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Barwood Land

Planning applications

Barwood Land

Welcome to Barwood Land’s public engagement event on outline proposals for development on land south of Epping. This site forms the majority of the western area allocated as the South Epping Masterplan Area or ‘SEMPA’ within the adopted Epping Forest Local Plan 2023.

The South Epping Masterplan Area (SEMPA) is being brought forward by the South Epping Consortium, which comprises; Barwood Land, Bellway Homes, Landvest and Mount Street Developments. Each party is bringing forward their own plans for development separately, in accordance with the emerging South Epping Strategic Masterplan Framework and Design Code.

Up to 104 homes will be designated as affordable within the Barwood Land proposals which includes Shared Ownership and Affordable Rent tenures. This provision will enable a greater number of residents to get onto the housing ladder including first time buyers, families looking to upsize or residents looking to downsize.

Barwood Land is keen to consult with local stakeholders, groups and the wider public at an early stage to ensure that local views are embedded within the proposals, and so your feedback is important to us.

Barwood Land proposals

Quality new homes set in landscaped open space

Barwood Land will be submitting an outline planning application to Epping Forest District Council in Autumn 2024. This will seek to secure the following principles of development on most of the land west of the railway in the South Epping Masterplan Area:

  • Deliver up to 260 homes (of which 40% will be affordable in line with EFDC policy) defined within a new development area set within created landscapes of public open space.
  • Designing the road junction off Ivy Chimneys Road.
  • Proposing a new village green in the heart of the development.
  • Safeguarding land for delivering a new pedestrian and cycle bridge connection across the railway line to the Bellway site.
  • Vehicular, cycling and walking routes.
  • Drainage strategy.
  • Strategy for heritage, landscape, biodiversity and ecology aspects of the development.

This outline planning application will be prepared in general accordance with the emerging South Epping Strategic Masterplan Framework and the Design Code. This emerging document is also currently being consulted on by Epping Forest District Council.

Barwood Land would like to hear your views on these emerging plans alongside the Framework and Design Code views. Different character areas will create a series of multiple smaller neighbourhoods, each with their own unique identity and quality of place.

The site

Masterplan

Key
  • Site boundary
  • Residential
  • Existing planting
  • Proposed planting
  • Open space
  • Drainage basins
  • SANG car park
  • Play areas
  • Strategic cycle way
  • Access
  • Primary street
  • Tertiary streets
  • Pedestrian access
  • Footways

The masterplan identifies an area of safeguarded land to enable the delivery of a new walking and cycling bridge spanning across the South Epping Masterplan Area to encourage active travel. This bridge development will provide access to the eastern parcel promoted by Bellway Homes, further parkland and leisure routes, and land for a new primary school.

Transport and movement

Encouraging active travel

The illustrative masterplan is designed around some central principles to promote a sustainable development that encourages active travel.

  • A new vehicular access will be created off the western end of Ivy Chimneys Road, leading through the new urban quarter towards a village green placed at the heart of the development.
  • A new active travel bridge (for pedestrians and cyclists only) is required in the Strategic Masterplan Framework to connect the developments proposed by Barwood Land and Bellway Homes across the central line.
  • Cycling and walking routes will be designed into the main road through the centre of the development. This is designed to connect across the active travel bridge, and through Mount Street Developments to the north, connecting to the town centre and railway station.
  • Bus routes are also proposed to be improved.
  • The possibility of designing car free streets.
  • Indicative courtyard squares designed for shared car parking may be located on the edges of the development next to the public open space.
  • There will be a package of off-site highways mitigation. This will include road junction improvements, and potential improvements to pedestrian and cycle paths, as well as bus infrastructure between the site and the railway station.
Key
  • Site Boundary
  • Residential Area
  • Primary Access Point
  • Primary Street
  • Secondary Street
  • Pedestrian / Cycle Routes within Open Space
  • Shared Footpath / Cycleway
  • Existing Public Rights of Way
  • Pedestrian / Cycle Access
  • Zone for New Shared Pedestrian / Cycle Bridge over Rail Line
  • Indicative Location for SANG Car Park

Drainage

Managing surface water runoff

The development proposes a variety of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) to manage surface water runoff, by mimicking the natural drainage characteristics of the site. This comprises a combination of swales and retention basins across the development.

A foul water drainage strategy will demonstrate how the foul water from the development will be managed and connected to the existing Thames Water network.

This will be reviewed in detail as part of a Flood Risk Assessment and Drainage Strategy, which will be submitted to support the outline planning application.

