HART’S REACTION TO AN EARLIER PROPOSAL TO DEVELOP LODGE FARM
Hart District Council carried out a “Local Plan Site Assessment: Stage 2 – High Level Site Assessment – SHL110” of land at Lodge Farm. The assessment is labled as a Confidential Draft and is dated 25 Feb 2015.
The land area is 203 hectares but because 40% of the site is within Flood Risk Zone 3 the land area assessed for possible future development is only 120 hectares. The purpose of the Assessment was to examine “Strategic Urban Extensions” ie: housing development. The “capacity” of the site was estimated at 2160 (houses).
Quotations from the Assessment that appear directly relevant to the current proposal for a warehouse hub follow. Note that these have been selected for their relevance to the case against a 5 warehouse distribution hub:
· Transport (Road): The Hart Transport Assessment Mitigation Corridor Study Report proposes improvements to the B3349 Reading Road/Griffin Way (Hook) to A287 south of M3 Junction 5. The measures include an additional lane on the B3349 and A287 approach plus widening of the roundabout circulatory carriageway to 3 lanes throughout. This will improve access from the site to the M3 and Hook.
· Development of the site will have a visual impact on properties on Mill Lane and Derby fields. The flat topography of the area mean that limited views are possible into the site from the A287, potentially causing visual intrusion.
· The site is identified as Grade 3 and Grade 4 agricultural land. There may be potential for some high grade agricultural land (best and most versatile land) within the grade 3 areas of the site but the extent of this has not been confirmed
· There are several heritage assets, which will be affected by the development of the site and consideration will need to be given to this factor in any proposals that come forward. The majority of the southern boundary of the site is adjacent to the North Warnborough Conservation Area. There are a number of listed buildings to the south of the site along Hook Road. There are no Historic Parks in close proximity to the site but the remains of a Roman Villa is located within the site. The area is identified as being significant for archaeological features.
· Due to the proximity of the site to the Groundwater source protection zones any development will need to incorporate appropriate mitigation measures to ensure that infiltration rates to groundwater sources are not affected and the risk of contaminated runoff is reduced.
· Flooding is a key constraint on this site and any development will require appropriate mitigation measures to address potential flood risk issues.
· Due to the openness of the surrounding countryside area and the size of the site, comprehensive development has the potential to result in significant visual intrusion. An appropriate landscaping scheme will be necessary to reduce such impacts.
· The site is believed to be available and this is supported by the fact that the site was submitted to HDC post November 2013. The Agent - Adams Hendry Consulting Ltd - has indicated land will be available in the medium to long term (6-15 years)
Summary of Constraints:
· Significant areas of the site are susceptible to flooding and development of residential uses will need to take account of this. It is likely that any development will need to be located in three separate areas around the edge of the site, which could result in a fragmented built form and potentially poor accessibility to services. The furthest West of the three sites would be adjacent to the M3 and design and layout of the proposal would need to reflect this. The two sites to the east will be adjacent to the Odiham Common SSSI. Development will need to be sensitive to the heritage and archaeological features that are and maybe present. The site is not well screened from the surrounding land uses and there will be visual impact from the development. The northern section of the site is within the 5km Thames Basin Heath SPA zone. There are a number of SSSIs and SINCs adjoining the site and one SINC that runs through it. The presence of valuable agricultural land and groundwater protection zones are also potential constraints on the development of the site.
Summary of Opportunities
· The site has good access to the M3, local highway network and the employment areas in Hook. The site has potential for mixed use development and for developer funds to assist in addressing deficiencies in services and facilities. The site could be considered as part of Strategic Site STR006.