8.16 Proposal SOU.1 – Southam – Land to East

8.16 Proposal SOU.1 - Southam – Land to East Proposal SOU.1 ~ Requirements Land to the East of Southam Site Size Comprising: • A minimum of 3,122 dwellings to be delivered across 201.3 hectares. • 2.8 hectares of employment land. • 13 Gypsy and Traveller pitches. • Green infrastructure, including multi-functional green spaces, areas of play, and public rights of way. Summary Land within the Strategic Growth Location will be developed to deliver: • Minimum of 3,122 new homes, to be delivered within the plan period). • 2.8 hectares of non-strategic employment land.   • 13 pitches for Gypsies and Travellers. • 3 no. primary schools (2 forms of entry initially with scope for expansion to 3FE). • 1 no. Secondary School at Site 135 (expansion of Southam College by 1 FE will also be required).  • 2 local centres, incorporating convenience retail, health and community facilities. • Sports provision in accordance with Policy ID.15. • A network of multi-functional green spaces. • Provision of on-site bus infrastructure. • Active travel links to Southam Town Centre.  Timescale Anticipated to be delivered in the period 2028-2045. Opportunities for early delivery will be considered given the ability of sites to come forward in a phased manner. Where this occurs, it is vital that the development of these earlier phases does not preclude delivery of the wider site and that the early delivery of relevant infrastructure is taken into account. Key Development and Land Use Requirements • A minimum of 3,122 new homes to be delivered within the plan period) . • 2.8 hectares of non-strategic employment land, comprising an extension to the existing employment area at Welsh Road East. • 13 pitches for Gypsies and Travellers. • 3 no. primary schools (2 forms of entry initially with scope for expansion to 3FE). • 1 no. Secondary School at Site 135 (expansion of Southam College by 1 FE will also be required). • 2 local centres, incorporating convenience retail, health facility and community facilities. • Sports provision in accordance with the latest Playing Pitch Strategy and Indoor Sports Facilities studies. • A network of multi-functional green spaces. • Active travel links to Southam Town Centre. • Delivery of highway improvements and financial contributions having regard to the Strategic Transport Assessment or Infrastructure Delivery Plan. • Provision of on-site bus infrastructure and contributions to enhancements to existing services. • Delivery of affordable housing provision in accordance with the requirements set out in SWLP Annex B, the Strategic Housing Market Assessment, Provision of and/or contribution to community facilities such as community buildings and sports facilities (in line with the requirements set out in the latest available Playing Pitch Strategy and Sports Facilities Assessments). • Delivery of continuous green and blue infrastructure corridors linking to adjacent networks and utilising existing and potential habitats, in particular retention and enhancement of hedgerows and hedgerow trees, and networks. • Delivery of public open space in accordance with the requirements set out in Policy ID.15. Infrastructure Funding Requirements Infrastructure will be provided through a Section 106 agreement or Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) depending on the type of contribution sought. Urban Design Principles • Planning applications must be supported by a Masterplan that has been agreed in advance with the Local Planning Authority. • A consolidated Masterplan should be prepared for HELAA Sites 36, 383 and 824 in order to demonstrate that the sites will come forward in a coordinated manner and that required infrastructure will be accommodated on site (health facility and primary school). • Proposals will be expected to demonstrate how they have accounted for the strategic design principles set out in Policy DS.19 (including Design Codes). • Proposals will be expected to follow the 20-minute neighbourhood concept where most daily needs can be met within a short active travel trip with car use minimised. • Development blocks will be expected to deliver minimum densities of 40 dwellings per hectare (net). Higher densities will be considered appropriate within areas identified for neighbourhood centres and key community facilities. • The development should be designed to deliver active frontages in the areas identified for neighbourhood centres. • Development will be expected to be designed and delivered in line with the recommendations set out in the SWLP Landscape Assessment and/or the Warwickshire Landscape Guidelines. In particular development should: o Enhance the structure of the landscape through replanting, regeneration and management of hedgerow field boundaries to preserve the small-scale enclosed character. o Adopt appropriate management techniques to align with priorities and actions identified as part of the emerging Warwickshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy. o Conserve, protect and enhance existing woodland and ancient woodland, through creation of new broadleaf woodland and wood pasture habitats. Woodland enhancement will improve habitat connectivity and provide a buffer to ancient woodland. o Incorporate new woodland planting particularly on the eastern side of Southam. o Improve landscape connectivity, opportunity to improve wildlife connections between Long Itchington Wood, Ufton Fields, Old Ford Bridge and river edge habitats of the River Itchen south and