PLANNING APPLICATION 203/2260/OTS FRONTIER ESTATES OUTLINE PLANNING PROPOSAL V4F COMPLIANCE ASSESSMENT JANUARY 2014

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1 PLANNING APPLICATION 203/2260/OTS FRONTIER ESTATES OUTLINE PLANNING PROPOSAL V4F COMPLIANCE ASSESSMENT JANUARY 2014 This assessment is done against relevant extracts, below, of the : - Frome Community Plan Frome Draft Neighbourhood Plan - Garsdale (inc Saxonval) Planning Brief - Mendip Local Plan A summary of the Frontier proposal is also attached. Note only those parts from the source documents that have relevance to the Frontier bid are included in the extracts. There are significantly wider issues for the whole Saxonvale site, not least housing, pedestrian and cycle movement, play, parking and road traffic, and other aspects, as also associated with the residential building that, it is presumed, at least Terramond envisage for the site. COMPLIANCE SUMMARY GENERAL This is a retail development with little other coverage, but this wider need could be rectified in the development of the other two parts of the site. However, with separate and uncoordinated development there is no guarantee of such a provision, nor that optimum design, use of space, provision of facilities, or coordinated and wider addressing of transport and traffic requirements will be achieved. COMPLIANT FEATURES Compliancy is matched against the requirements in these documents, as identified where they contain specific statements; there are relevant general statements, especially in the Planning Brief and Local Plan, that provide support for the various facilities in the development: - It contributes to the need for mixed non-food retail (including clothing retailers and restaurants in the town centre) - all four plans - A food store - Local Plan

2 - Restaurants and cafes - Community Plan, Neighbourhood Plan - Space for offices/studios (i.e employment) - all four plans - An hotel - Community Plan, Neighbourhood Plan - A place for FETE - Community Plan, Neighbourhood Plan, Local Plan - Public Square/space - Planning Brief - Car park provision - Community Plan, Planning Brief - Provision to enable the riverside area to be preserved and used - Community Plan, Neighbourhood Plan, Local Plan - Relief of traffic down Vicarage Street - Community Plan, Neighbourhood Plan - A plan to make the development permeable into the existing access to and from the Town Centre - Planning Brief, Local Plan - Provision of access roads and surrounding roads as per a transport plan to cater for the increased traffic and its character. - Community Plan, Neighbourhood Plan NON-COMPLIANCES - the food store is significantly bigger than 1500sqms - Local Plan - The Hotel is small and would not be suitable for conferences etc - Community Plan, Neighbourhood Plan - Provision for non-retail employment is nowhere near the figure required for employment on this brown field site, at least 5750sqm - Local Plan - No residential provision - All four Plans - No leisure facilities - All four Plans - Apart from restaurants and cafes, no other leisure facilities to promote Saxonvale as a vibrant place that is not quiet and threatening in the evenings/night. - Local Plan, Neighbourhood Plan - No provision for artisan and cultural activity - Community Plan, Neighbourhood Plan - No obvious and significant provision of community facilites including meeting places and shelters for young people to solicalise without alcohol - Community Plan - Loss of green habitat, including trees, and interference with the river course - All four Plans - No new river bridge for cyclists and pedestrians - Community Plan - Little scope in this part development to construct a suitable network of streets with mutual respect for the needs of vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians - Planning Brief - A proposed acoustic barrier is detrimental to the objective of making the most of the river and its features, and to the nearby Willow Vale area outlook, and indicates a less than optimal scheme for traffic access. - All four Plans - No certainty that the commercial access road scheme can be delivered in the manner shown due to reliance on other nearby land owners. - Community Plan, Neighbourhood Plan - No certainty that the required seamless permeability with the existing town centre can be achieved in the way shown, due to reliance with other nearby land and property owners. Reliance on the Church Street access point is inadequate due to traffic and pedestrian space limitations. - Planning Brief, Local Plan - The traffic plan and proposals focus primarily on the Frontier development, as being the only part of the site they have an influence over. Any other provision for the other parts of the site is conjecture. This piecemeal approach to the site s development does not bring the required overall and comprehensive review and joint investment in a strategic transport and traffic plan to meet the challenges of public (including bus

