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Development Concept Masterplan for Land South of Park Lane, Castle Donington

A Concept Masterplan for development of land South of Park Lane in Castle Donington was presented to Castle Donington Parish Council last week and again this week to members of Castle Donington Traders' Association.

Pegasus Planning Group based in Lockington have been appointed to represent the developers Miller Homes and Clowes Developments (UK) Limited with their proposals. Gary Lees from Pegasus fronted the presentations.

It is proposed to build a western perimeter relief road running from the Darsway, Back Lane, Spital connection; around the already proposed 350 new dwellings site; up to and through Park Lane; around to the rear of Paddock Close; connecting up between Hill Top and Donington Park, close to the end of the runway at East Midlands Airport.

The land enclosed between Paddock Close, the proposed relief road and High Street would then be developed to bring the total of new dwellings up to around 1,000 with the possibility of a new nursery, pub/restaurant and even a doctor's surgery.

Download the Castle Donington Concept Masterplan here - it is much easier to read than the above.  It may take a while to load.

Castle Donington Parish Councillor's expressed their opinions during the presentation but are currently unable to make a formal response until a planning application has been submitted.

A Castle Donington Concept Masterplan leaflet has been produced by Pegasus Planning Group.  Here's what it says:

Introduction

This document has been prepared on behalf of Miller Homes and Clowes Developments (UK) Limited to provide information about potential development in Castle Donington.

The Government is in the process of ensuring that the need for additional housing across the country is going to be provided and is seeking to ensure that this is delivered in the most sustainable locations.  The emerging Regional Spatial Strategy for the East Midlands (RSS) will require North West Leicestershire District Council to deliver in the region of 10,000 new dwellings to 2026.

In considering how all these homes can be provided, the District Council has already indicated that land to the west of Castle Donington is an appropriate location to be explored.  This document explores that opportunity in some more detail whilst seeking to respond positively to a number of issues in Castle Donington.

Why land to the west of Castle Donington?

Castle Donington has a very good range of services and facilities and as a result can be classed as a small town.  One of the key aspects of achieving sustainable patterns of development is to try and achieve a balance between employment and housing provision.  The reason is to provide the opportunity for workers to live close to where they work and to encourage people to travel to work by either walking, cycling or on bus rather than using the car.  At the moment, workers in and around Castle Donington have little choice but to drive to work thus adding to traffic problems.  Census data reveals that 8,000 people already commute into the Castle Donington area to work, with 82% using the car to get to work resulting in extemely unsustainable travel patterns.

Summary of the Issues

• Does Castle Donington have the appropriate level of services to support up to 1,000 new dwellings in total?
  • A significant increase in population must ensure that facilities such as education, shops and doctors are also provided together with enhanced open space and sports provision.
• Can this development be provided without increasing traffic problems in Castle Donington?
  • One of the reasons why there is traffic problems in Castle Donington is that significant growth in commercial development over recent years (East Midlands Airport, Willow Farm and East Midlands Storage and Distribution Centre) has resulted in a significant increase in the number of jobs but without a complimentary increase in housing to provide the opportunity for workers to live close to where they work.  There is thus a significant amount of in-communiting into the area.
• Feedback we have received is that the heavy levels of traffic in Castle Donington causes a barrier between the two halves of the settlement.  It would be of great benefit if the majority of this traffic could be removed to help provide more cohesion and encourage walking and cycling.
  • The Airport is set to grow and there is further development to come forward at East Midlands Distribution Centre.  Such an imbalance between jobs and homes can be significantly improved by the provision of additional, predominately residential development to the west of Castle Donington.
  • However, we consider that a prerequisite to providing additional housing in this sustainable location is to ensure the delivery of the relief road around the western edge of Castle Donington.

The Proposals

The proposal outlined here is considered to represent a sustainable option for future growth whilst respecting the surrounding landscape, infrastructure requirements and community.

The proposal could accommodate approximately a total of 900-1000 dwellings in total.  Given proximity to the Airport, the southern part of the site would be most suitable for meeting open space requirements and for associated commercial development.  This could potentially include a pub/restaurant, doctor's surgery, nursery, etc.

A major benefit of this level of comprehensive growth is the ability to deliver a developer-funded relief road for Castle Donington.  Assessment shows that the development as a whole would be capable fo funding this road which would relieve congestion and rat-running on the roads within Castle Donington, especially High Street.  New traffic calming measures along Park Lane and High Street would discourage the use of these roads as a rat-run and encourage more walking and cycling.

There is, of course, a pending application for up to 350 dwellings on the allocated housing site north of Park Lane that is part of the proposals considered here.  This remains a local plan allocation and it is appreciated that the Council has already determined that this site will be released for development to make up the current housing shortfall.  However, this proposal makes no provision for the relief road and may well preclude the delivery of it in the future if this site is brought forward in isolation.  Phasing development could thus mean that Castle Donington residents would not see the benefits that would be delivered through a comprehensive approach.

In summary, the site is considered to have excellent sustainability credentials and the proposals being put forward for this part of Castle Donington will deliver meaningful environmental improvements predominantly through the provision of the new relief road.  The site presents a clear opportunity to accommodate the necessary housing growth in Castle Donington in a way which is of benefit to local residents and which secures sustainable patterns of development.

Taking the Proposals Forward

In light of the housing supply situation in North West Leicestershire District we are of the view that the site should be brought forward through a planning application and work is currently being undertaken in this respect.

This approach of bringing the site forward in advance of the Council's Site Allocation DPD is considered necessary to ensure a continuous supply of housing.  This approach is consistent with advice in Planning Policy Statement 3 which states that where there is less than 5 years supply of deliverable sites, Local Planning Authorities should consider favourably planning applications for housing having regard to sustainability considerations.

We would be interested to hear your views on these proposals and invite you to contact either Gary Lees or Helen Wallis on 01509 670806, or alternatively by email on helen.wallis@ppg-llp.co.uk

Download the Pegasus Planning Group leaflet headed Land South of Park Lane, Castle Donington here.  Please be patient - it is a large document and may take a while to load.

The development that is being proposed would be able to fund a relief road for Castle Donington.
The question is: "Do we want it?"