September 2008 SHLAA Main Report September 2008

Transcription

North Hertfordshire and Stevenage Strategic Housing Land
Availability Assessment
September 2008
Note
The Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment is an evidence study that is designed to
estimate the ability of sites in North Hertfordshire and Stevenage to deliver new housing
development over the duration of the East of England plan period to 2021, and beyond. It
does not form planning policy for either district.
Inclusion of any named site in this study does not bind either Council to the allocation of that
site for development in future Development Plan Documents. Nor does it predispose either
Council towards the favourable consideration of any future planning applications for the
development of that site.
Any comments made in relation to particular sites do not constitute a planning brief or formal
planning advice.
All proposals for housing development arising during the plan period will be considered on
their individual merits in relation to adopted and emerging development plan policies and
other material considerations relevant at the time of determination.
This Assessment is presented as a ‘snapshot’ of housing supply at 1st April 2008 and is
based upon the best information available at the time. Further sites may be brought to the
attention of the participating authorities as they progress their Local Development
Frameworks. Failure to be identified in this document will not preclude such sites from being
considered for housing allocation or development outside of the plan process.
Maps in this report are reproduced with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationary Office
© Crown Copyright. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown Copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil
proceedings.
Stevenage Borough Council LA 100024285 2008
North Hertfordshire District Council 100018622 2008
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Contents
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Executive Summary ............................................................................................................... 4
What is a Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment? ................................................ 10
SHLAA Methodology............................................................................................................ 12
Site identification.................................................................................................................. 14
Quantifying the housing requirement ................................................................................... 17
Introduction to SHLAA Results............................................................................................. 19
SHLAA Results - Sites in Stevenage ................................................................................... 22
Suitability........................................................................................................................... 31
Availability ......................................................................................................................... 32
Achievability ...................................................................................................................... 33
Summary of findings.......................................................................................................... 34
SHLAA Results – Urban extensions to Stevenage............................................................... 38
Suitability........................................................................................................................... 41
Availability ......................................................................................................................... 42
Achievability ...................................................................................................................... 43
SHLAA Results – Sites elsewhere in North Hertfordshire District......................................... 45
Suitability........................................................................................................................... 56
Availability ......................................................................................................................... 57
Achievability ...................................................................................................................... 57
Reviewing the Assessment .................................................................................................. 61
Stevenage ......................................................................................................................... 61
Urban extensions to Stevenage on land in North Hertfordshire ......................................... 62
Sites elsewhere in North Hertfordshire .............................................................................. 63
Looking beyond 2021 ........................................................................................................ 67
Risk Assessment............................................................................................................... 68
Broad locations and Windfalls.............................................................................................. 70
Broad locations for urban extensions to Stevenage on land within North Hertfordshire ..... 70
Windfalls elsewhere in North Hertfordshire........................................................................ 73
Conclusions ......................................................................................................................... 75
Appendices
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Draft Methodology (March 2008).......................................................................................... 77
Consultation responses ....................................................................................................... 85
Permitted housing supply at 1 Apr 2008............................................................................... 91
Stevenage site appraisal forms.......................................................................................... 101
Stevenage site appraisal.................................................................................................... 215
Urban extensions to Stevenage site forms......................................................................... 231
Urban extensions to Stevenage site appraisal ................................................................... 243
Rest of North Hertfordshire site forms................................................................................ 247
Rest of North Hertfordshire site appraisal .......................................................................... 345
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1
Executive Summary
1.1
A Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (hereafter “SHLAA” or “Assessment”) is a
study undertaken at a local or sub-regional level which aims to identify specific sites and
broad locations where new housing can be located. This SHLAA aims to identify locations in
North Hertfordshire and Stevenage that can contribute towards the housing targets laid down
in the East of England Plan.
1.2
Although it is not a Local Development Document in its own right, this SHLAA forms a key
component of the evidence base for the Local Development Frameworks being produced by
the partner authorities and will inform the selection of sites to be allocated for housing
development.
1.3
This SHLAA covers the local authority areas of North Hertfordshire and Stevenage and
assesses housing land availability over the periods 2001-2021 and 2001-2026. This joint
approach reflects DCLG good practice guidance which advocates the production of
assessments covering more than one local authority area.
1.4
Section 2 of this Assessment provides further background information to the study. Section 3
outlines the methodology used to complete the Assessment.
1.5
This SHLAA has been produced in accordance with government guidance and informed by
consultation with key stakeholders, including landowners and the Home Builders Federation
(HBF).
1.6
Section 4 details the sources used to identify potential housing sites. The two authorities
followed the DCLG’s Practice Guidance in interrogating a number of sources including:
 Sites in the planning process
planning permissions for housing that are under construction
unimplemented / outstanding planning permissions for housing
existing housing allocations and site development briefs
land allocated (or with permission) for employment or other land uses which
are no longer required for those uses
 Sites not currently in the planning process (including):
vacant and derelict land and buildings
surplus public sector land
land in non-residential use which may be suitable for redevelopment for
housing, such as commercial buildings or car parks, including as part of
mixed-use development
additional housing opportunities in established residential areas, such as
under-used garage blocks
large scale redevelopment and re-design of existing residential areas
sites in rural settlements and rural exception sites
urban extensions
new free standing settlements
1.7
All of these sources have been considered. A number of sites not identified through the
above methods have also been evaluated through the SHLAA. These include
 New sites promoted to / by the partner authorities through the LDF or development
control process;
 Sites identified through other evidence studies as having potential for development.
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1.8
Section 5 quantifies the housing requirement which the SHLAA should help to meet. The
East of England Plan was adopted in May 2008 and states that a minimum of 22,200 new
homes must be provided in North Hertfordshire and Stevenage over the period 2001-2021.
This target consists of a minimum of:
 6,400 new homes within the existing Stevenage Borough boundary;
 9,600 new homes as “sustainable urban extensions” to the town of Stevenage on
land within North Hertfordshire; And
 6,200 new homes elsewhere in North Hertfordshire.
1.9
In total, 8,527 dwellings (net) had been completed, were outstanding on sites currently under
construction or had been granted planning permission by the partner authorities at 31st
March 2008. Deducting this figure from the 22,200 homes required by the East of England
Plan leaves a residual requirement of a further 13,673 net additional dwellings by 2021. This
information is shown in Table 1 below.
Table 1: Residual housing requirement 2008-2021 against East of England Plan targets
Stevenage
Urban
Elsewhere in
Total
Borough
extensions
North Herts
around
Stevenage in
North Herts
East of England Plan target
6,400
9,600
6,200
22,200
Net completions 2001-08
1,364
1,432
2,837
5,633
Under construction
660
73
609
1,342
With detailed permission
138
133
396
667
With permission subject to
16
16
0
0
completed legal agreement
With outline permission
402
0
467
869
Subtotal (deducted from
2,580
1,638
4,309
8,527
target)
Residual requirement 20083,820
7,962
1,891
13,673
2021
Source: North Hertfordshire and Stevenage Housing Monitoring
1.10 Section 6 provides an introduction to the SHLAA results and additional information on the
detailed assessment methodology. A more stringent approach to the assessment of
identified sites is one of the key features that differentiates SHLAAs from Urban Capacity
Studies.
1.11 It is explained that a variety of approaches were used to estimate dwelling density and sets
out how the suitability, available and achievability of identified sites were evaluated.
1.12 Assessments of suitability were, in the first instance, informed by site visits. In addition, each
site identified by the partner authorities was evaluated to determine whether it was subject to
any of a number of environmental, physical or policy characteristics or constraints. The
availability of sites has been assessed through direct correspondence with landowners.
1.13 Those sites that have been found to be both “suitable” and “available” for development have
subsequently been assessed in relation to their financial viability. This assessment of
achievability has been informed by the findings of a workshop held with the HBF, developers
and RSLs in June 2008.
1.14 In total, this study has identified 220 specific sites which were subject to the assessment
process outlined above. These sites covered some 972 hectares of land. Estimates of
capacity suggest that up to 23,969 dwellings could be delivered from these sites.
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1.15 Section 7 provides detailed analysis of sites within Stevenage (excluding land to the north
and west of the town). 113 specific sites were identified within Stevenage that were
considered to have potential to deliver five or more additional dwellings (net).
1.16 Following the assessment process, 48 sites have been identified as being “suitable”,
“available” and “achievable” for development. These sites satisfy the requirements set out in
PPS3 and Government Good Practice Guidance to be included in the SHLAA and forward
projections of land supply.
1.17 The 48 sites cover 108 hectares and have been assessed as having the potential to deliver
3,752 net additional dwellings. It is estimated that 2,834 of the 3,752 dwellings identified
(76%) can be accommodated on previously developed sites.
1.18 Section 8 assesses specific sites for urban extensions to Stevenage. The East of England
Plan, adopted in May 2008, designates Stevenage as a Key Centre for Development and
Change and envisages significant growth and regeneration of the town over the plan period.
A key component of this growth is the requirement to deliver urban extensions to the north
and west of the town, including at least 9,600 new homes on land within North Hertfordshire.
1.19 In the first instance, it is difficult to consider this target for development in North Hertfordshire
without reference to land within Stevenage. Section 8 therefore considers the housing
potential of sites that lie within the proposed boundaries of the Stevenage and North Herts
Action Plan (SNAP).
1.20 11 specific sites are identified to the north and west of Stevenage. The sites are those which
have been expressly brought to the partner authorities’ attention in light of the proposals in
the East of England Plan.
1.21 Following the assessment process outlined above, six sites have been identified as being
“suitable”, “available” and “achievable” for development to the north or west of Stevenage.
These sites satisfy the requirements set out in PPS3 and Government Good Practice
Guidance to be included in the SHLAA and forward projections of land supply.
1.22 The six sites cover 567 hectares and have been assessed as having the potential to deliver
11,400 net additional dwellings. Of these, 3,650 are within the Stevenage Borough boundary,
on 183 hectares of land. The remaining 384 hectares of land are located within North
Hertfordshire and it is estimated that 7,750 new homes could be provided on this land. It is
considered that 6,675 of these could be delivered by 2021 to contribute towards the target to
provide 9,600 new dwellings within the authority to meet the growth requirements of
Stevenage.
1.23 Section 9 examines sites elsewhere in North Hertfordshire. As a result of the initial site
identification exercise and analysis of capacity, 96 specific sites were identified.
1.24 Following the assessment process outlined above, 64 sites have been identified as being
“‘suitable”’, “available”’ and “achievable” for development. These sites therefore satisfy the
requirements set out in PPS3 and the Practice Guidance for preparing SHLAAs.
1.25 The 64 sites cover 102.5 hectares of land, and have been assessed as having the potential
to deliver 2,876 dwellings (net).
1.26 Section 10 reviews the findings of the Assessment in light of the information contained in
Sections 5 to 9. It notes that specific sites that could accommodate almost 17,000 new
dwellings have been identified. When these are added to housing completions achieved to
date and existing housing supply, more than 25,000 dwellings could be delivered in
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Stevenage and North Hertfordshire over the period 2001-2021. These findings are
summarised in Table 2 below.
Table 2: Identified land supply 2001-2021
Stevenage
Borough
st
Identified supply at 31 March
2008
Specific sites identified in
Stevenage*
Specific sites identified to the
north and west of Stevenage*
Specific sites identified
elsewhere in North Herts*
Total
Surplus / deficit against East of
England Plan target
Elsewhere in
North Herts
Total
6,400
1,364
Urban
extensions
around
Stevenage in
North Herts
9,600
1,432
6,200
2,837
22,200
5,633
1,216
206
1,472
2,894
3,752
-
-
3,752
3,650
6,675
-
10,325
-
-
2,876
2,876
9,982
8,313
7,185
25,480
+3,582
-1,287
+985
+3,280
* Figure is for those sites considered “suitable”, “available” and “achievable” in Sections 7, 8 and 9.
1.27 Within the Stevenage Borough boundary, the SHLAA has identified specific sites that could
deliver 7,402 dwellings. When housing completions and supply are added, it is considered
that there is sufficient land for just under 10,000 homes in the Borough over the period 20012021.
1.28 This represents a surplus of 3,582 over the East of England plan target. The SHLAA
therefore meets the minimum requirement set out in Government guidance to identify
sufficient specific sites for at least the first ten years of a plan.
1.29 For urban extensions to Stevenage on land in North Hertfordshire, the SHLAA has identified
specific sites that could deliver 6,675 dwellings within the East of England plan period. When
housing completions and supply are added, it is considered that there is sufficient land to
provide 8,313 homes in urban extensions to Stevenage on land within North Hertfordshire
over the period 2001-2021.
1.30 This represents a deficit of 1,287 units against the East of England plan target. The SHLAA
therefore fails to meet the minimum requirement set out in Government guidance to identify
sufficient specific sites for at least the first ten years of a plan. The partner authorities will
need to work together to remedy this deficiency prior to the submission of the joint
Stevenage and North Hertfordshire Action Plan.
1.31 For the remainder of North Hertfordshire, the SHLAA has identified specific sites that could
deliver 2,876 dwellings within the plan period. When housing completions and supply are
added, it is considered that there is sufficient land to provide 7,185 homes elsewhere in
North Hertfordshire over the period 2001-2021.
1.32 This represents a surplus of 985 units against the East of England plan target. The SHLAA
meets the minimum requirement to identify 10 years worth of specific sites from the
anticipated year of adoption.
1.33 Notwithstanding these findings, Government policy states that, where possible, plans should
identify specific site for years 10-15 (and, if possible, beyond) of their intended plan period.
7
For both of the partner authorities, this would require the identification of a supply of specific
sites to the year 2026. The review of the Assessment therefore considers the findings over
this longer time period. The findings are summarised in Table 3 below.
Table 3: Identified land supply measured against housing targets 2001-2026
Stevenage
Urban
Elsewhere in
Borough
extensions
North Herts
around
Stevenage in
North Herts
6,400
9,600
6,200
2001-2021
Provisional East of England Plan
1,900
2,900
1,550
target 2001-2026
Total
8,300
12,500
7,750
1,364
1,432
2,837
st
1,216
206
1,472
2008
Specific sites identified in the
7,402
7,750
2,876
SHLAA*
Total
9,982
9,388
7,185
England Plan 2026 target using
+1,682
-3,112
-565
specific sites
Potential contribution from broad
Not required
13,960
1,095
locations or windfalls
England Plan 2026 target
+10,848
+530
including broad locations or
windfalls
Total
22,200
6,350
28,550
5,633
2,894
18,028
26,555
-1,995
-
-
* Figure is for those sites considered “suitable”, “available” and “achievable” in Sections 7, 8 and 9
1.34 Within Stevenage, the supply of specific sites identified within this document is more than
sufficient to meet the Borough’s housing requirement over this longer time period.
1.35 The Assessment demonstrates a deficit of specific sites to meet the housing target for the
provision of urban extensions to Stevenage on land within North Hertfordshire over the
period to 2021. There is also a deficit when measured against the extended housing targets
to 2026.
1.36 When measured against the 2021 housing target, a surplus of 985 units is identified
elsewhere in North Hertfordshire. However, there is a deficit of 565 units when measured
over the period to 2026.
1.37 Section 10 finally contains a risk assessment, in line with advice in government guidance. In
addition to site-specific constraints, a number of potential issues are identified including:
 Delays in the planning and plan making processes;
 Ongoing uncertainties in the housing market and macro-economic conditions; and
 The need for timely delivery of supporting infrastructure.
1.38 Section 11 considers whether broad locations or windfalls can overcome the identified
deficits in housing supply.
1.39 For Stevenage Borough, no further consideration of alternative locations is required.
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1.40 In order to identify sufficient sites for urban extensions to Stevenage on land within North
Hertfordshire, a number of broad locations are assessed. It is concluded that these could
potentially yield a further 13,960 dwellings.
1.41 This figure is sufficient to meet the identified shortfalls of 1,287 dwellings to 2021 and 3,112
dwellings to 2026. Further, it demonstrates that there is sufficient land to continue providing
dwellings up to 2031. This will allow for a green belt review that accommodates development
needs to this point, in conformity with the East of England Plan.
1.42 It is demonstrated that, elsewhere in North Hertfordshire, windfall completions on small sites
have historically made an important contribution to the supply of new dwellings: 18% of all
completions since April 2001.
1.43 It is shown that a windfall allowance, based on past trends, is sufficient to remedy the
shortfall of identified housing land over the period to 2026.
1.44 Section 12 summarises the main conclusions of the Assessment.
1.45 Through the identification of specific sites, this SHLAA concludes that the minimum
requirement to identify a ten-year supply of specific housing sites for the first ten years after
the anticipated adoption of plan documents can be met within Stevenage Borough and
elsewhere in North Hertfordshire. This minimum requirement cannot be met for urban
extensions to Stevenage on land within North Hertfordshire. A deficit of 1,287 dwellings has
been identified against the overall target of 9,600 new homes by 2021.
