APPENDIX 1

THE PORTSMOUTH PLAN

(PORTSMOUTH DRAFT CORE STRATEGY 2008) Portsmouth Draft Core Strategy 2008

CONTENTS

Page Number 1. INTRODUCTION 1 2. A PROFILE OF PORTSMOUTH 4 3. VISION AND OBJECTIVES 7 4. A SPATIAL STRATEGY FOR PORTSMOUTH 10 PROVIDING FOR HOUSING 21 PROVIDING FOR EMPLOYMENT 24 CORE POLICIES 5. KEY DEVELOPMENT AREAS AND SITES 5.1 TIPNER 28 5.2 PORT SOLENT AND NORTH HARBOUR 32 5.3 SOMERSTOWN AND NORTH SOUTHSEA 36 5.4 FRATTON PARK 38 5.5 PORTSMOUTH CITY CENTRE 40 5.6 OTHER TOWN CENTRES 47 5.7 THE SEAFRONT 56 6. CREATING QUALITY PLACES TO LIVE 6.1 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 60 6.2 DESIGN AND CONSERVATION 64 6.3 TALL BUILDINGS 67 6.4 OPEN SPACE 70 6.5 TRANSPORT 73 7. HOUSING 77 8. FLOODING 81 9. INFRASTRUCTURE AND COMMUNITY BENEFIT 86 10. MONITORING FRAMEWORK 89 Portsmouth Draft Core Strategy 2008

BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL – DRAFT REPORT SUBJECT TO CHANGE Portsmouth Draft Core Strategy 2008

1. INTRODUCTION

What is the Core Strategy? 1.1 The Portsmouth Core Strategy will be the overarching planning policy document, which forms part of a wider set of local planning policy documents known as the Local Development Framework (LDF). The LDF will gradually replace the policies in the City Local Plan, adopted in July 2006. The Core Strategy is designed to: • Set out the vision of the Sustainable Community Strategy for the development of Portsmouth up to 2026; • Set strategic objectives and policies; • Identify broad locations for development, protection or change, and show these on a key diagram; and • Set out an implementation and monitoring framework.

1.2 The policies in all the other documents forming the LDF will have to be in line with the Core Strategy, so it is important that we get its content right. 1.3 The following diagram outlines the process of producing the Core Strategy along with periods at which you are invited to ‘have your say’.

Background ADOPTION work June 2010

Binding Inspector’s Issues report - April 2010 consultation

Development of Examination options Nov 2009

Submission Issues & Options June/July 2009 consultation Oct-Nov 2007 Consultation March 2009 Have Development of your say preferred options Prepare Core Strategy Preferred Options consultation We are here

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How we got here 1.4 Two rounds of issues and options consultation were carried out in November - December 2006 and October – November 2007. The results of these have been analysed and have helped to inform the city council’s preferred options for the Core Strategy, along with a variety of studies such as an update to our retail study and a review of our open spaces and recreation facilities. At the sub-regional level, amongst other things, a Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (SFRA) and further detailed work on employment land needs in each authority area is being undertaken. A list of the studies and other documents relied on in producing this document can be found at Appendix 1.

Relationship to other strategies 1.5 The Core Strategy is influenced by many other policies and strategies that have an impact on the vision and objectives for the future of Portsmouth, land use needs within the city and ultimately policies for development.

1.6 National planning policies (set out in a series of Planning Policy Statements (PPS’s) cover a variety of issues from sustainable development and flooding through to housing and town centres1. Policies in the Core Strategy should follow the principles set out in national policy.

1.7 The Core Strategy also needs to conform to the Regional Spatial Strategy, which is the draft South East Plan. The draft South East Plan (www.southeast-ra.gov.uk/southeastplan/plan/view_plan.html) was produced in 2006 and contains more than 100 policies seeking to improve the economic wellbeing in the region while improving the quality of life for its citizens. Importantly, it also contains a sub-regional strategy, developed by the Partnership for Urban South Hampshire (PUSH), which seeks to improve economic performance in the sub-region through an increase in jobs as well as productivity. PUSH was set up in 2003 primarily to look at boosting economic performance in South Hampshire as the sub-region lagged behind its neighbours in the South East. One of its aims is therefore to ensure that the economic growth necessary in the sub-region, to allow for quality jobs and a good standard of living for all its residents, is matched with the required improvements to infrastructure. Portsmouth City Council is one of 11 local authorities involved in PUSH, which regularly meet to further develop the detail of the sub-regional strategy contained within the draft South East Plan and promote the needs of the sub-region.

1.8 The city council has a set of core values and priorities, which are reflected in the vision, and objectives of the Core Strategy, such as creating a cleaner and greener city, improving the availability and quality of housing and regenerating the city. The Core Strategy is one way in which some of the city council’s priorities can be achieved.

1 References to town centres throughout this document apply to all types of centre detailed in Table 1 of Annex A of PPS6.

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1.9 The Sustainable Community Strategy is the high level-visioning document for the city. It deals with the issues that the community feels affect them most. The Portsmouth Core Strategy will implement the spatial aspects of the Sustainable Community Strategy. To ensure that this can happen the two documents are closely aligned with a shared vision and related objectives.

1.10 Other strategies that affect the preparation of the Core Strategy, such as Local Transport Plan, Affordable Housing Strategy, Portsmouth Primary Care Trust Estate Strategy, are referred to throughout the document and are set out in Appendix 1, as they will form part of our evidence base.

Relationship to neighbouring authorities 1.11 It is important to remember that Portsmouth does not change and function in isolation. The city provides for and relies on its neighbours. What happens in Portsmouth is linked to and will affect its neighbours of Gosport, Havant, Fareham (especially the Fareham SDA) and Winchester and vice versa. Portsmouth provides jobs, entertainment, shops and leisure (principally in the form of the seafront), for people living in the neighbouring areas and residents of Portsmouth access other areas for leisure and recreation and to a lesser extent shopping and jobs. Therefore our Core Strategy will need to take into account the vision and plans of the neighbouring areas.

1.12 In recognition of the fact that no one area exists in isolation much cross boundary working takes place mainly under the PUSH umbrella. For example joint working has taken place between the county and the two cities (Portsmouth and Southampton) in preparing the Hampshire Minerals and Waste LDF, between the PUSH authorities in preparing studies (Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA), SFRA) and a policy framework (sustainable development) and between the harbour authorities (Gosport, Havant, Fareham and Portsmouth) on the transport implications of additional development in the area.

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2. A PROFILE OF PORTSMOUTH

2.1 The city of Portsmouth is home to approximately 196,000 people, across a land area of 15.5 square miles of unique geography, being surrounded by sea on three sides with Portsdown Hill lying to the north. The city is very much distinguished by its historic, diverse and vibrant waterfront. The western side of the city is more commercial containing the city centre, Naval Dockyard and Continental Ferry Port, whilst the east of the city is dominated by residential areas with some industrial areas.

2.2 Portsmouth is expected to reach a population of 205,200 by 2026, in part due to longer life expectancy, and an increase in single households. Portsmouth is already the most densely populated city in the UK outside of Inner London. The densely built up nature of the city means that local services are highly accessible and town centres are within easy reach of residential areas.

2.3 Development in Portsmouth is also constrained by floodrisk, around a third of the land area is in the tidal floodplain, and with sea level rise this will increase.

2.4 Pressures from development will mean that it will be increasingly important to protect the city’s open spaces and natural environment. The city’s habitats are rich with biodiversity, with many sites having international, national and local designations.

2.5 As home to the Royal Navy, the city has a strong maritime background and is proud of its heritage. The city benefits from the waterfront, providing a strong tourism sector, with many visitors to the Historic Dockyard, the Spinnaker Tower and the Seafront. The city also has a significant historic environment with some 25 Conservation Areas, over 600 statutorily listed buildings, over 260 locally listed buildings, 9 ancient monuments and 3 historic parks and gardens.

2.6 There are only three main roads linking Portsea Island with the mainland including the M275, which connects to the wider strategic road network. Portsmouth enjoys direct rail connections to London Waterloo from a number of stations and bus services connecting with the sub-region. The city benefits from good connections with Europe from the Continental Ferry Port. There are also regular ferry services to Gosport, Hayling Island and to the Isle of Wight.

2.7 Portsmouth as a city is an important centre providing employment, leisure, shopping, culture, health care and higher education facilities serving the South Hampshire sub-region. The city’s university has expanded attracting students from around the country and across the globe. Portsmouth’s economy has strong roots in tourism, leisure and retail, marine manufacturing related to defence, marine and aerospace and information and communications technology. However, Portsmouth’s unemployment rates are higher than the regional average and most of the higher skilled jobs are taken by those commuting into the city for work.

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2.8 The city has seen recent investment with major developments such as Gunwharf Quays and Queen Alexandra Hospital. While the city is moving forward challenges still remain.

Issues and Challenges facing Portsmouth 2.9 Throughout the process of preparing the Core Strategy and consultation with the community, there have been a number of emerging issues and challenges facing the city. These issues underpin the Preferred Options.

Creating quality places to live and delivering infrastructure 2.10 A key challenge in delivering development in the city will be ensuring that the urban and natural environment of the city is not compromised. Development in the city must improve quality of life, and the necessary infrastructure must be in place in order to ensure development is sustainable. As recent trends have meant that not everyone is able to afford a suitable home, the Core Strategy will be fundamental in delivering mixed and balanced communities. The Core Strategy will direct development towards brownfield sites and continue to safeguard existing open spaces from development and ensure that development contributes towards the natural and built environment in a positive way.

2.11 The city will be expected to accommodate some significant growth over the next 20 years. High levels of development will put increased pressure on the city’s infrastructure and new development will need to contribute towards the maintenance and delivery of infrastructure. The term infrastructure covers a variety of resources and facilities such as transport, health, education and drainage. The Core Strategy will need to establish the city’s needs for infrastructure and take into account existing deficiencies and the need generated from development. An infrastructure levy will help to address this challenge facing the city and place a clear emphasis on developers to contribute to the delivery of vital infrastructure.

Providing housing for all for life 2.12 A key challenge will be providing a good mix and the right level of housing to ensure that the needs of all are met within the city. Income in the city is below the regional average2 and as a result many people are unable to afford properties within the city. With an increase in single person households there has been a sharp fall in the number of family houses built. Not everyone has been able to find a suitable home they can reasonably afford. With longer life expectancy and an ageing population, there is also a need to accommodate older people and the type of accommodation they will require. The Core Strategy must set out a housing strategy, to ensure that a good of mix of housing is delivered and that the needs of all are met.

Mitigating climate change and flooding & promoting sustainable development 2.13 Rising sea levels will mean that Portsmouth’s urban environment will have to adapt quickly to the risk of flooding. The city is dependent on a combined sewer system and is at risk from surface water flooding in many areas. Current flood defences are not sufficient to protect the city into the future

2 ONS 2007 annual survey of hours and earnings – Portsmouth £21,113 – South East Region £28,430

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and will need to be enhanced in order to reduce the number of lives at risk from tidal flooding. Furthermore, the Core Strategy will play a key role in addressing how new development will incorporate sustainable design and construction techniques, in order to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

Creating a safe city 2.14 Portsmouth has marginally higher crime levels than the rest of the South East. Although statistics show that the fear of crime in the city is decreasing, in order to continue this trend, it will become increasingly important to improve safety within the community and promote social inclusion. Creating a safe city will be a key objective to the Core Strategy particularly in delivering sustainable communities and improving the quality of life for our residents.

Improving health 2.15 There are health inequalities across the city, with a gap in life expectancy of some six years between the most and least deprived wards. There are high incidences of health problems in the city such as obesity and heart disease. Improving health and healthy lifestyles will be a key challenge for the city over the next 20 years.

Ensuring the city is prosperous 2.16 Portsmouth is home to over 6000 businesses including multi-national companies such as EADS Astrium, Pall Europe and IBM UK. The city has a strong economy in sectors such as marine, leisure, tourism and advanced manufacturing related to defence, marine and aerospace. One aim is to promote the city as home to the UK space centre. With high expectations for growth Portsmouth will need to improve the opportunities for young people in education in order to meet the increasing demand for employment across the city. Portsmouth will need to raise aspirations and diversify the skills of the workforce in order to continue to strengthen the economy and ensure local people can make the most of new job opportunities that will arise in the city. The Core Strategy will strengthen and diversify Portsmouth’s economy, by protecting land for employment, improving access to education and building on its marine, aerospace, tourism and leisure links to make Portsmouth a prosperous and successful city.

Improving design 2.17 While in recent years good quality schemes such as Gunwharf Quays and the iconic Spinnaker Tower have improved the city’s image, and the city’s historic areas are valued by residents and visitors, parts of the city are still characterised by poor quality design. The need to raise the standard of design across the city is increasingly important to encourage investment in the city and create a good quality urban environment.

Encouraging stronger town centres 2.18 The city’s town centres play an important role in meeting people’s retail needs across the city. There is a need to ensure each town centre maintains its own identity and character. The role of these centres needs to be strengthened through improvement and investment. The Core Strategy will be fundamental in setting out how the role of these centres will develop.

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3. VISION AND OBJECTIVES

Vision 3.1 The vision for the Core Strategy sets out where we want the city to be in 2026 and what kind of place we want Portsmouth to become. This vision will drive the strategy forward and set the direction for future development in Portsmouth.

3.2 The consultation results from 2006 indicated that any vision should place more emphasis on quality of life and sustainability issues. A vision for Portsmouth has since been developed by the LSP (with input from the Cultural Consortium) which covers sustainability and quality of life issues and this will become a shared vision for the Core Strategy and the Sustainable Community Strategy. The vision is:

To make Portsmouth the premier waterfront city, with an unrivalled maritime heritage – a great place to live work and visit.

3.3 By 2026 Portsmouth will be a sustainable city where: • Significant levels of new development have created quality places for residents to live with a good mix of housing to meet local needs and the needs of those moving to the city to work. New development has bold designs, makes the most of sustainable design and construction techniques and opportunities for generating and incorporating renewable energy and contributes to greening the city. Open space and the natural environment are protected and improved to maintain the attractiveness of the city and offer health and recreational opportunities for Portsmouth’s communities. • The waterfront has become a more attractive feature of the city helping to regenerate the city as a whole and promote tourism. The waterfront is more alive with events throughout the year. Cycling and walking routes to the waterfront from the rest of the city have been improved and more people walk down to the seafront from the city centre and Southsea as opposed to driving. • Mixed-use developments are focused around town centres and public transport routes so that communities have easy access by a choice of modes of transport to jobs, community facilities (including health and education) and goods and services. • The economy has grown in line with the PUSH strategy of 3.5% annual increase in GVA by 2026. The city is a centre for employment in the sub-region with an increase in the number of companies locating in Portsmouth and an increase in the number and quality of jobs. The city has become a place where small businesses grow and prosper. This economic growth has been pursued within environment limits and the city is prosperous, attractive and offers a better quality of life. • The city centre is a major regional retail and cultural destination with development at the Northern Quarter and Station Square enhancing the centre. The successful shopping area of Gunwharf Quays and the Hard is part of a strong city centre which is the focus for the sub-region. The city’s other town centres of Southsea, Fratton, North End, Albert Road

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and Cosham are thriving town centres with their own individual characters. • Major developments at the city centre, Tipner, Port Solent and Somerstown have regenerated the city - all providing new homes, employment, leisure and retail to boost the city’s status in the sub- region. • The public transport system, both within the city and connecting the city to adjacent areas of Fareham, Gosport, Havant and the Strategic Development Areas, and cycling and walking routes have been increased and improved making it easier to get into and around the city. The focus for travel around the city is on cycling, walking and public transport, making the most of the city’s unique geography being compact and flat. Reliance on the car has been reduced improving safety and health, reducing congestion and reducing harmful emissions.

3.4 In 2026 Portsmouth will be an economic and cultural hub for the sub-region providing jobs, retail, health facilities, tourism, leisure and culture for the needs of the city and the wider area.

