Comment

Representation ID: 4884

Received: 21/12/2022

Respondent: Bellway Homes Ltd

Agent: Turley

Land south of White Hill (Housing Allocation 274)

Bellway has concerns regarding the likely impacts of developing this site.
As demonstrated by the EDP Heritage and Landscape Technical Note enclosed at Appendix 2, in terms of heritage impact, although the site’s ‘less than substantial
harm’ to the Kinver Camp Scheduled Monument is not an in-principle issue, NPPF paragraph 199 requires the Council to afford the ‘greatest weight’ to the conservation
of the monument as a designated heritage asset of the highest significance. NPPF paragraph 200 states that ‘clear and convincing’ justification should be provided for
that harm, public benefits notwithstanding. There are other sites available in Kinver such as the additional land to the north of the Hyde Lane proposed allocation or the
de-allocated Dunsley Drive site which do not result in this level of harm and should therefore be preferable in the site selection process.
In landscape terms, EDP’s note states that to accord with the local planning authority's evidence base and the prevailing landscape and visual character of the site, the extent of residential development currently illustrated is deemed to be unacceptable. It is considered to represent an over-estimation of the site’s development capacity in
landscape and visual terms. The design response to the Staffordshire Way would result in a major permanent and irreversible adverse effect, a point reiterated in Kinver Parish Council’s minutes of the meeting held on 14 December 2022. The Council should therefore carefully consider alternative sites at Kinver such as Bellway’s additional land at Hyde Lane (west) discussed above and land east of Dunsley Drive discussed below which could come forward and deliver the same public benefits
(in terms of delivering much needed housing) with less harm to designated heritage assets and which will provide a better landscape and visual response.