Go ahead for first new homes at One Horton Heath
Horton Heath Development Management Committee last night approved a planning application in principle for the first residential phase of the One Horton Heath (OHH) site.
The application consists of 381 homes that will comprise a mix of market and affordable housing and a mixture of flats and houses together with informal public open space and formal areas of play. It also includes landscaping, internal roads, footway/cycleways, associated parking spaces, drainage systems and associated infrastructure on the 13.76 hectare site west of Burnetts Lane. The primary vehicle access to the development will be from Burnetts Lane off the new Burnetts Lane/distributor road roundabout.
Council Leader Cllr Keith House said, “This is the first residential phase of this exciting scheme for the Council and unlike any major development in the country. It is driven by the Council for the community, not by a developer for private profit. It will create a genuine community with higher standards of space, construction and environmental standards than conventional housing, with infrastructure delivered first rather than an afterthought. The major roads will be completed before any homes are occupied. Over a third of homes will be Council homes for rent, and another quarter market rent with the option of lifetime tenancies and future purchase.
He added, “There will also be no fossil fuels used in the homes or businesses on the site with all the homes only using electricity. The electricity will be provided from ground source heat pumps and the nearby solar farm. Every home will also be fitted with solar panels and have access to an EV charging point. So One Horton Heath works for everyone with over half of the site given over to green space, a new local school and local centre, retirement homes and green energy built in from day one."
This the first phase of the OHH development that overall will consist of up to 2,500 homes together with a primary school, local centres with retail and business units, and community buildings. It will also provide formal sports facilities and informal public open spaces, footpaths and cycleways.
Crucially, it also includes the provision of vital new infrastructure in the form of new roads and improvements to existing road junctions such as Fir Tree Lane and Burnetts Lane and the bottleneck of the Allington Lane junction with Fair Oak Road.
The committee approved the application in principle and has delegated the decision to the Executive Head for Planning and Economy, in consultation with the Chair and Vice Chair Horton Heath Development Management Committee following receipt of further highways plans, and sustainable drainage proposals together with the completion of the Habitats Regulations Appropriate Assessment, Environmental Impact Assessment, draft conditions and a S106 legal agreement;
It is anticipated that construction of the proposed development would commence in 2022, with the first homes being occupied in 2023 and completion in 2026/7. The Avenue link road is planned to be open when the first homes are occupied.