Objectives 3.5 The following objectives indicate how the vision will be delivered. Many of the objectives are identified as priorities in the Sustainable Community Strategy and are based on work undertaken at the issues and options stages of consultation.

• To make Portsmouth an attractive and sustainable city o reduce our carbon footprint and decrease CO2 emissions by 5.7% - 9% by 2011 o reduce the risk of flooding in the city through design and layout of development including the application of a sustainable approach to drainage and enhanced standards of flood defences o ensure high quality design and sustainability standards in all new development o improve the public realm especially in town centres and the seafront o protect and improve open spaces, biodiversity and nature conservation areas and create a green network throughout the city o preserve and enhance conservation areas, local architectural and historic heritage and the seafront

• To make Portsmouth an accessible city with sustainable and integrated transport o work with service providers to improve accessibility to services and facilities by public transport, cycling and walking. o to reduce peak time congestion in the city by implementing park and ride schemes, car clubs, increasing cycling and walking levels, improving public transport and focusing development in areas easily accessed by the non car modes and / or in existing centres

• To implement the PUSH economic growth strategy and achieve a 3.5% annual increase in GVA by 2026

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o to provide an additional 225,000m2 of employment floorspace by 2026 o ensure a range of opportunities for a variety of businesses to locate / develop / expand in the city o diversify and raise skills levels to allow economic growth and to ensure that local people to benefit from any growth o transform the city centre into a regional hub and strengthen the other centres o ensure deprived areas of the city are regenerated

• To make Portsmouth a city in which everyone feels and is safe o design the built environment so that safety is considered at the outset

• To deliver affordable / quality housing where people want to live o provide a mix of good quality housing in line with the city’s needs, especially family housing, and meet the target of 735 homes per year o to ensure that up to 30% of new housing is affordable housing to contribute towards the high level of need in Portsmouth

• To encourage and enable healthy choices for all and provide appropriate access to health care and support o give priority to walking and cycling in new development and when improving / maintaining roads o ensure local facilities can be reached by walking and cycling o become an exemplar of “Healthy Urban Planning” as required under Growth Point status

• To enhance Portsmouth’s reputation as a city of culture, energy and passion offering access for all to arts, sport and leisure o promote the city as a major tourist destination with its attractions of the waterfront, historic dockyard, Spinnaker Tower and museums and theatres and increase high quality visitor accommodation. o upgrade/enrich Southsea seafront, improve existing facilities and increase the available activities / services o develop, manage and improve the image of the evening and late night economy

• To ensure there is adequate supporting infrastructure for the new development and growth of the city o develop a tariff approach to the provision of infrastructure o continue to promote the needs of Portsmouth and the sub-region to central and regional Government

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4. A SPATIAL STRATEGY FOR PORTSMOUTH

Background 4.1 This spatial strategy for the city sets out in more detail how and where development will be accommodated in Portsmouth and sets a framework for the core policies.

4.2 The strategy is based upon evidence from relevant studies (see Appendix 1) and consultation responses and is set within the context of the strategy for the PUSH area.

4.3 The PUSH strategy is to improve its economic performance with an increase in jobs, as well as productivity, leading to a requirement for land for business development and homes and therefore a consequent need to increase investment in transport and other infrastructure. An element of the PUSH strategy is “conditional managed growth” with the pace of growth and development determined by and conditional on, the rate of infrastructure investment. The PUSH strategy takes a cities first approach where growth will be focused in the cities of Portsmouth and Southampton enhancing the cities’ role as employment, retail, entertainment, higher education and cultural centres for the sub-region.

What have you told us? 4.4 At the issues and options consultation stage three options for an overall approach to the future development of the city were put forward. These were:

1. Greener development - build a future for Portsmouth in which housing and employment developments are focused around centres of activity and accessible neighbourhoods. 2. Dispersed development – development spread across the city with no focus on specific areas. 3. Balanced approach – find a balance between promoting a more sustainable approach and one where the requirements of the market are fully taken into account.

4.5 The results of the consultation showed a preference for the greener development approach due to its emphasis on design and sustainable development. Although this was the preferred option many respondents felt that the following elements from options 2 and 3 should be taken forward: • Regeneration focused on Paulsgrove and Wymering as well as the Heart of Portsmouth. • Gunwharf Quays and The Hard to be designated as part of the city centre or as a centre in their own right. • Strengthen the existing employment clusters at Portsdown Hill, the Dockyard, Naval Base, North Harbour and the University.

4.6 The option of dispersed development was the least favoured approach. People disliked this option because there was no sense of overall planning,

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it was focused too much on the economy and market needs and would not benefit the environment or quality of life.

4.7 The balanced approach option received a mixed response. Some were supportive of this option as the proposals were neither too restrictive nor permissive, however other respondents felt the option was too bland and lacked any real vision.

4.8 Therefore the city council has decided to take forward the greener development approach as its preferred option, together with additions from options 2 & 3.

Spatial Strategy for Portsmouth 4.9 In line with the sub-regional strategy of providing most growth in the cities Portsmouth will provide for 14,700 additional homes (735 homes per year), 225,000m2 of new employment floor space, 68,360m2 net of retail floor space and the necessary associated facilities and services between 2006 and 2026.

4.10 The city council is taking forward the greener development approach which involves focusing most additional development at key development sites, around its town centres and public transport hubs and routes to reduce reliance on the private car and to encourage residents, employees and visitors to access everyday services on foot, cycle or public transport.

4.11 In line with this approach the city council has identified the following main areas for development: • Key development sites / areas • City centre • Other town centres • Public transport hubs and routes • Key employment areas These areas represent the best opportunities for redeveloping previously developed land, creating high density mixed use developments and increasing employment through new development or intensification of existing development at employment sites. These areas are the most appropriate for development because they have good public transport links and are close to existing facilities and services or are large enough to provide necessary transport links and facilities. The main areas for development are shown on the key diagram. But other areas of the city will see some modest development.

4.12 Allied to this strategy for growth is the need to retain all open space. The city is densely built up with a deficit of open space per head of population. Therefore it is vital that all our open spaces are protected from development in order to provide a break in the urban townscape, to ensure that the city remains attractive and that people have access to open spaces for recreation and health benefits.

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POLICY: SPATIAL STRATEGY FOR PORTSMOUTH

Up to 2026 the Core Strategy makes provision for:

Housing 14,700 homes in the following phases 4,650 homes - 2006-2011 (930 homes per year) 2,950 homes - 2011-2016 (590 homes per year) 3,550 homes - 2016-2021 (710 homes per year) 3,550 homes - 2021-2026 (710 homes per year)

Employment 225,000m2

Retail 68,360m23

All development will be on brownfield sites therefore retaining all existing protected open space.

This will be realised in Portsmouth through: 1. Focusing development at: • Key development sites – Tipner, Port Solent & North Harbour, Somerstown and Fratton Park. • The city centre, including Gunwharf Quays and the Hard • Other town centres – particularly Southsea, North End and Cosham • Key employment areas – city centre, North Harbour, VT Halmatic, Dockyard, Commercial Port, Portsdown Hill and industrial estates.

2. In addition to this, new housing and employment development will be focused along the main public transport routes (the A259/A2047 ZIP corridor and the proposed Bus Rapid Transit / Premium Bus Network routes) and hubs.

3. Supporting continued (small scale) housing developments in remaining areas of the city together with small-scale town centre uses. Housing development will need to provide or contribute towards the provision of sustainable transport infrastructure.

4. Protecting all industrial estates for employment

5. Protecting local shopping centres.

Key Development Areas 4.13 The key development areas of Tipner, Port Solent & North Harbour, Somerstown and Fratton Park all offer significant opportunities for large- scale redevelopment of existing sites. These areas together will account for approximately one third of the city’s housing target and approximately 40% of employment provision.

3 This figure does not include the commitment at the Northern Quarter of 96,200m2 (gross) because existing commitments are subtracted from the overall retail capacity.

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4.14 Tipner is important to delivering the spatial vision of the city. Tipner is an underused, semi derelict largely contaminated site covering 23 hectares. Its regeneration will create a flagship mixed-use development scheme comprising housing, business space, hotel and community facilities. A park and ride scheme will form an integral part of the development to improve accessibility to the city centre and help reduce traffic growth.

4.15 Port Solent & North Harbour comprises the mixed use marina development at Port Solent and the large employment area dominated by IBM HQ at North Harbour. This area is another strategic site within the city and is key to the delivery of housing and employment. The site has been identified, by Portsmouth Football Club, as a preferred location for a new football stadium for the city. Opportunities exist for a mixed use residential / employment / leisure/sport scheme at Port Solent and a large-scale office / research and development business park at North Harbour.

4.16 Somerstown is an existing, largely local authority, housing estate adjacent to the city centre. Regeneration of this area is important to housing delivery and reducing inequalities in the city. One of the aims of regenerating this area is to provide a much needed community hub to include health services, advice services and other facilities for the local community.

4.17 Fratton Park is currently home to Portsmouth Football Club who are considering relocation to Port Solent. This strategic site has the potential to provide a significant amount of housing including family houses.

City Centre 4.18 The city centre provides Portsmouth’s main shopping and leisure area and has excellent public transport access, proposal for park and ride will improve its access by public transport. The city centre is of regional importance identified as a primary regional centre in the draft South East Plan. The defined city centre will be enlarged by extending its boundaries down to Gunwharf Quays and the Hard. The city centre will be transformed offering a high quality shopping experience, business premises, cultural / civic area, restaurants/ cafes/bars, tourist activities & hotels and city centre living. There will be significant levels of new retail development with the committed scheme of 96,2000m2 gross retail floorspace at the Northern Quarter and future high density mixed use developments at Station Square, Guildhall Square, the Hard area and Queen Street. This enlarged city centre has the potential to provide 20% of the city’s housing requirement, 10% of new employment space and 50% - 70% of additional retail need.

Other Town Centres 4.19 The other town centres in Portsmouth are Southsea town centre and Fratton, North End, Cosham and Albert Road district centres. All the centres provide a range of shops and services mainly for their surrounding neighbourhoods, with the exception of Southsea which has a wider appeal acting as a sub-regional centre and providing specialist shops, leisure, tourism and access to the seafront. All centres have good access by public transport with train stations at Cosham and Fratton and good bus services

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at the other centres. All centres and their environs have opportunities for mixed-use developments to varying degrees, which will help to create sustainable communities. Overall these centres will provide 7% housing, 17% employment and 10% retail of the city’s requirements.

Public Transport Hubs 4.20 The city’s main public transport hubs are around the Hard transport interchange and Portsmouth & Southsea, Fratton, Cosham and Hilsea railway stations. There are various sites around all these locations that have the potential to provide housing and employment, including much needed family houses on some of the larger sites.

4.21 Most of the areas around the transport hubs also fall within centres, the Hard and Portsmouth and Southsea railway station are included under the city centre and Cosham railway station is now incorporated into Cosham town centre. Any potential development around these transport hubs is dealt with under policies for the city centre and Cosham town centre.

4.22 Hilsea railway station is already surrounded by employment land, which will be safeguarded for employment uses. The focus for Hilsea will be to improve employment sites in the area making the most of their location close to a train station. Allied to this is the need to improve the railway station and pedestrian / cycle links to the station to create a transport interchange.

Key employment areas 4.23 The focus for new employment development will be city centre, North Harbour, The Dockyard, Commercial Port, VT Halmatic site, sites at Portsdown Hill and existing industrial estates. Detail on the level and type of employment required is set out in paragraphs 4.50-4.58.

4.24 The city’s existing large industrial estates are mainly on the eastern side of the city, Copnor and Farlington. These areas will be improved and retained for employment uses4, mainly B2/B8 of the use classes order, as they provide valuable local employment. These sites are in general located away from the main residential areas and are therefore appropriate locations for such uses.

4.25 In order to meet the PUSH strategy, boost the local economy and raise skills levels, the city needs to provide for office development, marine and defence industries, research and development businesses and advanced manufacturing. Accommodation for these types of employment will be provided at the city centre (Station Square, Civic and Cultural area, and The Hard), other town centres, Tipner, the Dockyard, Commercial Port, the VT Halmatic site, Portsdown Hill and Port Solent & North Harbour.

4 Employment uses are defined as B1 (office, research and development and light industry), B2 (general industry) and B8 (storage and distribution). Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 2005

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The Seafront 4.26 The strategy for the seafront, from Point to the mouth of Langstone Harbour, will involve keeping its open and traditional character, making the most of this natural asset, improving the offer of the seafront and its available facilities, upgrading existing facilities and improving access.

Remaining areas of the city 4.27 Parts of the city outside of the main development areas are likely to see modest levels of development comprising housing development in the form of small unidentified sites from conversions and infills.

4.28 As Portsmouth is densely built up, some out of centre locations are within easy reach of people making them more accessible and sustainable than town centre locations. Therefore small-scale town centre uses (no more than 200m2) will be supported across the city. Small local shops, services and offices spread across the city can decrease the number of short trips made by car, thereby promoting sustainable development in the city as well as helping to encourage personal exercise and a healthy lifestyle.

4.29 The strategy also places a strong emphasis on delivering sustainable development, greening the city initiatives, regeneration, tourism, improved design, an appropriate mix of housing type and tenure and the timely provision of infrastructure, to work towards creating a sustainable, healthy city.

Creating quality places to live 4.30 Sustainable development is a very important issue especially for Portsmouth and therefore sustainable development principles will shape all new development in the city to help deliver our vision of becoming a sustainable city. Our strategy is to ensure that we create quality places where people want to live. New development will need to meet stringent sustainable design and construction standards, incorporate renewable energy and initiatives to green and create greenways through the city, protect and enhance biodiversity, achieve high quality designs, respect local heritage and be accessible. New homes should be walkable to local services, parks, shops, schools and health centres.

Regeneration 4.31 Regeneration initiatives will be targeted at the most deprived areas of the Heart of Portsmouth (Charles Dickens and parts of St Thomas and Nelson wards) and Paulsgrove & Wymering and any additional areas identified as deprived in the future by the Index of Multiple Deprivation. These areas suffer disproportionately from poor health, low incomes, high long-term unemployment and low home ownership. Initiatives will be implemented that benefit the local community, in terms of employment, training and the local environment.

4.32 Additionally development across the city will be expected to contribute towards addressing the inequalities in the city. By using local labour, particularly in the construction process, this will ensure that schemes which

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are proposed in less deprived areas give benefit to more deprived areas which can help break the cycle of poverty.

Retail 4.33 Portsmouth has a variety of retail centres each performing a different role as set out later in this strategy. The hierarchy of centres is as follows:

Centre PPS6 definition Portsmouth city centre Sub-regional centre (including Gunwharf Quays and The Hard) Southsea Town centre Cosham, North End, Fratton & Albert Road District centres Allaway Avenue, Castle Road, Copnor Road (north), Copnor Local centres Road (south), Eastney Road, Elm Grove, Fawcett Road, Havant Road, Kingston Road, Leith Avenue, Locksway Avenue, London Road (north), London Road (south), Portsmouth Road, St James’ Road, Tangier Road, Tregaron Road & Winter Road

4.34 When considering proposals for new town centre uses, the city council’s strategy will be to direct them to the appropriate town centre according to their scale and function. In order to protect and support the city’s town centres the city council will apply national policy as set out in PPS6 when dealing with proposals for town centre uses except for proposals of 200m2 or less.

4.35 The city council has a current retail strategy for the three main shopping areas of Portsmouth, the city centre, Gunwharf Quays and Southsea. The intention is to promote Portsmouth as a retail destination with three distinct shopping areas of: City Centre – mainstream shopping, entertainment, leisure and restaurants Gunwharf Quays – outlet shopping and waterfront dining Southsea – specialist shops and boutiques, restaurants and the seafront.

