Braintree District Council Site Allocations & Development Management Plan

(Last Update: 29/10/14)

Braintree District Council are currently consulting on outline plans for 60 dwellings on Land At Hunnable Industrial Estate Toppesfield Road Great Yeldham Essex, Planning Application No. 14/01254/OUT. Plans can be viewed at https://publicaccess.braintree.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=NCCQLOBF07J00 .  The consultation ends on the 3rd November 2014 any views/objections can be sent to planning@braintree.gov.uk .  The Parish Council's response can be viewed here Parish Councils response to Planning Application No.14/01254/OUT

 

(Last Update: 17/07/14)

Braintree District Council Site Allocation and Development Management Plan. The Parish Council had received a letter from BDC stating that the national planning policy picture had changed substantially and the Regional Spatial Strategy, from which BDC housing target was derived, had been abolished. At the Full Council meeting on the 30th June 2014, BDC Councillors took the decision not to submit the Plan to the Planning Inspectorate for examination but to instead begin work immediately on a new Local Plan. The work completed on the Site Allocations and Development Management Plan and the comments which have been received will now be rolled forward into the Local Plan process. 

 

(Last Update 2013)

The Local Development Framework - draft Site Allocation and Development Plan prepared by Braintree District Council sets out proposed land allocations for future development for each town, village and industrial area in the District up to 2026.  The plan shows the boundary of areas that can be developed.  Outside of these areas land is classed as countryside and is protected from most development.  The plan identifies:

  • Housing development of 100 dwellings or more
  • Land which will be used for employment
  • Open space and land set aside for recreation and allotments
  • New retail development and boundaries for town centres and primary shopping areas
  • Land safeguarded for community uses, education or cemetery/churchyards.

At the time of public consultation the Parish Council received an alternative to the proposed Nun's Walk (GRY3) site from Hunnable Holdings.  The site proposes 2 ha site for housing and a possible new doctors surgery, 1.4 ha regenerated employment area and 1.4 ha new playing field providing the parish with improved business units, new housing and increased green space for sport and recreation activities such as tennis courts, bowls green or allotment sites.

 

The Hunnable proposal put forward will preserve the countryside and build on existing brownfield sites. As the future of the site is currently uncertain, a regeneration programme could be beneficial to the village not only in terms of avoiding the eyesore and potential problems associated with having such a large site falling into disrepair, but also because of the business and employment possibilities the new site could bring to the village. The Parish Council needs to encourage the creation of local employment opportunities and the current state of the industrial estate cannot encourage any business to locate its base in Great Yeldham. The Hunnable proposal would enable the industrial estate to be rebuilt with modern industrial units and smarten up that area of the village and still provide the housing allocation required to meet the Councils level of housing development over the period.

 

The Parish Council has submitted a response to Braintree District Council preferring the proposed Hunnable site which in the Council’s opinion offers the best opportunities for the future development within the village in terms of housing, health and recreation facilities and employment units.  The Parish Council’s preferred site allocation option for the village will be reported to the District Council’s LDF (Local Development Framework) Sub-Committee on the 8th May for consideration.

 

The Consultation Portal can be viewed at http://braintree-consult.limehouse.co.uk/portal/planpol/admp/admp?pointId=s1353490640239

 

The Braintree District Council LDF Sub-Committee met on the 17th June to discuss the options for Great Yeldham. District Councillors agreed to recommend to include the  following changes to the draft Allocation and Development Management Plan proposed plans :
          

  1. That the allocation of Site GRY3H - Nuns Walk Field, Great Yeldham as a residential site of 10 or more dwellings be retained.
  2. That land at Site GRY5X - Hunnable Industrial Estate, Great Yeldham be allocated for residential, community and employment uses as shown on page 100 of the Appendix to the report
  3. That land located at the junction ofToppesfield   Roadand the A1017, Great Yeldham (GRY1HAlt) be allocated as informal recreation.
  4. That no other alternative sites in Great Yeldham be allocated for development.
  5. That the community use designation of the green atWhitlock Drive, Great Yeldham be removed and replaced by an informal recreation designation.
  6. That further detailed information be sought from the site promoter to ensure that the proposal to redevelop Site GRY5X - Hunnable Industrial Estate, Great Yeldham for residential, community and employment uses is viable.

At that meeting it was reported that a full review of the site allocation would be undertaken including responses from Braintree District Council, Essex County Council, utility companies and the primary school would need to be examined. A BDC Full Council meeting has been arranged for the 23rd September 2013 to discuss the LDF recommendations. In addition, the LDF would be approved by the Planning Inspectorate if there are areas which are contentious a hearing and site visit will be conducted. Following the decision of this meeting, there will be a further period of public engagement which will take place in October and November this year for a further 6 weeks, before the document is submitted to an independent planning inspector who will hold a public examination into the document and judge whether the document is sound. All respondees to the previous consultation and the Parish Council will be notified when this consultation takes place and there will be the usual publicity in local newspapers and on the BDC website etc. This will allow further representations to be submitted which will be considered by the planning inspector. It is expected that the final LDF will not be approved until spring/summer 2014.
 
Residents can write to Roger Walters at Braintree District Council Local Development expressing concerns about the proposals.