Questions raised on 1 December 2020
What is brownfield land and greenfield land?
This is defined by Annex 2 of national planning policy (known as the National Planning Policy Framework or NPPF). Generally speaking, brownfield is land that is, or that has previously been built on. The Former Elizabethan High School site on Leafield in Retford is a brownfield site. The Ordsall South proposed housing allocation is a greenfield site because it has not previously been built on.
What guarantees do the council/developers give that you will not turn this into another faceless and stand-alone development in this area?
Bassetlaw needs a Local Plan in place so that it can influence the quality of design. The draft Local Plan contains policies which seek to deliver high quality development that will include green infrastructure/open space and which reflects local character, or which provides an improvement to the character of an area.
Without a Local Plan in place, development will continue to happen but will reflect the slightly dated Core Strategy. An up-to-date Local Plan benefits from up-to-date design policies. The new Local Plan provides an opportunity for the Council to take a proactive approach to design.
Similarly infrastructure needs are based on up-to-date evidence so the type of open space and the type of sports facilities will reflect local needs so will better integrate new development with the existing community.
How many homes does Bassetlaw need to build?
The draft Plan requires 10,013 new homes to be built by 2037.
Will it just be houses on this site or businesses too?
POLICY ST29: Site HS13: Ordsall South, Retford in the draft Local Plan requires the site to deliver 800 new homes plus supporting infrastructure, services and facilities.
New housing should consist of a mix of housing types, including market housing, specialist housing for older and disabled people, extra care accommodation, and affordable housing for people and families unable to afford to buy a home on the open market.
It also requires other uses including a local centre with a convenience shop, a health hub, a community hub with sports pitches and changing rooms, and a country park.
The draft Local Plan does not propose to deliver business development such as offices, light industry on the site.
What is the timescale for development of this site?
It is expected to commence delivery of the first dwellings in 2026 with completion by 2037.
Local Care Homes rarely operate at full capacity. Won’t the extra care facilities on this site take business away from existing Care Homes?
The Council has recently commissioned an assessment of housing need (November 2020 Bassetlaw Housing and Economic Development Needs Assessment). This includes an assessment of the need for extra care in Bassetlaw up to 2037. The results of this assessment indicate that there is an increasing need to provide extra care accommodation over the timescale of the Local Plan, up to 2037.
The Council has also liaised with Nottinghamshire County Council regarding the need for extra care accommodation. The County Council have indicated that in principle extra care would be appropriate, but more details would be required before the County Council could commit full support. The Councils will continue to work in partnership to ensure that the Plan delivers the right type of extra care accommodation that is needed in Bassetlaw. This is likely to include a range of accommodation that addresses the different needs of residents, including supported independent living where appropriate.
With only one main road from Ordsall to Eaton and the A1 how will local roads cope?
The Council has commissioned a Transport Study to assess the impact of proposed development on the local roads and strategic (A1) road network. At this stage this shows that improvements will be required to several local junction sin Retford such as at the A620. Should the site stay in the Plan further work will be undertaken so that the Council can better understand the detailed impacts on the highway network. All proposals will need to be agreed with the County Council, who are the Highways Authority.
The Bassetlaw Infrastructure Delivery Plan (IDP) contains details of highway improvements required. The IDP will continue to be updated as the Local Plan progresses.
In order to facilitate this new estate, there will be massive changes across the whole Ordsall area. I really don’t understand why you are even considering this as a possible site. It’s completely inappropriate in my opinion. What are you doing to ensure the safety of local residents and protecting their area and environment?
What consideration is being given to the local wildlife and environment?
The draft Bassetlaw Plan includes a range of policies which have a strong focus on good design and on the protection, conservation and enhancement of the environment.
It is important that the design of new development promotes safe environments and minimises opportunities for anti-social behaviour.
The Plan requires all new development to deliver a 10% net gain in biodiversity. So an assessment is undertaken by ecologists of the current biodiversity value and then credits are applied using a nationally approved system. Developers have to ensure that 10% gain is incorporated into the design. This will be achieved through new green spaces and green routes, and through tree planting (the draft Local Plan proposes to plant 5 trees per new dwelling).
A masterplan will be required this will provide more detail on environmental quality. The Local Plan and the masterplan as well as future planning applications will involve consultation with specialist environmental and ecology organisations, such as Natural England and the Environment Agency, to ensure plans are appropriate.
West Carr Road has been mentioned as a possible pedestrian and cycle route. It’s not very good at present. What kind of improvements will the developers pay for?
Many new residents on this site will still choose to drive to Bircotes, Worksop, Rampton or Gainsborough for employment. What kind of improvements do the Bassetlaw consultants envisage?
