SPG 1 1.0 INTRODUCTION This development brief is based on the allocation of the Priors Hall site for employment and countryside recreational purposes in the Corby Borough Local Plan. The brief is intended to be informative about the Council's intentions and to excite the imagination as to the possibilities. It is not intended to be prescriptive but rather to provide a flexible framework for the future of this important site. The Council is using its best endeavours to bring the site forward for development. Additional information and guidance on such matters as detailed access arrangements, site servicing and the organisation and management of the countryside proposals will be issued as the project develops. THE BRIEF 2.0 SITE LOCATION The site is located to the north east of Corby, north of the village of Weldon and adjacent to the Weldon North employment area. Its centre point is some 3.5 miles from the Town Centre. The Weldon By-Pass, A43(T) Stamford Road forms its southern boundary. The limestone face of the gullet running north south through the site is considered to be the furthest east that the urban area of Corby will extend. 3.0 SITE DESCRIPTION It is a large site extending to some 280 hectares. The site is situated on fairly high ground. It is in two parts. The major part extends approximately 1.5 miles north south and 1 mile east west. The Weldon to Gretton road forms the western boundary with Priors Hall Municipal Golf Course and plantations of the Deene Park Estate farm in the east. A triangular shaped area of Woodland (Priors Hall Plantation) off the A43 beyond the golf course is also included within the site area and is the smaller, second parcel of the site. The main site is in four clearly identifiable parts: * the northern and western sections which are open fields used for pasture and grazing; * the central area which is unused and contains the former quarry face and gullet formed by limestone extraction which extends to some 100 hectares; * the eastern part consists of restored land following mineral extraction on the former Priors Hall Quarry. This area is of special significance in nature conservation terms particularly in terms of the string of ponds leading to a lake and surrounding wetland habitat. The overall character of the site is open countryside.
4.0 PLANNING STATUS Corby Borough Council is the Local Planning Authority for the purposes of preparing Local Plans and development control. Northamptonshire County Council is the Structure Plan Authority. The published changes to the Corby District Local Plan (January 1993) envisage employment development at Priors Hall together with substantial areas of new woodland and opportunities for other habitat creation. The eastern most part of the site known as Priors Hall Quarry, is within a Special Landscape Area and is also to be designated as a County Wildlife Site. Priors Hall is considered by the Council to be one of three prestige sites in the Borough by virtue of its size, lack of contamination, location, accessibility and general environmental quality. It is capable of attracting high quality development. The open fields amounting to some 52 hectares between the quarry face and the Weldon to Gretton Road are the location for commercial and industrial development. The site is presently without the benefit of planning permission but the Council would look favourably on commercial and countryside recreational development proposals which comply with the brief. 5.0 DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS 5.1 Commercial and Industrial Development The brief envisages development of major distribution facilities, industrial manufacturing accommodation and/or commercial office accommodation falling within Classes B1, B2 & B8 of the Use Classes Order 1987. This will be on the 52 hectares at the western end of the site on the open fields between Gretton Road and the limestone Quarry face. On the remainder of the site, some 230 hectares, the brief requires the planting of new broad-leaf native woodland, the restoration of strategic and local footpaths and a wide range of recreational, cultural and educational activities. The Council would give favourable consideration to either of two options for the commercial development. The countryside element would be linked physically and in development terms to the commercial and industrial proposals and would be common to both options. The two options are set out below, which represents the Council's vision of the future. The plan is included for illustrative purposes only. 5.2 Option 1 - Scheme Content Allocation of up to 52 hectares for commercial and industrial purposes. Development of up to 120,000m2 of floorspace for commercial and industrial purposes. The Council anticipates that market interest will produce a mix of B8, B2 and B1 light industrial development with B8 floorspace predominating.