1.46 The identified supply of specific sites in Stevenage Borough would be sufficient to provide a
fifteen-year supply post-adoption, over the period to 2026.
1.47 There is a significant deficit of specific sites, in excess of 3,000 dwellings, to provide urban
extensions to Stevenage on land within North Hertfordshire over the period to 2026.
However, the consideration of broad locations demonstrates that there is ample land within
the proposed boundary of the Stevenage and North Hertfordshire Action Plan (SNAP) to
make good this deficiency.
1.48 Although the supply of specific sites identified elsewhere in North Hertfordshire goes some
way towards meeting anticipated housing requirements post-2021, there is a deficit of 565
dwellings against the housing target to 2026. However, consideration of past windfall
completions demonstrates sufficient evidence to justify their inclusion in the consideration of
housing supply beyond 2021. The anticipated level of windfall provision is considered
sufficient to overcome the identified shortfall.
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2
What is a Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment?
2.1
The Government has identified that, over a number of years, the supply of new housing has
not kept up with demand. This has resulted in a large number of people who want a home of
their own but cannot find or afford one. Consequently, the Government aims to deliver a
significant increase in the delivery of new houses. At the national level, they have set a target
for three million new homes to be built by the year 2020 and stated that land availability
should not be a constraint on achieving this target.
2.2
The planning system breaks down this national target to provide housing figures for regions
and individual local authorities.
2.3
The 2004 Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act introduced significant changes to the way
in which planning policy is formulated. The previous Development Plan regime of County
Structure Plans and Local Plans has been replaced. Strategic planning is now undertaken at
the regional level through a Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS). At the district level, the Local
Plan is replaced by a suite of Local Development Documents (LDDs) known as the Local
Development Framework (LDF).
2.4
North Hertfordshire and Stevenage both lie within the East of England region. The RSS for
the East of England is known as the East of England Plan and was adopted on May 12th
2008. The Plan sets a target for a minimum of 22,200 new homes to be provided in North
Hertfordshire and Stevenage over the period 2001-2021. This consists of a minimum of:
 6,400 new homes within the existing Stevenage Borough boundary;
 9,600 new homes as “sustainable urban extensions” to Stevenage on land within
North Hertfordshire; and
 6,200 new homes elsewhere in North Hertfordshire.
2.5
North Hertfordshire and Stevenage must identify the sites on which these targets will be met
through their respective LDFs. In doing so, they must meet the requirement, set out in
Government planning statements1, that policies are founded upon a strong evidence base.
2.6
A Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (hereafter “SHLAA” or “Assessment”) is a
study undertaken at a local or sub-regional level which aims to identify specific sites and
broad locations where new housing can be located. This SHLAA aims to identify locations in
North Hertfordshire and Stevenage that can contribute towards the housing targets laid down
in the East of England Plan.
2.7
Although it is not a Local Development Document in its own right, this SHLAA forms a key
component of the evidence base for the Local Development Frameworks being produced by
the partner authorities and will inform the selection of sites to be allocated for housing
development.
2.8
It should be noted that inclusion of any named site in this study does not bind either Council
to the allocation of that site for development in future Development Plan Documents. The
SHLAA provides an illustration of the available sites which could be used to ensure housing
targets are delivered and an estimate of the number of new homes that could be delivered.
Its conclusions and recommendations will be used to inform the decision making process as
the partner authorities prepare those Development Plan Documents which will identify sites
for future development. Conversely the non-inclusion of sites in this SHLAA will not prevent
1
Planning Policy Statement 12: Local Spatial Planning (PPS12)
10
sites that are subsequently brought to the partner authorities’ attention from being
considered for allocation through the Local Development Framework preparation process.
2.9
The requirement to undertake SHLAAs replaces previous advice2 which encouraged
authorities to undertake Urban Capacity Studies. These assessed the extent to which future
housing requirements could be accommodated within existing settlements. Many of the
components of the Urban Capacity Study have been incorporated within the new style
SHLAAs, including the assessment of opportunities within existing settlements and estimates
of likely yield. However SHLAAs also differ from their predecessors in a number of key areas:
 There is a greater focus on the identification of specific sites, with Government
housing policy3 and practice guidance4 both clearly stating that an allowance for
windfall, or unidentified, sites should not be included in the first ten years of supply
unless specific local circumstances that justify their inclusion can be proven;
 The “suitability”, “availability” and “achievability” of sites must be proved. This means
that SHLAAs should be able to demonstrate:
That sites represent appropriate locations for development;
A willingness to develop on the part of the landowner; and
That, taking policy and site constraints into account, development would be
economically viable;
 Assessment is not restricted to previously developed, or brownfield, sites. Where
appropriate, authorities should consider the potential for greenfield, or previously
undeveloped, land to contribute towards housing land supply.
2.10 This SHLAA covers the local authority areas of North Hertfordshire and Stevenage and
assesses housing land availability over the periods 2001-2021 and 2001-2026. This joint
approach reflects DCLG good practice guidance which advocates the production of
assessments covering more than one local authority area.
2.11 This area will additionally match that of the two Councils’ Strategic Housing Market
Assessment and reflect the requirement, expressed through the East of England Plan, for the
two authorities to work jointly to deliver at least 9,600 homes in new neighbourhoods to the
north and west of Stevenage (in addition to a minimum of 6,200 dwellings for the rest of
North Hertfordshire District and 6,400 for Stevenage Borough).
2.12 In accordance with Government Guidance, the production of this assessment has been
undertaken in consultation with key partners including landowners, the Home Builders
Federation (HBF) and its members.
2.13 This Assessment contains the following core outputs, as advised by the Government’s good
practice guidance:
 A list of sites, cross-referenced to maps showing locations and boundaries of specific
sites and broad locations;
 Assessment of the deliverability / developability of each identified site to determine
when it is realistically expected to be developed;
 Estimates of the potential quantity of housing that could be delivered on each
identified site or within each identified broad location;
 Constraints on the delivery of identified sites; and
 Recommendations on how these constraints can be overcome and when.
2
Planning Policy Guidance note 3: Housing (PPG3)
Planning Policy Statement 3: Housing (PPS3)
4
Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessments: Practice Guidance, DCLG
3
11
3
SHLAA Methodology
3.1
This SHLAA has been produced in accordance with government guidance and informed by
consultation with key stakeholders, including landowners and the Home Builders Federation
(HBF).
3.2
The two authorities had previously created a Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA)
Stakeholder group to guide the development of other LDF evidence studies. This group
contained many of the key parties required including house builders, registered social
landlords (RSLs), local property agents, the Housing Corporation and English Partnerships.
3.3
The SHLAA was formally ‘launched’ at a meeting of the SHMA Stakeholder group on 14th
January 2008. Copies of a draft methodology were circulated for comment. This draft
followed the steps set out in DCLG’s good practice guidance, which are reproduced below.
Attendees were also invited to submit any sites that they felt should be brought to our
attention.
Source: Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessments Practice Guidance, CLG, July 2007
3.4
A revised draft of the methodology was produced in March 2008. This formed the basis of
the project plan which guided the production of the SHLAA. A copy of this document is
included in Appendix 1.
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3.5
However it is important to acknowledge that, as a relatively new process, there was almost
no practical experience of producing SHLAAs that the partner authorities could draw on in
producing the draft methodology. Consequently, on-going alterations were made as the
SHLAA progressed and familiarity with, and experience of, the necessary processes was
gained. Key alterations to the draft methodology included in Appendix 1 have included:
 A more focussed approach to stakeholder engagement. The draft methodology
proposed the use of the SHMA Stakeholder group as a forum for progressing the
SHLAA. In reality, more targeted consultation was used (outlined below in paragraphs
3.7 to 3.9);
 The use of April 1st 2008 as a base date for housing completions and permissions,
rather than April 1st 2007 as initially proposed. The figures in this SHLAA should
therefore reflect those to be published in the participating authorities 2007/08
Monitoring Reports (subject to minor alterations as these figures are finalised);
 In identifying exemplar schemes to assess likely yield, it became apparent that it was
easiest to calculate gross densities. Gross to net ratios were therefore only used in
instances where it was felt that other land use or infrastructure requirements would
have a significant impact on the quantity of land available for housing. Additionally,
sketch schemes were used to assess likely yield in a small number of instances.
 The assessment of specific sites in relation to the urban extensions of Stevenage.
The sole use of broad locations, as originally proposed, would not have permitted
these sites to be considered in the first ten years of supply.
 Consideration of the Assessment’s findings for the period beyond 2021 to determine
whether the partner authorities will be able to identify a fifteen-year supply of specific
sites in their LDDs, as encouraged by PPS3
 Slippage in the original timescales envisaged. Certain aspects of the process,
including the identification of, and correspondence with, landowners took longer than
originally anticipated.
3.6
The experience gained through the production of this first SHLAA will be reflected in the
processes and methodologies used to produce future updates. Additional information on the
methods used are contained throughout this document as appropriate.
3.7
As stated above, North Hertfordshire and Stevenage Councils encouraged stakeholder
involvement throughout the process. All landowners identified through the site selection
process were contacted to invite their views and inform the production of the draft
Assessment. These responses were used to guide findings on site availability, discussed
further in Sections 7, 8 and 9.
3.8
The Home Builders Federation (HBF) was provided with a representative sample of sites in
March 2008 and invited to circulate these amongst its members for comment. This was
followed by a workshop session held on 6th June 2008. This session was attended by
representatives from the HBF, Housing Corporation, house builders and RSLs. The
information gathered from these exercises has been used in determining whether sites could
be considered suitable and achievable.
3.9
A targeted three-week consultation on the draft SHLAA was conducted between August and
September 2008. A summary of the key points raised through the consultation, and the
partner authorities’ response is contained in Appendix 2.
3.10 Outside of the SHLAA process, each of the partner authorities has requested public opinions
on a number of potential housing development sites through the Issues and Options and
Preferred Options stages of their emerging Local Development Frameworks. Both Councils
will continue to actively involve members of the community in consultation on housing
allocations through the Local Development Framework process.
13
4
Site identification
4.1
Housing sites can be identified from a wide variety of sources. The DCLG’s Practice
Guidance identifies a number of sources which should be considered in the preparation of a
SHLAA. These are:
 Sites in the planning process:
planning permissions for housing that are under construction
unimplemented / outstanding planning permissions for housing
existing housing allocations and site development briefs
land allocated (or with permission) for employment or other land uses which
are no longer required for those uses
 Sites not currently in the planning process (including):
vacant and derelict land and buildings
surplus public sector land
land in non-residential use which may be suitable for redevelopment for
housing, such as commercial buildings or car parks, including as part of
mixed-use development
additional housing opportunities in established residential areas, such as
under-used garage blocks
large scale redevelopment and re-design of existing residential areas
sites in rural settlements and rural exception sites
urban extensions
new free standing settlements
4.2
Sites with planning permission (either not started or under construction) have been included
but not subjected to the tests of suitability, availability or achievability. If planning permission
has been granted, the site is clearly suitable; if someone has pursued an application it is
highly likely to be available; and presumably that person has not pursued an economically
unachievable scheme.
4.3
Whilst the market for housing at the time of writing has become more volatile than in the
early part of the plan period, the period being looked at extends sufficiently far that it is likely
the market will improve again.
4.4
Residual allocations from the saved Local Plans were identified. Policy H3 of the Stevenage
District Plan Second Review allocated 14 new sites for housing development in order to meet
the Structure Plan housing requirement. As at 31st March 2008, five of these sites remained
extant. The Borough Council remains broadly supportive of housing development in these
locations. These sites have therefore been included in the detailed assessment contained in
Section 7.
4.5
Outstanding allocations from North Hertfordshire have been reviewed and the majority
included in the detailed assessment of sites in Section 9. Six sites were excluded on the
basis that they were known to officers to be unsuitable or unavailable. Those excluded were:
 r/o The Bury, Codicote: Site is within walled garden of listed building and has
significant access problems. Although landowner was investigating a scheme 20
years ago, there have been no recent negotiations.
 39 Queen Street, Hitchin: At the time the local plan was being prepared, negotiations
were underway investigating either the conversion to or replacement of this building
with flats. These never came to fruition and the building has now been restored as a
single house.
14
 6 Station Terrace, Hitchin: In the 1980s permission was granted for a block of flats on
this site, but that permission has long since lapsed and there has been no evidence
of intention to pursue such a scheme since.
 97 Walsworth Road, Hitchin: This site is only accessible through an archway beneath
a shop and is well used as a depot by the funeral directors who run the shop. As well
as having poor access, the site is a very difficult shape and very close to existing
residential properties in Walsworth Road, Trevor Road and Benslow Lane.
 The Cloisters, Barrington Road, Letchworth: The Cloisters is a grade II* listed building
(of some eccentricity) such that development in its grounds is now unlikely to be
acceptable. Whilst there were negotiations at the time the former local plan was being
prepared, there have been no recent advances.
 Sollershott Hall, Sollershott East, Letchworth: There was a permission for five flats on
the site of the garage courts here once, but this permission has lapsed and there
have been no recent negotiations.
4.6
The final category of sites already in the planning process identified in the DCLG guidance is
land allocated for other uses which are no longer required for those uses. Clearly, the length
of time which has elapsed since the relevant local plan was adopted will have a bearing
here.
4.7
The Stevenage District Plan was adopted in 2004 and, as such, a number of the nonresidential allocations contained within it remain likely to be required for their allotted uses.
4.8
The Plan identified six specific sites to provide new employment floorspace. Development
has now occurred on five of these sites, while an application has recently been submitted on
the sixth. Furthermore, as a planned new town, much of Stevenage’s employment land is
concentrated in two designated and self-contained employment areas. Residential
development of sites within these areas would, in most instances, relate poorly to its
surroundings while a continuing supply of such suitable employment areas is necessary to
meet the employment targets set in the East of England Plan. No sites from the Gunnels
Wood or Pin Green employment areas have therefore been included in the Assessment.
4.9
The District Plan identified two greenfield sites in the town as reserve school sites to ensure
the availability of land for future education provision. Since the adoption of the plan in 2004,
the County Council, as education authority, has embarked on a programme to transform
educational provision in the town. Through the Government’s Building Schools for the Future
programme, it is anticipated that future land requirements will be met through the
rationalisation and expansion of existing educational sites in the town. The two reserve
school site allocations are therefore no longer required and have been included for
consideration in the SHLAA.
4.10 In North Hertfordshire, by contrast, the local plan is considerably older, having been adopted
in 1996. However, the District Council’s Employment Land Review5 identified an ongoing
need for additional employment land, partly fuelled by the high levels of new housing being
accommodated within the district. The possibility of extending existing employment areas in
Hitchin, Baldock and Royston onto greenfield land may allow some existing underperforming
employment areas close to housing to be released for housing. A small number of such sites
have been included within this assessment.
4.11 For sites not already in the planning process, it was considered likely that a significant
number of sites would be identified. The methodology for the SHLAA therefore included a
5
Employment Land Review, Bone Wells, 2006
15
threshold of five dwellings or 0.1Ha. Any sites smaller than this have not been included,
although there will undoubtedly be an element of supply from such sites over the plan period.
4.12 As noted in paragraph 2.9 above, there are considerable overlaps between the SHLAA and
the urban capacity studies which were prepared under previous Government policy. Both
Stevenage and North Hertfordshire have previously published such urban capacity studies6.
Stevenage were, additionally, in the process of preparing a revised urban capacity study
when the Government introduced the new requirement for Strategic Housing Land
Availability Assessments. Elements of those studies overlap with the sources of sites to be
considered in the SHLAA.
4.13 In particular, all but two of the examples listed above under ‘sites not currently in the planning
process’ were considered in the preparation of the urban capacity studies. Officers at both
Councils have continued to monitor the estimates made in the urban capacity studies. Sites
from those urban capacity studies which have not been developed have been included in the
SHLAA.
4.14 The two sources not previously included in the urban capacity studies relate to greenfield
land. The sources of sites used for these greenfield elements have been drawn from
emerging policy documents. The recently published East of England Plan does not call for
new free standing settlements in either North Hertfordshire or Stevenage, nor are any of the
shortlisted ‘eco-towns’ within the area covered by this study. Therefore, no proposals for new
free standing settlements have been included in this SHLAA.
4.15 By contrast, there are a number of possible urban extensions within the study area. The East
of England Plan provides the strategic policy framework for significant urban extensions to
the town of Stevenage. This is being taken forward by both authorities working in partnership
to produce the Stevenage and North Hertfordshire Action Plan (SNAP) to guide these urban
extensions. This SHLAA has therefore taken a number of areas within the SNAP area and
analysed them as potential housing sites.
4.16 On a smaller scale, the towns of Hitchin, Letchworth Garden City, Baldock and Royston have
also each had areas identified for possible greenfield expansion. These directions for growth
have been established through the preparation of the Core Strategy for North Hertfordshire.
