Proposed Housing Development of Horwich Golf Club.

Land at
Victoria Road
Horwich
Potential Development Site - March 2014

Peel Holdings (Land & Property) Ltd
Peel Dome
The Trafford Centre
Manchester
M17 8PL
THE TEAM
Planning
Emery Planning Partnership
South Park Court
Macclesfield
SK11 8BS
Masterplanning
Randall Thorp
Canada House
3 Chepstow Street
Manchester
M1 5FW
Highways &
Transportation
i-Transport LLP
Centurion House
129 Deansgate
Manchester
M3 3WR
© Crown copyright, All rights reserved. 2012 Licence number 100018033

CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 1
STRATEGIC LOCATION 3
SITE AND SURROUNDINGS 5
PLANNING POLICY 7
SUSTAINABILITY ASSESSMENT 9
OPPORTUNITIES AND CONSTRAINTS 11
DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT 13
DELIVERY 15

INTRODUCTION
Additional land is required to be identified to meet the
objectively assessed housing needs of Bolton.
Land off Victoria Road, Horwich is an opportunity to help
meet these needs. Development of the site as an urban
extension would enable planned growth to the south east of
Horwich.
Following a site appraisal it is considered that the land
represents a logical and sustainable location that is suitable
and achievable for development.
The site is largely owned by Peel Investments (North) Ltd
(‘Peel’) a subsidiary of Peel Holdings (Land and Property)
Ltd, which has a track record in bringing forward major
development sites. Part of the area is in other ownerships
however it has been considered appropriate to define a
logical planning boundary for the purposes of this exercise.
Peel commissioned a professional team comprised of Randall
Thorp, Emery Planning and I-Transport to prepare this
document.
The document is to inform the progression of the Bolton
Local Plan.
1

© 2014 Google

KEY
Waterways
Railways
Railway station
Settlement
Arterial road
Urban area
Site
3

STRATEGIC LOCATION
Horwich lies to the north-western part of Bolton Borough,
approximately half-way between Bolton and Chorley. The
site is c.2.0km (as the crow flies) from Junction 6 of M61
motorway, with the motorway providing connections to
M60 to the south east and M6 to the north.
The site has easy access to a range of destinations including
Bolton to the east, Greater Manchester, Chorley, Preston,
the East Lancashire towns and to the west towards Wigan
and the M6.
Thus the site is therefore accessible to a range of larger
destinations but is also close to Horwich town centre and
Middlebrook where there is a range of local facilities and
services within walking distance.
The site benefits from easy and close connections to the
strategic road network but is also close to Horwich Parkway
railway station, which provides direct services to Bolton,
Salford, Manchester, Chorley and Preston. The site is also
close to a range of bus services in Horwich. Thus the site
has excellent transport connectivity to the main highway and
public transport networks, with a range of local and regional
destinations within easy reach.
4

HORWICH
Chorley Old Road
Mayfair
Knowles
Farm
Bond Close
Site
Victoria Road
Chorley New Road
Horwich
College
Nellie’s
Clough
Asda
MIDDLEBROOK
Bolton
Wanderers FC
Tesco
DeHavilland Way
Horwich Parkway
Train Station
J6 M61
© 2014 Google
5

SITE AND SURROUNDINGS
SITE LOCATION
The proposed development site is located on land
currently used by Horwich Golf Club. It covers an area of
approximately 16 hectares (40 acres).
The immediate context of the site is characterised by the
following land uses:
• To the north is Lever Park School and existing housing
off Kensington Drive.
• To the east is agricultural fields associated with
Knowles Farm and existing housing off Gloucester
Avenue / Brunswick Avenue and Sandringham Road /
Buckingham Avenue.
• To the south is the Horwich Centre (a campus of
Bolton College) and St. Mary’s R.C. Primary School.
• To the west is existing housing off Bond Close / Fairways
and along Victoria Road.
SITE DESCRIPTION
The site is broadly rectangular and is situated to the south
east of Horwich town centre. Open agricultural fields form
the boundary of the site to the east whilst existing urban
development bounds the site on all other sites.
The site is currently used as a 9 hole golf course. The north
eastern corner of the site is agricultural land used for grazing.
Three lengths of public right of way run within the site,
following the north, west and south eastern boundaries.
The topography of the site broadly falls from east to west,
with the lowest land being located along Victoria Road.
Within the site there are steeply sloping areas, mainly in the
south eastern part of the site. Nellie’s Clough runs along the
south eastern boundary of the site in a small wooded valley.
There are areas of tree cover along Nellie’s Brook, along
the southern site boundaries and in the western corner of
the site. A wedge of woodland extends into the centre of
the site from the southern boundary, with smaller areas
of woodland alongside an existing ditch line. There are
also smaller areas of woodland and individual tree planting
associated with the layout of the golf course greens.
A small reservoir is located in the southern corner of the site
and a network of ditches broadly follows the east to west
sloping topography.
6

