MONKS WOOD GARDEN VILLAGE Concept Masterplan Evolution May 2017
JULY 2016
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Total Site Area: 2800 acres
Introduction New Settlements are being promoted by Councils in North Essex as part of the current and long term strategy for the future development of the region. There is Government support for this approach, under the Garden Cites agenda. Monks Wood presents a genuine, credible, feasible and deliverable Garden Community concept for Braintree District Council. It can emerge and mature as a new settlement capable of delivering significant numbers of homes to the east of Braintree to serve the North Essex Housing Market Area. Braintree District Council was made aware of the availability of the site in March 2016 but decided not to assess its credentials in the lead up to preparing the summer 2016 Draft Local Plan consultation. A project management timetable was being pursued and the scope of existing assessment work e.g. by AECOM was apparently unable to be extended. Consequently, the Monks Wood option has never been presented to councillors or the public in an even handed way as an alternative option. Planning decisions with long lasting and extensive effects are being made for North Essex and it is paramount that proper consideration is given to all options.
Since Lord Kerslake reported his concerns on the practicalities of achieving deliverable new settlements in North Essex, Lightwood Strategic has commissioned a series of studies and master planning work to crystallise the vision for Monks Wood. This document summaries those findings and presents a framework plan for the development of the site. We have provided officers with an AECOM chapter for Monks Wood and have supplemented this with a series of in depth studies in to the nature if the site. Whilst design quality is of undoubted significance to the success of new places it is not the design and layout of garden cities that make them unique, but a specific set of delivery principles related to • a financial model, • land ownership and • the approach to community participation and governance.
In this regard we are inspired by the Princes Foundation for Building Community and how land ownership and control, in the right hands, can be utilised to build an long lasting legacy based on taking a long term view. Fundamentally a ‘garden’ community is an economic concept. The land at Monks Wood is in single ownership and promoted by Lightwood Strategic Ltd solely, which is unique in the North Essex region. A minimum land value has been agreed that is necessary to enable land value capture to pay for supporting infrastructure. The most secure way to ensure that a vision is realised is to retain title or covenant over the land while the developer is building out, and to transfer the freehold on a phase of building only when it has been built out as per the design code and detailed design drawings. Monks Wood offers the Council the chance to achieve this level of control.
This underpins a strategic way of delivering a significant amount of new housing alongside infrastructure, and capturing land value for land owners.
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Strategic Context The proposed site for the Garden Village is located approximately 5 kilometres to the east of Braintree and approximately 10 kilometres west of Colchester. The site is situated immediately north of the A120 which links Braintree and Marks Tey. It is equidistant to the train stations serving these settlements with direct links to London Liverpool Street to the south and Cambridge to the north. The A120 benefits from dual carriageway to the west of Braintree and there is an opportunity to work with Essex County Council and the Highways Agency to influence the dualling of the section of the A120 that currently adjoins this site to the south.
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Early Concept Garden Village John Simpson Architects have an excellent track record of developing valued new places at a range of scales from individual buildings to urban extensions and new settlements and have been entrusted to work on Kensington Palace and Buckingham Palace. Their work at Fairford Leys, Aylesbury, was one of the schemes that pioneered the idea of master planning a development site before subdividing it and releasing it to developers. Early master planning ideas for the Monks Wood site explored the practice’s philosophy of Garden Villages by utilising local centres with walking distances of no greater than 400 metres to achieve a centrally located community. This option involved the re-routing of the electricity pylons which transect the site. Detailed analysis of the site presented further constraints which gave rise to an amended approach that considers environmental sensitivities whilst still being focused around walkable neighbourhoods. The amended approach is also based on the likelihood of the pylons having to remain in-situ, a constraint also dealt with successfully at Fairford Leys.
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6 | Monks Wood Garden Village Ecological Constraints
Ecology A Preliminary Ecological Appraisal (PEA) has been undertaken to establish the baseline conditions and to determine the importance of ecological features present (or those that could be present) within the Pattiswick Estate.
place additional recreational pressure on these areas, which could potentially reduce their ecological value, by moving development away from the ancient woodland and providing alternative natural green spaces suitable for informal recreation.