3 services) and private transport and traffic needs in an already congested area. - Community Plan. - Community Plan, Neighbourhood Plan ARGUABLE FEATURES - The non-food retail layout and some aspects of the overall design, e.g. size and height of the food store, parking layout, and orientation of the non-food store could be consider to be endangering the town s existing individual character - See Community Plan, Planning Brief - The requirement for a medium size foodstore is subjective, and open to interpretation. The definition of 1500sqm is therefore a necessary objective requirement. - See Local Plan - Size and height of foodstore detracts from the character and vista of the town. - See Planning Brief - There is additional car park provision, but under private ownership, with the loss of the Merchant Barton spaces. Sufficiency and charging and terms of use are not known and not under Council control. - There is provision for some sympathetic use of the riverside and use of the existing greenery, to be balanced against the undesirable use of an acoustic wall facing Willow Vale, the loss of mature trees, and the interference with the river s course. - The limitations of this design, including a rather limited public space and river edge, as a part development of the site, is limiting in its attractiveness to visitors and tourists - See Community Plan, Neighbourhood Plan - Transport and road layout plans give the opportunity to relieve Vicarage Street of traffic, albeit the developer envisages the Street will still be used at night (noise reduction). The plans also depend on establishing through routes with other landowners and may not be deliverable in the manner outlined. It is a late compromise, and is inferior to the layout agreed in the Terramond Plan for the whole site as accepted in principle by MDC. - Similarly, the aim to provide a seamless connectivity with the established town centre is now addressed better, but depends on the connectivity with footways under other private ownership and may not be deliverable in the manner shown. Connectivity with Church Street is to be available, but this has very narrow walkways. - Public space is provided, with a form of a square. The size and form may not be viewed as optimal in meeting the expectations implicit in the Community Plan and Planning Brief. - -

4 FROME COMMUNITY PLAN EXTRACT ECONOMY Aims: To provide an environment which attracts businesses and entrepreneurs to Frome, keeps them here, and enables existing businesses to develop and grow To provide incentives for Frome residents and visitors to come into the town centre to shop To make Frome an attractive destination for tourists, visitors and those who are considering moving to Frome Objectives - To work towards ensuring adequate provision is made for accommodating new businesses, including IT and home workers - To retain young people in the town by seeking to improve training facilities and career prospects and provide support for young people setting up in business - To satisfy the demand for clothing retailers and restaurants in the town centre, without endangering its existing individual character - To consider the most appropriate way of charging for use of Frome car parks. - To improve access and pedestrian safety for local shoppers - To facilitate the creation of a clear, marketable identity for Frome - To address the lack of hotel rooms, conference rooms, public toilets and other facilities ECMY Projects Secure a business support centre within the town centre, providing face to face support for entrepreneurs and existing businesses, skills development and direct access to agencies based elsewhere Support the development and expansion of FETE (Further Education and Training Enterprise) Work with retailers, developers and planners to secure key name national clothes retailers and family-friendly restaurants Negotiate with businesses and local authorities for improved or shared car parks and cost arrangements Introduce free short term parking

5 Identify an image and town profile, to be agreed as a focus for the town and external marketing, enhance town profile Support river walk scheme Improve Tourist facilities and opportunities (e.g. hotel and conference rooms) GETTING AROUND Aims: To improve pedestrian access and safety To improve parking and traffic flow Objectives - To encourage pedestrian priority schemes - To aim for the provision of town-wide linkages with dropped kerbs - To aim for the provision of new river crossings for pedestrians and cyclists - To work towards the implementation of vehicle size and weight restrictions in the Conservation Areas - To consider new parking and traffic-flow systems within congested areas, in consultation with affected residents and the relevant local authorities - To investigate possibilities for new road links and parking provision within large development schemes - To look at the provision of cycle networks and encourage the completion of the Sustrans cycle route through the Frome area Projects Create pedestrian/cyclist river bridge, Willow Vale to Saxonvale, joining up Sustrans route Improve town traffic & parking management Community involvement in decisions on access, road links and parking provision within large development schemes (Saxonvale-Garsdale, Kingsway and Westway) HOUSING AND HERITAGE Aims: To provide for local housing needs

