The proposal comprises, as follows:

• 42 no. new family homes;
• A mix of 2, 3, 4 and 5 bedroom homes;
• A mix of detached, semi-detached and terraced homes;
• 40% of the homes to be designated as affordable, extending to the 2, 3 and 4 bedroom homes to reflect local need;
• One vehicular access onto Church Road with increased provision for pedestrians on Farm Lane;
• Landscaped areas of public open space;
• New community access to the retained orchard, adjacent to Farm Lane. The land is currently private with no rights of way across it.

Careful consideration has been given to how the site should be designed taking into the account the setting and the relationship with existing homes along Farm Lane including Leckhampton Farm Court, and the existing dwellings along Church Road. An iterative design process has taken place which first considers the opportunities and constraints of the site and evolves the design from there.

The layout follows best design principles, incuding homes comprising attractive architecture laid out in a manner which fronts onto the retained green infrastructure within the site, including the Hatherley Brook corridor and existing trees. The proposal is designed to respond to the local context by virtue of the layout, appearance, low density and retention of green infrastructure. The scheme is designed to establish a strong sense of character and quality homes, with careful consideration to the arrangement of internal roads, spaces, building types and materials to create an attractive, welcoming and distinctive place to live.

A new vehicular junction will be formed onto Church Road only. There will be no vehicular access from Farm Lane. This stretch of Church Road is 30mph zone and is street lit with dedicated footway provision into Leckhampton village and to Brizen View. The existing footway provision on Church Road provides safe linkage to the local public right of way network and numerous local amenities.

The scheme will introduce a footpath connection onto Farm Lane to the south of Leckhampton Farm Court, meaning the orchard area becomes accessible to all. Redrow are also looking to introduce an additional footpath connection on the northern site boundary to allow future connection into the wider local footpath network and exploring whether a footpath connection on the eastern site boundary over the Hatherley Brook is possible, again to connect with the established footpaths on the adjacent land.

Detailed site surveys have been undertaken by ecology consultants Tyler Grange. The surveys indicate that the site has no suitable habitat for Great Crested Newts, no presence of badger setts and low levels of bat foraging and commuting. The surveys also determined that 27 of the trees on the site had some potential for bat roosting. The proposal requires the removal of 8 of these trees, all of which have been inspected thoroughly by a licenced professional to confirm that there was no evidence or presence of bat roosting.

The surveys indicated no evidence to suggest dormouse, water voles or otters are using the site. A low population of common lizard was detected. There are two areas within the site which are designated as priority habitats (traditional orchards). Overall, the proposal retains the most important habitats on the site ensure a favourable conservation status for species is maintained and the site can achieve the appropriate levels of biodiversity net gain.

The site lies within Flood Risk Zone 1, the Environment Agency’s lowest probability of flood risk. The Hatherley Brook which forms the eastern site boundary is Flood Risk Zone 3. To respect the proximity of this watercourse in flood risk terms, development is offset accordingly. The proposed development offers a beneficial effect to the watercourse by retaining surface water run-off on the site longer than the current existing situation making use of sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDs).