Background
William Davis Homes has been delivering a new community at Copcut Rise, Droitwich.
The Copcut Rise site was allocated in the 2016 South Worcestershire Development Plan, policy SWDP 49/1 for new homes and 3.5ha of commercial uses.
As the new community at Copcut Rise has taken shape over recent years, in 2022 a resolution to grant planning permission to deliver the commercial elements of the allocation, Copcut Business Park, was received by Hinton Group.
With the local centre retail provision for Copcut Rise being provided on part of the Business Park site, in 2022 William Davis Homes submitted a planning application for 19 homes on the vacant compound site on Centenary Way. This is awaiting determination.
Alongside the local centre facilities of a Sainsbury’s Local convenience store, a Costa Coffee “drive thru”, and EV charging facilities, the proposals for Copcut Business Park included two large commercial units . The two commercial units were proposed to be 3,809sq m and 1,672sq m in size respectively. This element of the Copcut Business Park proposals proved contentious during planning, with significant local opposition to the two large commercial units.
Subsequent to the resolution to grant planning consent for the Business Park, there has been no market appetite for the commercial units and Hinton Group has determined that they are unviable. However, the retail elements incorporating Sainsbury’s, Costa and the EV charging facilities are being delivered.
In light of the changing market conditions and the lack of community support for the commercial units, William Davis Homes is now proposing to replace these with an additional circa 35 new homes for Copcut Rise, 30% of which will be First Homes – a type of affordable housing that is available to buy and own at a reduced price.
In addition, the previously submitted planning application for 19 homes on Centenary Way is being updated to provide one additional home and to propose that affordable housing provision here also takes the form of First Homes.
The planning application for the revised Roman Way proposals, alongside the updated plans for Centenary Way, will together provide the funding to enable the delivery of a new community building on Centenary Way in the heart of the Copcut Rise neighbourhood adjacent to the new homes.
We believe these changes will deliver a number of benefits for residents in addition to the provision of a community building for residents, not least with the removal of two large commercial buildings which would not have sat comfortably in a landscape that is largely residential in nature and may have been overbearing on nearby homes. In addition, the potential noise and safety implications of large commercial vehicle movements will be removed.
The Roman Way site
The site for the proposed Copcut Business Park is located between Roman Way and Copcut Boulevard on the eastern side of the wider Copcut Rise development. The retail elements face onto Copcut Boulevard and its junction with Roman Way, while the two proposed commercial units that are subject to our revised plans are set to the south, facing onto Roman Way.
Site location plan - click to enlarge
The revised proposals for Roman Way
Under our revised plans, the two large commercial buildings facing onto Roman Way would be replaced by an additional circa 35 homes for the Copcut Rise neighbourhood. Of these, 30% would be designated as First Homes.
What are first homes?
First Homes are a type of affordable housing that are available to buy and own, in contrast to social rent affordable homes. First Homes are sold at a discount of at least 30% against the market value, and with a price cap of £250,000 applied. Eligibility criteria apply that ensure they are only available to people on lower incomes such as key workers. When a First Home is sold to its first owner, a legal restriction is entered onto the Title Register. This restriction is intended to ensure that the title cannot be transferred to another owner unless the relevant local authority certifies to HM Land Registry that the First Homes criteria and eligibility criteria have been met, including the discounted sale price. This means that First Homes remain affordable even if they are sold on.
The previously proposed commercial scheme - click to enlarge
The revised proposals – large commercial units replaced with homes - click to enlarge
A new community building in the heart of Copcut Rise
The proposed additional new homes at Roman Way in place of the contentious commercial buildings will have the added benefit of enabling the provision of a new community building in the heart of the Copcut Rise neighbourhood, on Centenary Way. This will be funded and secured via a comprehensive Section 106 legal agreement for both the new homes at Roman Way and the previously submitted planning application for new homes in the vacant compound in the centre of Copcut Rise. As the proposed community building is on a separate site it will require its own planning application, and this will be submitted at the same time.
The site for the community building is where there is currently a compound in the central area of the neighbourhood. This is immediately adjacent to the vacant construction compound which has a previously submitted planning application for additional homes. That application is awaiting determination and will be updated alongside the planning applications for the revised Roman Way proposals and the community building. The community space will be a single storey building providing a facility for a range of community uses. Please tell us your ideas for how this space could be used when you complete our online questionnaire.
A plan showing the proposed community building. This will be a single storey building providing space for a range of community uses. Click image to enlarge
Community benefits
Many people in the local community were unhappy with the proposal to build two large commercial units adjacent to a new residential area. Replacing the commercial units with some additional homes acknowledges the concerns that were expressed and will deliver a development that is more in keeping with its surroundings.
The commercial units would have had an associated potential for noise and the movement of large commercial vehicles that may not have been suitable for a residential area. The revised proposals removes this risk.
A new community building in the heart of Copcut Rise will provide opportunities for a range of community activities. Tell us how you would like to see this building used for community benefit on our feedback questionnaire.
Technical planning matters
As the nature of a residential development is different to a commercial one, we have a team of specialist consultants working to prepare the planning application for Roman Way, looking at a range of considerations such as landscape, ecology, highways, drainage, and noise. The planning application will be accompanied by a suite of technical reports to address these technical areas and to identify opportunities for enhancement over the previously consented commercial scheme.
Have your say
Your feedback will be important to demonstrate whether the proposals to replace the contentious and unpopular commercial units with additional homes enabling the provision of a community building for Copcut Rise is supported by the community.
Once you have had an opportunity to read an overview of the emerging plans, and view the interactive map, please take a moment to complete our feedback questionnaire.