Littlecombe, Dursley Public Exhibition July 2014 www.littlecombe.co.uk Welcome Thank you for attending this consultation event hosted on behalf of St. Modwen, the UKs regeneration specialist, in relation to the Littlecombe site in Dursley. The site already benefits from the outline planning permission granted in July 2008 for a mixed-use development. The first phases of that development have taken place with delivery of new housing, the community hospital and new commercial units off Kingshill Lane. However, there is a need to re-plan proposals for the remainder of the site in order to respond to changes in market circumstances and to overcome a number of technical issues. The new proposals will comprise up to 300 dwellings, 110 extra care units, ancillary commercial development and associated open space, landscaping and infrastructure including the internal link road. We hope you find the consultation boards informative and we welcome your feedback. Should you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask one of our representatives. What is your view? You can record your views today by completing a feedback form and placing it in the comment box near the exit. Comments can also be posted back to the address given at the bottom of the feedback form. Alternatively comments can be e-mailed to the following address [email protected] Littlecombe, Dursley Public Exhibition July 2014 www.littlecombe.co.uk Planning History In 2008, outline planning permission was granted for mixed-use development on the former Lister Petter site including up to 600 homes, a business park (B1, B2, B8) a local centre, and delivery of a new link road between Kingshill Lane and Long Street. The proposals also delivered the opening up of the River Ewelme and the cleaning up of historical industrial land. The previously approved scheme for up to 600 homes required a large amount of apartment development in the centre of the site. Due to site conditions and significant changes in market conditions since 2008, the very large proportion of apartment development is not deliverable. As a result, there is a need to re-plan the remainder of the site in order to overcome technical constraints and ensure a more appropriate redevelopment scheme is delivered. A new route for the continuation of the opening up of the River Ewelme culvert is a proposed. The route on the previously approved masterplan presented a number of technical difficulties which are overcome with the new river route proposed. Extra Care development The new plans also include up to 110 Extra Care units which provide a type of sheltered housing whereby residents can maintain a large degree of independent living, but they have assistance/services nearby should they need them. Littlecombe, Dursley Public Exhibition July 2014 www.littlecombe.co.uk Design The design approach for the new propsals have emerged with careful regard to 4 key locations. Rear of Long Street (Zone F) • Dwelling to be 2-bed, 2 storey detatched houses. • Affordable housing to be tenure blind. • Varied setbacks from the road to the principle frontages. • Comtemporary style. • Secondary estate road designed as a ‘home zone’. Valley Slopes - Central and Upper Valley Flanks • Secondary estate roads designed as ‘home zones’. • More open and informal feel to the housing to central zone. Central Square • Area to act as the vibrant heart of the development. • A hub for the local community. • Central square to contain retail units on the ground floor with apartments on levels above. • Up to 4 storey buildings surrounding square to promote a sense of enclosure. • P arking to flat blocks to be accommodated in secure and overlooked parking courts at rear. • Square and adjacent green to provide a focus to the development and provide a flexible space to accommodate a small market/ community events. Central Zone • Area to consist of high density housing in the form of town houses (2½ - 3 storey terraces) promoting a course urban grain. • D welling to line/face onto the spine road and River Ewelme creating a definitive hard edge and strong urban form. • Car parking to terraced housing to be located to rear of dwellings to maintain a strong continuous corridor of built form. • River corridor to have a soft edge for its entire length with wooded slopes, islands and potential linear play zones. Valley Slopes -upper flanks Valley Slopes -central flanks Rear of Long Street -Zone F Central Square River Ewelme Littlecombe, Dursley Public Exhibition July 2014 www.littlecombe.co.uk Traffic and Drainage Transport/Traffic The proposed development will be well connected with excellent linkages for pedestrians, cyclists, public transport and vehicles. We are collecting fresh information and evidence in order to investigate the possible impacts arising from development. We have agreed with the Highways Authority that we will: • Carry out new traffic surveys. • Undertake capacity assessments at key local junctions. • Investigate current walking, cycling and public transport networks. • Analyse local traffic collision data to determine if there are safety issues. • Forecast future traffic volumes based on national and local data. • Produce a Travel Plan for the development. Assessments will: • Seek to provide a permeable development with good pedestrian and cycle linkages throughout the development and into the wider local network. • Present all the evidence in a new Transport Assessment report to identify transport impacts and improvements proposed. • Produce a framework travel plan to include targets to reduce transport impacts and encourage sustainable travel. • Review previously approved mitigation schemes to determine if