Welcome tothe meeting

Agenda

• GAAP and its implications• How do we object?• Open forum• Next steps and offers of help• Timeline• End

What is the GAAP?• The Grantham Area Action Plan (GAAP) will drive

regeneration and growth for the town and will serve as a vehicle to deliver Grantham’s status as a Growth Point. It sets out the Council’s vision for the town together with objectives, a policy framework and proposals to guide future development over the next 15 years up to 2026. It seeks to enhance Grantham’s historic environment and improve the quality and range of facilities and services available to residents and businesses. The GAAP identifies and allocates sites for specific types of development including employment, retail, housing, open space and green infrastructure networks and will play a key role in delivering the future development requirements for Grantham town.

The GAAP will result in: A strong local economic focus that will provide high quality housing, employment and a strong retail offer New road infrastructure, which will assist in reducing traffic in the town centre enabling a traffic calmed environment to be created A vibrant and visually attractive townAn enhanced environment with striking architecture, spaces, waterways and green networksAn attractive shopping area with new retail and mixed use developmentsA centre for strong community culture and historic environmentImproved accessibility, particularly for pedestrians and cyclists

The GAAP is based upon: A number of background studies providing robust evidence to support the approach proposed (see below) A sustainability appraisal to make sure the approach will have the best environmental, social and economic outcomes possible Technical and viability assessments of key development sites

The preparation of the GAAP has involved consultation with the local community and other key stakeholders not only on the overall policy approach of the GAAP but also specific proposals for key development sites.

Key issues which are considered relevant to this plan include: To direct development to locations which meets the strategic requirements set out by

the Core Strategy Delivering housing, employment and retail requirements of the Core Strategy

Delivering Green infrastructure networks and protecting and enhancing existing open spaces and meeting open space standards for new development

To identify the town centre as a focus for development including retail, mixed use development, employment, housing and other other town centre uses

To avoid development in areas of high risk from floodingTo consider locations that have existing or potential infrastructure to support

developmentTo protect against detrimental impact on historic assets

The need for affordable housing.

House prices are relatively low compared to elsewhere in South Kesteven District and the wider Lincolnshire area. Yet despite this, Grantham has relatively low levels of

owner occupancy and high rates of social housing and private sector renting. There is a shortage of affordable housing compared to the level of demand.

By 2026, Grantham will be a vibrant and key economic centre in Lincolnshire. It will be an economically, socially, environmentally and physically connected town.

Total housing

Social housing Timescale

Poplar Farm

Planned points of entry to the siteBeaumont Drive and Applewood Close

Potential other points of access in case of objectionLynden Avenue / Vernon Avenue

Only points of access to the estate will be through Stephenson Avenue, Cliffe Road and Hazelwood Drive

Conservative estimates are for 600 new houses to be

added to the daily throughflow on the three

roads

Objectives of noteObjective 7 • To locate development within Grantham where it will provide the opportunity for

people to satisfy their day-to-day needs for employment, shopping, education and other services locally or in locations which minimise the need to travel and where there are modes of transport available in addition to the motor car.

Objective 9 • To conserve and enhance Grantham’s heritage, respecting historic buildings and

their settings, links and views.

Objective 10 • To provide a network of multi-functional green spaces which secures a net gain in

biodiversity, provides for the sporting and recreational needs of the population, promotes healthy lifestyles and enhances the quality of the natural and built environment.

Implications

There is no planning for making the access to the site better through highway development. The only plan is to put more roads and identify the

potential for a cycle path (it is not clear where this could legally and physically go)

There is NO planning for development of the infrastructure on the estates

There is NO planning for the allocation of any further informal open space

There are NO plans to amend the electricity provision on site

There is NO planning for improvement of the foul sewerage on the estate – there are rumours that the sewerage system on the estate has been deemed to be full for its present purpose.

Any information on this would be very useful.

There is planning for a three form entry school in this area which will cost £9 million to build.

