Answers and common questions about the proposed development.
The site is located to the west of Kingswinford Town Centre and is bound by the B4178 Swindon Road to the north, the A4101 Lodge Lane to the south and the A449 to the west.
The site is surrounded by housing to the north east and south east whilst Summerhill School is located immediately to the south of the site.
The site is in a highly sustainable location with a number of services and facilities present within the immediate vicinity of the site and in the wider area and Kingswinford Town Centre. There are a number of bus services that operate within the vicinity of the site meaning the site is accessible via public transport.
Barberry are an established privately owned property development and investment company based in the West Midlands. Their current portfolio comprises a range of developments across all property sectors and UK wide, including residential and commercial. Barberry strive to develop schemes of the highest quality and are well positioned to be both flexible and diverse in how they approach developments. Their website address is www.barberry.co.uk.
Barberry are proposing to submit an Outline Planning Application for a sustainable new residential development on land at Swindon Road, Kingswinford which will deliver the following:
An outline application is being prepared to assist Dudley in rectifying the delivery of much needed market and affordable homes on a sustainable, grey belt site on the edge of the conurbation.
Paragraph 155 of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is supportive of housing development on Green Belt sites when they comply with the provisions within it. The introduction of Paragraph 155 to national policy was a positive intervention to allow greater flexibility in planning system. It does not undermine the wider role or function of the Green Belt but instead allows for the release of sustainable sites for development where the planning system is otherwise failing to meet the development needs in that area.
Among other things, the criteria in Paragraph 155 includes sites that meet the definition of Grey Belt (which is the case here) and where there is a demonstrable need for homes in that local authority. A demonstrable need for homes can arise when a Council has less than a five-year housing land supply or when it has failed to score 75% in the Housing Delivery Test. Both apply in Dudley, with the Council unable to demonstrate a five year housing land supply and scoring just 62% on the Housing Delivery Test.
The Council are in the process of producing a new local plan, but this does little to assist with increasing the supply of housing sites. Housing sites within the plan are all in the existing urban area and most would be supported under the existing local planning policies. It also only planning to delivery 657 dwellings per annum, when the latest housing need figure using the Standard Method of 1,462 dwellings per annum. This is a significant difference and will require sites like this to come forward in an attempt to limit the gap between delivery and the local need.
Our view is that a housing development on this site would comply with Paragraph 155 of the NPPF and an outline application is being prepared in this context. It will make a significant contribution to the delivering of new homes in the Borough, on a site that is well related to the conurbation and would not undermine the strategic role or function of the Green Belt.
Yes, in line with the “Golden Rules” set out by the Government for development of sites in the Green Belt, 45% of the new homes at the site will be provided as affordable housing. The precise mix of affordable housing will be determined in liaison with the Housing Team at the Council, but it is anticipated that it would include a mix of homes for both social rent and shared ownership homes that would appeal to first time buyers.
Trees and hedges within and around the edge of the site will largely be retained, except where the new accesses into the site are proposed. These have been located to minimise the impact on trees and hedges.
Yes, the site will deliver 10% BNG.
The site is located entirely within Flood Zone 1, which is land defined as having a low probability of flooding from rivers and sea. The site is also shown on Environment Agency mapping to be located within Flood Zone 1 when taking future climate change (2070 to 2125) into account.
Environment Agency mapping shows a surface water flow route through the site, with a low to high probability of flooding. This is a result of existing issues with surface water infrastructure, and our drainage engineer has developed as strategy that positively manages along with the additional surface water run off that would otherwise occur through increasing the impermeable area on the Site. In addition, the masterplan includes a green corridor that avoids situating buildings within this surface water flow path.
The site has also been assessed for other potential sources of flood risk, including groundwater emergence, sewers, canals, reservoirs, and large waterbodies. These are not considered to pose a flood risk to the site or the proposed development.
Surface water will be captured via drains and gullies and will then be conveyed through the site to the infiltration basins by a mixture of swales and underground pipes.
Foul water will be disposed of separately to surface water, with a connection made to the local public sewers.
The site will be accessed from two new junctions on Swindon Road and two new junctions on Lodge Lane. These are purpose-designed to safely accommodate everyday traffic, buses, refuse vehicles and emergency vehicles. All access points meet modern design standards for visibility, geometry and safety. Independent Road Safety Audits will be carried out to ensure the layouts operate safely for all users.
A dedicated set-down area for Summerhill School will be provided inside the development, allowing safe drop-off and pick-up without using Lodge Lane. This will help reduce congestion at school times and allow the footway to be reinstated.
Discussions are ongoing with the local authority in relation to the capacity of existing services to accommodate the proposed development and what contributions might be needed to provide any additional capacity needed. This might be through financial contributions or the provision of a new facility on site.
The Council has a Community Infrastructure Levy designed to pool contributions to be spent on infrastructure improvements. This development would pay the required rate, and the local authority will distribute the money in accordance with the terms set out in the levy.
Yes, open space is being provided in a number of different forms and typologies throughout the site, including provision of children’s play areas, parks and gardens, natural and semi-natural green space.
Yes. The development puts active travel and public transport at the centre of its design. Schools, shops, health facilities and the High Street are all within short walking and cycling distance, making active travel a practical option for daily trips.
Furthermore, the layout has been designed to prioritise pedestrians and cyclists through:
The development includes investment in crossings, footpath links, cycle facilities and support for enhanced bus services—helping both new and existing residents.
The site is well located for buses, with stops nearby serving Kingswinford, Dudley, Merry Hill and Stourbridge. The masterplan allows buses to run through the development if required, ensuring convenient access to local services.
Following this consultation, we will review all feedback we receive before finalising and submitted our planning application to the Council.
The consultation website will be updated with information about the submitted plans and to those who have opted to receive further updates will receive an email advising them of the submission of the Outline Planning Application.
Once the Outline Planning Application has been submitted and registered by the Council, the Council will carry out the statutory consultation on the application, seeking feedback from statutory bodies such as the Highway Authority along with other consultees and local residents.
Once the application has been thoroughly assessed a decision will be made by the Council as to whether to grant planning permission.
We want to ensure that the emerging proposals align as much as possible with the priorities and aspirations of the local community in Kingswinford.
We have launched this dedicated consultation website which provides an opportunity for local residents to review and help shape the proposed development and to provide any feedback on the proposed new homes and areas of public open spaces provided.
Comments on the proposals can be left via the comment facility on this website.
Alternatively if you would prefer to write to us the address is:
The Triangle Site, Kingswinford
c/o Harris Lamb
4thFloor
4 Brindley Place
Birmingham
B1 2LG
Or you can email us at kingswinford@harrislamb.com
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