Local Centres 4.36 Our local centres play a vital role in providing for local needs locally. Some local centres, such as Locksway Road consist of a small parade of shops, which serve only a very local need. Other local centres such as Havant Road accommodate a substantial variety of shops serving both local as well as more specialised needs for which people travel across the city for. Local centres are shown on map 6.

4.37 The strategy is to protect all local centres through retaining shops, supporting new town centre uses, preventing dilution of the shopping function and improving the centres with environmental enhancements. Local centres will be protected in order to ensure a network of centres remains across the city. Policy DC 33 Local Centres from the adopted City Local Plan will be applied to all the local centres.

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Tourism 4.38 The city council wishes to build on the tourism sector in the local economy. Opportunities will be taken to increase tourism around the Hard and the seafront. Additional tourist related facilities, including hotels, will be needed to support the tourist industry. The Hotel Futures Study indicates a need for an additional 12 hotels in Portsmouth up to 2026. PPS6 seeks to direct hotel uses towards town centres but other guidance (Tourism Good Practice guide 2006) accepts that hotels should also be located where attractions lie. In Portsmouth this means areas linked to the city’s waterfront and its maritime heritage.

4.39 The city council recognises the need for hotels identified in the Hotel Futures Study, and accepts that over the plan period this may well need to include out-of-centre sites to serve not only leisure but also business visitors. However, it considers that it would not serve the city’s best interest to make specific provision for out of centre hotels beyond those locations that specifically support the visitor economy near the waterfront in the early years of the plan. The city is seeking to develop its city centre as a business hub. In order to achieve this, the priority area for investment in offices and hotels that support them must be the city centre itself. Station Square, the quarter around the Guildhall Square and the Hard will be particularly important in this respect.

4.40 The city centre will therefore be the focus for hotel development, particularly at Station Square, the quarter around Guildhall Square and Gunwharf Quays and the Hard. In addition, Southsea and Old Portsmouth are considered suitable locations for hotels and other uses that support the visitor economy and that therefore would be better located close to the attractions on the waterfront.

Transport 4.41 The council’s transport strategy is focused on encouraging a modal shift to non-car based transport in order to help solve the problems of congestion and poor air quality, to comply with the principles of sustainable development and to contribute towards the health agenda. The strategy will be one of encouraging initiatives that promote sustainable forms of travel and ensuring development is located where it will be easily accessible. The city is ideally suited to cycling and walking because it is flat and compact with facilities and services in close proximity to residential areas and has a mild climate. New development in adjacent areas will impact on Portsmouth in terms of accessing the city for work and leisure, therefore, public transport and cycling links need to be made to these areas.

Housing 4.42 The strategy for housing is to provide for 14,700 additional homes and to ensure a good mix of housing is provided, especially family housing. More homes are needed in the city to cater for local need as well as meeting demand from people moving into the city as a result of growth taking place. Detail on housing supply is set out in paragraphs 4.4.6-4.49.

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4.43 Affordable housing is a key issue for the city with approximately 5000 households currently on the register waiting for alternative accommodation. In order to meet the need for affordable homes the strategy is to require affordable housing on all sites capable of providing 10 or more dwellings. Therefore the council will continue to operate the current City Local Plan policy DC40 Affordable Housing until it is replaced.

Flooding 4.44 The Strategy in relation to tidal flood risk is to concentrate the majority of development in flood zone 15 (approximately x% of additional development will be in zone 1), continue development in zones 2 & 3, with appropriate flood risk reduction measures and improve flood defences around the city. New development will be expected to contribute towards enhancing the overall standards of flood defence. Surface water run off during extreme weather conditions is another cause of localised flooding due to the capacity of the combined drainage system in the city. Southern Water, who are responsible for drainage in the city, has a 10 point plan to help protect Portsmouth from sewer flooding. The main elements of the plan are to develop a new pumping station, (see Map 1) improve the local sewer network and separate out foul water before it reaches the sewers. The city’s strategy is for development to incorporate permeable surfaces and to separate out surface from foul water or design a retention system so water can be released after a storm event.

Infrastructure 4.45 The city’s strategy is to provide infrastructure in time to allow development to proceed and to implement a tariff approach to contribute towards funding the necessary infrastructure. In general terms infrastructure that will be needed to support the growth of the city is: Transport • Major transport infrastructure is anticipated as part of the Tipner redevelopment (Interchange and Park and Ride) and Port Solent (Port Solent to Tipner bus, cycle, pedestrian bridge). Public sector funding is being sought through SEERA, but a need for significant private sector funding is anticipated. • For the southeast Hampshire sub-region, Regional Funding Allocation support is being sought for a Bus Rapid Transit system linking Portsmouth, Havant, Fareham and Gosport and the future Strategic Development Area north of Fareham. • Annual Local Transport Plan settlements will continue to be invested in improving transport networks across Portsmouth but this public funding is insufficient to meet current and future needs, and development will be expected to contribute to the costs of improving and maintaining transport networks for all modes.

5 Flood zones are categorised into zone 1 (less that 0.1% chance of flood by sea 1 in 1000 ), zone 2 (0.1% chance of flood by sea 1 in 1000) and zone 3 (0.5% chance of flood by sea 1 in 200)

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20 Portsmouth Draft Core Strategy 2008

Water resources • A new pumping station and outfall station within an area of search identified on map 1. The Common is included within the area of search however any potential location on the Common must be a brownfield site. • Separation of foul flow and surface flow. • Spice Island tidal infiltration scheme. • Possible additional capacity at Budds Farm (Havant) for wastewater treatment. • Flood defences – Portsmouth’s topography ranges from sea level to 125 m above. On Portsea Island very few areas are 10m above sea level – with only the Portsdown Hill being 125 m above. Therefore future maintenance and improvements to defences are needed to protect the existing residential and commercial buildings as well as protecting future development in the city. • A new reservoir at Havant Thicket.

Electricity • A new substation at Port Solent / Tipner. • If any further new substations are needed this would form part of the development. Additional demand is not pre-programmed as under governance of Ofwat companies are prevented from building in additional capacity speculatively.

Healthcare • GP surgery at Tipner. • Pharmacy needed at Tipner / Port Solent. • Somerstown and Cosham health centres need to be upgraded / reprovided. • New walk in clinic within a one mile radius of the city centre. • May need dentist at Tipner / Port Solent.

Community facilities • One new library in the Drayton & Farlington area. • Development at Tipner and Port Solent may create a need for an enlarged or new library. • Education contributions to improve / expand existing schools.

Providing for housing 4.46 Policy SH12 of the draft South East Plan from 2006 sets out the scale and location of housing development across South Hampshire. In the South Hampshire area as a whole, 80,000 new homes are to be built by 2026, with 14,700 to come forward in Portsmouth. Whilst it is recognised that this is a challenging target, new homes are needed for existing residents who wish to have a home of their own along with new people who wish to move to Portsmouth.

4.47 A draft Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) has been produced and consultation on the draft is taking place alongside this

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Preferred Options consultation. The SHLAA details which sites could potentially be used for housing development. The assessment examined sites with a potential to bring forward five or more units. In addition to those sites identified in the SHLAA, an allowance has been made for the plan period for new dwellings on the smallest sites, which yield 1-4 units. Any sites to be promoted for housing will be set out in the Site Allocations DPD.

4.48 14,700 additional homes will be achieved in the city through a variety of sources. The housing supply in Portsmouth will be made up from: • Completions from 2006 to date • Strategic sites that the council wishes to see developed for housing and other uses • Sites under construction for residential development • Sites with planning permission for residential development for 5 or more units • Sites identified in the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment as deliverable • Sites identified in the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment as developable • An allowance for unidentified sites delivering 1-4 dwellings

4.49 Meeting this target will be dependent on development at the strategic sites of Tipner, Port Solent, the Hard and the city centre. The table below indicates how the requirements for an additional 14,700 homes will be met in Portsmouth.

Total requirement from Draft South East Plan, 2006-2026 = 14,700 homes SOURCE OF SUPPLY PERIOD TOTAL Completions (across all sites) April 2006 – April 2007 526 Strategic sites Port Solent and North Harbour 2011-2018 2000 Tipner 2012-2019 1600 City Centre 2010-2026 2100 Fratton Park 2011-2016 200 Somerstown 2012-2026 240 Large identified sites St Marys Hospital – West wing 2010-2012 200 Drayton Dairy, Station Road 2010-2012 100 Scottish and Southern Electric, Lower 2010-2012 100 Drayton Lane Other supply Large sites with planning permission at 1st April 2007 Large sites completed during 2007-08 April 2007 – April 2008 243 Large sites under construction at 1st 2008-2013 2030 April 2008 Large sites with planning permission 2008-2013 394 Large sites with planning permission 2013+ 77 Small sites with planning permission at 1st April 2007 Small sites with planning permission (5- 2007-2010 246

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9 dwellings) Small sites with planning permission (1- 2007-2010 200 4 dwellings) Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment identified sites Deliverable or developable sites (5+ 2008-2026 2244 dwellings) Unidentified small sites Unidentified small sites (1-4 dwellings) 2008-2010 100 Unidentified small sites (1-4 dwellings) 2010-2026 2100 Total supply: 14,700

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Providing for Employment Employment land needs 4.50 PUSH has identified that Portsmouth should provide 225,000m2 of employment floorspace up to 2026 (September 2007 draft PUSH apportionment figures). These employment needs will be met through a combination of the existing supply of employment land (land with planning permission for employment and land allocated for employment in the City Local Plan) and further allocations of land for employment. More detail on employment sites will be set out in the Site Allocations DPD. The table below shows the amount of employment land needed broken down into B1, B2 and B8 uses, the existing supply and any resulting surplus (-) or deficit. Identified requirement Existing supply Remaining need B1 135,500 m2 123,500 m2 12,000 m2 B2 34,500 m2 45,000 m2 -10,500 m2 B8 55,500 m2 51,000 m2 4,000 m2 NB Figures are rounded to nearest 500 m2 The table demonstrates that there is a need to identify sites / land for B1 and B8 uses.

4.51 The figures are derived from figures for the whole of South Hampshire assessed in a study of Economic Drivers and Growth completed by DTZ consultants in 2005, which have subsequently been apportioned to individual authorities in a series of PUSH workshops. It should be noted that at the time of writing this work is ongoing and the figures may well change before the Core Strategy is submitted.

Office development 4.52 The figure for offices only covers the period up to 2016 and therefore some additional work has been done to identify sites beyond that period to accommodate an additional 80,000 m2 of B1 floorspace. This increased amount reflects the PUSH strategy of focusing on the cities and will be shown in the identified requirement for Portsmouth in updated versions of the above table, once further work on apportionment of the PUSH requirement to individual districts has been completed. In the meantime, the preferred option for employment development set out in the following section will be based on the combination of the provisional table and the further work already undertaken.

4.53 A key need in Portsmouth is to develop its office market, it is estimated that an additional 80,000m2 office floorspace is needed. Throughout this document opportunities for office development are highlighted. Prime areas are:

Area Estimated Minus that already Remaining additional Floorspaces included in existing supply (rounded to supply nearest hundred) City Centre 42,700 12,732 (Zurich 19,600 permission)

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10, 345 (Station Square) Cosham 21, 300 21, 300 Tipner 25,000 15,000 10,000 Port Solent and 65,000 42,600 22,400 North Harbour Hilsea 10,000 5,200 4,800 Total 78,800

4.54 Development of offices in centres will help support these areas as sustainable communities. Some of these sites lie outside of defined centres, but Portsmouth is a compact and very accessible city, and as long as the balance remains in favour of in-centre locations, the city council does not consider that some out-of-centre office provision will have detrimental effects. This being said, the city council will continue to promote its city centre as an office hub, not only by highlighting development opportunities for offices, but also for supporting uses such as hotels.

Industrial, distribution and logistics development 4.55 The distribution and logistics sector has also been highlighted as a key need for the South Hampshire economy. The land needs of this sector have recently been reviewed for PUSH by Roger Tym and Partners, who reported their findings in March 2008. The figures above show a need for 4000m2 of additional B8 floorspace in Portsmouth, which the study showed could be accommodated within the city’s existing industrial estates through redevelopment. There is also the likelihood that some of the supply currently identified as B2 could come forward as B8 land or support the needs of the logistics and distribution sector, reducing some of the apparent surplus of B2 shown in the table while addressing the need for B8. In order to allow the flexibility the market requires, it would not, however, be desirable to allocate sites specifically. Instead the strategy in Portsmouth will be to safeguard existing key employment sites and industrial areas for B1, B2, B8 and associated uses (see key diagram). As there are few opportunities in Portsmouth to create additional employment sites, and some existing ones close to residential areas are coming under pressure or have already been lost, safeguarding of existing areas is crucial. This approach will ensure that these sites are not lost to other higher value uses, and that sufficient land therefore remains available to accommodate additional and/or replacement employment floorspace within existing areas.

Port related development 4.56 The Port and the strength in marine manufacturing are features particular to the local economy, which the city council wishes to support.

4.57 Portsmouth Commercial Port handles over 400,000 freight units a year. It has a very high berth occupancy rate and prides itself on passing goods through the port rather than providing storage. Nevertheless the port has an expanding land need, as larger container vessels often forego a stop in the UK and use short-sea feeder container vessels to trans-ship cargo. This practice requires more land for container park areas and associated

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handling. There is an immediate need to replace 0.8 hectares of trailer parking recently lost. A Banana Ripening Centre requiring up to 2 hectares is also being considered. All space currently available in the port is being used, but there may be opportunities in connection with the realignment of the road layout at Trafalgar Gate to reconfigure the land. In addition, the port can consider land in the city’s industrial estates for parts of its operation, as not all of its uses need be located in the port itself.

Marine and defence development 4.58 Key clusters of marine and defence development and manufacturing can be found around the dockyard, at Portchester Park, and on Portsdown Hill. The city council will support developments that strengthen this sector and, in line with the Solent Waterfront Strategy, will give particular consideration to the need of some of the businesses in this sector for a waterside location. As and when sites with access to the waterfront become available, particularly those that are already in employment use or would support existing businesses, such as in the dockyard, VT Halmatic at Portchester Park and Port Solent & North Harbour, their value for the marine and defence sector will be considered first before other uses are allowed. Sites relating to the existing marine and defence cluster on Portsdown Hill will also be promoted for further employment development.

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CORE POLICIES

BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL – DRAFT REPORT SUBJECT TO CHANGE 27 1 Portsmouth Draft Core Strategy 2008

5. KEY DEVELOPMENT AREAS AND SITES

5.1 TIPNER

Background 5.1.1 Tipner is a large and prominent gateway site in the city in need of regeneration. This coastal site straddles the M275 motorway and is adjacent to Portsmouth Harbour and Tipner Lake. The site is currently owned by multiple parties and is home to a variety of uses, including a greyhound stadium, aggregates wharf and scrap yard, although on the whole it is underused. The site suffers from many issues which have prevented development from being realised in the past, including access, contamination, flood risk and proximity to a site of ecological international importance.

What have you told us? 5.1.2 Tipner generated many comments during the two previous consultations on the Core Strategy. In 2006 the site was suggested as being key to public transport infrastructure, namely as a site for a Park and Ride hub. The Primary Care Trust responded that new health care facilities would need to be provided at Tipner given the scale of future development planned there. Some respondents felt that opportunities to incorporate major renewable energy infrastructure should be sought at Tipner, given that there are so few large sites capable of providing such infrastructure in the city.

5.1.3 During the 2007 consultation, comments regarding Tipner were dominated by the topic of a new stadium for Portsmouth Football Club. Along with suggestions that the stadium should be located at Tipner instead of the proposed site at Port Solent, many stated that public transport infrastructure should be integral to any development at Tipner if the football stadium is to be located at Port Solent, to provide sustainable means of access to the stadium from the south of the city.

Preferred option 5.1.4 The city council’s preferred option is to regenerate the site creating a waterfront mixed-use development providing housing, employment, community facilities and improved access and public transport. Meeting Portsmouth’s housing target as set out in the draft South East Plan is dependent on significant development at Tipner.

