City Development Policy and Plans Group The Leonardo Building 2 Rossington Street LDS LS2 HD 3 th January 207 Our ref: TP/LN/207-006 Network Rail Floor 3A/55 George Stephenson House Toft Green York YO 6JT diane.cragg@networkrail.co.uk Sent by email Dear Sir/Madam, Aire Valley Leeds Area Action Plan - Marsh Lane Allocation (AV) I write on behalf of Network Rail in relation to the Marsh Lane allocation in the Aire Valley Leeds Area Action Plan (AVLAAP). I would ask that the following comments be submitted to the Inspector at the Inquiry into the AVLAAP due to start on the 24th January 207. Allocation AV Marsh Lane is identified within the AVLAAP as a site of 3.67 Ha allocated for housing and mixed use development. Although it is not acknowledged by the AVLAAP, the site labelled AV is in more than one ownership. As shown on the attached plan Network Rail s ownership comprises the area to the east of the definitive public right of way, which runs through the centre of the site, as well as a strip of land to the south west. Network Rail s land holding extends to circa.94 Ha. Network Rail has been tasked with undertaking a review of its land portfolio to identify sites that are suitable for housing. As a result of this and as expressed in recent correspondence, it is our intention to bring forward the site at Marsh Lane as soon as possible for a mainly residential development. Feasibility work regarding the prospect of development at this site is currently being undertaken and indicative layout proposals for residential development have been prepared. Network Rail considers that the development of their land at Marsh Lane (as shown on the Network Rail Infrastructure Limited Registered Office: Network Rail, 2nd Floor, One versholt Street, London, NW 2DN Registered in ngland and Wales No. 290457 www.networkrail.co.uk
attached plan), for residential purposes is consistent with the proposed allocation in the AVLAAP. The AVLAAP references the Marsh Lane site (AV) as follows:- Paragraph 3.2.20 says the key locations identified with potential for office development, taking into account the broad locational strategy set out in policy of the Core strategy includes the Marsh Lane site which has the potential to provide new offices within a wider mixed use scheme. Policy AVL 3 office development in Aire Valley Leeds says that new development for large scale offices (Use Class Ba) will be promoted and concentrated in specific locations and this includes the Marsh Lane site as part of a mixed use scheme. Point 2 of policy AVL 3 says that Office uses will be acceptable on the sites identified (including Marsh Lane) as part of housing and mixed use development allocated under Policy AVL7, subject to site requirements set out in area plans. Table 4 to the policy identifies Marsh Lane (site ref: AV ) as being a 3.67 Ha site of which.4 could be developed for office use providing 27500 sqm. of floorspace. Policy AVL 4 General employment development in Aire Valley Leeds says at point 2 that The South Bank area and the Marsh Lane site are identified as suitable locations for research & development uses subject to the provisions of Policy AVL7 and site requirements set out in area plans. The main locations for housing identified in the AVLAAP at paragraph 3.3. include Marsh Lane. These locations are listed in policy AVL7 and include The ast Bank area, including the Marsh Lane site. Within policy AVL7 Marsh Lane is identified as a site suitable for housing and mixed use development to include a significant proportion of housing. The table in paragraph 4 to the policy estimates that Marsh Lane is capable of accommodating 29 houses. The spatial vision set out in paragraph 4.3 says The ast Bank area will continue to be recognised as a place for innovative and high quality urban design. New development, focused on the brownfield regeneration opportunities at Marsh Lane and along ast Street, will deliver high-quality buildings and spaces, providing a range of new homes and job opportunities and creating key gateways into the city centre The xtent of the Marsh Lane opportunity area is defined in policy B3. The allocation AV Marsh Lane is identified as 3.67Ha and Paragraph 4.3.59 of the AVP says that housing and mixed use development to include a significant proportion of
