Lovell Homes seeks your views on proposals for a new residential development at Pool House Road, Wombourne.

Site Location Plan

The Site  __

The site comprises two field parcels fronting on to Pool House Road, which together extend to approximately 6.5 hectares. The two parcels are separated by a small site containing a number of commercial premises behind which lies a small Gypsy and Traveller site.

The site is located on the north western edge of the village of Wombourne. To the east lies recent residential development off Clap Gate Road, including 2.5 and 3-storey properties facing Clap Gate Road and the site. Further residential development lies to the south set back from Pool House Road located at The Meadlands and Clapgate Grove.

There are a number of constraints present as follows:
• Hedgerows and hedgerow trees exist to site boundaries on both parcels.
• High voltage power lines cross the western site.
• The sites slope gently from east to west.
• The West Midlands Green Belt and open countryside lies to the north of both land parcels.

There are a number of opportunities as follows:
• Space for significant new publicly accessible open space to be created.
• Existing hedgerows can be retained and the northern boundary strengthened through additional landscape planting to provide a strong Green Belt boundary.
• Opportunity to deliver biodiversity net gain through the creation of new habitats and green spaces, including the provision of ecological corridors.
• Opportunity for Sustainable Drainage to be provided within the lowest part of the site.

Constraints and Opportunities Plan
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Policy Context  __

The District Council adopted a Site Allocations Document (SAD) in September 2018. Policy SAD3 (Safeguarded for Longer Term Development Needs) identified both parcels of land (Site 459 & Site 415) as safeguarded land to meet longer housing development needs between 2028 and 2038, or to be released through an early review of the Local Plan. Upon adoption of the SAD, the sites were removed from the Green Belt.

South Staffordshire District Council Site Allocations Document Extract

South Staffordshire District Council is currently undertaking a Local Plan Review and both sites have been identified as draft housing allocations, to deliver a minimum of 141 new homes. The draft policy sets out the following key requirements:

• Existing tree and hedgerow boundaries to be retained and the northern edge strengthened through additional planting.
• Provide highway and pedestrian connectivity between parcels.
• Access to both parcels should be via Pool House Road.
• Any relevant policy requirements including affordable housing, open space, education, health, sports and recreation, energy efficiency, climate change mitigation, flood risk mitigation, highways, sustainable transport, housing mix and green infrastructure, delivered in line with the relevant development plan policy standards.

What is being Proposed?  __

Homes
The proposal includes the construction of 123 new homes ranging in size to meet needs of first-time buyers, couples and families. This is less than the 141 homes sought by the emerging Local Plan, however this reflects the constraints that exist on site.

The housing mix would include a range of detached, semi-detached, terraced homes and maisonettes and homes that meet the needs of older persons including bungalows.

40% of the homes are proposed to be delivered as affordable. Of these, half are proposed as affordable rented homes, 25% as First Homes (low-cost home ownership) and the remainder provided as shared ownership.

All homes will be provided with Electric Vehicle charging capabilities and will meet new building regulations which require homes to be far more energy efficient than those built previously.

Concept Plan for Pool House Road
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View of proposal from corner of Pool House Road and Clap Gate Road

Access
It is proposed to access both parcels of land via new T junctions formed onto Pool House Road.

Pedestrian connectivity will be provided via the provision of new footways extending either side of the proposed new vehicular accesses. New pedestrian crossing points will be formed along Pool House Road to allow residents to access the existing network of footpaths within Wombourne. Footpath connections will also be provided to Clap Gate Road.
All 2 and 3 bedroom homes will have a minimum of 2 parking spaces, with all 4+ bedroom homes having a minimum of 3 parking spaces. All homes will have Electric Vehicle charging infrastructure.

Open Space
New public open space is proposed in excess of current requirements set out by South Staffordshire District Council.
A large area of new publicly accessible open space is proposed within the western parcel containing a range of spaces, including:
• Equipped children’s play
• Allotments
• Spaces to support informal play and recreation
• Habitats to support wildlife and biodiversity

The areas of public open space will include soft landscaping and planting and will be overlooked by the proposed new homes.
The only section of hedgerows that would need to be removed are those required to form the new access point to the western parcel. There are opportunities for new landscape planting as part of the proposals, including provision of tree lined streets and strengthening of the existing field boundaries to create ecological corridors.

Drainage
The development would utilise Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) to deal with surface water. This will include the provision of attenuation ponds within the large area of open space. This has been designed to make allowance for storm events up to the 1 in 100 year return period plus an appropriate allowance for climate change.

Local Infrastructure
On site provision and/or financial contributions will be provided towards local infrastructure to mitigate any impact of the development. These contributions will be secured through a legal agreement. Any on site infrastructure or off-site financial contributions will be finalised through a future planning application following discussion with South Staffordshire District Council and other infrastructure providers including Staffordshire County Council Education and the Integrated Care Board.

What is the Design Approach?  __

The design of the proposed layout has been informed by a number of constraints and opportunities including the presence of power lines, trees and hedgerows, any longer-distance views of the site and the need to protect the amenity of residents, including existing neighbours to the east of Clap Gate Road and South of Pool House Road.

The key design principles are as follows:

Inclusive access to enable residents to move around comfortably without encountering obstructions

Provision of a layout arrangement within the site to foster low speed vehicular movement

Provision of an active frontage to Pool House Lane and Clap Gate Lane

Provision of a variety of house types and sizes to contribute positively to the quality and character of the new development and reflect the local vernacular

Achieve good quality architectural and public realm detailing through use of good quality materials

Achieve good quality architectural and public realm detailing through use of good quality materials

Ensuring all homes have on-plot and integral parking provided which are positioned not to dominate the appearance of the development and reduce the need for street parking

Retention of existing trees, vegetation and habitat features and provision of significant new public open space, landscaping and tree planting to soften visual impact of the development

View of Homes to Pool House Road frontage set back behind landscaped buffer

Site Layout  __

Emerging Site Layout for Pool House Road
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Feedback  __

We would welcome your comments on any part of the development proposals.
To send us your comments, please complete the short questionnaire below.

These must be returned by 19th April 2024.