Decision ref
0018 2024/25
Decision date
18/07/2024
Portfolio
Inclusive Growth and Regeneration
Wards
Bold and Lea Green, Sutton South East
Title
Bold Forest Garden Village Masterplan
Summary
This proposal seeks approval for the Council, as the Local Planning Authority (the LPA), to proceed to procurement to commission an independent multi-disciplinary team to deliver a Masterplan Framework for the Bold Forest Garden Village (BFGV) Local Plan site allocation.
Purpose
The purpose of this report is to gain approval for the Council, as LPA, to proceed with the commission of an independent multi-disciplinary team to deliver a Masterplan Framework for the Bold Forest Garden Village (BFGV) Local Plan site allocation, subject to Cabinet funding approval on 10th July 2024. There are ten key benefits anticipated to flow from the Council, in its role as LPA, commissioning the Masterplan Framework:
1. Demonstration of how development in St Helens Borough is seen and delivered:
The Masterplan Framework will create a comprehensive site-wide masterplan for the BFGV (site 4HA) allocation, which will provide direction for landowners and developers on the delivery of the largest residential development site in the Liverpool City Region. As the first site of this scale to come forward in St Helens in recent years, the BFGV will demonstrate how large strategic development is seen and delivered in the Borough and provide a clear indication of the Council’s expectations in relation to high quality design for large scale sites.
The appointment of an independent multidisciplinary consultant team (that have no land interest in the BFGV) by the LPA who will act impartially in its role as the LPA, will enable the site to be considered and address issues and propose locations for the required infrastructure that is optimum for the site. It will ensure parcels of land are integrated seamlessly together and into the wider area. Additionally, the Officers will use an independent design review panel during the optioning phase of the masterplan. Experienced panel members will provide constructive advice to the Council and consultancy team from an external viewpoint with the aim of finding areas for design improvement.
2. Ensure the implementation of the Council’s standards and objectives:
As the contracting body, the LPA will have control over the development of the Masterplan Framework to ensure the Council’s quality standards, environmental objectives and the transport and travel approach (amongst others) are met.
The Council LPA have written these standards and objectives into the scope of work for the supplier that will set expectations of high-quality place-making and design as a core part of the masterplan development process and decision-making. The LPA will evaluate submissions based on the tenderers’ approach and methods to implement these objectives, amongst other considerations. The LPA will continue to monitor the objectives through specific Key Performance Indicators (KPI) through the development of the masterplan which reflects the Local Plan policies, guidance documents and standards.
3 .Embed clear and effective consultation processes into the preparation of the masterplan.
The Council LPA will facilitate robust community, elected member and stakeholder consultation on the masterplan to ensure local knowledge, views and needs inform the masterplan proposals. A comprehensive communications and engagement plan will be developed and agreed with the consultation consultants on the masterplan team. This will ensure the right people are consulted at the right time and will allow for any risks and sensitivities to be understood and managed accordingly. Engagement provides a level of scrutiny and insight that may otherwise be lacking if the masterplan was undertaken by another party.
4. Influence and provide clear guidance for future planning applications:
The Masterplan Framework will assist interested parties to shape planning applications and ensure development proposals are in conformity with the agreed masterplan. Upon adoption, it will support the assessment and determination of planning applications within the site. Accordingly, it will also have an important role in defining conditions and s106 obligations. The Framework will meet the Local Plan’s policy requirements and will provide certainty to all parties on the development expectations for the entire site.
5. Meet the Local Plan housing requirements and associated trajectory of housing delivery in the Borough:
The indicative delivery of 2,988 dwellings, of which a minimum of 510 dwellings will be delivered during the Local Plan period (i.e. by 2037), is expected on the BFGV site (60 dwellings a year) as set out in the housing trajectory that supports the delivery of the Local Plan.
The Masterplan Framework will undertake the required viability to define the location and quantum of housing and infrastructure across the whole site, as well as seeking options to accelerate delivery beyond that stated above.
6. Support the Council’s five-year housing land supply position over the lifetime of the Local Plan and beyond.
Delivery of housing from this site will form a key part of the Borough’s housing delivery in the later years of the Local Plan period. Within this context, the site will be a key source of housing supply in the coming years, and therefore it will be an important component in the Council’s five-year housing land supply calculation.
The site will therefore be essential in terms of the Council being able to demonstrate the necessary five years of supply in accordance with national policy, and the wider benefits of this in terms of planning decision making.
7. Implement wider area benefits:
The masterplan will identify the on and off-site infrastructure, specifying location, scale, type, phasing, and financial delivery mechanisms. Benefits within the Local Plan period up to 2037 and longer-term benefits of the scheme will not only be felt by new residents located on the site, but also those in the surrounding area, and include:
An appropriate mix of affordable housing.
Provision of new and / or improved local social infrastructure.
Local play and recreational sports facilities for all ages.
Public transport and highways improvements.
Enhancement of the Local Wildlife Site and provision of new open spaces and green infrastructure.
It is also likely that new housing in this area can help support existing community facilities, e.g. existing local shops, through increased footfall from the development site. The delivery of a high-quality development in this location will help drive regeneration of the wider area.
