Part Two: Centres and Site Allocations (Regulation 18)

(22) Policy DLPKQH1 (Priority Site) Land at Ketley Quarry, Kingswinford 

1. Land at Ketley Quarry, Kingswinford will be allocated for new residential growth. The site's gross area is 21.37ha of which 14.90ha developable for up to 650 dwellings based on 40-45dph.
2. The estimated phasing of delivery is:
   • 2025/26 – 40 units
   • 2026/27 – 40 units
   • 2027/28 - 40 Units
   • 2028/33 – 240 units
   • 2033/38 – 240 units
   • 2038/41 – 50 units
      
3. There will be a requirement for the development of the site to deliver homes and infrastructure of the highest quality design and functionality, and to accommodate the required infrastructure provision in appropriate locations. The key planning requirements for the Ketley Quarry priority site are set out below. Other standard policy requirements, as set out in the DLP, other local plan documents and SPDs, will also apply.
    
4. The cumulative impact of Ketley Quarry and other nearby allocations (housing and employment) will need to be considered, in terms of:
   1. School place impacts
   2. Highways impacts
   3. Delivery of biodiversity net gain
   4. Delivery of recreational open space improvements
       
5. Once the DLP has been adopted, the allocation should be developed in accordance with the criteria identified in respect of all other relevant general policy requirements, including any necessary developer contributions.
    
6. School Place Requirements
   1. It is currently anticipated that both primary and secondary school place requirements arising from housing developments in the northwest of Dudley over plan period will be capable of being met through extensions to existing primary and secondary schools, to be provided through developer contributions. Pedestrian and public transport improvements to increase accessibility to local primary and secondary schools may be required in accordance with Policy DLP11.
7. Highways Requirements
   1. Highway infrastructure is necessary for any development to function effectively and to minimise impacts on surrounding road junctions. It is considered that there should be appropriate vehicular access. The number of access points required and their precise location should be subject to further detailed transport assessment. A cycling and walking network which includes active travel routes around priority sites should form a key part of the site layout providing connections to all nearby local amenities, including local primary schools and local centres.

8. Nature Conservation and Net Biodiversity Gain Requirements
   1. There is a statutory designation for features of geological significance (SSSI) at the north of the site. The SSSI designation is a geological outcrop of the Etruria Formation, created during the Carboniferous Period (359-299 million years ago). The wider site is designated as a SLINC. The vast majority of the site is a disused quarry and is made up of bare ground and large mounds of quarry spoil. Parts of the quarry have become vegetated with early successional species and tall ruderal vegetation.
   2. The disused Tansey Green branch railway line runs to the east of the site, providing a further link to Fens Pool Nature Reserve to the south. Dawley Brook to the east of the site is designated as a SINC. The site also contains three distinct areas of woodland, with the belt to the east and southwest of the site acting as a boundary feature.
   3. Bat and bird surveys, including for barn owls, will need to be carried out in the abandoned farmhouse and surrounding buildings. Other surveys such as reptile and badger surveys may also be required
   4. Policy DLP32- Nature Recovery Network and Biodiversity Net Gain will apply to this site.
9. Historic Environment Requirements
   1. This allocation is the site of the former Ketley Colliery (HER 7963) recorded as being mostly abandoned by the production of the first edition OS in 1884. It also contains the site of Ketley Quarry (also recorded on the first edition OS), which is one of the 'Geo-sites' located within the Black Country Geopark, (see Policy DLP35) Ketley Quarry Geosite
   2. Located in the northwestern corner of this allocation, adjacent to the road, is the site of a weighbridge and its associated Weights and Measures building (HER 15424). The buildings first appeared on the Fourth Edition OS (1937-1948). Any proposed development should seek to incorporate these heritage assets into any future proposals for this part of the site along with suitable interpretation information.
   3. Located in the southern part of the allocation is the site of Stourbridge Extension Canal (HER 7385), built during the 1830s and opened in 1840. Proposals for the site should seek to include sympathetic ways of revealing the significance of this heritage asset.

10. Recreational Open Space Requirements
    1. It will be necessary to provide good-quality walking and cycle routes within the developments, which can provide easy, quick and safe access to nearby open spaces and the countryside.
        
11. Sustainable Drainage Requirements
    1. Naturalised sustainable drainage systems that are sufficient to retain greenfield runoff rates should be provided for the site, in accordance with Policy DLP46. An allowance for the space necessary to accommodate the systems has been made when defining the indicative net developable area. This allowance may be adjusted when the site is subject to a more detailed planning application.

12. Local Wastewater Treatment Capacity
    1. This site is served by Roundhill WwTW and it is not anticipated that there are any issues with the site handling additional flows during the Plan period.
13. Design Principles
    1. New development will have a density of no more than 40-45dph and will also retain a network of public open space across the site. Any proposed development should create a permeable layout by connecting the surrounding vehicle roads and pedestrian routes with a network of public open space and tree-lined streets. Layouts should incorporate 'back-to-back garden' housing and avoid the rear or sides of gardens facing the streets and public realm. Existing trees and on-site biodiversity value (according to the outcome of robust surveys) must be safeguarded and incorporated into the proposed layouts. These assets should form part of the publicly accessible open space and should not be located within any private plots, except in exceptional circumstance. Corner plots should be designed to address both aspects e.g. consider and propose a dual building frontage to minimise blank/dead frontages. All public open space should be overlooked by housing.