H1 clause 1 Scraptoft SDA

We have already had over the last 7 years in this village 724 houses built and you are now proposing a further 1200 houses bringing the total to 1924 and I suspect more to follow. I would be very interested to now if anybody has surveyed our road structures in and out of our small village, they are chaotic and dangerous without adding to the problem. We have 1 paper shop, 1 small co-op, 1 pub. The lake has already been taken away from us and now you are proposing to take away the Golf Course & Nature Reserve. Perhaps you might let us know what else you are planning to take away from us in the future. Whilst writing may I also point out that you have not made it easy to locate the correct documents to complete given the deadlines to get the objection in by.

This area of Scraptoft has already had more of its fair share of development recently, I thought with the completion of Goodridge development we would have fulfilled our quota of housing now it is proposed to build 1200 houses. This plan came to the table at a very late stage and involves basically building on most of the green wedge here including a nature reserve. By building on the golf course Scraptoft will be losing yet another facility. Also the road infrastructure would require major modification and it is very hard to see how this can be done.

I was born on Beeby Road adjacent to the Local Nature Reserve. My earliest memories are that of cows in the field tended by my great uncle William till. Myself and my parents and our dogs have all been a part of this community and have, wherever needed, gave up time to help with local matters concerning the village and LNR.
My father is a member of the golf course and wants it to stay in Scraptoft. The council has refused to re-let the land on which 4 of the golf holes are situated which is a very bullish attitude to all the members, a lot of whom have been members for more years than I have been born.
Leicester council have land, which was at one time also tenanted by SGC and now lies in ruins just north east of the LNR which can be used to facilitate housing rather than ruining the enjoyment and giving a lot of upheaval to members.

Parker's can find land elsewhere beyond the boundaries of the LNR and golf course suitable for housing or simply lower the quota for Scraptoft and surrounding villages. We simply do not have the infrastructure either for this sort of project, the roads are not sufficient, the villages and junctions will become totally clogged with traffic and Scraptoft is a very tight one way road system. Please do not ruin what we have left as recreation and countryside. The LNR has been left alone for years, it has grown and matured and the amazing amount of wildlife within it and around it is all now threatened because of targets, please do not let this happen.

I believe that insufficient publicity has been given to the allocation of a strategic development site on Scraptoft Golf Course. At the very least I would have expected the opportunity to view and discuss these plans at an exhibition or public meeting held in the village.

Scraptoft has been a building site for more than 15 years now, with over 700 houses built in the last 7 years. This has been very disruptive and local infrastructure has been stretched to breaking point.

A development of this size will inevitably harm local amenities and produce major traffic problems. The Nature Reserve must be protected as much for its historic importance as its wildlife value and the landscape value of the existing Golf Course must be protected.

I have no confidence that the social and transport infrastructure needed to support 1200 new homes will be provided. It will inevitably throw more strain on existing health and education and bring even more traffic through the village. It is also unclear how traffic from the site with find its way southwards towards Oadby, Fosse Park and M1. Given that plans have recently been published for an eastern by pass these plans are premature until there is more clarity about the provision of this new major road.

1.2. On behalf of Westleigh Partnerships Limited we are seeking to work with Harborough District Council in promoting the Land south of Grange Lane, Thurnby (Appendix 1 of attached) for residential development.

2.1. The proposed development site comprises a grassland field located south of Grange Lane, to the west of the village centre of Thurnby, as shown outlined in red in Appendix 1.

2.2. The site covers an area of approximately 1.36ha (3.36 acres) and consists of a single field of broadly flat arable land, marked by clearly defined boundaries. The site is bound by residential development on three sides; to the north by Grange Lane, to the east by Firs Farm and Court Road, and to the west by The Spinneys. The southern boundary is marked by mature hedgerow, beyond which lies open countryside. The site lies adjacent to the Thurnby and Bushby Conservation Area, as designated in 1977.

2.3. Thurnby is a compact village that benefits from a number of local services and facilities including a Primary School, a Public House, a Co-Operative Supermarket and the Church of St. Luke.

2.4. Furthermore, the village also lies within close proximity to further services and employment opportunities located in Leicester (approx. 4.9 miles), Oadby (approx. 3.3 miles), Great Glen (approx. 5.2 miles) and Billesdon (approx. 4.9 miles).

