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Planning, Design & Access Statement

Change of Use of Former School Car Park to Car Wash Centre

Former Blaenporth School, Blaenporth, Cardigan

1.0Introduction

This Planning, Design and Access Statement complements a planning application for the change of use of the former local primary school car park to a professional car washing facility.

The car park forms part of the former school site which the applicant purchased from the Council in March 2014, in complete good faith that the council would support commercial enterprise at the property. The council’s own planning policies support the change of use of former schools and their surroundings to commercial/business or community ventures and this proposal falls within that category.

In order to improve interaction with customers and attract new clients it has been decided to set up a business with excellent exposure from the A487.

The property was purchased in 2014 from Ceredigion County Council.

There are proposals for the future change of use of the school but this has not been finalised to date.

2.0Site Context & Location

Location

This site is located centrally within Blaenporth, adjacent to existing residential development.

The site is located near what was previously the centre of the village of Blaenporth within the southern end of Ceredigion County Council.

Blaenporth lies some 6 miles north of Ceredigion’s main town of Cardigan, being one of the major suburbs to this predominantly urban area of the County.

Current Access & Local Highway Network

Lon Yr Ysgol has frontage onto the A487 road and as such is considered to be well positioned in relation to the existing road network.

In terms of the application it is proposed that vehicular and pedestrian access to the site will be achieved from the existing access which runs along the front of the site.

The A487 is a classified trunk road and provides the main north-south link through the County. The road is heavily used by traffic and is the main public transport corridor in the County with regular and consistent links to all areas of the County and Wales as a whole.

A bus stop is located at the front of the site, along the boundary with the county road.

Site Boundaries

The eastern boundary of the site is bound by stock proof fencing. These divide the site from existing agricultural fields.

The southern boundary is bound my fencing which divides the site from the adjoining A487 trunk road.

The western site boundary is formed by close board fencing but also provides the site access.

The northern boundary is formed by mature hedgerows with adjoining field access and residential properties.

Site Features and Topography

The site is located within a former school yard. The cabin, tarmac yard and main building are all notable features of the former school. These will not impact on the proposal.

The remainder of the former tarmac yard will be used for parking purposes.

The site is fairly level throughout and no engineering or change in levels is required.

3.0 Context Analysis

This section provides an analysis of the economic, social and architectural (wider and immediate) context. This analysis has helped inform the proposal.

Economic & Social Context

Given its location on the outskirts of Cardigan the application site benefits from close proximity to a wide range of social and community facilities and employment opportunities.

Blaenporth is located on the A487(T), 8 kms (5 miles) east of Cardigan and 16 kms (10 miles) west of Synod Inn. Development has primarily occurred in ribbon format along minor roads branching off the trunk road.

The settlement comprises of over 80 dwellings. The Welsh language is in every day use. Facilities are limited to a primary school, which also serves the adjacent settlements of Blaenannerch and Tan-y-groes; a church and Christian Fellowship. Small business sites are located at the edges of the settlement on two of the minor roads. Blaenporth lies on the Aberystwyth/Cardigan bus route, serviced daily.

Blaenporth looks to Tan-y-groes and Blaenannerch for local shopping and to Cardigan for most major services and facilities.

The local wide range of social and community facilities are important in serving the needs of local residents and will provide an opportunity for the integration of existing residents and the new community living at the development site.

In addition, good transport links to the other key settlements within the Ceredigion such as Aberystwyth, Lampeter and Tregaron and to the larger settlements of Carmarthen, Swansea and Cardiff create wider retail, employment and leisure opportunities.

Wider Character Context

Blaenporth exhibits a varied architectural context with no defined local vernacular.

The main village centre is located some 200m to the south of the application site near the tow crossroads. This historic area of the village offers typical stone and rendered fronted cottages with simple window frames and doors, traditional features of the old villages in this area.

Traditional buildings in the village

The buildings are finished in a mixture of stone, brick and render with the latter providing more of a decorative feature to the elevation.

Rendered dwellings also become apparent as you travel further from the historic core to the outskirts of the village. Stonework is predominantly apparent to the rear of the older properties.

The traditional street scene is interspersed with more modern forms of development.

Immediate Context

The local context analysis provides a detailed record of this varied architectural context immediately around the site.

This analysis shows the extremely varied local residential architecture located within the immediate context of the site. A wide variety of architectural examples can be found including brick and stone houses with uPVC windows, historic bay fronted, rendered houses, bungalows as well as 2 storey houses.

The most common materials used in the immediate area is brick and render. There is a tendency towards the darker/more red brick.

Virtually all window frames are white or brown uPVC. Older dwellings tend to be simpler in terms of detailing with occasional brick cills.

