Comment

Representation ID: 22365

Received: 24/01/2022

Respondent: Taylor Wimpey

Agent: Avison Young

In order for the Draft Plan to be sound it must provide a clear strategy for bringing sufficient land forward, and at a sufficient rate, to address objectively assessed needs over the Plan period. Because the BCAs must also identify and update annually a supply of specific deliverable sites sufficient to provide a minimum of five years’ worth of housing against its housing requirement, the Draft Plan is also required to identify specific, deliverable sites for years one to five of the plan period and then sufficient developable sites, or broad areas of growth, for the remainder of the plan period.
The Glossary to the NPPF defines ‘deliverable’ sites as being available now, offering a suitable location for development. In order for a site to be considered ‘developable’ it should be in a suitable location for housing development with a reasonable prospect that it will be available and could be viably developed at the point envisaged.
Our Client welcomes the Draft Plan’s recognition that the site can, and should, deliver a development that is capable of materially contributing to Walsall, and the Black Country’s housing requirements. The site is available, offers a suitable location for development and is achievable with a realistic prospect of delivering housing within the first five years of the plan period.
Chapter 13 provides details of the number of dwellings that could be delivered on each housing allocation site. According to the BCAs calculations, the Draft BCP assumes that land south of Aldridge Road is capable of delivering 592 dwellings at a net density of 35 dph. However, as alluded to previously in these representations, having assessed the various technical constraints and other factors that might influence development, Taylor Wimpey concludes that the site could accommodate approximately 360 market and affordable dwellings. This would still make a meaningful contribution to the delivery of both market and affordable housing in the Black Country.
Moreover, the Plan identifies the site, amongst other, as a strategic allocation, taking into account its size and the number of dwellings it has the potential to deliver. Each strategic allocation has a separate policy (in this case Policy WSA7) that provides details of the specific constraints and requirements affecting development. Decisions on planning applications for these sites will, therefore, be made in accordance with their specific policy requirements. Table 2 (below) lists the policy requirements in full insofar as they relate to Taylor Wimpey’s site at Aldridge Road. To provide Officers with the comfort that Taylor Wimpey’s proposals for the site can still satisfy the requirements of Policy WSA7, Table 2 also describes how the development will accord with each of the design principles.
Table 2 – Policy WSA7 Design Principles
Design Principle [DP] Taylor Wimpey’s Proposals at Aldridge Road [TWPAR]
[1]Local Facilities
[DP] Deliver appropriate local facilities to support new residents and to enhance the sustainability of the existing area, including a new primary school and local health centre.
[TWPAR] In light of the reduced number of dwellings capable of being delivered on site, Taylor Wimpey will, instead, make the appropriate financial contributions to ensure that any impacts arising from the development on local services and amenities is satisfactorily mitigated, in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 57 of the NPPF .
[2] Contaminated Land
[DP] Investigation and detailed proposals for the remediation of contaminated land.
[TWPAR]A Phase 1 Ground Investigation Study will be prepared prior to the submission of a planning application.
[3] Transport Strategy
[DP] A transport strategy that ensures that the transport impacts of the development are appropriately managed and mitigated.
[TWPAR] There is potential to provide a minimum of two safe and visible highway access points into the site from Aldridge Road to the north and Buchanan Road to the west, which will make for a permeable scheme. Bus stops located directly opposite the site along Aldridge Road provide residents with suitable and appropriate non-car travel options.
[4] Pedestrians and Cyclists
[DP] Enhanced provision for pedestrians and cyclists, including enhanced connectivity with the town centre.
[TWPAR] The existing PRoW along the site’s western boundary will be retained and enhanced as part of a network of publicly accessible pedestrian and cycles routes through the site into new recreational greenspaces to the south, as well as to adjacent residential streets to the west to improve linkages to Walsall Town Centre.
[5] Sustainable Drainage
[DP] A site-wide Sustainable Drainage Strategy, to ensure that drainage requirements can be met on site and are designed to deliver landscape, biodiversity and amenity benefits.
[TWPAR] Development on the site would include the appropriate use of SuDs, including suitable attenuation measures, to ensure that a betterment in surface water management would be achieved.
[6] Landscape and Ecology
[DP] A strategy for landscape and habitat creation, in particular along the southern boundary to the Arboretum, providing new tree planting to ensure there is no significant adverse impact on the visual amenity and character of the Arboretum, nor on protected animal species.
[TWPAR] The proposals will provide an attractive semi-rural ‘transitional’ open space to the south of the development, so as to extend the character of the Arboretum. This will ensure that there is no significant adverse impact on the visual amenity and character of the Arboretum.

Conclusion
These representations have been prepared by Avison Young, on behalf of Taylor Wimpey, in response to the Draft Black Country Plan Regulation 18 consultation document.
These representations are intended to form a robust evidence base upon which an allocation in the Black Country Plan can be found sound at Examination stage. The inclusion of land south of Aldridge Road and its acknowledgement by the BCAs as a viable site is supported. The site remains available and could be delivered as a sustainable development opportunity in the short term (0-5 years) to help ensure that the Black Country Authorities are able to meet their objectively assessed housing needs in accordance with the requirements of the NPPF.
Accordingly, it is requested that the Council continue to support the allocation of land south of Aldridge Road, Walsall through the remainder of the plan making process.