Copeland Local Plan 2013-2028 Core Strategy and Development Management Policies DPD Adopted December 2013 To view and download an electronic copy of this Core Strategy and Development Management Policies document, visit the Copeland Borough Council Website: www.copeland.gov.uk You can also view the document at all libraries in the Borough and Copeland Borough Council offices. Paper copies of the document are available on request from the contact details below. For further information on the Copeland Local Plan (also known as the Local Development Framework), please contact: The Planning Policy Unit Copeland Borough Council The Copeland Centre Catherine Street Whitehaven Cumbria CA28 7SJ Telephone: 01946 598435 Email: [email protected] If you require a copy of this document in an alternative format, for example, large print, Braille, audio cassette or an alternative language, please call 0845 054 8600. Photographs on front cover used with kind permission of Brian Sherwen. 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CONTENTS 1 Planning Copeland’s Future ................................................................................................ 1 2 Spatial Portrait for Copeland .............................................................................................. 7 3 Setting the Strategy ............................................................................................................ 9 4 Economic Opportunity and Regeneration ........................................................................ 32 5 Sustainable Settlements ................................................................................................... 52 6 Accessibility, Transport and Communications .................................................................. 63 7 Environmental Protection and Enhancement .................................................................. 67 8 Localities in Copeland ....................................................................................................... 77 9 Monitoring Framework ................................................................................................... 129 10 Development Management Policies ............................................................................... 142 11 Appendix 1: List of Superseded Policies ......................................................................... 173 12 Appendix 2: Glossary ...................................................................................................... 178 13 Appendix 3: Threshold for Transport Assessments and Travel Plans ............................ 190 14 Appendix 4: Consultation Requirements within Safeguarding Zones ............................ 191 15 Appendix 5: Housing Trajectory...................................................................................... 192 List of Figures and Tables Figure 1.1: Coverage of the Copeland Local Plan 3 Figure 1.2: The Copeland Local Plan 4 Figure 3.1: Key Diagram 22 Figure 3.2: Settlement Hierarchy 23 Figure 3.3: Housing Requirements by Settlement 25 Figure 4.1: Location of jobs in Copeland 42 Figure 5.1: Housing Trajectory – Guide for allocations and phasing 55 Table 6.1: Designated sites of biodiversity importance within the Copeland Plan Area 71 Figure 9.1: Monitoring Framework and Outputs 131 Figure 9.2 Proposed Annual Monitoring Report content 136 CORE STRATEGY POLICIES Policy ST1 – Strategic Development Principles 18 Policy ST2 – Spatial Development Strategy 20 Policy ST3 – Strategic Development Priorities 28 Policy ST4 – Providing Infrastructure 29 Policy ER1 – Planning for the Nuclear Sector 32 Policy ER2 – Planning for the Renewable Energy Sector 35 Policy ER3 – The Support Infrastructure for the Energy Coast 37 Policy ER4 – Land and Premises for Economic Development 39 Policy ER5 – Improving the Quality of Employment Space 41 Policy ER6 – Location of Employment 41 Policy ER7 – Principal Town Centre, Key Service Centres, Local Centres and other service areas: Roles and Functions 44 Policy ER8 – Whitehaven Town Centre 45 Policy ER9 – The Key Service Centres, Local Centres and other smaller centres 46 Policy ER10 – Renaissance through Tourism 48 Policy ER11 – Developing Enterprise and Skills 50 Policy SS1 – Improving the Housing Offer 52 Policy SS2 – Sustainable Housing Growth 53 Policy SS3 – Housing Needs, Mix and Affordability 57 Policy SS4 – Community and Cultural Facilities and Services 59 Policy SS5 – Provision and Access to Open Space and Green Infrastructure 62 Policy T1 – Improving Accessibility and Transport 63 Policy T2 – Information and Communications Technology 66 Policy ENV1 – Flood Risk and Risk Management 67 Policy ENV2 – Coastal Management 69 Policy ENV3 – Biodiversity and Geodiversity 70 Policy ENV4 – Heritage Assets 74 Policy ENV5 – Protecting and Enhancing the Borough’s Landscapes 75 Policy ENV6 – Access to the Countryside 76 The Core Strategy 1 Planning Copeland’s Future 1.1 Introduction 1.1.1 Copeland faces serious challenges over the next few decades: . a world where climate change is a vital concern; . an economy where long-established industries continue to be under pressure; and . tight financial constraints that impose a need for clear efficient decisions on resources. 