February 2021

Draft notes of a meeting of the Environment committee held remotely using Zoom on 16th February 2021 at 19:00

Present: Cllrs Broad, Hauton, Manders , Trought and Walker

In attendance: Clerk to Council, Mrs S Knowles. Cllr Callan observed the meeting.

One member of public was present.

 

The chairman invited comments from members of the public prior to beginning the meeting. A general discussion was held about planning applications 20/0057/OUT and 16/1564/OUT. Those present were reminded that Parish Council does not determine planning applications but does submit comments as a statutory consultee to the planning authority. Final decisions will be made by North Kesteven District Council.

 

1. To consider apologies and accept valid reasons for absence – It was RESOLVED: That apologies from Cllr Smith be accepted.

 

2. To receive members’ declarations of disclosable pecuniary, non-disclosable pecuniary or non-pecuniary interests in relation to any agenda item – Nil

 

3. To confirm the minutes of the Environment committee held on 19th January 2021 - It was RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 19th January 2021 be approved and signed as a true copy by the chairman.

 

4. To consider planning applications – Nil

 

5. To consider a response to update planning applications - The order of business was altered to discuss item 5b – 16/1564/OUT first. The chairman explained that recommendations would be made to Full Council to accept the comments of the committee and submit to NKDC planning.

 

a. 16/1564/OUT – Land to east of London Road – It was Resolved: That a recommendation be made to Full Council to submit the following comments to NKDC planning.

It is noted that the majority of the plan remains the same and that changes relate to the section to the east of the development.

 

School access arrangements

Council objects to the siting of the school entrance being moved onto Canwick Avenue. The lack of footpath or cycleway on the northern side of Canwick Avenue means that accessing the school by any means apart from car will be extremely unsafe. Canwick Avenue is a busy road and the lack of parental parking or places to stop for pick- ups and drop offs will make this stretch of road more hazardous. This is contrary to CLLP LP13 which requires that travel should be minimised and use of sustainable transport modes maximised.

Additionally, developments should provide safe and convenient access for all and should prioritise the needs of pedestrians, cyclists and

public transport users.

 

Council feels that Canwick Avenue should be upgraded to a primary road as per the design guide prior to the school being built or opened. This will ensure safe access for several modes of transport including pedestrians and cyclists. A separate pedestrian access should be provided on the western side of the school plot to enable safe access from the other side of the school. The current proposal means that school children coming through the development will need to use the private and unadopted Lodge Farm Lane to arrive at the proposed school entrance. The lack of highway crossing from Bath Road across Canwick Avenue also poses a safety risk for children and carers accessing the school.

 

Other alterations

 Council welcomes the addition of cycleways joining up throughout the development. This is an improvement on the previous plan.

 The revised road network immediately to the west of the proposed school has been changed which has increased the length of un-adopted shared driveways, thus increasing the need for more and larger bin storage areas. These are unsightly and undesirable particularly for the properties closest to them.

 

Objections from Bracebridge Heath Parish Council relating to the rest of the development still apply.

 

b. 20/0057/OUT – Land off Sleaford Road, Bracebridge Heath - It was Resolved: That a recommendation be made to Full Council to submit the following comments to NKDC planning.

Parish Council discussed the amendments to the application. The previous objections are still applicable, and the following additional comments and objections are made in respect of the revised proposals:

 

Housing density

Council is concerned that the housing densities are still very high and are more typical of a town setting than a village. On both the eastern and western side of the development densities are largely 35-40pha. The number of properties proposed is also in excess of the number originally planned for this site (HELAA report 2020).

 

Whilst it is positive that the green buffer zone has been increased, Council is concerned that this is to the detriment of the central green area which provides a functional recreational space within the development. The reduction in recreational space increases the housing densities on the development and will give a crowded look and feel to the site. A reduction in housing, particularly on the eastern side of Sleaford Road, would help to retain the recreational space and the green buffer zone. Additionally, much of the publicly accessible spaces will have combined use as a SUD which further reduces the recreational use of the space.

 

Cycleways and transport

The possible future pedestrian and cycleway to the north and north east of the development would benefit from joining up with the consented scheme 19/0018/RESM. This should be prioritised early within the phasing as it will provide a continuous purpose-built cycleway from the Eastern Bypass to Canwick Avenue and the remainder of the SEQ SUE. Additional footpaths and cycle paths linking the development to the rest of the village is essential and should be addressed within the outline plans. In particular, there is no ready access to either the existing primary school within Bracebridge Heath or the school proposed on the SEQ SUE. Further consideration should be given to joining these developments up and providing cycle and pedestrian links to ensure that future residents of this development can integrate and easily access facilities throughout the village. CLLP LP13 states that developments ‘should provide well designed, safe and convenient access for all, giving priority to the needs of pedestrians, cyclists, people with impaired mobility and users of public transport by providing a network of pedestrian and cycle routes and green corridors, linking to existing routes where opportunities exist, that give easy access and permeability to adjacent areas’.

Council considers that the lack of primary roads within the development is contrary to the design guide for the SEQ SUE. The inclusion of a circular primary road will allow for future bus routes within the development. There is also a dearth of information on the type and criteria for the roads throughout the development. Large lengths of unadopted roads are undesirable.

 

Central employment area

Council still objects to the positioning of the care home/facility in this development. The proposed site remains undesirable due to the noise and disturbance from the surrounding roads and the distance and access arrangements to the rest of Bracebridge Heath village. Siting the care facility on the eastern side of the development will allow for better integration of occupants.

 

Amenity building

The community or amenity building provided in the central area of the site is proportionately too small for the size of the proposed development and there is no scope for expansion within the plans. Council also considers that the cumulative effect of all the proposed sites within and around Bracebridge Heath, combined with the insufficient existing indoor community space, means that the proposed amenity building is inadequate for the future population of this area. Council would like to see more focus on the provision of community buildings and facilities for the development which can be accessed by cycles, pedestrians and vehicles. There are no cycleways to the central employment area which is contrary to CLLP LP15 which states that proposals for community facilities should ‘prioritise and promote access by walking, cycling and public transport’. The proposed building is also in an unsatisfactory position being surrounded by a road which creates safety issues in accessing the facility as well as noise and disturbance while it is in use.

 

Council objects to the proposals for the above reasons.

 

6. Items for the agenda of the next committee meeting – Limestone wall on Canwick Avenue, iron railings on London Road/Sleaford Road, traffic calming for Red Hall Farm Lane.

 

There being no further business the chairman closed the meeting at 20:12

 

Signed_______________________________Chairman                                      16th March 2021.