EASL / ilke Homes - Linford - Member Briefing

Land at LINFORD

Princess Margaret Road, Linford, SS17 0QU THURROCK

Summary of Proposals

November 2022 Iceni Projects prepared on behalf of EASL

Land at Linford | Summary of Proposals

Land at Linford | Summary of Proposals

Land at Linford

Executive Summary

EASL and ilke Homes submitted a detailed planning application in October 2021 for the construction of 230 affordable homes. The scheme will be constructed through Modular Construction methods that will enable an accelerated build programme. Homes can be delivered up to 50% more quickly compared with traditional construction methods, enabling the provision of much needed affordable housing in a much shorter timeframe. Moreover, the applicant has agreed to a shorter implementation period, so rather than the typical 3 years, this will be reduced to just 18 months.

Future occupants will benefit from living somewhere which has beauty, sustainability and ecology at its heart. The scheme provides beautiful architecturally designed homes with sustainable features, including high levels of insulation, and the provision of photovoltaic panels, reducing energy demands and carbon emissions throughout the lifetime of the development. In addition, the scheme includes a number of provisions for the protection and enhancement of wildlife habitats and corridors, from habitat creation for invertebrates through to boxes for owls and other birdlife.

As well as the benefits to future occupants, the Proposals will also provide a number of benefits to for the wider local community, including:

• 100% affordable homes.

• Financial contributions towards education; healthcare; ‘Essex Coast Recreational disturbance Avoidance & Mitigation Strategy, and community facilities / public realm;

• 58 ZERO-bill homes.

• Improved connectivity and access to the Country Park and the Local Nature Reserve;

• New and enhanced pedestrian infrastructure with the provision of land towards the potential for a new pedestrian footbridge into Gobions Park, new footpaths and a new zebra crossing over Princess Margaret Road;

• New cycle infrastructure and the provision of safe and secure public cycle parking for 20 bicycles. This will include parking for cargo bikes and specialist mobility bicycles;

• A new bus layby and shelter, with real-time passenger information;

• Enhancements to the platform environment at East Tilbury Station; and

• Public open space and dog walking trails.

Land at Linford |

Land at Linford | Summary of Proposals

Site and Surroundings

The proposed scheme will complement Linford, integrating with the existing built context and the established community, and restoring the historic landscape pattern where appropriate.

There is a strong network of public footpaths which link the site with the wider countryside. Overall the site is located in a highly sustainable area.

In respect of strategic highway connections, the site is well located to connect to the A13, which joins South Essex to Central London.

With regard to sustainable travel opportunities, the site is well serviced by bus route 374. The bus 374 route travels between Grays to Basildon and is approximately every 90 minutes.

The railway station is located almost directly opposite the site, East Tilbury, around 0.2 miles to the north of the site and is on a loop line of the London, Tilbury and Southend line.

The site is located in the village of Linford which offers a wide range of facilities.

Land at Linford | Summary of Proposals

Proposed Development

EASL and ilke Homes have submitted a detailed planning application for the construction of 230 affordable dwellings, with associated parking, access, landscaping, open space and infrastructure.

The proposed dwellings will be between 2-3 storeys in height. There will be a mixture of apartments, terraced and semi-detached dwellings.

All dwellings will be of Modular Construction with the modules manufactured off-site before being transported to Site for assembly. This will allow for an increased rate of delivery compared to traditional build housing and will also minimise noise and dust nuisance during the construction phase, as well as reducing general construction site traffic and pollution.

The proposed dwellings will be highly energy efficient with sustainability front-and-centre of their design. This will result in an up to 90% lower energy bills and an average of 20% less energy consumption compared to a traditionally constructed home.

Each dwelling will be provided with dedicated vehicle parking, with 1 space per flat and 2 spaces per house, as well as a total of 48 visitor parking spaces. Each dwelling will be provided with one Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Point.

The Proposals are ‘landscaping and ecology led’ and will include high-quality hard and soft landscaping to serve the future occupants whilst providing enhanced networks for local ecology and a significant net gain in biodiversity. This will include enhanced planting throughout the Site, including tree lined streets, hedgerows and grasslands, the provision of new species-rich habitats, habitat improvements for Water Voles and reptiles, roosting and foraging opportunities for bats and birds, and new invertebrate features including bee banks.

Public open space will be provided in the form of an open informal recreation area, a trim trail, and walking paths with facilities for dog walkers.

