Introduction This note sets out the main planning policies and application requirements for the development

of the above land for residential development x2 semi-detached dwellings. The proposed application site is within the settlement of Farnborough and therefore falls within the planning jurisdiction of Rushmoor Borough Council. A review of the Councils Local Plan Proposal Map reveals that the site falls outside any specific land use allocation or other designation, with the exception of being shown to be within the official built up area. To the South West of the site is Camp Road, which is a named District Centre within the local plan, due to the number of shops and services available. There is also additional shops opposite the site along the Queens Road. In addition there are a number of recreation grounds and local schools/colleges within walking distance. The area is however primarily residential and the site is positioned at the end of a row of Victorian terrace houses. The site itself is approximately 0.04ha in area and comprises of grass which is enclosed by a post a rail fence along the public boundaries and by a 2m fence to its North and West boundaries. No planning history is available for the site, but most recently it has been used for the display of advertisement hoardings, although these have now been removed. There is no public access to the site. Planning Policy Section 38(6) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 requires that planning applications should be determined in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. For the purposes of this application the Development Plan comprises of the Rushmoor Core Strategy (adopted October 2011) and saved policies from the Rushmoor Local Plan Review 20011). In addition the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is also a material planning consideration for the determining of planning applications. It places a presumption in favour of sustainable development at the heart of planning decisions, for which there are three dimensions: economic, social and environmental. For decision making the presumption in favour of sustainable development means that Councils are obliged to approve development proposals that accord with the development plan without delay. Core Strategy and Saved Local Plan Policy SS1 of the Core Strategy states that new development will be directed to the urban areas and that provision for at least 2,100 new dwellings will be required over the period 2010 to 2027 from development outside the proposed Aldershot Urban Extension. Some of these houses will need to be provided from small scale windfalls of 5 houses or less. The proposed development therefore falls within this requirement. Policy CP1 also supports new development, subject to certain criteria (see appendix 1), including maximising development opportunities in accessible locations. Given the sites urban position, near to the North Camp District Centre and other local facilities, its location lends itself to maximising the use of a sustainable location.

However, we are aware from pre-app undertaken with the Council that the Officers view was that the site should also be assessed against Core Strategy policy CP12, due to its open and landscaped character. This policy states that: Development will not be permitted on areas of open space used for recreation or outdoor sport or having visual amenity unless: a. The open space or facilities in the built up area are not required to meet need in the long term; and/or b. Replacement provision is made elsewhere of equivalent community benefit; and/or c. Recreation facilities in the built up area can best be retained and enhanced through the development of ancillary facilities on a small part of the site. The strategy is to ensure good provision of high quality and accessible open space to meet a wide range of recreation, outdoor sport and open space needs in Rushmoor, including publicly accessible natural green space. When assessed against the above the Officer took the view that the proposed development would conflict with the policy, because it would result in the loss of its important visual amenity value. Although not stated, the underlining advice being that a residential application would be refused. As stated in our email to Bablu Karthick dated 9th July 2013, we disagree with the officers advice because the loss of this small patch of grass with advertisement hoardings is not covered by Policy CP12 as it is not an area of open space used for recreation or outdoor sport. Whilst arguably it may have some visual amenity value, this policy is not intended to protect sites like this one, but rather public open space which has recreational value. In my opinion it is more correctly assessed against Policy CP11 which relates to the protection of Green Infrastructure in the Borough, as this includes incidental green areas. This policy states that: A diverse network of accessible, multi-functional green infrastructure across the Borough will be protected and enhanced for its biodiversity, economic, recreational, accessibility, health and landscape value by permitting development provided that it: a. Does not result in a loss, fragmentation, or significant impact on the function of, the green infrastructure network; b. Provides green infrastructure features within the development site, or where this is not feasible, makes appropriate contributions towards other strategic enhancement, restoration and creation projects where the proposal will result in additional pressure on the green infrastructure network; c. Maximises opportunities for improvement to the green infrastructure network including restoration of fragmented parts of the network. This suggests to me that development on the site could be permitted if it could be shown that the site, in its present condition, does not contribute to the biodiversity, economic, recreational, accessibility, health and landscape value of the area [criterion a]; and financial contributions are made toward the enhancement of public open space facilities in the immediate vicinity as part of the development proposals [criterion b]. 2

Indeed a key part of the policy wording is that a diverse network of accessible green space, which the site is not as it is not physically accessible to the public. That said green space in and around housing is included within the Councils definition of Green Infrastructure, but I do not belief that its loss would so significant, to warrant a planning refusal on this basis alone. In view of the above it is our view that there is a good case for the proposed development, subject to the specific development design and other site specific considerations (e.g. ecology and access) which is unknown at this time. Other General Policy Considerations In addition to the above there are a number of general policy requirements that will need to be considered. The main areas of consideration are summarised below: Design Core Strategy Policy CP2 requires all proposals to be of high quality design that respects the character and appearance of the local area. In addition it requires homes to be designed to meet the Governments targets for Lifetime Homes. In addition to the above Core Strategy Policy CP3 on renewable energy and sustainable construction requires that: Unless it can be demonstrated that it would not be technically feasible or financially viable, applications will demonstrate that they will be completed in accordance with: For new dwellings, full Code for Sustainable Homes standards or the equivalent of: o o At least Code Level 3 from the adoption of the Plan; and At least Code Level 4 once further updates to Part L of Building Regulations have come into effect (currently scheduled for 2013).

Car parking standards For residential development at least 2 car parking spaces and 2 cycle spaces should be provided on site per unit for 2-3 bedroom houses (3 car parking spaces/unit if 4 bedroom houses are proposed). Affordable Housing No affordable housing would be required as the development of the site for two houses falls below the relevant threshold of 15 or more net dwellings. Developer Contributions Due to the type of development the Council will normally requirement developer contributions to be made towards certain infrastructure, such as: Infrastructure Provision; Open Space, Sport and Recreation Transport These payment will need to be secured through a S106 Legal Agreement, which would need to be signed up to by all parties with an interest in the land. Notwithstanding the above, you should also be aware that the Council are currently working on their Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) which will ultimately replace most developer contributions. Unlike the present system, CIL is a tax on development and therefore is charged at a fixed amount, set by the Council. Rushmoors preliminary charging schedule is proposing a CIL rate of 180/sqm of residential floorspace. Although this is not timetabled to replace the Councils current developer 3

contributions until October 2014, it is nevertheless worth noting as CIL can be a higher amount and is non-negotiable.

Special Protection Area (SPA) Thames Basin Heath In addition to the above contribution, because the site is within 5km of the SPA, a further contribution will need to be made towards the provision of SANGs (Suitable Area of Natural Green Space), the agree mitigation for the Borough. For a three bedroom house 7,211 per dwelling is currently payable for all new residential developments, in addition to other contributions. These payment will also need to be secured through a S106 Legal Agreement. However, due to the limited availability of SANGs, before applying for planning permission, developers are required to make a request in writing to the Head of Planning. This should include a basic sketch layout and a description of the number and type of units likely to be featured in the planning application. It should also explain how the scheme would meet the Councils allocation criteria and, in particular, give precise details of when the development will take place and the housing provided. It would therefore be essential to undertake this task prior to the submission of the planning application. Local Validation Requirements In accordance with Rushmoor BCs local validation requirements the following information shall be need to be submitted with the planning application:
Site location plan, 1:1250 with the site outlined in red Block plan of the site showing the proposed footprint, 1:500 Elevations Floor plans Design and access statement Site survey Planning statement Biodiversity survey and report Transport Statement

The above represents the minimum requirements and further information may be requested by the Council, or it may become evident that other information is required during the application preparation stages.