There is no such thing as a standard strategic site. By their very nature, they all have a unique set of issues ranging from their previous use, site topography, ecological value and political will in the local area. They also range in size, the examples outlined below range from 30 units to 4,000 and are spread across our region from Northamptonshire to Hampshire and Oxfordshire to Kent. Current Croudace Strategic Sites are located in the following places (click the name for pictures, if available):
Barnham, West Sussex
This site was acquired a number of years ago as a medium to long term opportunity. Barnham village offers a good range of facilities including a railway station and therefore we believe that this site, which is adjacent to the settlement boundary, has potential to be a sustainable development.
Binfield, Berkshire
This site was acquired in 2005 as a short to medium term opportunity. Binfield village offers a good range of facilities, which are further enhanced by the close proximity of Bracknell New Town.
The site falls outside the settlement policy boundary although it is enclosed on three sides by development. The site was the subject of a dismissed appeal in 2000 on the grounds of housing numbers and visual impact on the adjacent strategic 'gap' and surrounding rural area. It is considered that with careful planning and design the visual elements of the dismissal can be overcome.
Bracknell Forest Borough Council is currently preparing a Local Development Framework, and has recently adopted its Core Strategy. We are contributing to the process by promoting this site as a suitable and sustainable location for residential development which could provide housing in the early years of the LDF.
Borough Green, Kent
This site was acquired a number of years ago as a long term opportunity. The village offers a good range of facilities including a railway station and therefore we believe that this site, which is adjacent to the settlement boundary, has potential to be a sustainable development.
Bourne End, Buckinghamshire
Land at Slate Meadow in Bourne End has been identified by the local authority as 'Safeguarded Land'. The function of this is to serve as a long - term land bank which may be required to meet longer term development needs in the future. We are monitoring the supply of housing in the District and will seek to submit a planning application to develop the site should a shortfall become evident.
Burgess Hill, West Sussex: 'King's Weald'
An Option Agreement was signed for this site which is currently part derelict and partly used for the extraction of clay and tile manufacture. Technically the majority of the site is greenfield, by virtue of restoration conditions contained within the owners' permission to operate. In planning terms it is unusual in that it is a large greenfield site within an urban area, surrounded on three sides by existing housing.
The topography of the site has been shaped by the clay extraction leaving a large pit (which is 20 metres deep in places) and ponds. It is important that the future development of the site is phased to allow extraction and tile production to continue until the clay is exhausted. As the majority of the site lies below the level of the surrounding area, traditionally, it would be normal to import material to fill the pit and ponds. This has major implications in planning, ecological and environmental terms so engineering solutions have had to be found to regrade the levels to overcome these issues.
We are promoting a scheme for 475 homes (including a number of affordable homes), a Community Building, a Medical Centre and a shop in a Local Centre and an integrated Community Park. The Planning Authority has identified the site for the provision of 475 homes within its Small Scale Housing Allocations Document, which has been found sound by an Independent Inspector.
In the expectation of a favourable outcome we submitted an outline planning application in March 2008. We are currently waiting for it to be determined.
Didcot, Oxfordshire: 'Ladygrove'
Following on from the success of our Ladygrove development we are now promoting land to the north of the existing scheme.
Growth at Didcot has long been supported at a county and district level and we appeared at the Local Plan Inquiry in 2004 arguing that our site was suitable for a residential scheme. Although the Inspector felt that the competing site to the west of the town was further advanced in the planning process than our site, and thus recommended in favour of its allocation, he made a number of encouraging comments about our site.
The principle of future strategic level growth at Didcot is reinforced in the draft South East Plan. In the South East Plan Panel's Report it was recommended that an additional 37 dwellings be built per year, increasing the target for South Oxfordshire District from 510 to 547 dwellings per annum. This is encouraging news in respect to our site. We will be promoting this site through the Local Development Framework.
North East Stevenage, Hertfordshire
Croudace has recently exchanged a conditional contract on a site at North East Stevenage adjacent to earlier Croudace developments in the area.
The site comprises of 10.8 Ha of agricultural land and is within the area currently being considered in SNAP (Stevenage and North Herts. Action Plan) as part of the expansion of Stevenage.
It is anticipated that the site will take in excess of 300 units.
Caterham, Surrey
We recently won an appeal to develop a former office building we own for a residential scheme. The 20 apartments have now been built and sold. Behind the development, we own more land which we are promoting as an extension to the our Longsdon Way development, which we built in the 1990s.
Daventry, Northamptonshire: 'Church Fields'
Promotion of the land as a Sustainable Urban Development (2,500 dwellings), as part of the Northamptonshire Structure Plan Review was overtaken by the Government's Sustainable Communities Plan (2003) which led to the designation of the Milton Keynes South Midlands Sub-Regional Growth Area. The adopted Sub-Regional Strategy identifies Daventry as a town which should double its population to 40,000 by 2021. Croudace, working in close liaison with the landowners and a team of professional consultants is currently promoting an enlarged site as a major mixed use Urban Extension which will include up to 4,000 dwellings. Outline planning applications have been submitted and registered.
This site has a dedicated website which is available at Church Fields Croudace.
Godalming, Surrey
Land at Furze Lane in Farncombe has been identified by the local authority as 'Land Reserved to Meet Longer Term Development Requirements'. We are monitoring the supply of housing in the District and will seek to submit a planning application to develop the site should a shortfall become evident.
