Milestone Ground / Station Road Development
The following planning application has now been submitted for consultation - If you wish to submit your comments via Wychavon's Planning Portal please ensure this is done by the end of the consultation period which is the 13th March 2025.
Location: Milestone Ground, Childswickham Road, Broadway, WR127HA
Description of Proposal: Demolition of existing clubhouse and redevelopment of 114 residential dwellings (Use Class C3), and replacement sports pitches (including 3G sports pitch) and clubhouse, including new vehicular access, public open space, landscaping and other associated infrastructure. Applicant: Spitfire Homes, Broadway United Football Club.
Over 100 people were in attendance, together with members of the Parish Council and District Councillors Emma Kearsey and Emma Sims.
The Chair, Councillor Wilks welcomed everyone to the meeting and gave a general overview/background of the application.
The Clerk, Mr Kevin Beasley explained the process of viewing the application and all related documents etc. including individual’s comments on the District Council’s Planning Portal Website and how to submit comments. If anyone had any difficulties in accessing the website, he suggested that residents call into the Parish Office for assistance/guidance during office hours 10.00am to 1.00pm Monday to Friday.
District Councillor Kearsey encouraged everyone to submit their comment and that every comment is taken into consideration when determining an application but added that comments should be supported by policies / valid reasons/impacts etc. She stated that residents can request an alert for all updates as they are loaded on to the website. Link to Planning Portal at Application Number : W/25/00107/FUL (The ‘Make comments on this application’ button is just under the planning application number on the linked page.)
It was reiterated that any comments submitted to Spitfire at the previous meeting with the developer would not be taken into account – they were just for Spitfire. THIS IS THE OFFICIAL PLANNING APPLICATION AND RESIDENTS’ COMMENTS NEED TO BE INDIVIDUALLY SUBMITTED TO THE DISTRICT COUNCIL.
The deadline for submitting comments is 13th March. Several residents of Station Road said that they had not received notification of the application.
Post meeting – District Councillor Kearsey made the Planning Dept aware of this – letters were to be sent out to these residents and the deadline had been extended to 18th March.
A slide of the application site was displayed on the screen for reference – Councillor Dr. Reading highlighted the key aspects of the site.
Chair of Broadway Parish Council’s Planning Committee, Councillor Dr. Reading explained that the Parish Council would be meeting next week to submit its comments to the District Council and would take into consideration any comments from residents at this meeting.
Councillor Dr Reading highlighted the following and what residents should be taking into account when considering this application and how they respond to it.
The Broadway Neighbourhood Plan is an important document when considering any planning application.
Design - The design is a typical urban development, not suited to a rural area.
Broadway Neighbourhood Plan policy BE.1 covering Design Principles states limited infill within the Development Boundary will be supported where it contributes to the character of the village and is modest in proportion to the size of the site, proportionate in mass to neighbouring properties and designed to respect the context and amenity of neighbouring properties as well as the wider village.
Green Space - Urbanisation is inappropriate. The design does not meet the policy on 40% green infrastructure. Policy infringement. Broadway Neighbourhood Plan - Policy NE1 - Trees, Woodlands and Hedgerows indicates the importance of trees, woodlands, and hedges to Broadway’s valued natural and built environment.
Green space contained within football fields should not be considered as part of the public open space. There is no additional open space that serves the residents and those local to the area.
The Nature Reserve/Wildlife Area is also not part of the site.
Density - The Parish Council considers Density of housing is too high for a rural design. It is just within the 29 houses per hectare maximum, but…
Housing Mix - Broadway’s Neighbourhood Plan Policy HD3 (Housing Mix), identifies the need for affordable housing with a strong preference for one- and two-bedroom houses at tenures to meet the identified local need, particularly for young people. The development will provide 40% - 46 affordable homes but it is still unclear what the mix will be.
Materials - Broadway Neighbourhood Plan Policy BE1 Design Principles -
Quality - the materials used will not be high quality fitting to the village. They intend to build the external walls of the new homes in concrete reconstruction stone blocks despite being aware that the medical centre’s design, a standard NHS design, was ultimately tweaked to incorporate real stone which has improved its look considerably. At a very minimum, houses adjacent to Station Road should be built with real stone which will enable the estate to blend with the core village vernacular.
Reconstructed stone weathers badly, and natural stone of the external walls quarried locally cut to bricklayer sizes for easy laying is not a significant difference in price and should be considered.
Roofs - Diminishing stone concrete mix roof tiles across the site would give what the developer is seeking to achieve restraint and harmony.
Chimneys - The developer indicated he would be reducing the number of chimneys, given the variety in the village this is not a promising idea and will detract and diminish the look of the area.
Sewage System - Concerns regarding foul water/sewage. Need additional capacity drainage plans may not address the biodiversity needs of the gravel pit, and that the security of the gravel pit may be compromised.
Sustainability of site / integration - It is important to integrate the development into the village community and vice versa. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) 2023, requires development proposals to ‘promote walking, cycling and public transport’.
