Sweechbridge Road, Hillborough

Illustrative masterplan

Pictured below is our illustrative masterplan for the Hillborough site, which shows how the proposed new homes, supporting facilities, highways infrastructure and green spaces are arranged.

Key facts about the scheme are as follows:

• Up to 955 new homes including a proportion of affordable housing
• A community hub incorporating community uses including land for the Local Education Authority to provide a two-form entry primary school, community hall and changing facilities
• A retail hub adjacent to Sweechbridge Road providing opportunity for a convenience store and other retail uses
• Further employment land to extend from the existing Altira Business Park
• Public open space including green corridors, ecology enhancement, children's play areas, allotments, pocket parks, local squares and attenuation basins for drainage
• Vehicular access from two locations in Sweechbridge Road
• Opportunity for integrated links with neighbouring development land within site allocation, plus improvements to westbound access to Thanet Way from Heart in Hand Road

How our proposals have evolved

In developing our latest proposals for the Hillborough site, we have taken into consideration all the comments we received during our public consultation and other stakeholder events. Shown below are the key changes which we have made to our development plans in response to feedback from the local community.

Key changes (numbered descriptions correspond to the numbers shown on the plan):

1. Design development of the location and anticipated arrangement of a two-form entry primary school in the context of a community hub, with on-site drop-off/collection facility and footpath/cycleway connections in all directions.
2. Opportunity for vehicular, pedestrian and cycle access through to the new retail and business park.
3. Continued consideration of the potential for May Street railway bridge to provide linkage between the north and south of the site.
4. Retention of the existing drainage ditch and maintenance access to it along the northern boundary of the site to ensure there is no increase in flood risk to existing adjacent properties.
5. Development of an attractive and inter-connected green infrastructure parkland across the site, incorporating an integrated and landscaped stormwater attenuation design with ecology opportunities and a network of new public footpath linkages.
6. Space for the provision of new allotments with provision for both able and disabled users, together with car parking and access.
7. Space for the provision of grassed sports pitches with a changing pavilion, community centre and parking.
8. Two new equipped areas of play have been appropriately located within the site, with potential for a central neighbourhood area of play and local area of play on the adjacent allocated land to the north-west.
9. A transitional zone of employment uses (e.g. care home, nursery, soft play space or gym, etc) to provide a sensitive interface between residential and industrial elements.
10. Space for local shopping facilities including scope for a convenience store adjacent to Sweechbridge Road.
11. Design development of the vehicular accesses to Sweechbridge Road.
12. Opportunities for improvements to the existing public highway to create improved pedestrian and cycle linkages via Bogshole Lane footbridge to Altira Business Park.

Green infrastructure and drainage masterplan

Shown below is our green infrastructure masterplan for the proposed development, illustrating how the open spaces and recreation areas are to be arranged. The green infrastructure also includes proposals for managing flood risk and drainage within the site, ensuring that the risk of flooding to neighbouring areas is not increased by our development.

Our green infrastructure masterplan for the Hillborough site. Key elements are as follows:

• Sculptural meadow gateway entrance spaces
• Northern play area (LEAP)
• Woodland glade
• Meadows parkland
• Local square and orchard
• Local square and community green
• Local green
• Sports pitches
• Allotments
• Meadows parkland entrance
• Southern play area and local square (LEAP)
• Southern greenway
• Internal pocket parks
• Sustainable urban drainage systems to ensure flood risk does not increase
• Attenuation ponds and retention and refurbishment of existing ditch system where necessary
• Foul drainage to connect existing Southern Water system (adequate capacity confirmed)

Access proposals

Shown here are the main access proposals for our development. These proposals have sought to take into consideration the comments we received in relation to access and highways issues during our public and stakeholder consultations.

Key facts about our access proposals (numbered descriptions correspond to numbers shown on the plan):

1. There are two principal vehicular access points to our proposed development from Sweechbridge Road (one north of the railway and one south of the railway) and opportunity for extension from Altira Business Park. The link to the business park would allow free movement of residential traffic but would restrict goods vehicles from entering the residential area.
2. There is further scope to link vehicular access with the remaining development land to the north-west by way of connection and continuation of our proposed road network.
3. There is potential for the remaining development land to link to the existing road network of Osborne Gardens and Churchill Avenue.
4. The scheme maintains potential scope for cycles and pedestrian linkage to the north via Rosebery Avenue (subject to land control).
5. The scheme proposes enhanced pedestrian and cycle linkages via May Street railway bridge.
6. It is proposed that May Street, within the site, will be a footpath and cycleway link with no vehicular access allowed other than for emergency access and to private property at The Elms.
7. The scheme proposes a new dedicated westbound access slip road on to Thanet Way (A299) and alteration of the existing slip road to an exit only.
8. The scheme proposes:

• Enhanced pedestrian and cycle linkages via Bogshole Lane railway bridge.
• Enhanced pedestrian and cycle links to and from the site via May Street with opportunities to connect to Altira Park, and the existing Public Rights of Way to Osborne Gardens and Highfields Avenue to fully integrate the site with the existing community and facilities.
• Sustainable links towards existing primary and secondary schools enhanced.
• Diversion of bus routes from Sweechbridge Road with new turning facilities and high-quality waiting facilities.

Neighbouring sites

Our aim is to achieve a joined-up and collaborative approach for the delivery of Hillborough in accordance with the strategic allocation. We have shown proposals for the phases to the north-west of the Taylor Wimpey land ownership but these proposals are indicative only, and control of this land remains with the landowners, Kitewood and A&E (Developers). We have worked with these other landowners to develop a comprehensive masterplan concept for the whole site.

1. Land owned by A&E Estate Developers (indicative layout shown as part of emerging masterplan for entire site).
2. Land owned by Kitewood (indicative layout shown as part of emerging masterplan for entire site).
3. Altira Business Park.

The Phase 1 Layout

The image below shows the layout for the first phase of development Hillborough and how the properties, open space and internal roads will be arranged.

An initial layout plan for our proposed Phase 1 development. Numbers 1 to 4 correspond with illustrative street scenes shown below. Key facts about Phase 1 are as follows:

• 194 new homes including affordable housing.
• A mix of property types to include 2, 3 and 4-bedroom houses to suit a range of needs.
• Predominantly 2-storey buildings with some 2.5 and 3-storey homes along the central avenue and on focal corners.
• A mix of terraced, semi-detached and detached homes, all with parking.
• Vehicular access from Sweechbridge Road via a new entrance junction.
• Landscaping and public open space to include an equipped play area, plus green links through the development.
• Pedestrian and cycle links to the surrounding area via May Street.

The scheme seeks to create a high-quality development that can fulfil the local need for market and affordable housing while respecting the character and heritage of the surrounding area. The images below illustrate how our proposed new homes could look, showing examples of some of the architectural styles, features and building materials we are proposing to use.

Street scenes showing the proposed design of the new homes.

Landscape proposals for Phase 1

Shown here are our detailed green infrastructure plans for Phase 1 of the development, including open spaces, recreation areas, landscaping and proposals for managing flood risk. Our Phase 1 proposals also include measures for the retention and management of the existing ditch at the northern edge of the site, adjacent to existing properties in Fulmar Way, Petrel Close and Puffin Road.

Our landscaping proposals for Phase 1 at Hillborough.

Indicative sections illustrating our proposals to retain and enhance the existing ditch at the northern edge of the Phase 1 site. The location of each section diagram is indicated on the plan (bottom right).