A masterplan is shown at Page 22.

Land at Linford | Summary of Proposals

About Ilke Homes

ilke Homes is the United Kingdom’s leading volumetric housebuilder. The homes are precision constructed at a factory in Knaresborough in Yorkshire, which has capacity for 2,200 homes per year. The homes are backed by Homes England and are the first volumetric housing to gain NHBC approval.

ilke Homes is currently delivering a scheme in Stanford-le-Hope for 153 affordable homes. Some of you will have attended the site visits in June and September 2022 to see how the homes are delivered and the exceptional build quality.

Prices for the scheme in Stanford-le-Hope start from £295,000 for 2 bed homes, £360,000 for 3 bed homes and £472,500 for 4 bed homes. The majority of the buyers are local to Thurrock.

More about ilke Homes

BRITISH INNOVATION: With a manufacturing base in Yorkshire, ilke Homes was formed by combining the best IP from two leading British businesses. It is backed by London-based investment funds and supported by Homes England.

WORLD-CLASS: Bringing the world’s best manufacturing practices to residential construction. The team combines technical expertise and leaders from the automotive, aerospace and consumer sectors.

GENUINELY AFFORDABLE: Delivering high-quality homes for first time buyers, registered providers, local authorities and developers.

DELIVERING AT SCALE AND PACE: A scale solution delivering 2,000 homes per annum with the ability to scale rapidly to 10,000+ homes a year. By manufacturing homes in parallel to the groundworks, our sites are typically delivered in half the time of a traditionally built housing site.

FAMILY HOMES: Desirable, precision-engineered, with energy efficiency built-in, leading to lower energy bills. With ilke ZERO we are now delivering homes with zero energy bills.

ACCREDITED: ilke Homes is proud to be accredited by BOPAS and NHBC Accepts. We were the first modular manufacturer to achieve the sought after NHBC system accreditation. This reassures our customers that our homes have the durability for two mortgage terms, required by high street banks and lenders.

Low Energy Bills

ilke Homes has recently gained national recognition in the Financial Times and Sunday Times for its highly efficient homes. ilke Homes only build homes that exceed minimum environmental standards and provides its customers with the option to deliver to the highest levels of sustainability.

Sustainability is one of the core business drivers for ilke Homes. It builds homes and developments that deliver improved environmental, economic and social outcomes against the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Through offsite manufacturing, ilke Homes delivers significant advantages over traditional construction methods, as well as other modern methods of construction.

ilke Homes has made a commitment that all of the affordable rental homes on the site will be Zero Bill Homes. This means that 58 homes on the site would have zero energy bills.

By harnessing artificial intelligence, robotics, and digital design, the modular housing company is capable of creating homes that are incredibly well insulated, meaning less heat escapes and consequently reducing bills.

Solar panels, installed on the home’s roof, will capture renewable energy by absorbing sunlight. This energy will then be used for electricity (subject to a fair use policy) and to power the home’s air source heat pump, which provides all heating and hot water.

Land at Linford

Very Special Circumstances

It is accepted that the Site is designated as Green Belt. Two-thirds of Thurrock is within the Green Belt. Therefore, for Thurrock to meet its existing and future housing needs, development within the Green Belt will be necessary.

It is considered that there are a set of Very Special Circumstances which relate to this Site and proposals that are considered to clearly outweigh any harm to the Green Belt.

• Delivery of 100% affordable housing – this site would broadly equate to three years’ affordable housing supply from a single site, based on historic trends.

• Transport upgrades to the existing station environment in East Tilbury and facilitating shift towards sustainable forms of transport. This includes a sheltered northern platform and a new Bus Stop with real-time display and bus lay-by directly outside the Site, as well as secure cycle storage.

• Positively responding to the lack of 5-year housing land supply which is currently between 2.5 and 2.7; making it one of the most challenged local authorities in England on land supply.

• Low carbon / low bill development – Thurrock Council has also recognised that there is a Climate Emergency and urgent steps are required. The Local Authority have made a commitment to be zero-carbon by 2030. The scheme includes 58 ZERO bill homes.

• The scheme will provide improved connectivity to the nearby Country Park, Wildlife Trust Nature Discovery Park, and Local Nature Reserve at Linford Woods, through the provision of pedestrian and cycle infrastructure through the Site, providing a direct connection from Princess Margaret Road / East Tilbury Road.

