Potential Development Options for Long Leys: Drop-in Event Summary

Thank you to everyone who attended the recent Long Leys Neighbourhood Plan Drop-In, to give feedback on initial concepts for two different areas of Long Leys:

• Land to the south of the A46 (Initial design concept produced by Temple Garth)
• The Albion Works Industrial Area (Master plan concept and options produced by AECOM)

The feedback from those attending was much appreciated and will help evolve the concepts further.

For the benefit of those who could not attend and ask questions at the drop-in, the presentation slides are available as pdf documents below the explanatory text on each concept.

For Context:

• These are not “planning applications”. They are initial concepts to get community feedback before they are refined further. They could, in years ahead, develop into formal planning applications. Or not.
• The two areas are owned by different landowners and each landowner will have their commercial interests. Concepts for both areas show similar facilities, such as a convenience store but it is unlikely there will be two convenience stores in Long Leys. There is an element of competition. For example: a landowner who built a convenience store first would potentially block out that opportunity for other landowners.

Land to the South of the A46 – the process so far.

• The land was acquired in late 2023 by a developer, Temple Garth Ltd, a long-established 50:50 Joint Venture between Lindum Group Ltd and Castle Square Developments Ltd. They bought the land to develop it at some stage.
• Temple Garth approached LLRA to ask what residents wanted to see on the land. In response, LLRA included questions on this in the 2024 Long Leys Residents survey (Read survey results).
• Temple Garth has reviewed the survey responses and applied their expertise and commercial knowledge to develop an initial concept for resident feedback. Temple Garth will have already consulted with technical specialists on highway access and land drainage (amongst others). They are also likely to have consulted with the Local Planning Authority on key planning issues.
• Once Temple Garth has developed a broadly satisfactory proposal they would likely apply for planning permission. They may wait until the Neighbourhood Plan is complete before doing so. Any development would be expected to conform to the Long Leys Design Codes and Guidance, produced as part of the Neighbourhood Plan activity (Read Design Codes). This describes the appropriate styles of housing and other buildings that would enhance Long Leys.

VIEW PDF of Temple Garth Slides – Land to the south of the A46  

Albion Works Area Masterplan – background.

This Established Employment Area (EEA) has declined over the decades, with little new investment. Several hundred people used to work here, but employment has now fallen below a hundred. There are several large vacant plots and the area has more emphasis on storage of materials than jobs.

Neighbourhood Plan activity created the opportunity to re-imagine the area and explore how it could evolve over the next 10 to 20 years. As part of this, AECOM was appointed by Locality, a government-supported agency, as the technical advisor to create a masterplan for the Albion Works. (Read more about Masterplanning in the  Locality Technical Support Packages, Page 23-24)

AECOM has used its knowledge and experience to help explore different options to see if a consensus can emerge. These are not formal development proposals but a framework outlining what could be achieved if development were to take place in the future. AECOM will have referred to the resident survey as one source of guidance. This masterplan will be shaped by the community, focusing on the needs of residents, local businesses and the local environment. City council planners are also involved.

AECOM does not own any land and is not a developer. The concepts produced would have to be adopted by one or more developers. The Albion Works has many different landowners, all with their commercial interests, so to make progress some landowner interests may need to merge. There is no certainty that this will happen. However, the community evolving what they would like to see on the site in coming decades can guide planners. This means Long Leys could see something closer to resident aspirations than if a masterplan did not exist.

VIEW PDF of AECOM Slides – Albion Works Area – Masterplan 

How You Can Help

LLRA is happy to pass on further feedback from residents, businesses and other stakeholders to Lindum and/or AECOM. Email planning@long-leys.org with your comments. Please make clear which of the two concepts you are commenting on so we can direct your feedback to the right organisation. You are likely to see further revision of these concepts in coming months.