4.17 A number of sites not identified through the above methods have also been evaluated
through the SHLAA. These include:
 New sites promoted to / by the partner authorities through the LDF or development
control process;
 Sites identified through other evidence studies as having potential for development.
4.18 Within Stevenage, the recent Open Space Study7 identified a number of sites which should
be considered for potential disposal, while the Retail Capacity Assessment8 identified sites
that could be considered long-term for retail led mixed use development. These sites have all
been included in the SHLAA.
6
Stevenage Borough Council Urban Capacity Study, Chesterton, May 2001 and North Hertfordshire Housing
Capacity Study, Halcrow, August 2003
7
Open Space, Recreation and Sport Study, PMP, February 2006
8
Stevenage Town Centre Retail Capacity Assessment, King Sturge LLP, June 2007
16
5
Quantifying the housing requirement
5.1
Under the new Development Plan system introduced in 2004, targets for the provision of new
housing are set through the East of England Plan. The East of England Plan was adopted in
May 2008 and states that a minimum of 22,200 new homes must be provided in North
Hertfordshire and Stevenage over the period 2001-2021. This equates to 1,110 new homes
per year when spread evenly across the twenty year plan period. The target consists of a
minimum of:
 6,400 new homes within the existing Stevenage Borough boundary (equivalent to 320
new homes per year over twenty years);
 9,600 new homes as “sustainable urban extensions” to the town of Stevenage on
land within North Hertfordshire (480 new homes per year); and
 6,200 new homes elsewhere in North Hertfordshire (310 new homes per year).
5.2
It is important to note that both North Hertfordshire and Stevenage are already part way to
achieving these targets. By discounting net housing completions and planning permissions
granted since the start of the East of England Plan period, it is possible to calculate the
residual requirement. It is this figure that quantifies the number of homes for which the
SHLAA needs to identify sites.
5.3
A cut off date of 31st March 2008 has been used in the calculation of housing completions
and permissions.
5.4
Between April 1st 2001 and March 31st 2008, 5,633 new homes (net) were completed in
North Hertfordshire and Stevenage, an average of 805 per year. Of these, 1,364 were within
Stevenage Borough, 1,432 were within extensions to the town within North Hertfordshire and
2,837 were elsewhere in North Hertfordshire. A breakdown of these figures is detailed in
Table 4 below.
Table 4: Net dwelling completions in North Hertfordshire and Stevenage 2001-2008
Net Housing Completions in
Urban extensions
Monitoring
Stevenage
Elsewhere in
around
Year
Borough
North Herts
Stevenage in
North Herts
2001/02
180
310
414
2002/03
112
246
422
2003/04
37
97
393
2004/05
168
83
367
2005/06
128
223
368
2006/07
353
233
390
2007/08
386
240
483
Total
1,364
1,432
2,837
Total
904
780
527
618
719
976
1,109
5,633
17
5.5
As at 31st March 2008, permission had been granted across the two authorities for a further
2,894 dwellings. This figure includes sites currently under construction, with detailed or
outline planning permission and those sites granted a resolution to permit subject to the
completion of legal agreements9.
5.6
A full list of sites with outstanding completions or extant permissions is contained in Appendix
3 to this report. To avoid double counting, none of the sites listed in this Appendix have been
considered elsewhere in the SHLAA.
5.7
In total, 8,527 dwellings (net) had been completed, were outstanding on sites currently under
construction or had been granted planning permission by the partner authorities10 as at 31st
March 2008. Extant housing planning allocations that have not been developed, are not
under construction or have not been granted permission are not included in the above
figures. These sites are considered elsewhere in the SHLAA.
5.8
Deducting these figures from the 22,200 homes required by the East of England Plan leaves
a residual requirement for a further 13,673 net additional dwellings by 2021. Of these 3,820
are within Stevenage Borough, 7,962 in urban extensions to Stevenage within North
Hertfordshire and 1,891 are elsewhere in North Hertfordshire. This information is shown in
Table 5 below.
Table 5: Residual housing requirement 2008-2021 against East of England Plan targets
Stevenage
Urban
Elsewhere in
Total
Borough
extensions
North Herts
around
Stevenage in
North Herts
6,400
9,600
6,200
22,200
1,364
1,432
2,837
5,633
Under construction
660
73
609
1,342
With detailed permission
138
133
396
667
With permission subject to
16
16
0
0
completed legal agreement
With outline permission
402
0
467
869
Subtotal (deducted from
2,580
1,638
4,309
8,527
target)
Residual requirement 20083,820
7,962
1,891
13,673
2021
5.9
The SHLAA should, at minimum, identify sufficient sites and locations to meet or exceed
these requirements and ensure that each of the component parts of the overall figure are
individually met.
9
Excludes land at Stevenage West. The Secretary of State (SoS) issued a decision stating he was “minded
to approve” an application for 3,600 homes in October 2005 subject to the satisfactory completion of a legal
agreement between the interested parties. This agreement had not been signed at the cut-off date, three
years on from the Secretary of State’s decision. As the power to approve or refuse this application does not
lie with the partner authorities it is not felt appropriate to include this figure in housing supply at this time. The
potential capacity of land to the west of Stevenage is fully considered along with other potential urban
extension sites in Section 8.
10
Includes sites granted permission subject to the completion of s106 legal agreements with the exception
of Stevenage West (see footnote 9).
18
6
Introduction to SHLAA Results
6.1
The following sections and their associated appendices set out the main findings of the
Assessment in relation to specific sites in North Hertfordshire and Stevenage. A more
stringent approach to the assessment of identified sites is one of the key features that
differentiates SHLAAs from Urban Capacity Studies.
6.2
Estimates of housing potential are central to this study. The Government’s good practice
guidance advocates the use of existing or emerging plan policies, sketch layouts or real life
sample schemes to anticipate the likely density that can be achieved on site. A combination
of these approaches were utilised by the two authorities.
6.3
The use of real life schemes was the most frequently used approach. Sites previously
identified in North Hertfordshire’s Urban Capacity Study11 had their capacity estimated using
exemplar schemes. These estimates were carried forwards for use in the SHLAA. Sample
schemes were also used to estimate density on the majority of identified sites in Stevenage.
A range of schemes granted planning permission since the start of the plan period were used
to determine achievable densities. Preliminary schemes and design briefs were also
consulted where available.
6.4
North Hertfordshire’s emerging Core Strategy density policy was used to estimate capacity
on sites identified in the district since the Urban Capacity Study. Sketch schemes were used
for a small number of residential infill sites in Stevenage where it was considered that there
were no sample schemes that represented an appropriate proxy.
6.5
The Assessment also examines the suitability, availability and achievability of each site.
6.6
Assessments of suitability were, in the first instance, informed by site visits. In addition, each
site identified by the partner authorities was evaluated to determine whether it was subject to
any of the following environmental, physical or policy characteristics or constraints:
 Air Quality Management Area (AQMA)
 Area of flood risk
 Area of Outstanding National Beauty
(AONB)
 Areas of archaeological significance
 Conservation Area
 Contaminated land
 Green Belt
 High quality agricultural land
 Historic Parks and Gardens
 Listed Building
6.7
11
 Policies restricting / resisting the loss of
the existing use
 Previously developed land
 Public rights of way / ancient lanes
 Recreation or Open Space / Green Links
 Regionally important Geological sites
(RIGs)
 Scheduled Ancient Monuments (SAMs)
 Sites of Special Scientific Interest
(SSSIs)
 Tree Preservation Order(s)
 Wildlife Site
Where constraints have been identified, consideration has been given as to whether these
can be overcome. Any necessary measures are identified in the associated appendices.
North Hertfordshire Housing Capacity Study, Halcrow, August 2003
19
6.8
Where it is considered that constraints might be resolved, a ‘traffic light’ system using three
categories: Good (green), Moderate (amber) and Difficult (red), has been used to indicate the
likely prospects of those deficiencies being made good. Where identified constraints are
considered to be insurmountable, the site has been defined as unsuitable for development.
6.9
The availability of sites has been assessed through direct correspondence with landowners.
Some sites were already known to be available to the authorities as they have been actively
promoted by landowners or developers through pre-application discussions or the
development plan process.
6.10 Where the intentions of landowners were not already known, they were approached by the
partner authorities to ascertain their intentions for the land. On sites where land ownership
details were not known, Land Registry searches were conducted.
6.11 Responses from landowners have been used to assess the availability of sites and, where
appropriate, to estimate the time period in which the site is likely to come forward. Where the
landowner(s) could not be determined or no response was received, the site has been
recorded as being unavailable for development.
6.12 Those sites that have been found to be both “suitable” and “available” for development have
subsequently been assessed in relation to their financial viability. This assessment of
achievability has been informed by the findings of the workshop held with the HBF,
developers and RSLs in June 2008. Attendees were provided with a representative sample
of sites in order to comment on their key strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
These findings have been applied to other relevant sites.
6.13 In relation to North Hertfordshire, the key findings were considered to be:
 Multiple ownership of sites cause significant obstacles to development;
 Development near listed buildings or in conservation areas significantly increases
costs of design and construction; and
 Market for flats is currently weaker than it has been which may undermine some of
the large town centre schemes, notably in Letchworth Garden City.
6.14 In relation to Stevenage, the key findings were considered to be:
 High existing use values of some employment sites could deter development;
 The current weak market for flats in combination with high levels of supply
(particularly in the Old Town) could affect the viability / attractiveness of
predominantly flatted schemes, especially in the short-term; and
 Potential ransom strips and assembly costs associated with sites currently in multiple
ownership could increase development costs. This risk increases commensurate with
the number of landowners involved.
6.15 In addition to the feedback from the workshop session, any relevant findings arising from site
visits and consultation with landowners have been used to inform the assessment of this
issue.
6.16 Affordable Housing requirements are recognised to be a key factor that can affect scheme
viability. Both North Hertfordshire and Stevenage, through their emergent core strategies, are
suggesting a tiered approach to Affordable Housing provision. If approved, this will see a
20% requirement imposed on sites of 5 units, escalating to 40% on sites of 25 units or more.
20
6.17 The implications of this policy approach have been tested through an evidence study
commissioned by the two authorities12. It concluded that the 40% target was achievable on
large sites and the proposed tiered approach was also viable, subject to a caveat that
permits negotiation where developers can provide evidence to justify a different level of
provision. Following these findings, this Assessment has not considered (emerging)
Affordable Housing requirements to be a significant ‘brake’ on potential development.
6.18 As with the evaluation of site suitability, a traffic light notation has been used to indicate the
prospects of potential barriers to viability being overcome. Any actions arising from this
assessment have also been noted.
6.19 The assessment of sites within Stevenage, surrounding Stevenage (including land for urban
extensions in North Hertfordshire) and elsewhere in North Hertfordshire are set out in turn in
the following sections.
6.20 In total, this study has identified 220 specific sites which were subject to the assessment
process outlined above. These sites covered some 972 hectares of land. Estimates of
capacity suggest that up to 23,969 dwellings could be delivered from these sites.
12
Affordable Housing Development Economics Study, Adams Integra, September 2007.
21
7
SHLAA Results - Sites in Stevenage
7.1
The figures and sites in this section exclude land to the west and north of the existing town
that lies within the Borough boundary. These areas are considered together with the land in
North Hertfordshire that will be needed to deliver the urban extensions required by the East
of England Plan in Section 8.
7.2
As a result of the initial site identification exercise and analysis of capacity, 113 specific sites
were identified within the remainder of Stevenage Borough that were considered to have
potential to deliver five or more additional dwellings (net). These formed a ‘long-list’ which
was then analysed to determine the suitability and availability of each site for development.
The assessment process was then used to eliminate those sites that are not considered to
be candidates for housing development.
7.3
The long list of sites is contained in Table 6 and shown on the maps on the following pages.
These sites covered a total of 145 hectares of land. Initial estimates of dwelling capacity
suggested these sites could yield between 5,614 and 5,767 net additional dwellings. A
number of additional sites were considered but were discarded as they were considered to
have no potential to deliver additional housing development or would yield less than five
units.
7.4
The range in the dwelling figure arises from a small number of sites where it was felt that a
single estimate could prove unreliable. This includes three sites within the town centre
identified elsewhere in the Borough Council’s evidence base13 as potential locations for
retail-led development. A lack of comparable schemes existed. The estimate was therefore
based upon a range between two figures. The first (lower) figure applied the gross dwelling
density suggested in the recent outline planning application for the town centre regeneration
scheme to those sites. The second (higher) figure was estimated by applying the density
achieved in recent accessible, high density flat schemes to one-third of the site area. Both
approaches reflected the conclusion that wholly residential uses would not be acceptable on
these sites.
7.5
A significant number of the identified sites are in public ownership. This is a legacy of
Stevenage’s New Town status. The Development Corporation, responsible for the planning
and development of the town between 1946 and 1980, held significant land assets. Many of
these were transferred to the Borough Council when the Corporation was wound up. Other
sites identified are owned by a variety of agencies, investment funds, (multi-)national
companies and local businesses and individuals.
7.6
Tables 7 and 8 analyse the distribution of the identified sites by ward and land type. In terms
of the number of sites, the largest number of opportunities were identified in the Old Town,
followed by Roebuck and Bedwell wards. A smaller number of opportunities were found in
the remaining, predominantly residential wards.
7.7
When measured by site area, Longmeadow ward contained the single largest quantity of
sites (41 hectares). This is due to the inclusion of a number of large greenfield opportunities
to the south-east of the town. The second largest quantity of sites measured by land area, 38
hectares, was in Bedwell ward, which contains a number of large sites in the town centre.