8. Gain significant medium to long-term financial benefits to the Council through increased council revenue:
With the Masterplan Framework adopted, the submission of planning applications thereafter will deliver the required housing and infrastructure. This will provide planning application fees for the land parcels that will contribute towards sustaining the planning service. The land parcels on the site range from 0.3 to 28 hectares therefore the estimated outline planning application fees could range between £1000 - £65,000 per parcel.
The Local Plan’s housing trajectory provides the total capacity of the BFGV site as 2,988 dwellings. Based on this quantum of housing, the income generated from Council Tax is estimated at a total of £1.1 million from 510 dwellings delivered by 2037 (the Local Plan period), expanding to an estimated total of £7 million upon delivery of the total quantum of dwellings (expected 2040+). An estimate of £5 million per annum has been estimated for future years.
The timescales for receipt of the revenue figures reflect the ‘cautious’ build out forecast in the Local Plan. Paragraph 4.39.8 of the reasoned justification to Policy LPA11 Bold Forest Garden Suburb states ‘A build-out rate assumption of 60 units per annum has been used for the BFGS, reflecting a cautious approach due to uncertainties in relation to uncertainty on the economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and the supporting infrastructure required to deliver the site’. The masterplan commission will test and optimise the viability, quantity, type and mix of housing as well as options for accelerated build-out-rates for the site; therefore, the Council revenue forecasts generated from Council tax could be received earlier.
9. Facilitate significant and timely Council receipts through the disposal of the Council’s assets
The Council has recently undergone a public consultation on the Budget for Council Services 2024/25. This consultation included the budget proposal for ‘Development of land assets at Bold Forest Garden Village and sell our interest...’. of which there is circa. 113 acres. Out of a total of 13 proposals, this ranked 11 when ‘Sorted by Highest % of Agreeable Responses’2.
By undertaking the master planning and effectively reducing significant planning risk and uncertainty, the Council could look to sell subject to planning or post outline planning and achieve a significantly higher capital receipt in excess of the current value of the land. Whilst there would be additional costs of sale, this would generate an additional capital receipt above the initial investment.
10. Secure effective landowner/ developer involvement (including St Helens Council property services) and collaboration in the preparation of the Masterplan by the use of Planning Performance Agreement/s (PPAS) .
PPAs are primarily aimed at large and/or complex development proposals and are a project management framework to support joint working between the local planning authority and landowners/developers and applicants. St Helens Borough Council already use PPAs to manage large scale planning applications. A PPA is a sensible tool for the LPA to use to secure effective landowner involvement allowing the input of landowners on masterplan development (helping in turn to shape their own individual proposals) and to provide a means of landowners informing and helping to shape the masterplan proposal
Background
The BFGV has a bespoke site allocation in the Local Plan provided by Policy LPA11: Bold Forest Garden Suburb (known hereafter as Bold Forest Garden Village), which sets out the requirements of the site to include housing, social infrastructure, design and layout, play, open space and green infrastructure, landscape, access, and highways. Policy LPA11 states that the allocation will deliver a minimum of 510 dwellings during the plan period, in accordance with the Local Plan housing trajectory.
Planning legislation requires that planning decisions are made in accordance with the development plan, unless material considerations indicate otherwise. Given the site is in a multiplicity of ownerships, there is no formalised site-wide landowner consortium approach and the prospect of one outline application for the whole site is very unlikely, it is essential the Council secure a comprehensive site wide masterplan to support integrated sustainable and well-designed development. Accordingly, Policy LPA11 states ‘In accordance with Policy LPA04.1, section 2), any planning application for development within the site will need to accord with a single comprehensive masterplan covering the whole of the Bold Forest Garden Suburb site, and to be approved by the Council’. The site wide Masterplan will be a very important material consideration in informing, assessing and determining individual planning applications. Policy LPA11 states 'Any proposal will need to demonstrate how it complies with this masterplan in order to ensure a comprehensive, co-ordinated, and well-designed development is delivered with the necessary supporting infrastructure.’
Supporting regeneration and balanced growth is at the heart of the new St Helens Borough Council Local Plan up to 2037, with the delivery of the BFGV site allocation being a key part of this.
The Council’s investment of time and resource to release the land from the Green Belt and allocate it for development upon adoption of the Local Plan has overcome a large hurdle towards meeting its future housing requirements and supporting infrastructure. As the largest site allocation, with a complicated mix of ownership, the development of a masterplan as per the Local Plan Policy LPA11 is a fundamental next step in progressing the project and delivering development.
The masterplan commission, led by the Council, will provide a document with supporting evidence, plans and guidance which will meet the policy criteria set out in local plan policies. The Masterplan Framework will provide essential ‘pre’ pre-planning advice and spatial parameters for the site to assist interested parties in shaping planning applications that come forward within the BFGV site, and upon its adoption, it will be a material consideration in the determination of these applications, providing the Council as Local Planning Authority with clear guidance on what the site should look like and infrastructure requirements, etc. Any future planning applications for development within the site will need to accord with the approved masterplan.