Walkways and additional punch points needed through to the doctor’s surgery to minimise how far older residents have to walk to the surgery and provide facilities. For example, for residents that live in Lifford Gardens to more easily walk to the surgery without having to go to Station Road.
Wellbeing walk, the play area at Highworth, Leamington Road, was taken out of the development early in the scheme on the advice of professionals at District Council. The reason was the lack of roadways and easy access for emergency vehicles. Unfortunately, a play area was started which had to be removed.
Should this site have a play area - careful consideration needs to be made of the ease of access for emergency vehicles. There are real risks around remote play areas for smaller children.
Tranquility and Dark Skies - The Cotswolds ANOB Management Plan notes that lighting can harm dark sky areas. Broadway Neighbourhood Plan Policy NE 9.1 states Tranquillity and Dark Skies - lighting should be kept to a minimum, while having regard to safety and security, to preserve the rural character of the area. Suggest the use of mushroom lights around the football pitches to reduce the impact of floodlighting.
All lighting on the site including that for the football pitches follows the Cotswold Natural Landscape (AONB) Dark Skies Lighting (guidance is on its website).
District Councillor Mrs Sims introduced the Broadway Design Review Panel – which is chaired by Mr. Gordon Franks and consists of members of the Parish Council and the Broadway Trust. The Panel met last week to review the application from a design aspect and would be submitting its comments to the District Council.
The meeting was then opened up to questions / concerns –
There was a query as to why the entrance to the doctor’s surgery could not form a second entrance to the site – the doctor’s surgery is not within the remit of the application and is separately owned.
Flooding/drainage – the local flood authority cannot make any comments yet until a full drainage strategy is submitted. A resident stated that building regulations control all sewerage – in response District Councillor Kearsey stated that this is only the case when a planning application is approved. The statutory local consultee is the lead flood authority and they have already said that this application as it stands cannot be determined and must be deferred until the time in which a drainage strategy comes forward.
There was a query re parking/speeds etc – the existing car park off the Childswickham Road would remain. It looks as though there is no off street/road-side parking within the estate. Parish/District Councillor Sims stated that a parking strategy is provided, and it states that there are 240 allocated parking spaces, this includes 71 garages, 5 car ports and 4 visitor spaces within the development.
It was pointed out by one resident that it is possible to view the application maps/drawing etc in detail to see not only the details of each dwelling, but garden, parking space etc.
It was pointed out that the street scene on to Station Road had been changed from the original design and that now the gable ends/back gardens of properties are on view, which appears to be one of the consequences of more properties. The same resident was very supportive of the Parish Council’s insistence that natural stone be used in the construction of the houses and local stone slates on the roofs rather than grey slates. This would be in keeping with the character and design of the rest of the village.
A representative from Broadway Football Club gave a brief summary of the need for the improved facilities – there are currently over 250 young people using the current facilities, which is actually more than in the two local schools combined – so there is a need! The improved facilities will hopefully be available to both local people and those in the surrounding villages. It was understood that all of the football facilities must be completed for use prior to the sale of any property within the development. The Football Club will have a long-term lease of the land for its use from the District Council, but it was pointed out that the football club must be viable/sustainable. It therefore needs to be community supported by the village. The football facilities will be located on a flood plain, and therefore cannot be built on, which is why the land swap was done. The representative from the football club stated that he could not remember the pitches actually flooding – water logged, yes- in the long time he had been involved with the club.
Councillor Jones, vice-chair of the Parish Council Planning Committee stated that he was concerned about the increase in the number of properties since the development was first muted, which means that the green space has subsequently reduced - yes the village needs more housing, but not this many – the site is far too crowded. Broadway is an historic and beautiful village, which is why so many visitors come here – so what is very important is that these new houses are built out of the correct materials which are in keeping with the village – this development will be built on one of the main entrance routes into the village.
An example of one of the properties was shown on a slide – not really in keeping with the majority of the houses in Broadway!!
A resident was very concerned that there was no service road on the development.
It was also pointed out that 40% of the houses on the development would be for affordable housing for the younger people in the village – who want to remain in the village, and not be forced to move away because there is nowhere to rent etc.
As has already been pointed out there is only one entrance point – but what had not been mentioned is its close proximity to other entrances along Station Road – the caravan park, the railway station, the local petrol station and the medical centre.
Mention was also made of the major archaeological dig that has been taking place – is it possible that some of the items such as the roman grain drying ovens could remain on display? District Councillor Mrs. Sims reported that the developer had indicated that it had made an offer to locate a display board – highlighting details of the history of the site / details of finds etc. – and suggested that if residents had any other suggestions to submit this with their comments.
Councillor Dr Wilks thanked everyone for attending and for their input and again encouraged everyone to submit their comments and also to encourage others to do so too.
Link to Planning Portal at Application Number : W/25/00107/FUL
More about the proposed development at MilestoneGroundBroadway.co.uk
Three images above copyright Spitfire Housing