Land at Chapel Wood Road, NEW ASH GREEN
Land at Chapel Wood Road
Hallam Land are pleased to welcome you to this online engagement website. This website presents our emerging ideas and proposals for how development could come forward on Land at Chapel Wood Road in New Ash Green.
The emerging proposals presented have been developed by Hallam Land together with a full team of specialist consultants including masterplanning and design, heritage, highways, ecology, landscape and drainage. A number of considerations have shaped how the design proposals have evolved, as set out on the above plan and supporting text.
We are in the early stages of design and are keen to hear your thoughts on the work we have undertaken to date. Your comments and feedback will be helpful for us as we develop our design proposals further in readiness for submitting an outline planning application later this year.
A feedback questionnaire can be found at the bottom of this website. Feedback and comments are invited until 10th November 2025.
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INTRODUCTION TO HALLAM LAND
Hallam Land are respected as being one of the UK’s leading land promoters. Working closely with landowners, partners and stakeholders, we have a successful track record of bringing forwards high quality, well designed places where people want to live. Our commitment to creating sustainable communities is proven by the provision of thriving places to work, green spaces to enjoy, improved transport networks and community facilities alongside these homes.
Our proactive team has the experience to ensure that each of our developments is well planned, enhances the character and qualities of each unique site and meets local needs and ambitions for growth.
As part of the Henry Boot Group, we recognise our duties to the environment and the communities in which we operate. Our people, partners and communities continue to trust our reputation, respect our expertise and value our team’s forward thinking approach.
Below are recent examples of Hallam Land’s recent developments where high quality new homes have been designed and delivered alongside public open space and supporting infrastructure. Local character and materials are reflected in the design of the new homes which are laid out to protect existing trees and hedgerows within extensive new green infrastructure.
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SITE LOCATION
Land at Chapel Wood Road, NEW ASH GREEN
The site is comprised of two parcels of land, situated to the west of Chapel Wood Road on the western edge of New Ash Green.
The northern parcel is made up of three fields, used as horse paddocks with a small area within the central field planted with fruit bushes. Hedgerow and trees mark the western boundary of the site with Redlibbets golf course. Ancient woodland borders the northern and north-western edges, with the boundary defined by a post and wire fence. The southern boundary is defined by a hedgerow beyond which is another field used as a horse paddock.
The southern parcel is made up of two fields, both used as horse paddocks. Hedgerows define the boundaries. The land is bordered by public highway on three sides – Chapel Wood Road to the east, Manor Lane to the south and Butchers Lane to the west. To the north is a combination of agricultural barns associated with the farm and horse paddocks. The Grade II listed Corner Cottage is located to the south east of the site at the junction of Manor Lane and Chapel Wood Road.
The landform across both parcels is generally flat, with a gentle fall from east to west towards Redlibbets golf course. An overhead power line runs broadly north-south through both parcels.
The existing neighbourhoods of Chapel Wood, Ayelands, The Mead and Colt Stead are located on the opposite side of Chapel Wood Road.
EMBEDDING DEVELOPMENT WITHIN NEW ASH GREEN
The original concept for New Ash Green envisaged a place for Twentieth Century living, providing for Twentieth Century people’s needs. This ambition has been through a careful, ‘whole place’ design process involving a team of architects, careful implementation and subsequent management.
New Ash Green is made up of a series of neighbourhoods, named after local features such as fields or woodlands. Varying in scale, the neighbourhoods were delivered in a variety of densities, creating a rich mix of housing set within and closely related to an expansive public open space network.
The national need for new housing is well-documented, and this is very much the case in Sevenoaks District. These two parcels west of Chapel Wood Road are identified as a location for new housing in Sevenoaks District Council’s emerging Local Plan which is subject to a live public consultation.
Drawing on the rich heritage of New Ash Green, the opportunity exists for new growth to sit sympathetically within the structure and pattern of the existing settlement and deliver high quality and sustainable new homes.
To do this, the original masterplanning principles will be embedded in the new development proposals, which will ensure the development is fully integrated in terms of design, layout and landscape character. Our proposals will do this by creating sustainable new neighbourhoods that is shaped by public open space or ‘minis’ and connected by walking routes or ‘wents’. Vehicular access and parking will be integrated within landscaped streets and courtyards. And new homes will reflect the design and materials palette that characterise the original neighbourhoods.
EMERGING DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT
Our emerging proposals for Land at Chapel Wood Road include two new neighbourhoods for New Ash Green. Each will have a distinct character, sympathetic to the original village, but shaped by the landscape in which they sit.
The plan represents the collective thoughts of Hallam land and their consultant team as to how high- quality, sustainable development could be brought forward on this site. Below we set out how the proposals have been developed to date, highlighting how they respond to the site and it’s context’s particular features and characteristics.
