HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

Decision Report

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1) Summary of Decision Area

1.1. To respond to the Daedalus Visionary Framework prepared by the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) which sets out the principles of the redevelopment of the site, including the access strategy and associated transport issues.

2) Issues Covered in Report

2.1. Background to the site.

2.2. Planning context.

2.3. Strategic Gap.

2.4. Access strategy and transport issues.

3) Recommendation

3.1. That the attached Daedalus Visionary Framework, prepared by the South East England Development Agency which sets out the principles of the redevelopment of the site, including the access strategy and associated transport issues, be approved and endorsed, subject to the satisfactorily resolution of concerns contained at paragraphs 3.3, 4.5 and otherwise raised in this report and acknowledgement that the outcomes of the Transport Assessment may have implications for the quantum of development.

MAIN REPORT

1) Background

1.1. The former HMS Daedalus site is situated in Lee-on-the-Solent, Gosport and lies within both Fareham and Gosport Boroughs. The site was closed in 1996, declared surplus by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in 2004 and acquired by both SEEDA and the Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA) in 2006. The MCA owns and manages the airfield and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future, with its Search and Rescue operating from the site.

2) Planning Context

2.1. The site has been identified by the Partnership for Urban South Hampshire (PUSH) as an area of strategic importance for employment purposes, and the Gosport part of the site is allocated within the Gosport Borough Local Plan for housing, employment, hotel and other leisure uses. The Fareham Borough Local Plan policies are now out of date and Fareham is currently working on its Local Development Framework (LDF) which will seek to include the redevelopment of Daedalus within the emerging Core Strategy.

2.2. SEEDA has produced the Visionary Framework in order to establish the principles of development and associated issues. This document will be adopted by both Fareham and Gosport and used to put in place Core Strategy policies and supplementary planning guidance documents (SPDs). This will then lead to the submission of appropriate planning applications for redevelopment of the site.

2.3. The Visionary Framework sets out the areas of the site to be developed and also suggests a quantum of development. The level of development has not yet been agreed with Fareham and Gosport but is likely to consist of 100,000 square metres of employment, a minimum of 10,750 square metres of aviation use, 3,500 square metres of retail, 455-605 residential dwellings, 500-1,000 square metres of community use and conversion of two of the listed buildings into a hotel. There is also potential for a marina development connecting with the Waterfront part of the site.

3) Strategic Gap

3.1 The northern part of the site which falls within Fareham Borough is designated a Strategic Gap. The principle of such a Gap is established by the still extant policy G2 in the Hampshire Structure Plan, while the precise boundaries of the Gap are defined in the Fareham Borough Local Plan policy C11. The Structure Plan policy will be superseded when the South East Plan is finalised and although the Government has proposed to water down the support which that Plan gives to the protection of Gaps, both Hampshire County Council and PUSH have pressed strongly for the retention of Gaps including that between Stubbington/Lee-on-the-Solent and Fareham/Gosport.

3.2 Fareham Borough Council has recently undertaken a consultation on its LDF Core Strategy Preferred Options paper which includes a recommendation to undertake further detailed work to define the specific boundaries of the strategic gaps as part of the site allocations. With reference to the Daedalus site, the paper acknowledges the need to maintain the narrow gap between Stubbington/Lee-on-the-Solent and Fareham/Gosport but also states that development within the site boundary will be permitted where it does not substantially diminish the strategic settlement gap.

3.3 The site within Fareham Borough lies entirely within the strategic gap, but this contains development associated with the existing use. The framework proposals do broadly propose new development in these same areas, but this is likely to be more intensive than the existing built form in some locations. In particular proposed housing development in the area of the Western Hangers, while it would not materially reduce the extent of the gap, will have an extensive impact on the perception of openness from existing housing to the west, particularly as it is proposed that this will be served by access off those residential roads,

3.4 Whilst it is a matter for the Local Planning Authority to propose boundary amendments through the LDF process, and the County Council is mindful of the need to increase jobs in this area, the County Council does not support additional housing development on this part of the site.

