Charnwood Borough Council - Leading in Leicestershire

Below are some frequently asked questions about the Core Strategy Further Consultation, which ended on Frdiay 5th December 2008. These are questions raised at consultation events and in correspondence with the planning office.

Please Note: The Consultation has now closed and the consultation events referred to have all finished.

Q: How do I view the consultation documents?

A: The Core Strategy consultation document is available to view on our consultation portal by clicking on the Core Strategy Further Consultation link. From this page you can either view each section at a time within the portal itself or you can download a pdf version of the document.

Paper copies of the document are also available at Libraries, Leicestershire County Council's Offices at County Hall in Glenfield and Charnwood Borough Council's Offices on Southfields Road in Loughborough.

Q: How can I make comments on the Core Strategy?

A: We would encourage you to make comments on our consultation portal. Once on the portal select the Core Strategy Further Consultation link and then select the 'Read Document' option. You will need to register on the portal to make comments in this way.

Alternatively you can make your comments in writing, please state clearly the paragraph number or question number that your comments relate to and email them to: charnwood2026@charnwood.gov.uk or send them to: Director of Development, Charnwood Borough Council, Southfields Road, Loughborough, LE11 2TN.

Q: Where can I view the Sustainability Appraisal, Evidence Base and Supporting Documents?

A: All the supporting information can be viewed from the Core Strategy page of the website. Paper copies of these documents are available at the Council Offices and available on CD at all Charnwood Borough Libraries.

Q: Where can I speak to a Planning Officer to find out more or ask questions?

A: We are holding a number of exhibitions and meetings around the borough. To view the dates and venues of these events please click here. Planning Officers can also be contacted by emailing charnwood2026@charnwood.gov.uk or by calling 01509 63 4769 / 4929.

Q: Will my comments really count?

A: A lot of work has been carried out to collect evidence to support this consultation document and it is important that everybody is involved in making a decision on it. This consultation process is genuine consultation. If you don't agree with anything that has been put forward you should make your representations known to the Council.

At the end of the consultation exercise, planning officers will collate all of the responses into a report to cabinet in the new year. These responses will help inform the final decision on the document. At the end of the day, Councillors will have to made a decision on this document and they can't do this alone. Therefore it is important that people make their representations known.

Q: Is it possible to view the alternative options for growth?

A. The consultation document sets out all of the alternative sites and explains their advantages and disadvantages in Appendix A.

Q: Is the direction for growth to the west of Loughborough going to be on Garendon Park?

A. The proposed location of the development would be to the north of Garendon Historic Park and Gardens. Garendon Historic Park and Gardens would be protected if development went ahead here. It is proposed that public access would be provided to the Historic Park and Garden. It is also possible that road infrastructure would pass through the Historic Park and Gardens.

Q: What types of traffic mitigation measures will be made?

A: The overall approach will be developed in more detail as part of the masterplanning for the chosen Sustainable Urban Extension locations drawing upon current policy guidance and best practice in the development of similar scale sustainable communities at home and abroad.

Possible travel management measures could include park and ride, new bus services, travel plans and marketing to promote more sustainable choices. Consideration would only be given to stronger measures such as charging where these would be practical and deliverable as part of a package of measures.

Q: New shops are proposed for the development but will this lead to existing shops relocating from existing centres?

A: There is no evidence to suggest that shopping provision to serve the Sustainable Urban Extensions would be achieved by relocating existing provision elsewhere. Our expectation is that each Sustainable Urban Extension would include a local centre capable of providing for the day to day shopping needs of the new community. However it is likely that people would choose to do some shopping in nearby town and local centres, especially for non day to day needs such as clothes and electrical goods.

Q: Does the evidence base for these proposals need to be revisited in the light of the dramatic change in the world economy during recent times?

A: The Core Strategy is a long term plan. Sustainable Urban Extensions are major developments with long lead in times and masterplanning will take a number of years. In choosing the preferred option consideration has been given to the feasibility and cost of delivering development and related infrastructure, services and facilities. Whilst there is currently a significant downturn, as part of the economic cycle, market conditions can be expected to pick up over time.

Q: Is it possible to find out which individuals and organisations that own the land being considered for development or roads?

A: In preparing the Core Strategy land ownership is not a material consideration and this information is not collected by the local planning authority. The most reliable source of land ownership information is the Land Registry.