The appraisal identifies key constraints to the project and makes recommendations for design options to avoid significant effects on important ecological features and resources. It also identifies the mitigation measures to reduce any identified or potential ecological impact.
Ecological opportunities of the site can be summarised as follows:
The key ecological constraints on the site in terms of habitat are the two copses of ancient woodland in the north of the site. The use of buffering will reduce impact and further consideration has been given to ensuring that new development does not
• Creation of new hedgerows to link other habitats together and create ecological corridors, implemented either as part of any proposed street scene or residential gardens; • Planting of wildflower meadows and/or improvement to improved grassland which will benefit pollinators.
• Enhance connectivity throughout the site through provision of new green infrastructure links across the promoted site, potentially incorporating a stream to create a central corridor, to improve both access and biodiversity, or linking up fragmented woodland; • Improvement to hedgerows: filling in defunct hedges, planting of additional native species, removal of non-natives;
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Heritage John Simpson architects firmly believe that Heritage aspects will provide a positive context to develop a unique garden village. The existing fabric has been utilised as a firm design guide, ensuring the resultant settlement concept retains, protects and enhances the heritage aspects of the site. The design principles will embrace the heritage assets, creating a unique settlement which will not produce standard homogenised housing which typifies the current approach large developments. An extensive and detailed Archaeological and Built Heritage report presents the history of development within the Pattiswick Estate and its environs. The research identifies designated and non-designated heritage assets and archaeological potential within and adjoining the Estate. Land of significance to the setting of identified assets is also established.
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The research identifies key constraints to master planning of a new settlement in this location and the master plan responds to these issues.
gives Pattiswick Green a suitably wide berth. Listed buildings are generally clustered around this part of the Estate, further justifying this approach.
• Zones of high archaeological potential are identified and development is directed away from these.
• Overall, the site contributes to the significance of a number of designated heritage assets. However, not all areas of the site contribute to the setting of heritage assets, and many areas of the site only make minor contributions, and other areas no contribution.
• Development is avoided within the current extent of Holfield Grange or within it historic extent to the west, where there was once boating pond and kitchen gardens. • The hamlet of Pattiswick developed around an unusually large village green and by the late medieval period a large park had been established adjacent to Pattiswick Hall, which was disparked by the 18th century if not before. The master plan
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10 | Monks Wood Garden Village Landscape Led Approach
Landscape A landscape and visual appraisal (LVA) has been prepared to determine the constraints and opportunities in respect of a potential garden community on the Pattiswick Estate. The LVA has addressed: · Landscape character, including physical landscape features and elements; and · Views and visual amenity experienced by residents, recreational users (including visitors and tourists) and road users. The LVA identified two alternative landscape focused strategies to master planning. • a smaller overall footprint with a lesser degree of impact in terms of views from the wider landscape context surrounding the site;
• a larger settlement area with a potentially greater degree of visual impact on the immediate landscape context to the site but which has a stronger focus on a generous network of existing and proposed green infrastructure that would mitigate impacts over time. The options flow positively from the context in different ways and would have different effects. The overall concept framework plan for the Estate has taken on board the landscape drivers and strategies in association with other design influences e.g. heritage, utilities, connectivity of neighbourhoods.
resulting in compartmentalised development cells which can work to the scale and pattern of the local landscape character. The proposed layout and high level treatment of green infrastructure (including retention of vegetation on site and around the boundaries) also responds to the landscape constraints and opportunities identified by the appraisal process. The headline concept for the site will be further developed based on the more refined principles of the North Essex Garden Community Charter and the Landscape Institutes position statement on Garden Cities.
This concept for the Estate responds to landscape issues and defines potential development envelopes
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Composite Constraints Plan By overlaying the different constraints plans incorporating the ecological, heritage and landscape sensitive areas, clearly identifiable land parcels emerged to inform and shape the masterplan. From this we have a good understanding of the combined effects of development options for the site and its environs. We have sought to minimise adverse effects whilst creating the structure for positive placemaking. The Pattiswick Estate presents a tremendous canvas for the development of a new settlement, which in the right hands can be developed to create a unique garden village for the North Essex region.
