Page 225 - All files for Planning Inspectorate update

Ashbourne Park Owners’ Association

3 Ashbourne House. Lewes Road. Ashurst Wood. RH19 3TB

21 August 2019

Dear Mr King,

Re DM/19/1025

I write on behalf of the Ashbourne Park Owners’ Association regarding the above proposals.
We refer firstly to the email to you from the Urban Designer dated 13/8/19. In paragraph 2 he
repeats the assertion that the development is “justified by the 50+ dwelling allocation in the Ashurst
Wood Neighbourhood Plan”. As clearly stated in the communication from the Ashurst Wood Village
Council rejecting these proposals this is incorrect. In their letter of 14 August 2019 they clearly say…

“The Urban Designer, in his response dated 30th May 2019, states that ‘the scheme still
represents a high density for its edge-of-settlement location and has been justified by
the 50+ dwelling allocation in the Ashurst Wood Neighbourhood Plan.’ As previously
stated, there is not a 50+ dwelling allocation in the Plan. The application must be
assessed against policy ASW9 and the Urban Designer’s statement confirms that the
scheme conflicts with ASW9 (a).The number of units therefore needs to be reduced”.

He also refers to ASW5 and ASW9 to seek to justify a flatted development. ASW5 has no
reference at all to the nature of dwellings at any location. Policy ASW9 (which refers
specifically to the EDF site) states under clause (h) that development must…..

“Provide a mix of dwelling types and sizes, both market and affordable, to include small
homes and homes suitable for elderly residents. Appropriate mix to be informed by an up-to-
date housing needs survey together with information from MSDC’s Common Housing
Register”

No mention is made of a solely flatted development. The current proposals do not “provide
a mix of dwelling types”. Nor, as you have already acknowledged, was the non-existent mix
“informed by an up-to-date housing needs survey together with information from MSDC’s
Common Housing Register”, as no such survey has ever been conducted.

These assertions made by the Urban Designer are a figment of his imagination, presumably
intended to help create a spurious justification for his misguided approval of this scheme.

We will not respond again to his approval of the brutalist city-centre design attributes of the
proposals, as both we and AWVC have already expressed our strong objections in earlier
submissions.