Rushy Bank planning permission

On 2 November the Uplands Area Planning Sub Committee approved the Rushy Bank Partnership's planning application by 9 votes to 3!

The publicly available minutes of the meeting give a very balanced and useful account of the discussion and the democratic way that these issues are handled:

Land South of Forest Road, Charlbury

"The proposed layout of the site was shown and amendments to the previously submitted scheme were outlined. In particular it was noted that there was a smaller number of units and the layout on site changed.

Mr Rod Evans addressed the sub-committee in objection to the application. A summary of the submission is attached as Appendix E to the original copy of these minutes. Mr Evans, in response to Mr Beaney, clarified that he was not against development in the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) but any growth needed to be sustainable.

Councillor Liz Leffman, local ward member, addressed the sub-committee in support of the application. A summary of the submission is attached as Appendix F to the original copy of these minutes. Mr Cotterill asked Ms Leffman if she considered the site suitable for dementia care. Ms Leffman indicated that the facility would provide support and help for residents and would be well managed.

Mr Jeremy Smalley, agent for the applicant, addressed the sub-committee in support of the application. A summary of the submission is attached as Appendix G to the original copy of these minutes.

The Development Manager continued his presentation and advised that the main issues for consideration were principle, precedent, siting design and form, landscape impact, highways, amenities, archaeology, benefits and S106 contributions.

The sub-committee noted there was an element of self-build in the application and that the development was considered sustainable in the proposed location. It was acknowledged that it was an on balance decision relating to aspects of sustainability.

The Development Manager concluded by recognising there was a range of views both for and against the proposal. It was highlighted that the scheme was being locally led and the amendments to the previous scheme were an improvement and acceptable in their own right. The Development Manager suggested that the benefits accruing from the development outweighed the harm when the relevant policy and other tests were applied and as such an on balance approval could be recommended.

The Development Manager advised that consultation responses were still awaited from Oxfordshire County Council in respect of highways and archaeology. The recommendation was therefore for approval subject to clarification of the legal agreement and the receipt of responses in respect of highways and archaeology. It was confirmed that if the outstanding responses raised objection then it would be referred back to members.

Mr Graham highlighted concerns about the previous application but acknowledged the considerable amount of consultation since then. Mr Graham suggested that it was still a difficult decision.

Mr Graham acknowledged that the development was on the edge of Charlbury and the changes that had been made to reduce the impact on the AONB. Mr Graham advised that, on balance, the development was acceptable and the increased buffer zone would help reduce the impact.

Mr Graham then proposed the officer recommendation and this was seconded by Mr Owen.

Mr Owen indicated that the scheme had been developed over some time and was a local project that showed innovation and vision and was well designed.

The Development Manager, in response to Mr Cotterill, confirmed that the road within the site would predominantly remain private.

Mr Colston expressed concern that the houses were an adjunct to the main development and probably would not be acceptable on their own. Mr Colston suggested the dementia unit was some distance from the town and sought clarification on whether there would be time limits on construction of the self-build units.

The Development Manager indicated that there was a waiting list of people wanting to construct their own homes and whilst there were some legal options it was likely that applicants would have a financial imperative to complete as soon as possible.

Dr Poskitt indicated concern at the location of the footpath and access to Charlbury. Dr Poskitt advised that it was important that the archaeology situation was clarified on site and asked about the moving of the speed limit on the road. The Development Manager reiterated that if there were any issues relating to archaeology then the application may need to be referred back to the sub-committee. The Senior Planner advised that it was proposed to move the speed limit further away from the access.

Mr Saul, in supporting the proposal, asked if the footpath would also access the railway station. The Senior Planner indicated that this could not be confirmed.

Mr Cottrell-Dormer suggested the scheme was too remote from Charlbury and it was wrong for dementia patients to be placed that close to a river and railway line. The Development Manager reminded members that residents safety was primarily an issue for the operators of the home and they had a management plan in place.

On being put to the vote the proposition was carried.

Permitted, subject to a legal agreement, conditions and no objection being raised in respect of highways and archaeology."

West Oxfordshire support for self-build

WODC news item on their support for self-build

A news release this month from West Oxfordshire District Council shows how important self-build is becoming in planning policy terms:

News release

Helping aspiring homeowners create their own ‘grand designs’

West Oxfordshire District Council is on the look-out for anyone with a local connection to the District who has ‘grand designs’ to build their own home.

As part of the Government’s ‘Self-build and Custom House-building Act,’ the District Council would like to hear from anyone hoping to build their own home or looking to contract a builder to construct it for them. This includes individual homes and larger developments.

