Policy SP16: Site NS1 - North of Stevenage:
Paragraphs 4.195 to 4.201:

The policy and paragraphs are supported. This is because Croudace recognises the potential of land at North Stevenage, in both Stevenage Borough and North Hertfordshire District as being suitable and sustainable to deliver a comprehensive and integrated strategic urban extension which could contribute to meeting the housing needs of both authorities.

Croudace has been promoting this approach at North Stevenage for some years (i.e. involving land in both Stevenage Borough and North Hertfordshire District), in association with a group of land owners and house builders representing adjoining interests within Stevenage Borough. Croudace has an Option over the land included within the NS1 designation in North Hertfordshire. The combined strategic urban extension scheme could be integrated through the use of a Master Plan covering the land located in both Stevenage Borough and North Herts District to ensure the seamless delivery of a sustainable urban extension that would contribute to meet the housing needs of both authorities.

Croudace will be submitting supporting technical evidence with these representations (which will include masterplanning, highways and access, drainage and landscaping) (i.e. sent by email due to document sizes) to confirm that there are no technical constraints that would prevent the allocation and early development of the NS1 site.

Further, whilst the objective is to ensure the seamless delivery of an integrated strategic urban extension combining the land in both Stevenage Borough and North Hertfordshire District, it is relevant to note, in relation, in particular, to the timing of the delivery of the NS1 development, that the NS1 site would have its own highway access in the form of a new junction onto Graveley Road/North Road and could therefore be brought forward for development at a time to suit North Hertfordshire District Council's housing needs, without jeopardising integration with the development of the land in Stevenage Borough through the use of a combined Master Plan approach. This flexibility may be important to ensure that the housing needs of North Hertfordshire can be met in an appropriate and timely way, meeting local needs.

In relation to Items (a) and (b) of the policy, Croudace is liaising with the promoters of the adjoining land within Stevenage Borough and is working towards an illustrative Master Plan which will be submitted with the planning application for the NS1 site. The Master Plan will illustrate how the land in both Authority areas will be developed in an integrated way. The Master Plan does not need to go through any separate external process of approval such as Development Brief, prior to the submission of a planning application, as it will fall to the applicant to demonstrate, as part of the planning application process, how the two areas of land in the separate administrative areas will be delivered as an integrated design solution.

That does not, of course, rule-out informal discussions between the land owners and house builders in both areas and both Local Planning Authorities, to ensure an appropriate approach and provision of infrastructure such as roads, drainage, open spaces, education provision, local shops and facilities, greenways, footpaths, etc. Croudace would welcome such discussions.

In relation to Item (e) of the policy, whilst Croudace does not object in principle to the identification of a small number of self-build plots as part of the development, it would want to first see the evidence for the need for such land to be set aside, and agree with the Council how long such plots should be kept available if the up-take of the plots proves to be limited. Also, how are the plots to be integrated into a wider design solution. A solution where such houses are built to noticeably different designs and styles may be visually incongruous.

In relation to Item (f) of the policy, Croudace would be prepared, following the adoption of the Local Plan, to enter into discussions with the Local Planning Authority and the land owner in respect of an advance structural planting scheme in order to establish a strong defensible landscape along the northern boundary of the site.