“the site will be developed in a comprehensive manner to ensure the necessary highway improvements to Pitt Hill are secured as housing delivery is achieved”
“Policy NOR07: Site Adjoining Pitt Hill (Appledore) (1) Land adjoining Pitt Hill, extending to about 6 hectares and as defined on Policies Map 8B, is allocated for housing development that includes: (a) approximately 130 dwellings, providing a mix of housing type and size to reflect local need, including affordable housing; and (b) as necessary the relocation of a Public Right of Way to support its contained presence through the site. (2) The site will be developed in accordance with the following site-specific development principles: (a) development located and of a form that minimises any loss of landscape character of the surrounding area; (b) areas of green infrastructure providing opportunities for biodiversity enhancement and informal recreation focused to the south of the site within the coastal and estuarine zone; (c) vehicular access achieved from Wooda Road, by improvement to Pitt Hill and an access from Pitt Hill Road and the provision of a right-hand turn from Churchill Way into Wooda; and (d) safeguarding an appropriate vehicular access extending to the northern boundary, to enable the future delivery of the adjoining site on land east of Churchill Way.”
“10.383 A site of about 6 hectares adjoining Pitt Hill is allocated for housing. The site will be developed in a comprehensive manner to ensure the necessary highway improvements to Pitt Hill are secured as housing delivery is achieved. 10.384 The development will make a significant contribution to meeting the future housing needs of Appledore, providing approximately 130 new homes, the size and tenure of which will be reflective of local needs. 10.385 A high quality design will be achieved throughout the development, which provides a reflection of the area's historic character with an emphasis on green infrastructure delivery. The layout of development within the site will minimise any consequent landscape impact, particularly in respect of the area to the north of Wooda Road.”
“Need for a Single Access to Serve the Two Developments. Firstly, the application you are considering on the 28th July creates an unnecessary additional access onto the narrow Pitt Lane/Hill (see Sketch Plan below) when it could easily be accessed through the proposed bunnyhomes housing site to the west. Such a single access would result in benefits in terms of: • highway safety, with no need for a second direct access onto Pitt Lane/Hill; • it will enable easy vehicular, pedestrian and cycling access between the two sites including to the proposed open space; • it will help retain the landscape character of Pitt Lane/Hill, its hedgerows and wildlife which would be adversely affected by the currently proposed access and visibility splays; and • it could provide a pedestrian and cycle link to Pitt Lane/Hill. Indeed policy NOR07 criterion 2(c) requires “vehicular access achieved from Wooda Road, by improvement to Pitt Hill and an access from Pitt Hill Road and the provision of a right hand turn from Churchill Way into Wooda;” “An” access is a single access and there are now two further accesses proposed within approximately 5 metres of one another (see Sketch Plan above) in addition to those already created to accommodate the Baker Estates development to the south. Even Devon Highways admit: “While I agree with many of the comments from local residents I have no evidence to support a reason for refusal of this application on highway grounds. A different arrangement for access might be preferable, but that is not what has been presented for consideration.”
“Third parties have raised concern over the creation of a new vehicular access and resultant harm to the character of Pitt Hill. The access arrangements have been amended to bring the new vehicular access down to the southern part of the site so it would be read in the context of the proposed access to the scheme to the west and the access from the Baker Estates scheme to the south. In allocating the site, it was accepted that improvements and alterations would be required to Pitt Hill – this is unfortunately a necessary consequence of the allocation. It is considered that the revised siting of the access minimises disruption and harm to the character of Pitt Lane and enables longer stretches of hedgerow to remain intact.” and “A number of representations suggest that an alternative access arrangement from the development to the west should be required to avoid additional points of access/egress on to Pitt Hill. As noted by the LHO, a different access arrangement might be preferable however there is no evidence to support a reason for refusal on highway grounds - the decision taker is required to consider what is before them and this is deemed acceptable. Furthermore, there is no provision within Policy NOR07 to require such an access arrangement as put forward by third parties and there is no mechanism to insist on this given the different landowners and the fact the schemes may not come forward at the same time. Given all of the above, and the support afforded to the scheme by the LHO, the application proposal is considered to be in accordance with NDTLP Policies ST10, NOR07, DM05 and DM06 as well as paragraphs 110 and 111 of the NPPF.”
“31. It was never intended, and cannot with any sensibility be read as operating to limit the developments subject to Policy NOR07 to the provision of a single highway access onto Pitt Hill. It is clear from the shape and configuration of the allocation site that this is simply not a realistic prospect. Rather, it was intended that there would be at least ‘an’ access onto Pitt Hill as part of the development, so as to ensure permeability and enable the ‘improvement’ to Pitt Hill.”
“29. The allocation site subject to Policy NOR07 straddles Pitt Hill which splits the site into two distinct land parcels, to the east and west of Pitt Hill. Accordingly, if highway access to the site subject to allocation is to be furnished from Pitt Hill, it was always going to be necessary to service the site through the provision of more than one highway access off Pitt Hill. Similarly, the alignment of Pitt Hill along with the configuration and shape of the field parcels making up the site subject to Policy NOR07 are such that it is not practicable or reasonable to assume that the development could have been adequately serviced by a single highway access point off of Pitt Hill. Nor would this constitute good place-making – recognising that this would fail to ensure permeability and connectivity.”
“27. The policy does not limit new access to one new access. It sets a policy objective. The minimum standard. The word is the indefinite article, not the definite article. It is not specific. The policy does not say “no more than”