Land south west A696/West Ponteland Road

The Proposals

Persimmon Homes has engaged with Newcastle City Council through a pre-application process and has received feedback on the principle of access to the site, along with technical matters including landscaping, drainage and ecology. This feedback has informed the proposals presented at this stage.

The pre-application response from the Council has also been considered alongside a suite of detailed survey work for the scheme to inform the site layout and the wider technical and design principles which underpins this. These principles have informed the proposed masterplan layout below.

Key Features

Development of 239no. dwellings;
Mix of 2, 3 and 4 bedroom dwellings;
Mix of 2, 2.5 and 3 storey dwellings;
Dwelling layout and size to deliver a range of housing to suit those from first time buyers and up to larger family homes;
Primary access from Malthouse Way/Oulton Close;
Pedestrian and cycle connectivity through the site to provide connections from the site access and connecting with existing routes to the north (Footpath 2) and existing routes connecting to Hedgehope Road;
Widening and lighting of public footpath 2 running to the south of the site;
At least 1ha of accessible open space and including for children’s play on site and youth play provision. The development will also provide for new allotment plots on site;
Retention and enhancement of existing trees and landscaping features;
Delivery of Sustainable Urban Drainage ponds and swales;
Parking in accordance with policy standards.

Section 106 considerations

A Section 106 is a legal agreement between the developer and the local planning authority. It helps make sure that new developments make a proportionate contribute towards the infrastructure, services, or facilities needed as a result of the development.

The Section 106 considerations for this development could be:

Education contribution – should capacity not be available within local schools, a contribution will be made towards the provision of a new or extension of an existing school.
Healthcare contribution – should capacity not be available as pat of local healthcare provision, a contribution will be made towards provision of new or extension of existing healthcare services.
Contribution to off site highway improvements;
Implementation of a sustainable travel plan for the development;
Monitoring and management of landscaping and habitats on site;
Management of landscaping, play areas and SuDS on site;
Training and Employment Management Plan (TEMP) – a TEMP sets out how the development will create opportunities for local people through jobs, apprenticeships, work experience, training, and skills development during construction.

Technical Matters

Highways & Access

Primary vehicular access to be taken from Malthouse Way/Oulton Close. The images below detail the alignment of the site access, including for continuation of the carriageway from Malthouse Way with 3m footpath to one side. This has received support from Newcastle City Council as part of the pre-application enquiry.
Footpath and cycle connectivity through the site, with provision from site access and connecting with the existing network on the sites northern edge (connecting to public Footpath 1).
Widening and surfacing of public footpath 2 on the southern edge of the site.
Each dwelling to have private parking and electric vehicle charging facilities.
Visitor parking spaces provided across the development.

Traffic generated by the proposal is considered through the detailed Transport Assessment and Travel Plan and which will accompany the planning application. This has reviewed key junctions on the local highway in terms of their operational assessment, including for:

· Malthouse Way/Etal Way

· Etal Way/Etal Lane

This assessment concludes that the junctions will operate well within capacity as a result of the development coming forward.

As part of the residential allocation through the Core Strategy, Newcastle City Council completed an assessment of strategic highway infrastructure and key junctions, identifying which residential sites should contribute towards the improvements of each junction. This proposed site will contribute towards highway improvements to junctions:

A167 Ponteland Road/Springfield Road
A167 Ponteland Road/Etal Lane

Landscape, Ecology & Trees

Existing trees and landscape features have been retained and enhanced through appropriate integration into the wider development proposals. Appropriate planting buffers are provided to these features with a focus on biodiversity, through consideration of the planting palette and reduced public access.
New planting across the site has been selected to provide for wildlife value and using native species where possible.
The development will provide for 10% biodiversity net gain above the site’s current baseline condition.
The access road into the site is located to reduce the level of tree removal required to accommodate this point of access. New planting is proposed alongside the route to maintain public access through the open space whilst accommodating tree and shrub planting to provide green edges.

Flood Risk & Drainage

The site is located within Flood Zone 1, which is an area where the risk of flooding from rivers and the sea is considered low.

The proposals include for the use of Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems, with ponds and swales located to the north east of the site. Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS) are features designed to manage rainwater naturally, slowing the flow of water into the drainage network by storing it temporarily. SuDS help reduce flood risk, improve water quality and can provide environmental benefits.

Drainage features will be sensitively design to blend into the landscape and have an ecological focus.

Design

Materials and detailing to dwellings are designed to respect and compliment the context and character of the local area.

The site proposals will adopt a more traditional design across the development including for a materials palette and features such as:

· Brick arched heads;

· Brick banding to below ground floor windows;

· Traditional style canopies;

· Use of multi brick, red brick and buff brick across the scheme;

· Contrasting brick arched heads and band course details;

· Traditional and plain roof tiles.

Community Benefits

At least 1ha of accessible open space and inclusion of play facilities on site;
Retention and enhancement of existing trees and landscape features within the scheme;
Use of Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems, including for ponds and swales which will have multifunctional benefits
Mix of 2, 3 and 4 bedroom dwellings;
Delivery of 10% Biodiversity Net Gain;
Sustainable build construction in line with Building Regulations, including for solar panels and electric vehicle charging facilities;
Increased pedestrian and cycle connectivity with existing links to Hedgehope Road, Etal Way, and public footpath 1 adjacent Greendyke Court;
High Quality Design which reflects the local character and context;
Improvements to local infrastructure and services where identified;
New development generates construction value, construction jobs and supply chain jobs;
Job creatio both on site (approx 834 jobs supported by a development of this scale) and through Persimmon's apprenticeship programmes (approx. 10 supported by a development of this scale).
£377,142 annual council tax receipts over the development period.
Investment in the local community through Persimmon's Community Champions.