Land north of Newnham
Public Consultation
Welcome to the public consultation for the proposal to develop Land north of Newnham on Severn, to deliver 62 new family homes. This consultation is hosted by Black Box Planning, on behalf of Freeman Homes.
Based in the Forest of Dean, Freeman Homes build a distinctive range of innovative, high quality homes principally across Gloucestershire and Herefordshire. Freeman Homes seek to deliver environmentally responsible development schemes which respond to site context and the surrounding environment. To achieve this they engage with local communities, and provide developments which create opportunities for both new and existing residents and local wildlife.
This proposal is the next phase of ongoing development at Severnbank which has sought to balance all planning and environmental requirements to deliver an attractive and environmentally responsible development befitting of Newnham’s rich historical character and setting.
The next phase will see Freeman Homes applying for planning permission to deliver 62 no. new homes – 25 no. of which are to be secured as affordable homes.
The proposal has been formed by a landscape led design process, and incorporates areas of landscaping and drainage, alongside pedestrian interlinkages with the village. The development layout is heavily influenced by the retention of existing trees, and promoting dark corridors along hedgerows to maintain and enhance flightlines for local bat populations.
Please provide your response to this public consultation no later than Tuesday 31st January 2023.
The site now
Existing Site
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The Site is located in the village of Newnham, and lies to the north of the village, roughly 200m from Newnham Primary School and 400m from Newnham High Street. The site measures approximately 3.2ha and is currently used for agricultural purposes.
The site is immediately adjacent to Freeman Homes’ current residential development scheme to the south and the Newnham Cricket Club ground on the eastern boundary. The site is largely bounded by mature trees and hedgerow to the eastern and western boundaries. There are a number of trees on site subject to Tree Preservation Orders and the existing hedgerow to the south of the site is known to offer foraging and commuting route for bats.
The Gloucester-Newport railway line lies immediately to the west of the site.
The site lies within Flood Zone 1 (the lowest probability of Flood Risk), and is not covered by nor in close proximity to a nationally or internationally designated environmental site. The site lies approximately 100m to the north of the Newnham conservation area, with the Conservation Area located to the south of the recent development at Severnbank.
Newnham itself is located within Forest of Dean District, approximately 4km from the settlement of Cinderford. Newnham offers a good range of facilities including the nearby Primary School, church, a range of pubs, and a varied retail offering along Newnham High Street.
Newnham is classified as a ‘Major Village’ within the adopted local plan settlement hierarchy, and offers regular bus services to Gloucester and Coleford. The adopted Core Strategy for the Forest of Dean identifies major villages as appropriate locations for some residential development.
Our proposal
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Our proposal consists of the development of Land north of Newnham to deliver 62 new homes.
The proposal is accompanied by additional landscaping along the site’s western boundary, the installation of sustainable drainage systems (SUDS) attenuation basins at the site’s northern boundary, new hedgerow planting, and with a new access via Severnbank. An area of public open space is proposed at the centre of the proposed development.
Housing Mix
The proposal will include a total of 62 new houses provided with a varied housing mix, of which 25 (40%) will be affordable.
At this stage, the proposed illustrative market mix is as follows:
Market (37 total)
- 4 x 2-bedroom houses
- 8 x 3 bedroom houses
- 22 x 4-bedroom houses
- 3 x 5-bedroom houses
Affordable (25 total)
- 4 x 1-bedroom flats
- 12 x 2-bedroom houses
- 7 x 3-bedroom houses
- 2 x 4-bedroom houses
The house types will be influenced by the character of Newnham and the existing development at Severnbank. A series of house types under development at Severnbank are shown below.
Access and movement
Vehicular access is proposed to the south of the site, via Severnbank – Freeman Homes’ current residential development. Additional pedestrian access is proposed to the east to interlink with the Cricket Ground and public right of way. A further pedestrian loop walk is proposed through the development scheme, alongside promoting further interlinkages available via the existing road network and pedestrian footpaths to Newnham High Street and Primary School.
Open Space and Landscaping
The proposal includes provision of an area of public open space, acting to form a central green core to the new development.
The existing boundary to the west and north will be strengthened through additional landscaping and tree and hedgerow planting.
Onsite surface water drainage is proposed to be managed via a sustainable drainage system installed to the north of the site, creating a wetlands area which will attract and encourage wildlife and biodiversity.
Ecology and Biodiversity
The development proposals have been informed by a detailed programme of ecological surveys, which have been undertaken over an extended period and influenced the final layout and important features of the proposals.
In particular, the development proposals retain and enhance identified features, such as the hedgerow to the south and identified trees, which have been identified through ecological survey activity to support Protected Species which utilise the Site.
The scheme has been designed to deliver an overall biodiversity net gain, the details of which will be submitted with the planning application.
Other Technical Work
A range of other technical work has informed the layout and will form part of the planning application, such work includes:
• A set of architectural drawings;
• Ecological Assessment;
• Landscape Assessment;
• Tree survey and constraint assessment;
• Drainage assessment; and
• Highways assessment.
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 responses to the consultation will be managed in accordance with the Privacy Policy
Please provide your comments no later than Tuesday 31st January 2023.
Land north of Newnham Survey
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 Forest of Dean District 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
Freeman 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 APG Architecture (Architecture), Black Box Planning (town planning consultants); Tyler Grange (Ecology and Landscape), and Rappor (Highways and Drainage).