2.5. The site is considered to have good access to public transport links; the nearest bus stop is located opposite the St. Luke's Church of England Primary School, which is approximately 0.2 miles to the east of the site entrance. The bus stop is served by the Arriva 56 bus service, which runs between Leicester, Scraptoft and Thurnby from 7am - 7pm from Monday to Friday, and from 8am - 6pm on Saturdays, with buses calling at the stop every 30 minutes. The bus route provides access to Leicester Rail Station, where frequent connections are available to Birmingham, Nottingham, London St. Pancras, Sheffield and Lincoln.

2.6. We consider that the site has capacity to deliver up to 28 residential dwellings, including vehicular access, car parking, landscaping and drainage. Any development of the site could deliver a mix of dwelling types and sizes, including bungalows, terraced, semi-detached and detached dwellings ranging in size from 2 to 5 bedrooms, including a proportion of affordable housing subject to viability.

2.7. Any development scheme would be sensitively designed to protect the residential amenity of properties to the north, east and west of the site by limiting development to two storeys, where possible and providing additional planting within the site boundaries.

2.8. Therefore, we consider the site is in a sustainable location, close to a number of services and employment, and is highly accessible. It represents an opportunity to deliver a high quality development that will make a valuable contribution towards meeting the District's development needs.


3.2. We support the proposed spatial strategy for growth set out in Policy SS1: Spatial Strategy. The NPPF and the Draft Local Plan are underpinned by a 'presumption in favour of sustainable development'. It is therefore considered rational to direct development towards locations that are within close proximity to a wide range of employment opportunities and local services and facilities. As outlined above, Thurnby benefits from a good functional relationship with Leicester and the facilities and services available in the city. As such, we support its identification as part of the Leicester Principal Urban Area where development should support the regeneration and development objectives of Leicester City and Oadby and Wigston Borough.

3.3. In respect of Policy GD1: Achieving Sustainable Development, we strongly support the inclusion of this policy in the Harborough Local Plan in line with Paragraph 14 of the NPPF. We are encouraged by the Council's desire to positively consider proposals that contribute to the sustainable development of the District.

3.4. We support the proposed strategy for locating growth within or contiguous to the built up area of settlements, as outlined in Policy GD2: Settlement Development. We consider that the proposed development at Land South of Grange Lane is of an appropriate scale that reflects the size of Thurnby and the level of service provision. It is considered that the site is visually and physically well connected to the village and services within the village are within an appropriate walking distance. Development of the site for up to 28 units would be of an appropriate scale for the village and can be designed in a manner that respects and enhances the local character and distinctiveness. The site is bound on three sides by residential development and as such development of the site would not impact on the separation of settlements.


3.5. With regards to Policy GD5: Landscape and Townscape Character we fully support the requirement for new development to be sensitive to the landscape setting and the settlement's distinctiveness. Any development of the Land South of Grange Lane, Thurnby would be positively prepared to ensure the provision of a high quality and inclusive development. Any scheme would seek to ensure that it makes a positive contribution to the local character and respects the site's edge of settlement location.

3.6. We are strongly opposed to the allocation of our site within the proposed Thurnby/Leicester/Oadby Green Wedge, as identified by Policy GD7: Green Wedges.

3.7. We consider that the proposed development site does not perform the functions of a green wedge, as outlined above, and therefore propose its removal from the Thurnby/Leicester/Oadby Green Wedge. The primary function of the proposed green wedge is to prevent the merging of settlements. However, the proposed development site is bound on three sides by existing residential development; as such the built form of the village already encroaches on the separation of Thurnby and Leicester beyond that which is proposed by development of this site, and likewise to the south between Thurnby and Oadby. Thus, development of this site would not contribute to the merging of settlements.

3.8. Furthermore, in respect of the function of the Green Wedge to guide the development form, as stated above the site is bound on three sites by existing residential development and the current built form of the village extends further west and south than the proposed site boundaries. As such, development of the Land south of Grange Lane, Thurnby would be complimentary to the existing built form of the village.

3.9. With regards to Green Wedges providing access to the open countryside, the proposed development site is currently under private ownership and as such the site cannot be used as a local green space, nor can it currently provide access to the open countryside to the south. As such, development of the site would lead to the site being a greater asset to the community, as it would enable the local community to access Bushby Brook and the open countryside with greater ease.