More recent buildings feature a variety of features including bay windows, reconstituted stone heads, brick cills and quoins.

Modern bungalows in the village along Lady Road

In terms of the built form and street design, the majority of the immediate local layout is based largely on frontage development.

The majority of dwellings in the area are 2 storeys (estimated height 6-9m), with the occasional bungalow.

Recent Residential Developments along Bowls Road

The image above clearly identifies similar features to that proposed by the applicant on their development.

Notable features include the large roof pitches which lends itself to cottage style dwellings with overhangs over the front porch.

4.0Policy Analysis

This full planning application can be considered to respond to both National and Local Planning Policy to achieve good quality and design, in particular the application addresses the following central government guidance.

This section goes on to highlight the policies applicable to the application. How the application relates to these policies will become evident in the Design Evolution and Final scheme Section.

National Planning Policy

Planning Policy Wales (5th Edition) November 2012

National Planning Policy is contained within Planning Policy Wales published in (5th Edition) November 2012, and is a material consideration in the determination of this application. The document sets out the Welsh Assembly Government’s land use planning policies and is supplemented by a series of Technical Advice Notes (TAN’s).

The main thrust of PPW is to promote sustainable development by ensuring that the planning system can provide for an adequate and continuous supply of land, available and suitable for development to meet the needs of society that is consistent with the overall sustainability principles.

In particular, it seeks to promote resource-efficient settlement patterns that minimise land-take and urban sprawl, locate developments so as to minimise the demand for travel, ensure that all communities have good quality housing for their needs, promote access to shopping, education, employment, health, community, leisure and sports facilities and open space.

PPW outlines the importance of design as a means to protect the environment, promote social inclusion and enhance the quality of life. In addition to this, PPW recognises that careful planning can help to reduce the need to travel, especially by private car, and enhance access to the new development by public transport, bicycle and on foot. PPW also encourages the creation of sustainable residential environments and encourages local authorities to promote:

a Mixed tenure communities;

b Easily accessible developments;

c Minimisation of the demand for travel, especially by private car;

d Attractive landscapes around dwellings;

e An emphasis upon quality and designing places for people;

f Energy efficient development;

g An efficient use of land; and

hThe creation of well-designed residential environments at an appropriate density.

Chapter 4 on Planning for Sustainability states that:

4.4.2 Planning policies and proposals should:

• Promote resource-efficient and climate change resilient settlement patterns that minimise land-take and urban sprawl, especially through preference for the re-use of suitable previously developed land and buildings, wherever possible avoiding development on greenfield sites

• Locate developments so as to minimise the demand for travel, especially by private car

• Support the need to tackle the causes of climate change by moving towards a low carbon economy.

• Minimise the risks posed by, or to, development on, or adjacent to, unstable or contaminated land and land liable to flooding.

• Play an appropriate role to facilitate sustainable building standards (including zero carbon) that seek to minimise the sustainability and environmental impacts of buildings

• Play an appropriate role in securing the provision of infrastructure to form the physical basis for sustainable communities

• Maximise the use of renewable resources, including sustainable materials (recycled and renewable materials and those with a lower embodied energy).

• Encourage opportunities to reduce waste and all forms of pollution and promote good environmental management and best environmental practice

• Ensure that all local communities - both urban and rural - have sufficient good quality housing for their needs, including affordable housing for local needs and for special needs where appropriate, in safe neighbourhoods

• Foster social inclusion by ensuring that full advantage is taken of the opportunities to secure a more accessible environment for everyone that the development of land and buildings provides.

• Promote quality, lasting, environmentally-sound and flexible employment opportunities

Technical Advice Note 12, PPW – Design (2009)

TAN 12 forms the basis for good design for Wales. It sets the structure of expectations for Local Planning Authorities and applicants alike when considering the design proposals for new planning applications.

It states:

“Design which is inappropriate in its context, or which fails to grasp opportunities to enhance the character, quality and function of an area, should not be accepted, as these have detrimental effects on existing communities.”

It encourages applicants to consider and understand the site and its immediate and wider context as the basis for a meaningful and sustainable design response.

One of the key objectives of TAN 12 is the impact of the development on the character of the area. The TAN encourages:

“- Promoting legible development

- Promoting a successful relationship between public and private space

- Promoting quality, choice and variety

- Promoting innovative design

Design Response Following Appraisal of Context

By responding to:

· landscapes and townscapes, culture and biodiversity

· locally distinctive patterns and forms of development

· existing buildings, infrastructure, urban/rural landscape and public art

· clear boundaries and established building lines

· appropriateness of uses and the mix of uses and densities

· easily recognisable and understood features and landmarks.”