east, where woodland is less frequent. o Ensure any new development follows a landscape-led approach. Utilise landform variations in combination with existing vegetation and new planting to screen and filter views of new development. o Maintain and enhance recreational access to the countryside, particularly through the areas that lie adjacent to the settlement edge, which provide valuable access to the countryside from the urban edge of Southam. o Ensure development retains a strong sense of separation between Southam and Napton on the Hill. o Consider woodland and hedgerow planting on the edges of new development to provide a strong settlement edge boundary. Active Travel Requirements • Infrastructure for active travel within the Southam Group to be undertaken in a co ordinated way, development proposals should demonstrate how neighbouring sites will be connected. • Proposals to demonstrate how existing facilities can be improved and enhanced, including the existing pedestrian subway under the A423. Development proposals should consider the feasibility of Green Bridges over the A423 to improve active travel links. Improved crossing facilities will also be required for the A425. • The Local Planning Authority will explore opportunities to connect National Cycle Network Routes 41 and 48 located north and south through Southam. Access, Highways and Public Transport Requirements Proposals will be required to: • Demonstrate safe vehicular access onto the highway. • Contribute to improvements to the highway network identified in the STA and IDS1. • Contribute to highway network improvements on the wider road network, required in compliance with Policy BN.16 to identify any opportunities to address existing road safety issues in the wider road network. • Contribute towards public transport improvements and connections including: • Improved bus frequency for Southam , with a half hourly bus to Leamington. Services between Southam-Banbury & Southam-Coventry also need to be improved. • Current indirect routes (every 2 hours) to be extended to provide a town service within Southam (664 via Cubbington/Long Itchington; 665 via Harbury & Bishops Itchington) to serve new development, plus improve frequency to every hour. • New peak time service Southam-Gaydon. • Contribute to enhanced bus waiting facilities on the High Street in Southam Town Centre. Environmental Health Requirements • Development at HELAA Site reference 134 should demonstrate that the proposals will not impact on the extant planning permission to extend Southam Quarry, consistent with the Agent of Change Principle. Historic Environment Requirements • Due to the known presence of Iron Age, Roman and medieval remains within and close to the Southam Group, appropriate investigation of the asset’s significance and the potential effect on this should be undertaken to identify the design of the development proposal, mitigation and implementation of the development. Flood Risk, Drainage and Water Supply • Areas of fluvial flood risk within the Southam Group include the north western boundary of HELAA Site 135 – the site is of sufficient size to ensure that residential development takes place within Flood Zone 1 areas and proposals for development should demonstrate this here and in other allocated sites within the Group. • Proposals must demonstrate that areas of surface water flood risk have been similarly addressed. • Areas of surface water flood risk must be dealt with holistically through appropriate master planning, using attenuation basins, swales and flood meadow creation to ensure appropriate, controlled discharge. • Development will be required to ensure that the developable area is directed towards the most suitable locations, avoiding areas of risk and using SuDS to ensure that there is no worsening of downstream effects as a result of the development. • Easements will be required along the watercourses within the relevant sites, which ideally should be free of all development. The widths of the watercourse easements will need to be agreed with the Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA), considering the size of the watercourses, their typical flows and their maintenance requirements. Biodiversity and Green & Blue Infrastructure • The Southam Group of sites has potential to deliver Biodiversity Net Gain above the 10% minimum in those instances where allocations are dominated by intensively farmed arable habitats, which provides significant opportunities for enhancing the overall area of biodiverse habitats and increasing functional connectivity between features of existing value. • Proposals should seek to retain and enhance onsite hedgerows and mature trees within the design. • A network of SuDS features to be provided, providing wet and dry attenuation ponds and swales. These can form integral parts of the green infrastructure by ensuring a range of wildlife have access to habitats that allow them to flourish. • Provisions for protected and priority species should be incorporated into the design of the development, including ecologically designed sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) and hibernacula for amphibians, invertebrates and reptiles, and roosting/nesting boxes for bats and birds. Proposals should demonstrate how they will contribute to maintenance and enhancement of existing Green and Blue Infrastructure, including the Stowe Valley and existing water courses. Public Open Space • This will be delivered through a range of different formal and informal uses