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HEMLINGTON GRANGE MASTER PLAN
EXECUTIVE MEMBER FOR ECONOMIC REGENERATION
AND CULTURE - COUNCILLOR DAVID BUDD
DIRECTOR OF REGENERATION - TIM WHITE
Date: 2nd March 2007
PURPOSE OF THE REPORT
1.The purpose of this report is to seek Executive approval to:
a)agree the principles of a conceptual master plan as a basis for further work which will support the development of Hemlington Grange as a high quality, sustainable mixed-use urban extension, including its integration as part of a wider Greater Hemlington Initiative; and,
b)commission a series of further technical support documents to secure the approval of the scheme through the statutory planning process.the principles of a conceptual master plan as a basis for further work which will support the development of Hemlington Grange as a sustainable mixed-use urban extension, including its integration as part of a wider Greater Hemlington Initiative; and,
b)commission a series of further technical support documents to secure the approval of the scheme through the statutory planning process.
BACKGROUND
- In August 2004, the Executive Member for Economic Regeneration and Culture agreed to commission consultants to prepare a master plan, feasibility study and delivery options for a sustainable mixed-use urban extension at Hemlington Grange. Since then the master plan has been completed. Furthermore, a case has been presented for the inclusion of the site within the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS). This report explains the principles set out in the master plan and advises on the next steps in the process of ensuring that the necessary planning case is made.
Policy Context
3. Hemlington Grange is a 57-hectare site owned by the Council, 46 hectares of which is allocated as a prestige employment site in the adopted Middlesbrough Local Plan and the Tees Valley Structure Plan. The site is mainly green-field but also includes the former Hemlington Hospital and sewage works, which are classed as brownfield land. A site plan is attached in Appendix 1.
4.The employment site was originally aimed at a single end user or small number of large users but has not been developed for the following reasons:
a)a reduction in demand from single large users;
b)high infrastructure costs estimated in excess of £9 million;
c)relatively poor access compared to other employment sites elsewhere in the region; and,
d)competition from other serviced employment sites in the North East.
- If the site were to be brought forward for solely employment use it would require significant amounts of public resources to facilitate development. The site is not considered a priority by either One NorthEast or English Partnerships, which, within the Middlesbrough context, are focusing on Middlehaven. It is therefore unlikely that the site will come forward for employment use in the foreseeable future. However, to develop this site for uses other than employment would require a departure from the Middlesbrough Local Plan, which remains the Statutory Development Plan for the town.
- The submission draft RSS did not identify the site and therefore Middlesbrough Council made representations on the draft RSS requesting that Hemlington Grange be included as a major mixed-use site. The issue was therefore considered by the RSS Examination in Policy (EIP) in March 2006.
- The EIP Panel report was published on 4th August 2006. The Panel agreed with the case put forward by the Council that it would be appropriate to release approximately half of the site for residential use, with the monies raised funding infrastructure costs required to bring forward employment use on the remainder of the site. The Panel report advised that the type of housing and employment uses proposed would not adversely impact on regeneration schemes, subject to policy prioritisation of those schemes, for example Middlehaven. The Panel considered that bringing the site forward can be achieved through the provisions of the LDF.
- The Tees Valley Structure Plan, approved in February 2004, acknowledges that a strategic green-field housing site may be required in south Middlesbrough to accommodate up to 1,000 dwellings (Policy H2). This plan was subject to its own Examination in Public (EIP) and forms part of the statutory development plan for the town. The panel which undertook the EIP for the Tees Valley Structure Plan recommended a review of employment land in the sub-region because it deemed that there was an oversupply of such land. The subsequent Tees Valley Strategic Land Review, which was prepared by the Joint Strategy Unit, supports the case for a mixed-use allocation. The study recognises Hemlington Grange as an opportunity for asustainable mixed-use site and recommends reallocation of approximately half of the site for housing use.
- The emerging Middlesbrough Local Development Framework (LDF) Core Strategy and Regeneration Development Plan Document (DPD) contain a policy framework identifying how the development of Hemlington Grange and the regeneration of the adjoining neighbourhood to the north can be brought forward in a co-ordinated way. Proposals are seen as essential to trying to stem population loss from the town. The Regeneration DPD proposes that Hemlington Grange should accommodate up to 740 dwellings, and 50,000 square metres of employment floorspace, with potential for a primary school and health facility. Development would be phased to ensure that development rates complement those of Greater Middlehaven and other sites in the town.
Hemlington Grange Master Plan
- 10. The master plan was commissioned against a background of net outward migration of population from Middlesbrough, limited choice in new housing provision, low house building rates and a lack of high quality employment sites and premises in the town. This has led to a loss of potential employers to North Yorkshire and other parts of the Tees Valley.
