19. STANWAY

Introduction

19.1 Stanway was proposed in the previously Adopted Plan (January 1995) for significant housing and employment development. These proposals were related to extensions to, and improvements of, the highway infrastructure on the west side of Stanway. It was also proposed to secure additional recreational facilities and to safeguard the open countryside to the west of Stanway. There were also particular issues in respect of land along the south side of London Road and at Stanway Green.

19.2 However, the previously Adopted Plan’s principal proposals for the allocated development areas north and south of London Road at Tollgate have been slow to come to fruition, and have generally been rolled forward into this Plan. These proposals have been partly reduced in their scope by a recent small loss of land (0.77ha) zoned for employment purposes to non-food retail on the western edge of the Retail Warehouse Park.

Objectives

19.3 The Plan’s objectives for Stanway are as follows:

(a) To ensure that adequate transport infrastructure and public transport service improvements have been secured before land is released for new development;

(b) To release land for housing and employment purposes in Stanway as a necessary element of the Borough’s contribution to regional and county requirements;

(c) To provide for additional recreational activities of an appropriate scale and nature on areas of former and current mineral workings or on adjoining land, relating such leisure provision to any emerging proposals for the Gosbecks Archaeological Park;

(d) To restrict the spread of development into the open countryside on Stanway’s southern and western side beyond the currently or proposed built up areas, and to retain a clear edge to the urban area;

(e) To protect the traditional character of the historic parts of Stanway, in particular St Albrights, Stanway Green and the area of the Parish between the Roman River and St Albrights Church.

Policies

DEVELOPMENT CONTROL CONSIDERATIONS

19.4 It is important to note that all policies contained within this chapter must be read alongside the overall Development Control Policy (DC1). This policy sets out the standard planning criteria applicable to all forms of development. The relevant criteria will be used to assess the suitability of any proposal in addition to the following detailed policy guidance.

SOUTH SIDE OF LONDON ROAD

19.5 The frontage to London Road covered by this policy extends from New Farm Road almost to Millers Lane, as indicated on the Colchester Inset Map. The general aim of the policy is to ensure that:

(a) the existing balance of residential to non-residential uses is generally maintained in this area;

(b) residential uses closely hemmed in by commercial uses, and consequently suffering a serious loss of amenity, can be removed and replaced by a non-residential use if the opportunity arises;

(c) residential or non-residential backland sites are generally redeveloped for residential purposes in suitable circumstances and as opportunities arise;

(d) existing or alternative replacement commercial uses at existing commercial sites are allowed to flourish. The word commercial used in this policy is defined as meaning “the range of retail, industrial, warehousing and office uses found in these types of Mixed Use Areas, but also including leisure or community uses”.

19.6 In addition, St Albrights Old Person’s Home has been put to use as County Council offices, and is due to be the subject of an enhancement scheme, respecting its status and setting as a listed building.

 

STA1 In considering proposals for development in the area on the south side of London Road, the Borough Council will: (a) seek to retain existing residential development, except where, in its view, the continued use of the premises for residential purposes is unsatisfactory on environmental grounds; (b) encourage the redevelopment of sites for residential purposes where opportunities arise; (c) permit the expansion or redevelopment of existing commercial uses within their existing curtilages, or the change of use of those sites to alternative commercial, community or leisure uses, subject to there being no detriment to residential amenity.

LAND BETWEEN ESSEX YEOMANRY WAY AND SOUTH OF CHURCH LANE

19.7 This area is the location for major allocations of land for housing (28.89ha), employment (18.92ha) and recreational (28.69ha) purposes. Much of this land can be released only for development when firm commitments to the implementation of a Western Bypass have been secured by the Council through a legal agreement. These allocations were included as key development proposals for Stanway in the Adopted Review Colchester Borough Local Plan (January 1995), and are set out again on the Colchester Inset Plan.

19.8 However, progress with the implementation of these proposals over the intervening three and a half years has been slow and very limited as below;

(a) Residential element: The first phase of housing (200 units out of a total of 500 units’ capacity) is currently under construction south of Church Lane. However, detailed planning permission has yet to be sought by the landowner/developer for Phase 2.

