it is needed, that ‘the needs of groups with specific housing requirements’ are addressed and that land with permission is developed without unnecessary delay. --- It must be noted that Bardney currently has in place planning permission for 69 Park Homes.
• Policy LP10: Meeting Accommodation Needs highlights that ‘new residential development should cater for the needs of less mobile occupants, including older people and disabled people, and to deliver dwellings which are capable of meeting peoples’ changing circumstances over their lifetime’. It is proposed that external and internal access within the proposed development is planned to be compliant with legislation imposed by Part M of the current building regulations. --- The proposed development does not comply with this as vehicles will pass directly in front of the access into the properties. As the proposed openings will create a rat run between two roads, the volume of traffic would not be suitable for those who are elderly or disabled.
• Policy LP2: The Spatial Strategy and Settlement Hierarchy focuses on delivering sustainable growth for Central Lincolnshire. It states that development should create strong, sustainable, cohesive and inclusive communities, making the most effective use of previously developed land, and enabling a larger number of people to access jobs, services and facilities locally. ---- This proposal does not offer any positive impact to local residents and will not create jobs, services or facilities. Neither does it make constructive use of the land which was previously agricultural not brownfield.
Conditions If the development were to be approved then BGPC request the following;
• The access on to Station Rd is blocked and access must be via Abbey Rd.
• Planning gain must be implemented to ensure that the situation regarding drainage is fully addressed.
• If the application is granted then BGPC would like restrictions to be placed on the hours that construction can take place due to the close proximity to other properties. Namely, no working before 8am and after 6pm weekdays, not before 8am and no activity after 1pm on Saturdays, with no activity in any capacity on a Sunday.