Turvey Neighbourhood Plan Our opportunity to shape the village

for the future

What is a Neighbourhood Plan?

• A way for Turvey residents to influence how land is used and where new housing is developed in our village

Turvey’s Neighbourhood Plan

• The Parish Council has set up a Neighbourhood Plan Team to develop our Plan for Turvey

• Our Plan becomes part of the Local Plan and replaces the Council’s earlier site allocation proposals for Turvey in the draft Local Plan 2017

• The Neighbourhood Plan Team has updated the Council’s recommended sites for housing to develop our plan, based on new information, independent professional technical assessments and chosen sites for housing from the Turvey Neighbourhood Plan site selection criteria

• We are now consulting you about our revised recommendations for the best locations for new housing in Turvey

Bedford Local Plan• A new Local Plan to 2030 has been prepared by Bedford

Borough Council and is likely to be adopted by December 2019

• Villages like Turvey have to plan for between 25-50 new houses over the period to 2030

• If Turvey does not agree a Neighbourhood Plan the Borough Council will choose sites for housing in the village

• The Borough Council could then decide to allocate more sites and to build more than 50 houses

Bedford Borough CouncilStrategic Housing and Employment Land Availability

Assessment Local Plan 2030

Sites assessed as suitable, available and achievable in Turvey;

• Site 282: Land at Carlton Road - 50 houses

• Site 280: Land at Newton Lane - 50 houses

• Site 631: Land at Newton Lane - 50 houses

• Site 632: Land at Newton Lane Allotments - 50 houses

• Site 707: Mill Rise Newton Lane - 50 houses

How we chose our best sites

• We developed a set of principles to form our overall approach to choosing sites

• We identified a set of criteria and sites were rated as Good, Moderate or Poor against each item in the criteria

Choosing best sites - overall approach

• Allocate sites close to the settlement boundary but allow for a possible exception at Station End

• Preference for smaller developments at sites that are dispersed across different locations in the village to limit the impact on the character of the village and traffic congestion

• Apply weighting to more important criteria to assist site assessment

Choosing best sites -Selection Criteria

• Essential– The site has scope for safe and adequate vehicle access– Low risk of flooding– Development deliverable within the Plan timeframe

• Primary– Can be absorbed sympathetically with existing built areas– Impact on village traffic– Impact on valued landscapes and the setting of heritage assets– Previously developed land / valued landscape

• Secondary– Low agricultural grade– Closeness to village facilities– Any constraints such as Tree Protection Orders– Degree of encroachment on open countryside– Proximity to public transport

Choosing best sites Independent Assessment

• Professional technical assessments provided by AECOM Ltd for all sites

March Consultation

• In March, we consulted on 3 recommended sites:

➢Mill Rise up to 25 homes

➢Laws House up to 16 homes

➢Land at The Burrows, Station End up to 3 homes

Mill Rise

The Burrows

Laws House

Sites recommended March 2019

Feedback in March

• 148 responses to questionnaire

➢ 84% respondents agreed

➢ 3% partly agreed

➢ 13% disagreed

with the way the sites were rated and the recommended sites

• Several respondents expressed concern at the number of flats proposed for Laws House, and suggested Carlton Road as a preferred site.

Action since March (1)

➢Parish Council confirmed recommendation to allocate Mill Rise to provide up to 25 new homes

➢Following further consultation with the owner, the NP Steering Group concluded that Laws House is unable to provide the number of homes needed

➢Agreed with Parish Council that an alternative site to Laws House should be selected

Action since March (2)

➢Steering Group reviewed all sites identified as ‘potentially suitable’ in the AECOM report and re-visited each against the criteria

➢Parish Council agreed the recommendation from the Steering Group that Carlton Road is the most suitable alternative site

➢The following section of the display shows how we arrived at that conclusion

Turvey NDP Ratings Grid

Key

G Favourable

A Moderate

R Poor

Carlton Road

Carlton Road

Carlton RoadNeighbourhood Planning Team’s ratings

Essential

Adequate site access Yes

Flood risk No

Site available within the Plan timeframe Yes

Primary

Sympathetic with existing built areas Moderate

Effect on local traffic in village Moderate

Effect on landscape settings and heritage features Moderate

Previously developed land No

Secondary

Agricultural grade land Moderate (Agricultural)

