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Response to assumptions in the Draft Plan
about Chapel-en-le-Frith.
On page 89 of the draft plan, Chapel-en-le-Frith is described as:
“surrounded by relatively flat countryside and has correspondingly fewer
constraints on newer developments”. In our view, this is a misleading and
inaccurate description. It should be pointed out that Chapel-en-le-Frith
is surrounded by rising land and that this rising land should be protected
from development. It is important that the green swathe of land visible
from the land in the ownership of the National Trust, at Eccles Pike, is
protected. Any future developments should be confined to vacant plots on
the valley floor within an established and identified boundary, outside
which development should not be allowed now or in the future. The Parish
Council has consistently opposed development on rising ground.
Infrastructure
Up to 530 new houses could potentially increase the population of the
town by up to 20%. This would put a severe strain on an infrastructure
that is already stretched, particularly in terms of traffic congestion on
High Street, Market
Street and Long Lane.
-
Will new transport services need to be created and will the road
network need to be upgraded?
-
Car Parks at
Chapel-en-le-Frith and Chinley stations are already at capacity.
-
Local Schools have limited
capacity to increase their numbers on roll – Chapel High School has
already reached its Standard Number.
-
Will the
current healthcare services be able to cope with the increase in
population?
-
Where will the new employment opportunities be located?
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There is an
urgent need to analyse the current infrastructure and the capacity of the
town to cope with a large increase in population.
What
investigations have High Peak Borough Council made in regard to traffic,
schools, medical care, shopping, employment, rail and bus access when
carrying out their assessment for, not only the 500 houses on one site in
Chapel-en-le-Frith Parish, but also the 250 houses on SHLAA sites and
300-459 houses on Industrial Legacy sites and the 100-230 small-scale
urban extensions. Many of the foregoing might be in the Chapel-en-le-Frith
Parish area but no mention has been made of exactly where they might be
sited even though the HPBC were able to identify a major site for
Chapel-en-le-Frith.
Housing Targets
The housing targets
for High Peak which form the basis of the Core Strategy document were set
by the Regional Development Agency as part of the Regional Spatial
Strategy. It is expected that the Regional Spatial Strategy will be
withdrawn as the Regional Development Agency is to be abolished and new
guidelines are presently awaited. In view of this, we would advocate that
any changes in policy regarding targets need to be fully evidenced and
locally led.
In abolishing the
Regional Development Agency, which decided how many houses should be built
by 2026 in High Peak, the new Government has said that local authorities
are now free to set their own housing growth targets.
At present, this
means the HPBC Local Plan 2005 is still the primary source of guidance for
new development in High Peak.
We would want to see
what current evidence there is to support the case for building
substantially more than 500 new homes in Chapel en le Frith over the next
15 years.
The last Housing
Needs Survey was carried out in 2008 and a report, entitled ‘Peak Sub
Region Housing Market Assessment, prepared by DTZ for HPBC & DDDC, was
issued in December 2008. The findings of this report may no longer be
valid and a further assessment may be necessary.
Wouldn’t it be
better for a complete study of Chapel en le Frith to be undertaken to
identify sites that could be developed around Chapel-en-le-Frith?
Potential In-fill
and Brownfield Sites identified by the Parish Council
The potential for development on ex-industrial sites, for example the
Dorma site in Whitehough, should be fully investigated. This site has
poor access for industrial use and is more suited to residential
development.
The following In-fill sites, including sites that have previously been
identified by the Parish Council and do not appear in the Strategy
document, should be carefully examined and given priority over any green
field development.
Extract from a previous consultation on in-fill sites:-
We much prefer to
have ‘in-fill’, and the sites listed below are either ‘Brownfield’,
current industrial sites or ‘infill’ within existing residential areas or
on the level land adjacent to Long Lane.
1. Thornell
Close, off Moss view Road.
SK06209
80390
Two
small sites below Warmbrook Barn.
2. Beresford
Road, situated between Beresford Ave.& Homestead Way, opposite 64 –
small plot.
SK 06394
80651
3. Warmbrook
Road, opposite Lower Eaves View.
SK 06189
80390 - site bordering Warmbrook Road as far as the line of
trees on
the South side.
4. Warmbrook
Road.
Small
site –may be in HPBC ownership.
SK 06069
80355
5. Long
Lane.
A. At the junction of Long
Lane and to the south of Station Road, with development on the northern
part of this site terminating at the Midland line railway embankment, and
on the southern part of the site being kept to the flat areas of the land.
SK 05609 79800
B. At junction of Long Lane
and to the North of Station Road and to the east of the railway
embankment, large field site.
SK 05434
80085
6. Site
adjacent to Bywaters/Hayfield Park Estate.
SK 06039
80890
7. We accept that
it may be necessary for development to take place on sites currently
designated as Greenfield, but only when the capacity of sites identified
by the Parish Council has been examined and the evidence to support the
housing targets has been established.
In addition, the Affordable Housing Survey (2009) identified 46 empty
properties in Chapel-en-le-Frith, which should be investigated.
Strategic Planning
Attempts to meet the provision for the Central Area could become an
opportunity to re-locate and re-organise the distribution of industrial
sites in the town, so that residential, commercial and industrial areas
become separated and more clearly defined.