- From the outset, the aim of the master plan was to consider whether Hemlington Grange is suitable for housing and also whether it is still an appropriate employment site to service south Middlesbrough markets. It is recommended that the scheme will need to be developed intended to develop the scheme in a manner that will set it a side from other developments by ensuring that it adopts the highest principles of sustainable development, including lessons learnt from the millennium communities. By having a scheme that will be at the forefront of sustainable development, it will promote Middlesbrough as a modern twenty-first century town and also set a standard which will help promote other schemes to achieve the same levels of ambition. Furthermore, the case for allowing a significant re-allocation of land for housing uses has resulted in concerns being expressed by Government Office for the North East (GONE), on the basis that much of the site is considered greenfield (see paragraph 26 for more details). By demonstrating that the scheme will be implemented in a manner which accords with the highest principles of sustainable development and design quality is more likely to ameliorate GONE’s concern. The Council has the ability to achieve such high standards as it can exercise its powers as landlord. The financial consequences of such an approach are set out in paragraph 31.
Potential benefits of mixed use development
112.Hemlington Grange has considerable benefits in terms of a sustainable location for a mixed use site because:
(a)it is near facilities at Coulby Newham District Centre, including the King’s Academy;
(b)new jobs can be provided close to existing communities with high unemployment;
(c)it has potential for links to a sustainable transport system with consequent reduced journey to work distances;
(d)there is potential to extend existing footpaths/ cycleway links;
(e) it is in Council ownership and therefore the mechanisms can be put in place to ensure that the development is delivered in full accordance with best practice in relation to sustainability including, design, energy efficient buildings, high quality development standards and sustainable drainage systems (SUDS); and,
(f) there is an opportunity to provide development in an attractive landscaped setting.
Master plan options
13.The master plan presents three options for consideration. Two of the options propose high quality housing and commercial development in a landscaped setting. The third option proposes only housing. All three options provisionally allocate land for a new primary school and a major community use (community hospital or similar). However, this will need to be reviewed in light of wider education requirements and discussion with service providers.
14.Option 1 - proposes that approximately 60% of the net developable area (approximately 24.7 hectares) is developed for housing (approximately 740 dwellings), 33% (approximately 50,000 square metres) for employment use and the remaining 7% is developed as roads and structural landscaping.
15.Option 2 - reverses the ratio and has 60% employment use and 33% housing, producing approximately 400 houses and 100,000 square metres of gross employment floor space.
16.Option 3 - is based on 100% of the net developable area (approximately 38 hectares) being developed for housing, producing approximately 1134 houses. This option is likely to be a less acceptable option to Government in the light of current national planning policy in respect of seeking to accommodate new housing on brownfield land.
Consultation
17.The three options, outlined above, were subject to consultation, which entailed:
(a)separate presentations to Hemlington, Coulby Newham and Stainton and Thornton Community Councils;
(b)drawings of the three development options were displayed at Hemlington Library, Langdon Square Community Centre and Stainton Memorial Hall and residents were invited to give their views; and,
(c)a workshop for elected members was held in June 2004 which considered various options for the development of the site.
18.The main comments expressed by residents relating to mixed-use development were:
(a)support for employment opportunities and potential regeneration benefits;
(b)support for facilities, such as a community hospital or other major employer on the site;
(c)concerns about increased traffic on Acklam Road and Marton Road and roads adjacent to the site;
(d)concerns about potential conflict in relation to the proximity of housing and employment uses;
(e)executive housing was seen as potentially creating a separate community; and,
(f)future schooling arrangements need to be considered.
198.The Unicorn Centre (Riding for the Disabled) and the Larchfield Community were consulted as tenants of the adjoining land. The Larchfield Community expressed no definite view on the proposals. The Unicorn Centre was concerned that some of the land they lease from the Council may be considered for future development in the long term. They were assured that any future decisions would be subject to further discussions between themselves and the Council.
The Preferred Option
2019.It is recommended that Option 1 is adopted as the preferred way forward that best meets the Council’s aspirations while generally according with national, regional and local planning policy for the following reasons:
(a)it reconciles government policy on both sustainability and housing as the proposals provide for mixed-use development comprising both employment and residential uses;
(b)there remains a need to retain employment land; and,
(c)it provides an attractive site for new housing so that Middlesbrough can achieve a stable population level.
However, in accepting this option this will be on the basis that further work will need to be undertaken to ensure that the development achieves the highest standards of innovative sustainable development.
21.The master plan recommends that an initial phased release of a minimum of five hectares of housing development will be needed to fund the infrastructure required to develop the employment land. An outline site development programme has been prepared which indicates that not all the necessary infrastructure works need to be provided before development can commence. This suggests the release of a first phase housing site of two hectares and a second phase of three hectares of housing with 5,000 square metres of B1 office use. This would pay for all the on and off-site highway and service infrastructure, including structural landscaping to enable full development of the net site area. The master plan suggests that a flexible framework for site development will allow the proportion of housing and employment uses to be varied as more detailed proposals emerge.