6 To protect existing local green areas, employment land and neighbourhood character To preserve and enhance the historic character of the town Objectives - To ensure that all new housing provides (or in the case of small schemes, contributes towards) at least 40% of affordable homes, whether for rent, shared ownership, sale or mixed tenure - To ensure a range of dwellings, including larger homes and bungalows, to meet the needs of all households - To ensure that there is provision of housing for key workers, including carers - Protect natural habitats, prevent loss of local green spaces or trees which make a significant contribution to the local character and help mitigate the effects of climate change. - To aim to ensure that land currently used for employment is retained in its entirety for future employment, so providing a geographical spread of job opportunities and reducing the need to travel - To reinstate the corridor of the River Frome as the focal point of the town. Improve and re-landscape the banks of the River Frome and make them an inviting and accessible recreational open space in the heart of the town - To improve the town centre environment to make it more welcoming for shoppers and visitors and more beneficial to traders, and to widen these benefits to town centre fringes. This is intended to include King Street, Kingsway, Church Street, etc and also to make these streets available to market trading when the time is right; and to include the Gorehedge junction improvements LAND Projects Prepare a Town Centre Improvement Plan Landscape the riverbanks to create a continuous riverside walk along both banks as far as possible or 'Enhance the river walk scheme and riverside access' Aim: To secure the different parts of the local landscape for their most appropriate commercial, industrial, residential or leisure use on the basis of their natural and social capacities and endowments Objective - To provide a strong community input through the development review and planning systems, so that land use is encouraged for appropriate development, and is protected

7 against use which runs counter to community aspirations or priorities unless essential to meet specific community or infrastructure needs SOCIETY & WELL=BEING Aim: To promote a sense of community, so that all residents feel they belong, have a voice and share common values To promote health and well-being through stimulating and enjoyable activities for all ages Objectives - To work towards ensuring that there are adequate and accessible community venues and outdoor spaces within Frome - To work with relevant local authorities and providers to ensure that sports and leisure facilities are adequate and accessible to all Projects Encourage spread of local arts, music, dance projects into the community Campaign for more family based pubs rather than 'serious drinkers' pubs More and improved leisure facilities Explore model of community space linked to a Town Hall/Town Office Explore possible locations for artistic workshop space Investigate bowling alley viability YOUNG PEOPLE Aim: To provide safe opportunities for socialising without alcohol To prepare for an interesting and satisfying adult life Objectives - To work with the relevant local authorities to provide more public parks or gardens, with better geographical distribution - To actively work towards providing community meeting places and organised weekend evening events targeted at yr olds. - To actively support the provision of vocational training in Frome

8 Projects Buy or rent available spaces for community use to provide safe opportunities for socialising without alcohol Provide outdoor shelters and seating for safe socialising without alcohol Facilitate access for young people to a wide range of activities and interests

9 THE DRAFT FROME NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN - EXTRACT AREA 3 - SAXONVALE AND KINGSWAY The development of Saxonvale, a site of 3.8 hectares to the east of the historic core, will be key to delivering the housing strategy and regenerating the Town Centre, providing new accommodation for shops and businesses and opening up and extending the River Corridor. The site running down from St John s Parish Church to the River Frome was formerly a mixed industrial area known as Merchants Barton occupied by Notts Industries. A recently restored Mill on the site offers workshop and gallery space for creative businesses, but much of the site has been unoccupied for some years. To the West of the site is the secondary Kingsway shopping mall that connects the site to Market Place. This includes the M&S Simply Food store and car park. The Regional Development Agency previously funded a comprehensive Development Brief for the Saxonvale and Garsdale area which was adopted by Mendip DC and remains the main planning guide for the development of this site. The Brief sets out plans for a mix of uses including: new homes, workspace, retail and leisure development and open space. The Town Council see this as an opportunity to reprioritise traffic movements through the Centre and support a development that is an exemplar of modern sustainable living with energy efficient homes and easy access to work, social and recreational facilities and public transport. TC5 - SAXONVALE Key Objectives To promote a comprehensive and sustainable regeneration plan for Saxonvale. To encourage greater evening activity including restaurants, clubs, and hotel accommodation To provide suitable facilities for new businesses to be incubated and grown in the town centre to encourage greater local job creation and grow creative industries such as art, media, technology, design, etc. To support sustainable living with opportunities for homeworking, cycle storage and showers and access to local shops, cafés, public services and public transport. To be achieved by: Reviewing the Garsdale planning brief February 2005.

