Where is the site?
The 2.7ha site is located on the eastern side of Pulley Lane. The site is bounded to the north by Woodland Way and to the east of Newland Road.Why is the site being proposed for residential development?
The site forms the final infill parcel of the wider Yew Tree Lane development, part of which has been delivered by Redrow. The site is located outside the Green Belt and has no special landscape designations or other planning constraints. As such, it has been identified in Wychavon District Council’s Strategic Housing and Employment Land Allocations Assessment (SHELAA) as being a suitable site for residential development.Redrow is promoting the site for inclusion through the South Worcestershire Development Plan (SWDP) review. A detailed planning application is being worked up alongside that process to provide an opportunity for Wychavon District Council to grant an early consent to help build a defensible five-year housing land supply. This will assist the authority in protecting more sensitive sites, such as those in the Green Belt, from speculative development proposals seeking to take advantage of a shortfall in housing land supply in South Worcestershire which has been identified by the Planning Inspectorate in recent appeal hearings.
What are the development proposals?
A residential development of circa 56 high quality family homes is proposed, alongside tree planting and landscaped green public open space. 40% of the homes will be affordable homes, for sale and/or rent, in line with local policy, providing an opportunity for key workers and first-time buyers to secure housing in Droitwich.How will the development be accessed?
Vehicular access to the development will be from Woodland Way. There will also be pedestrian and cycle access from Newland Road, where emergency vehicle access will also be provided. The shared cycle and pedestrian link on the south side of Woodland Way will link with the development, and the existing public right of way through the site will be retained and enhanced with landscaping and planting.What impact will the development have on the local highways network?
The impact of the development, and any highway improvements necessary, will be considered within the Transport Assessment that will form part of the planning application. However, the development is not expected to have an unacceptable impact on highway safety or the road network.Is there any flood risk associated with the site?
The site is located within Flood Zone 1 and as such is at a very low risk of flooding. A Flood Risk Assessment and Drainage Strategy for the site will form part of the planning application.
What impact will development have on trees?
The site is open, with no trees within the centre of the site where the developable area is located. The existing trees within the boundary hedges will be retained. Alongside this tree retention, there will be extensive planting of new trees across the development and within the green public open space proposed as part of the development.There is ancient woodland to the south west of Pulley Lane, however this will not be affected by the development, having a similar relationship to the wider Yew Tree Hill development.
What impact will the development have on local ecology and biodiversity?
The application will be subject to an ecological appraisal (and protected species surveys, as may be required) to ensure that development will not result in any significant adverse impact to ecology and to seek to deliver biodiversity net gain.What are the timescales for development?
It is intended that a full planning application for this final phase of Yew Tree Hill will be submitted in September/October 2021.Subject to securing planning permission, we would anticipate a start on site in Spring 2022. The construction programme for the new homes would be approximately 1.5 years.
What impact will the development have on local services such as GP surgeries and schools?
Wychavon District Council is a Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) charging authority, as such the development will be liable to pay CIL on the proposed development (charged at £40 per sq.m on new residential floorspace). In addition, through the planning process, the Council will determine any site-specific measures that may be required arising from the development. The Levy allows charging local authorities to raise funds from developers and land owners undertaking new developments in their area. The money can be used to fund a wide range of additional infrastructure that is needed to support development. For example, this can include roads and other transport-related facilities, schools, medical facilities, sport and recreation facilities, open space and green infrastructure.To date, Redrow has generated extensive infrastructure contributions from their existing elements of the Yew Tree Hill development, including:
- £1.4 million to local sports and leisure facilities
- £380,048 to local schools
- £261,043 towards local transport strategy
- £141,000 towards public transport locally
- £37,500 for public art in the local area
- £46,700 towards local policing