Lightwood secures site in Alresford

Lightwood has secured a position on an underutilised parcel of garden land within the built up settlement of New Alresford in Winchester. The site is capable of accommodating upto five dwellings, the design of which need to respond to local context and constraints. Pre application advice has been sought from the local authority and following their response, a full planning application will be submitted.

New NPPF Published

The updated National Planning Policy Framework (“new NPPF”) was eventually published on 19 December 2023 by Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities. The new NPPF is effective immediately and builds upon the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act which became law on 26 October 2023.

The new NPPF is long awaited. It follows a brief update in September 2023 to the previous NPPF and the Government’s consultation on national planning policy which opened in December 2022 and closed in March 2023.

In his speech supporting the new NPPF’s launch, Michael Gove acknowledged that the housing delivery could be stronger, identifying that there is a resistance to new development in many parts of the country. He saw that there were five factors which were crucial to winning back support for new development, being “beauty, infrastructure, democracy, the environment and neighbourhood”. The development of the new NPPF was said to be informed by these principles.

Of particular note:

The new NPPF confirms that the standard method of assessing housing need remains the basis which communities should plan for new homes, but the outcome of the standard method is an advisory starting point in plan making for establishing the housing requirements for an area. In his speech, Michael Gove noted that it “has always been the case that this number was supposed to be advisory for local authorities. But that principle has been honoured in the breach than in observance”;
In respect of the Green Belt, the new NPPF has sought to ensure it is clear there is no requirement on local authorities to review or alter Green Belt boundaries if this would be the only way to meet housing need unless it chooses to do so;
There is a reform of five-year housing requirements; local authorities are not required to identify and update annually a five year rolling housing land supply if their adopted plan is less than five years old and it identified at least a five year supply of specific, deliverable sites at the time that its examination concluded. The intention of this is to create an incentive for local authorities to have an up-to-date local plan in place by granting additional protection from the presumption in favour of sustainable development, noting that this protection only applies to planning applications made from 19 December 2023;
The new NPPF takes away the 5% and 10% buffers applied to five-year housing land supply, maintaining the 20% buffer only for those local authorities that do not have an up-to-date plan in place and score below 85% on the Housing Delivery Test;
The new NPPF emphasises the role of beauty and placemaking in strategic policies, to be assisted through the adoption of appropriate design codes. Michael Gove specifically noted that the adoption of design codes has been made easier and more attractive by the Office for Place – the new public body which champions beauty in building; and
The level of protection from the presumption afforded by neighbourhood plans is increased from two to five years post adoption, provided the neighbourhood plan identifies at least one housing site.

As a result of the new NPPF being published, Mr Gove’s assessment was that “there is now no excuse for any local authority not to have a plan in place, no excuse not to ensure that homes are delivered swiftly and efficient through that plan, and no excuse for leaving communities – and the next generation within the homes they need”.

Planning submitted for luxury home in Rickmansworth

Lightwood has submitted a planning application to Three Rivers District Council for ‘The demolition of the existing pool house and subdivision of the plot and construction of a detached two-storey dwelling, attached double garage, formation of new access drive, alteration to existing access and ancillary works.’

The application seeks to overcome the reasons for refusal of a planning appeal back in 2015. The current proposal is materially different in terms of plot size, scale, orientation and access and should therefore be considered favourably.

Proposed Site Layout, Block Plan & Site Location Plan

Proposed Plans & Elevations

Lightwood commissions John Simpson Architects

Lightwood have instructed John Simpson Architects to masterplan land at Priors Farm which comprises a significant part of the proposed South Wokingham SDL Extension in the Regulation 18 Local Plan.

At an urban design level, John Simpson Architects have advocated a fresh new approach where technology is used to serve rather than dominate the design. Since 1990, with the masterplan for Fairford Leys at Aylesbury and later at Dicken’s Heath in Solihull near Birmingham, the practice has shown how a sustainable urban alternative to the conventional suburban housing estate can work.