For guidance purposes and on the basis of recent research into local property market conditions the Council anticipates and would welcome schemes with up to 60% B8 floorspace (72,000m²) and up to 40% (48,000m²) B1 light industrial and B2 general industrial accommodation. The Council anticipates and would welcome a range of unit sizes with large scale units at 9,300 to 38,000m² and indeed up to 93,000m² (1 million ft²) subject to siting considerations and medium size units at 2,000 to 4,700m². 5.3 Option 2 - Scheme Content The Council believes that a site of this size in this location and with this level of environmental quality in prospect will be attractive to national and/or international companies seeking a prestige headquarters style complex to house its operations. Development of up to 28,000m² of prestige campus style office and high technology research/production facilities could satisfactorily be accommodated within the site. The Plan shows how two campus style complexes each of up to 14,000m² could be located within their own 20 hectare sites. An alternative is, where a single user takes on the whole site including the woodland areas to the east of the gullet. Although the main buildings are likely to be located on the more easily developed western part of the site in a prominent position, other ancillary buildings and parking areas could be located to the east of the gullet. These ancillary buildings could comprise training centres, staff recreational facilities, exhibition or visitor centres which would integrate well with the countryside environment. This area could then be owned and managed as a private estate although an element of public access may still be possible. 5.4 Countryside Proposals and Landscape Requirements In summary, the brief envisages the creation of a major woodland area on the 230 hectare part of the site to the east of the commercial development area. The existing landscape and habitat features, including the gullet and the wetlands, will be retained and enhanced. The area will be available for sustainable countryside pursuits, nature interpretation, educational and cultural purposes. The area is seen in strategic terms as linking with woodland management and public access initiatives around the town including most particularly the Rockingham Forest Trust project. Development of either option will require the planting of a substantial area of woodland on the southern and northern part of the commercial site to act as a buffer to the village of Weldon and to open countryside. The illustrative drawing shows the commercial site divided in two by a substantial open area. This is deliberate. This area will be the "gateway" to the countryside area providing a green wedge between the two phases of development, giving a stronger individual identity and more attractive environment to each estate. 5.5 The landscape objectives are as follows: * Keep all tree cover and hedgerows and use as the structural framework.
* Retain some open fields and grassland, both as a natural resource and habitat, to keep a sense of openness and retain a country edge to Corby. * In particular, preserve the hedgerow, ditch and fields off Steel Road and Gretton Road running west-east towards the gullet in the centre of the site, * Conserve and enhance the series of ponds, wetlands and marsh for nature conservation and public access. This area will need management along nature conservation guidelines to preserve the open water, prevent silting and colonisation. * Conserve the ironstone gullet as a natural feature, an example of the geological strata of the area and a link with the history and reason for Corby, for both education and interpretation purposes. The existing rock face would need to be excavated down to the ironstone bed. * Enhance hedgerows and create woodland links along new and upgraded public rights of way. Form connection to the linear nature conservation area that provides the link between Corby and Deene Park. * Re-establish the old hedgerow pattern in open areas of the site and along the boundaries. * Woodland - replace the coniferous plantations with broad-leaved native trees in accordance with a management plan by thinning and selected clearance. * Plant a substantial area of woodland at the southern end of the 52 hectare commercial area to link with the main woodland proposals and to act as a buffer between the scheme and the village of Weldon. * Plant a buffer area at the northern end of the commercial site to act as a buffer to the open countryside in East Northants. * Provide a heavily wooded "gateway" to the woodland area off Gretton Road and in the middle of the proposed commercial area. * Enhance existing woodland by appropriate woodland management, extend edge of woodland to thicken the blocks and belts. * Recreate woodland on the site, primarily to act as a future resource for Corby * Tree species to be native, selected form species to be found locally on similar conditions. All tree, seed and plants to be of local origin or sourced from British stock. Should a proposed development conflict with one or more of these objectives, then it is expected that the project will comprise compensating environmental benefits. It is anticipated that the broad-leaved woodland would form a natural resource for employment, forest industry, education, recreation and leisure and nature conservation. In conjunction with the surrounding woodland cover the site would act as green lung for Corby the completion to a finger of green that is to be established into Corby, along a newly created linear nature reserve. 5.6 Public Access The existing public rights of way with the new access corridor from Corby, lend the site to acting as a link between an urban centre, villages and visitor attractions such as Deene Park and Kirby Hall.