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Unconstrained Land Parcels The resultant land parcels lend themselves to clearly delineated east and west development zones. The introduction of development in those areas less sensitive than others facilitates the zones to be stiched together creating a cohesive development that accords with the principals of Garden Villages explored at the outset. The land parcels represent the minimum land take which could be utilised when considering the identified potential constraints. The land parcels could deliver up to 9500 homes.
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Concept Masterplan
Monks Wood Concept Masterplan- Building a Legacy Having considered all the issues, the resultant masterplan identifies 213 hectares for built development, with adjoining areas also being suitable for associated uses e.g. playing pitches and school fields and parkland. Crucially the estate is in single ownership which means that the Framework Plan presents a canvas for development that will be deliverable. Further, the disposition of uses across the site will not be diluted by landowners wrangling about who is part of the first phase or who receives high value uses. This is good for achieving a holistic design concept and for the speed of delivery. We support and will sign up to a Public Sector-led Local Delivery Vehicle and confirm that the land is unfettered by option agreements with house builders. The landowner has agreed a minimum land value in line with Council expectations of what is required to capture land value for infrastructure. We are
not convinced that other parties involved in other sites are signed up to what is required to enable development to proceed in the way that the Council envisages. The Council can achieve long term confidence and control at Monks Wood to create a genuine and authentic place that will enhance the profile of Braintree District. The design concept is focused around the development of five linked walkable neighbourhoods comprising four local centres and a central village centre hosting the main leisure and retail uses. Such uses will also be enabled on the primary streets that link each neighbourhood. There are two distinct phases (east and west) and we see the east side coming forward first and largely within the current plan period, with the west side following in the mid 2030’s and 2040’s.
A central green infrastructure corridor will be supplemented by free roaming access surrounding accessible parkland /countryside within the estate. We assess that the concept masterplan can deliver up to 7,000 homes, a Secondary School, primary schools, a leisure centre, and a significant amount of land for economic development, notwithstanding that the unconstrained land parcels have the ability to deliver up to 9500 homes. Public transport integration is achievable, with the bus based route penetrating the site providing access to both Braintree and Colchester. The site is also well placed to form part of a delivery package for a new northern A120 route if this is preferred. If a more southerly route is chosen this will release capacity on the current A120 to serve the development.
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A Community for the Future
What is a Smart Place?
Allocating future developments without enshrining the principles of smart technologies from the outset will compound the future sustainability of new settlements. Once sites are allocated, introducing smart technologies and principles cannot be effectively implemented.
We define a smart place as a settlement where networks and services are made more efficient with the use of information and communications technology (ICT) for the benefit of its inhabitants and businesses. However, the smart place concept goes beyond the use of ICT for better resource use and less emissions. It means smarter transport networks, upgraded water supply and waste disposal facilities, and more efficient ways to light and heat buildings.
Lightwood believe the that pressure to meet government housing targets has forced the current plan process to ignore fundamental land ownership issues, exclude appropriate sites and completely fail to recognise the need for smart technologies. Housing provision at any cost is not an appropriate plan making process. Delivery, design and future sustainability of settlements should be the key drivers in an effective plan making process. Given the extensive transport issues in the region, a plan without commitment to the smart cities agenda is destined to compound the existing problems and create unsustainable future development.
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It also encompasses a more interactive and responsive form of space, governance, safer public spaces and meeting the needs of an ageing population. In smart places, digital technologies translate into better public services for citizens, better use of resources and less impact on the environment. Smart places require a certain level of sophistication
in ICT infrastructure, standardised network processes, and shared goals amongst public and private stakeholders. A fundamental pillar of building any smart place is intelligent and integrated town planning, where technology is incorporated into a city’s physical, social and business infrastructure. This requires strong alignment among stakeholders, which may be contingent, in many cases, on longterm political will.
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