Land off Cheadle Road, Upper Tean
Site and Situation
Site Location
This site lies to the northern boundary of the village of Upper Tean in
Staffordshire. the site has been identified within the Staffordshire Moorlands
Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) as being a “logical
northern extension of the settlement.” However, the SHLAA also recognised
that the site would need to take account of the character of the landscape
and the village of Upper Tean if any development was to be proposed.
To the east a lower density development of detached, semi-detached
and groups of four are present. To the south, the land boarders a
row of semi-detached dwellings which appear to have been built in
the early 1970s. There are views of the works chimney that occupies
a site to the south. Along most of the boundaries are some mature
hedgerows, however, these are a little unkempt and unmanaged.
The site runs in a roughly north-south orientation with the Cheadle
Road forming the eastern boundary and the River Tean forming
the western boundary. The development site slopes east to west,
in the main as a gentle slope, but there are two or three larger
level changes. The site area to the far west is subject to flooding.
The site itself is a mixture of open pasture and flood plain but also includes
a number of mature trees and other vegetation. These trees are mainly
present in the centre of the site and in the areas adjacent to the river. There
are only a few views in and out of the site are possible, typically from the
centre of the upper part of the site to the higher ground to the east and west.
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Opportunities and Constraints
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Landscape Context
Landscape Designations
KEY
Site
e boundary
NCA 64
As noted previously the site is well screened from the surrounding
landscape as a result of the mature vegetation and the existing
built form. Photographs below show that the site is barely visible
from the two important long distance views to the south west
and north west respectively.
These views are important to the
landscape character and the setting of the settlement of Upper Tean.
The site is covered by a landscape designation “Special Landscape
Area’ which is defined by Local Plan Policies N8 and N9. This means
that any development would need to be carefully designed to support
the intrinsic landscape qualities through its overall scale, design and
siting. Careful use of the existing vegetation and topography can assist
in ensuring that this is accommodated and delivered successfully.
It is unlikely that this would significantly eroded by any development as
the change would be minor and viewed in the context of the built form
beyond. The local character is set by the presence of the wide green
avenue that is formed along the Cheadle Road. This former ‘turnpike’
The development site is on the boarder between two of the National
Character Areas (NCA 53 & 64), and therefore can be seen as a transitional
landscape. This notes that the site is on the edge of the Peak District and
the landscape reflects that, with the foothills rising to the east of the
site. To the east, settled pastures and valleys characterise the landscape.
View of the site from the north-west
View of the site from the south-west
Public Conusultation May 2013
NC
CA 53
Sp
pecial
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Lan
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ndscape
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NCA 53 South
S th West
W t Peak
P k
NCA 64
4 Potteriess & Churnet
Churne
et Valley
Land off Cheadle Road, Upper Tean
Built Form and Density
Local Densities
26 dph
The local area contains a number of housing types, and these accord with the main
waves of development which have taken place at key points in time over the 20th
century. Within the village itself there are a large number of pre-1900 and early 20th
century buildings. The vernacular of the village centre is therefore quite different
from the area immediately surrounding the site but certain key features are recurrent
and can taken into account in the proposed development’s architectural design.
The majority of the local vernacular is two storeys with some having
attic rooms. In local new developments three and four storey blocks of
apartments have been included - these are a little incongruous. This is
however, not a typically local solution. Asymmetry is a key feature of
many houses in Upper Tean and can be found in buildings of all ages.
Nearby Quads & Semis
The majority of buildings in Upper Tean are red brick built. Though many have been
plastered and painted and some have been pebble dashed or clad. The 1970s and
1980s builds tend to be different colours of brick usually orange or brown which
clash with the uniformity of the area. Timber detailing can also be found locally.
Roofs are dark slate and there is some use of stone walling but this is not the norm.
32 dph
24 dph
24 dph
The Anchor Inn
Materials Palette for Upper Tean
Site Design Principles
Original Design Strategy
The drawing below shows the main landscape and urban design principles
that have been developed for this site following an assessment of the
site and its context. The are three access points shown, but these could
either be vehicular or simply (and more likely) just a series of cycle and
pedestrian links. These correspond with existing accesses and styles.
A hierarchy of routes and spaces can be created around this framework. In
the main this based around private drives and shared surface lanes in order
to soften the overall appearance of the development offering a softer
alternative to ‘urban’ estate roads. These links with the existing roads and
the public footpath routes to allow for greater public access to the site.
A series of ‘green wedges’ running between the Cheadle Road (the green avenue)
and the wider countryside have been used to determine the size and location of
the urban form. This will ensure that the built form does not become a ‘mass’ of
development within the landscape, allowing it to better integrate. The green wedges
also allow for the opportunity to introduce landscape elements, SUDs swales and
most importantly retain the visual links across the site to the wider landscape beyond.
The lower portions of the site are given over to both a large public open space
and an ecological area. These areas are unsuitable for built development but
can contribute effectively to the creation of a ‘place’. The ecological areas
will be set out to encourage biodiversity, retain and manage the mature
trees in the area, provide interpretation. The public open space comprises
a large area of open flat land suitable for a variety of uses or parkland.
Houses Front Greenspaces
Site Design Principles & Strategy
Approximate
bus stop
location
Approximate
bus stop
location
Frontage respects building line
12
Strong visual and
landscape links to
countryside
11
Routes and
SUDs run down
the slope
14
15
Retained Alders
Reinforced
Boundary
Soft Edge encourages Ecology
Public Open Space
Ecological Area
Public Conusultation May 2013
20 dph
32 dph
Surrounding the site housing is typically low density, with large plots with detached
and semi-detached properties dominating. Some limited terraced accommodation
is provided on Cheadle Road where higher density accommodation is located.
Densities therefore range from 20 dph to 32 dph, with an average density of 26
dwellings per hectare. The majority of dwellings are semi-detached and built
following the Second World War mostly as part of larger monotype estates.
Typical Terraced Properties
24 dph