The Plan is still at an early stage and does not yet contain this level of detail.
Should the site stay in the Plan further work – a Transport Assessment - will be undertaken to better understand traffic impacts and the best options for walking and cycling routes. Improvements will need the support of Nottinghamshire County Council who are the Highways Authority.
What about houses that currently overlook the fields proposed for development? Are they being considered?
Unfortunately a person does not have a right to a view from their home, so it is not an issue the Local Plan can take into account. But it is important that all residents have adequate residential amenity. The draft Local Plan contains policies which seek to ensure development protects residential amenity. This includes ensuring new development does not overshadow, or unnecessarily overlook neighbouring properties.
We’ve had a lot of estates built in the last five years, what improvement have been made in terms of bringing additional employment into Retford and its surrounding area?
The draft Local Plan allocates land for new employment at Trinity Farm. This is expected to provide at least 280 jobs in the business sector such as new offices, industry. More jobs are expected to be provided in the service sector such as a pub/restaurant that is planned for the site. But its important the Local Plan supports the continued operation and growth of existing employment areas. The Plan protects several sites in Retford including at West Carr and Hallcroft. Existing business will have the confidence to continue to operate, and new businesses may also be attracted to the town. The Plan is also supportive of the continued operation of the town centre, and supports the development of the Retford Business Neighbourhood Plan.
Over the next 15+ years the plan is proposing to deliver in the region of 11,200 new jobs in Bassetlaw.
Have the consultants/experts who have undertaken the transport assessments considered putting a new road with a cycle lane that would run from the site at Ordsall across to Goosemoor or London Road? This could link up with plans for the Goosemoor Play Area and current cycle route.
Evidence from the Bassetlaw Transport Study and dialogue with Nottinghamshire County Council Highways Officers has indicated that a new road is not required to make the proposal acceptable in planning terms.
Will the primary school be located on the west or east site?
Nottinghamshire County Council’s Education Department has indicated that a new primary school is not required on the site. In their opinion there is sufficient capacity within the Retford pupil planning area to accommodate the pupils generated by this development.
Has the congestion pressure on the local shops been considered (namely co-op and Spar on Welbeck Road)?
The additional housing would bring additional footfall to local shops and services. But the draft policy includes a requirement for a new local shopping centre including a small scale convenience shop. This would serve both the site and wider residential area.
How would you expect the parking in that area to be improved?
The Council can only ask for developer contributions to improve infrastructure that are expected to come from new development. Developer contributions cannot be used to fix existing issues. Further work will be undertaken to assess whether parking at the current Ordsall Local Centre will be made worse as a result of the development.
With local services stretched already, how will Bassetlaw District Council and Nottinghamshire County Council manage the extra demand?
The Council will use a variety of measures to ensure that impacts generated by new development on infrastructure are addressed appropriately. New infrastructure can be provided on site or developer contributions can be used to improve or provide new facilities elsewhere. The Local Plan policy is a checklist of the infrastructure Council would expect to see provided. Further details will be set out in the Infrastructure Delivery Plan. The Council will continue to work with Nottinghamshire County Council to ensure demand is managed appropriately.
How many extra residents do you envisage will live on the sites at Ordsall?
This would depend on the type of homes delivered e.g. family housing, older person’s housing etc. It’s not possible to say how many residents there will be at this early stage.
Could you please explain the discrepancy between the boundary in the Local Plan and the boundary on the Ordsall Garden Neighbourhood website? There is no eastern site identified on the Ordsall Garden Neighbourhood website.
The site promoter is responsible for the Ordsall Garden Neighbourhood website. The Council does not endorse the content of that website.
The draft Bassetlaw Local Plan is produced by the Council and sets out the site boundary for the Ordsall South site allocation. At this stage the Council is asking for views on the east and west sites being included as a site allocation.
Will the development provide facilities for electric cars?
The draft Local Plan requires the developer to make sure that each property has the necessary infrastructure to add an electric vehicle charging point of their choice in future.
Will we get another chance to comment on the Local Plan before it is ratified? There are many items which need clarification.
Yes, please submit comments to this consultation by 20th January 2021 at 5pm.
There will also be another public consultation next year. Those who are interested in being involved in the development of the Local Plan should register their interest with the Planning Policy team. Email: TheBassetlawPlan@bassetlaw.gov.uk
What is being done to address flooding on the footpath between Ordsall and Eaton? This will impact on homes on the site, similar to what happens on Fairways.
If the site stays in the Plan then further work will be undertaken on flood management and the best way to manage surface water run off to ensure there is no increase in flood risk on or off site.
Questions raised on 15 December 2020
Why don’t you build on brown field sites rather than destroying the beautiful countryside around Ordsall?
