FAQs
Community facilities and infrastructure
What benefit would this development bring to the existing community?
The proposals for the site represent a significant investment in Syston. Measures of particular benefit include significant levels of direct and indirect employment, an uplift in the expenditure on goods and services in the town centre, and enhanced Council Tax revenues from new residents which can lead to improved local services for all. Existing residents will also have access to the public open spaces and footpaths throughout the new development.
How will education and healthcare services be managed for new residents?
Contributions will be provided towards education, healthcare, public transport and other facilities in order to mitigate impact on local infrastructure. This will be secured through a legal agreement with Charnwood Borough Council, Leicestershire County Council and other stakeholders.
Policy HA3 in the Draft Pre-Submission Local Plan also directs contributions from this site to help fund a new primary school on land south of Barkby Road, which itself is allocated in the draft Local Plan for new homes.
What areas will be available for children within the plans?
The planning application includes provisions for a large, equipped play area located in the centre of the site, for children’s play. There will also be new areas of inclusive public open space.
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New Homes
How many new homes will be provided on the site and how many of these will be affordable?
The Masterplan for the site proposes up to 195 new homes, with 30% (59) of these being affordable and spread throughout the development. This is in line with the requirements for the site in the Borough Council’s draft Local Plan.
What will the range of homes be?
A range of homes would be provided to meet local need. These include two and three-bed family homes, but we are also considering other house types such as bungalows. The details would be subject to future planning applications once the principle of development has been established.
What is the new house type range, which is featured in this development?
Taylor Wimpey’s new house type reflects National Space Standards and have more flexible spaces, catering for the needs of those who work from home.
A proportion of these new homes will also be specifically designed for people with disabilities, with wider doorways for wheelchair access, amongst other features.
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Highways and transport
How will additional vehicle trips from the new development be managed on the local road network?
In allocating the site for development in its draft Local Plan, Charnwood Borough Council and Leicestershire County Council (the highway authority) have assessed the local road network and concluded that vehicle movements from up to 195 homes could be accommodated.
Our technical team will prepare an additional, detailed transport assessment that will form part of our planning application and be subject to independent scrutiny by the County and Borough Councils. This assessment will include information on the number of private vehicle trips expected from the new development and an assessment of the impact on key local junctions in the area.
The assessment is based on traffic survey data collected prior to the Covid pandemic. The site is expected to generate a total of 90 vehicle trips in the peak morning hour (8am-9am) and 85 trips in the peak evening hour (5pm-6pm). This means that, at peak times, the site would generate at most an additional two (2) vehicle movements per minute on the local road network. This would not be noticeable and would be lower than this outside the peak hours.
As such, it is not expected that the level of new trips will have a material impact on the local road network. However if it is considered that any local road improvements are needed then these would be discussed with the County and Borough Councils through the planning application process.
What public and non-car transport modes are available in the area?
Syston railway station is just a 25 minute walk or a 6 minute cycle from the site, and there are also bus stops located within walking distance on Barkby Road which access the town centre. Our proposals will seek to promote public transport methods by means of delivering a travel pack to new residents highlighting these facilities.
Contributions towards improved public transport options, such as opportunities to enhance bus services are being explored with LCC and the bus operators and will be detailed as part of the planning application.
How will vehicles access and leave the development?
Our proposals include a new vehicle access junction onto Barkby Road, with a dedicated right hand turn to the site.
How many parking spaces will be provided?
The proposals would provide sufficient parking spaces to serve the new homes, with additional spaces for visitors located across the site. This level of provision is in line with the parking standards set out by the County and Borough Councils.
Green issues and climate change
How will construction be managed sustainably?
The way in which construction takes place on the new developments has changed in response to the challenges posed by climate change. As such, we are looking to incorporate a range of sustainable measures in our construction process, such as improved building fabric and techniques and use of waste water to capture heat to use within heating systems.
The details of our construction process for new homes will be set out within our planning application. Furthermore, our contractors would prepare a detailed construction method statement for agreement with the Borough Council. This would set out how construction would take place sustainably, with minimal impact on the wider area.
How would drainage and flood risk be managed?
This site is located outside of the floodplain and is therefore appropriate for development, hence its allocation in the Borough Council’s draft Local Plan.
However, our Masterplan will also incorporate a SuDS (Sustainable Urban Drainage System) which will carefully manage the water on site. This system incorporates a series of drainage ponds and channels through which water will be discharged at a controlled rate (equivalent to green field drainage) into the local drainage network.
Landscape, ecology and open space
Where will open space be publicly accessible within the plan?
Our proposals and Masterplan allow for an extensive amount of open space, which integrate the existing public right of way across the site, and allow new homes to front onto it.
How will wildlife habitats be maintained on the site?
As the site is currently in agricultural use, it has little current ecological value. The Masterplan will protect the limited existing onsite habitats through the preservation of as many trees and hedgerows as possible, in addition to boosting ecology by creating new habitats such as wetlands and grasslands within open spaces across the site.
Will we be able to still see views of St Mary’s Church?
The proposed layout frames and maintains views of St Mary’s Church at Barkby within the new landscape.
Will public footpaths be maintained?
The public footpath across the site will be maintained and included as part of the open space in the development.
General
How can I register my interest in a new home on the site?
If you would be interested in being contacted about new homes on the site in due course, (should planning permission be granted), then please contact us directly at 0800 080 3268 or at syston@devcomms.co.uk.
When does the consultation close and what happens next?
This consultation will close on Sunday 19th September, so we would appreciate any feedback by then. We will review and reflect on the feedback received as we prepare and finalise our outline planning application. We would hope to submit the application to Charnwood Borough Council for consideration later this summer.
When would construction start?
If outline planning permission is granted, this would be followed by a ‘reserved matters’ application that seek permission for details, such as house design and where they would be located on the site. If this is granted we would hope to start construction some time in 2023.
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