PLANNING
POLICY
The proposed development seeks to meet national and local planning policy.
NATIONAL PLANNING POLICY
The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)
was published on the 27 March 2012. It sets out the
Government’s planning policies in a single document, is a
material consideration in all planning decisions.
At the heart of the NPPF is a presumption in favour of
sustainable development, which should be seen as a golden
thread running through both plan making and decisiontaking.
Local planning authorities should positively seek
opportunities to meet the development needs of their
area and approve development that accords with the
development plan without delay.
The NPPF requires local authorities to significantly boost
the supply of housing, and widen the choice of high quality
homes, by identifying a sufficient supply of deliverable sites
and considering housing applications in the context of the
presumption in favour of sustainable development.
DEVELOPMENT PLAN GUIDANCE
The development plan comprises the Bolton Core Strategy
and saved policies of the Bolton Unitary Development Plan
(UDP). The site is currently designated as Protected Open
Land on the adopted proposals map.
The Council is currently in the process of preparing an
Allocations Plan to allocate specific sites for development.
This has reached Examination stage. Additional sites are
required to provide an adequate and deliverable supply of
housing land. One of the options for addressing the shortfall
would involve Protected Open Land, so the land off Victoria
Road opportunity should be considered for release.
The additional land could help Bolton meet the objectively
assessed needs of the housing market area and provide an
adequate supply of housing both for the next 5 years and
also the plan period.
The site is an existing golf club in a highly sustainable location.
It is surrounded by residential development on three sides
and represents a logical rounding off of Horwich. The site
represents a suitable, deliverable option for addressing the
housing land supply shortfall.
7

SUSTAINABILITY
APPRAISAL
The land off Victoria Road can play an important role in supporting and facilitating sustainable and
inclusive communities.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT CONNECTIVITY
Public transport connections are available by train and bus.
There are train services at Horwich Parkway station, c.2km
from the site. Direct services provided from the station
include to Bolton, Salford, Manchester, Chorley and Preston.
Horwich Parkway also has a large and popular Park and Ride
facility.
As well as the linkages available from Horwich Parkway,
there are several bus services that run close to the site along
Victoria Road, Chorley New Road and Church Street.
High frequency bus connections are available from the site
with bus services to Horwich town centre and Bolton,
including the bus station and Bolton interchange.
WALKING AND CYCLING
The site is within easy walking distance of retail, leisure and
employment at Horwich town centre and Middlebrook. All
routes to the town centre have footways and are generally
of good quality, suitable for walking.
There are public footpaths that run around the edges of the
site and these will be retained within the scheme.
Victoria Road is an on-road cycle route and there are onward
linkages along other routes to Horwich town centre.
There are cycle routes towards Bolton along Chorley New
Road and Chorley Old Road.
ACCESSIBILITY TO FACILITIES AND
SERVICES
EDUCATION
There are several primary schools within the vicinity of the
site including:
• St Mary’s RC Primary on Victoria Road, close to the site
entrance.
• Chorley New Road Primary School on Chorley New
Road opposite Victoria Road.
• Horwich Parish CofE Primary.
• Claypool Primary.
• Lord Street Community Primary School.
• St Catherine’s CofE Primary School.
These schools are all within easy walking distance of the site.
There are two secondary schools in Horwich; St Joseph’s
RC High School at Chorley New Road, c.1km from the site;
and Rivington and Blackrod High School at Rivington Lane,
c.3km to the north of the site. Regular bus services run
close to the latter school and there are school buses along
Chorley New Road.
HEALTHCARE
The nearest GP surgery to the site is the Kildonan House
Group surgery on Ramsbottom Road, c.800km from
the site. There is also a pharmacy at the surgery and an
additional pharmacy nearby. These are within easy walking
distance of the site.
There are two other GP surgeries in Horwich town centre
and pharmacies and a dentist in the town centre. There are
also dentists on Chorley New Road and Victoria Road.
RETAIL AND LEISURE
There are local shops close to the site on Chorley New
Road and Horwich town centre, which has a range of
shopping facilities including a Post Office, is within walking
distance of the site.
There are large Tesco and ASDA supermarkets at
Middlebrook as well as a comprehensive range of other
non-food retail outlets. These shopping facilities are within
walking distance of the site. Higher-order retail facilities are
available at Bolton and, further afield, Manchester and can be
accessed by public transport.
Horwich town centre has a library and Horwich Leisure
Centre is close to the site. There are various other parks and
leisure facilities in the area including at Middlebrook.
EMPLOYMENT
Horwich offers a range of employment opportunities and
there are nearby large employment areas at Middlebrook
and Lostock Industrial Estate to the south of the site.
Employment is also available within the nearby larger towns
and cities which can be accessed by train and/or bus.
9

