Land at Crown Lane, Wychbold

Welcome to this virtual public consultation for our proposals on Land at Crown Lane, Wychbold. We are seeking your views on our scheme for 127 affordable homes on the site, which will significantly improve the choice of affordable housing in the area for local people.

Introduction

This consultation is being run on behalf of Richborough Estates and Bromford. The consultation ends on 24th April 2023, so if you would like to submit comments, please use the survey to the right and respond by this date.

Richborough Estates are a land promotion business, whilst Bromford are an affordable housing provider, responsible for housing 100,000 customers in central and south west England. Bromford have an ambitious target to deliver 14,000 new homes between 2019 and 2029, in their effort to provide safe, secure and warm affordable homes for people who can’t access market housing.

Whilst the housing crisis exists nationally, the picture is the same in Wychavon District. In 2002, the median house price was 6.5 times the median household income, but over the two decades that have followed, the disparity between residence based income and house prices has grown. In 2021, according to ONS figures, the median house costed 10.6 times the median household income, making Wychavon the most unaffordable District within the West Midlands.

You may also be aware that planning authorities have a responsibility to deliver a supply of housing to meet their projected need over the next 5 years, in what is termed a ‘5 year housing land supply’. Wychavon cannot demonstrate a 5 year supply of housing, with the Council confirming in December 2022 that they could only provide a 3.68 year supply. There is therefore a significant unmet need for housing and new development is needed to meet this shortfall.

The Site

Our proposals are on land split into two parcels. The smaller of the parcels is situated on the north side of Crown Lane and falls inside the Green Belt. As such, this parcel of land will be protected from development, enhanced with landscaping and planting. The area for development is sited on the south side of Crown Lane, sitting between Crown Lane, the M5 and a relatively modern Taylor Wimpey and Persimmon housing estate. The site is relatively flat, with a small number of trees within the site, but mainly at the periphery in boundary hedgerows.

As the site is at the edge of Wychbold, it is in a sustainable location, within walking distance of a nursery, first school, GP, convenience store, post office and restaurants, together with other services and facilities. The site is also located within easy walking distance (5 minutes) of bus stops, which – given the location along the major A38 corridor – provide regular access to the 144, 145 and S23 bus services, allowing journeys into Droitwich, Worcester, Bromsgrove and further afield.

Proposed Development

It is proposed that the development would be for the construction of 127 new affordable homes, including a variety of 1, 2, 3 and 4-bed properties. As well as the mixture in house sizes, a variety of house types will be provided too, with a combination of maisonettes, flats, terraces and semi-detached dwellings. Whilst the development is affordable in nature, the term ‘affordable housing’ is an umbrella term for a variety of housing tenures and as a result, the development would include a mixture of different types.

Whilst this is not yet fixed, it is expected that approximately half of the development would be shared ownership and the other half an affordable rent tenure. Shared Ownership properties make it easier for people to get onto the housing ladder, by allowing them to buy a proportion of the property, with rent paid on the remainder. This helps by making it easier to obtain a mortgage and is generally cheaper than private renting or paying a traditional mortgage.

The development would also include an improvement to the Crown Lane/A38/Chequers Lane junction, by improving traffic flow in the area. Plans for this will be submitted with the planning application.

The M5 is located beyond the western site boundary and is elevated from the site. To mitigate the impact of any noise, the layout will create an unbroken frontage to act as a barrier, shielding gardens and properties to the rear. This will have a positive impact on the Persimmon and Taylor Wimpey developments to the south by reducing noise levels.

Green Infrastructure

Open space and landscaping would be provided at the site frontage, within the site and along the western boundary of the site to create a buffer to the M5. This will include new tree planting and a pond, creating new habitats.

If you would like to provide your views and comments on the scheme, please complete and submit the consultation response form.

All feedback is anonymous and we do not request your details as part of this process. Please note you will have a further opportunity to make comments on the application once it is submitted to Wychavon District Council.

Please select the appropriate answer that best represents your views. Once completed, we will review all comments and include them in a Statement of Community Involvement. All comments will be taken into consideration and the feedback we receive may result in changes being made to the proposed scheme.

If you would like to get in touch with any specific questions, please feel free to contact us on info@rcaregeneration.co.uk or on 01905 887686.

Please submit your response by 24th April 2023.

Thank you for your time.

If you feel that you may be in affordable housing need, you can get more information on available affordable homes in the area via Wychavon District Council’s website. This includes information on how to register for an affordable home:

https://www.wychavon.gov.uk/housing/housing-for-you or you can call the Housing Team at Wychavon on 01386 565000.

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