Scholar Green Greenfields Association




	Odd Rode Parish Council rubber stamps application November 25th – In a public meeting held at Scholar Green Primary School, our Parish Council voted 7 to 1 to recommend CBC Planning Authority grant planning permission for Bett Homes to build 56 houses (Phase 1 of their proposed housing development) on greenfield land to the south of Portland Drive. This followed a public forum where the overwhelming majority of attending residents requested the application be rejected. “It was as though they hadn’t listened to a word we’d said” complained long standing village resident Mike Lambourne. The Parish Council defended their decision saying that, if we didn’t accept the housing development we would lose our GPs and surgery. Let’s get this right, our Parish Council totally ignored the recommendations of its own much-vaunted Parish Plan which was launched only last year. Had they have done their homework, they would have found alternative solutions were available which did not require a damaging housing development. Surely, we look to our Parish Council to protect our way of life. CPRE joins the fight! The Campaign for the Protection of Rural England has recognised the potential harm done by allowing this housing development to go ahead on one of the last vestiges of green land within the village. Mike Bond (President of the Congleton branch of the CPRE) wrote the following letter to Congleton Borough Council’s Chief Planning Officer. . . 4th December 2006 Mr G T Allen BA Hons MRTPI Chief Planning Officer Congleton Borough Council Westfields Sandbach Cheshire Dear Sirs Application 06/1146/FUL Housing development and medical centre off Portland Drive, Scholar Green With reference to the above application, I am writing on behalf of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, Congleton District, CPRE, to request that this application be refused on the following grounds: - 1. The substantial part of this application is for housing and should be refused, substantially on these related grounds, because There is a housing moratorium against new development on sites not currently designated for housing Prior to the housing moratorium the ‘Rural Areas’ element of the Borough, of which Scholar Green is a part, was the most over-provided for in the Borough This is not a site designated for Housing in the Local Development Plan. One of the reasons for not designating this site for housing is that the Strategic Context for Housing in the Local Plan states that ‘there is a longstanding policy of restraining development at Alsager in order to support the regeneration of the Potteries conurbation.’ We would argue that Scholar Green is closer to the Potteries conurbation than Alsager. In the Site Assessments Survey reference SG012, issued as part of the Review into the Local Development Plan, this site was categorised as having ‘limited access to the A34 and Portland Drive’ and ‘although site has potential for housing development its greenfield nature, size and access difficulties mean that it would be inappropriate for housing on the whole site. May be scope for a smaller scheme for affordable housing. (My bold italics) The indicated site layout in this application shows that it is intended to continue the development on the additional land towards the canal and indeed it would be extremely difficult to prevent the continuation of the development of this site should this development go ahead. It would not be an unreasonable estimate that this site would soon provide up to 100 houses. The Supplementary Planning Document No. 6 issued in April 2006, relating to Affordable Housing states in paragraph 3.9 – ‘Affordable housing provided on small sites in the rural areas of the Borough which may, in certain circumstances be released for development as an exception to normal Planning Policies of restraint will be restricted on price and rental levels and eligibility and require evidence of need. …proposals must be for small schemes appropriate to the locality and consist in their entirety, of subsidised housingthat will be retained in perpetuity for rent, shared ownership or in partnership with an RSL‘ The affordable housing element of this application is dwarfed by the other housing provision and therefore does not provide a case for exception from the Local Plan Policy 2. The access to the site for housing will be from Portland Drive, which currently has 32 houses and currently is adversely affected by visitors to the Primary School. This would be exacerbated by the traffic created by the proposed development and overflow parking from the Medical Centre 3. The application proposes to move some of the current car parking of residents on the south of Portland Drive from outside their houses to a site around the corner and away from the their surveillance. Furthermore we believe that parking to the north side of Portland Drive may become problematic and those residents may be prevented from parking outside their own homes. This to suit the convenience of the developer and in our view should be resisted. 