13
Stevenage Town Centre Retail Capacity Assessment, King Sturge LLP, June 2007
22
Table 6: Long list of identified sites in Stevenage
Ref Address 1
001 Shephall View
002 Vincent Court
003 Ferrier Road
004 Pond Close
005 Snooker Club
101 Telephone Exchange
102 The Granby Public House
104 Used Car Lot
105 Specialist Cars
107 Ken Brown Car showroom
108 Filling Station
109 Car Showroom
110 Filling Station
111 Filling Station
112 Peugeot Garage
113 White Lion Public House
114 Esso Garage
117 Roebuck Retail Park South
118 Roebuck Retail Park North
119 Roaring Meg South Retail Park
120 Elmes Arcade
121 Town Centre regeneration site
122 Tesco Superstore
123 The Forum
124 Market Square
125 Stevenage Leisure Park
201 Broad Hall Centre and adjacent amenity land
202 Salvation Army Hall
203 Hydean Way Drill Halls and Garage Block
204 Nokeside halls
206 Cutty’s Lane Friends Meeting House
207 Scout Hall
208 Car Park at
Address 2
Fishers Green Road
Letchmore Road
Exchange Road and Bedwell Crescent
North Road north of Tudor Close
Broadwater Crescent
London Road
Shephall Way
Lonsdale Road
Chells Way
Broadwater Crescent
Bradman Way
Pound Avenue and Letchmore Road
Bell Lane
Lytton Way/ Woolners Way
London Road
London Road
Monkswood Way
High Street
Danestrete
The Forum
St Georges Way
Market Place and Park Place
Shephall Green and Hydean Way
Bedwell Crescent
Hydean Way and Long Leaves
Scout Hall Broadwater and Nokeside
Friends Meeting House
Shephall Green
Round Mead Community Centre
23
Ward
Bedwell
Symonds Green
Manor
Old Town
Old Town
Bedwell
Woodfield
Roebuck
Roebuck
Shephall
Pin Green
Chells
Roebuck
Martins Wood
Old Town
Old Town
Old Town
Roebuck
Roebuck
Roebuck
Old Town
Bedwell
Bedwell
Bedwell
Bedwell
Bedwell
Shephall
Bedwell
Shephall
Roebuck
Bedwell
Shephall
Bandley Hill
Site Area
0.67
1.13
1.34
0.80
0.30
0.40
0.22
0.22
0.86
0.14
0.22
0.15
0.14
0.23
0.14
0.11
0.22
0.79
0.96
1.93
0.15
18.89
2.52
1.37
1.85
8.15
1.06
0.10
0.20
0.18
0.12
0.20
0.13
Dwellings
30
51
56
48
23
50
6
13
47
6
12-20
6
13
21
12
8
23
43
45
145
8
1050
140-200
75-110
100-150
350
37
6
5
8
14
5
12
Ref
209
210
211
212
213
215
216
217
303
304
305
307
403
404
406
407
408
409
410
411
412
501
502
503
504
506
507
508
510
511
512
513
515
517
Address 1
Ex-Play Centre
Chells Way Surgery
Bedwell Medical Centre
Scout Hut
Play Centre
King George Surgery
Ambulance and Fire Station
Longfield Fire and Rescue Centre
Collenswood School
Lonsdale School
The Valley School
Thomas Alleyne
Six Hills House
Kings Court
Builders Yard
Orchard Road Depot
Saffron Ground
Depot
Antelope House
Bank House
MOT Centre
Weston Road Garage Court
Haycroft Road Garage Court
Nash Close Garage Court
Ridlins End Garage Court
Broadwater Lane Garage Court and Caravan Site
Tye End Garage Court
Colts Corner Garage Court
Mandeville Garage Court
Dunn Close Garage Court
Harrow Court Garage Court
Brent Court Garages Court
Bedwell Crescent Garage Court
Valley Way Garage Court
Address 2
Scarborough Avenue
Columbus Close
Sinfield Close
Drakes Drive
Eliot Road
Stanmore Road
St Georges Way
Hitchin Road
Collenswood Road
Webb Rise
Valley Way
Olde Swan Court
London Road/ Six Hills Way
London Road
Letchmore Road
Orchard Road
South end of Ditchmore Lane
Julians Road
Gates Way
Primett Road
High Street
Weston Road
Haycroft Road
Nash Close Road
Ridlins End
Oaksfield Close and Broadwater Lane
Tye End
Colts Corner
Mandeville
Dunn Close
Silam Road
Silam Road
Bedwell Crescent
Valley Way
24
Ward
Symonds Green
Chells
Bedwell
Manor
Chells
Old Town
Bedwell
Woodfield
Bandley Hill
Pin Green
Shephall
Old Town
Roebuck
Roebuck
Old Town
Old Town
Old Town
Old Town
Old Town
Old Town
Old Town
Old Town
Old Town
Chells
Bandley Hill
Longmeadow
Roebuck
Shephall
Longmeadow
Bedwell
Bedwell
Bedwell
Bedwell
Shephall
Site Area
0.20
0.14
0.14
0.26
0.30
0.16
0.42
2.68
2.37
1.77
2.50
1.72
0.87
0.72
0.35
0.38
0.47
0.53
0.64
0.22
0.17
0.50
0.20
0.18
0.30
0.44
0.45
0.16
0.22
0.34
0.31
0.22
0.21
0.21
Dwellings
11
6
5
14
0*
9
45
139
95
92
130
34
97
80
18
19
89
17
121
23
13
14
6
5
5
12
13
5
6
9
9
6
6
6
Ref
518
522
525
526
527
528
601
602
603
604
605
606
607
609
701
702
703
704
705
707
708
709
710
712
713
714
721
801
802
803
804
805
806
808
Address 1
Broadwater Crescent Garage Court
Livingstone Link Garage court
Church Lane Garage Court and Car Park
Centre Car Park
Northern Car Park
Southern Car Park
Former reserved school site
Land east of Bragbury Lane
Land off A602 [B]
Land off A602 [C]
Allotments
Land off Knebworth Lane
Bragbury End Sports Ground
Kenilworth Close Neighbourhood Centre
Filey Close Neighbourhood Centre
The Hyde Neighbourhood Centre
The Oval Neighbourhood Centre
Oaks Cross Neighbourhood Centre
Burwell Road Neighbourhood Centre
Roebuck Neighbourhood Centre
The Glebe Neighbourhood Centre
Marymead Neighbourhood Centre
Canterbury Way Neighbourhood Centre
Chells Manor Neighbourhood Centre
Archer Road Neighbourhood Centre
Bedwell Crescent NC
Ridgemond Park [B]
Ridgemond Park [A]
Amenity Space
Land to rear of
Marymead Springs
Aston Wood
Six Acre Wood
Address 2
St Margarets
Livingstone Link
South End Close
Primett Road
Primett Road
Primett Road
Hertford Road
Edmonds Drive
Bragbury End
Bragbury End
Bragbury End
Lawrence Road
Bragbury End
Hertford Road
Symonds Green
Hydean/ Shephall Way
Vardon/ Jessop Road
Oaks Cross
Burwell Road
Broadwater Crescent/ Roebuck Gate
Mobbsbury Way
Broadwater Crescent
Canterbury Way
Pacation Way
Archer Road
Exchange Road
Telford Avenue
Telford Avenue
Almonds Lane
Barleycroft
Devonshire Close
Broadwater Lane
Eliot Road
25
Ward
Roebuck
Manor
Old Town
Old Town
Old Town
Old Town
Roebuck
Bandley Hill
Longmeadow
Longmeadow
Longmeadow
Old Town
Roebuck
Longmeadow
Longmeadow
Symonds Green
Shephall
Martins Wood
Longmeadow
Bandley Hill
Roebuck
Chells
Roebuck
St Nicholas
Martins Wood
Pin Green
Bedwell
Chells
Chells
Old Town
Bandley Hill
Roebuck
Shephall
Chells
Site Area
0.21
0.27
0.22
0.27
0.38
0.37
2.65
3.53
1.50
15.80
4.14
1.54
0.58
17.00
0.70
1.03
1.49
2.41
0.60
0.75
0.51
1.21
0.89
1.05
1.27
0.54
2.51
1.40
3.74
0.48
0.28
1.12
1.87
0.60
Dwellings
6
7
6
33
47
46
74
93
35
356
47
65
15
55
20
5
73
169
24
5
26
45
8
72
65
25
51
59
132
20
8
42
32
32*
Ref
809
810
811
812
814
819
820
821
907
908
909
910
Address 1
Hertford Road Wood
Woodland Way Wood
Pear Tree Spring
Land rear of
Land at St Albans Link
Land at Malvern Close
Land West of Bragbury Lane
Land at Vardon Road
24 and 26 Julians Road
Hitchin Road
Orchard House
Ditchmore Lane
Address 2
Ashburnham Walk
Fir Close
r/o The Maltings
Finders Close
Ashdown Way
Bragbury End
Orchard Road
Ward
Roebuck
Roebuck
Shephall
Chells
Woodfield
Longmeadow
Longmeadow
Pin Green
Old Town
Old Town
Old Town
Old Town
Total
*Site 213 not considered to have dwelling potential in isolation. Dwelling estimate incorporated within that for Site 808
Area figures may not sum precisely due to rounding
26
Site Area
0.72
0.23
0.36
0.33
0.18
0.27
0.33
1.09
0.25
1.47
0.19
0.52
145.48
Dwellings
29
9
16
10
5
8
13
29
6
24
5
35
5,614 – 5,767
Map 1: Long list of identified sites – Stevenage (NW)
27
Map 2: Long list of identified sites – Stevenage (NE)
28
Map 3: Long list of identified sites – Stevenage (SW)
29
Map 4: Long list of identified sites – Stevenage (SE)
30
7.8
86 of the identified sites were wholly on previously developed land. This represents 76% of
the total, or 56% when measured by land area. The most significant greenfield opportunities
identified are on land to the north and south of the A602 at Bragbury End, in the south-east
corner of the Borough.
Table 7: Distribution of identified sites in Stevenage – by Ward
Ward
Number of sites Area (hectares)
Bandley Hill
Bedwell
Chells
Longmeadow
Manor
Martins Wood
Old Town
Pin Green
Roebuck
Shephall
St Nicholas
Symonds Green
Woodfield
Total
6
16
9
10
3
3
27
4
18
10
1
3
3
113
7.36
38.23
8.05
41.00
1.87
3.91
12.73
3.62
14.03
8.19
1.05
2.36
3.08
145.48
Dwelling
estimate
218
1,946 – 2,091
295
576
77
255
772
158-166
713
315
72
67
150
5,614 – 5,767
Table 8: Distribution of identified sites in Stevenage – by land type
Land type
Brownfield (PDL)
Greenfield
Split brownfield / greenfield
Total
86
24
3
113
82.17
44.76
18.55
145.48
Dwelling
estimate
4,293 – 4,446
1,215
106
5,614 – 5,767
7.9
These sites were subject to a full appraisal of suitability, availability and achievability in line
with the methodology set out in paragraphs 6.5 to 6.18. A full list of sites including a map,
analysis of surrounding land uses and appraisal of site constraints is contained in Appendix
4. A matrix containing the appraisal of the suitability, availability and achievability of these
sites is contained in Appendix 5.
Suitability
7.10 Of the 113 sites, 22 were assessed to be unsuitable for development. 11 of these sites were
council-owned garage courts which were highly occupied with little prospect of
accommodating displaced provision and / or had inadequate access to make residential
development a reasonable proposition. Other sites were discounted for a variety of reasons
including being designated as County Wildlife Sites or being located wholly within areas of
flood risk.
7.11 Of the 91 sites considered to be suitable for development:
 13 are considered to have very few constraints to development and are a “good”
prospect for development;
 62 are considered to have limited constraints that can be overcome and are
considered a “moderate” prospect; and
 16 are considered to have significant, yet resolvable, constraints and are considered
a “difficult” prospect.
31
7.12 The “good” sites include three extant district plan housing allocations, where the principle of
residential development has previously been accepted through the plan process, and four of
the town’s neighbourhood centres where it is felt that a more intensive use of the land could
be relatively easily delivered.
7.13 Sites were considered as “moderate” prospects for a variety of reasons. These include:
 The potential presence of contamination due to previous or existing land uses, as
advised by the Council’s Environmental Health officers;
 The need to conduct a sequential test to show that sites located (partly) in areas of
flood risk are required and / or mitigate against any increased risk;
 The need for a comprehensive approach across a number of sites to deliver an
acceptable residential environment and / or ensure that any displaced uses can be
accommodated;
 The need to overcome existing policy protections through either a review of existing
policy or a Borough-wide assessment of need and supply;
 Demonstration of satisfactory access arrangements;
 Sites within Conservation Areas requiring a sensitive approach to design and layout.
7.14 The existing District Plan provides policy protection for a number of land uses, stating that
their redundancy must be demonstrated, or suitable alternative provision made, before their
loss will be permitted. The District Plan policy relating to employment uses contains a caveat
that, outside of identified employment areas, this requirement may be waived where the
existing uses detrimentally impact upon the amenity of surrounding residents.
7.15 Consequently, with the exception of the extant housing allocations discussed above, all sites
that are currently within community, education, B-class employment or open space uses or
located within the Green Belt have been recorded as, at best, “moderate” prospects for
development.
7.16 Sites that have been considered as “difficult” development prospects were usually
characterised by:
 The presence of multiple constraints (including those outlined above); and / or
 Challenges in terms of the site shape; and / or
 Potentially difficult relationship (in terms of orientation, separation distances etc) with
surrounding properties or land uses.
Availability
7.17 In parallel with the assessment of suitability detailed above, landowners were consulted to
determine the availability of sites. This was achieved through a combination of postal survey
forms, meetings and phone conversations between January and May 2008.
7.18 Of the 113 sites considered at this stage, this Assessment concludes that 61 are unavailable
for development. Of these:
 The landowner stated that the site was not available for development or that they
were not currently in a position to comment on the site’s future (44 sites);
 A response was not received from the landowner (13 sites); or
 Insufficient information was available to allow the landowner(s) to be identified and /
or contacted within the time frame set (four sites).
7.19 Of the remaining sites, 45 have been classified as available for development, based upon
information received from the landowner. This information has been used to inform
32
assessment of the likely time period where this sites are likely to come forwards for
development.
7.20 A further seven sites have been identified as being “possibly” available. Six of these sites are
currently in multiple ownership. All landowners have been contacted and sufficient
respondents have expressed an interest in developing or resolving the multiple
landownership issues involved to justify their inclusion.
7.21 The proposed regeneration of the town centre is included amongst these sites. The Borough
Council and its preferred development partners are currently working to bring forwards a
comprehensive development scheme, with an outline application under consideration at the
time of writing. An application for mixed-use development has also been submitted on part of
the proposed town centre regeneration site, independently of the Council-sponsored
scheme, by an individual landowner.
7.22 The seventh site is the Council-owned neighbourhood centre at Canterbury Way. The
availability of this site is contingent on the relocation of the existing health care uses on site.
However, the recent granting of permission for a new health centre on a nearby site14
indicates that there is a sufficiently reasonable prospect of this occurring to include the site
for further consideration.
7.23 At the end of this process, 49 sites were considered to be both suitable and available for
development. This includes the seven sites discussed above. These sites were carried
forwards to be assessed in relation to their achievability.
Achievability
7.24 The assessment of financial viability, or “achievability” was conducted in light of the findings
of the HBF workshop and previous evidential studies (previously discussed in paragraphs
6.12 to 6.18) as well as other information gleaned through correspondence with landowners.
7.25 Taking into account the comments received, this Assessment concludes that, although cost
constraints exist on a number of the identified sites, site viability is only critically impacted in
one instance. Of the 49 sites evaluated,
 21 sites are considered to be “good” prospects with no significant financial barriers to
development;
 24 sites are considered to have “moderate” barriers to their viability;
 3 sites are considered to have significant, yet resolvable, associated costs and are
presented as “difficult” prospects for development; and
 1 site is considered to be an unviable proposition for development
7.26 The “moderate” sites include a number of the town’s neighbourhood centres. The Borough
Council is currently developing a programme to deliver the regeneration and improvement of
a number of centres on a rolling programme. The need for some schemes to be crosssubsidised by the successful completion of others and / or secure external funding in order to
be viable has been raised as an issue. This is reflected in the assessment.
7.27 This requirement for potential cross-subsidy was also raised in relation to sites currently in
education use. Hertfordshire County Council are currently developing a bid to transform
education provision in the town under the Government’s Building Schools for the Future
14
An outline application for the redevelopment of a former distribution centre for up to 386 dwellings and an
enhanced Primary Care Centre was granted permission in January 2008.
33
programme. This could lead to the rationalisation of education provision on to a smaller
number of sites. Attendees at the HBF workshop felt that this programme could drive up the
County’s asking price for any redundant sites.
7.28 The “difficult” sites included one opportunity in the Old Town, at Hitchin Road, which is
currently in highly fragmented ownership. The site consists of a number of hotels and
residential properties. The Town Centre Regeneration Scheme is also highlighted as a
“difficult” proposition. The scheme’s viability will be reliant on securing external funding whilst
the likely need to undergo a compulsory process to assemble the site could impose
significant costs. The third “difficult” proposition is on Stevenage Leisure Park. This scheme
is considered contingent on the success of the town centre regeneration scheme in order to
stimulate market interest.
7.29 The site that was considered to be unviable in view of the constraints is the depot at Julians
Road in the Old Town. This site would require land to be acquired from a number of
surrounding gardens in order to present a reasonable development opportunity while an
existing residential property would need to be demolished to create an access. The HBF
workshop felt that the estimated yield (17 units) would not be sufficient to attract a developer
in light of the likely costs associated with assembling and developing the site.
Summary of findings
“suitable”, “available” and “achievable” for development. These sites satisfy the requirements
set out in PPS3 and Government Good Practice Guidance to be included in the SHLAA and
forward projections of land supply.
7.31 Table 9 on the following page summarises findings in relation to these sites. The 48 sites
cover 108 hectares and have been assessed as having the potential to deliver 3,752 net
additional dwellings.
7.32 In terms of both site area and dwelling numbers, the largest single site identified is the town
centre regeneration scheme. It is anticipated that this 19 hectare site could deliver 1,050 net
additional dwellings. Other significant sites (>100 units) identified include:





Land off A602[B]
Stevenage Leisure Park
The Oval Neighbourhood Centre
Longfield Fire & Rescue Centre
The Valley School
15.8 ha
8.2 ha
2.4 ha
2.7 ha
2.5 ha
356 units
350 units
169 units
139 units
130 units
7.33 Tables 10 and 11 analyse the distribution of the sites that have been assessed as suitable,
available and achievable by ward and land type. In terms of dwelling numbers, the largest
number of opportunities have been identified in Bedwell, including the town centre and
leisure park sites identified above.
7.34 The second highest number of dwellings is found in Longmeadow, which also contains the
largest quantity of opportunity sites when measured by land area. This is due to the inclusion
of significant greenfield sites north and south of the A602. However, it should be noted that,
on land to the north of the A602 at Bragbury End Sports Ground, it is only envisaged that
housing development would occur on a small proportion of the total site.
34
Table 9: Specific Sites in Stevenage that are Suitable, Available and Achievable
Ref
Address 1
001
Shephall View
002
Vincent Court
003
004
104
Ferrier Road
Pond Close
Used Car Lot
112
Peugeot Garage
120
207
Elmes Arcade
Town Centre regeneration
site
Stevenage Leisure Park
Broad Hall Centre and
adjacent amenity land
Scout Hall
209
Ex-Play Centre
Scarborough Avenue
212
216
303
304
305
307
406
407
Scout Hut
Ambulance and Fire Station
Longfield Fire and Rescue
Centre
Collenswood School
Lonsdale School
The Valley School
Thomas Alleyne
Builders Yard
Orchard Road Depot
408
Saffron Ground
501
503
Weston Road Garage Court
Nash Close Garage Court
Broadwater Lane Garage
Court and Caravan Site
Dunn Close Garage Court
Southern Car Park
Land east of Bragbury Lane
121
125
201
217
506
511
528
601
602
603
Address 2
Ward
Bedwell
Symonds
Green
Manor
Old Town
Roebuck
Site
Area
0.67
Dwellings
Suitable?