We try and use as much brownfield land as possible, and seven of the site allocations are brownfield land. But unfortunately to meet Government housing targets the Council needs more sites so needs to identify some greenfield land. We can only allocate sites in the Local Plan that are available – so have been submitted to us by the landowner for development – and suitable for development in planning terms. There may be sites in and around Retford that residents may think could be developed but if the landowners have not submitted the site for a planning assessment then we are unable to consider them.
I would like to understand the impact of any proposed population growth in Ordsall on the local infrastructure. As a resident of Eaton I am already concerned about the volume of traffic through the village and the potential for further accidents on the narrow bridge
A Transport Study provides more information on how the impact of growth in Retford and Ordsall will impact the highways network including impacts on Eaton. Should the site stay in the Plan further work will be done on housing mix – different types of housing generate different numbers of car trips for example - and this will be used to inform more detailed transport work.
How has the higher traffic burdens on arterial routes from the new developments into Retford via Ordsall road and Babworth / hospital road been considered and what highway improvements will be made to this route which is already very busy?
The transport study looks at the whole of Retford and identifies which roads are operating at capacity, at near capacity and under capacity. At the moment Amcott Way is identified at capacity. The transport study will identify whether additional development will exacerbate any capacity issues and if it does will identify the mitigation needed to help manage the issue identified.
The water pressure is very low in Ordsall, will a new water main be installed to serve all the new houses?
Ordsall South is a greenfield site so new utilities infrastructure will be required including water and sewerage infrastructure. The precise requirements will be negotiated between a site promoter/developer with Severn Trent and Anglian Water who are the specialists.
The route in to Retford for the 800 new Ordsall homes and all the homes at the new bassetlaw village will be along Babworth road and hospital road on to hospital road/north road roundabout. 1300 new dwellings using the same road initially with a further 3000 planned later. This road serves two secondary and one primary school, and yet is not connected by a cycle lane. Can a cycle lane be added to hospital road to join the current cycle lanes on Babworth road to those on North Road. I realise this is difficult, but the volume of traffic on the road once the development is complete will make it a danger to children commuting to school?
This is a good point. The details of cycling infrastructure has not yet been agreed. Suggest making this comment through the consultation. We can then go back to our transport consultants and Nottinghamshire County Council Highways to discuss options.
Hospital road will feel a high impact but was not mentioned. We know that there will not be jobs on the new site for all the people do they will be commuting, a fair proportion into Retford via hospital road. In addition to the new village traffic
The transport study looks at the whole of Retford and the wider District. It identifies which roads are operating at capacity, at near capacity and under capacity. This includes how the Garden Village will link to Retford and Worksop. The transport study will identify whether additional development will exacerbate any capacity issues on the wider highways network and if it does will identify the mitigation needed to help manage the issue identified. A key issue in this case will be the phasing of development and when impacts are likely to be experienced in practice.
Questions raised on 6 January 2021
Please can you explain how the walking, cycling, and provisions in compliance with standards, such as DfT Note 1/20 for people of all abilities will be catered for between the new estate, the town, and the new green village. Thank you.
Should the site stay in the Plan further work will be done to ensure that walking/cycling infrastructure is appropriate within the site and provides appropriate connections to Ordsall, key locations e.g. community facilities more widely within Retford and in the longer term the Garden Village. This could include new and/or improved walking/cycling routes on road and/or off road for leisure and should cater for all ages and abilities. Cycle parking is essential to ensure that users are confident that their cycles can be safely stored at their destinations.
Eaton is quickly becoming a natural rat run for traffic going to Lincoln / Rampton, the power stations and also the A1 / McDonald’s. We are seeing traffic increasing alarmingly with speeding problems and it’s a serious accident in waiting. What plans have you to stop a further increase in traffic?
Should Ordsall stay in the Plan then further work will be done to assess the impacts of traffic on Eaton.
What provision has been made about problems with local transport infrastructure.
Should the site stay in the Plan a transport assessment will be done to look at the individual/cumulative impacts of traffic generated by new development in Retford on the local highways network. An assessment will also be done to look at the extent, quality and condition of the walking/cycling network and where improvements can be made.
In light of the fact that we have already had one fatality on Goosemoor Lane what traffic calming measures are going to be introduced to slow the traffic coming off the bridge onto Goosemoor Lane which at the moment is like a Formula One race track?
The Plan provides for a Traffic Management Scheme for Ordsall Old Village which should help manage traffic flow and speed better. Should the site stay in the Plan a transport assessment will be done to look at the individual/cumulative impacts of traffic generated by new development in Retford on the local highways network, including Ordsall Old Village. This will include the measures needed to address impacts identified.