Cllr Warwick Robinson, Cabinet Member responsible for Planning said: “We believe there is an interest in custom and self-build housing within the District as it can be seen as a more affordable route to home ownership and it often inspires innovative, creative design and construction

“We are keen hear from anyone who has any self-build plans and are urging them to sign up to our new online register. This will help us find out more about the number and types of homes they would like to build as we are also working with other individuals and groups to identify suitable land for such projects.”

“Signing up to the register doesn’t mean we can guarantee that a suitable plot will be identified, or become available, however we will do everything we can to help.”

The Council’s self-build register will be reviewed regularly, helping to inform them of the level of demand for plots in West Oxfordshire and enabling them to develop a strategy for matching people to plots in their area.

Self-build homes are subject to the same requirement for planning permission as other homes.

For more information about custom and self-build housing, including sources of funding and advice, or to register an interest, see the Council’s website www.westoxon.gov.uk/housing or call 01993 861000.

Oxford housing crisis & Charlbury

A BBC news item of 19 October makes clear the extent of the housing crisis in our region. Oxford is now one of the most expensive and unaffordable cities in the UK, and those on low and middle incomes are being priced out. This is leading to longer commutes, pressure on the roads and a lack of people to do the jobs that we all rely on to keep places running.

The report discusses objections to new homes in places like Eynsham, who are fearful of the changes that new homes will bring to their communities. But with a main line railway station into Oxford and major new community facilities in the pipeline, Charlbury needs to make a contribution to this local crisis.

Rushy Bank reapplication

Revised layout for Rushy Bank site, September 2015

The Rushy Bank Partnership consisting of Young Dementia UK Homes, the Beacon Project Charlbury and our development partners, resubmitted a planning application for the Rushy Bank site at the beginning of September.

We will be holding a public exhibition of the revised proposals in the Corner House, Charlbury, on 12 September 2015, 10-12pm.

The Revised Development Proposal 

• No housing along the Forest Road frontage. This is to address concerns about the potential for archaeology in that area.
• Previously proposed mini roundabout replaced by T junction
• Reduction of number of homes from 29 to 25
• Further revisions to house design and positioning in response to community comments

The Benefits

• A supported 12 bed living facility for Young Dementia UK Homes for those suffering from early onset dementia
• All homes for sale are custom/self-build with priority for local people. 50% of these are at discounted sale prices to deal with the affordability gap in Charlbury’s housing supply.
• Scheme could make a significant financial contribution towards education (OVER £100,000 based on County Council figures) and other County and District provided services, and funds towards the Community Centre or other priorities identified by the Town Council.
• Sustainable location close to railway station and no further away from town centre than the extent of Ticknell Piece,The Green and Woodstock Road houses. Closer to the Town Centre than the recently approved Ditchley Road housing. 
• Very low visual impact as a result of extensive landscaping, careful siting, low density and location behind the employment area. 
• Up to 12 jobs associated with Young Dementia Home 
• Additional residents will help to sustain local amenities and facilities 
• Improvements to highway safety that will slow traffic as it approaches the town down Forest Road.

Rushy Bank & affordable homes

Section about affordable housing in "Friends of The Evenlode Valley leaflet"

Everyone in Charlbury has received a leaflet from the "Friends of The Evenlode Valley" and a number of people have submitted public planning comments on the basis of the information contained within it. It does however contain some misleading information, which should be taken into account.

There are three main social benefits of the Rushy Bank project: more affordable housing for local people, sheltered housing for those suffering from early onset dementia, and funds (section 106) for infrastructure improvement and community use by the town.

Let's be clear: this project has not been instigated by a developer looking for cheap land to make a big profit. It has been developed by Young Dementia Homes UK and The Beacon Project Charlbury over a number of years, and we went out and found a Charlbury-based developer and a Charlbury-based architect. Even the ecological, archaeological and landscape consultants are Charlbury-based! (that's the kind of town we are).

"Affordable" housing is a grossly overworked term, isn't it? So let's be clear what this application contains. 29 houses are being proposed, in addition to the 12 bed sheltered housing unit. Of those, 9 will be built by a social housing provider. That's low rent, shared ownership, etc. That's the usual sort of "affordable" housing we are used to. But what isn't clear in the Friends leaflet is that social housing providers only pay something like £10-15k per plot for land!

But this project is innovative in having another 10 out of the 29 houses proposed as being custom-built for Charlbury people at below market value, probably at least 25% below! And those enjoying this discount won't sell it on at a profit as soon as it's built, as there is a proposal by the Beacon Project for a phased lock-in for this discount so that it can be passed on to the next local person wanting to buy a house. The mechanism for passing on discounts will be wrapped up in the section 106 agreement that will accompany any planning consent and the team are liaising with the planner and housing officer to finalise this.