• The Proposals will provide a net gain in biodiversity through the provision of enhanced species rich planting across the Site.

• Accelerated build programme to respond to immediate housing shortfall - During the construction phase, it is anticipated that up to 12 units could be delivered per month, with a forecasted total construction period of 22 months.

• Shorter period of implementing the planning application, i.e. 18 months rather than 3 years.

• Thurrock is a National Growth Area and has Freeport Status - it is a designated growth area within the Thames Gateway. Future growth is projected to continue to outstrip national and regional rates due to a combination of indigenous growth and net inward migration.

Affordable Housing Completions in Thurrock

Land at Linford

Key Historical Affordable Housing Delivery

ilke Homes at Linford (Ref. 21/01812/FUL)

Land at Linford | Summary

Next Steps

EASL and ilke Homes expect the planning application to be considered by the Planning Committee on Wednesday, 16 November 2022 at 7pm.

Given the extensive benefits that the application will deliver - including wide-ranging sustainable transport upgrades to the East Tilbury station area, new cycling and walking connections to the nearby country parks, and delivery of a significant number of affordable homes - we are pleased to put forward an application which meets the Very Special Circumstances for Green Belt release.

We therefore hope that as Members of the Planning Committee you feel able to support our application to deliver 100% affordable homes for Thurrock, all of which have world-class energy efficient designs fit for the future.

If the Planning Committee are minded to approve the planning application then it will need to referred to the National Planning Casework Unit on behalf of the Secretary of State. Assuming the planning application is not “called in” then planning permission could be issued in late 2022. A Section 106 Agreement has already been prepared and has been reviewed by Thurrock Council’s legal department.

Tha above programme would mean that ilke Homes can construct homes from mid-2023, with occupation from 2024.

Should you have any questions on the proposals then please do not hesitate to contact me directly.

James Bompas Director, Planning Iceni Projects

e: jbompas@iceniprojects.com m: 07736 314 143

Land at Linford

Land at Linford

Section 106 Heads of Terms

Description Trigger Amount

Affordable Housing

The scheme will be 100% affordable. The mix to comprise of 7 x 1-bedroom, 87 x 2-bedroom, 84 x 3-bedroom and 52 x 4-bedroom. 75%

The Dwellings when offered for sale by a RP shall be offered to Prescribed Persons in accordance with the eligibility criteria applied by the RP and which must be compliant with Homes England requirements that apply to the sale of Intermediate Housing Units

N/A

Zero Bill Homes

All affordable rent homes (58 homes) will be Zero Bill Homes, which means that they would have zero energy bills to pay.

The affordable rented component of the scheme will have a guaranteed ZERO energy bill N/A

To pay to the Council 50% of the Education Contribution prior to Commencement of the Development

Education

The scheme will include the provision of a financial contribution towards the enhancement and expansion of education services within the local area.

Not to allow nor permit Commencement of the Development until 50% of the Education Contribution has been paid to the Council

To pay to the Council the remaining 50% of the Education Contribution prior to first Occupation of any of the Dwellings

£1,828,739.34

Community and Public Realm

The scheme will include a contribution towards community facilities and / or public realm in the East Tilbury / Linford area.

£225,000.00

Section 106 Heads of Terms

Description

East Tilbury Station Upgrades

Upgrades to the station environment in accordance with Thurrock Council Infrastructure Requirements List

Trigger Amount

To pay to the Council the Station Contribution prior to Commencement of the Development

Not to allow nor permit Commencement of the Development until 50% of the Station Contribution has been paid to the Council

To pay to the Council the remaining 50% of the Station Contribution prior to first Occupation of any of the Dwellings

£100,000.00

Sustainable Travel Enhancements

This will consist of improvements to the cycle storage, bus shelter, bus lay-by and public electric vehicle charging points.

Safeguarded Bridge Land

To facilitate future pedestrian connectivity to the local area and public open spaces, the scheme will include the safeguarding of land for potential future provision of a footbridge over the rail lines by Thurrock Council.

Prior to occupation of the first residential dwelling.

Section 278 Agreement

Land

Section 106 Heads of Terms

Description Trigger Amount

To pay to the Council 50% of the Health Contribution prior to Commencement of the Development

Health

The scheme will include the provision of a financial contribution towards the enhancement and expansion of NHS Services within the local area.

