The Application From Colonade

There’s a big planning application coming up at the District Council next Thursday 19th. It’s one from a comapny called Colonnade Land for up to 326 dwellings on land south of Coombes Farm in Stambridge Road in Rochford.

The land is Green Belt, and is not one of the likely sites for future housing in the District Council’s new plan.

You can download the agenda here – it’s a big report – 5 Mb !

Ths application is recommended for refusal by officers as below:

RECOMMENDATION
3.209 It is proposed that this committee RESOLVES to REFUSE the application for
the following reasons:-

1 The proposed development of up to 326 residential dwellings and associated
community uses would not accord with the adopted development plan – the
Rochford District Replacement Local Plan (2006) – and would also not accord
with the emerging Rochford Core Strategy submission which is currently at an
advanced stage with submission to the Government scheduled to occur before
the end of the 2009. There are no material planning considerations which
indicate that this proposal should be determined favourably and not in
accordance with the adopted development plan.

2 The Rochford District Replacement Local Plan (2006) shows the site to be
within the Metropolitan Green Belt. Within the Green Belt, as defined in
Planning Policy Guidance 2: Green Belts, planning permission will not be given
for inappropriate development, except in very special circumstances.

3 The proposed development by virtue of the proposed change of use of the land
from agriculture to residential and community uses would amount to
inappropriate development in the Green Belt, which is by definition harmful. In
addition, further harm to the Green Belt would be caused as a result of the
proposed development including; the sprawl of a large built up area, the
encroachment into the countryside, the loss of an open, attractive landscape
close to where people live and the loss of opportunities for outdoor recreation
close to an urban area. There is no need to release Green Belt in this location
in order to retain an up-to-date five year supply of deliverable sites for
residential development. No very special circumstances exist which would
overcome the harm to the Green Belt and consequently the proposed
development would be contrary to Planning Policy Guidance 2; Green Belts.

4 The applicant has failed to submit adequate information to enable the Authority
to ascertain that the proposed development would not adversely affect the
integrity of the Crouch and Roach Special Protection Area (SPA), the Crouch
and Roach Estuaries Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) or the local
wildlife site, namely the River Roach at Rochford (R28), by way of increased
recreational disturbance and in relation to the local wildlife site by way of dust
effects from construction, contrary to Regulation 48 (5) of the Habitats
Regulations 1994 and Planning Policy Statement 9: Biodiversity and
Geological Conservation respectively.

Adequate protected species surveys of the site have not been provided with
this application to enable the Authority to be confident that the proposed
development would not have any adverse impacts on any protected species or
on their habitat, or that proposed mitigation would be appropriate, contrary to
Planning Policy 9: Biodiversity and Geological Conservation.

5 The proposed development would result in a change in the use of an area of
land that lies within a Public Safety Zone from use for agriculture to use as
public open space which is considered unacceptable because it would result in
a significant increase in use of the land by members of the public, especially
given the proximity, relationship and association of the public open space with
a large new residential development.

There’s a lot of interesting stuff in the report which we will write about later – for example how organisations like Sport England , and local health authorities view applications like this and what amenities the applicant is proposing.