Work has started on one of the last remaining plots of building land in Bradley Stoke where 21 affordable homes are to be built by housing association LiveWest.
The site is a vacant plot of land adjoining Hornbeam Close, directly opposite the Tesco filling station at the Willow Brook shopping centre.
The scheme comprises a terrace of nine family homes, a block of eleven ‘supported living’ apartments and a separate wheelchair-accessible bungalow. The family homes will be for social rent tenure while the apartments will be for affordable rent tenure.
Vehicular access to the completed development will be via an extension of Hornbeam Close, which leads off Savages Wood Road.
The boundary to the Willow Brook Centre access road will have 1.8m-high fencing (in part consisting of 1.5m close boarded fence topped with 0.3m trellis).
Bradley Stoke Town Council lodged an objection to the planning application on the grounds of “overdevelopment of the site and insufficient parking provision”, but South Gloucestershire Council’s (SGC’s) Development Management Committee nonetheless voted to grant permission at a meeting in November 2021.
The approved plans show a gate in the boundary fence at the northern end of the site which potentially provides an opening onto the Willow Brook Centre access road. However, the police objected to this feature as they felt it would undermine the crime prevention benefits of a cul-de-sac layout with a single entry/exit point. Consequently, a planning condition has been imposed that requires the gate to be kept locked and be used for “maintenance access only”.
S106 agreement
A formal decision notice was issued following the signing of an S106 agreement in June 2022. This requires the developer to contribute towards “on- and off-site public open space and sports facilities”.
In accordance with council policies, the developer contribution has been set at £61,716.93 towards off-site public open space provision/enhancement and a further £48,291.85 towards its maintenance for the first 15 years.
The S106 agreement breaks this down as follows:
- A contribution of £14,122.54 towards off-site provision and/or enhancement of 496.65 sqm of Informal Recreational Open Space at Patchway Common East, with a further maintenance contribution of £24,893.54
- A contribution of £10,942.86 towards off-site provision and/or enhancement of 57.75 sqm of provision for children and young people (equipped children’s play areas, including provision for young people) at Jubilee Green Park or Bradley Stoke Skate Park, with a further maintenance contribution of £11,506.50
- A contribution of £821.32 towards the off-site provision and/or enhancement of 79.20 sqm of allotments at Pretoria Road and/or Beacon Lane and/or Bush Avenue, with a further maintenance contribution of £1047.24
- A contribution of £35,830.21 towards the off-site provision and/or enhancement of Outdoor Sports Facilities at Little Stoke Park and/or Bradley Stoke Community School and/or Jubilee Green Playing Fields, with a further maintenance contribution of £10,844.57
Construction activities
Work on the site began during the week commencing 23rd November 2022. Since then, excavators have been at work on the site and a Portakabin has been delivered.
LiveWest says completion of the scheme is currently forecast for the end of April 2024.
Construction traffic is entering the site from Hornbeam Close. The agreed Construction Environmental & Traffic Management Plan states that delivery drivers will be given instructions to avoid the peak times of 8.30am to 9.30am and 3pm to 4pm. It adds: “We will also ask companies to phone the site an hour before arrival so that we are able to plan the deliveries effectively to reduce disruption.”
In response to a query from the Journal about neighbour relations, a spokesperson for LiveWest said:
“The contractor who is undertaking the work has sent a letter to local residents to inform them of the nature of the works and a contact number for the site manager in case they have any questions about the work.”
More information and related links
- Planning application P21/02958/F (SGC)
- Signed S106 Agreement [PDF; 9.64MB on Dropbox]
- Construction Environmental & Traffic Management Plan [PDF; 281kB on Dropbox]
- Archive of The Journal’s articles about this planning application
- Social housing options: Help with finding a home (SGC)
- Planning Applications of Note (The Journal)
First foundations laid
UPDATE added 19th April 2023.
The concrete foundations for the wheelchair-accessible bungalow in the south-eastern corner of the site have been laid in the past few days.
Note: Since the above article was published, LiveWest have contacted us to say that all homes on the development (including the family homes) are now designated for social rent. This is a consequence of a change in the tender.
