NEWS
Cotswold Homes would like to thank everyone who took part in our recent consultation for 20 new homes, including affordable housing, on land off Great Dunns Close in Beckington.
We have now submitted our application to Somerset Council which can be viewed and commented on their planning portal at this link. The application number is 2024/1865/FUL.
We appreciate that there have been longstanding concerns about further housing in Beckington but also recognition of the need for housing, particularly affordable housing. The main issue raised through the consultation has related to foul water drainage capacity, but there have also been comments made around school and GP capacity, highway capacity, surface water drainage, and heritage impact.
We are confident that our application addresses these concerns and that this will be a high-quality scheme that positively contributes to Beckington as vibrant place to live. The application will now be tested through the planning process to ensure that it achieves this.
Cotswold Homes Ltd is an SME (Small and Medium-sized Enterprise), family-run, housebuilder, dedicated to delivering quality new homes with first-class customer care.
If you have any questions, please do get in touch.
Welcome
Cotswold Homes would like to share with you our proposals to deliver 20 new homes, including affordable housing, on land off Great Dunns Close in Beckington.
This website provides further information, a way to provide feedback on the plans and ask any questions.
In 2022, Redrow Homes’ plans for new homes on the same site were rejected at appeal due to drainage concerns by the inspector. Cotswold Homes has an agreement to buy the site, subject to obtaining planning permission for new homes. Having reviewed the planning history, we are looking to make a number of changes to the previous planning application, including reducing the number of homes, updating the design, and using an alternative drainage strategy.
Please note that this consultation is pre-application engagement being undertaken by Cotswold Homes, to notify the local community of our plans and seek feedback on the draft proposals prior to submitting a formal planning application. Once the planning application is submitted, Somerset Council (the assessing Local Planning Authority) will carry out formal consultation where you will have to opportunity send representations direct to the Council.
TIMELINE
- Technical due diligence – February – June 2024
- Pre-application consultation by Cotswold Homes – June 2024
- Planning application submission – October 2024
- Determination – Spring 2025
- Construction (subject to planning) – Summer 2025
Who are we?
Cotswold Homes Ltd is an SME (Small and Medium-sized Enterprise) house builder established in 2004, dedicated to delivering quality new homes with first class customer care.
We create beautiful new homes featuring elegant designs in popular locations throughout the Cotswolds, South Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Somerset.
We pride ourselves on individually designing each of our developments to meet the needs of our residents and to reflect the character of the surrounding area. We’re not just ‘building houses’, we’re creating brand new communities through thoughtful planning, top quality workmanship and generous landscaping.
Considerations and opportunities
In developing the plans, we undertake extensive analysis of the site and local area with all the findings feeding into our considerations and opportunities plan, shown below.
Please let us know if we have missed anything or if you have any additional comments.
Considerations
- National and local planning policy
- Planning history
- Minimising impact on neighbouring homes
- Local ecology
- Respecting the setting of nearby listed buildings and the Beckington Conservation Area
- Orientating the site layout to enhance key internal views, promote natural surveillance and solar gain
- Pedestrian, cycle and car connections
- The site is in flood zone 1, which is the lowest risk, and has no other designations
- Surface and foul water drainage
Opportunities
- Provision of a varied mix of housing in response to local need
- New planting and ecology enhancements
- New public green space and play area for residents of Beckington
- Local design principles
- Champion climate change technology
- Increased spending in the area as a result of new residents
Our proposals
Working from the considerations and opportunities plan, wanting to build a scheme we are proud of and where people can flourish as part of the wider community, we have developed the below initial plans.
Again, we would welcome feedback on this.
Our proposals for the site include:
OUR DRAINAGE SOLUTION
In 2022, the Planning Inspector confirmed that Beckington’s sewage system was under pressure and the source of significant problems. Based on this, Redrow’s scheme was refused.
Our solution is to by-pass the drainage system that runs through the centre of Beckington. Under this strategy, we will install a pump station within the site and rising (not gravity) main that will pump foul sewage north, away from the centre of Beckington, and connect to the existing sewer network by the cricket club. From here, foul drainage will travel through the public sewers that run through surrounding fields to the sewage works to the west of Beckington. We’ve engaged with Wessex Water who have raised no objection to this proposal.
Concerns were also raised locally about surface water drainage, specifically the culvert to the north of the site, which has been blocked. We’ve since investigated this to establish the condition and capacity of the culvert, and we are confident the surface water drainage strategy will meet planning policy requirements.
When the planning application is submitted, the proposed drainage strategy will be assessed by Somerset Council’s technical experts and Wessex Water. We will only receive planning permission if our drainage strategy stands up to this scrutiny. This also applies to all other planning related matters.
INVESTMENT IN COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE AND LOCAL SERVICES
Through the planning application submission, we will engage with the Local Planning Authority to agree a scope of obligations relating to infrastructure, which will be secured through a legal agreement should planning permission be granted. We would welcome the local community’s feedback on any investment that you think is needed in Beckington.
Local architecture
Our schemes are carefully designed by people with significant local understanding so that they positively respond to the characteristics of the surrounding area.
The proposals consist of two-storey housing and seeks to use the diverse palette of building materials and architectural detailing common in the Beckington area. The use of stone, render and brick walling with roof tiles in keeping with the local area can be incorporated, along with detailing which reflects the existing style of the village. We would welcome the local community’s feedback on the types of buildings and materials you would like to see should planning permission be granted.
Landscaping
As part of our proposals, we will seek to retain existing landscape features such as significant hedgerows and trees. We also propose additional hedgerow and tree planting within the development to provide enhanced habitats and landscaping, and we are currently seeking to achieve a biodiversity net gain on site as part of our development.
Access and Parking
The proposed vehicular and pedestrian access to the site is from Great Dunns Close. We will be producing a detailed layout proposal, which will be submitted as part of the planning application package. We will also be submitting a Transport Statement which will demonstrate that the design of the access and the internal roads and junctions within the site are both safe and practical.
Get in touch
Ahead of developing our plans further, we would value the input of local people. Please let us know your feedback by completing the below form. The closing date is the 3rd July.
Following the consultation, we will finalise and then submit a planning application to Somerset Council.