Q: A key objective of government guidance is to maximise the use of brownfield land. As Wymeswold Airfield is the only direction for growth containing significant tracts of brown field land why is it not a preferred location for a Sustainable Urban Extension?

A: The West of Loughborough location was identified having balanced a whole range of material planning and technical criteria. This detailed analysis concluded that whilst Wymeswold Airfield is the only option involving some redevelopment of brownfield land this is insufficient justification on its own for selection as a preferred option. Wymeswold Airfield is considered to have a number of disadvantages. These includea major adverse impact on the identity of four nearby Wolds villages. The location is the most remote from jobs, services and facilities in nearby urban areas. Being a rural location it would be difficult to serve by public transport and most people would probably make long trips by car contrary to a key objective of sustainability Any major development east of Loughborough will require the construction of a new road round around the periphery of the town. There are significant concerns about the affordability and deliverability of any highway improvements that would run through the Soar Valley floodplain itself an area of significant biodiversity interest.

Q: Why do you think that the proposal west of Loughborough is a sustainable urban extension if it relies on the schools in Shepshed and Loughborough? Surely a sustainable urban extension should be self-contained?

A: Sustainable urban extensions are supposed to be extensions to urban areas helping to support local services whilst providing for new services where these are needed. Sustainable urban extensions should not be confused with new settlements or eco towns which are expected to be self-contained.

Q: Is the University in the wrong place? Has this been considered?

A: Loughborough University is a major local employer and a centre of educational and sporting excellence. Its location within the town is sustainable and gives scope for effective integration with the wider community. The campus is close to the town’s services and facilities and readily accessible by public transport, cycling and walking.

The Core Strategy recognises that the University is important to Loughborough but that there are adverse impacts on the town. The preferred approach to address problems is to implement measures to minimise the pressures on the host community whilst allowing the University to flourish.

Q: If a new link road is built between the A512 and A6 north, isn’t it just a matter of time before those most interested in the opportunities this development would present, call for a link with the A6 south?

A: The west of Loughborough Sustainable Urban Extension is considered to be the best option of those considered around Loughborough and Shepshed to meet identified needs to 2026. Its implementation is expected to require a link road between the A512 and A6 north as part of a package of integrated transport measures designed to reduce car use as far as possible.

The need for any further development and related transport infrastructure including new roads would be matters for consideration in a review of the Local Development Framework. If the considerable efforts being made to reduce car use are sustained and successfully implemented it may be that in the future there will be less need for new road infrastructure.

Q: If new industrial units, warehousing and houses are built on the land to the west and north of Garendon Park and the Science Park is developed, will this not have a detrimental impact on the area, in terms of traffic flow and congestion?

A: All the work undertaken by the County and Borough Councils on transport issues to date concludes that wherever major new development is located around Leicester and Loughborough significant travel movements will be generated. Quite simply congestion can be expected to increase unless people reduce their travel by car.

In preparing the Core Strategy the aim has been to direct new development to those locations where the need to travel can be minimised and to develop packages of transport measures that can help reduce the need for unnecessary car use. Each Sustainable Urban Extension would provide a mix of housing, jobs, services and facilities that should reduce the need to travel.

The west Loughborough option is well located between the main employment areas north of the town and the University and Science Park. It is also located between Loughborough and Shepshed town centres and close to Gorse Covert Centre and two secondary school sites. The intention is that it will adjoin a major new public recreational facility in a restored Garendon Park. All these factors can help reduce travel.

A package of transport measures would be implemented to manage travel demand and widen transport choices. This would include additional road capacity to cater for traffic and access to the motorway network via Junction 23of the M1 motorway without the need to go through the town for a lot of trips.

The government’s household projections determine the Borough’s housing requirement. These projections make allowance for a whole range of technical factors including changes in market conditions.

Q: The Science Park will spread over 50 hectares or more. How many units does this represent, how much space will be set aside for surface car parking or will there be a requirement to site these underground and exactly how many people from within the Borough will be employed on this huge area?

A: There are no details of how an extension to the Science Park might look at this early stage. Much will depend on the needs of individual occupiers choosing to locate on the site and the policy framework in place at the time of future implementation.

The currently proposed planning framework aims to ensure that about 50% of the site will be landscaped to create a soft, parkland setting sympathetic to its location within and adjoining the National Forest. Further information is contained in the Charnwood 2021 Science Park Development Plan Document Preferred Options Report (February 2006) available on line at http://www.charnwood.gov.uk/pages/scienceparkdpd