4. The Local Plan and The Local Development Plan have been arrived by the democratic process with initial ideas from the Council being consulted upon with all interested parties including residents, developers and landowners. Following amendments and a Public Inquiry the Plans are adopted by the Borough Council and provide the framework that governs development in the Borough. The Parish Plan, a relatively recent process is intended to be a community driven plan where all the residents can have input into the development of their area. To allow this application for 56 houses, three quarters of which are not affordable, in an area is not in the Local Plan, not favourably commented upon in the sites being considered under a review of that Plan and against the express wishes of so many of the residents of Scholar Green would call in to question the validity of any consultation and undermine the democratic process. Having heard the discussions about the need for a replacement and even enhanced Medical Centre, CPRE supports the provision of such a facility that is in keeping with the needs of the area. However I am led to understand from the public pronouncements of the developer of the Medical Centre that it is designed to cater for 8500 with an expansion of up to 12000 patients under Central Government requirements. Given that Scholar Green has a population of less then 1500, the current Scholar Green Surgery has a 2950 patients registered and the entire population of Odd Rode is approximate 5500, we would question where the additional patients are to come from in an area of restricted housing growth under national, regional and local Plan policies. Although this is not yet a planning issue we envisage a scenario where the PCT in future years, applying pressure for additional housing to justify this very large facility. By specifying a need for a site capable of supporting up to 12000 patients and by incorporating other services like social workers and local care charity workers on the one site, the applicants are ensuring that only the largest sites will be considered. In these days of IT interconnectivity it must be feasible for non medical services to be provided from nearby premises. Scholar Green has a population of 1500. It should not have to provide the infrastructure for medical and support services for 12000 on one site In our opinion this is a considerable departure from the plans and policies from the Local Plan and any published review and we respectfully request that it be refused. Yours faithfully Mike Bond, President Congleton District CPRE Over 200 letters of objection By the December 8th deadline, CBC Planning Authority had received over 200 individual letters of objection to Planning Application 06/1146/FUL. These letters raised many valid, considered material points. Very few were against a new healthcare facility, but all objected to the totally unnecessary, unwanted housing development. Many residents also wrote to local Councillors and Parish Councillors voicing their concerns. Alternative site found After many years of service, Scholar Green Garage is to close. This would provide an excellent site for the proposed new healthcare centre, and would yield the following benefits: Re-use of an existing brownfield site, leading to an improvement to the village landscape Central, main road location with bus stop only yards away Proven track record of safe access and egress due to excellent L/R visibility Open aspect to rear could provide patients with tranquil views over the Cheshire plain Large enough site at 0.9 acre No requirement for unnecessary housing development We have held discussions with the owner who informs us that the filling station has now closed and the whole site is currently up for sale. He would be more than happy to see the land used for the new village health centre. As this is unlikely to classed as residential land, it is likely to be sold as employment land with a commensurate market value. The health centre could be built at the back of the site bordering on to the open Green Belt with the car park and any landscaping towards the main road. The petrol tanks are situated at the front L/H side of the site and, once removed, their former location could be used to house the car park and associated landscaping. Preparation of the site (demolition of the bungalow, filling station and workshop, removal of tanks etc.) would involve some additional cost, but we strongly believe this would provide an ideal solution for Parish residents and GPs alike. Major breakthrough! We have been told many times that the only way the PCT can afford the land required for a new healthcare centre, is for Bett Homes to subsidise the cost of the land; and for this act of benevolence, Bett Homes want planning permission to build a large housing development on grazing land adjacent to Portland Drive. The SGGFA have held preliminary discussions with the development managers of two independent pharmacies, both of whom have expressed a keen interest to provide an attached pharmacy at the new Scholar Green Healthcare Centre, should the opportunity be made available. Obviously, a prime location for a pharmacy is adjacent to a health centre, and, as such, this is a commercially attractive proposition to an independent pharmacy. The pharmacy now takes the place of the housing development and subsidises the cost of the land. In this scenario it’s no longer a case of ‘beggars can’t be choosers’ – the PCT can now choose the ideal brownfield site for its new healthcare centre. We have canvassed the opinions of many village residents who have all expressed a desire for an attached pharmacy to the proposed new healthcare centre. One of the main benefits cited being that of no longer having to travel to Kidsgrove for over the counter medication! In