5.1.5 The site has been allocated for mixed-use development in both the current and previous adopted Local Plans. Significant progress has been made recently, with the city council continuing to work in partnership with the South East England Development Agency and the Tipner Regeneration Company to enable development on this site. The Tipner Regeneration Company produced a masterplan for comprehensive development of the site in spring 2008, which sets out quantums of development that could be expected to be accommodated and an indicative layout of the area.

BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL – DRAFT REPORT SUBJECT TO CHANGE 28 1 Portsmouth Draft Core Strategy 2008

5.1.6 The site is currently accessed from Tipner Lane on the eastern side of the motorway and the western side of the site can only be accessed via an underpass beneath the motorway. The poor access contributes to the under use of the site and its separation from the rest of the city. Linking any new development to the existing established community at Stamshaw will be paramount if the regeneration of the site is to succeed.

5.1.7 Much of the site suffers from heavy contamination as it was reclaimed using potentially hazardous landfill and has been the location of uses, which may have released harmful leachates into the ground. Thorough site investigations prior to any development are required to assess what remediation is necessary to ensure the site is suitable for development.

5.1.8 Given Tipner’s coastal location the whole of the site is susceptible to tidal flooding and it is covered by both flood zones 2 and 3. Whilst it is recognised that this presents immediate issues and is not ideal, Portsmouth’s land constraints mean that there are no sites of a comparable size available within flood zone 1. Therefore there are no sequentially preferable sites available in the city. The South Hampshire Strategic Flood Risk Assessment indicates that the majority of the site has a low hazard across both zones 2 and 3 based on likely depth and velocity of flood water, with the hazard at the westernmost coastal edge of the site as being very high. The exception test will need to be applied to any proposal if homes are to be located within flood zone 3, as they are categorised as more vulnerable to flooding6. Any development will have to provide flood defences to a 1 in 1000 year flood event standard. A flood risk assessment will be required to accompany any development proposals.

5.1.9 Tipner Range on the western side of the site is known to be of major importance for Brent Geese. Brent Geese are an internationally protected species and any proposals at the site must ensure no adverse impact on the habitat that attracts them to this site. Alternatively, mitigation measures or the provision of compensatory habitat will be required if planned development is expected to have a negative impact.

5.1.10 Given the site’s proximity to the Portsmouth Harbour Special Protection Area and Ramsar site, development at the site will invoke the need for an Appropriate Assessment of impacts as required under the Habitats Regulations.

5.1.11 Development at Tipner together with planned development at Port Solent will put increased pressure on the city’s drainage capacity potentially increasing the risk of flooding. Therefore surface and foul water drainage will need to be separated out on site, surface water could be discharged straight to the sea or where this is not possible should be held in attenuation tanks underground and released after any storm event. In addition to this the western interceptor sewer is at capacity and therefore a new cross-city

6 PPS25 has classified the flood risk vulnerability of landuses to be used as a guide when locating development.

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connection is needed to take foul water to the eastern interceptor. Development will need to be co-ordinated with Port Solent to deliver this infrastructure.

Policy: Tipner The vision for Tipner is to create a waterfront mixed use development featuring iconic buildings, which will form a new gateway into the city. It will provide public access to areas of the coast which are currently inaccessible and will be fully integrated into the city through excellent transport links, including the provision of a Park and Ride facility which will play a pivotal role in the sustainable transport future of the city.

This vision will be achieved through the provision of: • A Park & Ride facility with 1,800 spaces • Up to 1600 new homes, with 30% as affordable and a good mix of different types and sizes of dwellings 2 • Up to 25,000m of B1 office development • A 150 bed hotel • Community facilities including a GP surgery and community centre • Public open space providing access to the waterfront • Retail to support the community • Good quality realm and public art In order to enable development on the site, new physical infrastructure will have to be provided including: • A new junction and associated slip roads from the M275 motorway, with a bus lane southbound into the city centre from the site • Highways infrastructure to link the new development with the planned slip roads and to integrate the area with the existing communities at Stamshaw, in a way that minimises through traffic in existing communities • Infrastructure to enable the integration of the bridge link to Port Solent • Improvements to flood defences to ensure the site is defended to against a 1 in 1000 year flood event • A new electricity sub-station in conjunction with planned development at Port Solent • Connection to the eastern intercepting sewer in conjunction with planned development at Port Solent.

Implementation 5.1.12 This policy will be implemented through the city council continuing to work with its partners at the Tipner Regeneration Company and the South East England Development Agency and with key stakeholders with an interest in the site. It is anticipated that outline planning permission will initially be sought for the principle of development on the site. This will be followed by reserved matters applications to progress the detailed elements of the scheme. It is anticipated that a development of this size will come forward in several phases, with the required new slip roads and the Park and Ride facility as the first phase to address the access issues at the site.

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Alternatives 5.1.13 The city has had plans to develop Tipner for many years and to abandon plans to develop this key site would be against the wishes of the city council. The site is seen as a major eyesore, which creates a poor impression of the city for those visiting Portsmouth or using the city as a port to the Isle of Wight and Europe. Support has been received during the previous consultations on the Core Strategy for substantial development at Tipner and therefore it would be detrimental to the council, residents and visitors to the city if development of this site was not pursued.

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5.2 PORT SOLENT AND NORTH HARBOUR

Background 5.2.1 Port Solent and North Harbour are located in the northwest corner of the city on the northern reaches of Portsmouth Harbour. The area forms part of a 450-acre reclamation project that started in the 1970’s. Port Solent comprises a late 1980’s marina development predominately residential (town houses and apartments) with some leisure, specialist retail and office. This area includes the former Paulsgrove Landfill site, which has been grassed over and will be transformed into a country park. North Harbour is a large employment area dominated by IBM office headquarters together with a mixture of restaurants, industrial buildings, offices, retail units and hotels spread along Southampton and Western Roads. This is a popular area for employment uses due to its good access to the motorway.

What have you told us? 5.2.2 During the issues and options consultation Port Solent was identified as a key development site that was expected to accommodate significant amounts of development. The consultation results from 2006 and 2007 in general showed support for development at Port Solent, the main issue being that infrastructure must be in place before or as development takes place. There was also strong feeling that any development should be of a very high design quality and should not impact on the amenity of existing residents. In addition people commented that the open space should be retained and access improved.

5.2.3 Portsmouth Football Club responded to the consultation and stated that the relocation of the football club to Port Solent should be dealt with in the Core Strategy. The club also suggested that Port Solent should be more than just a focus for housing and should be promoted as a regional focus for regeneration.

Preferred option 5.2.4 The city council’s preferred approach is for Port Solent & North Harbour to become a sustainable mixed-use development providing housing, employment, a new football stadium, leisure and retail. Any development should be of high architectural merit and incorporate public art. Open space will be retained and improved through the creation of a country park. Retail and other services will be provided in order to serve the new and existing community. Access will also be improved in order to reduce reliance on the car and make it easier for people to travel between Port Solent and the city centre via Tipner.

5.2.5 The results of a SHLAA and ELR have estimated that the area has the capacity for approximately 2000 homes at Port Solent and 65,000m2 employment at North Harbour.

5.2.6 Portsmouth Football Club is looking for a new site in order to increase the capacity and facilities for its premier club stadium. The physical constraints

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of the current ground (surrounded by residential properties) make it unlikely that any redevelopment would achieve the required increase in capacity.

5.2.7 Most of the area falls within flood zones 2 and 3 however there are no sites within flood zone1 that could accommodate a mixed-use development of this size. The only land at Port Solent within Zone 1 is protected open space and land allocated for the country park. It is considered that proposals for the area would pass the “exception test” because the development is of benefit to the community through the provision of homes, jobs and leisure facilities and would involve using previously developed land. Any development will have to provide flood defences to a 1 in 1000 year flood event standard. In any event a flood risk assessment will need to accompany any development proposals to ensure they are safe and do not increase flood risk.

5.2.8 The Port Solent site abuts an internationally and nationally important nature conservation site (SPA, Ramsar site and SSSI) and as such an appropriate assessment will need to be submitted with any application to assess the impacts of any development and identify mitigation measures.

5.2.9 The area has relatively poor accessibility. Port Solent is limited to a single road access from Southampton Road with only an hourly bus service and North Harbour has no bus services on Western Road. The environment is poor for cycling or walking, being isolated and surrounded by busy roads (M275 / A27). There are also highway capacity issues associated with the A27 around Portsbridge Roundabout, which would need to be solved prior to any development taking place. If significant development is to be achieved, especially the development of a football stadium, then it is essential that access is improved especially by public transport, cycling and walking.

5.2.10 The LTP aims to improve access and this was reflected in previous policies from the City Local Plan 2006 which still apply today. It has been a long- term aim of the council to build a bridge link from Port Solent to Tipner for buses, pedestrians and cyclists. This would link Port Solent to the city centre as well as to park and ride services at Tipner. Highways works such as detrunking junction 12 of the M27 could improve access to Port Solent. Other proposals to increase accessibility include improvements to bus services to the area, including the Bus Rapid Transit link through to Fareham and Portchester, and a new railway station at Paulsgrove (where land will continue to be safeguarded for platforms and associated facilities).

5.2.11 An infrastructure study for the city has shown that Port Solent and North Harbour, together with Tipner, will create a need for an additional electricity substation at one of the sites. The sites will need to be connected via an electricity cable running along the proposed link bridge. The design of the bridge will need to take this into account. The two developments will put increased pressure on the city’s drainage capacity potentially increasing the risk of flooding. Therefore surface and foul water drainage will need to be separated out on site – surface water could be discharged straight to the

33 Portsmouth Draft Core Strategy 2008

sea or where this is not possible should be held in attenuation tanks underground and released after any storm event. In addition to this the western interceptor sewer is at capacity and therefore a new cross-city connection is needed to take foul water to the eastern interceptor. Development at Port Solent will need to be co-ordinated with Tipner in order to deliver this infrastructure.

5.2.12 Development at Port Solent will need to provide for any other additional infrastructure needed as a result of any proposals. Portsmouth PCT has indicated that there may be a need for dentist provision in Port Solent and therefore discussions should be held with the PCT at an early stage of developing any proposals for the area.

Policy: Port Solent & North Harbour Port Solent & North Harbour will be a sustainable mixed use development providing: at Port Solent • Up to 2000 dwellings, including 30% affordable • A new football stadium with a capacity up to 45,000 seats and associated facilities • Employment uses (those that fall under the B use class) • A country park at the former Paulsgrove landfill site • Small scale retail and leisure to support the community • Ancillary community facilities • Good quality public realm and public art at North Harbour • 65,000m2 of B1 office use east of the IBM site North Harbour • Good quality public realm and public art

Any development will be designed to have links to the proposed country park, to be cycle and pedestrian friendly and to ensure improved public transport access.

Development will need to be phased in order to ensure the provision of necessary infrastructure, including highway and access improvements.

In order to enable development on the site, new physical infrastructure should be provided including: • A bus, pedestrian & cycle bridge link to Tipner • Pedestrian and cycle links to and from Cosham • A new electricity sub station in conjunction with planned development at Tipner. • Connection to the eastern interceptor sewer in conjunction with planned development at Tipner. • Improvements to flood defences to ensure the site is defended against a 1 in 1000 year flood event.

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Implementation 5.2.13 The policy will mainly be implemented through development control decisions and infrastructure, such as the link bridge, will be provided as part of the development. A masterplan, for Port Solent, will be drawn up between all interested parties to ensure delivery of this key site. A development team has already been set up to progress proposals at North Harbour and this will be implemented through development control decisions.

Alternatives 5.2.14 No alternatives were put forward at the issues and options stage as Port Solent & North Harbour is considered to be an important development site to enable the delivery of the strategy. Thus the only alternative is not to develop the area. If development did not take place housing targets would not be met, an opportunity to regenerate that part of the city and improve access would be missed and a strategic employment site would be lost. Therefore the preferred option is to develop the site.

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5.3 SOMERSTOWN AND NORTH SOUTHSEA

Background 5.3.1 Somerstown & North Southsea is largely a local authority housing estate located close to the city centre characterised by a large number of high and low rise flats built after the area suffered bomb damage. The area has higher than average levels of deprivation, crime and unemployment. Therefore the area is in need of regeneration.

5.3.2 An area action plan is being drawn up to guide and co-ordinate the regeneration of Somerstown & North Southsea. The community has been heavily involved in the future of the area and have come up with the following vision: “to create a sustainable urban community. It will improve the quality of life, foster local pride and act as a springboard for social and economic regeneration. This will be achieved by creating a safe, active and attractive environment”.

What have you told us? 5.3.3 No specific comments were received on Somerstown & North Southsea during the issues and options consultation probably due to the fact that a series of consultations had already taken place specifically for this area.

5.3.4 Issues consultation on an Area Action Plan took place between December 2004 and April 2005 through a series of Planning for Real© exercises involving residents and other stakeholders. The outcomes of this consultation informed the development of three regeneration options for the area ranging from small-scale improvements to major demolition and redevelopment. Consultation on these options was carried out between November and December 2006 with the majority of residents supporting more significant change to the area.

Preferred option 5.3.5 The city council’s preferred approach to Somerstown & North Southsea is to regenerate the area. The aim of any proposals will be to make Somerstown & North Southsea feel safe, to provide more user friendly open space and play facilities, better quality homes, better quality health and community facilities, address parking issues and better connections through Somerstown & North Southsea and from the area to the city centre and Elm Grove.

5.3.6 Work undertaken on the preparation of the preferred options for the Somerstown & North Southsea AAP has estimated that the area could accommodate approximately an additional 740 dwellings through redevelopment proposals.

5.3.7 A key aim is to provide a new community hub within the area, the current community centre is very popular and well used but has structural faults and needs replacing. A community hub would provide improved health,

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community and advice services for the area. Possible sites are being investigated and will be dealt with in the AAP.

5.3.8 Other proposals that will contribute towards the regeneration of the area include: • the provision of employment through redevelopment of employment units on Middle Street and offices as part of the community hub. • improving the quality and increasing the amount of open space in the area in order to provide a more attractive living environment and areas for recreation / play • creating new routes through the area to improve access – improving pedestrian crossings, street improvements to create overlooked routes, traffic calming measures and new bus routes / stops.

Policy: Somerstown & North Southsea The council’s aim is to regenerate the area creating a safer, better quality environment with more housing and necessary facilities for the residents. This will be achieved by: • Creating clear routes through the area with better overlooked streets and spaces • Providing a minimum of 240 additional dwellings • Providing a community hub including health, community & youth facilities • Improving existing open spaces and creating additional open spaces and play areas • Supporting employment uses in the area • Developing improved and safer cycle and pedestrian routes through the area • Promoting improved bus services

The comprehensive redevelopment of Somerstown & North Southsea will be led by an Area Action Plan.

Implementation 5.3.9 An Area Action Plan is currently being produced for Somerstown & North Southsea, which will contain more detail on the actual level and location of development. Consultation on the preferred options for Somerstown & North Southsea will take place in autumn / winter 2008.

Alternatives 5.3.10 Due to its location and opportunities for regeneration, Somerstown & North Southsea is considered to be important in realising the objectives of the strategy. No alternatives were put forward at the issues and options consultation stage and the city council’s preferred option is to redevelop the area.

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5.4 FRATTON PARK

Background 5.4.1 Fratton Park, Portsmouth’s football ground, is located close to Fratton railway station and district centre and is surrounded by existing employment and residential areas.

What have you told us? 5.4.2 The issues and options consultation (2007) results favoured the greener development option, which included focusing development at public transport hubs. In addition there was some support for additional housing at Fratton Park.

Preferred option 5.4.3 Fratton Park is close to the railway station with frequent train services to a variety of destinations and Fratton district centre and lies on many good bus routes. Given the accessibility of the area and proximity to an existing district centre and local centres the site is suitable for medium-density housing and employment uses.