10 POLICY TC5 - SAXONVALE Plans for the redevelopment of Saxonvale should seek to achieve the overall vision for the redevelopment of the site based on the 2005 Planning Brief The Town Council, in collaboration with Mendip District Council, and other landowners and the local community, will seek to refresh and redefine the Brief and consider the commercial viability and delivery mechanisms to facilitate the development of this site within the plan period. The development of Saxonvale is expected to deliver: An exemplar model of low impact and low carbon living new energy efficient homes of mixed price and tenure. New incubator and grow on space for small and medium sized businesses. Integrated retail, hotel and leisure facilities. Replacement training facilities for Somerset Skills and Learning. Artisan workshops and creative studio space. An urban park alongside the River. Improved traffic management in Vicarage street, Christchurch Street East and the surrounding road network. Plans for the development of this site will meet the requirements of the Neighbourhood Plan policy for major development.

11 GARSDALE (inc SAXONVALE) PLANNING BRIEF EXTRACT The Planning Brief was visionary in many ways. It has been re-endorsed by the Mendip planning committee a number of times since Its status is still pertinent; "It should be noted that all recommendations and proposals contained within the document will be a material consideration in assessing planning applications." It is particularly focussed on the spatial requirements of the town centre and deals with the site as an extension of what is already in Frome, rather than prescribing uses in any detail. The Council requires a comprehensive scheme for the whole site with one planning application, in order to prevent developers from "cherry picking" those land uses and parts of the site that command higher commercial returns, leaving un-implemented the less commercially attractive parts of the site, such as the riverside park, public square, and leisure facilities. The Saxonvale site does have a number of complex problems for developers and "cherry picking" the easy bits must be avoided. The Brief also says 'landowners are advised to select architects with a proven track record in producing high quality innovative schemes and joint working'. It suggests 'the use of a variety of architects to avoid repetitive design solutions', and 'the Council may consider using a Compulsory Purchase Order to finalise land assembly', noting 'the Council is willing to consider joint venture proposals'. The guiding principles from the brief say, for example, that the development of the site should be; A seamless extension to Frome town centre which complements existing accommodation and facilities to allow the centre to grow, diversify and compete with out of town shopping and other centres. A mixed use, high density scheme: including housing, retail accommodation, employment and open spaces making optimum use of this brownfield site adjacent to the town centre. A balanced approach to car parking so that it is at the minimum required to make the development work effectively (and avoid undue impact on surrounding streets) A development where the car does not dominate Continuous, mixed use frontages at ground floor along focal streets and around new urban squares. Uses within the frontage should provide visual interest and include, for example, retail, restaurant, craft, office and gallery uses. A network of streets and squares, and pedestrian and cycle links, a mix of housing type, size and tenure, contemporary design, enhancing the riverside. It also states that "Proposals should: in general avoid development blocks which are larger than 70m or smaller than 40m in either dimension unless local influences dictate otherwise (to ensure the development is permeable for pedestrians)

12 in general avoid development blocks which are larger than 70m or smaller than 40m in either dimension unless local influences dictate otherwise (to ensure the development is permeable for pedestrians) ensure all streets are faced by the fronts of buildings and all backs of properties are contained within the inside of the block avoid ground level blank walls without front doors or windows which are likely to be actively used) on frontages (as shown on the Strategic Plan).

