Green Belt Matters (It really does) A presentation by Duncan - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Green Belt Matters (It really does) A presentation by Duncan Hughes, Buckham Thorns Road

WHY AM I STANDING HERE IN FRONT OF YOU THIS EVENING?  I made several comments at the second drop-in meeting about the need to protect the Green Belt  I am generally in favour of having the bypass (dependant on the route)  I oppose the building of a minimum of 650 new houses to finance it because:  I think Westerham will lose its “small village character”  The charm of our lovely town could be destroyed forever

THE PURPOSE OF THE GREEN BELT The general purpose of the Green Belt is to: • check unrestricted sprawl of large built up areas • prevent neighbouring towns merging into one another • assist in safeguarding the countryside from encroachment • preserve the setting and special character of historic towns • assist in urban regeneration by encouraging the recycling of derelict and other urban land (The two purposes in bold print are the ones most relevant to Westerham) Source: House of Commons Briefing Paper No 00934 dated 5 January 2016 (Page 4) http://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN00934/SN00934.pdf

THE OBJECTIVES OF THE GREEN BELT “Once Green Belts have been defined, the use of land in them has a positive role to play in fulfilling the following objectives: • To provide access to open countryside • To provide sport and outdoor recreation • To retain attractive landscapes and enhance landscapes near to where people live • To improve damaged and derelict land • To secure nature conservation interest • To retain land in agricultural, forestry and related uses ” (The two objectives in bold print are the ones most relevant to Westerham) Source: House of Commons Briefing Paper No 00934 dated 5 January 2016 (Page 4) http://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN00934/SN00934.pdf

THE GREEN BELT THAT SURROUNDS WESTERHAM It looks like this: Source: Daily Telegraph Interactive Map: England’s Green Belt http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/greenpolitics/planning/9708387/Interactive-map-Englands-green-belt.html#location=51.266969%2C0.07182699999998476

WESTERHAM AND THE GREEN BELT  Westerham is completely surrounded by the Green Belt  I have personally always found this situation very comforting  The Green Belt has been in place since 1950  93% of the Sevenoaks District is on undeveloped Green Belt land  Westerham is described as “washed over” by the Green Belt  This is a good thing as:  Westerham is, as a consequence, not obliged to contribute towards the housing requirement of the District as a whole.  The existing Churchill School and the large field near Buckham Thorns Road are both on the Green Belt  The proposed new school near Beggars Lane would also be on the Green Belt  The new school would probably also be on the floodplain of the River Darent

THE PROPOSED BYPASS WITH AN ENORMOUS HOUSING SCHEME  It is almost identical to the one we all opposed a few years ago  That one also involved a bypass with a requirement to build houses to pay for it  That housing development would have been substantially smaller than this one  We voted to throw that proposal out as we didn’t want the housing development  What has changed?  The possible development of the Moorhouse site?  Can we be certain that Moorhouse will definitely cause so much additional traffic?  Wouldn’t it be better to wait and see what actually goes into the Moorhouse site before potentially destroying our town?

JUST HOW BIG IS THE PROPOSED HOUSING DEVELOPMENT?  40 acres  How big is that?  22 Wembley Stadium sized football pitches  How many houses?  A minimum of 650 but the final figure could be much more than that  So what is the density?  32 houses on each of those 22 football pitches  This is very high density in order to maximise profit  Population of Westerham could increase by about 2000  Current population of Westerham is about 4400  Population of the town could rise by almost 50%  What will be the pressure on services, water supply, local traffic, employment, pollution, crime, transport services and that sort of thing?  I shall leave it to you to think about this and to ask questions of your own

IS WESTERHAM REALLY UNDER HUGE PRESSURE FROM SEVENOAKS TO PROVIDE HOUSING?  Not according to the District’s housing Framework document entitled “Core Strategy” which sets out future development up until 2026  It says that the housing provision of 3300 dwellings has not only been met but exceeded by 261  It also says that “ housing provision can be met from existing areas, enabling the Green Belt to continue to be protected ”. Source: SDC Core Strategy Adopted February 2011 (Page 31) http://documents.sevenoaks.gov.uk/environment%20and%20planning/planning/planning%20policy/core%20strategy%20dpd/core_strategy_adopted.pdf