Further public access to the ironstone gullet and the pools and wetlands, would complete the footpath network. 6.0 TOWN PLANNING REQUIREMENTS 6.1 Vehicular Access The A43(T) Stamford Road is anticipated to be the main vehicular access to the site in the vicinity of the roundabout at the eastern end of the village of Weldon. The highway authority for the road is presently Northamptonshire County Council. The road will shortly be handed over to the Department of Transport. Developers will need to satisfy the DTp that the traffic generation of their proposals and the location of any accesses can be accommodated by the Trunk Road and/or that they are prepared to undertake and fund off-site highway works in order to make their access proposals acceptable. Vehicular access to the site can also be obtained from the Gretton Road and Steel Road through the Weldon North employment area. 6.21 Parking Parking requirements are specified in "Corby Borough Council - A Guide to Parking Standards for New Developments". 6.3 Siting and Design of Buildings The Council's brief envisages substantial commercial buildings on the 52 hectare western part of the site. This is on raised ground towards the village of Weldon, buildings of substantial height and scale will be sited and landscaped such that visual intrusion and any impacts in relation to noise and illumination are consistent with the proximity of the village The Council will require, inter alia, a scale model of development proposals which include the eastern end of the village in order to assess their impact. Priors Hall is a prestige site. The Council expects to see modern buildings in both Option 1 and Option 2 of excellent architectural and design quality with commensurate landscaping and site layout proposals. Materials will be an important consideration. The Council is not, however, prescriptive on this point. It expels expects to see buildings proposed with contemporary high quality materials used in an imaginative way. 6.4 Site Coverage and Height Restrictions Priors Hall is seen as a low density development site where the countryside meets and surrounds the commercial development. The Council envisage that site coverage will not exceed 50% (inclusive of buildings and car parking turning areas). The Council anticipates that the development of Option 2 could result in a site coverage of 30% or less.
The Council is reluctant to be definitive on the maximum height of buildings. The type of development envisaged will most probably result in large single and two storey buildings. Relatively high buildings such as required by modern distribution centres will need to be sited towards the centre of the site to minimise visual intrusion. 7.0 ON SITE UTILITIES Although the site is currently unserviced, its location adjoining Weldon North employment area implies insurmountable problems are unlikely to arise. Developers with exceptional energy or water demands will of course need to discuss their requirements in detail with the utilities. The Borough Council's officers will be on hand to assist in providing contacts. A separate utilities brief will be available in due course. 8.0 GROUND CONDITIONS The commercial development proposals are to be located on what is believed to be undisturbed agricultural land providing acceptable ground conditions for building. Developers are advised to undertake borehole surveys to confirm this. The greater part of the site is made ground following crude restoration after the quarrying activities. This area is considered suitable, with some preparation for the woodland proposals in the brief. The site is still the subject of restoration conditions imposed by the Mineral Planning Authority. The only significant requirement is that certain small deposits of material within the gullet area will need to be removed and parts of the exposed limestone face made safe. 9.0 ENVIRONMENTAL APPRAISAL The Council has commissioned an environmental appraisal in order to understand the natural features, the habitats and the sensitivity of the site and thereby the potential for woodland development and full public use. A copy of the appraisal will be made available on request but developers will be expected to be fully involved in more detailed studies and design work aimed at bringing forward this key component of the development of Priors Hall. Developers will be expected to submit full details of the likely impact of their proposals on the local environment. Depending upon the scale and nature of the development proposed, the submission of an Environmental Statement under the Town and Country Planning (Assessment of Environmental Effects) Regulations 1988, may be required. It is anticipated that the Council will work with interested parties to specify the detailed appraisals needed for scheme assessment. 10.0 CONCLUSIONS Priors Hall will provide a valuable addition to the portfolio of development sites in Corby, providing an opportunity unparalleled in the region. The prospect of adding a major commercial development linked to the latest thinking on countryside recreation excites the Council's imagination. Each will add value to the other.
Corby Borough Council has an enviable reputation for delivering its promises. All interested parties are invited to rise to the challenge at Priors Hall and help us put together this major proposal.