The other 10 houses would also be custom-built (i.e. internal layout, number of bedrooms, etc) and be sold at full market value. The reason these are needed is to allow the landowner enough of a return on the land to allow for the very low, or discounted land return for the rest of the development, and also to fund the road improvements, landscaping, groundworks, community payments etc.

So, that's 9/29 social housing (31%), 10/29 discounted custom-build housing (34.5%) and 10/29 full market value housing (34.5%). 

Given that both the social housing and the Beacon Project (discounted) housing would all be priority for local people, that is 65.5% of the development which would be more affordable housing for local people.

We hope this counters some of the misinformation on the issue of who is really benefitting from this proposed scheme. The developer is also proposing to run the development as an open book so that everyone and anyone might inspect the financial side. This isn’t a requirement.

The issue of the location is an entirely different matter - that is up for debate and depends on where we see acceptable development in the town, and how sensitive this scheme is to its proposed location.

We hope this is useful information about some aspects of the proposed development that we feel passionately about and have worked towards for a number of years in our own town. Let the application stand or fall on its merits, but not on false information.

Rushy Bank planning application - second public display

Now the planning application has gone in and information leaflets distributed around the town, the Rushy Bank development partnership will be holding a second public display of proposals for the site on Saturday 21 March (10-12) in the Corner House. We look forward to seeing as many people as possible there to look at the exciting detailed designs for the site.

Rushy Bank planning application: FAQs

Frequently asked questions about the Rushy Bank project prepared by The Rushy Bank Partnership, including the Beacon Project and YoungDementia UK Homes.

Birds eye view of proposal for Rushy Bank

1. Will the development open the door for further development around the station?

No, it won't set a precedent. We believe that the development is responding to identified local housing need and is therefore an exception. Any future development would have to demonstrate that it was similarly meeting a particular local housing need. The surrounding land would not be suitable for market housing due to its Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty status.

2. Why can’t the proposed development be provided on a brownfield site?

Local Housing Need

Para 47 of the National Planning Policy Framework identifies that the supply of housing should be significantly increased. The Oxfordshire Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA) concludes that there is a significant need for new housing within Oxfordshire. In response to the SHMA, West Oxfordshire has increased the proposed housing numbers in the emerging Local Plan 2029 from 5,500 to 9,450. Within the emerging Local Plan 2029, Charlbury falls within the Burford and Charlbury Sub-Area. A focused housing consultation undertaken by the Council during August and September 2014 identified that 650 new homes will be delivered in the Burford and Charlbury Sub-Area during the plan period. West Oxfordshire has acknowledged, as recently as January 2015, that it does not have an identified five year land supply and, as such, Government policy says that there should be a presumption, by the local planning authority, in favour of sustainable development.

3. Doesn’t the fact that the site falls within the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty mean that it is protected from any development?

One third of West Oxfordshire falls within the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and there are 51 Conservation Areas. The site’s location in the Cotswolds AONB does not prevent development. The statutory test for development within a Cotswolds AONB is whether it will conserve/ enhance the character and appearance of the area. The joint project's architects, Oxford Architects and the Oxford Design Studio have successfully designed a scheme which is sympathetic to the surrounding area and which utilises ematerials used in buildings around Charlbury.

4. Isn’t the site outside Charlbury’s settlement boundary?

The adopted West Oxfordshire Local Plan 2011, or the emerging Local Plan 2029 does not include settlement boundaries.

5. How will the impact of the building on the local environment and views be reduced in view of its location?

The two architects involved with the development, Oxford Architects and the Oxford Design Studio, have created plans for a design that will blend into the site as much as possible taking into consideration the contours of the site. This allows us to have single and two storey carefully placed along the new access road. The YDUK Homes facility includes meeting rooms which will be available for community use. The design will use local stone, render and timber walls and a mixture of traditional and sedum roofs to minimise the visual impact.

6. What impact will the development have on traffic levels on Forest Road?

The location of the development will assist in ensuring that traffic movements are dispersed. Its situation next to foot paths, the railway station and bus routes from the station should help to minimise car usage. The highways access solution will assist in slowing traffic as it approaches the town down Forest Road hill.

We are not anticipating high levels of traffic in and out of the YDUK Homes facility as the 12 people living there are unlikely to have their own cars and the staff supporting them will be encouraged to use public transport to get to work.

7. Flood Risk Assessment

The site is outside the flood risk area. A flood risk assessment report will accompany the planning application and this will be a consideration by the local planning authority and Environment Agency in reviewing the sites suitability for development.

