Lone Star have submitted an outline application for 155 dwellings on land to the north west of Bar Hill, Madeley. The site covers an area of approximately 8.5ha and is greenfield, comprising arable agricultural land. The site is located on the edge of the settlement of Madeley, outside of, but immediately adjacent to, the village settlement boundary. The site is considered to be in a sustainable location where local services, health care and education can be reached on foot with access to the wider area and employment opportunities easily reached by public transport or by bicycle.
The site is not covered by any statutory or non-statutory landscape, heritage or ecological designations. The Bar Hill Wildlife Haven (with no formal designation) is located immediately to the east of the site between the site and the West Coast Mainline and lies within private ownership. There are no trees present on the site which are protected by TPOs.
We received the pre-application feedback from the LPA, which concluded that:
“Although the proposal would not be in accordance the housing policies set out in the Neighbourhood Plan, the Council is not currently able to demonstrate a robust housing supply, and the site only has a limited number of constraints to overcome. The site is relatively well connected to the main settlement of Madeley, although the proposed main access point for vehicles does weigh against the benefits of the proposal, that being said it is recognised that there are only very limited options for where the main access to the site can be situated.
The proposal will provide a strong contribution to the Councils housing supply and can be designed in way which would not result in any significant or adverse impacts on the local area or wider landscape. It is therefore concluded that the benefits of the proposal outweigh the harm in the planning balance and that the proposal is considered to be a sustainable form of development.
Subject to all constraints, in particular drainage matters being address, then the proposal could be supported by the Local Planning Authority”.
The proposal seeks outline planning permission for the erection of up to 155 dwellings, set around a central core of public amenity space. Whilst the application would be submitted in outline, it is expected that the dwellings would be a mix of one, two and three bedroom, detached and semi-detached dwellings. The proposal would include for 30% affordable housing, 5% above the current policy requirement and in line with the Council’s aspirations for the emerging Local Plan This would result in the provision of approximately 47 affordable units distributed across the site. It is anticipated that 25% of the affordable homes would be ‘first homes’ in line with Government policy.
The site will provide approximately 3.5ha of public open space. This equates to approximately 40% of the site. A network of pedestrian and cycle routes would be provided throughout the site to provide high levels of connectivity both within the site and to key facilities within Madeley. Discussions are currently on-going with Network Rail with regards to improving the existing footbridge across the railway line to Moss Lane in the north-eastern corner of the site. Three children’s play areas would be provided within the site. A green infrastructure corridor will be provided along the south and south-eastern site boundaries to provide an offset to the existing properties on Bar Hill and the Bar Hill Wildlife haven. Enhancements would be made to existing boundary hedgerows to create new habitats and strengthen boundary planting. A BNG of 31.06% would be achieved for habitat units and 97.65% will be achieved for hedgerow units. This is significantly above the 10% requirement.
Madeley Planning Application link here – https://publicaccess.newcastle-staffs.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=S5X8IDBMLQF00