KEY
PRIMARY SCHOOLS
1 St Mary’s RC Primary School
2 Chorley new Road Primary School
3 Horwich Parish CofE Primary School
4 Claypool Primary School
5 St Catherine’s CofE Primary School
6 Lord Street Community Primary School
SECONDARY SCHOOLS &
COLLEGES
1 St Joseph’s RC High School & Sports College
2 Lever Park School (Specialist School)
3 Rivington & Blackrod High School &
Technology College
1
2
PUBLIC TRANSPORT
Horwich Parkway Railway Station
Blackrod Railway Station
HEALTH
GP’S
1
RETAIL
Middlebrook Retail Park
1 Bolton Community Practice CIC - The Market 2 Tesco Extra
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
4
5
6
Surgery
Pike View Medical Centre
Kildonan House Group Surgery
DENTISTS
Horwich Dental Practice
The Smile Clinic (Horwich)
Highton & Bate
PHARMACIES
Hootons Pharmacy
Rowlands Pharmacy (x2)
Kildonan Pharmacy
LEISURE
Horwich Library
Reebok stadium (Bolton Wanderers FC)
Horwich Leisure Centre
Old Station & Park Sports Pitches
Horwich Cricket Club
Bolton Golf Course
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
1
2
3
4
5
Aldi
Horwich Town Centre - Lee Lane
Local Shops Along Chorley New Road
Winter Hey Post Office
Chorley New Road Post Office
Asda
Sainsburys
EMPLOYMENT
Horwich Town Centre
Middlebrook Retail Park
Lostock Industrial Estate
Horwich Loco Industrial Estate
Paragon Business Park
CATCHMENTS
1 km Walking Catchment
2 km Walking Catchment
10

CONSTRAINTS AND
OPPORTUNITIES
There are no constraints preventing the allocation or future development of land off Victoria Road
The site is well contained by existing development and
existing landscape features. The site is largely unconstrained
and provides an opportunity to create a sustainable urban
extension to Horwich. An appropriate masterplan for the
site should take into account the following:
ACCESS
There are a number of logical and feasible site access options
and combinations. There is potential to accommodate
vehicular access into the site at the following locations:
• Bond Close
• Mayfair
• Sandringham Road
• Victoria Road
PUBLIC RIGHTS OF WAY
The existing public rights of way which pass through
the site should be sensitively accommodated within the
development. Care should be taken to retain the routes
on their current alignment and to incorporate them into a
strong landscape framework.
TOPOGRAPHY
The topography of the site broadly falls from east to west,
from approximately 184m AOD around the Mayfair access
point to 148m AOD at the Victoria Road access point.
Development would sensitively work with the existing
landform and internal roads could be constructed to
acceptable gradients.
HYDROLOGY
The existing small reservoir, Nellie’s Brook and ditches
across the site should be sensitively accommodated within
the development. The open space around the reservoir and
existing ditch lines should be designed to become attractive
visual features and to provide maximum ecological value.
ECOLOGY
The protection and enhancement of green spaces across the
site is important in order to conserve natural assets, protect
local distinctiveness and minimise habitat fragmentation.
The development provides opportunities to enhance
pedestrian movement across the site, promoting
connectivity to the wider area.
LANDSCAPE
There is a strong network of mature trees across the site.
Where possible these should be retained and incorporated
into a well-connected green space network.
The development provides the opportunity to create new
areas of public open space which can meet the recreational
needs of existing and future local residents.
The development should create an appropriate interface
between the development and the nearby open countryside
and the eastern edge of the site could become a defensible
boundary.
11

