The Proposals
The emerging South Staffordshire District Local Plan is proposing to allocate the Site for the development of a minimum of 85 dwellings. It is expected the Plan will be adopted by the District Council later this year, where it will become their formal blueprint for new development over the next few years. Richborough supports the identification of the Site for development and will be submitting an outline planning application, which will seek approval for the principle of developing the site. Now the new Local Plan is nearly at the end of its preparation and is progressing to adoption, Richborough is asking for views on their proposals. A Concept Plan has been prepared to support this consultation and it shows our current thinking for the way the Site could be laid out and where the different elements would be located.
Illustrative Concept Plan - DOWNLOAD
KEY BENEFITS
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The new homes, including affordable housing, would be predominantly located in the eastern half of the Site; providing an appropriate mix of housing sizes and tenures, which we envisage including a mix of 1, 2, 3 and 4 bedroom homes – we would welcome your thoughts and feedback on the type of homes that residents consider to be needed in the village. We have investigated the quality of the soil and it has been assessed as Grade 3b, which means under the planning system it is not seen as the best and most versatile agricultural land.
Areas of green space and the provision of a children’s equipped play area; and we welcome your thoughts on what you would like to see delivered. We are currently suggesting the play area would be located in the western part of the Site within a grassed area but an alternative could be to fund a new play area at Oaken Drive Field to enhance this already well-used space?
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New vehicular access off Station Road. It is proposed to position this between the railway bridge and roundabout so as to retain the mature boundary trees opposite the entrance to the railway station. Alongside the access road there will be a footpath that will connect into the existing path that runs along the front of the Site.
Provision of a car park to serve Codsall Railway Station. The station is well used but we know there can be problems with car parking in the area. We are envisaging providing around 30 spaces, including some wider accessible ones and some with EV charging points. Also proposed is a footpath to connect the car park with the existing footpath on the eastern side of Station Road via a new zebra crossing to allow easy access to the station.
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Landscaping and new tree planting; enhanced landscaping including retaining existing trees where possible alongside new tree and woodland planting. Ecological enhancements to deliver 10% Biodiversity Net Gain so that when built the development will result in a biodiversity betterment compared to the site now. Ecology surveys are currently underway but to-date no significant issues have been found that prevent development. A landscape assessment is also being prepared and this will accompany the planning application.
Sustainable drainage features incorporating the diversion of the existing on site ditch; the proposal will include new sustainable urban drainage features such as ponds within the green space areas and will control all surface water on the Site. We have assessed the existing drainage situation on the Site and as part of any planning application a flood risk assessment and drainage strategy will be prepared.
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