Grantham for Growth FAQs:
1.Will the Poplar Farm development contribute to congestion in the Town Centre?
2. How will the environment be protected throughout and after the individual developments?
3. When will we see the detail of the developments?
4. When will infrastructure for the Poplar Farm development be provided?
5. Where will the social infrastructure/services be located?
6. What thoughts have been given to road safety?
7. Will there be disruption caused by the development and how will this be mitigated?
8. What effect will the current economic climate / housing market have on this development?
9. What thought has been given to the issue of on road parking?
10. When will the southern relief road be developed?
11. What do you mean by affordable housing?
12. Where will the Affordable Housing be located?
13. Why isn't the Council focusing it's effort on town centre improvements?
14. What thought has been given to onsite drainage at Poplar Farm?
15. Will the development be reflective to what is already built?
16. What thought has been given to additional NHS Health provision?
17. What thought has been given to wildlife and ecology?
18. How will the development improve cycling infrastructure throughout the town?
19. Will there be further consultation?
20. Will the development have an effect of the local air quality?
21. What are the proposed housing densities of the development?
22. Is the proposed density higher than that of the neighbouring developments, if so why?
23. What are the key milestones of the planning process?
24. Why is the developer commissioning all of the studies for the development?
25. Why are Greenfield sites being considered for housing ahead of Brownfield sites?
1. Will the Poplar Farm development contribute to congestion in the Town Centre?
The County Council will assess the proposals and agree improvements with the applicant that will mitigate the effects of the additional traffic. The planning application will likely involve the construction of the Pennine Way road link which will reduce the traffic impact of the development. The developer will also need to provide facilities that will encourage non car use for short journeys.
2. How will the environment be protected throughout and after the individual developments?
As part of the outline planning applications for these sites the developer will be required to provide a environmental impact assessment (EIA). This EIA will identify the net effect the development will have on all aspects of the environment, and how the developer intends to avoid or mitigate these. Failure to do so will result in the planning application being refused. During the construction process the site will be subject to the same health and safety and environmental legislation that governs all construction sites.
3. When will we see the detail of the developments?
An outline application will fix the location of use types on each site with a masterplan, it will also establish the dimensions of building and dwelling types and average densities. The detail of each development will be governed by a strict design code set out and agreed by the District Council. This will inform full applications that will likely to be submitted in blocks by independent developers and house builders.
4. When will infrastructure for the Poplar Farm development be provided?
Infrastructure such as drainage pipes and clean water pipes will be put in prior to the development of houses and it is likely that they will follow the same lines as the road network as set out in the outline application's masterplan. The road itself will be developed in stages until a trigger point is reached after which the developer will be required to join the two ends of Pennine Way. Other forms of infrastructure such as schools, community centres and shops will be put in at a point in time set by the individual governing bodies (i.e. Lincolnshire County Council and Lincolnshire Primary Care Trust), when a critical mass has been reached.
5. Where will the social infrastructure/services be located?
Through negotiations with the developers, Lincolnshire County Council and the Lincolnshire Primary Care Trust, the location of the social infrastructure will be agreed and reflected in the developers masterplan. With regards to Poplar Farm, by concentrating these facilities in one location adjacent to those already present it is hoped that the number of linked trips will increase and thus will reduce the number of individual vehicle movements. It is also hoped that a roadside frontage site will improve the economic viability for neighbourhood shops.
6. What thoughts have been given to road safety?
Developers will be required to carry out a safety audits on the proposed highway measures.
7. Will there be disruption caused by the development and how will this be mitigated?
As with all development the construction of new buildings and homes will bring with it an element of disruption, however the sites will be subject to the same health and safety and environmental legislation that governs all construction sites, allowing the District Council the power to intervene on the behalf of residents when an infringement is made.
8. What effect will the current economic climate / housing market have on this development?
Undoubtedly the current economic climate will have an impact on deliverability of all of development schemes within the Grantham for Growth programme of development. However this impact adverse or otherwise does not change the towns need to develop additional homes and/or its aspiration to improve its town centre offer and employment opportunities. Therefore, in these uncertain economic times we must work even harder to ensure that Grantham continues develop in order to reach its potential as a vibrant economic sub-regional centre.
9. What thought has been given to the issue of on road parking?
Developer will be required to carry out a safety audits on the proposed highway measures.
10. When will the southern relief road be developed?
It is difficult at this stage to give an indication of the timing of this as funding for the relief road is likely to come from the development proposed for the south of Grantham, and is therefore tied to the land owners ability to obtain a successful planning application. Work is continuing on the planning of this development but in order to reduce delays Lincolnshire Highways have begun designing the viaduct required to cross the East Coast Main Line.
11. What do you mean by affordable housing?
Affordable housing is a term used to describe dwelling units whose total housing costs are deemed "affordable" to a group of people within a specified income range. Although the term is often applied to rental housing, the concept is applicable to both renters and purchasers in all income ranges. South Kesteven District Council has a range of affordable home ownership options, including social rented, shared ownership where a tenant rents part share in the property from a social landlord, and owns the remainder. In addition the government has also attempted to promote the supply of owner occupied affordable stock for purchase, principally by using the land-use planning system to require that housing developers provide a proportion of lower cost housing within new developments.
12. Where will the Affordable Housing be located?
Affordable housing will not be concentrated in any particular area instead it will feature through out all new developments over ten dwellings, blending seamlessly into the rest of the development.
