Gomm Valley and Ashwells, High Wycombe

HIW01: Gomm Valley and Ashwells, High Wycombe Land at Gomm Valley and Ashwells, High Wycombe as shown on the Policies Map is allocated for a residential-led mixed use development. Residential: a) The site will deliver an assumed 646 dwellings. Employment: b) 1.2ha of employment land will be delivered on site to the west of the Peregrine Business Park Centre and Community Uses: c) Provision of land and buildings for a 1 FE primary school and early years at the southern end of the site will be delivered on site. d) associated Community Uses. Transport Infrastructure: a) Vehicular access into and through the site will be delivered which will include a link / spine road designed to minimise and distribute the impact of additional traffic on the existing local road network. b) The site will provide for bus access through the site. It will also provide internal active travel network including connections to Ashwell fields development to the North. Development Principles: Development will be permitted where proposals: a) Adopt a landscape - led design approach to the development of the site. This should recognise the intrinsic character and beauty of the hillside landform, whilst accommodating opportunities for development. b) Establish an appropriate urban edge to High Wycombe and Tylers Green and avoid the coalescence of the two settlements, leaving an undeveloped gap of at least two hundred metres at their closest point, informed by landscape impact, ecological requirements and character issues. c) Establish a strong sense of place with a distinctive attractive and functional living environment through a sensitive design response to the local context including topography, landscape, habitats and ecology. d) Pay regard to the landscape character and views of the area from the south, including mitigating unavoidable impacts in a way that respects the existing landscape character. e) Retain undeveloped areas of the valley to deliver both ecological and recreational benefits alongside each other whilst at the time respecting the valley’s landscape character. f) Conserve and enhance existing nature conservation interests and green infrastructure and facilitate the provision of new habitats. g) Minimise the effects of severance and disturbance on existing and proposed habitats caused by access and development. h) Retain and provide appropriate buffers to designated sites and valuable habitats within the site and beyond the site boundary to limit adverse effects from development. i) Maximise opportunities for habitat creation and connectivity as outlined in the Gomm Valley Biological Opportunity Area (BOA) description with an emphasis on the creation, restoration and management of lowland chalk grassland, woodland, lowland meadows and hedgerows to create a resilient habitat network within the site that connects well with networks beyond the site boundary; j) Provide a sustainable management framework, to be secured via legal agreement, for the delivery and ongoing maintenance of the undeveloped area including new and retained chalk grassland habitat. k) Deliver a significant net gain in biodiversity that reflect the site’s existing nature conservation interest and its designation as a Biodiversity Opportunity Area (BOA). l) Provide directly or make appropriate contributions to off-site transport works, including, but not limited to: i. Capacity improvements at the Gomm Road junction. ii. Improvements to the northern end of Cock Lane iii. Contribution towards a wider A40 package. iv. Provision of an attractive shared use pedestrian / cyclist / equestrian route through King’s Wood, using existing private tracks and public bridleways to connect Cock Lane with the A404 Amersham Road (at the Beech Tree Pub). v. Off-site footpath and cycleway provision. vi. Improved pedestrian crossing facilities. 6.310 There are permitted applications for the site - PL/25/2353/FA at Gomm Valley for a residential led mixed-use development, and 24/07240/REM at Ashwells (for 106 dwellings). It is acknowledged that higher housing numbers may be achievable on areas of the site which have planning permission for residential development where a high quality innovative and bespoke architectural response is adopted and/or a higher proportion of smaller dwellings form part of the mix. 6.311 If a new outline permission is sought for more than four hundred dwellings, a bespoke architectural response would need to be robustly proven at application stage with detailed parameter plans and detailed illustrative supporting documents and plans. All these indicative capacities remain subject to the proviso that they are to be treated as neither maxima nor minima in the planning application process. 