Comment

Representation ID: 14955

Received: 26/04/2016

Respondent: Crest Nicholson

Agent: AECOM

The draft Plan states that Dunton Hills Garden Village is likely to result in the new settlement being brought into category 2 of the settlement hierarchy. However a centre of the scale of Ingatestone will need to be considered in the context of the facilities and services also being proposed for the West Basildon Urban Extension (H10) to ensure new local centres within the A127 corridor are complementary. The masterplan exercise can begin to address topics of this nature but the Local Plan will need to set employment land and retail floorspace requirements. Policy 5.4 (Retail and Commercial Leisure Growth) states that new local retail provision will also accompany mixed-use development at Dunton Hills and para 5.77 recognises that new retail provision will need to complement rather than compete directly with the existing local shops. This principle should apply to planned and existing centres in Basildon also.

Comment

Representation ID: 14956

Received: 26/04/2016

Respondent: Crest Nicholson

Agent: AECOM

The policy states that developments of 100 or more dwellings will be expected to provide a minimum of 5% self build properties. The area for determining whether this policy applies will be the whole original site. The plan states that the policy will allow for the final housing mix, type and tenure to be subject to negotiation including consideration of development viability. This proposed policy will need to be looked at again in the context of the Housing and Planning Bill (once enacted) to assess if it remains deliverable in light of Starter Homes, the definition of affordable housing and permission in principle/brownfield register provisions.

Comment

Representation ID: 14957

Received: 26/04/2016

Respondent: Crest Nicholson

Agent: AECOM

Para 7.70 - 7.72 set out the Borough's rationale but this does not address the evidence requirements from the PPG that requires evidence on properties currently being built, the potential impact on demand for starter homes and the potential impact on land supply and viability. Without this evidence base the policy should not be applied across all housing types.
It is likely to impact the viability of our client's site [within the allocation for Dunton Hills Garden Village] but affordability is also an issue, as is the need to ensure that there is proper mix of provision that delivers across a whole variety of different needs. Whilst the policy states this policy will be subject to viability, the NPPF requires local planning authorities to assess for viability at the plan making stage.

Comment

Representation ID: 14958

Received: 26/04/2016

Respondent: Crest Nicholson

Agent: AECOM

The policy states that Dunton Hills Garden Village is identified as a broad location for future provision to be planned in an integrated way as part of a mixed use development. Provision will be made for 20 pitches as part of this strategic allocation. We would request that this land [Crest Nicholson's land interests within the allocation for Dunton Hills Garden Village] is not considered in locations adjacent to market housing identified for the site.

Comment

Representation ID: 14959

Received: 26/04/2016

Respondent: Crest Nicholson

Agent: AECOM

Para 7.8 - Our client, and their appointed transport consultants, would welcome the opportunity to cooperate with the Borough and the Highways Authority on future modelling.

Comment

Representation ID: 14961

Received: 26/04/2016

Respondent: Crest Nicholson

Agent: AECOM

Our client would support a comprehensively planned solution to the movement network in this area [Dunton Hills Garden Village] and the proposed Masterplan should include improved east-west links as a key principle. It's currently envisaged that the principal access would be off the A128 but new links to H10a and H10b could be provided as alternative access points to the development.
It is vital that any development within Brentwood to the west of Basildon is fully integrated across the Borough boundary which in transport terms is an arbitrary distinction. To be sustainable a new residential-led development would need to be linked in terms of sustainable transport modes, walking, cycling and public transport, allowing links to local facilities. Scope to improve bus services and include ancillary facilities to minimise transport demand.

Comment

Representation ID: 14962

Received: 26/04/2016

Respondent: Crest Nicholson

Agent: AECOM

Re. Dunton Hills Garden Village - In vehicular terms having an access onto both the A128 Tilbury Road to the west and to the B148 West Mayne would ensure that traffic from the development would be able to access both to the east and west which spreads traffic and offers two alternative connection routes to the A127 strategic route. Given that the most significant employment opportunities within the immediate area of the site are to the east of the site it is important to provide connections in this direction.

Comment

Representation ID: 14963

Received: 26/04/2016

Respondent: Crest Nicholson

Agent: AECOM

It is not clear if the open space standards include for semi natural space and playing pitches. It is also unclear if these standards have been fed into the Borough's viability modelling for the site i.e. whether the land take has been factored into the net developable area assumptions for this strategic greenfield site. Nor is it clear what evidence these standards are based upon, the most up to date open space study is from February 2008 which cannot be considered up to date and robust.

Object

Representation ID: 15192

Received: 29/04/2016

Respondent: Crest Nicholson

Agent: Savills UK

The draft Spatial Strategy fails to consider the local needs of the more rural areas within the Borough and is contrary to the views of the Council in the Strategic Growth Options consultation document (2015) in which it stated that "it is important to consider allowing villages to grow in order to provide for local need". There remains a need to do this for a number of reasons: to address local issues of affordability, to retain the working age population within villages, to ensure the viability and vitality of local shops and to ensure the sustainability of local services, including schools.

There should be some development land allocated in villages through Green Belt release, including Blackmore.

Object

Representation ID: 15193

Received: 29/04/2016

Respondent: Crest Nicholson

Agent: Savills UK

Paragraph 5.5 that "Consultation responses suggested a preference for options 1 & 2. This was supported by technical evidence as the most sustainable strategy for future growth". We have not been able find any technical evidence to support this statement within the evidence base and we request that the Council provides a robust justification to why option 1 and 2 was preferred.