Closeness to village facilities Good

Constraints No

Encroachment on open countryside Moderate

Proximity to public transport Good

Carlton RoadAdvantages

• Safe site access should be achievable

• Close to village facilities

• Rising ground at great distance and adjacent level ground allows for effective screening of development

Disadvantages

• Some increase in traffic on Carlton Road

• Proximity to Turvey House registered parkland

• Encroachment into open countryside

AECOM Assessment: Potentially suitableNeighbourhood Plan team assessment : Potentially suitable

Meadow House

Meadow House

Meadow HouseNeighbourhood Planning Team’s ratings

Essential

Adequate site access No

Flood risk No

Site available within the Plan timeframe Yes

Primary

Sympathetic with existing built areas Moderate

Effect on local traffic in village Poor

Effect on landscape settings and heritage features Good

Previously developed land No

Secondary

Agricultural grade land Moderate (Agricultural)

Closeness to village facilities Moderate

Encroachment on open countryside Moderate

Proximity to public transport Good

Meadow House

Advantages

• No adverse impact on landscape, views and heritage

• Close to village facilities

Disadvantages

• Unable to provide safe site access

• Traffic impact on approach via residential area including school

• Some encroachment into open countryside

AECOM Assessment: Potentially suitable (subject to site access safety assessment)

Neighbourhood Plan team assessment : Unsuitable

Newton Lane East

Newton Lane East

Newton Lane EastNeighbourhood Planning Team’s rating

Essential

Adequate site access Yes

Flood risk No

Site available within the Plan timeframe Yes

Primary

Sympathetic with existing built areas Moderate

Effect on local traffic in village Moderate

Effect on landscape settings and heritage features Poor

Previously developed land No

Secondary

Agricultural grade land Moderate (Agricultural)

Closeness to village facilities and public transport Good

Constraints No

Encroachment on open countryside Moderate

Proximity to public transport Good

Newton Lane East

Advantages

• Safe site access should be achievable

• Close to village facilities

Disadvantages

• Some increase in traffic on Newton Lane

• Significant negative impact on valued landscape, views and heritage setting of All Saints church and the conservation area

• Significant encroachment into open countryside

AECOM Assessment: Potentially suitable Neighbourhood Plan team assessment : Unsuitable

Summary of Sites Review Key Findings

➢ The Burrows remains viable but will not count against the village target

➢ Meadow House remains unsuitable due to access and traffic flow problems

➢ Newton Lane East unsuitable due to negative impacts on landscape, heritage and the nature of encroachment into open countryside

➢ Our agreed aim to disperse development across different parts of the village would not be met if Newton Lane (East) was chosen as our second site for housing alongside Mill Rise

Traffic in Carlton Road

• The majority of traffic on the road is from outside the village

• Traffic impacts from new housing on the scale proposed at Carlton Road will be minimal

• National planning policy states that development should only be prevented or refused on highways grounds where the impact on the road network is severe

• Development policies will require appropriate mitigation measures where necessary

Sites Review Conclusion

Carlton Road is chosen as our recommended 2nd site because:

➢ Closeness to village facilities and safe site access can be achieved

➢ Set back some 50m from the road o to respect the open grounds of Turvey House, o to respect the proximity to the cemetery, village allotments and

the school playing field o to help ensure a gradual transition from open countryside to the

built-up area so that houses are less prominent in the immediate landscape.

➢ Provision of robust landscaping along the northern and eastern boundaries to form the new village edge - the nature of this landscaping, and of the area along Carlton Road will be a matter for design at the time of a planning application.

Recommended sites

To support the allocation of new housing whilst protecting the character of the village and surrounding countryside, the recommended sites have been revised to:

➢Mill Rise, Newton Lane

and

➢Carlton Road

Recommended sites September 2019

Number of houses on each site

20 houses on each site• 12 affordable homes in

total across both sites• Slightly smaller scale

development• Slightly less additional

traffic

25 houses on each site• 18 to 20 affordable

homes in total across both sites

• More funding for village facilities

• Meeting Borough target for the village in full means less risk of speculative development applications being successful

Your opportunity to shape the Plan

**Have your say**

• We need your views and comments

• This consultation closes on 11th October

• Fill in the questionnaire online @

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/secondsite

What happens next ?

• Comments used to finalise our site allocation policy

• Further statutory consultation on the final draft Plan

• Plan examined by an independent inspector

• Referendum - to be adopted Plan must be supported by a majority of residents voting in a local referendum