Tuesday 05 May 2020
The Development & Planning Authority have approved the Saltpans Development Framework paving the way for a planning application so that works can begin on the site as soon as possible.
The Development Framework is for residential development at Saltpans Road in the parishes of St Sampson and Vale. Part of the Saltpans site (an area of approximately 2.8 hectares (17 vergees)) is designated as a Housing Allocation site in the Island Development Plan. The Development Framework provides planning guidance on how the site might be developed by setting out how policies in the Island Development Plan will be applied to the site. This speeds up the planning process as the applicant knows more precisely the policies they must adhere to and what is required, avoiding lengthy discussions and potentially fruitless work.
An initial draft Development Framework was subject to a public consultation stage in April and May 2019. During this period, 7 comments were received from the public and there was consultation with several States' Committees/Agencies and the Parish Constables.
These comments were taken on board and resulted in a further period of review and consultation. As a consequence of this, the site boundary was extended to include the Important Open Land to the west. The purpose of including the Important Open Land within the site boundary was to facilitate the restoration and enhancement of this parcel of land for public access, in conjunction with the residential development of the remainder of the site. The Important Open Land itself cannot be developed for residential purposes. In addition, the Traffic Impact Assessment was reviewed to include a more thorough assessment of the cumulative impact of committed developments in the area.
A revised draft Development Framework, incorporating alterations resulting from feedback to the first public consultation stage and the subsequent review of issues raised, was published for a second public consultation period of four weeks ending on 27th March 2020. An addendum to the Traffic Impact Assessment was also published alongside the revised draft Development Framework. During this extra consultation period, 2 further comments were received from members of the public as well as several consultation responses from States' Committees and Public Agencies.
All of the matters raised were fully considered by the Authority before the Final Framework was approved.
In terms of density and housing numbers, the exact number of units achievable will depend on the detailed design response to the site analysis and guidelines contained in the Development Framework. However, in order to ensure land is used efficiently it is anticipated that the site would be able to accommodate a density range of 30-55 dwellings per hectare, which is approximately 84-154 dwellings on this site.
This density range reflects the need for further assessments to be undertaken including a baseline ecological/biodiversity study, details of the Surface Water Management Plan and measures to be incorporated to manage the potential flood risk, all of which could affect the area of developable land and the design of the development but will form part of the planning application.