13. Why isn't the Council focusing it's effort on town centre improvements?
The Grantham Growth Team are currently working on a number of exciting projects designed to strengthen the town centre and ensure that the town is well connected to its surroundings both physically and economically. As well as having an excellent built and green environment and offering a quality choice of retail, employment, educational, residential and leisure opportunities. All of this will be within the context of the delivery of significant new housing developments in Grantham.
14. What thought has been given to onsite drainage at Poplar Farm?
As part of an outline planning application for a site this size, the developer will be required to provide an environmental impact assessment (EIA). This EIA will identify the net affect the development will have on all aspects of the environment, including drainage, and will also set out how the developer intends to avoid or mitigate these. Working with the Environmental Agency the District Council will independently audit this assessment. Failure to mitigate any adverse environmental/drainage effects will result in the planning application being refused. Satisfactory drainage mitigation is classed as meeting the same drainage rate as a Greenfield site of the same size.
15. Will the development be reflective to what is already built?
A developments outline application will fix the location of use types on the site with a masterplan, it will also establish the dimensions of house and building types and average densities. The detail of the development will be governed by a strict design code set out and agreed by the District Council. This will then inform the full applications that will likely to be submitted in blocks by independent house builders. The design code will encourage the developers to reflect and contrast the current built environment in a way that enhances the overall architectural experience, it will also identify a pallet of materials to be used in order to maintain consistency and quality throughout the entire development.
16. What thought has been given to additional NHS Health provision?
The concept of Grantham is founded on the ethos of a Bigger, Better and more Balanced town. South Kesteven District Council is actively consulting with external service providers in order to ensure that the level of public services available to its residents throughout this period of growth and regeneration is maintained in the short term and improved over the longterm. In order to do this we are encouraging our public and private sector partners to consider the wider programme of development that is likely to come forward over the next fifteen years instead of adopting a development by development approach. Working with partners such as the Lincolnshire Primary Care Trust we will aim to ensure the appropriate level of provision is sourced and provided for through out the development period.
17. What thought has been given to wildlife and ecology?
As part of the outline planning application for large sites the developer will be required to provide an environmental impact assessment (EIA). This EIA will identify the net effect the development will have on all aspects of the environment, including wildlife and ecology surveys, and how the developer intends to avoid or mitigate these. Failure to do so will result in the planning application being refused. During the construction process the sites will be subject to the same health and safety and environmental legislation that governs all construction sites.
18. How will the development improve cycling infrastructure throughout the town?
Where possible the Grantham for Growth initiative and its programme will promote the use of alternative modes of transport. We will encourage developers to reflect this in their designs and to provide the appropriate infrastructure in order to make these alternative transport options viable.
19. Will there be further consultation?
With regards to any specific development there will be a statutory consultation through the planning application process where representations can be made regarding the planning applications. In addition the Grantham Growth Team intend to hold consultations through out the delivery of their Programme of Development. These events will focus on Grantham as a whole and will attempt to explain how the individual projects fit and reinforce one another. Dates for these events have not yet been set but when they have they will be advertised on ours and SKDC's websites as well as in the local press.
20. Will the development have an effect of the local air quality?
As part of an outline planning application for large site, the developer will be required to provide a environmental impact assessment (EIA). This EIA will identify the net effect the development will have on all aspects of the environment, including air quality, and will also set out how the developer intends to avoid or mitigate these. Working with the Environmental Agency the District Council will independently audit this assessment. Failure to mitigate any adverse environmental effects will result in the planning application being refused.
21. What are the proposed housing densities of the development?
The housing densities across the sustainable urban extensions will be varied deliberately, however the average for the entire sites will be around 40 dwellings per hectare.
22. Is the proposed density higher than that of the neighbouring developments, if so why?
Yes, the neighbouring development's average density is approx 30 dwellings per hectare. In the time between the neighbouring developments occurring and present, government guidance has changed and now encourages local authorities to press for a more efficient use of land. This efficient use of land is also aligned with the Governments housing growth agenda, and therefore encourages accelerated housing delivery.
23. What are the key milestones of the planning process?
After receipt of an outline planning application a the District Council must process the application and reach a decision within 16 weeks. After the outline has been granted further permissions must be sought in order to implement the detail of the scheme. These permissions are known as applications of 'reserve matters' and will be subject to a 13 week decision period (16 weeks if an additional EIA is required).
24. Why is the developer commissioning all of the studies for the development?
The studies required for an environmental impact assessment (EIA) are specific to the development proposed, and as this information is known only by the developer and their agents it is their responsibility to commission the work. In addition, the cost of this work can be substantial and a local authority could not be expected to finance these studies every time an application is submitted. Every EIA submitted is independently audited by the District Council and partners (Environment Agency, Lincolnshire County Council, Lincolnshire Highways, etc) during the application process and prior to application approval being granted.
25. Why are Greenfield sites being considered for housing ahead of Brownfield sites?
The priority for development remains the re-use of vacant or derelict sites and buildings in accordance with current national planning guidance. However, these sites alone do not have sufficient capacity to accommodate all of the new housing or employment growth that has been identified for Grantham in the period to 2026, hence the need to identify locations for sustainable extensions to the town. The Poplar Farm site has also been allocated for housing development for many years through the South Kesteven Local Plan and the principle of development on the site has, therefore, already been established.