Lowood development plans under fire

by DOUGLAS SHEPHERD

Scottish Borders Council's planning application for the initial roads and infrastructure on the high amenity Lowood Estate, near Melrose, has come in for criticism from the local authority's own landscape architect who claims considerably more information is needed about the proposals.

The land at Lowood, purchased by the council in 2018 for £11 million, including professional fees, will be used for the development of several hundred houses together with commercial and amenity facilities in what amounts to an expansion of Tweedbank village.

In her written observations on the roads and infrastructure lay-out landscape expert Siobhan McDermott outlines the shortcomings and recommends several additions before the current application can be approved.

She has assessed the proposals in the context of the Supplementary Planning Guidance [SPG] and the Design Guide for Lowood.

Ms McDermott points out that in the Design Guide the strategic objectives are clearly outlined, and include delivering new development sustainably and sensitively within the attractive landscape setting, delivering a development with a strong sense of place and sympathetic to its site and setting, and respecting the core landscape, natural environmental assets and topography of the site and its surroundings

"At Section 5 – Heritage, Biodiversity and Landscape, the Vision for the development of the estate, the baseline character of the estate landscape, the Strategy approach to development and clear Instruction on how to address the various element that make up and contribute to the quality of the estate, have been laid out. At 5.5.3 Woodlands and Trees, in order to retain as many trees as possible, both a Tree Survey and an appraisal of the landscape and visual effects of development is required."

Her assessment states: "My concerns at the level of information supplied to satisfy the SPG and Design Guide are as following:

"Neither a tree survey nor a landscape and visual appraisal of the road proposal (of an appropriate scale) has been submitted.

"No Road Layout Masterplan has been submitted as part of this application which would place this development into context and explain the design rationale.

"On Drawing 201 there is no explanation for the red line boundary on the north side of the woodland (opposite and north of the ATN link between the newly extended Tweedside Road and the existing Lowood access road)

"On Drawing 200 there is no explanation for the removal of 24 metres of the estate wall along the Lowood road as there is no entrance or other works described at this location."

And Ms McDermott adds that on both Drawing 200 and 201, there is an ambiguous note ‘ALL TREES TO REMAIN UNLESS SHOWN ON THIS DRAWING.’ The meaning of this note needs rewording for clarity, in her view, and she suggests - perhaps ‘All trees to be retained except those shown (red) for removal on this drawing.’ with the key/note showing removed tree symbol in red, for clarity.

But criticism of the documentation lodged with SBC's planning application does not end there.   

According to Ms McDermott: "There is no explanation of why it is necessary to raise the ground levels over sections of the road by as much as 2.6 metres and what the visual impact of this will be on the local landscape. Nor is there any explanation of why a section of new road runs alongside and parallel with a part of the existing driveway rather than the driveway being widened to form this part of the new road layout.

"In addition to a tree survey, an arboricultural impact assessment (AIA) based on the development proposal (i.e. the proposed road), a tree constraints plan, an arboricultural method statement (AMS) and a Tree Protection Plan (TPP) by a competent arboriculturalist are all needed to provide the level of information required to demonstrate that the road can be built without damaging the existing tree resource."

"In addition to the above, a detailed soft landscaping scheme is required which should provide detail of tree species, shrub and wetland plants, grass mixes species together with a schedule to allow a planting scheme to be put in place on completion of the development and should include a future maintenance programme."

In summary, Ms McDermott claims that to satisfy the SPG and Design Guide and in order to act as an exemplar of best practice, more information in the form of a design statement, a simple landscape and visual appraisal and a tree survey with associated documents, as listed above, for the land within and immediately adjacent to the site (all areas shown outlined in red on the Location Plan) is required to allow a proper assessment of this proposal.

"Should this proposal be consented, in order to protect the landscape going forward, I would want to see conditions relating to a detailed planting scheme and Tree Protection to be applied. No development shall take place except in strict accordance with a scheme of soft landscaping works, which shall first have been submitted to and approved in writing by the Planning Authority".