Consultation on this proposal has now closed.

Thank you to all those who kindly provided comments, we will be reviewing all of the comments received and together with the findings of the technical assessments, will consider whether further amendments and/or clarifications are required.

The information below remains available to view.

Chapman Lily Planning has been appointed by Aster Group to prepare and submit a planning application for new homes on part of Cranhill Road car park in Street.  The proposed development will be informed by: 

• Site opportunities and constraints
• A review of relevant Development Plan policies; namely those set out in the Mendip Local Plan adopted in 2014 
• The findings of technical assessments, covering issues such as ecology, trees, and drainage
• Feedback from stakeholders and the local community 
• Other relevant considerations

The proposals for part of Cranhill Road car park are still at an early stage but we are looking to submit a planning application to Mendip District Council in late January 2021.  We would welcome your feedback on our emerging proposals by 22nd January 2021 so that it can shape the form and content of the application.

Aster Group and the Project Team

Aster is a Registered Provider focused on offering customers a choice of new homes and tenures, including shared ownership, affordable and social rent, and open market homes for sale.  Aster are an experienced developer delivering everything from small scale community-led developments through to large scale Joint Venture projects with national and regional housebuilders.  In 2018/19, Aster built 1,156 new homes and their ambitious development programme will see them deliver over 10,500 homes during the next seven years.  

Aster Group have engaged Chapman Lily Planning to assist with this consultation, as well as the preparation and submission of a planning application.

The site is located to the north of the High Street in Street, one of Mendip’s main market settlements. 

The site measures circa 0.5ha and enjoys c.35m frontage along Oxendale, from where vehicular access is gained.  The site is currently in use as a public car park.   

The boundary treatment is varied and fragmented; with the flat topography affording open views towards the new 3-storey Bluestone Court retirement living building (centre south) and the two-storey dwellings along Bullmead Close to the north-west.  The eastern boundary is open to the car park, which is framed by a former solicitor’s office and residential properties.  A pedestrian link at the south-east corner of the car park provides excellent pedestrian access to the town centre. 

A pedestrian footpath to the west links the car park via landscaped green space to Couture Grove, one of the main boulevards serving the new Houndwood Estate which exhibits a contemporary design.

It is evident that: 

• The site enjoys excellent connectivity and access to shops and services:
• on foot (notably to the town centre to the east and food store to the west), 
• cycle (noting that there are cycle ways connecting through to Woods Batch park to the north and destinations further afield) 
• bus (noting that bus services run through Street and many routes commence at Leigh Road).
• The site is unencumbered by heritage constraints, save for a Grade II Listed Building to the south east of the car park, the schedule describing it as an early C19 house retaining many period internal and external architectural features. 
• The site itself is seemingly unencumbered by environmental constraints, save for a small tract of the car park being at low-medium risk of surface water flooding.  
• There is scope to extend the positive landscape features to the west to enhance the setting.
• The layout and orientation of homes will need to safeguard privacy and avoid overlooking, particularly in relation to established boundary properties (as indicated by blue arrows on the inset plan). 
• There is an opportunity to enhance pedestrian permeability to provide for an improved east-west link between the new residential quarter and the town centre.
• There is an opportunity to break up the desolate expansive hard standing, creating a more pleasing defined edge, with a positive frontage and passive surveillance. 
• There is adequate road access to the site and access to Bluestone Court would be preserved.  
• The loss of town centre parking spaces is explored under other relevant considerations, but two alternative car parks at Clarks Village and Southside, off Vestry Road are located in close proximity.  The occupation of the proposed dwellings would in any event bolster the resident population and local patronage. 

Planning Policies

Policy CP1 titles ‘Mendip Spatial Strategy’ explains: 

‘The majority of development will be directed towards the five principal settlements of Frome, Glastonbury, Shepton Mallet, Street and Wells to reinforce their roles as market towns serving their wider rural catchments.  Specific proposals for each place are set out in Core Policies 6-10. …’  

It goes on to state: 

‘In identifying land for development the Local Plan’s emphasis is on maximising the re-use of appropriate previously developed sites and other land within existing settlement limits as defined on the Policies Map’. 

Core Policy 2 titled ‘Supporting the Provision of New Housing’ makes provision for 1,300 homes in Street, equivalent to 14% of the Districts overall needs. Core Policy 8 titled ‘Street Parish Strategy’ recognises that: 

‘A high proportion of housing will arise from previously developed sites in a manner which respects and enhances the town’s character, …’.

Technical Assessments

The following technical assessments are underway:

• Topographic survey.
• Phase 1 extended habitats survey.
• Ground condition survey. 
• Utilities survey. 
• Arboricultural survey.
• Flood risk and drainage assessment.

Other Relevant Considerations

Regrettably, due to the imposition of an increased annual housing target by Government, the Council is currently unable to demonstrate a 5-year Housing Land Supply. The latest position statement dated December 2019 estimates that the Council can only demonstrate a 3.8-year housing land supply.  As such the tilted balance in favour of sustainable development is engaged.

Aster has worked with Mendip District Council to look at parking capacity within the town.  There are 10 car parks in Street providing nearly 2,000 pay and display spaces. The Council monitored car parking capacity pre-covid for a continuous 5-month period.  The daytime utilisation of Cranhill Road car park is typically less than 19% albeit this increases to around 25% in the peak period 9am-1pm.  Nonetheless, this is far below the other car parks in Street.  By comparison, during the morning peak (9am-1pm) the utilisation of Wilfrid Road is nearer 60%.  Whilst Southside car park exhibits significant demand, there is latent capacity within the other car parks which are equally convenient for the town centre.  It is important to stress that the proposals would retain 107 existing car parking spaces nearest the town centre, so would only entail a reduction in the overall number.

Our Emerging Proposals

Aster is looking to bring forward a development of around twenty-nine new homes. 

Mendip District Council have committed to work with Aster Homes to maximise the affordable housing delivery on this site. By working with an affordable housing provider from the outset there is scope to secure grant funding to maximise the affordable housing being provided over and above the Council’s policy targets. It is considered that this approach will best meet the objectives of both parties to deliver the much needed 100% affordable housing schemes.  

An indicative layout plan has been prepared, albeit this might change following your feedback and as more information becomes available.

Next Steps

We will continue to update this webpage as the project moves forward, but now is the time to have your say and help shape the form and content of the planning application.

Should you have any questions or queries please do not hesitate to contact us via the comments page.

There will of course be a formal opportunity to make your views known to the Council once the application is registered sometime in the new year.  It is envisaged that the application will be accompanied by:

• A full suite of plans and drawings.
• A planning, design and access statement.
• A crime prevention statement.
• A resource efficiency statement. 
• A statement of community engagement.
• Draft Heads of Terms pursuant to a S106 agreement and complete the instruction forms. 
• Arboricultural survey, impact assessment and method statement.
• Flood risk and drainage assessment (owing to the size of the site).
• Transport Statement.
• Phase 1 extended habitats survey and biodiversity enhancement strategy.