Frequently Asked Questions

Homes England has submitted an ‘Outline’ planning application that sets out the principles for the site’s redevelopment. The principles include parameters such as the number of homes proposed, space for employment and/or community uses (such as a business hub or a nursery), maximum building heights, the amount of public open space, and how the site can be accessed. Together these parameters, if agreed with the Council, will create a framework within which a future detailed site design can be prepared. These detailed proposals will require a separate ‘reserved matters’ planning application, comprising specific information on the mix of homes proposed, their appearance, building materials, landscaping, gardens, car parking etc. This application is to be submitted subject to the Council’s approval of the outline application and following a further public consultation exercise.

The outline application is for:

• Up to 200 homes, of which 35% affordable homes, in line with South Gloucestershire Council policy
• A balanced mix of apartments and houses that reflects local housing need, with apartments in taller buildings of up to 20m (typically 5 storeys) and family homes in the lower parts (typically 2 storeys)
• A minimum of 1000sqm of public open space, including a play area for children
• A minimum of 650 square metres of commercial or community space, such as a business hub or a nursery
• Vehicular and pedestrian access from Anstey’s Road, Martin’s Road and New Walk, ensuring excellent connectivity

In order to demonstrate one way in which the vision and objectives for the site could be achieved, an illustrative masterplan was produced which was presented during our public consultation process. Following feedback from South Gloucestershire Council, statutory consultees and the local community, the main changes to the illustrative masterplan include:

• The indicative mix of housing proposed now includes a later-living accommodation. However, this could also serve as conventional residential accommodation, depending on market demand and needs at the reserved matters stage
• The indicative mix of housing now includes a more even mix of apartments and houses
• The indicative car parking now more closely matches South Gloucestershire Council’s Parking Standards
• More green areas have been included to enhance biodiversity

These are all indicative and will be further refined at the reserved matters stage.

The key parts of the enabling works to make the site ready for redevelopment are the demolition of all the vacant buildings on-site, ground stabilisation by means of grouting – which means filling the underground voids left by the historic coal mining activity with concrete – and the provision of a separate access for Sealtech/Kleeneze to ensure their commercial operations adjacent to the site can continue.

Over the last five months, Homes England’s contractors have been busy preparing for the grouting and demolition works to be safely undertaken. The demolition of the buildings is now underway. It is expected that it will take until Spring 2022 for the on-site works to fully complete. It is not anticipated that pest control will be necessary, but residents are welcome to contact the on-site contractors if they have concerns. South Gloucestershire Council has approved the new access for the Sealtech service yard through New Walk and it expected that construction works for the access will commence later this autumn.

Homes England has already tested the market and there is a lot of interest from developers in the site. By undertaking the required enabling works (demolition and grouting) and obtaining outline planning permission before marketing the site, a future developer’s commercial risk is significantly reduced. This is where Homes England, as the Government’s housing accelerator, can take sites forward that the market will not. The team has spoken to a range of housing developers, retirement operators and housing associations. Their initial feedback has been incorporated in the draft plans for the outline application.

Car parking is an important aspect of any future proposals, however, at this stage, car parking figures are indicative. The reason for this is that they are related to the proposed housing mix, which is also indicative at this stage. The specifics will be part of the reserved matters application at a later stage in the site’s redevelopment. The indicative parking strategy comprises spaces for residents (allocated spaces), visitors (unallocated spaces), car club spaces and cycle parking. Landscaping and tree planting will be key features of the streets and spaces, ensuring that car parking does not dominate the public realm.

The scheme is not able to provide shoppers’ car parking for the High Street, but demand associated with the community and/or commercial space provided will be factored into what is deemed suitable car parking provision for the development as a whole.

As part of the Urban Lifestyles approach that the Council is promoting in its new Local Plan, new development in locations such as Anstey’s Road is meant to encourage residents to walk and cycle to local facilities, which can be achieved due to the short distances involved. Future proposals will need to be mindful of the Urban Lifestyles approach, which promotes a lower level of car parking alongside measures to support sustainable movement on appropriate ‘Urban Lifestyles’ sites.

The parking strategy for the illustrative masterplan is in broad compliance with the adopted South Gloucestershire Council Residential Parking Standards Supplementary Planning Document. The illustrative layout for residential uses proposes an average of:

• 1 space for 1-bed and 2-bed apartments
• 1-2 spaces for 2-bed houses
• 2 spaces for 3-bed houses

In addition, a number of unallocated visitor spaces are proposed and further provision of electric car club sharing spaces are set out adjacent to the village green space.