13 Core Policy 6: Frome Town Strategy DRAFT MENDIP LOCAL PLAN - EXTRACT Provision for between 2,700 and 2,900 new jobs will be made: - Including through mixed use redevelopment of redundant or under utilised employment sites within the town where they arise, to deliver flexible space for offices, studios and other residentially compatible small business space. Town centre redevelopments, including Saxonvale and, in the longer term, the Westway Centre, (as identified on the Proposals Map as CP6C), will collectively deliver: - a medium scale foodstore of about 1500sqm (net) - including only an ancillary element of non- food goods - to supplement limited town centre choice and in turn draw back trade from out of town large format foodstores. - Up to 7,000sqm of additional non-food retail space in a range of unit sizes that encourage a broader range of national, regional and local operators into the town. - Uses that enhance the attraction of the town to visitors and as an evening destination for social and leisure activities. - creative and imaginative public realm improvements as well as new urban spaces which integrate new development areas with the towns historic centre and which also incorporate and enhance the River Frome as a feature within the town centre. - At least half of the 11,500sqm of flexible office/studio space requirement (see Table 10) including a permanent site for FETE within the Saxonvale area. A Green Infrastructure Strategy for the town will: - Identify priorities for expenditure of development contributions towards improvements to the extent and quality of public open spaces and accessible natural green spaces. This will include improving access, recreation, education and wildlife opportunities along the length of the River Frome (identified as CP6D on the Proposal Map) establishing it as a linear park, as a collaborative exercise involving the Town Council, Environment Agency and local groups. Until detailed proposals are set out in the Green Infrastructure Strategy (or other delivery plan), proposals affecting land adjacent the river corridor will need to demonstrate that schemes do not compromise the overall objective of securing continuous access. In addition, the Council will work with partners, landowners and other interests, through the Frome Neighbourhood Plan and other initiatives to:! Improve connectivity and capacity of bus and rail services! Deliver additional accommodation for visitors to the town

14 FRONTIERS SUBMITTED SCHEME PROPOSALS Outline planning permission is sought for a mixed use development comprising a foodstore, non- food retail, restaurants (Use Class A3), offices/studios (Use Class B1), hotel, education (FETE), car parking and public open space The amount of development proposed is as follows:!! 2323m2 (net sales) foodstore!! 2426m2 (net sales) open A1 non-food retail!! 880m2 (GIA) Use Class A3 (restuarants and cafes)!! 1285m2 Offices /studios (Use Class B1)!! 35 bed hotel!! 530m2 (GIA) Education (FETE) (Use Class D1)!! 258 car parking spaces Details of the access arrangements into the site are submitted for approval, with all other matters (layout, scale, landscaping and appearance) reserved for approval at a later stage. The outline planning application submission does however include an illustrative site layout which demonstrates how the proposals is likely to be accommodated on site, and which therefore provides a guide for the later reserved matters approvals. Vehicular access into the proposed development will be provided from the existing entrance into the Notts Industries part of the site, from Garsdale. This entrance will provide all vehicular access and egress into the site, including deliveries to proposed uses within the site. The illustrative site layout shows how the scheme proposes to link with the existing Kingsway Centre to extend and provide a pedestriansed shopping street into the site. The focal point of the public realm would be a public square adjacent to the existing Silk Mill and Engine Room buildings. The foodstore element is shown fronting the east side of the new pedestrianised street. Car parking would be provided underneath the car park and to the north of the site. The area around the River Frome in the north of the site would be soft landscaped with the potential to provide a riverside walk. The proposed development includes new accommodation for FETE, enabling its relocation from its existing site into the town centre, in line with the expectations of emerging policy. As explained in the introductory section of this Statement, the outline application covers the areas of Saxonvale owned by Mendip District Council and Notts Industries. However an illustrative Masterplan has been submitted with the outline application which provides an indication of how the rest of the Saxonvale site may be brought forward. The Masterplan demonstrates that the indicative layout of the site can form part of, and work with, the comprehensive development of the whole Saxonvale site. The submitted Design and Access Statement (DAS) includes a thorough analysis of the site and existing townscape and provides principles for the layout, scale, landscaping and appearance for future reserved matters submissions to follow. Included within the application site is the Engine Room building which is listed (grade II) and part of the site is within the Conservation Area which covers the Town Centre of Frome. There are no statutory restrictions on outline planning applications involving Conservation Areas or Listed Buildings. The illustrative layout plan demonstrates that there can be minimal development within the Conservation Area. The listed building could be converted to offices without any operational development that would require listed building consent.

15 Once outline planning permission is approved, as anticipated, subsequent reserved matters will provide the detail of how the Listed Building is to be treated, and will be subject to separate approval. If any works are proposed to the listed building, such work will be subject to Listed Building Consent requirements, which we envisage will be sought concurrent with the reserved matters application stage. As we outline at Section 3, in pre-applications discussions the Council have confirmed that they are satisfied that the scheme can be submitted in outline.