Available?
Achievable?
30
Yes
Moderate
Yes
2008-11
Yes
Moderate
1.13
51
Yes
Good
Yes
2016-21
Yes
Moderate
1.34
0.80
0.22
56
48
13
Yes
Yes
Yes
Good
Good
Good
Yes
Yes
Yes
2011-16
2011-16
2011-16
Yes
Yes
Yes
Good
Moderate
Good
Old Town
0.14
12
Yes
Moderate
Yes
2011-16
Yes
Good
Old Town
0.15
8
Yes
Moderate
Yes
2011-16
Yes
Moderate
Bedwell
18.89
1,050
Yes
Moderate
Possible
2011-16
Yes
Difficult
Bedwell
8.15
350
Yes
Moderate
Yes
2016-21
Yes
Difficult
Shephall
1.06
37
Yes
Moderate
Yes
2008-11
Yes
Good
0.20
5
Yes
Difficult
Yes
2008-11
Yes
Moderate
0.20
11
Yes
Moderate
Yes
2008-11
Yes
Good
Drakes Drive
St Georges Way
Shephall
Symonds
Green
Manor
Bedwell
0.26
0.42
14
45
Yes
Yes
Moderate
Moderate
Yes
Yes
2016-21
2011-16
Yes
Yes
Good
Moderate
Hitchin Road
Woodfield
2.68
139
Yes
Moderate
Yes
2011-16
Yes
Good
Bandley Hill
Pin Green
Shephall
Old Town
Old Town
Old Town
2.37
1.77
2.50
1.72
0.35
0.38
95
92
130
34
18
19
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Moderate
Moderate
Moderate
Moderate
Moderate
Moderate
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Possible
Possible
2016-21
2016-21
2016-21
2016-21
2016-21
2016-21
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Moderate
Moderate
Moderate
Moderate
Moderate
Moderate
Old Town
0.47
89
Yes
Moderate
Yes
2008-11
Yes
Good
Old Town
Chells
0.50
0.18
14
5
Yes
Yes
Moderate
Difficult
Yes
Yes
2008-11
2008-11
Yes
Yes
Good
Moderate
Longmeadow
0.44
12
Yes
Moderate
Yes
2008-11
Yes
Good
Bedwell
Old Town
Roebuck
Bandley Hill
Longmeadow
0.34
0.37
2.65
3.53
1.50
9
46
74
93
35
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Moderate
Moderate
Moderate
Moderate
Moderate
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
2008-11
2011-16
2008-11
2008-11
2011-16
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Good
Moderate
Good
Good
Good
Fishers Green Road
Broadwater Crescent
Pound Avenue and
Letchmore Road
High Street
Danestrete
Shephall Green and
Hydean Way
Shephall Green
Collenswood Road
Webb Rise
Valley Way
Olde Swan Court
Letchmore Road
Orchard Road
South end of Ditchmore
Lane
Weston Road
Nash Close Road
Oaksfield Close and
Broadwater Lane
Dunn Close
Primett Road
Hertford Road
Edmonds Drive
Bragbury End
35
Ref
Address 1
Address 2
604
605
Bragbury End
Bragbury End
Longmeadow
Longmeadow
Bragbury End
Longmeadow
701
Land off A602 [B]
Land off A602 [C]
Bragbury End Sports
Ground
Kenilworth Close NC
Site
Area
15.80
4.14
Hertford Road
702
Filey Close NC
Symonds Green
703
704
709
712
713
714
801
803
The Hyde NC
The Oval NC
The Glebe NC
Canterbury Way NC
Chells Manor NC
Archer Road NC
Ridgemond Park [B]
Amenity Space
Land West of Bragbury
Lane
Land at Vardon Road
24 and 26 Julians Road
Hitchin Road
Ditchmore Lane
609
820
821
907
908
910
Ward
Dwellings
Suitable?
Available?
Achievable?
356
47
Yes
Yes
Moderate
Moderate
Yes
Yes
2011-16
2011-16
Yes
Yes
Good
Good
17.00
55
Yes
Difficult
Yes
2011-16
Yes
Moderate
0.70
20
Yes
Good
Yes
2011-16
Yes
Good
1.03
5
Yes
Good
Yes
2008-11
Yes
Good
Hydean/ Shephall Way
Vardon/ Jessop Road
Mobbsbury Way
Canterbury Way
Pacation Way
Archer Road
Telford Avenue
Almonds Lane
Longmeadow
Symonds
Green
Shephall
Martins Wood
Chells
St Nicholas
Martins Wood
Pin Green
Chells
Old Town
1.49
2.41
1.21
1.05
1.27
0.54
1.40
0.48
73
169
45
72
65
25
59
20
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Moderate
Moderate
Moderate
Moderate
Good
Moderate
Difficult
Moderate
Yes
Yes
Yes
Possible
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
2016-21
2011-16
2016-21
2011-16
2008-11
2008-11
2011-16
2008-11
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Moderate
Moderate
Moderate
Moderate
Good
Moderate
Moderate
Good
Bragbury End
Longmeadow
0.33
13
Yes
Moderate
Yes
2008-11
Yes
Good
Pin Green
Old Town
Old Town
Old Town
1.09
0.25
1.47
0.52
107.53
29
6
24
35
3,752
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Difficult
Good
Moderate
Good
Yes
Possible
Possible
Yes
2008-11
2016-21
2016-21
2016-21
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Moderate
Moderate
Difficult
Moderate
Total
36
7.35 It is estimated that 2,834 of the 3,752 dwellings identified (76%) can be accommodated on
previously developed sites. The overall percentage for Stevenage Borough, as identified
through this assessment, is lower as the above figure excludes greenfield land which may be
used to accommodate the strategic urban extensions required by the East of England Plan.
These sites are identified in Section 8. The dwelling potential for the Borough as a whole is
considered in the review of the Assessment in Section 10.
Table 10: Distribution of suitable, available and achievable sites in Stevenage – by Ward
Ward
Dwelling
estimate
Bandley Hill
2
5.90
188
Bedwell
5
28.47
1,484
Chells
3
2.79
109
Longmeadow
7
39.91
538
Manor
2
1.60
70
Martins Wood
2
3.68
234
Old Town
13
7.58
373
Pin Green
3
3.40
146
Roebuck
2
2.87
87
Shephall
4
5.24
245
St Nicholas
1
1.05
72
Symonds Green
3
2.36
67
Woodfield
1
2.68
139
Total
48
107.53
3,752
Table 11: Distribution of suitable, available and achievable sites in Stevenage – by land type
Ward
Dwelling
estimate
Brownfield (PDL)
34
26.04
2,834
Greenfield
11
32.94
812
Split brownfield / greenfield
3
18.55
106
Total
48
107.53
3,752
37
8
SHLAA Results – Urban extensions to Stevenage
8.1
The East of England Plan, adopted in May 2008, designates Stevenage as a Key Centre for
Development and Change and envisages significant growth and regeneration of the town
over the plan period. A key component of this growth is the requirement to deliver urban
extensions to the north and west of the town, including at least 9,600 new homes on land
within North Hertfordshire by 2021.
8.2
As the figures in Section 5 show, 1,638 of these dwellings had either been built or granted
planning permission at March 31st 2008. The SHLAA therefore needs to identify sites where
the residual 7,962 dwellings can be located.
8.3
In reality, it is difficult to consider this target for development in North Hertfordshire without
reference to land within Stevenage. In a number of locations, the boundary between the two
authorities is demarcated by footpaths or field boundaries. In some areas there are no
discernable features that distinguish the two authorities from one another on the ground.
Consequently, some potential development sites straddle the authority boundaries, lying
partly in North Hertfordshire and partly in Stevenage.
8.4
This section therefore considers the housing potential of sites that lie within the proposed
boundaries of the Stevenage and North Herts Action Plan (SNAP). SNAP is the planning
document being jointly prepared by the partner authorities to deliver the requirements of the
East of England Plan. The proposed boundary, as suggested in the Issues and Option
consultation in November 2007, is shown in Map 5 on the following page.
8.5
were identified to the north and west of Stevenage. The sites are those which have been
expressly brought to the partner authorities’ attention in light of the proposals in the East of
England Plan. Other land, which has not been promoted, has not been identified at this stage
as it was not possible to define specific limits to these sites.
8.6
The identified sites are listed in Table 12. They cover almost 700 hectares of land. Estimates
of dwelling capacity suggest these sites could yield 14,250 net additional dwellings. Of these,
3,925 are in Stevenage Borough, with the remaining 10,235 on land in North Hertfordshire.
8.7
With the exception of a small part of the land at Stevenage Rugby Club, which
accommodates the buildings associated with the club’s operation, all of the sites identified
are on greenfield, or previously undeveloped, land.
8.8
with the methodology set out in paragraphs 6.5 to 6.18. A full list of sites including a map,
6. A matrix containing the appraisal of the suitability, availability and achievability of these
sites is contained in Appendix 7.
38
Map 5: Stevenage and North Herts Action Plan (SNAP) – Proposed plan boundary
39
Table 12: Identified sites to the north and west of Stevenage
Ref
Title
District
SNAP 1
SNAP 2
SNAP 3
SNAP 4
SNAP 5
SNAP 6
SNAP 7
SNAP 8
SNAP 9
SNAP 10
SNAP 11
Land North East of Stevenage 1
NES3
Land North of Stevenage
Land West of North Road
Land West of Stevenage
Land at Norton Green
Land at Junction 7
NHDC
NHDC
NHDC
NHDC
NHDC
NHDC
NHDC / SBC
SBC
NHDC / SBC
SBC
NHDC / SBC
Total
Site Area (Hectares)
NHDC
Total
SBC
0
11.61
11.61
0
130.52
130.52
0
24.11
24.11
0
52.78
52.78
0
9.01
9.01
0
10.74
10.74
75.9
47.8
123.70
10.3
0
10.30
97.19
185.99
283.18
1.6
0
1.60
11.17
20.23
31.40
196.16
492.79
688.95
40
SBC
0
0
0
0
0
0
1,500
250
1,900
25
250
3,925
Dwellings
NHDC
200
2,575
575
1,350
275
300
1,500
0
3,100
0
450
10,325
Total
200
2,575
575
1,350
275
300
3,000
250
5,000
25
700
14,250
Map 6: Identified sites north and west of Stevenage
Suitability
8.9
Of the 11 sites, two are considered to be unsuitable for residential development. The first site
(SNAP10) promoted land in the hamlet of Norton Green for development. However, although
there are no specific policy restrictions on the land, development would significantly alter the
character of the settlement. The second site (SNAP11) is located adjacent to Junction 7 of
the A1(M) where, given its location, it was felt that any residential development would be
isolated from other residential neighbourhoods and relate poorly to the remainder of the
town. The developed land on the opposite side of the motorway forms part of the Gunnels
Wood Employment Area. As such, it was considered that this site would be best suited for
alternative, employment-related uses.
41
8.10 Of the 9 sites considered to be suitable for residential development,
 Five are considered to have some constraints to development and are considered a
“moderate” prospect; and
 Four sites are considered to have significant constraints to development and are
considered a “difficult” prospect.
8.11 No sites were rated as “good”, or largely unconstrained, prospects for development.
Notwithstanding the broad policy support for development contained in the East of England
Plan, all the sites contain a significant element of greenfield land. A number are also located
partly or wholly within the Green Belt and, at minimum, will therefore require a review of the
existing boundary to permit development.
8.12 The sites rated as “moderate” are located adjacent to the existing urban edge and would
therefore present an opportunity to create a form of development that integrates with the
existing town.
8.13 The four sites rated as “difficult” all lie to the north-east of the town. In each instance,
development could only be considered suitable if adjacent sites were brought forwards first,
allowing these latter sites to link in with the new development. Without this occurring, the
sites would be isolated from the urban edge. This would result in incongruous development
that would not sit well in its context.
Availability
8.14 As previously stated, the sites in this section were selected on the basis that they had
previously been brought to the partner authorities’ attention in response to the plans
emerging through the East of England Plan process.
8.15 In order to determine availability, each party was contacted to ascertain their current
proposals and, where appropriate, to reaffirm their commitment to development.
8.16 Following this process, it has been concluded that four of the 11 sites are unavailable for
development. Three of these (SNAP1, SNAP3 and SNAP4) are located to the north-east of
the town. Although this area is being promoted as a strategically planned development
opportunity, approximately 35% of the land area is not in the developer’s ownership. The
owners of this land have not presently expressed an intention to develop. These areas have
therefore been excluded from further consideration.
8.17 The fourth site that has been determined to be unavailable is the land adjacent to Junction 7
of the A1(M) (SNAP11). The landowners have indicated that they wish to pursue the
allocation of this site for employment purposes, as an extension to the existing employment
area at Gunnels Wood.
8.18 Representatives for the remaining seven sites have confirmed that they would like to bring
these opportunities forwards for residential development. In one instance, at Stevenage
Rugby Club, the site’s availability is contingent on the present occupiers finding a new site.
This site has therefore been recorded as “possible”.
8.19 The responses received have been used to inform conclusions relating to the likely phasing
of housing delivery on these sites. Due to the size of the sites and the dwelling numbers
involved, several of the sites have been phased across longer time periods. In the case of
site SNAP2, information received from the agents suggests that a notable proportion of the
homes are likely to be delivered in the period 2021-26. This is outside of the current East of
42
England Plan period and any homes delivered after 2021 will not contribute towards the
target of 9,600 homes. The implications of this are discussed further in Section 10.
Achievability
8.20 The viability of urban extension sites was discussed at the HBF workshop on June 8th.
Attendees identified several potential financial constraints including the need to provide
adequate infrastructure and the impact of planning obligations and new government
requirements, such as those relating to sustainability. It was also noted that the biggest
schemes contain the highest risk and uncertainty was expressed over the ability of the
housing market to absorb large numbers of new dwellings. This last conclusion may have
been coloured by current uncertainties in the housing market.
8.21 The six sites considered to be both “suitable” and “available” were evaluated. It was
concluded that SNAP 6, which lies immediately adjacent to the existing development at
Great Ashby, is considered to be a “good” prospect with no significant financial barriers to
development as it could be delivered with minimal additional infrastructure being required.
8.22 Conversely, the risks identified above were considered to pose the greatest threat to the
three largest sites. These were accordingly recorded as having significant, yet resolvable,
associated costs and are presented as “difficult” prospects for development. It is considered
that the delivery of site SNAP2 may be contingent on the provision of new roads to connect
the site to the surrounding network. The partner authorities are currently undertaking a
transport assessment which will investigate this matter. The remaining two sites (SNAP5 and
SNAP8) are presented as having “moderate” barriers to their viability.
Summary of findings
8.23 Following the assessment process outlined above, six sites have been identified as being
“suitable”, “available” and “achievable” for development to the north or west of Stevenage.
These sites satisfy the requirements set out in PPS3 and Government Good Practice
Guidance to be included in the SHLAA and forward projections of land supply.
8.24 The table on the following page summarises findings in relation to these sites. The six sites
cover 567 hectares and have been assessed as having the potential to deliver 11,400 net
additional dwellings.
8.25 Of these, 3,650 are within the Stevenage Borough boundary, on 183 hectares of land. Our
estimates suggest that these homes will all be delivered by 2021 and would contribute
towards the target for 6,400 new homes to be provided within the Borough boundary.
8.26 The remaining 384 hectares of land are located within North Hertfordshire. It is considered
that 7,750 dwellings could be provided on this land. Our estimates suggest that the majority
of these will be completed by 2021 and would contribute towards the target to provide 9,600
new dwellings within the authority to meet the growth requirements of Stevenage. The
anticipated phasing of housing delivery is considered further in Section 10.
43
Table 13: Specific sites to the north and west of Stevenage that are suitable, available and achievable
Site Area
NHDC
Total
130.52
130.52
SBC
0
Dwellings
NHDC
2,575
Total
2,575
Yes
Moderate
Yes
2011-26
Yes
Difficult
9.01
10.74
0
0
275
300
275
300
Yes
Yes
Difficult
Moderate
Yes
Yes
2011-16
2008-11
Yes
Yes
Moderate
Good
47.8
0
123.70
10.30
1,500
250
1,500
0
3,000
250
Yes
Yes
Moderate
Moderate
Yes
Possible
2011-21
2011-16
Yes
Yes
Difficult
Moderate
185.99
384.1
283.18
567.5
1,900
3,650
3,100
7,750
5,000
11,400
Yes
Moderate
Yes
2008-21
Yes
Difficult
Ref
Site
SNAP 2
SBC
0
SNAP 5
SNAP 6
NES3
0
0
9.01
10.74
SNAP 7
SNAP 8
Land North of Stevenage
Land West of North Road
75.9
10.3
SNAP 9
Land West of Stevenage
97.19
Total
183.4
44
Suitable
Available
Achievable
9
SHLAA Results – Sites elsewhere in North Hertfordshire District
9.1
were identified that were considered to have potential to deliver five or more additional
dwellings (net). These sites are listed in the tables and shown on the maps on the following
pages. These sites covered a total of 137 hectares of land, and have been estimated to have
a capacity of 3,952 dwellings.
