Water Meadow Car Park, Chesham

CHS03: Water Meadow Car Park, Chesham The site as shown on the Policies Map is allocated for an assumed number of 55 dwellings. New development will be supported where it: a) Provides land for dwellings at a density that takes account of the existing curtilage, the scale and massing of the buildings adjacent to the site, and that of the settlement character and identity if appropriate. b) Creates safe access to the new development without blocking access to public parking or rear servicing of existing premises fronting Water meadow. c) Maintains public car parking provision on site or provided in an alternative central location with no loss in the number of public car parking spaces unless it can be proved the number of spaces currently provided is no longer required. d) Maintains existing public walking routes from Water meadow car park to Wey Lane as well as access from the public parking to the zebra crossing across St Mary's Way. e) Provides a contribution towards improvements to open space at Lowndes Park. f) Provides contribution towards additional or improved children’s play areas and informal play space within Lowndes Park. g) Contributes to SANG and SAMM mitigation in accordance with policies NE12, NE13, NE14 and the latest Mitigation Strategy. h) Contributes to SANG and SAMM mitigation in accordance with policies NE12, NE13, NE14 and the latest Mitigation Strategy. Permission will not be granted until SANG and SAMM mitigation is in place. i) Addresses the significant flood risk constraints on the site, particular surface water risk and avoid development in the highest flood risk areas. If development is proposed within the area at risk of flooding, minimal obstruction measures, such as under croft parking, are likely to be required to raise finished floor levels above the design flood level. Ground raising should be avoided due to the fluvial and surface water risk. 6.407 This site of 0.38 hectares is in the water meadow surface car park one of the main car parks serving Chesham town centre. The site is located to the Southeast of Market Square which itself is to the south of the main High Street. The car park is set back from the road behind another frontage development and as such it is not visible from the main retail area. Its current access is off a roundabout at the Junction of St Mary’s Way with Red Lion Street 6.408 The site is located within the Chesham conservation area. There are proposals to extend the conservation area to include Lowndes Park and to add houses in Wey Lane which back onto the site. Any re-development of the car park would need to demonstrate a way to mitigate the impact of the setting of the conservation area and the conservation area itself. 6.409 The site is one of the main long stay car parks in Chesham which serves the retail centre. It is therefore used mostly by people who need to park all day to work in the town. As such it is vital that any parking spaces lost are re-provided to maintain sufficient, easily accessible, public car parking to maintain the retail success of the town’s high street. 6.410 The site lies within the Zone of Influence of Chilterns Beechwoods SAC. Permission will not be granted until SANG and SAMM mitigation is in place, in line with policies NE12, NE13, NE14 and the latest Mitigation Strategy. It is anticipated that the site could secure credits at Bell Lane SANG. 6.411 Redevelopment of the site could present significant risk in terms of flooding. Developers will need to follow the SFRA Level 2 recommendations in terms of site-specific guidance for site design and making development safe.