22.Providing for a significant proportion of middle to upper market family housing will not compete with the housing proposed at Middlehaven (which will have a high proportion of apartments aimed at single people and couples). This could help to stem the net outward migration of more population from Middlesbrough to other areas with greater housing choice such as Stockton and North Yorkshire. Such dwellings would be released in phases to accord with the limits to new housing in the periods set in the RSS. However, this will need to be balanced against the objectives of ensuring that sufficient affordable property is available in the town. The employment area could provide approximately 50,000 square metres of gross floor space as a high quality, low density business park which would not conflict with development in the town centre or at Middlehaven and Riverside Park and could service south Middlesbrough. An indicative layout is provided in Appendix 2.
23.Two separate vehicle access points are proposed. One from Stainton Way will serve the employment site and one from the B1365 Stokesley Road will serve the residential area. This will avoid conflict and improve the attraction of the residential area.
24.There are opportunities to provide pedestrian links to the countryside and to the existing communities of Hemlington and Coulby Newham. Land is also set-a-side for a primary school, should the need arise. Further analysis of future need will be undertaken as part of the next stages of plan preparation (see paragraphs 27 and 28).
25.The development provides an opportunity for Middlesbrough to bring forward an exemplar of high quality development practice, including innovative design and construction techniques adoptingwhilst adopting the core principles of sustainability. It is important that the scheme achieves a distinctive character that generates ad sense of place. As both planning authority and the landowner the Council is in a position where it can pursue the highest possible standards when it comes to design and construction. There will be a cost associated to this. However, the development of the site will net a significant capital receipt. The Council will need to forgo some of this receipt to address the issues of sustainability highlighted above. .
Next Steps
26.Taking forward Hemlington Grange as a mixed-use urban extension will still require a significant amount of technical justification to demonstrate accordance with national, regional, and local planning policy. Given the greenfield status of part of the site, it is not certain that Government Office North EastGONE will consider favourably proposals for the site in isolation. However, some early discussions with GONE indicated that an integrated package of proposals which meets wider strategic objectives such as mixed communities, design quality and sustainability would be more likely to find favour. Evidence of the need for the development and the appropriateness of the proposals in planning terms will be required to support the relevant LDF policies. It is probable that the Hemlington Grange proposals and any counter proposals will eventually be considered by an independent inspector at the LDF Examination in Public.
27.To take the site successfully through the complexities of the planning system, further supportive evidence will be required. The main tasks are set out below.
(a)To elaborate the case of why a sustainable urban extension is necessary to deliver the LDF spatial vision and strategic regeneration priorities of Middlesbrough. This will focus on a number of issues, these being:
i)population decline and loss of economically active households;
ii)lack of housing choice and historic low house building rates;
iii)the fit with RSS housing allocations, sequential approach and phasing – in particular examining how proposals for Greater Hemlington are integral to the delivery of the RSS requirements;
iv)the contribution to economic regeneration, including how proposals for employment development at Greater Hemlington are integral to the delivery of RSS employment land requirements;
v)the strategic fit with the proposals at Middlehaven and housing market renewal in the town; and,
vi)how the highest principles of sustainable, innovative development can be achieved.
(b)A strategic environmental assessment and sustainability appraisal will be required to demonstrate that Hemlington Grange is the best option compared with other locations in south Middlesbrough. It will be necessary to carry out further technical analysis including landscape, soil quality, drainage and comparative traffic impact assessments.
(c)The development of a strategy will be required which brings together the proposals to form part of a wider regeneration programme for Greater Hemlington (Hemlington Grange and Hemlington Estate together) as an integrated sustainable communities initiative, highlighting:
i)financial viability with no call on public resources;
ii)investment in integrated regeneration, infrastructure and community facilities;
iii)creation of a balanced housing stock;
iv)local employment opportunities;
v)close proximity to existing social provision – schools and district centre facilities;
vi)the delivery of a green spaces strategy;
vii)sustainable development principles; and,
viii)a high quality design code approach.
287.Once the case has been established, further stages of work will be required to take the initiative forward including:
(a)preparation of a Greater Hemlington development framework, including design codes etc.;
(b)planning application and supporting information; and,
(c)potential partnership and delivery arrangements.
289.It is proposed to engage consultants to help carry out further work to provide the justification for the above. A sum of £51,000 has been budgeted between 2006/7 and 2007/8 to carry out the stage one work identified in paragraph 267(a) and (b). Second-stage work identified at paragraph 267(c) and 278 is not included within this budget sum and these tasks will need to be scoped as part of the stage one work.