housing and other uses specified in Policy B3 will be supported. The subsequent paragraph set out the site requirements for Marsh lane AV these are:- The site is suitable for older persons housing / independent living in accordance with Policy AVL7. Access to the site to be taken from Shannon Street; The development should provide a positive frontage onto Marsh Lane; Active frontage uses should be provided where possible on the ground floor of main routes through the area and around public/open space; A green corridor to be incorporated into the development to link into the wider network as indicatively shown on the area map; The development should provide new and enhanced pedestrian/cycle routes within the site to connect into the wider network, to the city centre and Richmond Hill and; An cological Assessment is required and where appropriate, mitigation measures will need to be provided including a buffer to the edge of the railway line along the southern boundary of the site. Network Rail is supportive of the above policies and allocations in the AVLAAP as they relate to the Marsh Lane site. In terms of their land holding recent feasibility work indicates that Network Rail land can be developed separately from the remainder of the allocation whilst having regard to the surrounding land uses and proposals. The location of the public footpath, which forms the boundary between the two land holdings, is very useful in providing an opportunity for a change in spatial arrangement, design and land uses within the whole allocation. Although the allocation is divided into more than ownership, it has been treated as a single area in the AVLAAP and the proposals map shows a schematic arrangement for the location of a green corridor (required under policy B3) through the middle of the eastern part of the site owned by Network Rail. Network Rail fully accept the need for a connecting green corridor, however we would anticipate that this corridor would be located adjacent to the public footpath so that it would provide a setting for the footpath route as well as ensuring that the land take for the landscaping and ecology requirements does not negatively affect the viability of development proposals for the Network Rail site. In order for the adoption of the plan not to severely restrict the development potential of the eastern portion of the site, Network Rail would request the removal of the indicative green corridor from its proposed location across the middle of their land holding and its repositioning along the line of the existing footpath, extending over the footbridge and joining into the indicative green corridor adjacent to AV22.
Green corridor to follow the footpath and cross over the railway at the footbridge to join corridor adjacent to AV22 It would also be preferable if policy B3 and AVL7 or supporting text could acknowledge the different land ownerships and the potential for the development of the allocation to be phased independently of one another. We would like it to be noted at the inquiry that the estimated numbers of dwellings (table 4 page 26) anticipated for the site is well below Network Rail s expectations given the site s central, urban context and the sustainability of the location. If there is the opportunity to consider the above issues during the Inquiry, Network Rail representatives can be available. Otherwise we would ask for the amendments as set out in this letter be taken into consideration during the inquiry proceedings. Thank you for the opportunity to comment. Yours faithfully Diane Cragg MRTPI Town Planner LN and M Network Rail
96 66 Gantry YORK ROAD Reproduced from the Ordnance Survey Map with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office. Sloping masonry 32 30 Crown Copyright. Licence No. 00040692 MARSH LAN 36.6m SHANNON STRT Sandway Business Centre PLAID ROW PW 39.0m 32 SHANNON ROAD Works RR The Hope (PH) 6 Subway l Sub Sta 45.m RR Gas Governor 46.0m 4 R R 3.4m Builders Yard RAILWAY STRT 32.6m 34.7m l Sub Sta R 6 Factory UPPR ACCOMMODATION ROAD Church Garage Club 36.6m 3.m Warehouse GRNFILD ROAD 47.9m 6 66 Play Area 3 Warehouse FOUNDRY STRT SAXTON LAN to 5 to 9 l Sub Sta 4 20 AST FILD STRT 3 43.0m 46.9m WSLY PLAC Wesley Terrace 67 65 Surgery to DOLPHIN STRT 3 Ambulance Station 0 20 40 60 0 00 metres BANK to 2 22 to 3 TH GARTH 6 to 29 30 to 43 TH CLOS 20 to 37 3 to 55 Bespoke Mapping. Land & Building Surveys. GIS Analysis & Data Management. CAD. Projects. mail: A 20 2 9 2 29 0 9 DOLPHIN COURT 35 34 CROSS CATHRIN STRT Landinformation@Networkrail.co.uk Request a Service @ http://connect/delivery/commercialproperty/land-information.aspx 2 30 2 Landinformation Date: 7 Nov 206 Drawing No: 536052 LDS MARSH LAN LAS TAKN Drawn By: Alastair Sherren Coordinates W 4359 43342N Rev: Scale: :50 55.5m @ A3