5.4.4 There is a current planning permission at Fratton Park and land adjacent, known as Pompey Village, for an enlarged football stadium, 563 residential units, doctor’s surgery, retail and commercial development. If the football club relocates to Port Solent then the whole site could be redeveloped for housing and employment. A large proportion of the site should be for houses rather than flats in order to contribute towards the housing mix of the city. Many sites in the city are only suitable for flatted development and large sites, which are more suited to housing, do not become available often, and it is therefore important to secure houses on such sites.

Policy: Fratton Park The council will support housing and employment development on land at and around Fratton Park. The area could provide: • Approximately 6,000m2 office development • Approximately 200 residential units including 30% affordable • Proposals for Fratton Park and land adjacent should be predominantly houses.

Implementation 5.4.5 This policy will be implemented through development control decisions.

Alternatives 5.4.6 Development at Fratton Park is in line with the greener development approach of focusing development around public transport hubs.

5.4.7 The two alternatives considered under the dispersed development and balanced approach would not focus development around transport hubs such as Fratton train station. Not focusing development around transport hubs would mean that opportunities to achieve higher density development

38 Portsmouth Draft Core Strategy 2008 would be missed. In addition to this if development is spread across the city as opposed to focused around public transport hubs then facilities will not be accessible by a choice of modes and there will be less chance of reducing the need to travel by car.

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5.5 PORTSMOUTH CITY CENTRE

Background 5.5.1 Portsmouth city centre will become the economic, social and cultural focus of southeast Hampshire. In the future, development here should contribute towards this role, providing a variety of additional town centre uses to support an increasing population and satisfy the high expectations that residents of Portsmouth have of a 21st century city centre.

What have you told us? 5.5.2 At the issues and options stage, suggestions were made about whether to extend the boundary of the city centre with support expressed for incorporating Gunwharf Quays and the Hard into the city centre or designating them as a centre in their own right. There was also support for recognising the role of the University and the Historic Dockyard in this part of the city. However many respondents raised strong concerns about an extended city centre, feeling that a larger centre was not required, or that the city was too small to support it.

5.5.3 Many respondents felt that the city centre was a particularly poor part of the city’s built environment, with a lack of coherence in shop fronts. In addition, it was highlighted that high quality urban design can assist in crime reduction and can improve the safety and mobility of those who are visually or otherwise impaired.

Preferred option 5.5.4 Over the next two decades, the city centre will be transformed providing new retail and office developments as well as entertainment, leisure and residential. The Northern Quarter development represents the first stage of these changes. The city centre is ideally placed to take extra development as there is good access by public transport which will be improved through proposals for park and ride in the north of the city.

5.5.5 To help facilitate these changes in the city centre, a more encompassing city centre has been proposed, which has also been sub-divided into a series of sections. These will each have their own separate character with certain uses being directed to certain sections of the city centre. The kind of place the city council would like these areas to be is outlined below whilst their boundaries are shown on map 2.

1. The primary This area should be protected and enhanced as the principal shopping area focus of shopping in Portsmouth and the wider southeast Hampshire area. 2. Station This area will be a focus for those uses, which generate a need Square for regular travel, such as offices and hotels, and will become the modern business hub of the city. 3. The civic Guildhall square will be transformed into the civic heart of the city. area A feasibility study is currently in progress to examine the development options for the site.

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4. Guildhall The evening role of Guildhall Walk should be built on in a more Walk prudent way with additional early evening uses, helping to keep the area vibrant and active all throughout the day as well as the evening. 5. The This area should continue to be the focus for higher education in University the city. Quarter 6. Portsea It is important that the main retail destinations of the city centre (the primary shopping area and Gunwharf Quays) are maintained as separate, yet linked destinations. To this end, although the residential elements of Portsea are contained within the city centre boundary, the residential character of this area will be preserved. 7. The Historic This is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country Dockyard and is particularly busy in the summer months. Tourism uses that build on this success, will be supported, so long as the design is suitably respectful of the historic, maritime environment. 8. The Hard This area will be transformed to improve the interchange and to provide a vibrant waterfront destination with bars, cafés, restaurants as well as new offices. 9. Gunwharf Gunwharf Quays is a retail and leisure destination in its own right, Quays as well as providing a great many homes in an accessible location. Development in this area should enhance the existing role of Gunwharf Quays as a leisure shopping destination.

5.5.6 The separate character areas help to keep two distinct shopping areas, the primary shopping area with mainstream high street stores and Gunwharf Quays a specialist outlet centre, which is in line with the city council’s three centre retail strategy.

5.5.7 Development in the city centre should positively contribute towards its role as the economic and cultural hub of Portsmouth and its wider city-region. This will be achieved through embracing the policies set out below.

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42 Portsmouth Draft Core Strategy 2008

PCSXXB: ENSURING THE CITY CENTRE IS WELCOMING TO ALL As well as investing in the buildings, which make up the city centre, investment must also be made in the spaces, which link these buildings. This should include public art whilst interesting landscaping schemes and lighting will also be encouraged.

Any strategies for environmental enhancements in the city centre will work towards making the area more attractive and inclusive with funding being required from new development to help achieve this aim.

Access to the city centre by public transport, cycling and walking should be improved.

Opportunities should be realised to improve the pedestrian and cycle links between the different sections of the city centre so that people are able to visit many city centre destinations in one trip without the use of a private car.

PCSXXD: THE CHARACTER OF THE CITY CENTRE The uses, which would be most appropriate to each part of the city centre, are outlined below as well as other specific requirements. The boundaries of the individual sections and the city centre as a whole can be seen map 2.

1. The Primary Shopping Area • Create a mixed-use retail development at Northern Quarter providing at least 96,200m2 gross retail. • Leisure, cultural facilities and food and drink establishments will be encouraged here, although at least 75% of the frontage here should always be in A1 shopping use. • The provision of bulky goods will be directed towards the north of Market Way taking advantage of its more peripheral location. • Residential uses will be encouraged at first floor level and above providing approximately 350 residential units.

2. Station Square Station Square will become a business hub providing: • At least 20,000m2 of office floorspace and 500 residential units. Hotels, leisure and retail will also be encouraged to locate here. • In order to create a vibrant area with a healthy mix of uses, at least 50% of the floorspace of any development proposal must be non-residential.

Before designing any developments or assembling plots, applicants should refer to the Station Square and Station Street supplementary planning document for further advice.

3. The Civic Area Proposals in this area should contribute to the creation of a civic area by: • Enhancing the Guidhall Square • Accommodating the city museum, the city’s registrar and the records office • Providing office, restaurants, cafés and hotels as well as 1200 residential units. 43 Portsmouth Draft Core Strategy 2008

In order to create a vibrant area with a healthy mix of uses, at least 50% of the floorspace of any development proposal on the civic square must be non- residential.

Proposals that adjoin Victoria Park should exploit their location, ensuring the development seamlessly connects with the park and enhances the setting of the Cathedral as well as providing a welcoming entrance to pedestrians where necessary.

4. Guildhall Walk To promote the centre’s evening economy developments must ensure that: • The total frontage of drinking establishments and nightclubs should not exceed 55% of the total frontage of the area. • Early evening uses are increasingly present in the area, to ensure that the street is vibrant and well used throughout the daytime and into the night. • New buildings and public spaces actively seek to design out crime. • Contributions are provided towards the set-up and running costs of closed circuit television equipment. • Sufficient measures are put in place to limit noise, pollution and anti- social behaviour in order to protect and preserve the amenity of those who live in the city centre as well as those who live close by.

5. The University Quarter • New developments and the spaces which connect them should create an environment which stimulates the mind. • Education facilities will be encouraged here. • Proposals which would enhance the functioning of an educational establishment, provide student accommodation or facilities to support the student population will be supported providing an active ground floor is maintained. • The architecture and public realm of new developments should include public art and other measures to provoke thought and imagination.

6. Portsea • This area’s residential role will be preserved providing an additional 150 residential units • New town centre uses will be encouraged to locate in an alternative part of the city centre. The only exception to this is that development which fronts Queen Street should include an active ground floor in order to provide a town centre corridor, linking the primary shopping area to Gunwharf Quays.

7. The Hard This area will be transformed into a vibrant waterfront destination providing: • Improvements to the transport interchange and the public realm to create a welcoming gateway to the city as well as increasing its permeability to both the primary retail area and Gunwharf Quays. • 10,000m2 of offices • Hotels. Of all the policies in the core strategy, this will be the one which is likely to have the

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• Bars, restaurants and cafes

8. The Historic Dockyard • Town centre uses which build on the role and function of the Historic Dockyard will be supported in this area. • The design of developments should have regard to the maritime heritage of the dockyard.

9. Gunwharf Quays Development should protect and enhance the role of Gunwharf Quays as a leisure shopping destination. Consequently, shopping uses will be encouraged here, primarily those of a factory-outlet nature, whilst leisure, office, restaurant and late night entertainment uses will also be supported in this accessible location.

Implementation 5.5.8 As well as this policy, several other proposed Core Strategy policies will have an impact on the city centre such as housing (PCSxx), tall buildings (PCSxx) and sustainable development (PCSxx).

5.5.9 Access to the city centre will be improved through implementing proposals from the second Local Transport Plan, including park and ride sites in the north of the city. Developer contributions towards sustainable development will be used to improve cycling and walking links and facilities.

5.5.10 The design and public realm requirements will be raised through discussions with developers at pre-application stage. This will ensure that potential applicants are aware of the rigorous standards that the city council will be requiring so that they can be incorporated into developments at the earliest stage.

5.5.11 Within each of the character areas, the implementation of the policy will vary. In some, specific strategies will need to be put together to guide development, whereas in others, the policy will work simply to preserve what is already there.

5.5.12 SPDs will be developed to guide development at the Hard and the civic area. These will give more detail on the kinds of places which the Hard and the civic area will become and how new development can contribute to this. In addition, the Hard SPD will set out how improvements to the transport interchange will be implemented.

5.5.13 At the Northern Quarter, the city council will use compulsory purchase powers where necessary in order to realise the ambition of a comprehensive mixed-use development.

5.5.14 The city council’s annual survey of land uses in retail centres will monitor the amount of the primary retail area which is used for shopping and the amount

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of Guildhall Square which is used for bars and nightclubs. This will help ensure that these uses are kept at the levels required by the policy.

5.5.15 Development in other areas will be addressed in a piecemeal way, through the development control process. Nonetheless, for larger developments the requirements of this policy as well as design and public realm requirements will be raised in early pre-application discussions. This will ensure that potential applicants are aware of the rigorous standards that the city council will require so that they can be incorporated into proposals at the earliest opportunity

Alternatives 5.5.16 Designating the area around Gunwharf Quays, the Hard and the Historic Dockyard as a centre in its own right would be the principal alternative to the proposed policy. This received widespread support in both of the previous consultations. However, the city council proposed to include Gunwharf Quays as a centre in the existing Local Plan, but the Inspector believed that the area did not have the necessary variety of town centre uses to warrant its designation as a centre in its own right. The Examination into the draft South East Plan came to the same conclusion, although suggested an expanded city centre as an alternative, which could include Gunwharf Quays.

5.5.17 Another alternative would be to leave Gunwharf Quays and the surrounding area undesignated, as was proposed in option 1 of the issues and options paper. As PPS6 states that town centre uses must usually be located in a designated centre, this would prevent a great deal of development appropriate to the role and functions of Gunwharf Quays and the Hard. This would have a negative impact on the economic development and sustainability of this area and the city as a whole.

5.5.18 The proposed policy is in line with the PUSH strategy of enhancing the city centre’s role within the sub-region. It is felt that the proposed policy recognises the different characters and uses which exist in different parts of the city centre. By dividing up the city centre, with different uses assigned to specific areas, it allows for most retail development to be directed towards Commercial Road, for Gunwharf Quays to remain a separate leisure retail destination, and for the residential and University areas which fall in between to be recognised and preserved. With regard to Gunwharf Quays, it is felt that the proposed policy would have a similar impact in policy terms as designating Gunwharf Quays as a centre in its own right, as well as addressing the concerns that were raised about the consequences of an expanded city centre. In particular, such an approach would ensure that the Core Strategy would score higher in regards to climate change and emissions and employment and economy objectives of the sustainability appraisal.

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5.6 OTHER TOWN CENTRES

Background 5.6.1 Portsmouth’s other town centres include Southsea town centre as well as Cosham, North End, Fratton and Albert Road district centres. Southsea as a town centre sits above the other centres in the retail hierarchy and has its own distinct role within Portsmouth. The role of the other centres is to provide the local population with the opportunity to shop for both day to day items such as food and household products, as well as more specialist items such as clothing, gifts or furniture locally, and allow them to visit facilities such as banks and post offices and go out and meet people close to where they live.

5.6.2 They do not replace the need for trips to higher order centres once in a while, but generally are the first port of call for the residents in the surrounding areas. However, unlike local centres or small parades of shops, these centres generally also have a draw beyond the surrounding residential areas. Southsea and Albert Road are particularly remarkable in this respect, with their independent shops, bars and restaurants drawing people in even from beyond the city boundaries.

5.6.3 For each of the centres it is crucial that a critical number of units remain in A1 shopping use, so that the centre can continue to provide its primary function as a shopping area. However the strategy needs to allow for the centre’s ability to change and fluctuate with the market and to accommodate other uses that help to provide for an interesting and useful mix of uses that contribute to the vitality and viability of the centre. The periphery of the centres have a role to play in providing this flexibility as they provide opportunities for the smaller independent retailers and service providers that may not be able to afford a more central location, or such uses as restaurants, bars and cafés, which do not necessarily need to locate on the primary frontage but allow the centre to be used more fully into the evening.

5.6.4 Promoting development in the centres adds to the approach of protecting their retail function by encouraging them to become the focus for employment and housing also. The city’s town and district centres are all well connected by public transport and largely lie in low risk flood areas, making them ideal focal points for development.

What have you told us? 5.6.5 Consultation has brought up some concerns over the physical appearance of all of the centres, both in terms of the general environment as well as some of the individual units. The city council will therefore support environmental improvements in the centres and strive for well-designed shop fronts and new developments. Support will also be given to proposals for public art, markets, festivals and one-off events that encourage people to visit the town and district centres.

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Preferred option 5.6.6 The proposed strategy and policy below seek to build on the character and potential of the individual town and district centres and support their vitality and viability.

Southsea Town Centre 5.6.7 Southsea is a town centre serving more than the local population and attracting people from beyond the city’s boundaries. The centre is an attraction for visitors and tourists. The centre is seen as a specialist area providing boutiques, restaurants and leisure events. Within the town centre there are areas where concentrations of particular uses have evolved. The strategy for Southsea is to build on this to create specific quarters to focus development within the centre and retain the centre’s individual character. There are opportunities for redevelopment of existing sites within the centre for retail, office, leisure / tourism or residential uses.

5.6.8 Southsea has a strong retail role within Portsmouth and forms part of the city council’s three centre strategy and as such an area action plan was produced and adopted in 2007. The area action plan aims to retain the centre’s existing character, sustain its vitality and viability and prevent any decline but it does not propose any large scale redevelopment. Specific policies for Southsea town centre are set out in the AAP and are not repeated here.

Cosham District Centre 5.6.9 Cosham is a traditional centre serving the surrounding population with a mixture of local independent shops and national retailers. While the centre is deemed to be doing well, the shopping study update has identified a qualitative need for more mid market comparison goods. The centre has a core area dominated by shopping uses, which is partly pedestrianised, and peripheral areas on Northern Road, Spur Road and the southern end of the High Street that are less retail based but include such things as offices, health and community centres (see Map 3). The strategy for this area is to protect the core retail function, and improve the town centre offer as well as the physical and especially the pedestrian environment. The ‘periphery’ will be considered to be part of the centre, while recognising that it performs a very different function from the core. There are significant opportunities for larger scale town centre use developments, in particular offices, as well as community uses that support the centres in the periphery. It is estimated that this area has the potential to accommodate around 21,000m2 of office space. It could also accommodate some housing development, as long as the balance of uses remains in favour of active town centre uses. Upper floors in the core area can also provide smaller scale opportunities for residential, offices and other town centre uses. The centre is well connected by public transport, having good bus links, an interchange on Northern Road and a railway station on the high street and is ideally placed to become the centre of a sustainable community.