No planning applications therefore can be approved before this masterplan is produced and approved by Council members. It is a policy necessity.
In situations where there are multiple landowners on a strategic site it is commonly the case that the Council, in its local planning authority role, is required to play the ringmaster role and lead on the co-ordination and preparation of the Masterplan Framework to ensure a policy compliant approach and timely comprehensive delivery. The Council will lead on the Masterplan Framework and do this in a way that:
ensures sound decision making;
ensures a high quality and sustainable place
removes any conflict of interest;
supports speed of delivery, and;
effective use of consultancy time and financial resources.
The recruitment of two dedicated Officers to the Development Plans Team – a Lead Masterplanning Officer and Masterplanning Officer has provided the resource required to support the progression and delivery of the Masterplan Framework.
The site allocation is comprised of twelve landowners including the Council. With multiple landownerships comes complexity in building consensus to ensure the right infrastructure is delivered at the right time on the site. The Council has a total of 30% of the total land (circa 39 hectares), and is the largest landowner, represented by Property Services.
Momentum has been built with landowners and promoters of the BFGV site allocation since the adoption of the Local Plan. A developer event was held in April 2023 to update landowners on the proposed route and benefits. Since then, there has been an ongoing dialogue regarding the programme for the preparation of the Masterplan Framework to be led by the LPA. There is a general willingness, primarily from the larger landowners/promoters/homebuilders, to collaborate with the Council and progress in a timely manner to facilitate (and accelerate) the delivery of the BFGV site.
In the spirit of collaboration, the LPA Officers circulated the draft tender documentation and held a meeting in December 2023 to allow landowners to feedback and shape the scope of work, governance and budget for the Masterplan Framework. The LPA has set out a project management framework for fair and transparent collaboration with landowners for the duration of the masterplanning programme.
The need to approve funding for this masterplan project originates from the policies of the Local Plan, primarily Policy LPA11 Bold Forest Garden Village, which allocated this site for development and requires a site wide, comprehensive masterplan to be prepared. For this decision, the Impact Assessment for the Local Plan adoption in July 2022 is attached in background documents. It is therefore not considered that a further EIA is required at this point. Further EIAs will be carried out on this project, as and when required.
Conclusion
The DED seeks to gain approval to proceed with the procurement of the Masterplan Framework consultant in alignment with the methodology and budget set out in the sections above.
The methodology aims to continue collaboration with landowners through PPAs and seeks to gain financial contributions whereby landowners/developers will reimburse the Council for dedicated Officer time throughout the duration of the programme. The PPA provides a robust and best-practice mechanism to involve landowners in the process, which allows the Council LPA to act in a transparent and impartial way and ensure effective decision-making towards policy compliant proposals in accordance with the development plan.
For those landowners unwilling to financially contribute via a PPA, the approach to collaboration with them will be set out within MOUs, which will not have an associated financial contribution.
The budget of £325,000 will be used to obtain a Supplier from the Homes England Framework and £65,000 will provide contingency for any unforeseen circumstances such as abnormals within the technical work that require further investigations.
Risk Implications
The key risks are below.
1. The multiple landownerships across the site present a key challenge. There are twelve different landownerships within the site allocation. It is important that the site allocation is developed in an integrated and cohesive way with matching ambition to have the right infrastructure at the right time in the right place. The impact would be delay to programme if agreement on contentious matters extend for a longer than expected period of time, which could prohibit moving onto next phases.
2. Unforeseen site constraints and abnormals. Several site assessments and surveys have been undertaken as part of the evidence base to support the allocation of the site (4HA) in the Local Plan and key issues have been identified. However, this was undertaken at a high level for the purposes of a Local Plan site allocation. Therefore, unforeseen site constraints and issues may still arise at the baseline survey phase of the programme. This could lead to the need for further investigations to make sure that spatial decisions in the development of the masterplan are based on the correct evidence which have not been included in the current scope of work for the commission.
Measures to Redress Risk
The commission of the masterplan will be delivered in a timely manner which correlates with the aspirations of landowners on the site to prepare planning applications. A Landowner/ developer Forum will be established that will create the platform for regular engagement and will provide an opportunity for views to be aired and provide all participants with a fair voice in the project from the outset. The aim is to build consensus on all aspects of the site-wide masterplan including quality and infrastructure that supports the comprehensive development of the site and its integration with its surroundings. The proposed approach to prepare a site wide masterplan collaboratively with the landowners (as will be set out in the proposed PPAs and MOUs) is seen as a key tool in reducing the risk of individual landowners working in isolation, which could ultimately result in lower quality, piecemeal ad hoc development.
The supplier will include a dedicated Project Manager who will manage a project Risk Register. A regular dedicated Programme meeting should provide the platform to raise any key issues as soon as possible with the Council LPA including any unforeseen key issues at baseline survey phase. A 20% contingency has been included in the overall budget as part of this proposal to cover such eventualities.
Declarations Of Interest
None
More information
Please contact Lucy O'Doherty on 01744 671622
