The Old Coach Station, Blagdon Self Build
Public Consultation
Welcome to the consultation website for the proposal to redevelop the Old Coach Station in Blagdon, North Somerset, to deliver 9 new homes as ‘self build’ homes.
Black Box Planning, on behalf of Edward Ware Homes Ltd, is intending to apply for planning permission to redevelop this site. This webpage provides further information on the proposals and the opportunity to provide comment.
This Consultation has now closed.
Background
A previous public consultation for self build homes at the Old Coach Station was held in 2020, and comments from that public consultation has informed the development of the scheme. Edward Ware Homes have continued to engage with Blagdon Parish Council in support of the further development of this scheme.
As the proposals are now at a mature stage, this public consultation is being held to inform the planning application which is planned to be submitted to North Somerset Council during the spring of this year.
Self Build Homes
The needs of different groups within a community are reflected in national planning policy. That includes those wishing to build their own homes. In accordance with legislation there is an obligation to make sufficient plots available to meet such needs, including for designated self-build and custom housing. Such accommodation can add to the diversity of homes in a local community, making a positive contribution to its social sustainability.
As with a number of planning matters, self-build and custom housing covers a wide spectrum but, importantly, it focuses on the opportunity for an individual to build, influence or complete houses to be occupied by those individuals. This allows people to get involved in the construction of their own home to a large degree by constructing it themselves (self-build) or to a lesser degree by influencing the construction by customising it (custom build).
In this case, the new homes are proposed as self-build properties, but we recognise the sensitivity of the surroundings, within the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and within or adjacent to Blagdon Conservation Area. To that end, a framework to support the delivery of high quality new homes but sufficient to regulate the design to an acceptable level in accordance with established planning principles will be necessary. The proposals will be accompanied by ‘plot passports’ which establish the clear parameters for each property and will require continuity in terms of key design principles and the use of the project architect to help inform those principles through the process.
The new homes will be made available to those who have registered on the North Somerset Self Build Register, providing them to influence delivery from the outset. This also increases the likelihood that the future occupiers will have a connection with the District and, possibly, already the village.
The site now
Existing Site
The Old Coach Station is formed of two parcels, Mendip Garage and Garndiffaith, which are located on Street End in the village of Blagdon, North Somerset, approximately 150m from the Village Centre.
The Mendip Garage parcel comprises a mixed use garage and residential property. The garage has been used for a number of vehicle related services since its inception and currently operates as a horse drawn carriage hire service. The site consists of a single residential property and 4 outbuildings used for ancillary storage. The outbuildings are constructed from concrete and corrugated iron sheeting.
The Mendip Garage parcel lies partially within the Blagdon Conservation Area and is not statutorily listed.
The Garndiffaith parcel consists of the residential cottage of Garndiffaith, a single storey residential dwelling. Adjacent to the residential cottage of Garndiffaith is a parcel of land currently used for storage purposes, and containing 2 outbuildings, constructed of concrete, stone and corrugated iron sheeting, with both outbuildings in a dilapidated state. This parcel additionally previously included a residential dwelling which has been demolished.
The Garndiffaith parcel lies within the Blagdon Conservation Area and is not statutorily listed.
To the eastern boundary of the Gardiffaith parcel is a stone wall, with the northern boundary consisting of fencing and vegetation to the neighbouring properties.
Existing access to both parcels of land is provided to the east along Street End.
The Old Coach Station lies entirely within the Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
Our proposal
Our proposal consists of the complete redevelopment of the Old Coach Station to develop 9 self build homes. These self build homes will be in keeping with and sympathetic to the character of development within Blagdon.
The two existing residential dwellings at the Old Coach Station will be demolished as part of this redevelopment.
3 self build dwellings are proposed to be erected at the Garndiffaith parcel (to be called ‘Chapel Court’) and 6 dwellings are proposed to be erected at the Mendip Garage parcel (to be called the ‘Farmstead Cluster’).
The proposed development consists of a mix of two building ‘types’ – ‘cottage’ and ‘barn’ – reflecting a modern interpretation of the traditional building types that can be found both within Blagdon and the wider area.
The ‘cottage’ typologies (2 at Chapel Court and 1 at Farmstead) consist of 2.5 storey dwellings proposed to be located adjacent to the existing street frontage.
To the rear of the two parcels are 6 Barn typologies (4 at the Farmstead Cluster and 2 at Chapel Court) of between 2 to 2 and a half storeys.
Detailed proposal documentation can be found at the bottom of the page.
Housing Mix
The proposal will include a total of 9 homes:
• six 4-bedroom houses of between 170.94m2 and 256.55m2
• three 5-bedroom houses of between 205.82m2 and 222.07m2
The housing mix will be for ‘self build’ housing, allowing homeowners to make important design decisions in their construction, whilst retaining a coherent character and layout.
Access and movement
Vehicular access will continue to use the existing access points from Street End.
Each property will be accompanied by rear garden and communal courtyard space to the front of the properties.
Other Technical Work
A range of other technical work has informed the layout and will form part of the planning application, including architectural drawings, ecological survey, landscaping scheme and heritage appraisal.
Have Your Say
We are keen to hear your views on these proposals. Please provide any comments you may have in the form below. All comments must be received by 16 May 2022.
This Consultation has now closed.
Next steps
We will review the feedback received which will inform the development of the scheme. Once the consultation has completed, we will consider any updates to the proposal before submitting our planning application to North Somerset Council.
Further queries
If you have any further queries regarding the proposals, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@blackboxplanning.co.uk
The Project Team
Edward Ware Homes have appointed a project team who are responsible for looking at a wide range of technical aspects of the proposed development. The team includes Black Box Planning (Town Planning); Origin3 (Urban Design); Cotswold Archaeology (Heritage) and First Ecology (Ecology).