9.2
The sites are mostly in private ownership, with the exception of in Letchworth Garden City,
where the majority of the sites are owned by the Letchworth Garden City Heritage
Foundation, the successor body to First Garden City Limited, who founded the town in 1903.
9.3
The tables that follow analyse the distribution of the identified sites by parish and land type 15.
The greatest number of sites was found in Hitchin, although both Letchworth Garden City
and Baldock have higher housing estimates than Hitchin. This is due to the sites in Hitchin
tending to be smaller, whereas both Letchworth Garden City and Baldock include a number
of large greenfield sites.
9.4
In terms of land area, Baldock has the largest area identified (43.4 Hectares), followed by
Letchworth Garden City (33.0 Hectares), Hitchin (23.1 Hectares) and Royston (18.8
Hectares). In terms of housing estimates, Letchworth Garden City had the greatest (1,192
dwellings). The reason Letchworth Garden City achieves a higher dwelling estimate than
Baldock even though less land has been identified is that the Letchworth Garden City
estimate includes a higher proportion of high density dwellings within the town centre and on
former employment land than Baldock does.
Table 14: Distribution of identified sites elsewhere in North Hertfordshire – by parish
Parish
Dwelling
estimate
Ashwell
1
0.3
11
16
Baldock
16
43.4
989
Barkway
4
2.2
44
Barley
2
0.9
22
Hitchin
22
23.1
752
Ickleford
2
0.4
12
Kimpton
3
2.0
45
Letchworth
19
33.0
1,192
Ofley
2
2.8
62
Reed
1
1.1
21
Royston
16
18.8
607
Sandon
2
0.7
16
St Ippolyts
2
2.2
51
St Paul’s Walden
2
5.5
111
Therfield
2
0.7
17
Total
96
137.1
3,952
15
All the sites around the edge of Baldock have been treated as part of Baldock parish for the purposes of
this exercise, although some of the sites on the edge of the town are partially or wholly in the adjoining
parishes of Bygrave and Clothall.
45
Table 15: Specific sites elsewhere in North Hertfordshire
Ref
Address
Ar1
Angell Farm, High Street
BKr1 Garages r/o Windmill Close
BKr2 Land off Windmill Close
BKr3 Land north of Windmill Close
BKr4 Land off Cambridge Road
BLr1
Coach Depot, London Road
BLr2
Land east of Picknage Road
Be3
Land at Icknield Way
Br1
Land north of Bygrave Road
Br11
Land south of Bygrave Road
Br12
South of Clothall Common
Br13
Former Convent of Providence, Limekiln Lane
Br14
Allotments r/o Clare Crescent
Br15
Land at Baldock Station, Station Road
Br16
Rentokil, London Road
Br18
Works, Station Road
Br19
Beech Ridge Hostel, Woodlands Way
Br2
Br23
Land at North Road
Br3
East of Clothall Common
Br4
Clothall Road
Br6
adj. 68 London Road
Br7
adj. Raban Court, Royston Road
Hm2
Land at and around Churchgate
Hm3
Post Office, Hermitage Road
Hr14 Land at junction of Grays Lane and Crow Furlong
Hr2
Bevan House, r/o 34 Bancroft
Hr22 Land off Hine Way
Hr24 Land at Lucas Lane
Hr25 Land at junction of Grays Lane and Lucas Lane
Hr26 Gardens backing onto Matthew Gate
Hr28 Goods Yard, Nightingale Road
Hr30 Land south of Oughtonhead Lane
Hr33 Railway sidings, St Michael's Road
Hr4
Land between 38 & 44 Bearton Road
Hr43 r/o The Aspens & 46 Wymondley Road
Hr44 r/o The Aspens & 54 Wymondley Road, Hitchin
Hr45 Top Field, Fishponds Road
Hr46 Former B&Q, Nightingale Road
Hr47 Land off Sycamore Close
Hr48 59 Walsworth Road
Hr49 Former bus depot, Fishponds Road
Hr50 John Barker Place
Hr52 Industrial area, Cooks Way
Hr6
r/o Fieldfares, Benslow Lane
Hr7
22 Bridge Street
Ir1
adj. 69 Arlesey Road
Ir2
r/o 55 Arlesey Road
Kr1
Land off High Street
Kr2
Land off Lloyd Way
46
Parish
Ashwell
Barkway
Barkway
Barkway
Barkway
Barley
Barley
Baldock
Baldock
Baldock
Baldock
Baldock
Baldock
Baldock
Baldock
Baldock
Baldock
Baldock
Baldock
Baldock
Baldock
Baldock
Baldock
Hitchin
Hitchin
Hitchin
Hitchin
Hitchin
Hitchin
Hitchin
Hitchin
Hitchin
Hitchin
Hitchin
Hitchin
Hitchin
Hitchin
Hitchin
Hitchin
St Ippolyts
Hitchin
Hitchin
Hitchin
Hitchin
Hitchin
Hitchin
Ickleford
Ickleford
Kimpton
Kimpton
Site area
0.3
0.3
0.6
0.6
0.7
0.2
0.7
0.9
6.5
3.8
13.3
0.8
0.7
0.1
0.4
0.3
1.5
1.9
4.4
1.6
6.7
0.3
0.2
3.0
0.4
2.1
0.1
0.3
1.3
0.6
0.3
2.5
1.8
3.0
0.2
0.3
0.2
2.8
0.7
0.6
0.1
0.3
1.2
1.2
0.6
0.1
0.2
0.2
0.6
1.1
Dwellings
11
8
11
12
13
7
15
46
130
75
267
32
21
6
20
11
68
38
87
32
135
15
6
61
8
41
8
5
26
12
9
163
37
182
5
10
7
56
21
19
17
44
0
24
8
8
6
6
13
21
Ref
Kr3
Lm1
Lm2
Lr11
Lr13
Lr14
Lr15
Lr16
Lr18
Lr19
Lr2
Lr23
Lr24
Lr25
Lr26
Lr27
Lr30
Lr33
Lr8
Ls2
Or1
Or2
RDr1
Rr2
Rr1
Rr10
Rr11
Rr12
Rr13
Rr16
Rr18
Rr19
Rr21
Rr23
Rr26
Rr3
Rr4
Rr6
Rr7
SIr3
Sr1
Sr3
Tr1
Tr2
Address
Land and garages off Wren Close
Library and museum site, Gernon Road
Land at, The Wynd
Ivel Court, Radburn Way
Land east of, Talbot Way
Land off, Talbot Way
Land west of (south), Western Way
Land at, Birds Hill
Land north of former Norton School, Norton Road
Former petrol station, Southfields
opp 382-392, Icknield Way
Garage court off, Broadwater Dale
Land off, Radburn Way
Former goods yard & car dealers, Norton Way North
Garage, Station Road
Land west of (north), Western Way
Laundry, Pixmore Avenue
Land north of, Croft Lane
St Michael's House, 105, Norton Way South
Arena Parade, Arena Parade
r/o 14-30, High Street
Allotment Gardens, Luton Road
Land at, Blacksmiths Lane
Land at Lumen Road
Ivy Farm, Baldock Road
Land adj 20, Lindsay Close
Land north of, Lindsay Close
The Warren Car Park, London Road
Industrial estate, Lower Gower Road
former Priory Cinema and swimming pool, Newmarket
Road
r/o Blackett Ord Court, Stamford Avenue
Land east of, Thackeray Close
Heath House, Princes Mews
The Maltings, Green Drift
Land r/o Banyers Hotel and off, King James Way
Land north of, Betjeman Road
Land north of, Coombelands Road
Agricultural supplier, Garden Walk
Royston FC, Garden Walk
Land south of, Stevenage Road
Land at, Dark Lane
Land north of, Payne End
Nine Elms (adj Windrush Barn), Police Row
adj Tussocks, The Causeway
WHr1
Land south of, High Street, Whitwell
WHr2
47
Parish
Kimpton
Letchworth
Letchworth
Letchworth
Letchworth
Letchworth
Letchworth
Letchworth
Letchworth
Letchworth
Letchworth
Letchworth
Letchworth
Letchworth
Letchworth
Letchworth
Letchworth
Letchworth
Letchworth
Letchworth
Offley
Offley
Reed
Royston
Royston
Royston
Royston
Royston
Royston
Site area
0.4
0.5
1.1
1.4
7.4
1.2
1.5
1.1
1.9
0.3
1.3
0.2
0.9
1.8
0.3
5.3
0.7
4.7
0.2
1.2
0.3
2.4
1.1
1.5
3.4
0.1
3.6
0.7
0.5
Dwellings
11
21
100
59
148
56
28
32
56
17
50
6
0
53
10
106
36
94
20
300
14
48
21
75
69
6
72
55
25
Royston
Royston
Royston
Royston
Royston
Royston
Royston
Royston
Royston
Royston
St Ippolyts
Sandon
Sandon
Therfield
Therfield
St Paul's
Walden
St Paul's
Walden
Total
0.4
0.1
0.5
0.3
0.3
0.3
3.6
1.4
0.9
1.3
1.6
0.2
0.5
0.4
0.3
10
15
11
56
9
5
72
27
56
44
32
6
10
12
5
2.2
44
3.3
137.2
67
3,952
Map 7: Sites in Ashwell
Map 8:Sites in Baldock including parts in Bygrave and Clothall parishes
Mapping is © Crown Copyright. 100018622 2007
48
Map 9: Sites in Barkway
Map 10: Sites in Barley
49
Map 11: Sites in Hitchin
Map 12: Sites in Ickleford
50
Map 13: Sites in Kimpton
Map 14: Sites in Letchworth Garden City
51
Map 15: Sites in Offley
Map 16: Sites in Reed
52
Map 17: Sites in Royston
Map 18: Sites in Sandon
53
Map 19: Sites in St Ippolyts
Map 20: Sites in Whitwell in the parish of St Paul’s Walden
54
Map 21: Sites in Therfield
55
Table 16: Distribution of identified sites elsewhere in North Hertfordshire – by land type
Land type
Dwelling
estimate
Brownfield (PDL)
59
39.6
1,945
Greenfield
37
97.6
2,007
Total
96
137.1
3,952
9.5
with the methodology set out in paragraphs 6.5 to 6.18. A full list of sites, including a map,
8. A matrix containing the appraisal of suitability, availability and achievability of these sites is
contained in Appendix 9.
Suitability
9.6
Of the 96 sites, only one was considered unsuitable for development. The fact that the vast
majority of the sites were deemed suitable is a function of the way the sites were chosen.
The one site deemed unsuitable was identified as part of a desk-based study, but from a site
visit it is clear that the topography makes it unsuitable for development.
9.7
Of the 95 sites deemed suitable for development:
 47 are considered to have very few constraints to development and are deemed a
“good” prospect for development.
 38 are considered to have limited constraints that can be overcome and are deemed
a “moderate” prospect for development.
 10 are considered to have difficult, yet resolvable, constraints and are considered a
“difficult” prospect for development.
9.8
A large proportion of the good sites are those where negotiations are already underway with
landowners, such that any problems have been discussed and investigated already. Further,
almost all the greenfield sites on the edges of towns and villages have very few physical
constraints which would inhibit their development. For these sites it must be stressed that
physical suitability for development is only part of the process of deciding which pieces of
land are allocated for development.
9.9
The 38 sites considered moderate were deemed so for a variety of reasons. These include:
 potential contamination, on the advice of the Council’s Environmental Protection
team;
 inadequacies of current access;
 need to overcome existing policies (e.g. loss of employment, loss of playing fields) to
make development acceptable;
 need for existing users to relocate to enable development to occur.
9.10 The 10 sites considered difficult have more complicated problems with their suitability,
including:
 lack of access, or entirely unsuitable access;
 split ownerships;
 relocation of major facilities (e.g. postal delivery office).
56
Availability
9.11 In parallel with the assessment of suitability detailed above, landowners were consulted to
determine the availability of sites. This was achieved through a postal survey in April 2008,
which has been used in combination with other information submitted as representations to
the Land Allocations Issues and Options consultation document in January to March 2008.
9.12 Of the 96 sites, 32 appear to be currently unavailable. Thirteen of these were where the
landowner has explicitly said they do not wish to promote the land for development. The
other 19 sites deemed unavailable are where no response has been received from the
landowner.
9.13 Whilst the absence of a response from these landowners means that we cannot demonstrate
that these sites are currently available, it may well prove that some of these sites do come
forward for development. Further efforts will be made to contact these particular landowners
for future updates of the SHLAA.
9.14 This leaves 64 sites which are considered available, based on landowner intentions.
Landowner intentions have also informed the phasing of sites – for instance, some
landowners advised that their site would become available after existing leases expired,
giving some certainty as to when those sites will come forward. All these 64 were considered
suitable under the first test.
Achievability
9.15 The assessment of financial viability, or “achievability” was conducted in light of the findings
of the HBF workshop and previous evidential studies (previously discussed in paragraphs
6.12 to 6.18) as well as other information gleaned through correspondence with landowners.
9.16 Achievability was only considered on the 64 sites which passed the first two tests of
suitability and availability. Of these 64 sites, none were considered to be so poorly
performing that they would not be viable, albeit current market uncertainty may delay some
types of sites until a stronger market emerges.
 41 sites are considered ‘good’, with no significant financial barriers to development;
 22 sites are considered ‘moderate’, with some barriers; and
 1 site is considered ‘difficult’, with significant, but probably resolvable, costs that may
impact upon its viability.
9.17 The difficult site suffers from a complete absence of any current vehicular access, although
the landowner is known to be investigating ways of acquiring such an access.
9.18 The sites considered moderate have been classed as such for a range of reasons, including:
 Schemes predominantly for flats have been deemed difficult, purely on the basis of
current market conditions;
 Fragmented ownership; and
 Contaminated land.
Summary of findings
‘suitable’, ‘available’ and ‘achievable’ for development. These sites therefore satisfy the
requirements set out in PPS3 and the Practice Guidance for preparing SHLAAs.
57
9.20 The table on the following page summarises the findings in relation to these sites. The 64
sites cover 102.5 hectares of land, and have been assessed as having the potential to
deliver 2,876 dwellings (net).
9.21 The largest single site in terms of dwelling estimates is the Arena Parade scheme in
Letchworth town centre, with 300 dwellings, whilst the largest site by area of land is the land
south of Clothall Common at Baldock, which is 13.3Ha.
9.22 The tables below analyse the distribution of the sites that have been assessed as suitable,
available and achievable by parish and land type. Baldock has the largest area of land which
met all three tests, and also the highest dwelling estimate, of 957 dwellings.
9.23 Of the 2,876 dwellings identified, 1,287 are on brownfield land, representing 45% of the total.
Table 17: Distribution of suitable, available and achievable sites elsewhere in North
Hertfordshire – by parish
Number of
Area
Dwelling
sites
(hectares)
estimate
Parish
Baldock
13
42.6
957
Barkway
3
1.9
36
Barley
1
0.7
15
Hitchin
13
15.7
331
Kimpton
2
1.7
34
Letchworth
12
11.4
707
Offley
2
2.8
62
Reed
1
1.1
21
Royston
13
18.4
577
Sandon
1
0.2
6
St Ippolyts
1
0.6
19
St Paul's Walden
2
5.5
111
Total
64
102.5
2,876
Table 18: Distribution of suitable, available and achievable sites elsewhere in North
Hertfordshire – by land type
Land type
Dwelling
estimate
Brownfield (PDL)
33
25.9
1,287
Greenfield
31
76.6
1,589
Total
64
102.5
2,876
58
Table 19: Specific sites elsewhere in North Hertfordshire that are suitable, available and achievable
Ref
Be3
Br1
Br11
Br12
Br13
Br14
Br15
Br16
Br19
Br2
Br23
Br3
Br4
BKr2
BKr3
BKr4
BLr2
Hm2
Hr14
Hr22
Hr24
Hr25
Hr30
Hr43
Hr44
Hr45
Hr49
Hr50
Hr52
Hr6
Kr1
Kr2
Lm1
Lm2
Lr11
Lr14
Lr16
Lr18
Lr19
Lr2
Lr23
Address
Land at Icknield Way
Land north of Bygrave Road
South of Clothall Common
Former Convent of Providence, Limekiln Lane
Allotments r/o Clare Crescent
Land at Baldock Station, Station Road
Rentokil, London Road
Beech Ridge Hostel, Woodlands Way
Land at North Road
East of Clothall Common
Clothall Road
Land off Windmill Close
Land north of Windmill Close
Land off Cambridge Road
Land east of Picknage Road
Land at and around Churchgate
Land at junction of Grays Lane and Crow Furlong
Land off Hine Way
Land at Lucas Lane
Land at junction of Grays Lane and Lucas Lane
Land south of Oughtonhead Lane
r/o The Aspens & 46 Wymondley Road
r/o The Aspens & 54 Wymondley Road, Hitchin
Top Field, Fishponds Road
Former bus depot, Fishponds Road
John Barker Place
Industrial area, Cooks Way
r/o Fieldfares, Benslow Lane
Land off High Street
Land off Lloyd Way
Library and museum site, Gernon Road
Land at, The Wynd
Ivel Court, Radburn Way
Land off, Talbot Way
Land at, Birds Hill
Land north of former Norton School, Norton Road
Former petrol station, Southfields
opp 382-392, Icknield Way
Garage court off, Broadwater Dale
Site
area
0.9
6.5
3.8
13.3
0.8
0.7
0.1
0.4
1.5
1.9
4.4
1.6
6.7
0.6
0.6
0.7
0.7
3.0
2.1
0.3
1.3
0.6
1.8
0.3
0.2
2.8
0.3
1.2
1.2
0.6
0.6
1.1
0.5
1.1
1.4
1.2
1.1
1.9
0.3
1.3
0.2
Parish
Baldock
Baldock
Baldock
Baldock
Baldock
Baldock
Baldock
Baldock
Baldock
Baldock
Baldock
Baldock
Baldock
Barkway
Barkway
Barkway
Barley
Hitchin
Hitchin
Hitchin
Hitchin
Hitchin
Hitchin
Hitchin
Hitchin
Hitchin
Hitchin
Hitchin
Hitchin
Hitchin
Kimpton
Kimpton
Letchworth
Letchworth
Letchworth
Letchworth
Letchworth
Letchworth
Letchworth
Letchworth
Letchworth
59
Dwellings
46
130
75
267
32
21
6
20
68
38
87
32
135
11
12
13
15
61
41
5
26
12
37
10
7
56
44
0
24
8
13
21
21
100
59
56
32
56
17
50
6
Suitable?