We have identified
several suitable sites for housing in Chapel-en-le-Frith, listed below;
which have not been included in the Strategy document, all references are
British National Grid.
“Brownfield” sites
are identified by BD.
The sites defined as
BD – M - are those which it is hoped that the present occupiers may
consider moving to more suitable industrial areas, adjacent to the A6
bypass on the edge of the town, so reducing the need for heavy lorries to
pass through the town centre.
1. Hayfield
Road East – currently occupied by Bowers Coaches. BD - M
SK 06279
80936
2. Hayfield
Road East - currently occupied by Chapel Garage/Bowers. Coaches. BD
- M
SK 06199
80933
3. Yard area, previously occupied
by ATS and now by FR Somerset Haulage.
BD –M
Between Manchester Road and the railway
bridge and on the east of Long Lane, with access also to Manchester Road.
SK 05289 80395.
4. Midland
Road - Old Coal Yard site. BD - M
SK 05444
80915
5. Old Park Road/rear of the Town
Hall/ Sunday School Lane. BD and BD - M
SK 05874
80745
Very
suitable area for development for sheltered accommodation / affordable
housing.
6. Lomas
Distribution site (formerly Sam Longson Ltd) off Sheffield Road.
SK 06364 80930
Town End and Miry
Meadow areas need to have Development Plans prepared and agreed. The
Federal-Mogul site re-development may provide housing sites and the HPBC
Council office site in Chinley may also offer further housing sites.
All these sites are
sustainable and allow small additional development to take place without
fundamentally affecting the character of the town. They would provide an
opportunity to in-fill, using predominantly Brownfield sites. Surely this
is better than one huge new estate on the edge of town which will not be
integrated and which would fundamentally affect the town.
Until the capacity
of these sites has been identified and compared with the updated housing
targets for the Central Area, we cannot begin to determine the residual
demand that will have to be met.
We would support
small-scale development in Dove Holes proportionate to its size and
commensurate with its range of services and facilities.
To attract small
business we would strongly advocate the need for High Speed Broadband.
Environmental Impact
An Environmental Impact Study should be commissioned, together with
confirmation that the proposed sites in the strategy conform with the Code
for Sustainable Development, as it is anticipated that Code level 6 will
be a requirement by 2012.
Affordable Housing
There is a proven need for Affordable Housing in the Parish and houses
currently on the market ‘For Sale’ are not affordable by a large
percentage of the local population. Any future development should include
housing that is affordable.
The Affordable
Housing Study carried out in late 2009, and report issued in early 2010,
determined that there was a current need of at least 150 new affordable
houses in Chapel.
What is affordable?
Currently the lowest
property price in Chapel is over £100k, and the average nearer £150k. The
average salary in the Central Area is less that £20k pa. Mortgage lenders
are now restricting new mortgage advances to 3.5 times earnings and a
minimum of 25% deposit. Consequently, this makes the majority of
properties currently on the market unaffordable by a large percentage of
the local population.
We need more
affordable properties, as well as some general market housing, and also
some ‘executive homes’ if new businesses are to be established in the
area.
A dialogue needs to
take place with Housing Associations and other agencies involved in
housing provision, funding and the building of new domestic properties.
Sites for affordable
housing off Ashbourne Lane have been mentioned.
Vision for the
Future
A locally-led, overall vision is needed for Chapel-en-le-Frith and Dove
Holes.
We want to be
treated equally to residents in Glossop and Buxton. We don’t want to be
the ‘poor relation’ when forward planning takes place.
The current
proposals will have a profound effect on the Central Area of High Peak,
and on Chapel en le Frith in particular. We need to ensure that the future
of Chapel en le Frith is decided and/or influenced by residents living in
Chapel Parish who will be directly affected by any of the changes.
A Chapel Vision
Committee should be formed to develop a Design and Place Making Strategy
for Chapel-en-le-Frith and Dove Holes which will protect their unique
identity, distinctiveness and historic character.
We want to be
involved with, and take the lead on, discussions about where new housing
developments should take place and the changes to infrastructure required
to sustain them.
A new housing market
assessment should be carried out to identify demand in Chapel-en-le-Frith
Parish from now to 2026. This report should include details of what type
of property will be needed. Particular reference to be made to
affordability and the best solutions to this major problem. We cannot
proceed without satisfactory and comprehensive evidence to determine
future housing targets.
The present
consultation document refers to ‘Vision Plans’ for both Glossopdale
and Buxton. The ‘Glossop Vision’ organisation already exists.
On June 16 and June
30, Glossop residents were invited to public meetings/workshops arranged
by HPBC to have their say on how they would like their town to develop.
The sessions were led by design consultants Gillespie’s, who will
translate the workshop ideas into a planning document that will eventually
go to the Council for adoption as formal planning guidance.
A recent Press
Release by the HPBC Executive Member for Regeneration stated ‘…any future
development should reflect the ways in which local people want to see it
grow,…’ and added ‘ The vision has to come from the people who live or
work in Glossop, as they understand the place better than anyone’.
A similar approach
is being proposed for Buxton, with the ‘Buxton Vision’ recently being
formed.
Surely the residents
of Chapel deserve to be treated the same. A ‘Chapel Vision’ organisation
should be formed to allow the Parish Council, together with local
residents, to express their opinions.
14 July 2010 |