fact, an independent pharmacy would bring many more benefits to the village. . . Enables purchase/re-development of a suitable brownfield site Removes the ‘need’ for an unwanted housing development No destruction of ancient hedgerows/trees/wildlife habitat Takes pressure off GPs with ‘Care at the Chemist’ (CATC) scheme Provides access to a qualified professional pharmacist CATC scheme reduces the number of people spreading germs in waiting room Provides the community with a wide range of goods and services (reducing ‘travel-out’) Dispensing for all patients Extended opening hours Provision of over the counter medicines Creates local employment Improves sustainability of village Scholar Green Garage closes The garage which has served the village for many years has now closed and is currently up for sale. The site is uniform in shape and is of approximately 0.9 acre. The owner has said he would welcome the opportunity to discuss the release of the land to enable the new healthcare centre, but has, as of yet, received no approach by Oakapple, the PCT or Dr Patterson & Partners. He has arranged for the underground petrol tanks to be professionally decommissioned during March 2007. We have made provisional ‘overlays’ of the proposed healthcare centre footprint, together with an attached pharmacy, which reveal that the site will comfortably accommodate the proposal. With slight amendments to the existing plan, better use of the land can be achieved, with car parking and the pharmacy at the front of the site, and the healthcare building at the rear, bordering the Cheshire plain. The design could be such that the patients’ waiting room and GPs’ consulting rooms could overlook the open countryside of the Cheshire Plain at the rear. Scholar Green Garage has, for many years, had in excess of 400 vehicles per day accessing the site. This number is significantly greater than the potential traffic generated by the new healthcare centre. The site has a proven track record of safe access and egress, with excellent visibility splays to the north and south. This would be a redevelopment of a true brownfield site, in full accordance with national, regional, and local development policies, and, as such, in full accordance with CBC’s local development framework and the Odd Rode Parish Plan. This represents a wholly pragmatic solution, the many benefits of which far outweigh any negative elements. The Scholar Green Garage site is but one viable, more attractive alternative; a 3rd party pharmacy now becomes the enabling development for the new healthcare centre and, as such, would open-up the choice of many more suitable brownfield sites. CPRE challenges the PCT The CPRE has carefully considered our alternative proposal of enabling the healthcare centre with an independent pharmacy, and has written the following letter to the PCT. . . 2nd March 2007 Mr M Pyrah Chief Executive Central and Eastern Cheshire Primary Care Trust Barony Road Nantwich Cheshire CW5 5QU Dear Sir Proposed new Medical Centre off Portland Drive, Scholar Green The Campaign to Protect Rural England, Congleton District, (CPRE), has joined the campaign against the above, proposed development. This is not because we are against the provision of an up to date Medical facility for the residents of Odd Rode, indeed I made our support for a new medical facility quite clear in my letter to the local planning authority requesting refusal of the application before them. I also believe that this is the position of each of the residents who have written to the Local Planning Authority, CBC, requesting refusal of the planning application. Our objection is based on this development being in the wrong place with considerable detriment to the local residents, sustainability of the Local Plan and without due consideration of all other sites in the area. My letter to CBC is a matter of public record and can be seen at their offices. Alternatively I would be happy to send a copy to you at your office if you wish. The Scholar Green Greenfields Association has put a lot of effort into attempting to identify a suitable alternative to the current application without the damaging downside of 56, rising to 90+, additional unneeded houses in an area of housing constraint and against the policies of the Local Plan. A document has been submitted to CBC outlining the availability and, we believe suitability, of a brownfield site in Scholar Green. The purpose of this letter is to ask that the Primary Care Trust give urgent, balanced and serious consideration to the proposal outlined in that document. We believe the alternative site could provide the PCT with a way to achieve both its financial and business objectives, whilst improving the medical service to local residents and removing the considerable environmental downside of the current proposal. Yours faithfully Mike Bond President Congleton District CPRE Cc Mr G T Allen Chief Planning Officer, CBC The SGGFA appoint a top planning barrister Thanks to the overwhelming support of village residents, the SGGFA have appointed a planning law consultant and planning barrister who will now legally represent the SGGFA. Les Woollam of the SGGFA: “We are delighted to have legal representation. The SGGFA have worked relentlessly to help bring a state of the art healthcare facility to Odd Rode without any unwanted housing estate; we believe this legal representation will help us achieve this goal to the benefit of all residents”.