Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople Development Plan Document

Non-strategic Policies

General site design and layout

Policy TR8: General site design and layout

129. Providing well designed sites is important for supporting happy and healthy communities and can help to address wider determinants of health, education and employment. Good site design and layout is critical to ensure site safety and can also provide suitable resilience to the effects of climate change.

130. The majority of existing sites within the borough are in the countryside within a rural landscape setting. The countryside has an intrinsic rural character and beauty that should be conserved and protected for its own sake. Therefore, careful site design is required to mitigate the potential visual impacts any development may have on the landscape. This is particularly important in terms of the site boundary treatments, where hard features such as brick walls, gates and closeboard fencing can appear incongruous against the surrounding landscape. This is even more crucial within National Landscapes or their setting, or Local Landscapes of Value.

131. Another challenge is that a large number of applications received by the Council are retrospective in nature, meaning that the development has already taken place. Whilst the Council cannot prevent this from happening, having clear design guidance is one way of encouraging and sign-posting good design, as well as making enforcement action for poor design more defensible.

132. Whilst there are no recent national publications or guidance in this respect, specific design guidance produced by the Government in 2008, includes some useful principles (DCLG Good Practice Guide 2008^[36]). As does the National Policy Advisory Panel on Gypsy and Traveller Housing's guidance on providing and managing sites, entitled 'Places we are proud of'^[37].
      
133. Other authorities, such as Leeds City Council^[38] and the Welsh Government^[39], have also produced their own site design guidance; the principles of which can also be useful in helping to guide design locally in Maidstone.

134. Locally, within the Local Plan Review, policy LPRSP15 – Principles of Good Design and policy LPRSP9 – Development in the Countryside set out broad design parameters to be considered, the latter being of relevance where proposals are located outside of the defined settlements.

135. In addition, relevant LPR development management policies should be taken into consideration, particularly LPRQ&D1 – Sustainable Design and LPRQ&D4 – Design Principles in the Countryside. The Council also produced Building for Life 12 (BfL12) Maidstone Edition in 2018 which includes various matters of detail which may be appropriate for layout, screening, external storage and amenity space.

136. Ongoing assessment of Maidstone borough's rich and varied landscapes is also underway – to update the Landscape Character Assessments dating back to 2012. As this evidence emerges, it will become an important material consideration in the determination of applications in the countryside.

137. Whilst every application will be assessed on its own merits, the following matters set out the general design and layout principles that should be considered:

Site layout

138. There is no single preferred site layout and individual circumstances will determine the most appropriate layout of any given proposal. However, some good example site layouts include the following:

 Example 'circular' site layout^[40]

Example 'tree branch' site layout 

Example 'large site' (c. 10 pitches) layout^[41] 

Pitch size

139. The size of pitches will vary according to individual needs, as is the case with conventional 'bricks and mortar' housing. However, existing studies show that pitches are generally between 0.01-0.48ha where 0.1ha may be described as 'sufficient size for a family to grow'.

140. Other published guidance suggests an average recommended pitch size of 320sqm^[42] (equates to 0.03ha). In general, this would provide space for an amenity block (kitchen, bathroom, living room) and touring caravan space for up to 2 caravans and 2 vehicles. However, in some instances, proposals are for additional pitches on existing lawful sites which may result in slightly smaller than average pitch sizes given that there may already be an adequate day room, amenity space and parking existing on the wider site.

141. It is evident that needs will vary with family unit size, so a range of pitch sizes should be provided where possible.

Highways access and parking

142. Highway layout should be designed with consideration of the movement of touring caravans or the delivery of static caravans in mind. Sufficient space and turning/manoeuvring area should be created to allow residents to easily take caravans on and off their pitches. Highways should be wide enough that a large static caravan can be delivered by a large goods vehicle to all pitches. Walking access and accessible walkways should be provided. Sites should allow an area for parking of vehicles, including ones used for work.

Amenity/green space and play space

143. Sites should promote opportunity of healthy lifestyles. In terms of visual amenity, resilience to the impacts of climate change, and general good design principles applicable to any housing development, the provision of on-site greenspace should be encouraged, although the type and location needs careful consideration. The green space should be designed and located to ensure that it is safe and secure to use, whilst not allowing the area to be used as an additional pitch.

144. Consideration should be given to the location of different size pitches – family size pitches, where possible, should be in the line of site of play spaces, whereas age friendly pitches should be located further away from play spaces to reduce disturbance to elderly residents.

Other site facilities

145. Where appropriate, consideration should be given to the suitable provision of land for communal children's play space and for paddocks, field shelters, secure tack rooms, manure disposal and other equine uses on or adjacent to sites. Also, provision of a central rubbish and recycling point that is easy for all residents to access, and that can be easily accessed by refuse collection vehicles.

Biodiversity and Climate Change

146. The Council has committed to address the loss of biodiversity through the declaration of a climate change and biodiversity emergency, and the adoption of the Climate Change and Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan. LPR policy LPRSP14(A) – Natural Environment sets out how development proposals will be expected to demonstrate the protection of natural landscape assets including Ancient Woodland, veteran trees, hedgerows and features of biological and geological interest. It also seeks to ensure that new residential developments incorporate a minimum of 20% Biodiversity net Gain (BNG) where appropriate.

147. With the Council's declaration of a climate emergency and the need to reduce carbon emissions, every effort should be made to use 'green energy'. Examples might include connection to a district heating network, if available, the use of solar panels or other sustainable energy generation. Giving consideration to optimal site/pitch orientation at the application stage can help to maximise the potential for renewable energy generation as well as the benefits from energy efficiencies.

Landscaping

148. The retention of existing landscaping is critical to mitigate the impact of development, particularly at countryside locations and can allow new development to better integrate with the local area. For example, any existing hedgerow boundaries must be retained rather than removed with new hard treatments up against boundaries in their place. Additional landscaping is also critical to mitigate the impact of development to reinforce existing boundaries and/or screen/soften views of development.

149. Where appropriate the Council may require the submission of a detailed Landscape Buffer Plan, setting out a detailed planting schedule specifying species, size, location and densities; a programme and timetable for planting implementation, including advanced planting and phased planting where necessary; and details of maintenance and management for a period of 10 years.

150. Where new boundary treatments are required, the Council's preference is for the use of a native hedge and hedgerow tree species-mix most appropriate to the underlying soils, informed by the Landscape Character Assessment to soften/screen any boundary treatments and development. This is often formed of double staggered hedgerow with approximately 45cm spacing and may typically consist of 70% Hawthorn or Blackthorn, 5% Dogwood, 10% Field Maple, 10% Hazel, 2.5% Holly and 2.5% Wayfaring Tree. This mix will naturally be dependent upon individual site characteristics and may vary as a result. This enhances biodiversity; and provides suitable screening for occupiers of the site whilst also minimising the visual impact of the development in rural countryside locations.

151. Proposals involving the use of a native hedge and hedgerow tree species-mix should be accompanied by details of the hedgerow siting, spacing and maturity, as well as details of management (including should planting fail). This should follow the detailed guidance on native hedgerow planting and maintenance published on the Council's website:

https://maidstone.gov.uk/home/primary-services/planning-and-building/heritage-and-landscape/hedges#planting_hedges_460116

152. Every effort should be made to minimise the amount of hardstanding to only that which is necessary, for the purposes of mitigating any harmful visual impact.

153. Boundary treatments that have a detrimental visual impact on the character of the site and locality should be avoided. Existing native hedgerows must be retained wherever possible and the use of deep landscaping of boundaries instead of fences is necessary to prevent harm to the landscape.