A planning application has been submitted by St. Modwen to East Staffordshire Borough Council for a proposed development to the south of Branston village, Burton-on-Trent.
Bounded by the A38 and the River Trent, St. Modwen is proposing the creation of new employment space and homes with associated open space on the 280 acre site. The proposals include the creation of up to 660 new homes in a variety of sizes, plus the development of new employment space, including manufacturing, storage and distribution units. Over 170 acres (equivalent to 60 per cent of the site) will be retained for open space and recreation, while enhancing and extending the existing public footpaths and links to the Trent Valley Way.
Following a public consultation held in June, St. Modwen has made a number of revisions to its planning application in direct response to community feedback. Key areas that have been addressed by the St. Modwen team include parking, traffic and access, flood risk and land contamination.
Major masterplan changes made by St. Modwen include the reduction of over 80,000 sq ft of new employment buildings and increase in the proportion of four and five bedroom family homes to around 300 properties. The second vehicular access to the new housing development via Gate Inn off Main Street has also been removed as a result of feedback received at the public consultation.
In response to issues raised with regard to access, parking and local highways, St. Modwen has undertaken extensive traffic modelling work to ensure appropriate mitigation schemes are in place. This includes the creation of a new local centre square in the heart of Branston providing a formalised parking area for around 50 cars, aimed at alleviating many of the parking issues around peak school times.
In addition, St. Modwen has developed an area wide Travel Plan for the proposed development, including measures to significantly improve public transport provisions in the local area plus a series of measures to promote and encourage sustainable transport accessibility.
The St. Modwen team has also met with Staffordshire County Council Education Department to discuss the impact of the proposed development on local schools.
A number of flooding and land contamination questions were also raised at the public consultation. Both of these areas have been thoroughly addressed in detail and St. Modwen continues to work with the Environment Agency to ensure a scheme which will have no adverse effect on the site or the surrounding area.
Ian Romano, senior development surveyor for St. Modwen commented: “Over 200 people attended the public consultation regarding our proposals for Branston. The feedback we received both at the event and via our website has proved invaluable in helping us to shape the planning application which has now been submitted. We are continuing to work closely with East Staffordshire Borough Council plus statutory consultees to deliver a scheme that will significantly benefit both Branston and the wider regional economy.”
Further information on St. Modwen’s proposals for Branston can be found at www.stmodwen-branston.co.uk.