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49 Portsmouth Draft Core Strategy 2008

North End District Centre 5.6.10 North End is also a traditional centre serving the surrounding population with a mixture of local independent shops and national retailers. The centre is one section of a long strip of retail areas along a key north-south route through Portsea Island. North End has a core area dominated by shopping uses and it is one aim of the strategy to draw out the core of this area more clearly through environmental improvements and the protection of the core retail function. Kingston Crescent at the southern edge of the centre already has a cluster of offices and some larger retail units and this area, while not offering as many opportunities as Cosham, nevertheless is well placed to provide further office and some residential development, which would support and develop the role of this centre (see Map

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Fratton District Centre 5.6.11 Fratton also grew up as a centre serving the surrounding areas providing a mix of shops and services. The centre is close to Fratton railway station and enjoys good bus links. The ASDA superstore is now the main draw in the centre, which also brings in people from further afield than Fratton. Nevertheless, the remainder of the centre still provides a range of local independent shops and the strategy here is to protect the centre’s current function. In Fratton there are fewer opportunities for office or other large- scale town centre uses than in Cosham and North End, though upper floors can provide smaller scale opportunities. Map 5 indicates the boundaries for Fratton centre.

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52 Portsmouth Draft Core Strategy 2008

Albert Road District Centre 5.6.12 Albert Road is a vibrant centre characterised by independent shops and a variety of bars and restaurants. This area draws in visitors from beyond the city boundary, particularly for the vibrant evening and nighttime offer at its western end. The eastern end is more akin to a local centre. The city council is designating this area as a district centre for the first time, to reflect and build on its growing success in the hierarchy of the city’s centres, and particularly wishes to encourage its role for independent specialist traders. Map 7 indicates the boundaries of Albert Road centre.

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Policy: Other town centres The city council will support and develop the role of the city’s district centres at Cosham, North End, Fratton and Albert Road. It will do so by: • Maintaining a critical level of A1 shop uses in each centre, at or above the following level: 65% in Cosham, North End and Fratton 50% in Albert Road Local independent traders will be particularly encouraged. • Providing 21,000m2 of office employment at Cosham • Supporting proposals for offices in the other centres, where they are not on the primary shopping frontage, particularly in the southern periphery of North End • Supporting proposals for housing above ground floor level. Providing 550 residential units at Cosham, 100 residential units at Fratton, 175 units residential units at North End and 25 residential units at Albert Road. • Supporting small scale uses that will keep the centres active in the evening • Supporting, in the periphery and above ground floor in the primary areas, community facilities that support the surrounding population such as community centres, doctor’s surgeries etc. • Promoting excellent design in new shopfronts and redevelopment schemes • Supporting physical improvements that enhance the appearance of the centres as well as the pedestrian experience • Encouraging public art, markets, festivals and one-off events that promote the centres and make them interesting and unique places to visit • Maintaining an adequate amount of parking in or near the centres • Maintaining and improving accessibility by walking, cycling and public transport.

Implementation 5.6.13 Many parts of the strategy for the district centres outlined above are policies that will guide decisions on planning applications.

5.6.14 Developer contributions will be sought for environmental improvements, and the city council is investigating improvement programmes for North End and Cosham.

5.6.15 Albert Road has an active Traders Association. It regularly organises events to promote the centre. The city council will continue to support these efforts, including through the active efforts of the Southsea Town Centre manager.

5.6.16 New traders associations have been set up in Cosham and North End and are supported by the city council.

Alternatives 5.6.17 Albert Road is not considered to be a district centre in the adopted city local plan. The city council considered maintaining its current status as a

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‘specialist commercial area’ as in many ways it does operate quite differently from the other three district centres in the city. However, that designation has no status in terms of national retail policy in PPS6, and it was considered that Albert Road should be granted fully recognised status in the city’s hierarchy of centres.

5.6.18 Consideration was also given to restricting the level of food and drink uses, and in particular A4 drinking establishments and A5 takeaways. However, it was considered that the key issue was the level of A1 shops and that beyond this, the centres were well able to accommodate the natural mix of other town centre uses that the market naturally provides.

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5.7 THE SEAFRONT

Background 5.7.1 As a city that grew up around a naval dockyard and later as a Victorian Seaside resort, the seafront is one of the city’s defining features, and residents and visitors alike enjoy the area for a variety of leisure activities all year round. The LSP takes the connection with the sea as the starting point for its vision of Portsmouth as ‘the premier waterfront city, with an unrivalled maritime heritage – a great place to live, work and visit’.

What have you told us? 5.7.2 Studies and public consultation have repeatedly highlighted that the city does not make enough of its seafront, and that this natural asset has great potential to become used more widely by residents and to attract a greater number of visitors. The Core Strategy Issues and Options consultation in particular highlighted the need for a greater variety of uses such as restaurants and cafés, and the need for investment in the public spaces including the promenade and the green spaces along the seafront in order to improve the area visually. Any development, it is felt, should respect the historic fabric and character of the existing development along the seafront. These views have not only been expressed in the consultation for the Core Strategy, but also during the preparation of the Seafront Strategy Issues paper (2007). They are confirmed by city council work such as the 2008 city wide Character Appraisal and the Appraisal and Guidelines for Conservation Area 10 (The Seafront) (updated 2006). The draft South East Plan also places an emphasis on the regeneration of seaside towns.

Preferred option 5.7.3 The seafront is characterised by its openness. Southsea Common and a series of smaller gardens and open spaces set the building line back from the beachside promenade and create a feeling of openness. This wide open area not only forms one of the city’s most extensive areas of open space for the enjoyment of residents and visitors, but is also a unique feature of Portsmouth’s seafront compared to other seaside resorts.

5.7.4 The beachside promenade is the main route for pedestrians along the seafront. The city council recognises that if the city is to attract more and/or repeat visitors and provide its residents with an outstanding leisure experience on their doorstep, improving the quality of the public realm is absolutely essential. While the seafront boasts a whole host of interesting features such as historic lamp columns, railings and shelters, consultees often comment that the area has an air of being in need of care and attention. There is also concern that the promenade is getting too cluttered with such things as signs and other street furniture. With rising sea levels there will be the need to enhance the existing sea defences, and it is important that these integrate as sensitively as possible with the local environment, including looking for opportunities to make them multi- functional for example as locations for seating or public art.

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5.7.5 The buildings behind the Common and along the promenade define the built environment on the seafront. Some interesting and attractive buildings in the main building line of 4 storey Victorian terraces have been lost to redevelopment schemes in the past. Many of the freestanding existing structures such as the Marina café on the promenade are of poor quality and diminish the attractiveness of the seafront.

5.7.6 While the low-key character of Portsmouth’s seafront is considered one of its unique qualities, a common complaint is the very limited offer in terms of cafés and restaurants that one would associate with a vibrant seafront. While the city council recognises the provision in PPS6 that all such uses should be located in designated centres to protect their vitality and viability, the city council places equal weight on the local significance of its seafront. There is a need to diversify the offer in this area while also making clearer links with existing town and local centres in the vicinity. Regular and one-off events that make use of the seafront throughout the year will also be supported.

5.7.7 A key development site on the seafront may come forward in the early years of the plan period. After initial plans to close the Pyramids Centre in April 2008, the city council decided to keep it open for another year and then review its future further. If the centre was to close, an alternative use would be considered for the site. Public consultation during 2007 showed a preference for another leisure use to replace the fun pool that will be lost. Any future use should be a public use linked to the seafront. Flood risk would be a prime consideration in any redevelopment proposal. Any replacement building should respect the attractive and interesting public rock gardens adjacent to the site and would have to be of the highest architectural quality given its prominence as viewed from the Solent, the promenade and the Common.

POLICY: THE SEAFRONT The character of the seafront, from Point to the mouth of Langstone Harbour at Eastney (as depicted on the key diagram), will be enhanced. The city council will achieve this by ƒ Protecting the open nature of the area around the Common and other undeveloped areas, and improving the quality of the open spaces ƒ Protecting the nature conservation value at Eastney Beach ƒ Improving the quality of the promenade including enhanced maintenance, reducing clutter and physical barriers where appropriate and ensuring that any new or enhanced sea defences integrate sensitively with the local environment ƒ Ensuring that all development is appropriate to its setting and that it enhances the character of the part of the seafront it which it is located. ƒ Encouraging and supporting proposals for small scale restaurants, cafés and other uses and activities that will diversify the leisure and cultural offer without detracting from the open character of the seafront ƒ Seeking developer contributions towards environmental improvements ƒ Making clearer links between the seafront and the nearby centres of Southsea and Castle Road

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ƒ Promoting and supporting events and public art on the seafront

All proposals for physical alterations in Conservation Areas should have regard to published Guidelines For Conservation.

Implementation 5.7.8 Many parts of the strategy for the seafront outlined above are policies that will guide decisions on development applications.

5.7.9 The city council has itself begun to make physical improvements to the area and is now developing a comprehensive programme of works as part of a wider Seafront Improvement Strategy. Improvements will be funded through the city council’s capital programme, the highways PFI and section 106 contributions.

5.7.10 In order to make better links between the seafront and the nearby centres, there is a need to improve signage, publicity, and visitor information. The city council will also work to align better its timetabling and publicity for events on the seafront and in the nearby centres.

Alternatives 5.7.11 As well as the improvement strategy outlined above, the city council also proposed, in its Issues and Options consultation, a more intensive development option for the area, in which fewer controls would restrict the scale and nature of development. This approach was rejected firmly by consultees and also gained a poorer score for the sustainability objectives of Heritage and of Landscape and Townscape Quality, although it was also noted that a less restrictive approach could have a positive effect on the city’s leisure offer and could also produce some bold building designs.

5.7.12 At the beginning of the process of strategy formulation the city council also considered not highlighting the seafront specifically in the Core Strategy. This approach was quickly rejected given the importance of the seafront to the local leisure and cultural offer, the attractiveness and local distinctiveness of the city, as well as the contribution the seafront can make in achieving the LSP’s vision of Portsmouth becoming the premier waterfront city.

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6. CREATING QUALITY PLACES TO LIVE

6.1 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Background 6.1.1 The past decades have taught us that economic and social growth cannot be sustained without looking after the environment, both locally and globally. As we proceed through this period of the city’s development, we have an opportunity to invest in the environmental quality of our built and natural environment. Failure to address these issues now will place already stressed environments under a greater burden and will reduce the quality of life for current and future generations.

6.1.2 Above all, improving the sustainability of our built and natural environment is a positive, forward thinking and economically attractive strategy which will help the city meet the challenges of climate change and achieve ‘smart growth’, where economic development is coupled with social and environmental improvements. Sustainable development is therefore crucial to the future of the city.

What have you told us? 6.1.3 There was a great deal of support in the 2007 issues and options consultation for the Greener Development scenario due to its high standards of sustainable development. Specifically, the proposal that a proportion of a new development’s energy needs should be generated from on site renewable energy technology received significant support. The 2006 consultation specifically addressed this issue, asking respondents how much of new development’s energy needs should be met from renewable energy sources. Over half of those who responded to that question stated that at least 20% should be met by renewable sources.

6.1.4 However, a clear message from the 2007 consultation was that sustainable design and construction should be a addressed in a comprehensive way incorporating measures such as green roofs and requiring the use of ethically sourced, local materials.

Preferred option 6.1.5 Given the city’s coastal location, Portsmouth will endeavour to be a front- runner in sustainable design and construction. The Government has set out a timetable for all new homes to be zero carbon by 20167 and all new non- domestic property by 20198. This will be implemented through the building regulations, which are separate to the planning process.

6.1.6 A common policy framework addressing sustainable design and construction has been developed by all the local authorities in the PUSH sub-region. However the city council has taken the view that standards of sustainable design and construction in Portsmouth should exceed the

7 Building a Greener Future strategy (Communities and Local Government) 8 Budget 2008 – Stability and opportunity: building a strong, sustainable future

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common PUSH standards with a particular focus on ‘greening the city’. This is due to the city’s high vulnerability to the effects of climate change, our low level of greenspace per head of population and the level of development envisaged in the city. Subsequently, in order to ensure smart growth, standards of sustainable development must be bought forward as well as being made more stringent so the development which takes place within the first half of the plan period incorporates these measures.

6.1.7 There is little additional capacity in the city’s wastewater infrastructure, with some parts of the city being at risk of surface water flooding as a result. In order to promote efficient use of the foul sewerage system, and release capacity for foul water conveyance, surface water should be separated in new development and the postdevelopment rate of discharge of both surface and foul water to the combined system should be no greater than the existing rate. Appropriate arrangements must be made to ensure that there is sufficient sewerage capacity for foul water and this could be achieved by restricting the flow of surface water. To release pressure on the city’s sewer system new development should incorporate sustainable drainage methods.

6.1.8 The rate of development proposed in the city could potentially have a negative impact on the quality of our natural environment, particularly the designated sites in the city. Langstone and Portsmouth Harbours are both Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), Ramsar sites and Special Protection Areas (SPAs). The latter two ecological designations are of international importance. In addition to these, Langstone Harbour is also a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and sections of Portsdown Hill are a SSSI. There are also many sites in and around the city, which have been designated as a local Site of Importance to Nature Conservation or are used as feeding sites by Brent Geese and so must be protected from development. In the future there will be increasing pressure on all of these sites and the species they support from enhanced flood defences and the resulting coastal squeeze and increased leisure activity. There will be a particular need to manage this increased pressure to ensure that we avoid a net loss, work towards a net gain in biodiversity across the city, and provide compensatory habitat in exceptional circumstances.

POLICY: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 1. New development9 will only be permitted if it meets the following sustainability standards:

Development must meet the following minimum Code for Sustainable Homes threshold level, and equivalents for non-residential development, as set out below: All residential development All multi-residential and non- achieves at least the following residential developments with a level of the Code for floor space of over 500 m2 must

9 For these purposes “development” means 1 dwelling or more and 500m2 or more of non residential floorspace.

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Sustainable Homes achieve at least the following BREEAM standards8 Until the end 4 BREEAM ‘very good’ of 2011 from 2012 5 BREEAM ‘excellent’ from 2015 6 BREEAM ‘excellent’

• Development should be designed to maximise passive solar efficiency. • The scale and density of development will be required to correlate with the city council’s strategy of higher densities locating in the most accessible locations, whilst also following the character of the area. • To provide healthy urban surfaces, such as green roofs, walls or green fingers to a nearby park, as part of the development.

• New development should provide a pleasant living environment through, amongst other things, increasing the amount of trees and helping to green our neighbourhoods. Existing trees on a site should be preserved and new ones provided wherever possible. On smaller sites, developer contributions would be sought to increase tree cover in the city’s streets and parks. • To provide sustainable drainage. • Development that could result in a net loss of biodiversity will not be permitted. Development should actively pursue a net gain in biodiversity within the vicinity of the site. • Development will not be permitted which could have a negative impact on those sites, which are internationally, nationally or locally designated or have been identified as a feeding site for Brent Geese. Where an adverse impact on biodiversity is unavoidable, mitigation measures, or where necessary compensatory habitat, will be required. • A contribution will be required towards the provision of renewable energy and the carbon neutrality of Portsmouth. • Development should not result in an increase in the rate of flow from the site into the combined sewer system. • Development must provide adequate space for recycling and waste management facilities in suitable locations. • Development should include recycled construction material as part of the development.

2. In addition to the above, major development10 will be required:

• To incorporate on-site renewable energy equipment to reduce predicted CO2 emissions by at least 25%, unless it can be demonstrated that this would render development unviable.