1.1.2 At the same time, the Borough has real assets to call on. Two thirds of our area is part of the world-renowned Lake District National Park. Our coastal landscapes and historic towns give us an extra quality and character. And we have a unique cluster of capability and potential in the energy sector – centred on but not limited to the nuclear industry. 1.1.3 Development planning is a vital tool in helping the Council and the community respond to the challenges that lie ahead. It can help us to prepare the land, the places, the infrastructure and the services that will be needed, and it can set out the basis for making choices about new development, some of which inevitably will be controversial. 1.1.4 In 2006 the Council adopted a 10 year Local Plan for the area where it has planning responsibilities – i.e. the portion of the Borough outside the National Park. This is now being replaced by a new Local Plan, incorporating a range of planning documents under the umbrella title of the Local Development Framework (LDF). The most important of these are the Core Strategy and the Development Management Development Planning Document (DPD) which cover a 15 year time horizon (2013-2028). The preparation process is described below in paragraph 1.3.1. From the Leader of the Council The Council’s vision is “Working to improve lives, communities and the prosperity of Copeland”. Our new Local Plan will be an extremely important tool for implementing that vision at a time when Copeland is facing immense challenges and change. It will be essential to achieving our goals for sustainable communities, quality places and economic regeneration over the next 15 years. Copeland Local Plan 2013-2028: Adopted Core Strategy and Development Management Policies Page 1 The Core Strategy Purpose of the Document 1.1.5 This document provides the Council’s policies and proposals for the following: 1.1.6 Core Strategy: Deals with the big strategic planning issues facing the Borough setting out an over-arching Vision, priority Objectives, development principles and a series of high-level spatial policies. It includes a Monitoring Framework showing responsibilities for implementation and targets to measure progress over the plan period. The other main section sets out how the policies will be implemented on the ground within the 6 Locality Areas that make up the Borough. 1.1.7 Development Management DPD: Concentrates on the Council’s more detailed requirements for development proposals when considering planning applications. 1.1.8 Together with the Site Allocations and Policies Plan, now in preparation, the two documents form the principal components of the Copeland Local Plan and will particularly assist delivery of the following: . Britain’s Energy Coast: A Masterplan for West Cumbria (sometimes referred to as the ‘Energy Coast Master Plan’) as refreshed by new work on the West Cumbria Economic Blueprint (2012) . Copeland’s Community Strategy – The “Copeland Partnership Plan” . The Copeland Housing Strategy 2011-15 1.1.9 The plan will also be a major delivery vehicle for the work of the Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership and the strategic context for the development of Neighbourhood Plans in the Borough, which have been introduced in the 2011 Localism Act. Coverage of the Copeland Local Plan (LDF) 1.1.10 The Local Plan (also known as the Local Development Framework) covers the parts of Copeland Borough which are not within the Lake District National Park. The extent of coverage is shown on the map at Figure 1.1. Please note that matters relating to waste, minerals and highways are dealt with by Cumbria County Council and matters relating to land-use planning in the Lake District National Park are dealt with by the Lake District National Park Authority. These two authorities produce their own plans for the purpose. Copeland Local Plan 2013-2028: Adopted Core Strategy and Development Management Policies Page 2 The Core Strategy Figure 1.1: Coverage of the Copeland Local Plan Copeland Local Plan 2013-2028: Adopted Core Strategy and Development Management Policies Page 3 The Core Strategy 1.2 Copeland Local Plan 1.2.1 Figure 1.2 outlines the main documents that will form the Copeland Local Plan, which is known for legal purposes as the Local Development Framework. Note that