Slate Meadow Liaison Group 23 rd February 2015 Charles Power Lead - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Slate Meadow – Liaison Group

23rd February 2015 Charles Power Lead Officer Slate Meadow Development

Planning History and Planning Context

Overview Slate Meadow

• Planning History
• Key Constraints/Issues

Recent Events What Next? Policy Framework

Overview

• 1954 – Original Green Belt

designation in Bucks

• Added to Green Belt in 1972

removed from GB and reserved for future development since 1989.

• Three Local Plan inspectors have

rejected requests to keep/return it to Green Belt

• Current Plan reserves the land for

development; and

• The site has now been released

for development.

What’s in a name?

• Name of designation has evolved:
• ‘White land’ (pre-1989)
• Areas of Special Restraint (1989-2004)
• Areas of Safeguarded Land (2004-08)
• Reserve Locations for Future Development (2008-

to date)

• (designation changed by inspector as sites needed

WITHIN the plan period given SE Plan req’ts)

Slate Meadow

Size: 10.2 ha Ownership: WDC, Croudace Homes, Avanti Homes Pauline Howe-Davies

Inspectors’ Reports (IR)

• Designation of Reserve Sites has been tested

and accepted by a series of inspectors’ reports

• 1988 – High Wycombe ALP
• July 1994 – Wycombe District LP
• December 2002 – IR on the Public Local Inquiry

into the Wycombe District Local Plan to 2011

• May 2008 –Wycombe District Core Strategy

Planning History

– Began as ‘White Land’ area with no defied policies 1954 – Put in the Green Belt in 1972 as part of its extension – Taken out of Green Belt and allocated as ASR in 1989 at the same time as all other reserve sites. – 1990 application for residential development (174 houses) refused – 2002 Inspectors Report recommended allocating site for housing

• Not the best of the reserve sites
• Least scenic reserve site
• Loss of grade 2 ag land and community identity did not override the need to

retain the site for development

– Core Strategy (2008) confirmed status as a Reserve Location – approved by inspector’s report (2008) Policy CS8 – Allocated for between 150 and 190 homes in the current Local Plan options document

Local Plan Consultation 2014

• Consultation Feb-April

2014

• Potential growth rates

much higher than existing targets

• Included draft sites

policies and development requirements for all the Reserve Sites

Cabinet decision

• Planned release of Reserve Sites
• Preparation of development briefs to shape

planning applications –

– So local people can be involved in process – Best opportunity to secure quality and appropriate infrastructure – Liaison Groups, Infrastr Grp + community eng’t

What Next? Time Line for Applications

• Applications are expected late this year.
• Applications could in theory be submitted at

any time.

• In the event that the Council had taken the

decision not to release the site, applications would in all probability have come anyway.

Key Issues

• Transport infrastructure
• River corridor
• Flood Plain
• Village Green
• Separation between Bourne End and Wooburn
• Disused railway
• Tree preservation orders

Policy Framework

National Planning Policy Framework

Wycombe District Local Plan to 2011 (as saved and extended)

• Various relevant policies – General

Core Strategy

• Policy CS8:

– Reserve locations for future development

Delivery and Site Allocations Plan

• Various relevant policies including

– Green Infrastructure network – Biodiversity

http://wycombe-reserve-sites.org/

Web site