The detailed design of water management will be explored in detail later in a Reserved Matters planning application, to potentially include measures to support sustainable water management, including:

  • Provision of water butts for all homes.
  • Provision of permeable surfaces where feasible.
  • Homes to achieve the Part G higher water efficiency standard of 110 litres per person per day, making using of efficient fittings such as low flow taps, low volume toilets and baths.
Key
  • Site boundary
  • Infrastructure
  • Zone for Residential Development
  • Indicative Location for Pumping Station
  • Indicative Location for Equipped Play Area
  • Indicative Location for SANG Car Park
  • Publicly Accessible Open Space
  • Indicative Zone for Surface Water Attenuation Basin
  • Indicative Zone for Acoustic Bund to Incorporate Landscape Planting (No Public Access)
  • Land safeguarded for potential Rail Crossing

Ecology and biodiversity

Encouraging new habitats

Our approach is:

  • Creation of new habitats within open spaces for wildlife.
  • Ecological enhancement areas to encourage biodiversity.
  • Protect river corridors and existing habitats.
  • A large area of Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG).
  • Green corridors connecting green and blue infrastructure.
  • SUDS (Sustainable urban drainage) Attenuation basins.

This approach will ensure that the integrity of nearby internationally and nationally designated sites will be protected. Strategies will also be developed through careful and considered consultation with statutory consultees, such as Natural England.

Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG)

The DEFRA BNG metric will be used to establish the BNG baseline units for the site, and to calculate the post-development units, recognising that the site will need to demonstrate the delivery of a minimum of 10% net gain in accordance with the Environment Act 2022 requirements. This could be provided on or off site.

BNG habitats will be managed via a 30-year Management Plan set out within a detailed Landscape and Ecology Management Plan. The SANG (Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace) parkland will require a legally binding agreement between the Consortium and the Epping Forest District Council to secure the management of the SANG in perpetuity.

Landscape and heritage

Integrating development into the landscape

The masterplan and other parameter plans have been designed to be landscape-led, meaning a priority of public green open spaces.

The Building Heights Parameter Plan sets the maximum storey heights for development within the residential development zones. A variation in storey heights within each zone will allow for key buildings to be accentuated which will create a more visually interesting streetscape.

Areas considered most suitable to accommodate three storey development are those on lower areas of the site. The areas with taller building broadly correlate with the density of development (i.e. number of houses) being greater. The key design principles include:

  • Delivery of multi-functional open space in compliance with Strategic Masterplan Framework and Design Code.
  • Re-provision of Brook Road Recreation Ground as a village green, together with other opportunities for community recreation.
  • Introduction of a new recreational open space to serve as a landscape buffer between the residential dwellings and the M25 corridor.
  • Provision of green streets creating a network of green spaces to integrate the built development within the landscape.
  • New recreational leisure routes throughout the green spaces.

Heritage

Technical surveys have been completed to ensure that any potential archaeological constraints below ground will be taken into account. The immediate surrounding context of the site has also been explored for historical references to Historic Buildings, Assets and other significant historic features that need regarding within any proposals coming forward.

Key
  • Site Boundary
  • Max 2 Storey (+10.5m)
  • Max 2.5 Storey (+13m)
  • Max 3 Storey (+14m)

Sustainability

Adapting to climate change

Sustainable design and incorporating sustainable measures which mitigate and adapt to climate change are core to Barwood Land’s proposals and the outline planning application.

Consideration has been given to a wide range of sustainable design measures. The following indicative principles and strategies are proposed:

  • Measures to support reuse and recycling and minimises waste from construction.
  • Setting targets for diverting construction waste from landfill.
  • Incorporates measures to limit heat loss through passive solar gain and cooling through the orientation and layout of the development. Careful detailing to avoid thermal bridging and setting good air-tightness targets.
  • Promotes sustainable travel and transport through enabling the use of public transport, cycle storage and parking and Electric Vehicle (EV) charging points.
  • Development within the site will commit to the emerging Future Homes Standard, due 2025.
  • Adapts to future climate change scenarios by designing to mitigate overheating risk and incorporating sustainable drainage features such as SuDS.

About

Barwood Land

Barwood Land is an experienced strategic land promoter with significant expertise in promoting land through the planning system. Barwood Land specialises in bringing forward complex and large scale masterplanned developments across the country.

Barwood Land’s head office is based in East Haddon, Northamptonshire, giving us a central strategic location for our national outlook.

Since 2009 our specialist team has grown to support the ever-increasing strategic land portfolio being promoted through the planning process. We are now one of the UK’s leading strategic land promoters with our current portfolio stretching from South Devon to Yorkshire. To find out more about us, please visit our website: www.barwoodland.co.uk

www.barwoodland.co.uk

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