(b) Employment element: Different parts of the designated employment zone have recently been, and currently are, the subject of a series of proposals for non-food retail, leisure and as employment uses. However, for a variety of reasons, most of these proposals have so far fallen at the stage of seeking planning permission or have otherwise not been implemented. The exception to this has been the addition of a small element of non-food retail (0.77ha) on the western edge of the Retail Warehouse Park at the expense of employment uses.

(c) Leisure element: The designated recreational area south of Church Lane. Because of this area’s links with other potential leisure land to the south, its future is considered further in paragraph 19.10 below.

(d) Western Bypass: The benefits of this scheme are set out below in relation to the limited scope to improve the Tollgate roundabout, because of the restricted availability of land.

(i) To facilitate access to major new residential, industrial and leisure development in Stanway between Essex Yeomanry Way, Warren Lane and Maldon Road;

(ii) To relieve traffic pressures on existing main distributor roads further into the centre of Stanway;

(iii) To provide for the needs of those not travelling by car, especially those using the bus or cycling (in conjunction with the Warren Lane Improvements Scheme).

It has always been a firm premise that this major road scheme would be financed and implemented entirely by the private sector. This principle has been the source of one continuing complication in achieving implementation: the land needed for the road is split into different ownerships. At the present time, the southern section of the Bypass (Warren Lane to the northern boundary of O & H Holdings Ltd) has been secured for implementation via a S106 agreement, although the construction details have yet to be finalised, while the northern section (from O & H Holdings Ltd’s northern boundary to Essex Yeomanry Way) is still being negotiated between the landowners, the Borough and County Councils.

19.9 While progress in bringing these proposals to the stage of implementation has been very restricted to date, the housing and employment land use allocations involved make an essential contribution to meeting District needs and Structure Plan requirements, and are therefore rolled forward into the present Plan. Similarly, the Western Bypass scheme is regarded by all the key partners (Borough Council, County Highway Authority and the two principal landowners) as an equally vital element in helping to cope with the traffic generated by these allocations. In this regard, the Borough Council and County Highway Authority have jointly accepted that:

(i) the first phase of housing development (where construction has commenced) and the employment land covered by the legal agreement attached to application COL/ 90/1904 (in O & H Holdings Ltd ownership) is not dependent on completion of any part of the Bypass;

(ii) the second phase of housing and any formal outdoor and indoor leisure provision can be commenced when the Western Bypass between Warren Lane and London Road has been secured by legal agreement, unless an interim arrangement for access – acceptable to the Local Planning Authority – is agreed, which secures the benefits identified in paragraph 19.8 (d) (i-iii) and which does not prejudice the objective of securing the whole of the Western Bypass;

(iii) the release of any land for employment purposes north and south of London Road (owned by the D Watts group of companies) can occur only when the entire length of the Western Bypass (Warren Lane to Essex Yeomanry Way) has been secured by legal agreement.

Alternatively, the Council may rely on the imposition of a “Grampian” (ie negatively worded) condition rather than a legal agreement.

 

STA2 Land between Essex Yeomanry Way and south of Church Lane is allocated for residential and employment uses as shown on the Colchester Inset Map. Release of land will be subject to the provisions of paragraph 19.9 above.

RECREATIONAL ZONE SOUTH OF CHURCH LANE

19.10 There are three separate areas of land between Church Lane and Maldon Road (B1022) that are considered to have substantial potential for recreational uses in the short to longer-term. These are as follows:

(a) The O & H Holdings Ltd site. This area of 19.83ha, formerly worked for sand and gravel, has been split by legal agreement between a sub-area for private sector leisure development (7.69ha) and a zone for public recreational use (12.14ha). By legal agreement the housing developer at Church Lane should provide a financial contribution of £325,000 (index-linked) towards the building of a sports hall, community centre or similar facility with associated car parking facilities on 0.8ha of land for the benefit of residents in Stanway and Colchester;

(b) Tarmac site west of Warren Lane (Bellhouse Pit). This 58ha site is in active use, partly as the location for Tarmac’s area office, in part for the processing of sand and gravel, but predominantly as a privately operated County Council waste landfill site. It is likely that these uses will remain active for the next 10-12 years over most of this zone;

(c) Tarmac site east of Warren Lane (Stanway Hall). This 81.7ha site is being progressively exploited for its sand and gravel reserves, and the extraction process is due to be completed within 10-12 years.

