H1 clause 6d - Dunton Bassett

Ref A/DB/HSG/02 - Land between Church Lane and the Mount, Dunton Bassett - The plan shows outlined in red part of the area for which outline planning permission ref. 16/01401/OUT was sought earlier in 2017, and which was refused by the Planning Community. This area shown is half for which outline permission was sought and so could not possibly contain the 42 houses suggested.

Ref: A/BA/HSG/12 run off from this area has severely flooded the houses shown on its south-western boundary.

On behalf of my client, Richborough Estates, I write to submit representations to the consultation on the Harborough District Local Plan: Submission Version. These representations relate to land Richborough is currently promoting for residential development to the north of Coopers Lane in Dunton Bassett. A site location plan is enclosed with this letter.

Introduction
Richborough Estates is one of the UK's most successful strategic land promotion companies, with a proven track record of working with landowners, local planning authorities, housebuilders and other stakeholders to bring forward sustainable residential developments. Their approach to the identification and promotion of sites provides an invaluable contribution to boosting significantly the supply of housing and facilitating the building of homes. Enclosed with these representations is a report which provides more detail on the role of land promoters in the delivery of housing.

Richborough Estates' recent experience includes the delivery of two sites within Harborough District: land off Welham Lane at Great Bowden, and land at Kimcote Road, Gilmorton. Richborough Estates' outline application at Great Bowden (ref 15/01801/OUT) was approved by planning committee in March 2016, with the reserved matters application made by Mulberry Homes within 6 months of the decision notice being issued, and construction of the site now underway. The more recent application at Gilmorton (ref 17/00885/OUT) was approved at committee on 3 October 2017, subject to completion of the S106 agreement which is now close to being finalised. The site will be marketed for sale by the end of 2017, with delivery anticipated to commence in 2018. The approval of both these sites at the local level and the swift progress made towards commencement of development demonstrates the important contribution Richborough Estates makes towards the delivery of sustainable housing in Harborough District.

Local Plan: Proposed Submission
We support the strategic priorities identified in the Local Plan, and in particular the objective of meeting housing needs for both Harborough District and the wider Leicester and Leicestershire Housing Market Area (HMA). However, the local planning authority must ensure that the strategy taken to meeting these priorities takes full account of the most recent evidence of housing need for the HMA, and in particular the fact that both Leicester City and Oadby and Wigston District Councils have confirmed that they will not be able to meet their full needs within their own administrative areas.

If the Harborough Local Plan is to be adopted in advance of the extent of unmet need being confirmed, or its distribution between the remaining authorities in the HMA being agreed, a firm policy commitment must be made to undertake a prompt review of the Local Plan to address these matters at the earliest possible opportunity. In the meantime, and in anticipation of the role Harborough is expected to play in meeting unmet need in the HMA, it would be prudent for the overall level of development and range of identified sites to be increased. Such an approach will ensure that the Local Plan is sound at the time of examination, and capable of providing the certainty and plan-led approach which is required.

The distribution of development set out in Policy SS1 The Spatial Strategy, and in particular the identification of Selected Rural Villages (SRVs) to accommodate appropriate levels of growth, is supported. However, consideration should be given to the allocation in the Local Plan of sites across all tiers of the settlement hierarchy for which growth is planned. For SRVs where options for growth are limited, and/or Neighbourhood Plans which allocate housing sites are not being taken forward, the allocation of sites in the Local Plan will ensure the delivery of sufficient levels of development across the full range of the settlement hierarchy. This will reduce the risk of certain settlements and tiers of the hierarchy not making their required contribution to meeting Harborough's housing requirements, and ensure that the plan is both effective and positively prepared. The failure to make such allocations could risk the plan not being found sound.

We broadly support the distribution of development as defined in Policy H1 Provision of New Housing, and the proposed levels of development in the SRVs being expressed as minima. We also support the identification of Dunton Bassett as a SRV, which correctly reflects the range of services and facilities available in the village and confirms its sustainability and suitability as a location for growth.

The Sustainability Appraisal reports that Dunton Ward has seen less than 2% growth in population over the period 2001-2011, with decreasing population for all age ranges apart from those over 65, which has seen a significant increase (34.8%) over the same period. The delivery of new family housing, including the provision of new affordable homes, will directly assist in reversing this trend, and ensure that the vitality and viability of the village as a whole can be maintained and enhanced.

In light of the very limited growth of Dunton Bassett in recent years, with only 6 new houses either built or approved in the period 2011-2016, it is considered that the minimum target of 40 dwellings for the village should be increased. This is further supported by the 4 selected spatial options tested in the Sustainability Appraisal (SA), which show a proportionate level of growth for the village as being between 68 and 81 dwellings. Even if the upper end of this range were brought forward at Dunton Bassett, it would still remain below the level of development already seen at many other SRVs.

At the time the SA was undertaken, the 2016 SHLAA had identified potentially deliverable sites for only 47 dwellings, but this does not include the land controlled by Richborough Estates to the north of Coopers Lane which at that time had not been submitted to the SHLAA. Indeed, of the developable sites identified, the land south west of Church Lane has subsequently had a planning application for housing refused, which further restricts the availability of suitable sites in Dunton Bassett.

In contrast, Richborough Estates' site north of Coopers Lane is suitable, available and achievable, and could be brought forward in the short term for the delivery of housing, making a meaningful contribution to the supply of housing in Harborough District. The site is not within any special landscape area, is not in the setting of any designated or non-designated heritage assets, and is not constrained by any issues relating to flood risk or ecology. Access is easily achieved from Coopers Lane, with bus stops adjacent to the site's southern boundary providing frequent and regular services directly to Leicester, Blaby, Broughton Astley and Lutterworth.

The site's position to the west of the A426 Lutterworth Road means it is very accessible to the services and facilities within the village itself, whilst its location on Coopers Lane ensures that any development here would respect the historic core of the village.

The site is not anticipated to have any specific abnormal construction costs, which will ensure a viable development which can deliver the full, policy-compliant level of S106 contributions, including the delivery of affordable housing and any necessary contributions towards education provision and other community facilities. Furthermore, the site has the potential to deliver both market and affordable bungalows as part of the overall housing mix, to meet the full range of needs for local people.

The suitability and deliverability of this site will be demonstrated further through the submission of an outline planning application, which it is anticipated will be submitted early in 2018.

The extent of land under Richborough Estates' control could readily accommodate more than the 40 dwellings currently identified as a minimum target for Dunton Bassett, ensuring that the village can provide not only the family dwellings needed to attract and retain a broader range of the population, but that it can make a proportionate contribution to meeting Harborough District's overall housing requirement. For the reasons set out above, it is submitted that the allocation of this site for housing would assist in the delivery of the Local Plan's strategic objectives, and ensure the plan can be found sound at examination.

I trust these representations are of assistance and will be taken into consideration. If you have any queries or require any further information then please do not hesitate to contact me.