The final parking requirements will depend on the housing mix, both of which will be determined at the reserved matters stage.

The indicative parking strategy approach is underpinned by:

• Integrated secure cycle parking
• Excellent links to public transport
• Improving foot and cycle connections to local amenities
• Communal (non-allocated) parking
• Travel plan measures (car club, bus tickets, local travel info etc)
• Measures to support the consultation and implementation of local resident parking scheme(s)
• Homeworking facilities (i.e., superfast broadband, additional sockets, and homework hub)
• Careful design to limit the propensity for unplanned streetside parking to occur
• Sales ethos, that clearly promotes non-car modes of transport and reduced car ownership.

Homes England will be working with a development partner to bring the site forward for residential development. Early market research has demonstrated that all developers who have expressed an interest in the site would prefer a comprehensive development rather than only a partial redevelopment of the site. In the plans for 150 homes, the empty warehouses were to remain. However, they were in a poor state of repair and it was considered that removing them to bring forward the entire site for redevelopment, with new commercial space incorporated, would be a far better use of space and resources, and provide better place-making and access arrangements. Particularly, vehicular and pedestrian connections with Martin’s Road are enabled by the removal of the warehouses. The draft plans include alternative commercial floorspace as part of a mix of uses which will retain employment opportunities on the site.

Homes England’s project team have been liaising with South Gloucestershire Council’s Planning Department from the outset to understand the potential need for contributions to support those local facilities which may be impacted by additional demand from the future residents of Anstey’s Road.

The former Kleeneze site is within walking and cycling distances from a good number of local facilities in Hanham, at the High Street and further afield. It is therefore considered that the site is in a very sustainable location.

Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) contributions, which are financial contributions to ensure local services can accommodate demand from new residents, will be discussed with the Council over the coming weeks. Subject to the final mix of uses (to be confirmed at reserved matters stage) the scheme could pay CIL of approximately £500,000.

The draft proposal’s inclusion of flexible floorspace could provide opportunities for on-site provision of local facilities, such as the potential for a business hub or a nursery.

The application will also deliver affordable homes, in line with the council’s requirements for 35% provision.

Creating as sustainable a development as possible is one of the key aspirations for the regeneration of the former Kleeneze site and the scheme will accord with local planning policy. Sustainability measures can be achieved in two ways; through the site’s location/masterplanning and through construction. The site’s layout and design have been developed with a strong focus on pedestrians/cyclists and local connectivity, in line with the Council’s Urban Lifestyles approach.

As can be seen on the Land Use & Access parameter plan, there are a variety of proposed links through the site to connect with other neighbourhoods and the High Street which are within walking and cycling distance. As part of the Travel Plan for the scheme a car club would be provided so people do not need to own their own car; they can car share as well as book the car for when they need one. The public open square – including children’s play equipment – at the centre is created with walkers and cyclists in mind, to enjoy the outdoor space.

The proposals will support South Gloucestershire’s biodiversity targets through the landscape design and planting strategy, which will include native species, pollen and nectar producing floral species and native berry and seed producing species to help create a range of habitats. The development would provide nearly 400 cycle parking spaces as well as a 3-phase electrical supply for electric vehicle (EV) charging points, and due to the orientation of the buildings with many roofs facing south, there are excellent opportunities to incorporate rooftop solar PV. The buildings have also been positioned in a way that would reduce heat loss.

At construction stage, developers will have the option to utilise crushed demolition waste from the site, reducing the need for virgin materials and reducing the overall embodied carbon associated with development. To reduce operational carbon, a fabric first approach will be adopted to reduce energy demand, following which efficient systems and renewables will be considered in order to meet South Gloucestershire Climate Change Strategy energy requirements (a 19% improvement over Part L 2013). The draft plans coming forward at Reserved Matters stage will provide further detail on these points and finalise the package of measures to be incorporated.

The planning application for Sealtech’s new access through New Walk has now been approved by South Gloucestershire Council. It was supported by a transport statement, provided by a professional independent transport consultant, setting out how the lorries would be entering and leaving the site, taking the existing road circumstances into consideration. Improvements are being made in the area around the junction with Memorial Road including new double yellow lines and new raised table to enable better HGV access. There will also be a priority passing arrangement to ensure HGV’s can safely negotiate New Walk. The Council’s highways department and other consultees have not raised an objection and the application was approved. The transport statement and further planning documentation can be viewed on the Council’s planning portal, please visit https://beta.southglos.gov.uk/search-planning-applications/ under planning reference P20/21981/F. There will shortly be public consultation locally on the necessary Traffic Regulation Order required to implement these works.