Why is the Council planning for twice the number of new houses required by the Government and would the Ordsall development still be needed if house building was reduced to the Government advised level?
The Government’s Standard Method calculates a minimum housing need for Bassetlaw of 288 dwellings per annum for the plan period. National planning policy requires the Plan to use this as a starting point to establish a housing requirement figure for the District, to ensure that enough housing land is provided to meet identified needs.
National policy requires the Council to ensure that there are enough homes provided for the number of jobs expected to be provided in the District by 2037. The evidence shows that a housing target based on the Government’s figures would not provide the right number of dwellings to support economic growth in the District. The housing requirement – 589 dwellings per annum - in this Plan has therefore been set at a level to support the full extent of this jobs growth (11,236 jobs) and to meet housing needs. The District has a significant need for affordable and specialist housing, and the Plan better provides for that. A lower figure would not do that. It also helps deliver meaningful infrastructure – a lower figure would not do that.
Why such a lot of emphasis on homes for older people right on the edge of town (Ordsall) without easy access to centre
National policy asks that we plan for mixed communities so its important that older people’s housing is provided as well as affordable housing and family housing. Accessible housing ensures older people can live independently for as long as possible, so we have to make sure that this age group has a choice of properties and locations available to them. Not all older people would choose to live in the town/town centre.
But it's important that the right type of facilities are provided so that older people can easily access everyday local shops and community facilities easily, including by walking and cycling and public transport.
Extra care housing is for those residents that need more personal/medical care so may not wish to use the town centre.
But residents will be able to access the town centre via bus, and for those that wish to drive they can do so.
What is the timeline for the Masterplan? Thank you.
If the site stays in the Plan then we would expect a draft masterplan to be prepared in the next year or so.
How much formal support is committed or promised to deliver the infrastructure proposed from NCC? As they are responsible for highways e.g. providing infrastructure for people on foot, cycles, mobility scooters all abilities? - Thank you.
NCC are the Highways Authority. NCC are a key partner and have been involved in the preparation of the Plan. They do not have to provide the infrastructure but its important they support new/improved highways/walking/cycling infrastructure. Infrastructure that is required to support new development is generally provided by the developer (s).
As there are only 2 river crossing on this side of Retford neither of which are able to take any more traffic, we already suffer from dangerous driving through Eaton how can you expect us to tolerate a large influx of Vehicles
Should Ordsall stay in the Plan then further work will be done to assess the impacts of traffic on Eaton.
How much more capacity does the primary school have?
NCC are the Local Education Authority. They confirm that currently the primary schools in the catchment have the capacity to accommodate the children expected to live in the development.
Where is the garden village?
The Garden Village is situated east of the A1 at the A1/A57 Apleyhead Junction, just off Mansfield Road.
BDC has been trying to get more and better jobs for many years. Why will it be more successful in the future especially now we have a recession
A focus of the Local Plan is to bring more, better skilled, better paid jobs to the District. To do so means that the Council needs to identify a range of sites that can provide jobs in key growth sectors such as digital/creative and green energy sectors. The D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership supports the new sites in the Plan e.g. Garden Village, Marnham Energy Hub as being essential to deliver these jobs as they are expected to be attractive to the market. That’s not to say that we don’t need jobs in manufacturing and logistics but to support a resilient economy we shouldn’t rely on these sectors.
Would it not be better to add more homes to the proposed site near the A1?
The Garden Village is a new settlement. New settlements take time to get up and running because utilities infrastructure like electricity/water need to be brought in. So we’re expecting about 500 homes to be provided there by 2037 but at this point we shouldn’t expect much more. The site is only able to provide for 4000 homes overall with all of the infrastructure needed to support its growth.
Why is it judged that job growth in the future could be restricted by shortage of houses. Is the recession not likely to be the limiting factor
Government policy is that the Council should balance housing growth with jobs growth. The impact of Covid has been taken into account in the assumptions used in our evidence which sets out the number of jobs likely to be delivered.
Given the cost of covid will the money still be available for the Plan?
The Council has publicly committed to delivering the Local Plan in this administration. The resources are in place to do so.
The Council’s viability assessment shows that new development can support developer contributions for new infrastructure. The Government have made announcements recently that additional funding will be made available to open up brownfield land, for new stations, for infrastructure etc. The Council will continue to bid for funding from all sources as they become available. Community groups/voluntary sector can also bid for funding as well.
Will BDC adopt and run the country park? Is its long term finance secure?
Should the site stay in the plan, the long term management and maintenance of the country park needs to be considered. The Council doesn’t usually adopt open space, sometimes management companies manage open space, but there are a range of stewardship approaches around, including community interest groups which could play a part.
Last Updated on Thursday, November 21, 2024