Land East of Reading Road and South of Bolney Lane, Lower Shiplake

Sustaiable Design

The proposed development will reduce carbon emissions during the construction and operational stages of the development to meet the requirements of the current Building Regulations (as may be updated by the time of construction). This will be achieved through the implementation of the following measures:

• Optimised building siting, design, and orientation for energy efficiency
• High-performance building fabric to minimise heat and power demand
• Use of PV panels and / or heat pumps for on-site renewable energy generation
• Energy-efficient equipment and EV charging points

The proposed development will also be designed to ensure the buildings are resilient to the effects of climate change and will incorporate the following key design measures such as use of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SUDs) and water efficiency measures to reduce water consumption.

Transport

A key aim of the proposed development at Lower Shiplake is to enhance pedestrian connectivity to nearby amenities.

The existing Public Right of Way (PRoW) which connects Reading Road to Northfield Avenue would be retained and enhanced as part of the proposal, and further pedestrian connections are proposed to link the site to Bolney Lane to the north and to the bus stops on Reading Road.

Vehicular access will be taken from Reading Road via a newly designed ghost-island right-turn lane junction, developed in line with national and local design standards.

A comprehensive Transport Assessment will accompany the planning application to evaluate the development's impact on the local highway network and identify any necessary off-site improvements.

A Residential Travel Plan will also be submitted to promote sustainable travel options and reduce reliance on single-occupancy car journeys.

Drainage & Flood Risk

The Environment Agency Flood Map for Planning confirms that the site lies predominantly within Flood Zone 1, with a small area of land to the east of the site included in Flood Zone 2.

Any new built development would be located wholly within Flood Zone 1, and it is proposed that the land to the east would be left as open space.

The disposal of surface water from the proposed development will follow the hierarchy set out in Part H of the Building Regulations and the SuDS Manual C753, with infiltration drainage features to be prioritised on-site.

The provision of surface water attenuation will be provided through a system of open attenuation features, in addition to other SuDS features, to provide enhanced water quality and biodiversity benefits before surface water runoff is discharged to the underlying soils. The surface water drainage system shall be designed to accommodate all rainfall up to, and including, the 1 in 100-year storm event with a 40% allowance for the effects of climate change included. The precise type and form of SuDS to be incorporated into the development will be determined at the detailed design stage (i.e. post the grant of outline planning permission).

A new foul water drainage system shall also be provided, with an existing Thames Water foul sewer crossing the site which is able to provide a suitable outfall from the development. A pre-planning enquiry has been submitted to Thames Water, who have confirmed sufficient capacity exists within the receiving sewerage network for the proposed development.

Arboriculture

An arboricultural assessment has been undertaken in line with national guidance, using a structured methodology to identify which trees are suitable for retention at an early stage of the design process. The assessment also provides recommendations on how existing trees can be successfully integrated into the development layout.

The proposed development will follow a constraint-led design approach to minimise impacts on existing trees. High-quality Category A trees will be retained and incorporated into the scheme to create a landscape-led residential environment. Where vegetation removal is necessary, it will primarily involve low-quality specimens, which will be offset through a robust tree planting strategy and the creation of green open spaces.

Landscape

The initial landscape character and visual amenity analysis, including site visits, have been undertaken to identify key opportunities and constraints providing early input into the evolution of the masterplan. The initial findings have identified the following;

• Avenue of trees on Bolney Lane: The intention would be to retain the avenue of trees along Bolney Lane which form a local feature and characteristic to this edge of the village.
• Character of Bolney Lane: Any proposed development would be set back from Bolney Lane, in order to retain key characteristics including post and rail fence; mature avenue of trees in grass; lack of urbanising elements including signage and kerbs; clear views of tree stems with no understorey vegetation.
• Views from north: Proposals would include vegetated development edges to soften views from the north. The local important view (identified in The Shiplake Neighbourhood Plan 2011-2035) along Bolney Lane would be retained looking north towards the gap between Shiplake and Henley.
• Site configuration: Consideration of development to retain views across south-east of Site.

Ecology

A key objective of the scheme i to retain and enhance existing ecological features, including the mature horse chestnut trees along Bolney Lane, which provide valuable habitat and foraging corridors for bats and birds.

The development would be designed to avoid harm to sensitive habitats and species, with measures in place to protect them during construction.

To ensure a net gain in biodiversity, the proposals will include a range of ecological enhancements. These will include new native tree and hedgerow planting, wildflower grassland creation, and the integration of features such as bat boxes, bird boxes, swallow nest cups, hedgehog highways, and stag beetle log pyramids.

Lighting will be sensitively designed to avoid disturbance to nocturnal species, particularly along the northern and western site boundaries. A Landscape and Ecological Management Plan (LEMP) and Habitat Management and Monitoring Plan (HMMP) will guide the long-term care of habitats across the site, ensuring they are managed to support biodiversity for a period of at least 30 years. Together, these measures will help create a development that is well-integrated with its natural surroundings and contributes positively to the local ecological network.

Aditional Technical Matters

Additional disciplines are being assessed and will further inform the development proposal. This includes matters such as heritage, noise and air quality. Studies have also been undertaken to check that the ground conditions are suitable for residential development, which has been confirmed. A comprehensive suite of technical documents will accompany the outline planning application being prepared for submission to South Oxfordshire District Council.