8. Why has the Beacon Project chosen this site?

The Beacon Project Charlbury has spent four years looking for a site in Charlbury suitable for an environmentally sustainable community self-build project. Rushy Bank ticks all the boxes: Cornbury Park has made the land affordable for self-builders; it is close to public transport and no further from the centre of town than houses down Woodstock Road; it has environmental features, such as a very active spring, meaning that the housing there might be an exemplar for sustainable development; and finally we are thrilled with the proposed community mix that is proposed for this site, including affordable, self-build, market and sheltered housing. We don’t think we could hope for a better site from an integrated community point of view.

9. Why have YDUK Homes decided to change sites from the Cricket Club to Rushy Bank?

During YDUK Homes’ public consultation last year, some people raised concerns about the previous choice of site adjacent to the Cricket Club, principally about access and flood risk and steps were taken to mitigate these risks and allay people’s concerns.

The Rushy Bank site was not available to YDUK Homes at the time they were offered the land behind the cricket club so when YDUK Homes were approached by the Rushy Bank Partnership to be part of their planned development we decided it was worth revisiting our architectural plans and financial projections to be part of this broader community development. The ‘new ‘site has all the benefits of the ‘old’ site, notably its proximity to the town with all its amenities whilst also locating our residents in the centre of a potentially lively residential community, in line with our aims.

10. Why has YDUK Homes chosen Charlbury?

Charlbury fits all the criteria for the location of our planned facility: within or on the edge of a town within Oxfordshire, and with access to good transport links making it as easy as possible for family and friends to visit.

Many of the over 30 sites we’ve considered over the last few years have been too isolated, or we have been in competition with private developers who can afford to pay market values. We have also looked at central sites in large towns, but these have either been too small or too expensive for us.

We have also considered two other sites suggested by Charlbury Town Council, one at Little Lees and the other at Ticknell Piece. After careful consideration we decided that these sites had potential for market housing and as a consequence, it was deemed likely that other social and private housing proposals would come forward which could jeopardise our purchase of the sites and delay us progressing with our plans.

The site in Charlbury meets the requirements for our facility. The involvement of the community will be a vital part in reducing the isolation of people with young onset dementia and Charlbury residents have indicated that the project would be a welcome addition to the town.

11. Will the YDUK Homes scheme also give priority to local people?

Our funders are very clear that the priority will be given to people living in West Oxfordshire. If we are unable to find someone from West Oxfordshire to fill a vacancy we will then look for applicants across the whole of the County and people who live in neighbouring Counties who want to live in Oxfordshire to be nearer to family and friends. At the moment many people who live with young onset dementia in Oxfordshire have to be placed in specialist homes outside of the County, as there are no specialist homes available. This makes it difficult for their families to visit them so it’s important these people are given the chance to move back to be nearer their relatives.

12. Will this location be safe for people with young onset dementia?

The home will be securely fenced and have a controlled gate at the entrance. All of our residents will have a risk assessment completed on a regular basis and, with permission, have personal locators to allow them freedom to move around but allowing staff to monitor their whereabouts. Many people with young onset dementia continue to follow routines from their past and this can be reflected in their desire to go to a particular place as they would if they were going to work or walking the dog at the same time every day. We feel that this past should be taken into account and understood in order to help people to feel fulfilled rather than restricted in their lives.

People with young onset dementia often get bored or frustrated if they don’t get enough exercise and activity; this will be addressed with lots of opportunity for residents to take part in activities in the home, as well as in the local community with the support of our staff.

13. What is the timetable for commencing the building works?

The Rushy Bank Partnership are planning to submit their joint application in February 2015 and are aiming to start the building works in October 2015.

Thank you Charlbury!

We had a fantastic response to the community display in the Corner House on Thursday 15th January, and would like to express our thanks to everyone who turned out to find out more about the proposed development, and to express their views. We estimate that up to 150 people came through during the afternoon, which is a terrific response.

The Beacon Project Charlbury members who were there fielded a number of enquiries from local people interested in environmentally sustainable affordable or self-build housing near the train station. If you are reading this because you didn't get a chance to come along and register interest then please get in touch via email.

More information about the plans can be downloaded from www.rushybank.co.uk.

We also appreciated the chance to speak to a few residents living on the Evenlode valley side of the town and discuss their concerns. We hope that the Rushy Bank partnership will allay fears in due course and we want to keep the constructive conversation going.

We all love the Evenlode Valley, and we hope this proposal will allow more local people to stay in Charlbury so that they can enjoy it!

There was some great coverage in the Oxford Mail last week about the community event and the project in general (see below - click to enlarge & read). Many thanks to the Wilkinsons for their willingness to go on the record about the local housing need.

Article by Martin Elvery in Oxford Mail, 23 January 2015