6.312 The Council has worked closely with local stakeholders and landowners to produce a development brief for the site. This was adopted in July 2017 and should be used as a starting point to inform any planning application submitted for the future development of the site. 6.313 The site occupies a prominent and sensitive location and there are several long and near distance views of the site. The site is very close to, and within the setting of the Chilterns National Landscape. Development proposals need to reflect both the prominent location and the character of the landscape to create a place that is sensitively positioned in the landscape. A key issue that development proposals also need to address is maintaining the physical separation between High Wycombe and Tylers Green, through the provision of an undeveloped area of land on the eastern side of the allocated area which should be used and managed as a key piece of green infrastructure. The amount of land that is left undeveloped has been identified through consideration of the landscape, the character and existing green infrastructure on this side of the site. 6.314 There are several existing nature conservation designations within the area which need a very sensitive design response: a) Gomm Valley SSSI b) Gomm Valley Local Wildlife Site c) Gomm Wood Local Nature Reserve d) Pimms Grove Ancient Woodland e) Little Gomm’s Wood Ancient Woodland 6.315 Parts of the site are also covered by the Gomm Valley Biodiversity Opportunity Area Statement which provides a breakdown of the different habitats on the site. Buffers to Ancient Woodland and SSSI should be applied as per other policies in this Plan. These buffers are to be free of any development, including gardens. These distances would only be reduced if there was a clear and compelling case that this would result in overriding benefits to the scheme. 6.316 There is a real opportunity for the undeveloped parts of the site to be managed in the future to achieve significant biodiversity benefits, including the reinstatement of chalk grassland. 6.317 This site contains surface water flood risk area, which should be assessed and mitigated for in accordance with DM Policy CC1. 6.318 The Gomm Valley is an attractive landscape and as such development proposals need to reflect this through the consideration of: a) The extent of the development parcels. b) The height and massing of development. c) The development’s relationship with the topography. d) The development’s impact on wider views (both into and out of the site); and, e) The integration of structural planting in both the developed and undeveloped areas of the site. 6.319 The combination of landscape sensitivity, significant areas of nature conservation designations and the importance of avoiding coalescence between High Wycombe and Tylers Green mean the developable area of the site may be severely restricted. The adopted development brief for the site provides the starting point for informing the areas of the site that should be undeveloped and retained to respect landscape character and delivering ecological and recreation benefits. 6.320 Traffic modelling identified the need for a road through the site, which should be a spine road linking Cock Lane and Gomm Road, to connect the site into the wider road network along with several off-site transport works including for bus provision. The purpose of this spine road is to distribute traffic from the development. It is not intended to act as an unofficial ‘bypass’ as this would be detrimental to Penn and Tylers Green due to the increase in through traffic. The capacity of the spine road and the northern end of Cock Lane must therefore be restricted through effective traffic calming to deter through traffic. 6.321 There are several opportunities provided by the development to enhance pedestrian and cycle links, green infrastructure and habitats both on and off the site. 6.322 In assessing whether severance effects of access and development have been minimised, the following tests will be used: a) Are there suitable alternative routes or areas for development? b) Is the severance essential to deliver other sustainability benefits, such as public transport. c) Does the overall improvement to the quantity and quality of wildlife and biodiversity of the site, including its future management sufficiently mitigate for the harm caused? 6.323 Wycombe is characterised by small pockets of employment land across the urban area. The site has permission for 1.2ha of employment given its location next to Peregrine Business Park. However, it is noted that the conversion of Peregrine Business Park to residential has been granted. If the conversion comes forward, the Council will consider any future applications at Gomm Valley and Ashwell’s if employment is suitable in this location in accordance with policies SP4 and EC2. 6.324 The infrastructure assessment for the Plan has identified the need for supporting strategic open space and education facilities, for the sites on the north side of the town. However, due to the topography of the Gomm Valley site, and the need to maximise housing delivery, it is not suitable to accommodate all the formal open space needs on site. These will be accommodated at Terriers, where the topography is flatter (see HW7). Instead, this site is to accommodate a new primary school. 6.325 The Infrastructure Delivery Plan sets out several detailed transport measures that have been identified as being required as part of the planned growth. Development of this site should contribute towards to the provision of these measures along with any other infrastructure requirements specified in the IDP or future transport strategy for the town.