Regulation 14 Consultation

Summary vs Full Draft Plan

Please note that the Policies on this web page are a summary. Once you’ve read this overview, please check out our proposed planning Policies in the full draft plan.

A copy of this with the conditions, is available to view in the following ways:

• View the full draft plan online
• See a printed copy at one of the following locations:
  • The Potting Shed Pub
  • Crudwell Post Office (or The Wheatsheaf Pub)
• Or by borrowing a copy from the Parish Clerk, Lisa Dent at: parish.clerk@crudwell-pc.gov.uk

Consultation Period

The consultation period lasts until Friday 1st February 2019 and we have arranged a number of ways you can share your opinions with us:

• We will be holding public drop-in events in Crudwell, the first one is on the 8th December 11-2pm at the Village Hall, look out for further dates too in January.
• On this website you can fill in a comments form online. We would encourage you to complete the form online if at all possible, as the Steering Group’s resources are limited.
• If unable to do this then pick up a form from one of the following venues and return it to one of the drop boxes at the same venues: Crudwell Post Office, Crudwell School, The Wheatsheaf or The Potting Shed.
• Visit one of the Parish Council surgeries in January (times and venue to be confirmed)
• Email us at plan@my-crudwell.org

What the Neighbourhood Plan Covers

Housing Needs

Design and Development – Local housing need and Housing Allocation

The Crudwell Parish Housing Needs assessment, March 2018, concludes that Crudwell Parish’s residual housing requirement up to 2026 is 20 to 25 dwellings. This provides 8 affordable homes to meet local affordable housing need identified in the 2015 Crudwell Parish Housing Needs Survey Report.

The Consultation Statement demonstrates that 10 sites were assessed in terms of known facts (distances from amenities, footpath access, closeness to the conservation area, pedestrian safety, traffic, flood zones), the residents’ opinion of the impact of those developments on aspects of village life and their personal choice of site. Work in the Focus Group and Steering Group concluded that only two available and deliverable sites that could deliver the 20-25 homes required to meet the housing needs up to 2026 and that no combination of available smaller sites would meet that need.

The Focus Group assessment therefore determined that the Tuners Lane site more completely met all those requirements and recommended its allocation on the basis that the site could provide the housing need, would be far less busy in terms of traffic, allows safe pedestrian access to the village, would have the least impact on the conservation area and was the strongest choice of residents (23% of completed Focus Group questionnaires).

The Neighbourhood Plan supports the provision of new homes in Crudwell through Policies DD1 and DD2.

Policy DD1 proposes to meet the Parish’s identified local need of 20 to 25 dwellings within Crudwell village at a site in Tuners Lane. In developing this site the Steering Group felt it important to minimise the development’s impact by:

• Completing the footpath to the village,
• Retaining and reproviding hedgerows;
• Landscaping boundaries;
• Providing improved play facilities at the Village Hall;
• Provide lower cost homes
• Demonstrate that the site will not make existing surface water and sewage flooding worse by complying with policies IT1 and IT2

Policy DD2 sets out how proposals for housing development on windfall sites in Crudwell Village will be considered. The policy aims to encourage developments to meet local needs and is designed to encourage young adults, younger families and enabling more elderly residents to stay in the village. Dwellings would include

• Smaller, more affordable homes.
• Self-build homes.

Policy DD3 states that development proposals within Crudwell must be of a design quality that respects the character and distinctive characteristics of Crudwell Parish by demonstrating how they meet the Crudwell Design Guide. This guide describes the characteristics of local architectural styles and provides a benchmark against which new development proposals will be judged

Infrastructure and Transport

Drainage and Flooding

Consultation has shown that the risk of river, surface water and sewage flooding is a major concern in the village.

Policies IT1 and IT2 have been developed with the Drainage Engineering Team at Wiltshire Council.

Policy IT1: Surface Water Drainage stipulates that all new developments must be accompanied by a site specific flood risk assessment to demonstrate how flood risk from all sources will be managed without increasing flood risk elsewhere. To minimise the impact of the development, post development surface water discharges from the site should, where possible provide 20% betterment over pre-development discharges. Where this is not possible then discharge
should not exceed pre-development discharge rates. There is also no automatic right to connect to highway drains (which are at capacity).