10 For these purposes “major development” means 10 or more dwellings and 1000m2 or more of non residential floorspace.

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• To separate the surface water and foul water which is discharged from the site. • To investigate becoming part of a considerate constructor’s scheme.

Implementation 6.1.9 As with most policies in the Core Strategy, these measures will primarily be implemented through development control decisions. However, as this is a complex, as well as relatively new policy area, a supplementary planning document will be produced which will give more detailed information and recommendations on how to comply with the policy.

6.1.10 The city council will work with its partners in the public, private and voluntary sectors to help achieve the aim of becoming a carbon neutral city as well as being a champion of sustainable development. Various strategies will be put in place to achieve this such as a Living City Strategy, Sustainability Strategy and Climate Change Strategy.

Alternatives 6.1.11 Option 2 of the issues and options document would have required only the basic level of the PUSH sustainability policy framework to be put forward as the city’s sustainable development policy. Option 3 would also have required only the basic level of the PUSH sustainability policy framework, though large sites would be required to incorporate a minimum percentage of on-site renewable energy.

6.1.12 Rejecting options 2 and 3 in favour of option 1 is in line with the outcome of consultation and reflects the outcome of the sustainability appraisal for the three options at the last consultation. Specifically, option 1 scored possibly positively or higher on climate change and emissions, natural resources, biodiversity, landscape and townscape quality and quality of life. Under all of these sections, options 2 and 3 score poorer than did option 1 and have thus been rejected on that basis.

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6.2 DESIGN AND CONSERVATION

Background 6.2.1 The image of Portsmouth is of a city by the sea, shaped and characterised by its maritime history and defence role. However recent developments in the city around Gunwharf Quays have started to spell a new chapter in the life of Portsmouth as a city which is a desirable place to live, epitomising contemporary waterfront living. Whilst we must celebrate that the city is moving forward, we must also pay our history its due respect.

What have you told us? 6.2.2 The quality of design was one of the key issues raised in both of the previous consultations. Respondents felt that whilst some recent developments such as Gunwharf Quays and the Spinnaker Tower represented a high quality of contemporary design, in general the city lacks well-designed, post-war buildings and architectural boldness. Some felt that the city’s historic buildings represented some of the best examples of architectural design in Portsmouth. A number of respondents noted that those buildings and structures which symbolise the past accomplishments of the city should receive a high level of protection.

6.2.3 Many have also expressed the feeling that smaller developments should be better designed. Shop conversions have been highlighted as a particular example of how poor design can have a negative impact on the street scene, making it appear ugly and cluttered. Overall, there was a general consensus that urban design in the city, incorporating both the architecture of proposed new buildings and the spaces between them should have a positive impact upon people’s wellbeing.

Proposed policy 6.2.4 Only the highest standards of architectural quality should be permitted in new development. In tandem with this, the city council will work proactively to ensure that the valuable elements of the city’s history which remain with us today are preserved for the enjoyment of future generations.

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POLICY: DESIGN AND CONSERVATION All new development should be well designed and, in particular, respect the character of the city as a mainly flat island with extensive coastal areas and numerous historic assets.

The following will be sought in new development: • Excellent architectural quality in new buildings and changes to existing buildings • Delight and innovation • Public and private spaces that are clearly defined, as well as being safe, vibrant and attractive • Relates well to the geography and history of Portsmouth, particularly the city’s conservation areas, listed buildings, locally listed buildings and scheduled ancient monuments • Protects and enhances the city’s historic townscape and the cultural and natural heritage • Appropriate scale, density, layout, appearance and materials in relation to the particular context • Protect and enhance important views and settings of key buildings. • Create new views and juxtapositions that add to the variety and texture of a setting • Flexible enough to respond to future changes in use, lifestyle and demography • Within town, local and district centres provide a mix of uses to encourage a sense of place, sustainable living and “active” street frontages • Promote and encourage public art • Car parking and cycle storage should be well designed, integral to the scheme and convenient to users • Accessible to all users

Implementation 6.2.5 In order to provide more clarity on the design standards that the city council will require, a conservation and design SPD will be prepared. This will give far more extensive details on the standards of architectural design which would be acceptable in the city as well as how development should respect the character of the different parts of the city. This will also ensure that our conservation area guidelines are included as statutory guidance in Portsmouth’s LDF.

6.2.6 Proposals should also have regard to the guidance in the city’s Character Area Assessment to ensure that new development respects the character of its surroundings.

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6.2.7 The existing SPD “Reducing crime through design” will be used to ensure that new development reduce opportunities for crime and improve safety and feelings of safety.

Alternatives 6.2.8 Option 2 of the issues and options consultation proposed a broad policy framework with basic design parameters. Alternatively, option 3 proposed good design standards across the city with particular concern for the city’s important built heritage. In general, both of these alternatives were rejected by stakeholders in favour of a comprehensive policy framework for design excellence. This was also shown through the sustainability appraisal of the issues and options paper, which demonstrated that option 1, would result in a positive impact on landscape and townscape quality while options 2 and 3 would have an uncertain effect.

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6.3 TALL BUILDINGS

Background 6.3.1 Tall buildings11 can impact positively and negatively on the feel and look of an area. Where they work well, tall buildings can create a sense of place but on the other hand an insensitively designed and located tall building can detract from the character of an area. In Portsmouth, tall buildings have been dealt with on an ad hoc basis and it is important to have a coherent strategy setting out appropriate locations and design criteria for tall buildings.

What have you told us? 6.3.2 Consultation responses to the issues and options noted that a policy on tall buildings was needed whereas others called for no high-rise development in the city.

Preferred option 6.3.3 As the city develops over the next 20 years the number of tall buildings is likely to increase. There could be more proposals for tall buildings as the city strives to meet its housing target, create a business hub in the city centre and develop key regeneration sites.

6.3.4 In general, locations that are considered appropriate for tall buildings are those that: • Offer an opportunity for a ‘gateway’ or landmark building i.e. a prominent entry point to the city and/or focal sites located on corners or at major road junctions • Areas with high accessibility to public transport because of the intensity of use of tall buildings • Areas in proximity to major roads • Areas that are close to town centre locations, which provide a mix of shopping and leisure facilities • Areas where existing tall buildings are located in order to consolidate the skyline or create a cluster of tall buildings

6.3.5 The following areas have been selected on the basis of an urban design analysis of the city, which identified the following positive factors in relation to each area:

1. The Hard - The area contains a transport interchange and existing tall buildings and is adjacent to Gunwharf Quays. 2. City Centre/Dockyard/Ferryport - The site of a significant number of existing tall buildings – potentially providing the opportunity to consolidate the city’s skyline and create a ‘cluster’. The area straddles the city’s priority bus corridor and contains the city’s main railway station. 3. Whale Island - The area is in close proximity to the continental ferry port and the M275 motorway, is an area of existing tall buildings, and presents a

11 The city council considers a building as tall when it is in excess of five storeys, and/or its height exceeds 20m.

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possible opportunity for a landmark building. 4. Kingston Crescent/Estella Road - The site is in close proximity to the continental ferry port and there are already a number of existing tall buildings. This site has the potential for landmark buildings. 5. Fratton - The area is in close proximity to a railway station, a district centre, a major road and important junction, is a site of existing new and old tall buildings and a potential site for landmark buildings. 6. Tipner - An area identified as appropriate for significant volumes of new housing, in close proximity to a major road with proposed future access from the M275 Motorway. The site also has the potential for a ‘gateway’ or landmark building. 7. Port Solent/Horsea Island - The area is close to a major road, has been identified for significant potential new housing and leisure facilities and presents an opportunity for a potential landmark or ‘gateway’ building. 8. Cosham - The area is close to a railway station and a district centre, contains existing new and old tall buildings straddling the city’s priority bus corridor, and is on a major road into and out of the city. 9. Western Road/Southampton Road – The area is intersected by a number of major roads with a number of existing tall buildings.

POLICY: TALL BUILDINGS Tall buildings may be acceptable in the following ‘areas of opportunity’ 1. The Hard 2. City Centre/Dockyard/Ferryport 3. Whale Island 4. Kingston Crescent/Estella Road 5. Fratton 6. Tipner 7. Port Solent/Horsea Island 8. Cosham 9. Western Road/Southampton Road

These areas are identified on map 7 ‘areas of opportunity’.

Proposals for tall buildings should follow the criteria laid out in the council’s SPD related to tall buildings.

Implementation 6.3.6 The strategy for tall buildings will be implemented through development control decisions. An SPD will be produced which sets out criteria to assess the acceptability of tall buildings.

Alternatives 6.3.7 The alternative would be not to have a policy governing the location of tall buildings and continue dealing with applications on an ad hoc basis. This situation is not considered acceptable as it can lead to tall buildings being located in areas where they do not relate to the character. In addition it would be helpful to developers to know where within Portsmouth tall buildings would be acceptable.

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6.4 OPEN SPACE

Background 6.4.1 There are around 900 hectares of open space in the city, which vary in quality and value, but play an important role in providing for recreation, wildlife and visual relief. As well as the more formal parks, playing fields and other open spaces across the city, the natural areas at the edge of the harbours, Portsdown Hill and the area beyond the north of the city are excellent resources on the city’s doorstep. Nevertheless, open space is extremely scarce in Portsmouth compared to other cities. Many residents, particularly those that do not have access to a car, never or very rarely have the opportunity to experience nature in the countryside. Many also do not have access to any private outdoor space at home. Their local parks and play areas are therefore all the more valuable. With increased pressures from housing development over the next twenty years, Portsmouth’s existing open spaces will become increasingly important.

6.4.2 National as well as regional policy now places a much stronger emphasis on quality and accessibility of open space, and recognises their value in terms of local community. Their benefits to public health and their contribution to children’s development are also emphasised, and the role of the planning system in contributing to these aims has moved up the agenda.

What have you told us? 6.4.3 With continuing high levels of development in the city, open space is one of the greatest concerns to the population. The Issues and Options consultation in 2006 and 2007 showed widespread support for the continued protection and enhancement of all open space in the city. There was particular demand for certain kinds of open space provision, especially for play and for wildlife areas.

Preferred option 6.4.4 A PPG17 compliant assessment of the city’s open spaces was completed in January 2008. The assessment confirmed that Portsmouth has a lower level of accessible greenspace provision than other cities, and that opportunities to increase the amount of open space are extremely limited. As a result, the study confirms that the best approach for Portsmouth is to concentrate on enhancing existing provision to improve usability and quality.

6.4.5 Locally, the developing LDF open space policy is set in the context of the Sustainable Community Strategy objectives of improving opportunity and achievement in education, skills and lifelong learning; encouraging and enabling healthy choices for all and offering access for all to arts, sports and leisure. It will also be influenced by the city’s recently gained status of Play Pathfinder. POLICY: OPEN SPACE The city council will improve the value of the city’s open spaces for the local community by: ƒ Resisting development proposals on existing open spaces ƒ Improving the quality of open spaces to make them more delightful and useable

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ƒ Where this is appropriate, improving the range of functions of open spaces so that they cater for a broader section of the community ƒ Improving the accessibility of the city’s open spaces to pedestrians, cyclists and by public transport ƒ Ensuring the highest play value of sites, whether they are designed specifically for play or whether they are shared open space for the whole community; places for play should have regard to the local play strategy ƒ Encouraging biodiversity on sites across the city, while ensuring compatibility with meeting people’s recreational needs ƒ On large development sites, requiring on-site provision of public open space ƒ Ensuring that all new residential developments include outdoor private amenity space

Implementation 6.4.6 As well as using its own funds, the city council will pool developer contributions to improve existing open spaces in line with the policy set out above.

6.4.7 The city council has drawn up a green planting policy, which is essentially a new regime for improving the sustainability of its management practices.

6.4.8 Portsmouth became a Play Pathfinder in April 2008 and is now drawing up a programme for working with local children, young people and their communities to develop innovative play sites, including at least one staffed adventure playground. As well as the backing of around £2 million capital funding plus significant revenue funding to get projects off the ground by 2010, the pathfinder programme also expects substantial local capacity building to make the sites sustainable in the long term. Work is underway to investigate areas of greatest need for play provision, particularly for the 8-13 age group. This will include a review of data, including the completed PPG17 assessment, as well as extensive involvement of the local community to determine the best suitable location and type of provision. The city is also developing a play strategy that will guide future decisions on play provision, taking into account current thinking on the types of spaces that are most valuable to children’s recreation and development.

6.4.9 An SPD will set out in greater detail how the strategy with regard to open space will be implemented. This will include setting out quantity and quality standards for public and private open space.

Alternatives 6.4.10 Given the scarcity of land in the city, the city council considers that the protection and enhancement of its open spaces is the only option worth pursuing. The issues and options consultation made this clear, and the approach was strongly supported by consultees. The issue of play was not specifically discussed in previous Core Strategy consultation documents from the city council. An alternative would have been to continue to

71 Portsmouth Draft Core Strategy 2008 consider it implicitly in the wider open space approach, but play was raised as a priority by residents and has moved up the national agenda in terms of its place in planning, and hence has been drawn out more clearly at this stage.

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6.5 TRANSPORT

Background 6.5.1 Movement is fundamental to our way of life but it is becoming increasingly important that travel demand is managed to minimise its impact. Car dependence has led to increases in both air and noise pollution, congestion on our streets and to the social exclusion of those residents who do not have access to a car. The effects of congestion have a negative impact upon air quality and health and the economic life and competitiveness of the city. 6.5.2 Access to and within mainland Portsmouth is generally good. The railway line, which serves four stations on Portsea Island, and one on the mainland provides good connections to London, Southampton Brighton and beyond.

6.5.3 The city is well served by waterbourne transport with passenger ferries to Gosport, Hayling Island and the Isle of Wight, as well as vehicular ferries to the Isle of Wight, the Channel Islands and the continental ports of Le Havre, Cherbourg, Caen, St Malo and Bilbao.

6.5.4 The city benefits from a high-density bus network and frequent services, although for the more dispersed and lower density development on the eastern side of the city, services are less comprehensive. The density, flat topography and mild climate of the city means that walking and cycling are realistic choices for many journeys.

6.5.5 Portsmouth experiences an influx of traffic in the morning peak entering the city slightly greater than that leaving the city. Inbound traffic using the M275 corridor to access the Dockyard, University and city centre makes up 46% of inbound morning traffic whilst Eastern Road carries 31% of inbound traffic, accessing the employment sites in the north east of Portsea Island. For journeys to work 57% of commuters either drive a car or van or are passengers in a car or van, 22% walk or cycle and 11% use public transport with the average distance travelled to work 11km.12

6.5.6 Transport problems exist particularly on Portsea Island. Many of the city’s streets pre-date widespread car ownership, leading to parts of the city suffering from high levels of on-street car parking. In turn this contributes to problems of congestion and poor townscape, which can be a disincentive to walking and cycling.

6.5.7 Most of the housing and commercial growth in Portsmouth is anticipated to take place on Portsea Island. The growth will have implications on the access points to the city. Congestion, already a problem at peak periods, could increasingly be spread across the day. Congestion has consequences for business location decisions, bus reliability, freight / delivery operations and air quality.

12 2001 Census

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What have you told us? 6.5.8 The results of consultation on the Core Strategy issues and options ranged from support for measures to improve sustainable forms of transport, such as cycling and walking routes around the city and new railway stations, to those looking towards improving car access and parking.

Preferred option 6.5.9 Within the Regional Transport Strategy (RTS) and draft South East Plan, Portsmouth is identified as a regional hub. The RTS also identifies Portsmouth as an international gateway due to the commercial port. The RTS policy is to increase the level of accessibility by public transport, walking and cycling; achieve high density land-use in areas with a high level of accessibility; and develop high quality interchanges between all modes of transport. 6.5.10 The city council is part of the joint committee for Transport for South Hampshire (TfSH), which is the transport delivery agency for PUSH. The TfSH strategy, set out within “Towards Delivery” the TfSH statement (April 2008), is one of making best use of past, present and future transport investment through ‘Reducing (the need to travel), Managing (current assets), and Investing (where new capacity is essential)’.

