780-home mixed-use scheme at Land to South of Vicarage Lane, North Weald Bassett, Epping

What was proposed

The hybrid application sought up to 780 homes, a primary school, local centre uses, green infrastructure, roads, drainage and rights-of-way changes.

“Land Use:- The land use drawing denotes the location of residential development, open space, SANG, locations of play facilities, highway access works, the primary street, a safeguarded connection to the adjoining NWB.R1 site allocation, surface water attenuation features and two areas appropriate for local centre uses in Class E and F2.”

Officer report

The site and surroundings

The 34.6-hectare greenfield site is allocated for development and lies beside homes, farmland, community facilities, businesses, a church and a sewage works.

“This application relates to circa 34.6 hectares of greenfield land, located to the north of North Weald Bassett. The site comprises Local Plan allocation NWB.R3 Land South of Vicarage Lane as part of the wider North Weald Basset Masterplan Area. The site shares a common southern and eastern boundary with the residential properties located along Queens Road, Oak Piece and The Pavilions.”

“The site surrounds Chase Farm Units, a lane connecting to Vicarage Lane West to the north of the site, and the units accessed from it, which include Chase Farm self-storage, a salvage yard, a number of automotive servicing, repairs and parts businesses. These sites are however allocated for residential development in the Local Plan under Policy P6 (references NWB.R4 and NWB.R5).”

Officer report

Planning history

The site consists of five arable fields with no agricultural buildings, and no relevant planning history was identified.

“The application site is greenfield in nature, comprising five distinct arable fields and no agricultural buildings. There is no planning history of relevance to these proposals.”

Officer report

Main benefits and concerns

Officers considered housing, affordable homes, facilities, open space and sustainable development benefits outweighed heritage harm and other impacts, if mitigation was secured.

“Less than substantial harm is caused to the setting of the Parish Church of Saint Andrew (Grade II* listed) which carries 'considerable importance and weight' in accordance with s.66(1) of the Listed Building and Conservation Area (LBCA) Act 1990. The guidance in paragraph 215 of the Framework is that the harm should be weighed against the proposal's public benefits.”

“The proposal is considered to constitute sustainable development and is considered to comply with the development plan, when read as a whole. These matters are considered to attract substantial weight in support of the development. In weighing up these issues, when taken together, it is not considered that the adverse impacts of the development would significantly or demonstrably outweigh the benefits of the proposal.”

Officer report

Who spoke

The Parish Council Clerk, the applicant, Councillor C Whitbread and Ward Councillor T Bromwich addressed the committee.

What members discussed

Members discussed affordable housing, health infrastructure, sewage and drainage, the primary school, listed-church concerns, railway feasibility, construction and transport impacts.

“Councillor C Whitbread and Ward Councillor T Bromwich addressed the Committee and raised matters including the need for affordable housing provision, adequate health infrastructure to support the development, the impact on sewage and drainage capacity, the requirement for firm provision for an additional primary school, mitigation of Historic England’s concerns regarding the listed Church of St Andrew, and the need for a feasibility study into the potential reopening of the…”

“Members of the Committee also considered the issues relating to construction and transport impacts in more detail.”

Minutes

The committee’s vote

The committee resolved to approve the application, subject to the report’s conditions including an amended construction condition.

“That the application be APPROVED, subject to the conditions set out in the report, including the amended Condition 27.”

Minutes

What was decided

Planning permission was approved subject to the report’s conditions, with Condition 27 amended to require a construction logistics and transport strategy.

“An amendment was proposed and agreed to Condition 27, to require a Construction Logistics and Transport Strategy which would include mechanisms for coordinating traffic with other major developments in the vicinity.”

Minutes