Contact: Martin Leeds, ext 6733 email:[email protected]

1. Summary

1.1 At the last meeting of the Regulatory Committee on 20 October 2004 Members began consideration of an application by the County Council for the construction of an 80 bed nursing care accommodation with associated external works at Tatchbury Mount Hospital, off Loperwood, Calmore. As a result of matters raised by Members during the discussion the application was deferred to allow more details to be provided on the development plan, traffic and drainage. The Report of the 20 October is attached at Appendix 1.

1.2 This report provides the additional details sought by Members. The recommendation is to grant permission subject to conditions.

2. Development Plan

2.1 New Forest District Local Plan 1999 shows the site as being within the defined Tatchbury Mount Hospital site and also within the New Forest. The relevant policy is TA-1 (Tatchbury Mount) - copy attached as Appendix 2 - which permits development within the developed part of Tatchbury Mount, unless there is conflict with other policies in Part D (New Forest) of the Local Plan. The supporting background text to this policy indicates that a residential institution use is likely to be the most acceptable re-use of the site.

2.2 In 2003, the New Forest District Council approved an application by the West Hampshire National Health Trust for a permanent change of use to offices of six existing buildings. Included with that application was a supporting `development brief' which included the site for the proposed County Council's nursing care accommodation.

2.3 New Forest District Council has confirmed the understanding expressed in the 20 October report that the proposed 80 bed nursing care accommodation conforms with the adopted Local Plan (1999). Moreover the Council considered the current application at its Planning Development Control Committee on 10 November and resolved to raise no objection subject to the County Council making arrangements to ensure that there will be a decrease in the number of office staff working there equivalent to the number of people presently employed.

3. Traffic Issues

3.1 The Highways Adviser states that an overall figure of about 1834 vehicle movements should be adopted as the appropriate traffic threshold for the whole campus. The traffic threshold is calculated on the basis of a Special Hospital use from the nationally recognised Trip Rate Index Computer System (TRICS) database used for calculating traffic.

3.2 Surveys undertaken on 4 and 8 November indicate that the Hospital campus generates 1454 vehicle movements a day. (On 4 November the main access was surveyed by County Council staff - 1128 movements - and on the 8 November the Woodhaven Unit access was surveyed - 326 movements). This leaves a residual of 380 movements per day (1834 minus 1454).

3.3 The traffic data from other County Council care homes indicates that the proposed development would generate 141 daily traffic movements which when added to the survey data gives a total of 1595 daily movements, well below the TRICS threshold of 1834. Additionally, the current 46 office staff that generate 159 daily traffic movements on the site of the proposed nursing care accommodation are to be relocated to Southampton. This has the benefit of further reducing traffic movements at the Tatchbury Hospital campus by 18 movements a day. In other words, traffic generation at the Hospital overall will decrease as a result of the care home development, not increase.

3.4 Construction traffic will be routed to avoid both Loperwood Lane and Pauletts Lane. Traffic will be routed from the A326 junction with the A36 (Salisbury Road) to the roundabout with Calmore Drive, along Cooks Lane and Loperwood, into the main Hospital site entrance (see attached location plan). A construction traffic site management plan will be agreed with the contractors to enforce the route and a planning condition will ensure such a plan is in place. In addition, as part of managing the care home, delivery vehicles will be directed via the same route as the construction traffic. Finally, by way of a planning condition, a green travel plan will be required to help reduce operational traffic impacts further.

3.5 As the proposal does not raise overriding highways concerns the issue of traffic in the wider context must be kept separate from the current application. However, recognising the concerns of residents about the impact of general traffic growth on the local road network it is the intention to carry out a general investigation regarding the need for works to mitigate the impact of traffic on lanes within the area. This investigation will extend beyond the immediate area of the site and will include consideration of measures to limit and/or remove through traffic from particular routes. (A sum of £10,000 has been set aside for the additional traffic survey and the potential remedial measures where applicable.)

4. Drainage issues

4.1 The matter of drainage and complaint of sewage smells from the site was raised at the 20 October Committee and has subsequently been investigated. The County Council's consultant engineers have looked into the problem in consultation with the NHS personnel responsible for the drainage system. The NHS are checking over the whole drainage run. Some immediate action has been taken by amending the controls to the pumping station serving two NHS properties to the west of the proposed nursing care accommodation site; the pumping chamber is now pumped out more frequently. It is hoped this should cure the problem of smells and the NHS are to monitor this over the next few weeks.

