Martin Silman
Our response to the developers:
We're pleased with the layout of the proposed scheme overall. We like the shared pedestrian and vehicular street design and the "Gateway" layout into "Orchard Park" from Orchard Lane, framed by the housing. It would be improved further if the shared access was applied to all of the roads within the scheme excepting Orchard Road. Your intention to introduce a mix of different external detailing is supported too.
Notwithstanding our opposition to the number of parking spaces (see below), we're pleased the scheme avoids parked vehicles dominating the street scene and we'd like to see a high proportion of plug-in electric charging points too. The proposal produces an attractive "sense of place",
There are however, ecological issues around the inability to achieve the 10% Biodiversity Net Gain on-site. The Harbour School area is essentially a natural space with a green and open character. The failure to achieve Biodiversity Net Gain is particularly disappointing and unacceptable. However, it may be possible to reach agreement with the NHS to restore the pond on their retained estate to achieve the 10% BNG on the operational Hospital estate or on Homes England's "Villas" site, I say this because the objectives of the Milton Neighbourhood Plan are to encourage development AND improve green-spaces and the Natural Environment. Otherwise, a scaling back of the number of units would achieve the same outcome (and simultaneously reduce stresses on the local highway).
As it is, we have to live with persistent traffic congestion and your future occupiers will suffer the same problem, hence parking standards in Milton are lower than elsewhere in the City. We want to discourage car-reliance.
The Consultation Team would have witnessed stationary traffic queuing along Milton Rd in both directions on 19th July. The congestion has been exacerbated by the fragmented way St James' Hospital has been disposed of over the last twenty five years such that an additional 349 new houses with spaces for 580-600 cars have been granted planning consent within its former grounds without the necessary improvements to the highway infrastructure. It's therefore also unacceptable the quantum of parking exceeds our standards by ten because when added to the 388 spaces granted after Appeal in the Hospital conversion, the total will become 480.
We are pleased with the proposed pedestrian and cycle "permeability" to the rest of the Hospital site, but would like to see the additional access into Oakdene Rd provided as shown on a couple of your drawings to further encourage "active" travel. We can't see from your drawings what the exact cycle parking provision will be, but I'm sure the Cycle Forum will provide advice accordingly:-
Your scheme offers a minimum 30% Affordable Housing but that's insufficient when looked at the Hospital disposal holistically. The NHS had claimed that none could be provided on their Phase 2 Hospital conversion site on "Affordability" grounds and the justification was to apply the deficit to the Homes England site. We'd therefore like to see 50% because otherwise, the "UN-affordability" of providing "Affordable" Homes on the Gov't estate is a nonsense. We fear the same "UN-affordability" argument might be applied to the restoration of the Villas. It seems as if "UN-affordability" excuse is continually restated as a matter of course, when the root cause is inflated land values.
Finally, we're disappointed the intention appears to be to supply the new homes with gas heating. The scale of development lends itself to a Combined Heat and Power system and because new roads are being introduced, the opportunity exists to lay the necessary pipes around the site along with other utilities. Otherwise, or in addition to, the installation of Solar PV on roofs and Ground Source Heat Pumps would significantly improve the site's environmental performance and Mechanical Ventilation and Heating Recover Systems (or similar) are useful introductions too.
We hope you find this feedback useful and would be grateful if it could be shared with Homes England.
Kind regards
Rod Bailey
Milton Neighbourhood Forum (Planning Group)
Martin Silman
Chair Milton Neighbourhood Forum
29th July 2024
