Technical Details
Transport
Sustainable Travel & Local Facilities
The site is situated within a sustainable location that provides real opportunities for future residents, staff and visitors of the proposed development to travel by sustainable modes of transport to the surrounding facilities and destinations.
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Footway provision is available adjacent Little Aston Lane that forms part of a network of footways leading to a range of local essential facilities and public transport services, including Blake Street Railway Station, which provides access to the wider areas including Birmingham City Centre and Lichfield.
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In addition, essential facilities and activities will also be provided on-site within the retirement village, thereby reducing the need for future residents to travel off-site.
Proposed Access Arrangements
Vehicular access to the proposed development will be served in the form of a priority-controlled junction from the northern side of Little Aston Lane, approximately 100m west of the junction with The Grove.
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The design of the site access junction has been prepared with consideration to the Staffordshire Residential Design Guide and both Manual for Streets (MfS) and MfS2. The location of the site access also provides significant lengths of unobstructed emerging visibility.
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As part of the proposed access arrangements, a tactile dropped kerb crossing point will be provided across the site access road, immediately north of the bellmouth, as well as across Little Aston Lane, from either side of the site access junction, to provide suitable direct pedestrian connectivity onto the existing footway adjacent to the southern side of the carriageway.
On-Site Parking Provision & Off-Site Highway Impact
Surveys have been undertaken at the ExtraCare New Oscott Retirement Village, which has been identified as the most representative retirement village operated by ExtraCare to the site, in terms of its location and site context, with New Oscott Village being within a suburban area, with a single bus service accessible within a 400m walking distance that provides a circa 30-minute frequency to the surrounding key destinations, in addition with a railway station within a 2.0km walking distance of the site.
The results of these surveys will be factored accordingly to the scale of the proposed development to assist in determining the anticipated parking demand and subsequent parking provision, as well as the forecast vehicle trip arrivals and departures during each hour of a typical weekday, with local junctions to be assessed in terms of capacity, where necessary.
A separate formal drop-off car park is also proposed on-site to provide additional capacity for Little Aston Primary Academy and the adjacent recreation ground. This would be subject to agreement from LARGA to connection between the site and the recreation ground. A direct pedestrian link is proposed from the car park to the school, which will take pressure off the Forge Lane car parks and help ease congestion at school drop-off and pick-up times..
Drainage
Surface Water
The proposed surface water drainage system for the development will fully utilise SuDS features (Sustainable Drainage Systems), to manage surface water run-off, reduce any flood risks, and improve water quality.
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Where possible, infiltration into the ground will be used as the primary source of drainage, to remove the need to connect to the Severn Trent Water public piped system, and therefore reduce the risk of surcharging or flooding.
Foul Water
Due to the topography of the site, the proposed foul water drainage will fall to a proposed foul water pumping station, and then be pumped to the Severn Trent Water public piped system in Little Aston Lane.
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Severn Trent Water have confirmed that this is acceptable subject only to a formal Section 106 sewer connection approval.
Landscape
In landscape and visual terms, the site benefits from there being no overriding landscape designations. Topographically the local landform falls gently to the south, towards a hedgerow and woodland belt that forms the northern and most of the eastern boundaries of the site.
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The site is influenced by the existing settlement edge to the south and west, as well as other urbanising features and elements such as the Little Aston Recreation Ground to the west and the Aston Wood Golf Club to the north and east. The strong vegetation framework associated with the Golf Club to the north and east and gently sloping topography result in limited long-distance views into the site from across the wider landscape.
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There are good opportunities for new landscape planting, including hedgerows and trees that will help assimilate the development into its context. The proposals include new areas of car parking for the proposed development as well as the adjacent School and Recreation Ground, both of which will be located in a parkland setting. Pedestrian links will be provided to and around the proposed development connecting it to the existing settlement edge, the School and Recreation Ground.
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The ExtraCare Village itself will feature extensive areas of formal and informal open spaces directly overlooked and accessed from residential units, providing amenity and recreational facilities for residents and visitors as well as sustainable drainage systems that will provide opportunities for biodiversity enhancement.
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A landscape and visual appraisal and detailed landscape proposals will accompany the application.
Ecology
The site, situated on the edge of residential area of Little Aston, comprises a single agricultural field bounded by native hedgerows, some containing trees.
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There are no statutory or non-statutory sites within or immediately adjacent to the site, and the statutory/non-statutory ecologically designated sites identified within range of the proposed development are not anticipated to be significantly impacted by the proposed development.
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Great crested newt is known to be present locally, but given the lack of suitable habitat within the site for the species, it is considered that mitigation can be provided through created green infrastructure, or alternatively through a District Level Licensing scheme. The boundary features are considered likely to be the focal areas of ecological interest, and as these are largely proposed to be retained, no other protected species are anticipated be a constraint to development. Ecological surveys scheduled for Spring and Summer 2026 will provide further clarity towards this assessment.
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Furthermore, creation of new green infrastructure will create new opportunities for protected species present locally, and provide additional links to nearby preexisting habitats.