Regulation 18 draft Local Plan

Object

Representation ID: 7107

Received: 02/01/2024

Respondent: Stamford Civic Society

SCS has severe concerns and reservations that throughout this infrastructure and delivery policy there is an assumption that the physical infrastructure, the community infrastructure and the green and blue infrastructure will somehow miraculously appear to support the 650new householders. Stamford infrastructure is currently severely stretched, and 650 additional households will be catastrophic in terms of all three identified infrastructure sectors. Chapter 11 does not give any details concerning the community infrastructure or the green and blue infrastructure that will undoubtably be necessary for 650 households.

Comment Noted. The Infrastructure Delivery Plan (IDP) will form part of the updated evidence base supporting the Regulation 19 Local Plan. The requirements set out in the IDP will also be taken into consideration in the updated Whole Plan Viability Assessment. Both the IDP and Whole Plan Viability Assessments will form part of the R19 local plan consultation. Further information relating to proposed development at Stamford North can be found in Policy H2.

Object

Representation ID: 7108

Received: 02/01/2024

Respondent: Stamford Civic Society

Policy INF 1 – Infrastructure and connectivity This policy identifies the requirement of developers to pay CIL. However, it is not clear to what extent CIL contributions from the developers of Quarry Farm/Monarch Park will contribute to the wider infrastructure costs of SKDC and LCC in relation to the North Stamford development.

Currently, SKDC has not adopted CIL and uses Section 106 agreements and obligations to mitigate the impacts of development. CIL charges will be payable on the proportion of the North Stamford Urban Extension that are in the Rutland administrative area and will be spent on infrastructure within Rutland impacted by the development.

Object

Representation ID: 7109

Received: 02/01/2024

Respondent: Stamford Civic Society

Policy INF 2 – Securing sustainable Transport. The Quarry Farm/Monarch Park development will be located some 2 miles from Stamford Town Centre. Whilst we applaud attempts to encourage sustainable transport everywhere, including within the existing built-up area of Stamford, it is evidenced from recent completed housing developments on the periphery of the Town that the majority of occupiers will use their own vehicles to travel this distance. Also, given that most of the out-of-town retail facilities (including most supermarkets) are on the east side of the town, it is likely that an extra 650 dwellings will create additional traffic congestion within the Town Centre to an unacceptable level.
In addition, any vehicle travel to the wider area, particularly on a north/south axis will require an upgrade to access the A1 Stamford By-Pass. The Society understands that English Highways do not currently have any plans of timescale for delivery of such an upgrade. This is likely to mean either that the development will be allowed to proceed with sub-standard access links to the A1, or it will be delayed until English Highways have allocated funds for it.

Comment Noted. Incentives will be in place to encourage alternatives to the private car for the Quarry Farm/Monarch Park development. A number of bus route enhancements are proposed as part of the Travel Plan for the North Stamford scheme including improvements to Route 201 and 301 (Delaine), Route 4 (Call Connect and and a new Route 182 (operated by Blands) Hooper or demand responsive service. These services will link to the town centre and Stamford train station. Negotiations on the public transport package proposed are currently ongoing. The upgrade to access to the A1 Stamford By-Pass remains unresolved at the time of response. The updated Transport Assessment submitted with the application concludes that off-site highway mitigation to the Strategic Road Network (A1) is not required. National Highways do not support this conclusion until they have undertaken an independent review of the traffic modelling submitted. The transport modelling is necessary to understand the scale of the traffic impacts on the surrounding highways and to determine the level of off-site highway mitigation required. Should the need for off-site highways mitigation on the SRN be required, it shall be noted that National Highways will seek this by way of Grampian planning conditions, and that the works must be designed and delivered by the applicant(s) via a Section 278 agreement. Prior to National Highways lifting the holding objection, it should be noted that works on the strategic network are required to be designed to a preliminary design standard and undergo a number of approvals processes (including Stage 1 Road Safety Audit). This is to satisfy National Highways that the scheme is effective, safe, and deliverable.

Object

Representation ID: 7110

Received: 02/01/2024

Respondent: Stamford Civic Society

The Spatial Strategy has not demonstrated why Quarry Farm/Monarch Park is the most appropriate sustainable location for by far the largest proposed housing allocation within the draft plan.
The proposed site (Quarry Farm/Monarch Park) does not meet the sustainability requirement in relation to a number of criteria, including proximity to employment, transport and Heritage Assets.
The risks associated with delivery of such a major proportion of the RCC’s housing allocation in the plan period, we would propose that in this single respect, the draft local plan for Rutland County Council should be found to be unsound.
The extent of the agreement between RCC, SKDC and LCC has not been revealed, but there is a concern that the people of Stamford are having a substantial number of housing units “dumped on them” to suit the requirements of Rutland. This development will significantly contribute to a reduced quality of environment for the existing inhabitants, without a concomitant contribution to the financial resources required to mitigate the impacts.

All site appraisals have been reviewed in the light of comments and further evidence received to determine their suitability for allocation.