4) Access Strategy and Transport Issues

4.1. The local transport network serving the site is subject to congestion in the morning and evening peak periods. A significant proportion of residents in this area out-commute on a daily basis due to a lack of employment in the area. Whilst the redevelopment of this site seeks to help redress the balance by providing appropriate employment to cater for local skills, the level of residential development included within the proposals, along with the potential marina, could generate significant levels of additional traffic and therefore exacerbate the existing problems. This is of significant concern to the County Council.

4.2. County Council officers have been working with SEEDA, its transport consultants MVA and Fareham and Gosport Borough Councils for some time to establish the access strategy for the site. The main access will be served from Broom Way, with a new arm proposed to the Cherque Way signalised junction. This will provide a strategic link through the site which will meet Marine Parade with a new signalised junction adjacent to Ross House. This route will primarily serve the employment areas with the mixed use and residential elements of the scheme being served from Marine Parade. The scheme will be designed using Manual for Streets principles so that the development will be fully permeable but the nature of the residential and leisure areas will be such that commercial traffic will not enter these areas.

4.3. The redevelopment will need to meet current national and local transport policies by making the best possible use of opportunities to reduce reliance on the private car and encourage sustainable transport. SEEDA is therefore working with the County Council in exploring opportunities to connect the site with the proposed South East Hampshire Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system.

4.4. Whilst the access strategy has been broadly agreed with SEEDA, it is aware that as part of the planning process it will be necessary for a Transport Assessment (TA) to be submitted to assess the transport impacts of the development. Associated with the TA will be a Travel Plan for the site which will outline the measures and targets the development will put in place to encourage sustainable transport and minimise the impact of the development on the local highway network.

4.5 The TA and Travel Plan will enable the County Council to assess the impact of the development on the local network and establish the extent to which the existing local problems will worsen. The County Council will seek to develop and agree a package of off-site works to mitigate the impact of the development on the highway network. However it may be that the impact of the scale of development proposed within the Visionary Framework, particularly the level of residential development, cannot be satisfactorily mitigated and therefore the mix or quantum of development will need to be amended. Initial discussions have identified some off-site highway improvements which may be required in order to mitigate the impact of the development. These include potential conversion of the roundabouts in Stubbington and replacement with traffic signals and part signalisation of the Peel Common Roundabout. This list is by no means exhaustive and the outcomes of the TA will ultimately determine what mitigation is appropriate and whether further improvements will be required in the area. The mitigation package will consist of off-site highway improvements, financial contributions towards wider strategic transport improvements in the area and the Travel Plan.

5) Conclusions

5.1. The Visionary Framework has been produced following considerable consultation and discussion with the County Council, along with Member involvement through the Daedalus Strategy Group which meets periodically. Whilst the document only sets out broad principles, it will form the basis of the Core Strategies and Master Plans developed by Fareham and Gosport for the redevelopment of the site. The Council can be supportive of the general approach to the redevelopment of the site which will bring additional employment to this area of Hampshire in accordance with the Council's policy response to the South East Plan. However, there are significant concerns about the impact of the traffic that will be generated on the existing network and the impact of proposed housing development in the area of the Western Hangers.

6) Recommendations

Please see the Executive Summary for recommendations.

1909Rpt/645/LMcC

CORPORATE OR LEGAL INFORMATION:

COMPREHENSIVE RISK & IMPACT ASSESSMENT:

1) Equalities Impact Assessment:

a) Assessment of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act has been considered in the development of this scheme. No adverse impact has been identified in terms of race, creed or gender.

2) Impact on Crime and Disorder:

a) The provisions of the Act have no impact on this proposal.

3) Climate Change:

a) How does what is being proposed impact on our carbon footprint/energy consumption?

The Visionary Framework specifies that the development will become an `exemplar scheme at the forefront of sustainable development' and `all aspects of the development will accord with best practice and guidance set out in the code for sustainable homes and BRE Environmental Assessment Method. In transport terms the development will be seeking to reduce the need to travel and make more of sustainable modes of transport.

b) How does what is being proposed consider the need to adapt to climate change, and be resilient to its longer term impacts?

The development is likely to be built out over a number of years so will need to take account of changes in guidance with regard to sustainability. In transport terms, the implementation of a site wide travel plan will ensure that the site continues to promote sustainable travel after it is completed.