Mayfair
Knowles
Farm
Bond Close
Victoria Road
Reservoir
Nellie’s Clough
Sandringham Road
Chorley New Road
© 2014 Google
KEY
Site boundary
Existing trees/woodland
Existing public right of way
Existing waterbodies
Greenbelt
Contours at 2m
Existing ditches
Potential access points
Defensible green boundary
12

DEVELOPMENT
CONCEPT
The development has the potential to deliver approximately 240 new
homes at an average density of 30 dwellings per net hectare.
A Conceptual Masterplan has been prepared for the site to
demonstrate how the design and form of development can
respond sensitively to the characteristics of the site and the
wider area. It is intended that the scheme will be further
developed in consultation with key stakeholders.
ACCESS
The site has several potential connections to the local
highway network:
• Bond Close connects with the western side of the
site; it is a typical residential street and leads to Stocks
Park Drive. Access would be formed by extending the
existing cul-de-sac into the site.
• Mayfair connects with the northern end of the site and
is again a typical residential street, connecting with The
Strand and then Stocks Park Drive. The existing cul-desac
would be extended into the site.
• Victoria Road - the existing access could be retained for
vehicle use.
• Sandringham Road - access from this point would cross
Nellie’s Brook and require a sensitively designed bridge.
Access to the site would be agreed through consultation
with the local roads authority and detailed through any future
transport assessment.
LANDSCAPE FRAMEWORK
The conceptual layout is shaped by the existing landscape
features. The woodland, individual trees and waterbodies
would be retained to create a unique sense of place and
add instant maturity. The development would work with the
topography of the site, allowing existing levels to influence
the layout.
The existing PRoW’s would be retained within generous
greenways and attractive new connections will be created
through the green spaces.
A landscape buffer would be provided along the eastern site
boundary to create a strong defensible edge to the site.
URBAN FORM
Secure development blocks would be created where the
housing is orientated to maximise views over woodland,
green spaces and internal open spaces - providing natural
surveillance and an attractive outlook for residents. The
size and shape of these blocks are dictated by the existing
landscape features.
A comprehensive network of green pedestrian links
throughout the development would provide easy
connections to public transport and local facilities, reducing
the need for private car journeys.
MOVEMENT AND STREETS
The emphasis throughout much of the development
would be on prioritising non-vehicular movements and on
the social use of spaces. For this reason, streets would be
designed more generally to restrain speeds using methods
such as appropriate carriageway narrowing, reduced forward
visibility and the materiality of street surfaces.
13

Mayfair
Knowles
Farm
Bond
Close
Victoria Road
Nellie’s Clough
Sandringham Road
© Crown copyright, All rights reserved. 2014 Licence number 100018033
KEY
Site boundary
Residential
Existing trees/woodland
New woodland/trees
Open landscape
Proposed spine road
Potential access across Nellie’s Brook
Existing public right of way
Existing waterbodies
New footpath
14

DELIVERY
The site is achievable, suitable and available in accordance with the principles of the NPPF
The site is presently greenfield land. It is located in a stable
and successful market area. The sensitive development
of the site would create a highly attractive residential
community that could be brought forward from early within
the plan period, with phased development sustained over a
number of years.
It is anticipated that the site would be developed by a housebuilder
at a rate of circa 30 dwellings per annum, alongside
a Registered Provider delivering affordable homes. The
development would take 5-7 years to complete, and could
be commenced in 2015 / 16.
15