5. New Forest National Park

5.1 It has been suggested that the proposed care home is not compliant with emerging New Forest National Park planning policy. However, the current Local Plan accords the New Forest planning status equivalent to that of a National Park and the re-development of the hospital campus was considered in that context. The application is on a brownfield site and more importantly will provide a community service to the residents of the National Park.

6. Further Representations

6.1 Since the 20 October Committee, a further 18 letters of objection from local residents have been received. The objections are all traffic related:

(i) use of local country lanes by lorries causing danger to residents,

(ii) increase in traffic in the area because of on going changes at the Hospital site, and

(iii) damage to the local roads caused by lorries.

7. Chief Planning Adviser's Comments

7.1 The proposed nursing care accommodation is within the campus of the existing Tatchbury Mount Hospital, where such a development is acceptable in terms of the adopted New Forest District Local Plan (1999) and also accords with policy TA-1. In principle therefore, there should be no objection to the provision of this additional health care facility being provided on this site.

7.2 The traffic and drainage issues raised by local residents, including the late objections, and the concerns expressed by Members at the 20 October meeting have been addressed. It is recommended that the application should be approved.

Recommendation

That planning permission in respect of new nursing care accomodation with associated external works at Tatchbury Mount, off Loperwood, Calmore (Application No. 82653) be granted for the following reason and subject to the following conditions:

Reason for Approval

It is considered that the proposal would be in accordance with the Development Plan and would not materially harm the character of the area or the amenity of local residents and would be acceptable in terms of highway safety.

Conditions

1. The development hereby permitted shall be begun before the expiration of five years from the date on which this planning permission was granted.

Reason: To comply with Section 91 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

2. Within two months of the start of construction works, details of the proposed structure for the covered cycle spaces, shall be submitted in writing to, and approved by the Local Planning Authority. The agreed details shall have been implemented and the cycle spaces made available for use before the new extensions are brought into use.

Reason: To secure a satisfactory development.

3. Samples and/or details of the materials and finishes to be used for the external walls and roofs of the proposed buildings shall be submitted to and approved by the Local Planning Authority in writing before the development commences.

Reason: In the interests of visual amenity and to secure a satisfactory development.

4. Before any works are commenced on site, measures shall be taken to protect from damage those trees on the site which are to be retained. Such measures shall be maintained for the duration of the building contract works.

Reason: In the interest of preserving the natural features of the site.

5. Within two months of construction works starting, details of the proposed planting shall be submitted in writing to, and approved by the Local Planning Authority. The agreed details shall be implemented within the first available planting season following completion of construction works.

Reason: To secure a satisfactory landscaped development.

6. Before the development is occupied a Green Travel Plan shall be submitted in writing to and approved by the Local Planning Authority. The agreed details shall be implemented within three months of occupation of the new development and evaluated in accordance with an approved programme.

Reason: To minimise trip generations associated with the development by the private car and encourage the use of alternative means of transport.

7. Provision shall be made for the parking and turning on site of operatives' and construction vehicles during the contract period. Such provision shall be implemented before the development commences and retained for the duration of the construction.

Reason: In the interest on highway safety.

8. Measures shall be taken to prevent mud and spoil from vehicles leaving the site during the demolition/construction works being deposited on the public highway. In the event that any mud or spoil is deposited on the highway, it shall be cleaned off on each day of working.

Reason: In the interests of highway safety.

9. Occupation of the buildings shall not commence until provision for the parking, turning, loading and unloading of vehicles has been made within the curtilage. The areas of land so provided shall not be used for any purpose other than the parking, turning, loading and unloading of vehicles.

Reason: In the interests of highway safety.

10. No work relating to the construction of the development approved, including works of preparation prior to operations, the delivery of construction materials, skips or machinery, nor the removal of waste materials, shall take place before 0800 hours or after 1800 hours Monday to Friday inclusive, before 0800 hours or after 1600 hours on Saturdays and not at all on Sundays or recognised public holidays, unless otherwise agreed beforehand in writing with the Local Planning Authority.

Reason: To protect the amenities of occupiers of nearby properties.

11. No development shall take place until the applicant has secured the implementation of a programme of archaeological work in accordance with a written scheme of investigation which has been submitted by the applicant and approved by the Local Planning Authority.

Reason: The site is of potential archaeological interest and to secure the need for a Watching Brief.

12. Before the development is commenced a Construction Site Traffic Management Plan to include the route for construction traffic, shall be submitted in writing to, and approved by the Local Planning Authority.

The agreed scheme shall be implemented immediately at the start of construction works on site. The agreed scheme shall be retained for the duration of the construction works for the new nursing care accommodation.

Reason: To reduce the possibility of construction traffic using the smaller local roads.

9003/ML