Proposed Development

Land north of Hightown Road

Ringwood, BH24 1YB

Learn about our plans for an exciting new community in Ringwood

The site is located on the eastern edge of Ringwood between the A31 to the north and Hightown Road to the south and sits outside of the Green Belt. The existing built-up part of Ringwood wraps around the northern, western, and southern parts of the site.

In February 2023 New Forest District Council resolved to grant our Outline planning application for up to 400 new homes and up to 3 hectares of employment land. The site also includes over 12 hectares of green space made up of Alternative Natural Recreational Greenspace (ANRG) and Public Open Space.

Some images and tours are used for illustrative purposes only and may include optional upgrades, subject to availability and at additional cost. Development managed by Taylor Wimpey Southern Counties.

Our proposals for Land north of Hightown Road

The master plan

The proposals are being brought forward in accordance with New Forest Local Plan 2016-2036, particularly the site allocation policy, Policy SS14.  The site has been designed with regards to the technical constraints and the wider context of the surrounding area. The ANRG located along the eastern boundary reinforces the rural character of Nouale Lane and creates a landscape buffer with the National Park and incorporates the existing trees and hedgerows.

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The employment uses are positioned along the northern edge to comply with the local plan policy and benefit from direct access on and off the A31 slip road and help mitigate against existing noise from the A31.

Streetscenes

The appearance of the new homes will be reflective of the local area and we’ll use locally sourced materials to ensure the development is in keeping with existing houses nearby. 
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More details on the houses to be provided and the materials used will be submitted in our Reserved Matters application should our Outline application be successful. 

Homes proposed

The Outline planning application is currently being considered by New Forest District Council and the individual homes on the site have not yet been consulted on.
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The site is likely to include 2, 3, 4 and 5 bedroom homes.  Image is of a typical Taylor Wimpey development.

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Connectivity

We understand that a new development will have an impact on the existing community and we have carefully considered this as we have developed our proposals.
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Vehicular Access to the site will be from the A31 slip road where a new roundabout is to be constructed and a new junction will be formed onto Hightown Road to the south. 

The main pedestrian routes and connections are as follows:

  • The existing public footpath running across the site is retained and incorporated into the development
  • A new pedestrian/cycle route runs east/west from the field access to the ANRG
  • A new off-road cycle lane runs along the proposed spine road, connecting the A31 slip road/ Southampton Road with Hightown Road
  • An extensive pedestrian route runs around the proposed ANRG area of open space and joins up with the other links, creating an attractive option for dog walkers and general users, as well as connecting up with the links with the surrounding countryside
 

Drainage

A Flood Risk Assessment (FRA) was submitted as part of our Outline Planning Application. The current strategy for the surface water on site is to use Strategic SuDS Features which attenuate the water on-site before discharging into the existing watercourse to the west and south of the site.
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The proposed drainage strategy would ensure that surface water arising from the developed site would be managed in a sustainable manner to mimic the surface water flows arising from the site prior to the proposed development, while reducing the flood risk to the site itself and elsewhere, taking climate change into account.

Foul Water Drainage for the site has been discussed with Wessex Water and they have confirmed that the foul water sewer laid along the western boundary edge of the site could serve as a suitable point of connection for the development.

Ecology

A range of ecology surveys have been carried out on the proposed development.

Suitable mitigation can be implemented as part of the development and the broad mitigation principles have been included in the masterplan for the outline planning application and the detail of this will form part of the reserved matters application(s). Specifically, mature trees and mature tree lines on site are to be retained with similar linear features created by new planting where these can link to existing boundary features and maintain connectivity.

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The masterplan seeks to retain and strengthen the green corridor on the western section of the site running from east to west across the middle of the site as this appears to be an important ecological corridor within the site. As part of the detailed design consideration will need to be given to minimising any breaks in this feature from roads and associated lighting.

Heritage

The site is not located within the conservation area of Ringwood.
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A Built Heritage Assessment has been completed by CgMs and submitted with the application. This includes analysing local history and heritage assets. Overall the historic environment and surrounding listed and notable buildings have been taken into consideration in the design of the development. These notable buildings include Nouale Cottage, The Elm Tre Public House, Oak Cottage and Lynes Farm.

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Previous consultations and feedback

We value comments from local people and listen to all feedback we receive so that we can deliver new communities where people want to live.
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A public exhibition was held on Wednesday 3 July 2019 between 3pm-8pm at The Barn, The Elm Tree, Hightown Road, Ringwood. Approximately 250-300 people attended the public exhibition.

At the event, exhibition boards displayed information about the proposals and members of the project team were available to answer questions. Consultees were able to submit comments to the team using the feedback form at the exhibition or online.

Once the consultation responses had been collated and analysed, the design team reviewed the proposal. The key issues and results from the exhibition are set out in the Statement of Community Engagement. Over the consultation period 153 items of feedback were received. The main comments noted the following:

The existing traffic problems on the local road network and the potential impact from further traffic
The existing flooding issues in the local area and the risk of making it worse
The capacity of the local schools and plans to deliver additional school places

The comments received during the public consultation have helped to shape the final scheme.

Economic benefits

We want to deliver new homes and facilities that positively integrate with and enhance the local community.
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Given this site is at the early stages of the planning process, the financial contributions that will be secured by New Forest District Council are yet to be agreed.

Open space

Play has been considered from the start, and been sensitively integrated into the overall landscape scheme for the different public open spaces within the scheme. The landscape strategy for the site has been broken into several areas. The ‘Western Edge’ includes Wetland Themed “Play on the Way” with natural play features alongside the proposed walking trail. 
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The Northern Greenway continues this trial with additions like skate spots and sculptural play features. The Central Greenway includes a Locally Equipped Ares of Play (LEAP) and the larger area of open space to the east (or Park Edge) of the site will include extensive walking paths in close connection to the National Park.

Amenities and facilities

We aim to support the communities in which we build.  One way in which we do this is by providing facilities that local people with benefit from.
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The proposals for the site include 3 hectares of employment land, open space, landscaping, Alternative Natural Recreational Greenspace (ANRG), Flood and drainage attenuation and new accesses off the A31 and Hightown Road with associated infrastructure.

Community benefits features