New homes for Stockton

Proposals

Richborough is preparing an outline planning application for around 80 new family homes on land west of Sycamore Close. The proposals below are subject to a pre-application engagement before finalising and submitting a planning application to Stratford-upon-Avon District Council.

Because this is only an outline planning application, which seeks to agree the development in principle, if it is granted planning permission, it requires another reserved matters planning application in order for the homes to be built. It is at the reserved matters planning application stage where the detailed designs would be presented.

The Site

The site is located on the eastern portion of a field between Stockton village and the A426. The site is accessed via Sycamore Close, a road within the Laurel Drive housing estate. The site is not located within or near the Green Belt.

We recognise that Stockton is a desirable place to live because of its proximity to the M40, vibrant towns such as Daventry and Leamington Spa, and large nearby employers such as Jaguar Land Rover and the MoD.

Transport

During construction temporary access will be provided from the A426 to prevent disruption to nearby homes.

Once complete, vehicular access to the site will be provided via Sycamore Close, which already serves as an access for agricultural purposes. This will be 5.5 metres wide with 2m footways on either side.

A separate pedestrian foot link is also proposed to directly connect the proposed development with Public Right of Way 272/SM29/1, providing a more direct route to facilities within Stockton Village including Stockton Children’s Playing Field. It is a 5-minute walk and 2-minute cycle from the proposed pedestrian and cyclist access on Sycamore Close to the High Street in Stockton, which provides local services.

Measures will be put in place to support and promote the use of active and sustainable travel to limit the impact of vehicle traffic. Following discussions with officers at Warwickshire County Council, physical mitigation provided could be provided at local junctions on the site and could be subject to financial contributions to local infrastructure.

As part of the planning application, we will submit a Transport Assessment to understand the impact on local highways. This will be forecast using data from the nationally recognised TRICS database and Census data on key local routes.

Design

At this stage of the design process, the development will include around 80 new family homes, with a mix of bedrooms ranging from one-bedroom to four-bedroom homes. Subject to a landscape assessment, these homes will range from two to two and half storeys.

The future design work will use precedents from nearby existing buildings to reflect the architectural style of South Warwickshire. Subject to discussions with officers at Stratford-upon-Avon District Council, any future reserved matters planning application, which will be prepared in accordance with local policies, will focus on the materials, details and character.

As part of the landscape strategy the design will incorporate a new publicly-accessible green space at the south of the site to form a new and better-defined southern boundary for Stockton.

Construction

To minimise any disruption to existing residents during the construction period, a temporary construction access will be established between he site and the A426. This will provide a safe access and egress for construction vehicles.

All matters related to the construction process will be determined in the planning process with Stratford-upon-Avon District Council. A Construction Management Plan will be agreed and will be a condition on any reserved matters planning permission.

Environment

The proposals will aim to achieve a minimum of 10% Biodiversity Net Gain in line with the Biodiversity Metric. This will be achieved with new planting, habitat creation and habitat enhancement.

It is anticipated that any removal of hedgerows and other features, will be kept to a minimum due to the open nature of the site and the ability to provide suitable habitat creation and mitigation.

The site lies within Flood Zone 1, meaning that it is within an area with the lowest probability of flooding at less than 0.1% each year. Subject to a flooding risk assessment and the design process, the drainage strategy is expected to include Sustainable Drainage Systems such as permeable block paving, a swale and a pond.

Sustainability

The new homes will be designed to the Future Homes Standard 2025, which will reduce their carbon impact and cut energy bills for future residents. The buildings will be powered electrically, with heating likely to be through air source heat pumps (ASHP’s) and a proportion of the energy demand from solar PV.

To further encourage travelling more sustainably, each new home will include an electric vehicle charging point (EVCP), helping with the switch away from petrol and diesel vehicles.

The development will enable improvements to the existing footways into the town centre and each dwelling will be equipped with secure bicycle storage and electric vehicle charging points.

There is a bus stop on Napton Road in the centre of Stockton, which is served by the number 63 and 64 bus routes. These provide hourly services to Leamington Spa and Rugby.

How can I find out more and have my say?

Please submit your feedback by Tuesday 18th February, so that it can be considered before the plans are finalised and submitted as part of an outline planning application to Stratford-upon-Avon District Council.

Freephone 0808 1688 296 to leave a message and a member of the team will call you back.