My Comments posted to CBC on 04-Aug-2018. Application CB/18/02275/FULL
I refer to Design Guides. These are found at LINK.
1.0 Privacy distances.
Very cramped.2.0 Overall size
2.1 The application Design and Access Statement states, "12 no. 3 Bedroom 6 Person House @ 99metres square". This is not in alignment with the Residential Design Guide, which suggests for three storey houses, 4 bedroom, 6 persons, should be 113 metres square, and even for a 3 bedroom 5 person house should be 102 metres square.The plans show the homes to have 3 bedrooms plus a substantial space marked as family room/study which could easily become a 4th bedroom.
2.2 Bedroom Sizes
The Residential Design Guide, states, minimum area, "12 metres square" for a double bedroom. The application plans show bedroom 1 and 3 to be each 11.7 metres square, and Bedroom 2 to be just 10 metres square.
2.3 Kitchen / Living / Dining Spaces
The Residential Design Guide, states, minimum area, for a 6 bed spaces, 33 square metres. The application plans show this area to be 26 metre square + an additional 6.5 metres square in a room
marked study/family room. That sums to 32.5 metres square, still below the Residential Design Guide minimum.
2.4 Storage Space
The application does not give measurements for wardrobes and cupboards. The Residential Design Guide, states,"3.5 metres square for a 6 bed space home".
3. Light
I have concerns that the small size of windows indicated may be insufficient to allow much natural light in.4. Solar
No thought has been demonstrated to the installation of solar panels or energy efficiency.5. Community Safety, fencing, planting.
5.1 Whilst additional planting is suggested, the type of extra trees to be planted is not mentioned.5.2 Type and height of fencing to secure the external extent of the site is not stated.
5.3 No mention is made of type and height of internal fencing or boundary treatments.
5.4 No mention is made of what is to happen to the current chain-link fencing facing Tithe Farm Road.
5.5 A community park/ recreation ground, children’s play area and playing fields are located immediately to and bound the north and east of the site. The application does not demonstrate how the boundary would be treated or how the security of the garden plots would be protected.
6. Bins
It is unclear where bin storage would be located. It must be demonstrated that they are sufficiently located away from property and fences to guard against being a fire hazard.7. Garage standards
No garages are being proposed.8. Parking Spaces
8.1 Essential parking for bicycles is not demonstrated.8.2 Five parking spaces are shown fronting Tithe Farm Rd for units 8, 9 and 10 facing onto the junction with Recreation Road. This would necessitate dropped kerbs. To have a dropped kerb there must be at least 4.8 metres of parking space length per home according to CBC website. It is unclear from application plans how long the parking spaces will be.
Excess parking for these units, and visitor parking, might easily be on the kerb which is undesirable, and since they would be on the kerb facing a junction, even more undesirable.
8.3 Residential parking for 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 units fronting Tithe Farm Rd would dominate the street scene.
8.4 The side parking court for spaces numbered 7, 7, 6, 6, 5, 5, 8, 11 has no obvious correlation to housing. The spaces may become used by people not resident and not visiting.
8.5 Visitor parking spaces should be allocated at 0.25 per dwelling per Placemaking document, Design in Central Bedfordshire, but no visitor spaces are demonstrated.
8.6 Some parking spaces as allocated would block other vehicles in.
9. Negative contribution to the street scene.
9.1 Character and style of the houses is inappropriate to the street scene. In this area of Tithe Farm Rd there are no town houses.9.2 The height of the proposed buildings would obscure currently uninterrupted views across open recreational land for those homes on the southern side of Tithe Farm Rd facing onto the proposed development site. Even in the future, as the outline plans for HRN1 show, the land drops away beyond the northern edge of Tithe Farm Recreation ground, so the views ought to continue to be uninterrupted.
9.3 Buses are typically 10.3 to 12 metres long. With only one parking space directly allocated outside unit 8, additional car-parking might be tempted to encroach onto the bus parking zone.
9.4 Consideration must be given to any overhang of a bus that might block the proposed site entry road.
10. Design and Access Statement
10.1 It is considered wrong to state that "the development will provide an additional 12no. three storey dwelling houses" as there are currently no three storey dwelling houses in the road.10.2.1 It is considered wrong to state that "The scheme will provide 12 high quality homes”, without providing measurements that meet the minimum standards of the Residential Design Guide.
10.2.2 It is considered wrong to state that " The scheme will provide 12 high quality homes”, directly responding to existing and anticipated future demand", without providing proof of demand over and above that demonstrated behind the reasons for HRN1 and HRN2 schemes.
10.3 It is considered wrong to state that "the proposed accommodation is 12 no. 3 Bedroom", when the ‘family/study room’ could easily become a 4th bedroom.
10.4 The D&A statement admits "Parking is provided at two spaces per unit"; this is only the minimum for a three bedroom home in Parking Standards (Placemaking, Central Bedfordshire
Design Standards) whereas 2.5 to 4 spaces are suggested for terraced to semi-detached with 3 to 4 bedroom homes.
10.5 It is considered wrong to state that "all parking is overlooked." Up to seven spaces for units 11, 8, 5, 6, and 7 are not overlooked in the parking court. Therefore security for vehicles is
compromised.
10.6 It is considered wrong to state "secure rear gardens for all proposed units" as boundary treatment has not been specified.
11. Tree Report
Refers to the site as "a brown field site". This is considered contentious as what might make it a brown field is not contamination of the land, but a few concrete bases of the former use of the site as a community church and church hall.12. Land Use
12.1 The site has had previous uses as a community church and church hall used for social functions.Previous plans permitted building up to 3 storeys that would have brought employment to the area. That is not a reason to assume three storey use is always permitted on the site.
12.2 The site was approved for a care home, and therefore tenaciously a community use, whilst also bring employment in. I strongly feel that this corner of Tithe Farm Recreation ground was always intended for use by the community. To permit housing on it would be to permanently remove land which could be used by the community for social purposes.
