Crest Nicholson South meets with Ringwood Town Council and New Forest District Council over concerns with 443-home Moortown Lane development
A HOUSEBUILDER hoping to build 443 new homes in Ringwood has met with the town council after claims it “ignored” local guidance on future development.
A decision on the controversial plan was deferred by New Forest District Council’s planning committee last month, after the proposals were at odds with neighbourhood and local plans.
Developer Crest Nicholson South submitted a hybrid application for the site off Moortown Lane, wanting full permission for 150 homes and outline permission for up to 293 dwellings.
The land, spanning 29 hectares, is earmarked for development in NFDC’s Local Plan.
As reported at the time of the planning meeting, Cllr David Hawkins said he was “very disappointed” that the neighbourhood and local plans had been ignored.
The developer, along with planning agent Savills, has now met with Ringwood Town Council and NFDC to discuss issues including the housing mix, building efficiency and construction, and moving some of the three-storey dwellings away from the centre of the site.
The scheme is split into phases, with the first involving the delivery of 150 homes – a mixture of one and two-bedroom flats and three and four-bedroom houses. Of these properties, 75 are earmarked for affordable housing through social rent, affordable rent and shared ownership.
The second phase – the outline application – would provide 58 affordable properties.
In a bid to address concerns over a lack of smaller homes, Crest Nicholson has agreed to increase the total number of two-bed homes in phase two to 19.
The overall site would provide 40 one-bed homes, 181 two-bed, 126 three-bed and 96 properties of four plus bedrooms.
The total number of affordable dwellings would remain at 133, as before. No change to the housing mix or layout was proposed in phase one.
Provision of First Homes had been assessed in a financial viability assessment, which concluded it would result in a lower number of affordable houses, the meeting heard.
Access to the site will be from Moortown Lane, including a new pedestrian and cycle crossing to the south.
Future vehicle access, the developer has stated, would be provided to Crow Lane and Wellworthy Way through the delivery of a series of connecting roads as the development progresses and properties are sold.
The meeting heard how Ringwood Town Council maintains it will continue to object to the development without delivery of the access to the north, joining Wellworthy Way.
However, Hampshire County Council’s highways department has confirmed it could be safely served by the single proposed access off Moortown Lane.
Crest Nicholson has agreed to review a request by the town council to move the proposed three-storey buildings in the centre of the site to the north west urban edge, which would be more in character.
It will also provide further details on zero carbon schemes, such as installing air pumps rather than gas boilers.
As the site cannot provide enough alternative natural recreational greenspace (ANRG) the developer has also applied for a change of use on land adjacent to Crow Lane. If approved it would turn agricultural fields into public open space.
Locals submitted 117 letters of objection, criticising the loss of greenbelt, the lack of local infrastructure, the impact on schools and GP surgeries, and the mixture of housing proposed. It was also claimed the character of the town will be damaged by the development.
Other objections referred to the potential for flooding and increased traffic, as well as the loss of agricultural land.
A decision is expected to be made at NFDC’s planning committee meeting on 13th November.
