Page 21 - Ashbourne Park

STEPS TOWARDS AN AGREED STATEMENT OF FACTS
And stipulations

5 DOCUMENTS SUPPORTING THE APPLICATION
AHL’s application is impressively professional and supported by several important documents
and expert reports. Unfortunately, some of them, as discussed below, are conflicting, or open
to misunderstanding. Page | 13

The town planning and transport statements are capable of misinterpretation.

5.1 Design and Access Statement
Paragraph 4.00 states that: “The site offers the potential to provide a high yield of in demand
housing as reinforced in the Ashurst Wood Neighbourhood Plan on a brownfield site”;
The statement continues:

• “The existing character of the site, as previously noted, is largely utilitarian. An extensive
flat-roof exposed concrete frame and facing brickwork reinforces character.”

• “Urbs in rure applies. It is therefore possible to achieve the most effective development
20
of the site;”

• “In summary, the high-density urban character of the existing built form combined with
the highly screen nature of the site, presents the opportunity to maximise the
development potential of the land without affecting the character or appearance of the
surrounding locality”

This is a circular and fallacious suggestion. The only feature that makes the existing site
“starkly urban” is the EDF building and that is to be removed: thereby reinstating the
rural character of the area.

The admission that the intention is to build a “city in the country” is evidence - on its
face - of the application’s non-compliance with planning policies.
• The mistaken classification of the area as “starkly urban” opens the door for over-
development, the density of a ghetto and cheap, box like construction. In fact, the
development’s design appears to have been “inspired” by EDF’s starkly urban and
utilitarian features.

Figure 4: Before and after: guess which?

20 Which means “city in the countryside”