Lightwood attend Mole Valley Local Plan examination

The Local Plan has entered its examination Phase and the hearings will be taking place in three stages as set out below;

Stage 1 – Legal and procedural requirements
Stage 2 – Housing Need and Supply, Green Belt Alterations, Spatial Strategy, Strategic Policies and Economy Policies
Stage 3 – Site Allocations & Delivery

The Stage 1 hearings dealing with legal and procedural compliance took place on June 23rd. Lightwood submitted detailed reps addressing the Duty to Cooperate and the Sustainability Appraisal on behalf of our landowners and attended the session to elaborate on these points.

Inspector Wilders has subsequently confirmed that, from what she has read and heard to date, the Examination may proceed to Stage 2.

At the latest hearing session, the Council confirmed the progress of additional studies to assess the Local Plan’s impacts on M25, junction 9a, including the identification of any necessary mitigation. It confirmed that, subject to those additional studies, it expected to submit, to the examination, an agreed Statement of Common Ground with National Highways in August 2022. This is critical evidence that underpins the delivery of the Plan, including its housing trajectory and viability.

In light of this expected submission, to make best use of Examination time and to ensure fairness to all parties given the weight of evidence submitted for stage 2 of this Examination, the Inspector has amended the draft Examination hearings time table delaying the stage 2 hearing sessions until after the summer break.

Hart Council AGM announces new Chairman and Cabinet

Further to the local elections that took place on 5^th May 2022 and which saw the Conservatives lose control of Fleet East to the Liberal Democrats, at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Thursday 19 May, the new Chairman and Vice Chairman were elected for 2022/23. The Cabinet members and Chairmen of Hart District Council Committees were also appointed.

The Council has 33 seats, made up of 11 Conservatives, 10 Community Campaign Hart (CCH), 11 Liberal Democrats and one independent.

A vision for Great Whaddon

Following a number of design team meetings with Create Streets, the first vision for Great Whaddon at Trowbridge has evolved and a wider concept that, instead of locating development close to Hilperton and its conservation area, prefers to expand beyond the byway and across the A361 to make for a more coherent urban form and vastly expanded green spaces and amenities, is being considered.

Mole Valley submits Local Plan to Secretary of State

The Mole Valley Local Plan was submitted to the Secretary of State for independent examination on Monday 14 February 2022 and Beverley Wilders BA (Hons) PgDurp MRTPI from the Planning Inspectorate has appointed by the Secretary of State to carry out the independent Examination of the Local Plan.

Wokingham Revised Growth Strategy Consultation

A consultation on a Revised Growth Strategy for the local plan was conducted between 22 November 2021 and 24 January 2022, which sought views on some key changes to the council’s approach for development across the borough.

Unlike the previous Draft Plan, which was consulted on last year, Wokingham BC did not propose a new town of around 15,000 homes at Grazeley. This was no longer possible following an extension of the emergency planning zone around AWE Burghfield to include that area. Instead, the key sources of proposed supply are:

947 homes within a first tranches of smaller sites
875 homes within a second trances of smaller sites
906 homes within the residual SW SDL land (with SANG south of Emm Brook)
150 more homes at the Arborfield SDL
371 more homes the South of M4 SDL
283 homes at the North Wokingham SDL

This sub-totals at 3,532, nearly 1,000 (6.5%) over the minimum requirement. The Council is also proposing a wholly new SDL at Hall Farm/Lodden Valley south of the M4. The full scale of this is assessed as being in the region of 4,500 homes, with 2,200 to be completed by the end of the Plan period.

The proposals for the South Wokingham SDL follow an investigative masterplanning approach led by David Lock Associates and Stantec for WBC. Two scales of development were considered for the area south of Waterloo Road, but approach (i) was selected;

i. 835 homes as proposed in the consultation document, with the Emm Brook forming the limit to built development.

ii. 1,000 homes, which, unless the density north of Emm Brook was increased from 30dph to 35dph, would require land between Emm Brook and Easthampstead Road.

Wokingham Borough Council to consult on extension to SDL

At an Extraordinary Meeting on 12th November, the Executive approved to carry out consultation on the Local Plan Update (LPU): Revised Growth Strategy. This includes, amongst other differences to the Draft Local Plan, the identification of a significant area of additional housing within the South Wokingham Strategic Development Location, and which identifies Lightwood’s site at Priors Farm as an area of development.