Paragraph 5.5.2 goes on to states that:

“In general terms, good design will almost always be dependent on working within the natural constraints and the historic character of the landscape and this should be the starting point from which the design of development evolves. The aim should be to achieve good design solutions which maximise the natural landscape assets and minimise environmental impact on the landscape.”

The section on “Urban Regeneration” states that there is a complex relationship between density of development, provision of services and quality of the environment and good design is fundamental to the success of this relationship.”

5.11.2 Development proposals, in relation to housing design should aim to:

  • create places with the needs of people in mind, which are distinctive and respect local character
  • promote layouts and design features which encourage community safety and accessibility
  • focus on the quality of the places and living environments for pedestrians rather than the movement and parking of vehicles
  • avoid inflexible planning standards and encourage layouts which manage vehicle speeds through the geometry of the road and building
  • promote environmental sustainability features, such as energy efficiency, in new housing and make clear specific commitments to carbon reductions and/or sustainable building standards
  • secure the most efficient use of land including appropriate densities
  • consider and balance potential conflicts between these criteria.

5.11.3 The design of housing layouts and built form should reflect local context and distinctiveness, including topography and building fabric. Response to context should not be confined to architectural finishes.

5.11.5 The regular application of rigid highway standards with no consideration of Manual for Streets; over reliance on standard house types and a failure to relate to local context have all been identified as obstacles to good housing design and factors which mitigate against achieving a distinctive sense of place in housing development.

A Model Design Guide for Wales - March 2005

Design Guide for Wales Objectives:

  1. Natural Heritage
  2. Compactness
  3. Accessibility & Ease of movement
  4. Legibility
  5. Character & Context
  6. Continuity & Enclosure
  7. Public Realm
  8. Variety & Diversity
  9. Adaptability
  10. Resource efficiency

The Design Guide re-emphasises many of the design requirements set out in TAN 12.

The applicant is fully support the objectives set out within the document. In relation to the site, particular attention has been paid to the Character and Context, Continuity and Enclosure and the Public Realm.

The proposed conversion fully integrates with the immediate surrounding context of the application site. The Planning and Design section of the DAS indicates how the proposed development meets the requirements of the Design Guide and TAN 12.

Local Planning Policy

Ceredigion LDP Adopted April 2013

Policy S04:

Development in ‘Linked Settlements and Other Locations’

Locations other than the Service Centres (Urban or Rural) require a degree of development to meet the needs of existing communities. However they are less sustainable and therefore development in

‘Linked Settlements and Other Locations’ will only be permitted where:

1. It does not result in the loss of services and facilities unless there is adequate provision in an adjacent settlement or Service Centre;

2. In the case of housing development:

a. General housing provision will only be permitted in the ‘Linked Settlements’. All ‘Other Locations’ are inappropriate for housing development unless justified on the basis that it meets a demonstrated:

i. unmet affordable housing need in the locality and accords with Policy S05; or

ii. need for a rural enterprise dwelling in line with TAN 6.

b. The overall level of development within the ‘Linked Settlements and Other Locations’ does not exceed its provision as set out in Appendix 2 (column b);

c. It comes forward at a rate no greater than the proportionate rate of development in the relevant Service Centre (Urban or Rural) as set out in Appendix 2 (column a);

d. In the ‘Linked Settlements’ only, it does not cumulatively exceed 12% of the existing level of housing as at 2007 in that ‘Linked Settlement’ (see Appendix 5) unless justified on the basis that it meets a demonstrated:

i. unmet affordable housing need in the locality in line with Policy S05 and its accompanying explanatory text; or

ii. need for a rural enterprise dwelling in line with TAN 6.

OR

3. In the case of economic development is:

a. proposed on an allocated site as set out in the Settlement Group Statements and shown on the

Proposals Map; or

b. a site that has not been allocated and either:

i. of a ‘small scale’ meeting a specific local need;

or

ii. accords with TAN 6 requirements in terms of a rural enterprise.

AND In all Cases

4. In terms of its physical location, regardless of development type:

a. In a ‘Linked Settlement’ it is located within or immediately adjacent to the substantive built form; or

b. In ‘Other Locations’ it either accords with the requirements of TAN 6 or in terms of affordable housing it is located immediately adjacent to existing groups of dwellings in line with the intentions of Para 9.2.22 of PPW and TAN 2, Para 10.13.

Policy DM01:

Sustainable Development in terms of Rate, Scale and Design

Development will be permitted provided that its rate, scale (both in terms of the mass of a single unit and in terms of the number of units and land area covered) and design are appropriate in relation to the cohesion of the local community, the role and function of the settlement or locality and adjoining land uses.