At a recent meeting, the Parish Council have approved the New Forest District Council Local Plan (Part 2) objective to place 30 homes on the Green Belt site at School Lane (MoS1).
Some time ago a number of objections had been raised against the MoS1 Plan, and a Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group had been formed. We understand that their recommendations were not satisactory for a number of reasons, and therefore not accepted at the meeting.
The Parish Council have provided a full statement to explain the situation and their resulting decision as below:
STATEMENT
SITE SELECTION FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND
FORMAL PUBLIC OPEN SPACE
17th June 2013
“This was a very difficult decision. Our original and long standing preference was for small clusters of units. However despite our best efforts only a limited number of sites were offered by landowners.
The Parish Council decided that none of the options for allocating the units between the sites available was satisfactory. The Parish Council therefore instead decided to accept the proposal from NFDC to develop the site at School Lane. We recognise that some residents are disappointed, but decisions of this kind are inevitably controversial.
The Inspector at the current Public Inquiry has now made it clear in the following statement that any development at School Lane must deliver important new public facilities:-
MOS1: Land north of School Lane
Land north of School Lane is allocated for residential development specifically to provide for local housing needs in accordance with Policies CS12 and CS15(b) of the Core Strategy, and for public open space. 70% of the dwellings provided will be affordable housing. The site will be developed in accordance with the following site-specific criteria:
- provision of a maximum of 30 dwellings on the southern part of the site (on the land within the defined built-up area)
- on site provision of public open space in accordance with Policy CS7, including the provision of play space for children within the residential development
- a minimum of 2 hectares of formal public open space (playing fields) in the northern part of the site (east of the Milford Primary School)
- provision of suitable land for a minimum of 5 full size allotment plots within the site
- provision of vehicular access from Lymington Road at the southern end of the site (diverting School Lane at its western end through the site, with the existing route of School Lane being retained as a pedestrian and cycle route and for access only to existing properties in School Lane and Lymefields)
- provision of off-road cycleway along the site frontage with Lymington Road with links through to public open space provided on the site
- pedestrian access to the site from Lymington Road and School Lane
- provision of a safe pick-up and drop-off area for Milford Primary School
- provision of car parking sufficient to serve the playing fields and available for dual use with the school
- significant landscaping to integrate the different elements within the site and with adjoining features and to create an appropriate transition from built development across the playing fields to the wider countryside beyond.
Planning permission will not be granted for any built development until a comprehensive plan has been prepared showing how all the required elements can be satisfactorily accommodated and integrated within the site and any phasing for the provision of the different elements.
Built development shall not commence until arrangements are in place to ensure that the land for playing fields would be made available for that use in accordance with the planned phasing of the development or other clear timetable.
The Parish Council will be fully involved in the proposed development to ensure we win the best possible result for Milford-on-Sea”.
Cllr Julian Davis
Chairman
Milford-on-Sea Parish Council