WHAT DOES THE SEVENOAKS DISTRICT COUNCIL ACTUALLY ALLOW TO BE BUILT ON GREEN BELT LAND?  Limited infilling  This usually means just one or at the most two houses, merely to fill a gap  Limited infilling could not possibly be extended to a development of over 650 houses Source: SDC Supplementary Planning Document: Development in the Green Belt Adopted February 2011 (Page 10) http://documents.sevenoaks.gov.uk/Environment%20and%20Planning/Planning/Planning%20Policy/Allocations%20and%20Development/ADMP%20Examination%20Library/Dev elopment%20in%20the%20Green%20Belt%20SPD%20FINAL.pdf

WHAT IS THE GOVERNMENT’S STANCE ON THE GREEN BELT?  On 4 October 2014 the Government updated its Planning Practice Guidance  It said “The aim of this was to reaffirm local authorities’ abilities to safeguard their local area against urban sprawl”  The Government also said:  “It wanted to make it clear that housing need does not justify the harm done to Green Belt by inappropriate development ”  What is my interpretation of the above?  The Government is not keen to erode the Green Belt despite what is often said  The Government remains extremely keen to protect the Green Belt Source: House of Commons Briefing Paper No 00934 dated 5 January 2016 (Page 7) http://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN00934/SN00934.pdf

IS THERE REALLY A NEED FOR 12000 NEW HOUSES IN THE SEVENOAKS DISTRICT?  This figure appeared in an objective study named The Sevenoaks & Tunbridge Wells Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA) dated September 2015  It was independently produced by GL Hearn Limited, part of the Capita Group  It mentions:  A “Full Objectively -Assessed Housing need of 12400 houses” which I think is probably the figure that has been mentioned. It covers the 20 year period up to 2033 by the way. However the study also says:  “SHMA does not set housing targets”  “Councils will bring together evidence of housing need with information regarding available land, environmental issues and policy constraints , including Green Belt ”  The SHMA “ purposely leaves aside supply-side considerations and constraints to development - including land availability, infrastructure and Green Belt ”  The SHMA says “ there may be sound reasons as to why the identified housing need cannot be sustainably accommodated ”  My own interpretation of the above is:  The figure of 12400 is a “perfect world scenario” and Sevenoaks is unlikely to alter its housing target that much as a result, especially given its stated commitment to protecting the Green Belt. The figure is not relevant here. Source: Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells Strategic Housing Market Assessment dated September 2015 (Pages 16, 13 and 166) https://www.sevenoaks.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/200157/SHMA-final-September-2015-v2.pdf

COULD A ‘VERY SPECIAL CASE’ FOR DEVELOPMENT EXIST HERE?  In very rare circumstances a case can be made for altering Green Belt boundaries to provide, for example, affordable housing  Surely this could not possibly extend to a development of more than 650 houses  It is common for affordable homes to be bought, held for the minimum time period and then sold in order to bank the profit and the owner simply moves on.  Those houses are then no longer affordable  It is unlikely that a “very special case” exists here as:  Westerham is not under any pressure to contribute to the housing requirement of the District as already proved  There is probably affordable housing available in nearby Edenbridge

THE WILL BE THE VISIBLE EFFECT ON THE COUNTRYSIDE AROUND WESTERHAM?  How will the countryside views around Westerham be changed if this housing development goes ahead?  It would considerably spoil the view coming down Westerham Hill  It would considerably spoil the view coming into town via the Croydon Road  It would considerably spoil the view looking northwards from anywhere in the town itself  Similarly, what would be the effect on the view of the countryside, and its openness, as a result of the enormous new school when coming into Westerham from the direction of Sevenoaks?  Finally, what about the “key view” of Westerham that appears on the next slide ?  This view is considered so significant that The Town Partnership even use it on the front page of their “Visit Westerham” website. Let’s have a look at it now…..

THE “KEY VIEW” OF WESTERHAM Source: Westerham Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan (Planning Guidance 2014) (Page 30) http://documents.sevenoaks.gov.uk/Environment%20and%20Planning/Planning/Conservation/Conservation%20Area%20Appraisals/Westerham%20%20 CAA%202014.pdf