Yes Moderate
Yes
Good
Yes
Good
Yes
Good
Yes
Good
Yes
Difficult
Yes Moderate
Yes
Good
Yes
Good
Yes
Good
Yes
Good
Yes
Good
Yes
Good
Yes
Good
Yes
Good
Yes
Good
Yes
Good
Yes Moderate
Yes Moderate
Yes
Good
Yes Moderate
Yes Moderate
Yes Moderate
Yes
Good
Yes
Good
Yes
Difficult
Yes
Good
Yes
Good
Yes
Difficult
Yes Moderate
Yes
Good
Yes
Good
Yes
Difficult
Yes Moderate
Yes
Good
Yes
Good
Yes Moderate
Yes
Good
Yes Moderate
Yes
Good
Yes
Good
Available?
Yes
2011-16
Yes
2011-16
Yes
2011-16
Yes
2011-16
Yes
2008-11
Yes
2011-16
Yes
2011-16
Yes
2008-11
Yes
2008-11
Yes
2011-16
Yes
2011-16
Yes
2011-16
Yes
2011-16
Yes
2011-16
Yes
2011-16
Yes
2011-16
Yes
2011-16
Yes
2016-21
Yes
2011-16
Yes
2008-11
Yes
2011-16
Yes
2011-16
Yes
2011-16
Yes
2011-16
Yes
2011-16
Yes
2016-21
Yes
2008-11
Yes
2008-11
Yes
2016-21
Yes
2016-21
Yes
2008-11
Yes
2008-11
Yes
2016-21
Yes
2011-16
Yes
2008-11
Yes
2008-11
Yes
2011-16
Yes
2011-16
Yes
2011-16
Yes
2011-16
Yes
2008-11
Achievable?
Yes
Moderate
Yes
Good
Yes
Good
Yes
Good
Yes
Good
Yes
Difficult
Yes
Good
Yes
Good
Yes
Good
Yes
Good
Yes
Good
Yes
Good
Yes
Good
Yes
Good
Yes
Good
Yes
Good
Yes
Good
Yes
Moderate
Yes
Good
Yes
Moderate
Yes
Good
Yes
Good
Yes
Good
Yes
Good
Yes
Good
Yes
Good
Yes
Moderate
Yes
Moderate
Yes
Moderate
Yes
Moderate
Yes
Good
Yes
Good
Yes
Moderate
Yes
Moderate
Yes
Moderate
Yes
Good
Yes
Moderate
Yes
Good
Yes
Moderate
Yes
Moderate
Yes
Good
Ref
Lr24
Lr26
Ls2
Or1
Or2
RDr1
Rr1
Rr11
Rr12
Rr13
Rr16
Rr19
Rr2
Rr21
Rr26
Rr3
Rr4
Rr6
Rr7
Sr1
Hr47
WHr1
WHr2
Address
Land off, Radburn Way
Garage, Station Road
Arena Parade, Arena Parade
r/o 14-30, High Street
Allotment Gardens, Luton Road
Land at, Blacksmiths Lane
Ivy Farm, Baldock Road
Land north of, Lindsay Close
The Warren Car Park, London Road
Industrial estate, Lower Gower Road
former Priory Cinema and swimming pool,
Newmarket Road
Land east of, Thackeray Close
Land at Lumen Road
Heath House, Princes Mews
Land r/o Banyers Hotel and off, King James Way
Land north of, Betjeman Road
Land north of, Coombelands Road
Agricultural supplier, Garden Walk
Royston FC, Garden Walk
Land at, Dark Lane
Land off Sycamore Close
Parish
Letchworth
Letchworth
Letchworth
Offley
Offley
Reed
Royston
Royston
Royston
Royston
Site
area
0.9
0.3
1.2
0.3
2.4
1.1
3.4
3.6
0.7
0.5
Dwellings
0
10
300
14
48
21
69
72
55
25
Royston
0.4
0.5
1.5
0.3
0.3
3.6
1.4
0.9
1.3
0.2
0.6
2.2
3.3
102.5
Royston
Royston
Royston
Royston
Royston
Royston
Royston
Royston
Sandon
St Ippolyts
St Paul's Walden
St Paul's Walden
Total
60
Suitable?
Yes Moderate
Yes Moderate
Yes
Good
Yes Moderate
Yes Moderate
Yes
Good
Yes
Good
Yes Moderate
Yes Moderate
Yes
Difficult
Available?
Yes
2011-16
Yes
2011-16
Yes
2011-16
Yes
2008-11
Yes
2011-16
Yes
2011-16
Yes
2011-16
Yes
2011-16
Yes
2011-16
Yes
2016-21
Achievable?
Yes
Good
Yes
Moderate
Yes
Moderate
Yes
Good
Yes
Good
Yes
Moderate
Yes
Good
Yes
Good
Yes
Moderate
Yes
Moderate
10
Yes
Moderate
Yes
2011-16
Yes
Good
11
75
56
5
72
27
56
44
6
19
44
67
2,876
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Good
Moderate
Good
Moderate
Good
Difficult
Good
Good
Good
Good
Moderate
Moderate
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
2011-16
2016-21
2016-21
2008-11
2011-16
2011-16
2011-16
2011-16
2008-11
2011-16
2011-16
2011-16
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Good
Moderate
Good
Moderate
Good
Moderate
Moderate
Good
Good
Good
Good
Good
10 Reviewing the Assessment
10.1 The previous sections have identified specific sites in Stevenage and North Hertfordshire that
can be considered suitable, available and achievable for development. The Government’s
practice guidance suggests that, following this process, the assessment should be reviewed
to determine whether sufficient sites have been identified or whether further sources,
including broad locations for development and / or windfalls should be considered.
10.2 The table below assesses the ability of the partner authorities to meet the requirements of
the East of England Plan over the period 2001-2021 based upon recorded completions,
housing supply at 31st March 2008 and the findings of this assessment.
Table 20: Identified land supply 2001-2021
Stevenage
Borough
st
2008
Specific sites identified in
Stevenage*
Specific sites identified to the
north and west of Stevenage*
Specific sites identified
elsewhere in North Herts*
Total
England Plan target
Elsewhere in
North Herts
Total
6,400
1,364
Urban
extensions
around
Stevenage in
North Herts
9,600
1,432
6,200
2,837
22,200
5,633
1,216
206
1,472
2,894
3,752
-
-
3,752
3,650
6,675
-
10,325
-
-
2,876
2,876
9,982
8,313
7,185
25,480
+3,582
-1,287
+985
+3,280
10.3 Specific sites that could accommodate almost 17,000 new dwellings have been identified
through this SHLAA. When these are added to housing completions achieved to date and
existing housing supply, more than 25,000 dwellings could be delivered in Stevenage and
North Hertfordshire over the period 2001-2021. This is in excess of the 22,200 dwellings
identified for the two authorities in the East of England Plan. However, unlike the three
component parts, this overall figure does not in itself constitute a target.
Stevenage
10.4 The East of England Plan requires 6,400 new dwellings to be delivered within the Stevenage
Borough boundary. The SHLAA has identified specific sites that could deliver 7,402
dwellings. Broadly speaking, this figure is split evenly between greenfield land to the north
and west of the town for urban extensions as identified in Section 8 (3,650 dwellings) and
sites elsewhere within and around the existing town identified in Section 7 (3,752 dwellings).
10.5 When housing completions and supply are added, it is considered that there is sufficient land
for 9,982 homes in the Borough over the period 2001-2021. This represents a surplus of
3,582 over the East of England Plan target.
10.6 Given that the authority intends to adopt its Development Plan Documents in 2010 and 2011,
this SHLAA therefore meets the minimum requirement set out in Government guidance to
identify sufficient specific sites for at least the first ten years of a plan from the anticipated
date of its adoption.
61
10.7 Based upon information provided by landowners, it is possible to produce an estimate of how
this quantum of housing might be delivered over the plan period. Graph 1 sets out an
indicative trajectory. These findings are also summarised in the table below. Where
landowners (or their agents) have provided detailed information on the anticipated delivery of
their site(s), this has been used. Otherwise it has been assumed that:
 Outstanding housing supply on sites already granted permission will be delivered
evenly over the next three years;
 Sites which landowners have suggested could be delivered prior to 2011 will come
forwards evenly across the 2009/10 and 2010/11 monitoring years. This allows time
for those sites to progress through the planning process prior to implementation;
 Housing delivery from other sites has been annualised across the time period in
which it is anticipated to be delivered. For example, if a site of 200 homes has been
identified for the 2011-16 time period, it has been assumed that 40 units will be
delivered in each of those five years.
Table 21: Indicative phasing of housing supply in Stevenage Borough 2001-2021
Period
Completions / Existing
Identified Sites
Total
Housing Supply
2001-08
1,364
1,364
2008-11
1,216
852
2,068
2011-16
4,022
4,022
2016-21
2,528
2,528
Total
2,580
7,402
9,982
Urban extensions to Stevenage on land in North Hertfordshire
10.8 The East of England plan requires 9,600 new dwellings to be delivered as urban extensions
to Stevenage on land within North Hertfordshire. The SHLAA has identified specific sites that
could deliver 7,750 dwellings, though it is anticipated that some of these will be built after
2021 and will not contribute towards the East of England Plan target.
this housing might be delivered over the plan period. Graph 2 sets out an indicative
trajectory. These findings are also summarised in the table below. These figures have been
produced using the same assumptions set out in paragraph 10.7.
Table 22: Indicative phasing of housing supply for urban extensions to Stevenage on land in
North Hertfordshire 2001-2021
Period
Identified Sites
Total
Housing Supply
2001-08
1,432
1,432
2008-11
206
816
1,022
2011-16
2,617
2,617
2016-21
3,242
3,242
Total
1,638
6,675
8,313
10.10 When housing completions and supply are added to the identified sites, it is considered that
there is sufficient land to provide 8,313 homes over the period 2001-2021. This represents a
deficit of 1,287 units against the East of England plan target.
10.11 North Hertfordshire District Council and Stevenage Borough Council intend to adopt their
joint Action Plan for the urban extensions in 2011. The sites identified do not provide
sufficient land to meet the East of England Plan target to 2021. This SHLAA therefore fails to
meet the minimum requirement set out in Government guidance to identify sufficient specific
62
sites for at least the first ten years of a plan from the anticipated date of its adoption for this
area.
10.12 It is acknowledged that this represents a serious shortcoming. However, the SHLAA is
constrained in that it can only include sites which meet the three tests of suitability,
availability and achievability set out in Section 6. All specific sites that have been promoted to
the partner authorities to date are included in this study and the SHLAA cannot simply
‘invent’ further sites with arbitrary boundaries to remedy any deficiency. The partner
authorities recognise the need to work proactively with landowners to identify specific sites
that can help meet this shortfall prior to the submission of the joint Stevenage and North
Hertfordshire Action Plan (SNAP).
10.13 In the interim, where specific sites cannot be identified, authorities should consider the
potential for broad locations and / or windfalls to meet the outstanding requirements. The
housing potential of broad locations in North Hertfordshire that could provide urban
extensions to Stevenage are considered further in Section 11.
Sites elsewhere in North Hertfordshire
10.14 In addition to contributing towards the future housing requirements of an expanded
Stevenage, the East of England plan requires 6,200 new dwellings to be delivered elsewhere
in North Hertfordshire by 2021. The SHLAA has identified specific sites that could deliver
2,876 dwellings within the plan period. When housing completions and supply are added, it is
considered that there is sufficient land to provide 7,185 homes elsewhere in North
Hertfordshire over the period 2001-2021. This represents a surplus of 985 units against the
East of England plan target.
10.15 North Hertfordshire District Council intend to adopt their Development Plan Documents in
2010 and 2011. Given that this SHLAA identifies a surplus over the East of England Plan
target to 2021, this SHLAA meets the minimum requirement to identify 10 years worth of
specific sites from the anticipated year of adoption.
this quantum of housing might be delivered over the plan period. Graph 3 sets out an
indicative trajectory. These findings are also summarised in the table below. These figures
have been produced using the same assumptions set out in paragraph 10.7.
Table 23: Indicative phasing of housing supply elsewhere in North Hertfordshire 2001-2021
Period
Identified Sites
Total
Housing Supply
2001-08
2,837
2,837
2008-11
1,472
349
1,821
2011-16
2,201
2,201
2016-21
326
326
Total
4,309
2,876
7,185
63
Graph 1: Indicative Housing Trajectory 2001-2021: Stevenage Borough
1000
Net Completions (projected beyond 2008)
Rate required to meet RSS target
900
831
832
804
805
804
805
804
800
Net Dwellings
700
600
505
506
506
506
505
500
386
400
405
353
300
200
180
168
128
112
100
37
0
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Monitoring Year Ending
64
1000
Graph 2: Indicative Housing Trajectory 2001-2021: Urban extensions to Stevenage on land in
North Hertfordshire
900
800
Net Dwellings
700
648
649
648
649
648
600
523
477
500
524
523
524
523
476
400
310
300
246
223
233
240
200
97
100
83
69
0
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
65
Graph 3: Indicative Housing Trajectory 2001-2021: Elsewhere in North Hertfordshire
1000
900
800
Net Dwellings
700
665
665
600
483
500
414
400
491
440
422
393
367
368
440
440
440
440
390
300
200
100
65
65
65
65
65
0
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
66
Looking beyond 2021
10.17 The paragraphs above consider the extent to which the partner authorities can deliver the
housing requirements of the East of England Plan over the period to 2021. Given the
intended date of adoption for North Hertfordshire and Stevenage’s Development Plan
Documents, the exercise also served to determine whether the authorities would be able to
demonstrate a ten-year supply of specific sites.
10.18 The consultation with landowners asked them to consider their sites over this period of time.
This was felt to be the most appropriate approach given the familiarity with the regional plan
period, the minimum requirement for the SHLAA to demonstrate a 10-year supply of specific
sites and the difficulty of forecasting land requirements beyond this time scale. Indeed, some
feedback received from landowners indicated that even considering sites over this time
period was a challenging exercise.
10.19 Notwithstanding these findings, Government policy states that, where possible, plans should
identify specific site for years 10-15 (and, if possible, beyond) of their intended plan period.
For both of the partner authorities, this would require the identification of a supply of specific
sites to the year 2026.
10.20 It is therefore considered appropriate to assess the findings of the SHLAA over this longer
time period.
10.21 The housing targets in the East of England Plan cover the period 2001-2021. However,
Policy H1 contains provision for projecting forwards beyond this point. It states that local
planning authorities should assume that the annual rate of housing provision post-2021 will
be whichever is the highest of:
 The annual rate of housing provision required by the East of England Plan between
2001 and 2021; or
 The annual rate of housing provision required between 2006 and 2021 to meet the
overall target in the East of England Plan, taking into account housing completions
delivered between 2001 and 2006.
10.22 Based upon this advice, the two authorities need to plan for the following additional levels of
development between 2021 and 2026:
 1,900 homes within Stevenage Borough;
 2,900 homes as urban extensions to Stevenage on land within North Hertfordshire;
and
 1,550 homes elsewhere in North Hertfordshire.