19.11 The recreational potential of these three sites is recognised by the Council as having an important role in meeting the leisure needs of local residents in Stanway and Colchester. In particular, it would more than fulfil the open space standard of 7 acres (2.83ha) per 1,000 population for Stanway. It would also serve to keep pressures off more sensitive areas of countryside surrounding Stanway/Colchester such as the nearby Roman River Valley.

19.12 There are six important considerations in realising this potential:

(a) While the site at Church Lane is likely to be available in the short term, the two Tarmac sites will in general not be released from their present uses until towards the end of the Plan period;

(b) Proposed improvements to Warren Lane are being implemented as part of a legal agreement tied to the exploitation of the Bellhouse Farm site for sand and gravel. These improvements, together with the completion of the Western Bypass, should provide the basis for better accessibility to the whole of the recreation zone by a variety of transport modes;

(c) The total hectareage of the three sites taken together is more than that of High Woods Country Park, including its extension: 160ha and 152.6ha respectively;

(d) There are other existing or potential attractions which are in close proximity to these three sites, including Colchester Zoo, Gosbecks Archaeological Park and the Roman River Valley itself. Any detailed proposals for the three-site recreational zone will need to recognise and be in harmony with the presence of the Zoo and the Park as an important commercial visitor attraction; the Park as a significant archaeological and informal recreational resource; and the Roman River Valley as an area vulnerable to further visitor pressures;

(e) The possible need for commercial leisure developers to contribute to meeting the costs of the Western Bypass scheme, depending on the timing of any such development and the traffic thereby generated;

(f) An ecological assessment will be required as part of the formulation of proposals to ensure that any nature conservation interests are accounted for.

19.13 The Council’s general view is that there is scope within the Church Lane/Maldon Road leisure area for a balanced mix of informal and more formal outdoor leisure activities, including a possible commercial element such as a hotel or country club. It is proposed that the informal component should predominate, and should include water-based activities and a nature conservation element. Any formal indoor and outdoor leisure element will be limited in extent and be closely related to the housing and employment land allocations north and south of Church Lane, so as to keep built recreational development out of the more open countryside, including the Area of Strategic Open Land (see below). However, more detailed proposals can be formulated only following consultation with relevant interests, including the two principal landowners, the County Council and Stanway Parish Council.

 

STA3 Land between Church Lane and Maldon Road, including Stanway Hall Farm and Bellhouse Pit, is generally designated as an area for informal and formal outdoor leisure uses, as shown on the Colchester Inset Plan (CL). Any formal indoor and outdoor leisure provision will be limited in extent, and closely related to allocated employment and housing areas at Church Lane.

PEARTREE ROAD MIXED USE AREA

19.14 The Peartree Road area is characterised by a mixture of retail, office and industrial uses. It is considered to be no longer appropriate to allocate the area as Employment Zone.

19.15 It is recognised that both the food and non-food retail outlets at Peartree Road serve a sizeable catchment area within and beyond south-west Colchester. However, any expansion of retail uses here has to be balanced by the need to safeguard the range of job opportunities generated by existing office and industrial uses and the need to safeguard the vitality and viability of the Town Centre and local shopping centres.

19.16 It is proposed that any retail expansion will be limited to within existing curtilages and be subject to Policies TCS1, TCS2, and TCS11.

19.17 The Council is keen to see the Peartree Road Mixed Use Area enhance its office and industrial functions by the retention or expansion of existing enterprises or through changes of use from retail. This would act to increase local job opportunities for this part of Colchester and Stanway and facilitate short journeys to work by non-car modes of transport.

19.18 Other uses accepted within an Employment Zone (see Policy EMP1) or serving a local community need would be acceptable on a site currently used for retail, subject to meeting Policy DC1 and any other appropriate policies for the use. In addition, any leisure proposals should also not prejudice the expansion of leisure facilities at Stanway School.