Policy SC1 Scraptoft North Strategic Development Area.
This representation is submitted by Parker Strategic Land Limited who are the promoters of the Scraptoft North SDA. Parker Strategic Land have agreements in place over the whole SDA area and are able to bring the site forward for development quickly to meet the objectives of the Plan. We have worked closely with the existing owners, Scraptoft Golf Club and Leicester City Council, to assess the potential of the site and to ensure that the land can be developed. Plans are in place to relocate the golf club to a new site within the district and within the ownership of Parkers of Leicester Limited, the parent company of Parker Strategic Land, a decision supported by the membership of the golf club.

We are supportive of Policy SC1 and consider the site is a highly sustainable location for new housing growth being located on the edge of the existing urban area, close to local facilities such as the secondary school and district-scale shops at Hamilton District Centre, and can be served easily by extending the existing infrastructure and highways network into the site and by extending bus services, which already provide links to the city centre and to major employment locations nearby.
The site has few major constraints and we consider can be developed as an attractive new neighbourhood. The development can also bring benefits for the village of Scraptoft by reducing and calming through-traffic, as well as providing high quality new and accessible facilities such as public parklands, a new primary school and local centre with shops, potentially a doctor's surgery, community hall and other community facilities.

Our representations relate to the detailed elements of the policy and these are considered below. We also make representations on the proposed new replacement golf course at Houghton on the Hill, and we are making separate representations on the de-designation of the Scraptoft Local Nature Reserve. In summary, our general concern is that the policy is overly-prescriptive and need not be to meet its objectives. The detailed prescription is not necessarily supported or justified by evidence at this stage. We have also recommended that a further element be added to paragraph 3 of the Policy to cover the requirement for a 'Delivery and Phasing Programme' that would obviate the need for (unsubstantiated) specific thresholds within the policy itself.