3.10. Additionally, the site is not currently used for recreational purposes; the site is located in close proximity to Manor Field Park and the community scout hall, both of which are more suitable recreation locations. Therefore, it is considered that the proposed development site at Land south of Grange Lane, Thurnby does not perform the functions of a Green Wedge site and as such we proposed removal of the site from the allocated Green Wedge.

3.11. We fully support the objectives of Policy GD8: Good Design in Development, good planning and good design are inseparable and we are pleased that this has been identified by this policy. As previously outlined, any development scheme for Land South of Grange Lane, Thurnby would be positively prepared to ensure a high quality and inclusive development design. Any proposal would be designed to protect the residential amenity of existing properties located to the north, east and west of the site by strengthening the landscaping of the site's boundaries and limiting development height to 2 storeys.

3.12. In respect of Policy H1: Provision of New Housing, we fully support the recognition that the housing requirements outlined in this policy are a minimum and the level of flexibility that this element of the policy provides. However, we are concerned that development within the Leicester PUA is to be located within a single Strategic Development Area [SDA] on land north of Scraptoft. Given the high level of infrastructure that is required to be implemented prior to the delivery of housing at large strategic developments, such as the proposed SDA, there are often substantial delays between their initial identification and the first delivery of housing. Therefore, we believe it would be beneficial for the Local Plan to identify a number of smaller housing sites that could assist in the short-term delivery of housing in the PUA. In this light, we are proposing the allocation of Land South of Grange Lane, Thurnby for residential development. The site represents a sustainable development that is suitable, available, achievable and viable and can be delivered now.

3.13. With regards to Policy H2: Affordable Housing, we support the requirement for residential development to provide a proportion of affordable housing on site. As previously stated, the clients have stated their willingness to meet this requirement, subject to the appropriate viability assessment.

3.14. We fully support the requirement of Policy H5: Housing Density, Mix and Standards for new development schemes to deliver a range of housing types and sizes. Any development scheme at Land South of Grange Lane, Thurnby would deliver a mix of property types and sizes, including bungalows, terraced, semi-detached and detached dwellings ranging in size from 2 to 5 bedrooms.

3.15. Finally, in respect of Policy CC3: Managing Flood Risk, we fully support the objectives of this policy in line with Paragraphs 14 and 100 of the NPPF. Given the presumption in favour of sustainable development is the golden thread running through national and local planning policy, it is logical that this translates into development being located in areas that are not at high risk of flooding, and that schemes do not increase the risk of flooding elsewhere. With reference to the Environment Agency Flood Map for Planning, the proposed development site is not located in an area at risk of flooding.

4.1. We consider the proposed development site at Land South of Grange Lane, Thurnby has the capacity to accommodate up to 28 dwellings with associated vehicular access, car parking, landscaping and drainage. Any development scheme could provide a mix of dwelling types and sizes and could be positively prepared to preserve and enhance the village's character and distinctiveness.

4.2. We fully support many of the objectives and policies contained within the Proposed Submission Draft of the Harborough Local Plan 2011-2031. However, to ensure that the strategy for delivering new housing is robust, we propose the allocation of the land south of Grange Lane, Thurnby for residential development. We are concerned that the Draft Local Plan proposes to locate all new development in the Leicester PUA within a single Strategic Development Area. Given the level of infrastructure provision required at developments of this scale, there can often be substantial delays between their initial identification and the first delivery of housing. As such, we believe in would be beneficial for the plan to identify a number of smaller sites, such as Grange Lane, Thurnby, which can come forward in the short-term to assist in the immediate need for housing delivery in the PUA.
4.3. In this light, we are strongly opposed to the identification of our site as part of the Thurnby/Leicester/Oadby Green Wedge. We consider that the proposed development site does not perform the function of a Green Wedge that are clearly set out within Policy GD7 of the Draft Local Plan.

4.4. We consider that the site represents an opportunity to deliver a sustainable, available, achievable and viable source of housing that can be developed now.

4.5. Andrew Granger & Co. would like to remain involved throughout the preparation of the Harborough Local Plan 2011-2031 and therefore request to be informed of any future consultation opportunities and when the document is submitted for Examination.