The Exchange

Description

The Queen Camel Community Land Trust wanted some open space on the development that could be used by both the residents of our new homes and the rest of the village. They took the original draft plan and cut and pasted in such a way that they were able to provide enough room at the northern end of the site to allow some amenity space. This area is usable by all of the residents for a variety of activities. A barn used to stand on the field and when this was demolished the cobbles which formed the floor were reclaimed. Some of these have been used to create the crossovers into the parking courts. The surfacing of the parking courts is in pavers as this distinguishes it from the tarmac of the access road. Where possible, planted areas have been included in the parking courts to soften the outlook from both casual observation by pedestrians and from residents looking out of their windows. The existing hedge and trees along the Western boundary have been maintained and enhanced whilst a new planted verge has been created along the road edge. New native trees and hedges have been planted within the private gardens and the communal planted areas.

Planning History

A number of pre-planning meetings were held with the LPA and the QCCLT prior to a formal planning submission being made. The Planning Officer's recommendation was to grant planning approval and the Planning Committee unanimously approved the application on July 10th 2013, subject to the completion of a Section 106 Agreement. The CLT wanted to ensure that the S106 protected the development as housing for local people in perpetuity and the agreement was completed on December 10th 2013 with the planning decision being validated the same day.