Issue - meetings

Report of the Director – Development and Economic Growth

The Service Manager – Economic Growth and Property presented the report of the Director – Development and Economic Growth updating the Group on the Fairham Development.

Mr Robert Hepwood, Mr Ali Malik, Mr James Richards and Mr John Todhunter from Clowes Developments and Ms Rachel Hull and Mr Lewis Young from Homes England attended the meeting, to assist with consideration of the item.

Mr Hepwood, Mr Malik, Mr Richards, and Mr Todhunter delivered a presentation, which was divided into six sections detailed below, with an opportunity for questions and responses between each section.

·        Overview of project.

·        Design.

·        Neighbourhood centre.

·        Public transport and travel networks.

·        Sustainability in new homes and commercial.

·        Employment

The presentation commenced with an overview of the project, which covered the following issues:

·        Details of the Notice of Planning permission.

·        Masterplan – Phasing plan:

-         Housing – 13 phases

-         Commercial/employment

-         Neighbourhood centre

-         Landscaping

-         Sports pitch

-         Ecological area

·        Key project milestones achieved and to deliver between May 2019 to March 2023.

·        Site progress:

-      Extensive highway and drainage infrastructure

-      Ground investigations and earth modelling

-      Archaeological survey work

-      Installation of site wide utilities

-      Installation of sustainable urban drainage systems

-      Construction of a primary sub-station

-      Re-use of leftover tram spoil left from the creation of the Tram Park and Ride

-      Main access works on road linked to Park and Ride nearing completion

-      Strategic new foul sewers constructed to cater for entire development

-      Several new employment deals signed

-      Installation of tree planting on northern boundary

·        Site progress – images and drone footage.

·        Future milestones.

Councillor Phillips referred to the 13 house building phases and asked when it was envisaged that the final phase would be completed, when would the fees charged by the management company for managing the green spaces commence for residents, and would the fees also be phased in.

Councillor Phillips also asked what was the likelihood of there being noise pollution from the commercial area to the residential area and would there be any mitigation measures put in place.

In respect of the phasing, Mr Todhunter advised that the phasing had been set up in strategic parcels, so that the market would not be saturated, with a maximum of six phases at any one time, and it was anticipated that the last phase would go over in 2030, with the last build out in 2035.

Mr Hepwood confirmed that the management company was very close to being in place, and it was proposed that upon completion of each phase, it would be handed over to the management company, to ensure that open spaces would be managed from the start.  Mr Hepwood advised that there was considerable landscaping linked to each phase, and that would be laid out and ready before people moved in and confirmed that in the beginning the fees would be pro-rata. 

Mr Todhunter went on to say that the way the management company would be set up, the management charge to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17