It appears to use that looking at the plan this estate is planned to be built in the 2016-2021 window yet there are minimal plans to develop the infrastructure until the 2021-2028 window. We appear to be an afterthought

Biodiversity

• The current national planning policy framework for the natural environment, countryside and landscape is set out in PPS 1 (Delivering Sustainable Development), PPS7 (Sustainable Development in Rural Areas) and PPS 9 (Biodiversity and Geological Conservation). The policies are aimed at sustainable development which protects and enhances biodiversity, and provides for access to the countryside.

• Grantham’s green infrastructure network comprises both green spaces within urban areas, such as Wyndham Park, and larger spaces in the countryside around the town, such as Belton Park.

The arguments used by the residents of the Manthorpe Estate regarding the proposed development on the other side of the railway line and bordering Manthorpe Rd and Belton Lane are just as valid for this proposed development.

Heritage

• It is clear from reading a range of documents that we should target the proximity of the land to Belton House.

• English Heritage and National Trust have objections to aspects of the plan.

• We should focus on the Belton House and Park Setting Study and Policy Development document commissioned by SKDC.

Highways

• Concerns expressed in original statement by highways about suitability of roads

• Change in use of access roads• Side roads being turned into main access

roads• Safety of the roads in the winter• Overload of the town’s roads

Planning objections

Object to the allocation. The Representor considers that the site is subject to highway access constraints. The development of the Site would also have implications for the setting of Belton House and Garden. Reserve sites should enjoy the same qualities as primary allocations.

- Antony Asbury Associates

GRAH1 (Land North of Peachwood Close) is relatively close to Belton Park and development here could harm the setting of and views from the registered park and garden. This needs to be identified as a key constraint and carefully considered before the site is brought forward. - English Heritage

Object to this allocation. We consider that the provision made for a reserve site at Grantham is unnecessary and highly questionable whether it could achieve its stated purpose. Request that the provision made for a reserve site be deleted.- Commercial Estates Group

Object to the policy. Access is an issue and distance from local services. Obviously expanding the area of GRAH2 would be preferable. - P and B Lely

Planning supporters

Support the policy. We have noted with interest that part of our clients' landholding (crosshatched) is included within the GAAP and has been identified as a reserve site for residential development. We support the identification of the land as potential residential development land and will take whatever actions are necessary to facilitate the early and effective release of the land for such uses subject to all other general planning policies.

- Trustees of Sir Thomas White’s Charity

Support the policy. It is Buckminster Estates' view that the proposed housing supply figures for Grantham are too finely balanced and that an additional reserve site should be allocated. The Buckminster Estate proposed through the SHLAA a housing site adjacent to 205 Bridgend Road/A52 Somerby Hill. By only having one reserve site there is not enough contingency built into the GAAP. The land at Somerby Hill to be added as an additional housing reserve site.- Buckminster Estates

The land is owned by The Charity of Sir Thomas White whose trustees are duty bound to maximise the potential of their investment. Therefore we can only expect that they

will push to sell the land for the maximum amount.

Grounds for objection

• Impact on landscape• Highways• Infrastructure• Impact on Grantham Heritage• Biodiversity• Greenbelt vs Brownfield

How do we object?

• SKDC planning website• Individual letters of

objection• Collective letter of

objection

The planning website is difficult to navigate and use – you will need to log into the site to do so as well. We advise that is easier to write letters.

Individual letters need to be posted or emailed to the Planning Policy & Partnerships department at South Kesteven District Council

A collective letter will show that we have widescale support within the community – there were 250 comments on the whole plan in March it would be a massive show of strength if we could massively outdo that. It will only count as one letter but is an important statement to make.

We have been advised that the council have called for people to comment through the website but this is only to make it more efficient for the planning policy department and they are happy for us to use the other methods

It is important that we do use both of the other two methods and that the individual letters are not round robins.

We cannot object on grounds of:

• Impact on personal circumstances

• House price values• Objection to development

of the town

Timeline