Decision - Red Lodge North Masterplan

Decision details

Red Lodge North Masterplan

Decision Maker: Portfolio Holder for Planning

Decision status: Recommendations Approved

Is Key decision?: No

Is subject to call in?: Yes

Purpose:

The Portfolio Holder for Planning will be asked to consider approving a new masterplan for a site north of Red Lodge, which has been subject to public consultation.

Decision:

Resolved:

 

The Red Lodge North Masterplan be adopted as planning guidance, as contained in Appendix 1 to Report number CAB/WS/23/013.

Reasons for the decision:

The site was allocated in the Site Allocations Local Plan (SALP) 2019 under Policy SA10, which was adopted in September 2019. The site formed part of the allocation known in the SALP document as North Red Lodge.

 

The Site Allocations Local Plan (SALP) 2019 Development Plan document, in Policy SA10, allocated 27.4 hectares of land for a mixed-use development to include 300 dwellings 8 hectares of employment land, 3 hectares land for a primary school, and other appropriate uses. The primary school had been delivered by Suffolk County Council and opened in 2018.  The remaining undeveloped parts of the Masterplan site were in private ownership and the landowners have progressed the Masterplan document to this point.

 

An eight week period of Community and Stakeholder engagement commenced on 29 April 2022 and closed on 17 June 2022. The aim was to engage local residents and key stakeholders in the preparation of the Masterplan document at a time where changes arising as a consequence of the engagement could be accommodated.

 

The promoter had prepared a comprehensive Statement of Community Consultation detailing the consultation including a summary of the responses received and a schedule of amendments to the Masterplan made post consultation.

 

Following a review of the consultation responses and updated masterplan, Officers identified three key areas where further engagement with the landowners and/or Suffolk County Council was necessary. These related to highway matters including internal junctions, car parking and illustrative layout designs, further clarity about the delivery and likely composition of the employment land component and the proper incorporation of sustainable drainage features within the residential components.

 

The promoters of the Masterplan site had responded positively to the engagement period and post engagement discussions with other stakeholders and carried out a series of amendments to the Masterplan document.  A number of other changes were made to the Masterplan document following public and stakeholder engagement. These were set out in full (together with a statement about why the change was made) in the Statement of Community Engagement document (Appendix 2).

 

The landowner had submitted the masterplan (Appendix 1), together with a request that the document was adopted by the Council as planning guidance. Officers were satisfied that the document provided a sound framework against which future planning applications could be assessed and it was recommended that the masterplan be adopted as planning guidance.

 

The submission was accompanied by a Habitats Regulations Assessment. The document identified a number of measures and opportunities set out in local policy and the associated evidence base which would/could mitigate effects of increased recreational pressure on Breckland Special Protection Area. These measures allowed the Habitats Regulations Assessment of the SALP to conclude there would be no effects on the integrity of the Special Protection Area. A copy of the Habitats Regulations Assessment (Appendix 3).

Alternative options considered:

Policy SA10 of the SALP 2019 document sets out that 27.4 hectares of land was allocated for a mixed-use development to include provision for 300 dwellings, 8 hectares of employment land 3 hectares for a new primary school and other appropriate uses.

 

In order to ensure that a comprehensive and policy compliant development comes forward on this allocated site, it was necessary for a masterplan to be adopted as planning guidance. The Masterplan must fit within the parameters of the development allocation set out at Policy SA10 of the SALP document. Other options regarding the potential development of the site have, therefore, not been considered as part of this process.

Publication date: 19/08/2022

Date of decision: 10/03/2023

Effective from: 21/03/2023

Accompanying Documents:

 

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