Lovell are working in partnership with L&G Affordable Homes on a proposal for 32 affordable homes to the south and east of Wessex Stadium in Chickerell.
This website provides information about the emerging proposals.
We would love to hear your feedback and any questions you might have via the comments section of this website.
Lovell Homes are experts in housing-led regeneration and have been building homes for over 50 years. They work with local authorities and housing associations to help rebuild communities. Lovell designs, builds a wide range of houses, from contemporary apartments for first-time buyers, cosier homes for downsizers and larger, more spacious family homes.
Legal and General [“L&G”] Affordable Homes have signed up to the Homes England’s Strategic Partnership programme for 2021-2026 and, from the outset, are able to commit to 100% affordable housing. L&G’s vision is for everyone to have a great quality, environmentally sustainable and affordable home from which they can build better futures, with a mission to become the leading developer and operator of affordable homes in the UK by investing long-term capital at scale and significantly increasing the supply, design quality and choice of affordable homes. L&G’s goal is to become the partner of choice in the delivery of affordable housing. They aim to lead the evolution of the sector for the benefit of the customer and society.
The final design will also be influenced by the findings of technical assessments. A wider team of consultants has been appointed to provide expert advice on issues such as ecology, transportation and drainage.
Lovell own the land wrapping around the southern and western edge of Wessex Stadium (outlined in red on the inset plan).
The ‘L-shaped’ site measures c.1.27ha and is accessed via a spur (unnamed) off the Wessex Roundabout. It is predominantly laid to hardstanding.
All of the boundaries follow the extent of ownership rather than physical features on the ground. The area beyond the northern boundary once accommodated a speedway track / training pitch but it has long since been abandoned.
The section wrapping around the stadium is offset some 11m+ from the edge of the built form and the south-eastern block follows the lower contours of the established bank. The southern and western boundaries are tightly enclosed by a belt of vegetation interspersed with what appear to be self-seeded trees. As a result the site enjoys a high degree of containment and enclosure.
The wider setting of the site is illustrated below:
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In 2014 the Wessex Stadium was granted permission for 150-170 dwellings, on the basis that West Dorset District Council were not able at that time to demonstrate a 5-year housing land supply. That permission required a replacement football stadium with the same or better facilities as the Wessex Stadium (including capacity, car parking and practice pitch etc) being provided within 5 years (or within 2 years of agreeing reserved matters), and fully operating before any development of the site commenced. An application for the reserved matters was first submitted in November 2017, revised in late 2018, and subsequently refused by Dorset Council in early 2020 due to poor design. The proposal before you is of a much smaller scale and would complement the existing stadium.
Lovell has entered into pre-application discussions with Dorset Council (in its capacity as Local Planning Authority) and has also met with Weymouth Football Club regarding its emerging proposals. Weymouth Football Club were conscious that the land falls outside of their ownership but were pleased that Lovell Homes had reached out to discuss the emerging proposals. The Club felt that the proposals were compatible with the operational needs.
It is important to stress that Lovells proposals are still at an early stage and that your feedback will influence the form and content of the planning application.
However, in formulating the concept design, we have had to be mindful of:
The project team are currently engaging with Dorset Council through its pre-application advice service.
Opportunities and constraints discerned from our site visit include:
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The concept layout plan shows 6 x 2-bed dwellings (each with a gross internal floor area c.67.6sqm) and 26 x 3-bed dwellings (with gross internal floor areas ranging from 80.2sqm to 87.4sqm).
A mix of tenures, including affordable rent and intermediate housing, would be proffered. The precise mix has yet to be discerned.
A variety of building forms are proposed - detached, semi-detached and short terraces. The dwellings would typically be 2 to 2.5-storeys in height with pitched roofs aloft. A number of the semi-detached units are designed to ‘turn the corner’ (plots 12/13, 25/26) delivering dual aspects and avoiding bland facades. Exposing the gable-end provides an occasional break in the eaves line adding visual interest.
Each dwelling would benefit from a shallow front garden, with those along the central spine road bound by ornate railings to create a clear division between the private and public realm.
Each dwelling would also benefit from a linear rear or side garden. As well as providing private amenity space for future occupants, the gardens would accommodate bin and bike stores. Each dwelling would benefit from two parking spaces. The majority of on-plot spaces would be discretely positioned alongside the dwellings so that the development doesn’t appear car-dominated. Five visitor spaces have also been incorporated.
The dwellings would be clustered in two sections, with the south-eastern cluster forming a welcoming gateway to the wider site. The dwellings within this section would, for the most part, be arranged on either side of a central spine road. A small area of communal greenspace and a SUDs feature would present a spacious landscaped setting, and the strong building line on the southern side would give way to a looser grain on the northern side, with the corner plots set further back to create a more spacious landscape setting. A combination of brick walls and railings, with gates to prominent parking areas provide containment. This design approach helps to foster a sense of arrival.
Pavements would run along both sides of the road affording excellent pedestrian permeability. A raised table would be positioned at the juncture of the residential shared surface zone. It would help to reduce traffic speeds and reinforce the fact that this is a residential area where pedestrian movement is prioritised.
The south-western cluster would be arranged to the south and west of the road and run parallel to the main stadium stand opposite. Its strong building line would give definition to the public realm in front of the stadium and constitutes a significant environmental enhancement. Notwithstanding the relationship, a generous reservation strip has been afforded in front of the main stand to ensure that it wouldn’t have an overbearing impact upon future residents by virtue of its scale and mass.
A continuous pavement along the southern edge of the internal road would provide excellent pedestrian permeability, connecting a Local Equipped Area of Play at the northern end of the site. The pavement alignment follows the natural desire line and would be intuitive.
Again, a raised table would be positioned at the juncture of the residential shared surface zone. It would help to reduce traffic speeds and reinforce the fact that this is a residential l area where pedestrian movement in prioritised. It would also have a pleasing symmetry, being centred with the main stadium stand, acknowledging that it would also serve staff, volunteers and fans visiting the stadium.
A high-quality palette of materials will help to unify the scheme. Brick and render would be employed, alongside clay and slate effect tiles on display. Vertical window bars help to maintain consistent proportions across the house-types. Windows within brick gable ends exhibit exposed brick headers. A variety of porch designs (pitched and lean-to) would aid legibility and add interest within the street-scene.
It is envisaged that a planning application will be submitted to Dorset Council in late summer 2022. The application will contain all final plans and technical assessments. We are happy to receive questions and feedback on the emerging proposals but would stress that this microsite is primarily an information hub. Once the application has been submitted, you should send any comments that you would like Dorset Council to consider directly to them.
Thank you for visiting our website. Your feedback is important to us so please provide comments using the tab in the title bar or contact us here.
For further information regarding this proposal, please contact Chapman Lily Planning on 01929 553818.