Not to allow nor permit Commencement of the Development until 50% of the Health Contribution has been paid to the Council

To pay to the Council the remaining 50% of the Health Contribution prior to first Occupation of any of the Dwellings

Not to allow nor permit the Occupation of any of the Dwellings until the whole of the Health Contribution has been paid to the Council in full

£90,600.00

Highway Contribution

To be spent on highway works within the vicinity of the development.

Linford Woods Connection

Works to include construction a new footbridge from the Site into Linford Wood and undertaking path improvement works within the wood to ensure that they are readily usable by the public

£TBC

Payment will be made prior to occupation of the 115th dwelling. £80,000.00

Section 106 Heads of Terms

Description Trigger Amount

RAMS

The Essex coast Recreational disturbance Avoidance and Mitigation Strategy (the “Essex coast RAMS” or the Strategy) aims to deliver the mitigation necessary to avoid significant adverse effects from ‘in-combination’ impacts of residential development that is anticipated across Essex; thus protecting the Habitats (European) sites on the Essex coast from adverse effect on site integrity.

Payable on the commencement of works.

£29,279.00

Trim Trail

The scheme will include a minimum of 12 pieces of outdoor equipment.

The Applicant will not commence Development until details of the Outdoor Equipment to provide a trim-trail route and its location have been submitted to and approved by the Council. The Applicant not to Occupy more than fifty per cent (50%) of the Residential Units until the approved Outdoor Equipment has been provided and installed by the Owner at its own expense within the approved location within the Open Space.

£35,000.00

Defibrillator

The WELCOM Forum have requested the provision of a defibrillator within immediate proximity to the railway station.

Upon completion of the development.

£5,000.00

Land at Linford

Section 106 Heads of Terms

Description Trigger Amount

Monitoring Fee

The revenue generated from this fee will be used towards S106 administration and monitoring purposes only.

Legal Fees

EASL to pay Thurrock Council its reasonable legal costs incurred in the negotiation, preparation, execution and completion of the Section 106 Agreement

The owner shall notify the Council of commencement, compliance related matters and completion of development £5,000.00

Indexation

Means linked to upwards or downwards movements in the Index between the date hereof and the date that payment falls

The Contributions(s) shall be Index Linked from the date of the Planning Permission to the date of payment.

The RAMS contribution shall be Index Linked by reference to the Retail Prices (RPI) using the indexing factor for March of the year of payment

(C+B) x A= D where: A = the amount of the relevant Contribution

B = the last figure published in the CPI prior to the date of this Deed; C = the last figure published in the CPI prior to the date the payment falls due (or the actual payment, if later); and

D = the recalculated Contribution amount in pounds sterling applying under this Deed

£5,000.00

Letter from Guinness Partnership in Support of the Scheme

20th September 2022

Land Adjacent to

& Dragon PH, Princess Margaret Road, Linford , Essex

Letter via Email Matt Suggitt Ilke Homes

Dear Matt

I would like to write to support Ilke Homes proposal for the above site. The Guinness Partnership (TGPL), who are one of the largest registered housing providers in England has been working with Ilke Homes exploring potential sites, where we can provide 100% affordable housing schemes in Essex.

TGPL has just started a similar scheme at Fossets Way, Southend on Sea, where are providing 60% shared ownership houses with 40% affordable rental homes. Guinness are keen on off site housing as a solution to our housing crisis in the South East, where viable labour shortages are preventing the housing, we all need to be built.

I believe you recently visited the current Ilke development at Stanford Le Hope. The sustainability of the homes and the zero bills commitment in this era of energy insecurity, we believe, is the way forward, when looking at affordability of housing.

Our intention is also to provide a proportion of social rented homes in the affordable rental mix.

Guinness Partnership is always looking for sites to provide 100% affordable housing schemes, if you have council owned sites that you wish us to investigate, please don’t hesitate to give us a call. TGPL have already many homes in Essex that we manage and maintain and would like to add this.

Yours sincerely

Martin Stannells New Business Manager Northern Home Counties

Martin.stannells@guinness.org.uk

George

Land at Linford

Photos from the ilke Homes Scheme at Stanford-le-Hope Taken 14th September 2022

A selection of photographs from the UK’s largest zero carbon development with ZERO bills homes, in Stanford-le-Hope, Essex.

With Thurrock Council announcing a local climate emergency, the homes at Hope Green blaze a trail for net zero housing, all while helping customers save money on household energy bills.

Land at Linford | Summary of Proposals

Land at Linford