they are still appropriate. • Identify appropriate improvements. Drainage The River Ewleme currently runs through the site in culvert. As part of the development the culvert will be removed and the river opened up to run in a natural channel. This will run from the existing culvert by Drake House to connect to the existing naturalised watercourse which was constructed as part of the northern phase of the Littlecombe development. The water course has been designed with widening and bends to provide a natural look but also to provide storage capacity. The modelling of the water flows in the river will ensure that for the peak design storm flow in the River Cam north of the site is not increased. The surface water drainage from the site will pass through a series of treatment trains in order to maintain water quality. In addition the flows will be attenuated using swales and underground storage to reduce the surface water flow rates into the river in accordance with the Environment Agency’s guidance. The proposals have been informed by careful river/flood modelling and a flood risk assessment of the site locality. Littlecombe, Dursley www.littlecombe.co.uk Public Exhibition July 2014 Landscape/Ecology UPPER EASTERN VALLEY SLOPES 1 2 7 PRIORY ZONE K2 11 3 HOMEZONE 4 N E RE 11 IN THE DELK 4 HOMEZONE 7 5 NEAP LEAP 10 10 ER F F U B LAP 4 7 AM STRE N TOW G E LM WE E THE VILLAGE STREAM 8 9 6 ED D OO W 7 2 RP A C S THE GREEN ZONE F 4 ZONE B 2 1 1 PP NA HE K T 1. Existing Woodland & Trees - The 6. Central Square - High quality urban landscape located at the heart of the best hedgerows, along with individual mixed use area. grade A trees and existing mature woodland blocks are to be retained. 7. Open Space Network - A variety of green spaces will be created as part 2. Proposed Broadleaved Woodlandof the green infrastructure network. Native broadleaved woodland planting to re-contoured western The Green & Priory Place - The flanks of site to provide a strong 8. Green offers opportunity to create an network of Green Infrastructure, in appropriate setting for the historical keeping with the character of the buildings, while the existing banked area. ‘Green’ will be retained to form a gateway to the development. 3. The Delkin Corridor - The Delkin stream will be opened out to create a ribbon of public open space through 9. Town LEAP - Additional play area, the heart of the development. positioned at the heart of the urban core. 4. The Ewelme Corridor - Existing watercourse to be opened out, creating 10. Homezones - Sequences of living streets designed primarily to meet an amenity feature for the development the needs of pedestrians, cyclists, and providing opportunity for habitat children and residents. creation to enhance biodiversity. Existing Right of Way - Route 5. Proposed NEAP/LEAP -A centralised 11. retained and incorporated into site’s play area with a variety of play pedestrian network. equipment and grassed kickabout space. 6 8 10 N Littlecombe, Dursley Public Exhibition July 2014 www.littlecombe.co.uk Landscape/Ecology 2 1 SITE Viewpoint 1 - View is taken from a footpath along the Cotswolds Way on Stinchcombe Hill KEY Site Location Environmental Designations AONB SSSI & RAMSAR Site Key Wildlife Sites Conservation Area Open & Culverted Water Course GLOUCESTERSHIRE LANDSCAPE CHARACTER ASSESSMENT N Rolling Hills & Valleys SV 13A NOT TO SCALE Viewpoint 2 - View is from a footpath at the top of Cam Peak. Landscape Impact Landscape Character Site Visibility This analyses the landscape character and key features of the landscape, as well as the visibility of the site from the surrounding area. This analysis can then be used to guide the design of the development, and help to blend it into the surrounding landscape. At a local level, the landscape is defined as having elevated views, with woodlands on the steep upper slopes of the valley. Housing in the town is a diverse mix of styles and materials, which generally front onto the pavement or are set a few metres back with areas of soft landscape. Most areas of the valley and its side slopes are hidden by the landform and intervening vegetation. For this reason, the development is sited for the most part on the valley floor, with housing extending only part way up the east valley side to reduce it’s visual impact on the landscape. 2 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 8 Littlecombe, Dursley Public Exhibition July 2014 www.littlecombe.co.uk Benefits & Feedback The new proposals for the remainder of the site will deliver a number of benefits as follows: • Completion of the new link road linking Kingshill Lane through the site to Long Street. • Opening up of the River Ewelme through the site with a new recreational corridor. • Cleaning up of the remaining historic industrial contamination through the remainder of the site • A variety of new housing type development to cater for local needs including family housing, affordable housing and extra care. • A network of new footpath/cycleways through the site and linking areas of public open space. We would like to know what you think of the new plans for Littlecombe and welcome your comments on the feedback forms provided. Thank you for your time to attend today and if you have any questions please ask one of our representatives. What happens next? We will review all feedback from this exhibition to help finalise the proposals and design. The intention is to submit a planning application within the next month. Please return feedback forms to the following adress: St Modwen (South West and Wales) Kings Weston Lane Avonmouth, Bristol BS11 8AZ For more information please visit our website: www.littlecombe.co.uk