It is not anticipated that the proposed development will lead to more congestion in the area. Anstey’s Road is one of several access points into the new development so will only be serving part of the scheme, and improvements will be made to the street to ensure it functions properly in terms of access. The planning application is accompanied by a Transport Assessment prepared by the project team’s transport consultant which will be available to view on the Council’s online planning portal in due course.

The proposed development at the north of the site works with the existing ground levels and steps down (about 3m from Anstey’s Road). This part of the site is best suited to higher buildings given the size of the existing warehouse (no’s 1-8 Anstey’s Court) and its height of 3-4 storeys opposite on Anstey’s’ Road. The use of higher buildings, with potentially a locally distinctive warehouse character, at the centre of the site provides the opportunity to enclose the new public square proposed with a mix of residential and employment uses. The lower end of the site is currently characterized by predominantly two storey development which is reflected by lower proposed heights in these areas of the scheme. Also, the parameter plans controlling any future scheme highlights the need for buildings to step down in height to 3 storeys on the northern boundary of the site.

It is not anticipated that new residents will use Anstey’s Close for parking. Parking is provided for all new homes within the scheme. The development encourages a low level of car ownership due to its sustainable location. Underground parking will not be provided on-site due to its high cost, although in places there is potential to incorporate undercroft parking working with the fall in ground levels.

The project team has been conscious of the need to protect the amenity of adjoining residents, particularly relating to privacy and avoiding the risk of overlooking.  As the illustrative masterplan shows, there is opportunity to provide landscaping along the boundaries with adjoining houses on Martin’s Road and to provide new residential blocks in locations which minimize the impact on surrounding properties on both Martin’s Road and Anstey’s Road.

However, we would also note that the detailed layout of buildings and position of windows will be finalised as part of the Reserved Matters application.  At this moment in time the project team is working on the submission of an ‘outline’ application which looks to establish the high-level principles of the site such as layout, building height, landscaping zones, density and access.  As such, at the Reserved Matters stage the design will be tested in more detail to ensure it does not have an unacceptable impact on the residential amenity of nearby properties, consistent with Policy PSP8 of the South Gloucestershire Local Plan: Policies, Sites and Places Plan (adopted November 2017).

The illustrative scheme also shows that there is an opportunity to reduce the level difference between the site and the long garden to no 9 Martin’s Road, plant trees along this edge and angle the proposed buildings to reduce further any potential of overlooking. The gardens and homes of 4-22 Anstey’s Road will continue to benefit from being on raised ground above the site level and also have the ends of buildings located to avoid overlooking with new tree planting along the boundary. The proposed gardens of homes backing onto the rear boundary of gardens no’s 9-23 Martin’s Road will be at a similar level. Any housing backing onto the existing gardens here is restricted to two storeys with no habitable rooms at first floor looking directly into any garden.

Appropriate boundary treatment will be provided to provide site security and safety, the detail of which will be finalized under the Reserved Matters application and subject to public consultation.

The size of garages is a matter of detail which will be addressed in the Reserved Matters application for the proposed development which will be submitted at a later stage, and for which a separate public consultation will be undertaken. Sustainability solutions will also be part of the reserved matters, and in particular for the apartment buildings it will be a shared solution which is more efficient and run/maintained by the management company which is paid for by residents. This is normal practice in the sector.

Established and healthy mature trees will be retained wherever possible within the site and the mature trees on the Martins Road boundary are protected by a Tree Preservation Order. At reserved matters stage a landscape / tree consultant will ensure that any planting proposals for trees will have sufficient separation distances from buildings, fences and other potential hurdles. By the time that the development has been built and new residents have moved in, the trees will be managed by the management company, paid for by the new residents, as is normal practice in the sector.

The design & access statement (DAS) and the transport assessment statement accompanying the planning application will set out how access to the site is obtained with the detail internal layout confirmed at the Reserved Matters stage. It is expected that refuse vehicles will drive through the site and not turn around within the site. The submitted documentation will be available for public viewing on the Council’s planning portal.

This will be a detailed matter to be dealt with under the Reserved Matters application, and discussion with Homes England’s development partner and the management company.