Policy IT2: Foul Water Drainage states that for the majority of developments discharge to the public sewer will be the most suitable means of foul discharge and that flow rates to the sewer must be agreed with the sewage undertaker (Wessex Water). Should improvements be required to the existing public sewer network to allow the sites to be served then the developer must engage with the sewage undertaker to allow capacity improvements to be made.

Highway Safety

Consultation has shown that highway safety is a significant concern in the village. This relates to both the speed and volume of traffic through the village and to perceptions about the quality of the footpath network linking parts of the village to the village’s facilities, and to the school in particular.

Policy IT3 states that proposals for new development must:

• Demonstrate how pedestrians from the development will safely access the village’s facilities.
• Give particular consideration to adequacy (width, surface quality and lighting of the footpath network between any new dwellings that have the potential to be occupied by primary school aged children and Crudwell School.
• Developer contributions will be sought to upgrade the footpath network between the development site and the village facilities where this is necessary to make the development acceptable.

Electronic Communications

The consultation statement shows that the continued improvement in broadband speeds and the provision of better mobile communications coverage is important to Parishioners.

Policy IT4: Broadband states that all developments involving the provision of new dwellings or business premises must be enabled for fibre to the premises, including ducting, cabinets and cabling and improvements to local infrastructure where necessary. Internal digital infrastructure within new homes should comply with section 7 of PAS2016:2010

Policy IT5: Mobile communications states that proposals which seek the improvement and expansion of the electronic communications network will be supported provided that the installation is required for efficient working of the network and there is no harm to the conservation area, listed buildings, the rural and village character and the neighbourhoods amenity.

Community and Leisure

Crudwell Primary School

The consultation statement demonstrates how important the school is to the local community, so the most important thing for the Neighbourhood Plan to do is to protect the school from development for other uses.

Policy CL1 States that the Crudwell Primary School site, as identified on the policies map is safeguarded for educational use. Any proposals to redevelop any part of the school site for non-educational uses will be resisted.

The Environment

Preserving the natural environment and wildlife in Crudwell is very important to Parishioners. 85% of responders rated the impact of development on biodiversity as being either extremely or very important.

Policy ENV1: Biodiversity states the development proposals within Crudwell Parish should consider, assess and address their potential to protect, enhance and provide additional wildlife habitats and corridors for roosting, nesting and shelter.

Renewable Energy

The Consultation Statement demonstrates that the local community is keen to encourage the responsible use of renewable energy whilst preserving the rural character of Crudwell.

Policy ENV2: Renewable Energy states that the installation of renewable energy projects and energy efficiency measures on existing housing stock will be supported, provide that they do not adversely impact on the character or appearance of the built environment within the parish. Also that; proposals for renewable or low carbon energy generation will be supported provided that they have an acceptable visual impact on the immediate locality and the wider
area and have an acceptable effect on the living conditions of nearby residents, or that any other harmful impact can be satisfactorily mitigated.

What happens next…

We will review your comments on the response form and those from specific organisations like local developers, landowners and businesses we are approaching and if necessary adjust the draft Plan.

We will then submit the Plan to Wiltshire Council who will arrange a formal consultation with a wide range of stakeholders and pass it to an independent examiner for review.

There will then be a referendum of all Crudwell residents when you will be asked:

“Do you want Wiltshire Council to use the Neighbourhood Plan for Crudwell to help it decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area?”

The Plan will help us – the local community – protect the character and quality of Crudwell and will be “made” (come into force) after the referendum if the majority of those who vote support the Plan.

Please use the Response Form to give us your views on the draft Plan – these are also available in paper form at any of the following venues: Crudwell Post Office, Crudwell School, The Wheatsheaf or The Potting Shed

Further documents

• Response Form
• Full Draft Neighbourhood Plan
• This summary page as a PDF document
• Reg14 NP Exhibition Slides (8th Dec 2018)
• Consultation Statement: Part 1 and Part 2
• Sustainability Appraisal: Part 1 and Part 2
• Basic Conditions
• Housing Needs Assessment
• Crudwell Design Guide