Maidstone, Kent
This is our largest site in Kent and we have been promoting it for over 20 years. The whole site amounts to some 120 acres (48 hectares), and we are proposing to develop about one third of it for housing, offices and community facilites.
The site obtained a residential allocation in the Adopted Local Plan (2000) and shortly afterwards we submitted a planning application which was refused. Our appeal was dismissed due to the then newly published PPG3 that shifted the emphasis of development on to previously developed land and the Council was able to demonstrate that it could meet its housing allocation on previously developed sites.
Despite being in the greenfield category the site accords with many of Government's objectives for housing land i.e, available, suitable and achievable (Planning Policy Statement 3) and ranks highly when compared to other potential residential sites within the Borough.
Although the site remains allocated in the Local Plan, we are promoting the site through the Local Development Framework (LDF) to secure it for the future housing needs of Maidstone residents. Our current promotion proposal broadly follows that within the extant Local Plan albeit updated to meet current government guidance and PPS3.
Maidstone Borough Council's current LDF timetable suggests that the Housing Allocations Preferred Options Development Plan Document will be published in 2009. If the site is allocated it will mean that the promotion of this site has taken over 23 years and demonstrates not only our determination, but how changes in the planning system can materially alter the length of time it takes to promote a site for residential development.
Pulborough, West Sussex
Allocated in the Adopted Local Plan but as a consequence of the publication of the 2001 Position Statement, its release was delayed.
Two planning applications were submitted in 2002 (one for 24 units and one for 42 units). Both were refused on the grounds of a lack of housing need and, consequently, being premature pending the preparation of the local plan review (now the Local Development Framework).
Despite being allocated for residential development in the extant Local Plan we are promoting the site through the Local Development Framework process to secure this site to meet the future housing requirements of Horsham District Council.
We have found from experience that, with the recent quickly shifting Government policy changes, an allocation for residential development within a Local Plan or Document can no longer be taken as an automatic assumption that a planning permission will be obtained.
Ringmer, East Sussex
Ringmer is a satellite village to Lewes and is acknowledged by the local authority as being suitable for residential growth. The Adopted Local Plan (2003) allocates the site for a range of built sports and recreation facilities for the community. As currently worded, the policy provides no indication on how this will be funded. Thus we are promoting a scheme which accords with the policy, but also includes enabling residential development.
Robertsbridge, East Sussex
Land at Grove Farm was identified by the local authority in 2003 as being suitable for accommodating some 55 homes. This has been changed to a minimum of 30 units in the Adopted Local Plan (2006), and is subject to a phasing policy. We are monitoring the supply of housing in the District and will seek to submit a planning application to develop the site should a shortfall become evident.
South Woodham Ferrers, Essex
In 2002 land north of South Woodham Ferrers was identified by Chelmsford Borough Council for a major Urban Extension to provide between 1200 and 1600 homes for the 'second generation' residents of this new town. Since then, its view has changed and it now proposes no greenfield sites for the town, preferring instead to rely on small brownfield sites to meet housing need.
We believe that this strategy will have a serious detrimental impact on the provision of housing for the town's population which could result in social and economic problems. A stagnant or falling population may well lead to a decline in existing services and facilities and certainly will not attract much needed and wanted new amenities. The Council's Core Strategy was the subject of a Public Examination in Autumn 2007, at which we raised these issues. The Inspector's Report is due in early 2008.
Southbourne, West Sussex
Southbourne is a relatively unconstrained settlement which the local authority acknowledges offers a good range of community services and facilities. Despite this, it is proposing to allocate only a limited number of units and we are making representations demonstrating that it represents a good location for growth.
Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex
The re-development of the former Rochford Nurseries site off Forest Hall Road in Stansted Mountfitchet has commenced. The scheme consists primarily of housing, although areas are being set aside for a school, a medical centre and Public Open Space. Croudace owns part of the site, and Taylor Woodrow and Persimmon will develop the remainder.
There is planning consent for a total of 600 homes, of which Croudace will build 285. They are currently being marketed, see website for details.
Wantage, Oxfordshire
Land at Wantage was acquired in Autumn 2007, as a strategic site with medium to long-term potential, which will be promoted through the forthcoming Vale of White Horse District Council's LDF process. The Core Strategy Issues and Options document has recently been published and the Preferred Options document is anticipated in July 2008.
Noak Bridge, Essex
Land at Noak Bridge was acquired in Summer 2007, as a strategic site with medium to long-term potential, to be promoted through the forthcoming LDF process. The Core Strategy Issues document has recently been published alongside a 'Call for Sites’ through which we had our first opportunity to promote this site.
The site amounts to 22 Ha and is situated adjacent to Noak Bridge, a village on the northern edge of Basildon town. Basildon offers a wide range of facilities including schools, shopping, leisure, healthcare and a railway station thus making it a sustainable location for housing. Despite being within the Metropolitan Green Belt the site has the potential to be allocated, as a review of the Green Belt may occur in the future as potential Brownfield development sites within the district diminish.
Wateringbury, Kent
This site was acquired in 1999 as a long term opportunity. The village offers a good range of facilities including a railway station and therefore we believe that this site, which is adjacent to the settlement boundary, has potential to be a sustainable development.
North Stevenage, Hertfordshire
Building on the success of Great Ashby and Burleigh Park, Croudace Strategic has recently signed an Option Agreement for a further 40 hectares to the north of the town and will be promoting it through the Planning System.