10.23 The review of assessment’s findings in Table 20 showed that, when measured against the
housing target to 2021, a surplus of specific sites have been identified within Stevenage and
elsewhere in North Hertfordshire.
10.24 It is acknowledged that the housing targets set in the East of England Plan are minima.
However, the partner authorities may, in allocating sites through their LDF wish to identify
some of the sites identified through the SHLAA for the period beyond 2021. This would help
to meet the requirement for housing in the period to 2026 and promote sustainable levels of
growth over this longer time period.
10.25 Table 24 below, re-assesses the findings of the SHLAA against housing targets for the
period 2001-2026. Within Stevenage, the supply of specific sites identified within this
document is more than sufficient to meet the Borough’s housing requirement over this longer
67
time period. It would be possible to identify a 15-year supply of specific sites, measured from
2011, from the sites considered in this SHLAA. There is therefore no requirement for broad
locations for future growth or a windfall allowance to be considered.
10.26 It has already been determined that the partner authorities cannot demonstrate a supply of
specific sites to meet the housing target for the provision of urban extensions to Stevenage
within North Hertfordshire over the period to 2021. Representatives for sites to the north-east
of the town provided detailed information to show some homes would not be delivered until
post 2021. However, even if these additional units are counted, there is still a deficit when
measured against the extended housing targets to 2026. This is demonstrated by the
shortfall of 3,112 dwellings in the Table 24. Options for making good this deficiency are
explored in Section 11.
10.27 When measured against the 2021 housing target, a surplus of 985 units was identified
elsewhere in North Hertfordshire. This goes some way towards meeting housing
requirements between 2021 and 2026. However, there is an overall deficit of 565 units when
measured over this longer time period. Section 11 considers how this residual requirement
may be met.
Table 24: Identified land supply measured against housing targets 2001-2026
Stevenage
Urban
Elsewhere in
Borough
extensions
North Herts
around
Stevenage in
North Herts
6,400
9,600
6,200
2001-2021
Provisional East of England Plan
1,900
2,900
1,550
target 2001-2026
Total
8,300
12,500
7,750
1,364
1,432
2,837
st
1,216
206
1,472
2008
Specific sites identified in the
7,402
7,750
2,876
SHLAA*
Total
9,982
9,388
7,185
+1,682
-3,112
-565
England Plan 2026 target
Total
22,200
6,350
28,550
5,633
2,894
18,028
26,555
-1,995
Risk Assessment
10.28 The government’s good practice guidance suggests that, in reviewing the Assessment,
authorities should undertake an overall risk assessment to identify the potential barriers that
may prevent sites coming forwards for development.
10.29 In assessing individual sites, the partner authorities have attempted to reasonably anticipate
constraints on a site-by-site basis and identify the measures required to overcome these.
These have informed the assessment of suitability, availability and achievability. Where it is
considered that the risks are too great, sites have not been carried forward. Where
appropriate, allowances have been made in the anticipated phasing of sites to allow for
resolution of these issues.
10.30 However, there are also a number of wider issues that are not site specific, and may hinder
development over the plan period. As of April 2008, the key risks are considered to be that:
68
 Constraints identified in the site assessment prove more difficult to overcome than
anticipated and / or ultimately cannot be overcome;
 Sites may be brought forward for development but delays in the planning process
through, for example, call-in inquiries or Section 106 negotiations may delay their
approval and, therefore, delivery;
 Delays in delivering a complete planning policy framework may cause uncertainty and
/ or a policy vacuum. Although the East of England Plan has been adopted, it is
currently subject to a legal challenge which could lead to some or all of its policies
being quashed. Meanwhile, the government has recently revised the Local
Development Framework process16. Although this may streamline the process for
those Development Plan Documents which have yet to be started, those documents
which are partially complete will need to be evaluated to ensure that they meet all of
the revised requirements prior to their submission for examination;
 Ongoing uncertainty in the housing market, linked to the ‘credit crunch’ and
unfavourable conditions in the wider economy could continue. This could mean that
sites do not come forwards as anticipated, though it should be noted that this issue
lies outside the control of the planning system; and
 The delivery of new housing within the study area will be contingent on the timely
delivery of infrastructure. The East of England Plan acknowledges that waste water
infrastructure serving the area is reaching its environmental limits. Stevenage and
Harlow Councils have recently commissioned a Water Cycle Study to identify
strategic solutions to capacity restrictions at the Rye Meads sewage treatment works.
The findings and recommendations of this study will need to be implemented to
accommodate all of the growth required by the East of England Plan. However, this
will be contingent on the relevant water companies securing sufficient funding and
incorporating relevant construction works into their future business plans. The
capacity of other infrastructure (including rail and road networks) will need to be
sufficient to absorb the additional demands generated by housing growth.
10.31 The two councils will continue to monitor these factors and alter the anticipated phasing of
individual sites and / or bring sites into their five-year land supplies to ensure the continuous
delivery of housing required by Government housing policy17.
16
17
Planning Policy Statement 12: Local Spatial Planning was published in June 2008.
Planning Policy Statement 3: Housing
69
11 Broad locations and Windfalls
11.1 The Practice Guidance on SHLAAs and PPS3 both stress the importance of identifying
specific sites when making projections of future housing. However, the guidance recognises
that in some instances there may be valid reasons why it is not possible to identify sufficient
specific sites. In such circumstances it is necessary to consider whether there are broad
locations which might be able to meet the targets, or a source of sites that is likely to
contribute to supply but for which sites cannot be precisely identified.
11.2 For Stevenage Borough, it has been possible to identify sufficient specific sites which are
suitable, available and achievable to meet housing targets both to 2021 and 2026. No further
consideration of alternative locations is therefore required.
11.3 For urban extensions to Stevenage on land in North Hertfordshire, there is a shortfall of
1,287 dwellings up to 2021, and a shortfall of 3,112 dwellings up to 2026. Elsewhere in North
Hertfordshire, sufficient sites have been identified to meet targets to 2021, but there is a
shortfall of 565 dwellings in the period up to 2026.
11.4 In light of these shortfalls, it is necessary to consider whether there are broad locations for
growth or a justifiable windfall allowance that can be identified in order to give confidence
that the housing targets can be met.
11.5 For the urban extensions to Stevenage on land within North Hertfordshire, being almost
exclusively greenfield land, there is no likely source of windfall housing. However, the
strategic policy context for this area means that a broad locations approach will be
appropriate. Conversely, for the rest of North Hertfordshire, it is much harder to identify such
broad locations. However, within the historic towns and villages, there are many small sites
which have been too small for consideration as specific sites within this assessment, but
could contribute as a windfall allowance.
Broad locations for urban extensions to Stevenage on land within North Hertfordshire
11.6 In order to try and identify sufficient sites for urban extensions to Stevenage on land within
North Hertfordshire, a number of broad locations have been assessed. In Section 8, a
number of sites which are suitable, available and achievable for development were identified.
However, the proposed boundary of the joint Stevenage and North Hertfordshire Action Plan
(SNAP) extends beyond these sites. The remaining areas of SNAP have therefore been
analysed to see whether they have sufficient potential for housing to be identified as broad
locations for the purposes of this assessment.
11.7 To inform this analysis, a number of masterplans for urban extensions have been reviewed,
in order to establish sensible assumptions regarding the net developable area for housing
and densities that might be delivered from a specified amount of land. These reviewed
masterplans are drawn both from schemes within the SNAP area, such as the West
Stevenage proposals and the implemented development at Great Ashby, and from
elsewhere, including sites at Kettering, Northampton, Cambridge, Aylesbury, Harlow and
Daventry. In light of this review, the following assumptions to assist in estimating housing
yield from specific areas of land have been made:




Locations of 0-25ha: 70% gross site area to net housing land ratio;
Locations of 25-75ha: 60% gross to net ratio; and
Locations of 75ha+: 50% gross to net ratio
Density of 38dph on net housing development area
70
11.8 A number of broad locations within the SNAP area that had not been considered in the site
specific section above were then identified and estimates of their capacity made. The sites to
the north-east of Stevenage that were considered previously in Section 8 but discounted due
to uncertainty over their availability have also been included in this exercise, using the
dwelling estimates previously made.
11.9 These estimates have then been aggregated for each of the areas of search that were
discussed in the SNAP Issues and Options Paper published by the partner authorities in
November 2007. These totals are shown on Map 22 on the following page and summarised
in the table below.
Table 25: Summary of broad locations
Area of search
Dwelling Comments
estimate
These sites were previously considered in Section 8 but are
North East (pink)
2,125
currently deemed unavailable for development.
No further sites have been identified in this area beyond
North (yellow)
0
those identified in Section 8.
175 dwellings estimated to be within the Stevenage Borough
North West (orange)
3,210
boundary.
Stevenage West
0
Already identified as a specific site in Section 8.
application site (blue)
West (green)
8,130
South West (grey)
670
Total
14,135
175 of this figure within Stevenage Borough boundary.
11.10 It can therefore be seen that the broad locations within the SNAP area within North
Hertfordshire potentially yield 14,135 dwellings. Of these, 175 are estimated to be within the
Stevenage Borough boundary and could not contribute to the identified deficit. However, this
leaves 13,960 dwellings on land within North Hertfordshire.
11.11 This figure is sufficient to meet the identified shortfalls of 1,287 dwellings to 2021 and 3,112
dwellings to 2026. Further, it demonstrates that there is sufficient land within the SNAP area
to continue to provide dwellings up to 2031. In accordance with Policy SV1 of the East of
England Plan, the Green Belt review around Stevenage will need to allow for continued
growth of the town up until 2031.
11.12 It must be stressed that this exercise on broad locations has taken no account of the
constraints affecting particular pieces of land, nor of any coalescence that may result from
their development. It is not the role of the SHLAA to make policy judgements; that is the role
of the SNAP document. Clearly, further work will need to be done on all these broad
locations in due course to establish which are the most appropriate to be allocated for
development. The purpose of the SHLAA in this respect is merely to demonstrate that there
are sufficient sites available to choose between.
71
Map 22: Estimated housing capacity of broad locations within the proposed Stevenage and North
Hertfordshire Action Plan (SNAP) boundary*
*Excludes capacity arising from specific sites previously identified in Section 8.
72
Windfalls elsewhere in North Hertfordshire
11.13 The Practice Guidance on producing SHLAAs and PPS3 are both clear that windfall
allowances should not be counted towards the first five or ten year periods of the plan.
However, the guidance does allow for the inclusion of a windfall allowance, where justified.
11.14 The methodology of this SHLAA was specifically structured to exclude sites for four dwellings
or fewer. However, in North Hertfordshire, such sites do make an ongoing contribution to the
supply of new dwellings. Table 26 below analyses the number of completions on sites of four
or fewer dwellings since 2001.
Table 26: Net housing completions elsewhere in North Hertfordshire on sites of four dwellings
or fewer
2001/2
2002/3
2003/4
2004/5
2005/6
2006/7
2007/8
Total
513
Small sites
87
72
81
81
46
70
76
2,837
All completions
414
422
393
367
368
390
483
18%
% on small sites
21%
17%
21%
22%
13%
18%
16%
11.15 It can be seen that over the course of this seven year period, at least 46 dwellings per year
were completed on small sites. Indeed, there was only one year (2005-06) when fewer than
70 dwellings were completed. This is a fairly substantial component of supply, representing
18% of all completions.
11.16 One of the main questions to ask in considering whether an allowance for windfall is justified
is whether the historic rate is likely to increase or decrease as the plan period progresses.
Clearly, the publication of PPG3 in 2000 gave much greater encouragement to re-use of
previously developed land, and it could be argued that the completions of small sites would
be expected to peak after the publication of PPG3. We therefore need to consider a longer
term trend, including the period prior to PPG3. This is shown in Table 27 below.
Table 27: Long-term trend in completions on small sites 1991-2008
1991/2
1992/3
1993/4
1994/5
1995/6
1996/7
1997/8
1998/9
1999/00
2000/1
2001/2
2002/3
2003/4
2004/5
2005/6
2006/7
2007/8
Total
Small
sites
% on
small
sites
22
43
26
29
29
31
32
36
21
25
87
72
81
81
46
70
76
807
8
10
5
7
9
7
10
14
4
4
21
17
21
22
13
18
16
12
11.17 It can be seen from this longer-term view that there was indeed a surge in the number of
completions on small sites shortly after the publication of PPG3 in 2000, with the year 200102 seeing the highest recorded number of completions on such sites. What is also clear is
that even before PPG3 was published there was an ongoing level of completions from small
sites, which fluctuated between 21 and 43 dwellings per year in the period 1991 to 2001.
This period is also interesting as it covers the slump in the housing market from the early
1990s. It can be seen that even during this periods, between 20 and 30 dwellings per year
were being provided on small sites.
11.18 The reason PPS3 and the practice guidance cite for not wishing to include a windfall
allowance is that such allowances give little certainty to communities and infrastructure
providers about where development will occur. Clearly, a significant windfall allowance for
large sites will make it very difficult to properly plan the infrastructure needed to support new
development.
73
11.19 However, the sites being discussed here are by definition not large. Their impacts will be
more localised. By their nature, these sites will be within existing urban areas, and probably
on brownfield land. As such, they are highly likely to make only marginal demands on the
infrastructure systems, largely using existing facilities. It is clearly part of the character of
North Hertfordshire’s small market towns and rural villages that many development sites tend
to be small.
11.20 Therefore, given the long-term trend for a quantum of small sites being delivered and the fact
that such sites do not cause serious harm to the reasons for restricting the use of windfalls, it
does seem appropriate to make an allowance for windfall sites of four or fewer dwellings.
11.21 For the purposes of this assessment, we have adopted the average of the completions since
2001, as this is both the plan period covered by the East of England Plan and also closely
matches the period since PPG3 was published in 2000. This works out at 73 dwellings per
year.
11.22 To avoid double-counting, no small sites are included for the period 2008-2011, as a large
number of such sites will already have planning permission and therefore be included in the
list of current permissions. Therefore, we assume that for the fifteen years from 2011-2026
there will be an additional 73 dwellings per year on small sites, giving a total allowance of
1095 dwellings on small sites.
11.23 It is important to note that these small site completions from 2011-2026 are not needed to
provide sufficient houses for the five or ten years supply sought by PPS3 and the Practice
Guidance. As discussed above in paragraph 10.12, there is a substantial surplus of sites to
demonstrate the five and ten years supply on specific sites.
11.24 Therefore, where paragraph 10.25 identified a shortfall of 565 dwellings from specific sites,
the windfall allowance of 1,095 is ample to remedy this shortfall for the period 2021-2026,
and therefore allow some leeway in the plan making process when deciding which sites are
allocated.
74
12 Conclusions
12.1 This SHLAA, which covers the local authority areas of Stevenage and North Hertfordshire,
has been conducted in line with government guidance, and in consultation with key
stakeholders.
12.2 Housing supply over the periods 2001-2021 and 2001-2026 have been considered for three
key areas:
 Stevenage Borough;
 Urban extensions to Stevenage on land within North Hertfordshire
 Elsewhere in North Hertfordshire.
12.3 Through the identification of specific sites, this SHLAA concludes that the minimum
requirement to identify a ten-year supply of specific housing sites for the first ten years after
the anticipated adoption of plan documents can be met within Stevenage Borough and
elsewhere in North Hertfordshire.
12.4 This minimum requirement cannot be met for urban extensions to Stevenage on land within
North Hertfordshire. A deficit of 1,287 dwellings has been identified against the overall target
of 9,600 new homes by 2021. The partner authorities will work proactively with landowners to
remedy this.
12.5 The identified supply of specific sites in Stevenage Borough would be sufficient to provide a
fifteen-year supply post-adoption, over the period to 2026.
12.6 There is a significant deficit of specific sites, in excess of 3,000 dwellings, to provide urban
extensions to Stevenage on land within North Hertfordshire over the period to 2026.
However, the consideration of broad locations demonstrates that there is ample land within
the proposed boundary of the Stevenage and North Hertfordshire Action Plan (SNAP) to
make good this deficiency.
12.7 Although the supply of specific sites identified elsewhere in North Hertfordshire goes some
way towards meeting anticipated housing requirements post-2021, there is a deficit of 565
dwellings against the housing target to 2026. Broad locations for development are not
considered to be an appropriate solution. However, consideration of past windfall
completions demonstrates sufficient evidence to justify their inclusion in the consideration of
housing supply beyond 2021. The anticipated level of windfall provision is considered
sufficient to overcome the identified shortfall.
12.8 This SHLAA has identified potential risks that may hinder the development of individual sites
as well as broader issues that could compromise the overall development strategy for the
two authorities. Stevenage and North Hertfordshire will continue to monitor these issues and,
where appropriate, bring sites forward into their five-year supply to ensure continuous
provision of housing over the period to 2021 and beyond.
75
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76

September 2008 SHLAA Main Report September 2008

Transcription

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