To the north is the new neighbourhood of ‘Redlibbets’, comprised of up to 180 new homes.
To the south is the new neighbourhood of ‘West Yoke’, comprised of up to 120 new homes.
OPPORTUNITIES AND STRUCTURING PRINCIPLES
Technical assessments and surveys of the site and its surroundings are progressing and will be used to evolve the development proposals and help assess any impacts arising from the development.
Within the rich built environment heritage of New Ash Green, new development must also respond to the characteristics of the site. We’ve given careful consideration to any sensitivities through the design process to ensure they are appropriately protected and where possible enhanced.
The existing features of the site and the immediate surroundings provide some key influences which have helped structure and shape our emerging design proposals. These are:
EXISTING GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE
Hedgerows and trees – are to be retained where possible and supplemented with new planting to increase vegetation cover and expand wildlife habitats
PROTECT ANCIENT WOODLANDS
Protect the Ancient Woodlands which border the site through the creation of green corridors to offset development
OVERHEAD POWER LINES
Reduce the prominence of the overhead lines and pylons through their integration within open space and development
HERITAGE
Respect heritage sensitivities associated with Corner Cottage through incorporation of appropriate offsets to development
NEW ACCESS
Provision of new access points into the site from the highway network
Active Travel Connectivity
Support walking between the development and New Ash Green centre with new pedestrian crossings on Chapel Wood Road
FLOOD PROTECTION
Integrate high quality flood protection measures – a SuDS system - into the open spaces
SUPPORTING BIODIVERSITY
Create a mixture of habitat types to connect to existing networks, support nature recovery and deliver Biodiversity Net Gain
LAND USE AND BUILT FORM
Defined by open spaces, our proposed new neighbourhoods, Redlibbets and West Yoke, will reflect the scale and layout of the existing neighbourhoods within New Ash Green.
They will employ the principles of connection with landscape, prioritisation of walking and creation of distinct characters to provide high quality and sustainable new homes for New Ash Green which are sympathetic to its existing identity.
Building design and materials will vary between the two new neighbourhoods in response to their different settings to create distinct identities which sit sympathetically within New Ash green as a ‘whole’ place. Each will take a fabric-first approach to sustainability whereby energy efficiency is considered from the outset.
Redlibbets will reflect the character of the adjacent Chapel Wood and Ayelands neighbourhoods with buff brick, grey roof tiles and white window frames.
The built character of West Yoke will take inspiration from the adjacent neighbourhoods of The Mead and Colt Stead as well as the more historic buildings along Manor Farm and Butchers Lane which surround the site. In combining these references there is potential for materials to include red brick, hanging tiles, timber weather boarding and clay roof tiles.
Potential for use of MMC (modern methods of construction) to reduce waste and reflect the innovative approach to construction used for parts of the original settlement.
ACCESS AND CONNECTIVITY
Each neighbourhood includes a main access via a new junction from Chapel Wood Road. These will accommodate vehicular and pedestrian movements. Each neighbourhood will also include an additional emergency access providing for active travel connectivity.
Enabling access between the new neighbourhoods and New Ash Green, two new pedestrian crossings will be created on Chapel Wood Road, connecting to the existing footway network.
Landscaped streets will provide access through the neighbourhoods for pedestrians and vehicles.
Walking routes, reflecting the local ‘wents’ will extend through the open spaces to create a permeable environment which prioritise walking over other modes of travel.
LANDSCAPE AND ENVIRONMENT
The landscape structure of Redlibbets is made up of a series of connected green corridors which define a series of smaller clusters of homes. They will incorporate a range of features such as walking routes, play spaces, flood protection ponds and swales, wildlife habitats and amenity space.
Reflecting the character and qualities of New Ash green’s existing ‘minis’, the new open spaces will include a mix of planting, including hedgerows, meadows, scrub and trees, to supplement and enhance the established vegetation around the edge of Redlibbets.
Landscape will also play an important role within the development areas of housing with planting being integrated into streets and courtyards.
The landscape of West Yoke is comprised of a series of spaces, the largest of which is located to the west of the new neighbourhood. This will include flood protection ponds, play space, wildlife habitat and walking routes. Connecting to this will be a series of green routes providing more walking access, wildlife habitat and amenity space. An open space is proposed in the south-eastern part of the neighbourhood in response to the adjacent listed Corner Cottage. This will include play opportunities as well as additional walking routes, connecting to Chapel Wood Road.
The existing hedgerows around the edges of the neighbourhood will be supplemented with additional planting of hedgerows and trees. These will provide additional habitat value and connectivity and strengthen the green infrastructure which defines West Yoke, reflective of the existing New Ash Green neighbourhoods.