6.5.11 Work carried out as part of the SEERA Regional Funding Allocation refresh has identified opportunities in the Portsmouth Travel to Work Area for developing a Premium Bus Network (building on the existing Zip brand and ideals); Bus Rapid Transit linking Fareham, including the North Fareham SDA, Gosport and Havant with Portsmouth and improved access to Port Solent, Tipner and the Dockyard Trafalgar Gate.

6.5.12 The city council has prepared new residential parking standards for development. A survey was carried out on selected developments across the city to enable current levels of car ownership by household to be estimated and appropriate standards to be derived. The level of car ownership in Portsmouth is 1.1 vehicles per household, which is below the national average.

6.5.13 The transport strategy for Portsmouth is set out in the Second Local Transport Plan 2006-11. The strategy is mainly bus based with important roles for rail and ferry. Walking and cycling play a strong role in the city and together with the introduction of bus based rapid transit there is the potential to reduce reliance on the car.

6.5.14 In order to implement this strategy the LTP2 includes the following initiatives:

• Create core transport corridors supported by improved public transport on the: o Western approach from Fareham o Central approach (A3/A2047) o Eastern corridor from Havant

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o The routes between Gunwharf Quays – city centre – Southsea • Reallocate road space to buses and cyclists • Improved and increased cycling and walking routes • Implement travel plans and car clubs across the city.

POLICY: TRANSPORTSPORT The council will work with its partners to deliver a sustainable and integrated transport network that will reduce the need to travel, which will include: • Encouraging development in areas around public transport hubs and along corridors where there is good access not only to public transport but also to goods and services. Ensure development is located where there is the potential to improve accessibility for all through walking, cycling and by public transport. • Continuing partnership working within the sub-region as part of TfSH to ensure networks are managed efficiently. • Safeguarding land for: a) A new interchange facility at Portsmouth & Southsea station (to be delivered as part of Station Square development) b) New interchange facilities at The Hard and Cosham c) Land at Hilsea station for improvements d) Land for future stations at Farlington and Paulsgrove e) Land for Park and Ride facilities at Tipner including a new junction on the M275 for access/egress. f) Pedestrian/cycle/public transport bridge between Tipner and Port Solent. g) Land for Trafalgar Gate Link Road for improved access to the Dockyard. • Promoting walking and cycling and integrating them with other modes. • Implementing car club schemes as part of new developments • Supporting the development of a Bus Rapid Transit system in the sub- region linking Gosport, Fareham, North Fareham SDA and Portsmouth and other public transport proposals. • Implementing residential parking standards as set out in SPD. • Requiring travel plans from new residential, businesses, retail and schools

6.5.15 These proposals are shown on map 9.

Implementation 6.5.16 To implement the transport proposals the city council will utilise a variety of public and private funding sources, including developer contributions (through Section 106/278 agreements), Regional and National Funding allocations and Local Transport Plan settlements.

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Alternatives 6.5.17 Alternative transport options were evaluated during the preparation of ‘Towards a New Transport Strategy for Portsmouth’, preparation of the Second Local Transport Plan and reviewed as part of the formulation of the TfSH strategy. The only option put forward for the Core Strategy was to implement the agreed transport policies set out in the LTP2 as it would not be sensible to revisit alternatives to this approach.

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7. HOUSING

MIX OF HOUSING TYPE AND SIZE

Background 7.1 It is essential that the new homes to be provided in Portsmouth to meet the accommodation needs of both the city’s existing and future populations. Given the highly constrained and densely populated nature of the city, there is often the presumption towards flatted development as it offers a higher yield of dwellings on urban sites. Recent provision of new housing (see figure 1) has been heavily focused around one and two bedroom flats, which whilst meeting the accommodation requirements of one sector of the population, do not address the differing accommodation needs of others. Of all new homes built in the city from 2001-07, 84% were flats, of which almost two thirds had two bedrooms13. Figure 1:

Net gains of houses and flats in Portsmouth by number of bedrooms 2001-07

2000

1500

1000 Houses Flats 500

Number of units 0 1 Bed 2 Bed 3 Bed 4 Bed 5+ Bed -500 Size of units

Source: HCC Housing Monitoring, 2007 7.2 Alongside recent construction trends, data from 2006 illustrates the overall housing stock in the city. Of the 84,796 dwellings in the city in 2006, 66% were houses and 33% were flats. The majority of Portsmouth’s housing stock consists of smaller dwellings, with 84% having 1-3 bedrooms. Historically there has been an under provision of larger dwellings given the terraced nature of much of the city, providing homes with only a small number of bedrooms.

7.3 Portsmouth, as with many other authorities, faces an ageing population with the number of people aged 65+ predicted to rise by 25% on 2001 levels by 2026. Of this, the proportion of people aged 85 years and over is predicted to rise by 46%14. Therefore a range of suitable good quality accommodation will be needed. This could include new dwellings built more flexibly to

13 Figures from HCC Housing Monitoring, 2007 14 Figures from HCC Chelmer model, 2006

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accommodate the needs of older persons to allow them to remain in their own homes for as long as they wish to, sheltered housing, nursing homes and extra care facilities.

7.4 Whilst it is recognised that the average household size in the city has declined over recent years and is predicted to continue to decline, supply should not continue to be focused on one and two bedroom properties. Evidence shows that single and two person households frequently choose to live in dwellings with two to three bedrooms15.

7.5 In 2006, government guidance altered the approach to Gypsies and Travellers, stating that local authorities must allocate sites through planning policy documents for them to use. The South East England Regional Assembly (SEERA) is undertaking a partial review of the South East Plan, to address the need for a policy regarding gypsy and traveller sites. A Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment for the authorities in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight was produced in 2006. The study concluded that there was a need for 44 permanent pitches across the assessment area, including 16 within the southern zone which incorporates Havant, Portsmouth, Gosport, Fareham, East Hampshire and Winchester. The authorities in the South East have had the opportunity to provide advice to SEERA regarding the accommodation needs in their areas, which will inform the allocation of pitch numbers in the policy. Public consultation on the distribution of gypsy pitches across the South East will begin in September 2008. Any allocation of gypsy and traveller pitches for Portsmouth will be progressed through a separate Development Plan Document, either separately or in conjunction with surrounding authorities in order to provide the required number of pitches for this area.

What have you told us? 7.6 Comments from the issues and options consultation in 2007 related to the current oversupply of flats and that a range of homes is needed to meet the mix of household types in the city. There was support for a policy requiring a mix of housing types, although the importance of any policy relating to the sub-regional Housing Market Assessment was emphasised.

7.7 The results of the preliminary issues and options consultation in 2006 voiced support for a policy stipulating the mix of type and size of dwellings on housing sites. Specialist forms of accommodation including for the elderly and for those with disabilities were also referred to in people’s comments.

Preferred option 7.8 PPS3 gives an increased emphasis to the need to plan for a variety of types of housing to give individuals a choice of high quality homes and to create inclusive and mixed communities. The existing mix of housing should set the context when planning for future provision and sites should contribute to the creation of mixed communities. The importance of meeting the differing

15 South Hampshire Housing Market Assessment, DTZ, 2006

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accommodation requirements of specific groups, such as families with children and older people is also stressed.

7.9 The Code for Sustainable Homes includes Lifetime Home standards as a mandatory element of attaining level 6 of the Code. Lifetime homes incorporate design features that allow homes to be accessible and adaptable to the changing needs of the occupant throughout their lifetime. From 2010, the standards will be mandatory nationally at level 4 of the Code and in 2013 at level 316.

7.10 An SHMA was completed in 2006 for the South Hampshire sub-region. This looked at the current housing stock in Portsmouth and the surrounding authorities and considered the likely population change over the next 20 years and consequently the types of new homes needed to accommodate the changing population. In Portsmouth there is predicted to be significant growth in one person and ‘other’ households (typically unrelated multi- person households), and additionally a considerable increase in couple households. The assessment indicated that 40% of new dwellings across the city should be of three or more bedrooms and the remaining 60% should be split between one and two bedroom dwellings.

POLICY: HOUSING MIX In order to secure adequate accommodation for families and larger households in the city, sites delivering 10 or more dwellings, will provide a minimum of 40% of dwellings with 3 or more bedrooms.

The council’s preference is for 3+ bedroom properties to be provided as houses, but regard should be had to the townscape of the surrounding area as detailed in the city’s Character Area Assessment.

As part of the general housing mix on site, dwellings built to Lifetime Homes Standards should be included wherever possible.

Implementation 7.11 The policy will be implemented on all planning applications for residential development above the threshold of 10 units.

7.12 Further detail on the provision of lifetime homes will be included in the Sustainable Development Supplementary Planning Document, to be produced to provide further detail the sustainable development policy.

Alternatives 7.13 During the 2007 Issues and Options consultation, three alternative options were proposed. The preferred option represents a combination of the Greener development and Balanced approach options. The Greener development option sought to prescribe the mix of housing types in all developments, utilising the guidance provided in the city’s Character Area Assessment. It was not considered a viable approach to seek to specify the

16 The Code for Sustainable Homes -Setting the standard in sustainability for new homes, 2008

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mix of housing types on all developments, hence the approach being taken from the Balanced approach of only applying the policy requirement to sites above a certain threshold.

7.14 The Dispersed development option of allowing developers to provide a mix of housing sizes on a site as they see fit was rejected as did not reflect the results of the 2006 or 2007 consultations and it would not bring forward the required amount of larger dwellings as identified in the SHMA. To take forward a policy such as this would not bring about the step-change in provision of family accommodation, which is needed as evidence indicates that the market has not provided an adequate range of housing types.

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8. FLOODING

FLOOD RISK

Background 8.1 Portsmouth is at risk of flooding from the sea, surface water and groundwater. Map 10 shows the tidal flood zones in Portsmouth. Flooding from the sea could potentially have the most catastrophic impact in Portsmouth, particularly if this is as a result of a breach in the flood defences. Surface water flooding can occur during intense rainfall events and is exacerbated by reliance on the combined surface and foul water sewerage system for wastewater disposal. The risk of groundwater flooding is least significant but also most difficult to predict. This section deals chiefly with how the city council proposes to deal with flood risk from the sea, while the sustainable development policy sets out measures in relation to drainage.

8.2 The city council’s main aim is to ensure the safety of its existing and future residents, investors and visitors. The city is already home to thousands of people, businesses and their property, and it is unrealistic to move all these people out of the areas at risk of flooding. The city council is therefore planning to reduce flood risk for the future, with defences providing benefit to existing and future buildings and their occupiers. The strategy to maintain and where necessary upgrade the standard of coastal defences is set out in the emerging Portsea Island and the Portchester to Emsworth Coastal Strategy Studies. The South Hampshire sub-regional strategy and this Core Strategy have been prepared on the assumption that these documents will be approved and that funding to provide and maintain an adequate standard of flood defence (minimum 1:200 year event) will be forthcoming. If this assumption proves to be incorrect then it is likely that the planning strategy for South Hampshire will have to be re-examined to take account of Portsmouth’s role as a hub in the sub-region, development needed for buildings to replace those that will not be protected from tidal flooding and the development that would otherwise be able to occur in the city.

What have you told us? 8.3 The majority of respondents to the issues and options consultation agreed with the suggested approach of continuing development in flood risk areas. However there were a minority who considered that no more development should take place in flood risk areas.

Preferred option 8.4 PPS25 Development and Flood Risk promotes the sequential approach to allocating land for development. If adaptation to climate change and the predicted rise in sea levels were the only issue, it is likely that the overall housing requirement for Portsmouth would be reduced so that development need not occur in the tidal flood plain. However, this approach would fail to recognise the amount of investment and development that already exists in the tidal flood plain. In addition, concentrating development on brownfield sites in the older urban areas of South Hampshire provides the best solution

BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL – DRAFT REPORT SUBJECT TO CHANGE 81 1 Portsmouth Draft Core Strategy 2008

in terms of mitigating further climate change through reducing the need to travel and meeting travel needs through the most sustainable modes.

8.5 When developing the housing distribution figures for South Hampshire that have been included in the draft South East Plan, the sequential approach was not used. The Portsmouth housing figure was based on maximising the urban capacity potential of the city. Therefore, if this strategic housing figure is to be achieved, continued development within the tidal flood plain will be necessary. The same is true for development of employment uses.

8.6 The city council will, when preparing the Site Allocations Development Plan Document, apply the sequential approach to making allocations. However, given the amount of development to be provided and the lack of opportunities for development in the city, sites within flood zones 2 and 3 will have to be allocated. The 2008 SHLAA has shown that it will not be possible to use flood risk as an overriding consideration for selecting residential sites, as there are simply not sufficient sites in the low risk zone to meet the housing requirement of 14,700 dwellings by 2026 set in the draft South East Plan. All large sites will be needed to fulfill the city’s housing potential. While key sites such as Tipner and Port Solent lie in the higher risk flood zones, it is not desirable in terms of the overall strategy for Portsmouth to discount these sites for development. These sites can also provide employment uses that this city needs.

8.7 Flood risk can only ever be one of many considerations in determining where development should take place, and the draft Good Practice guide to PPS25 Development and Flood Risk (paragraph 1.18) supports this notion. As well as protecting people and property from the risk of flooding, the city council equally has a duty to provide housing, jobs and facilities to meet the city’s needs, and to ensure that those sites and areas in need of regeneration are able to realise their full potential so that they can help the city move forward. It is not possible to develop only in flood zone 1 and still meet the city’s needs. Therefore, development on sites in those parts of flood zones 2 and 3 that the SFRA shows as low or medium hazard areas will not have to comply with the sequential test.

8.8 Since the publication of PPS25, the city council and the Environment Agency have been working on a protocol for dealing with planning applications on sites at risk of flooding. This has not been finally agreed yet, but will set out the common goal of enabling safe development in the city and a commitment to using the tools referred to in PPS25. This includes the sequential test, in reference to which the following is set out:

• The sequential test will be considered met on Local Plan allocation sites and on brownfield redevelopment sites, provided there is no increase in vulnerability category as defined by PPS25. • The sequential test will not be required for minor development and for changes of use, including changes of use to residential.

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8.9 This protocol will cease to have effect when this core policy on flood risk is adopted. The approach to the sequential test set out above will therefore be taken forward into the Core Strategy and an explanatory SPD.

8.10 The coastal strategy studies are being prepared to a 1 in 200 year standard of protection, but will explore the economics of providing defences to at least a 1 in 1000 year standard of protection. If an increase in protection cannot be justified or funded by the government, the city council proposes that all residential development in the city shall contribute to enhancing the overall standard of flood defence.

8.11 Flood risk assessments for development proposals in flood zones 2 & 3 will be required to form part of the planning application and must demonstrate that the development is safe, and will continue to be safe into the future when sea levels rise. The city council will expect the developer to minimise the potential damage to property and risk to people through design and layout. POLICY: FLOOD RISK The city council will manage flood risk by: • Maintaining and improving flood defences • Taking a sequential approach to site allocations by prioritising those sites at a lower risk of flooding ƒ Applying the sequential test to major development proposals in those parts of flood zones 2 and 3 that the SFRA shows as high or very high hazard areas, but not in those parts that are low or medium hazard areas. • Ensuring that the design and layout of development minimises the risk to people and damage to property in the event of flooding, for the lifetime of the development • Seek contributions towards an enhanced standard of sea defence from residential development.

Implementation 8.12 The City Council has developed the Portsea Island Coastal Strategy, which provides the basis for future promotion of coastal schemes necessary for sustainable flood risk management whilst providing a consistent level of flood protection from the sea. This will take the form of a ‘hold the line’ approach through maintaining and where necessary improving existing coastal defences in their current position. The “hold the line” approach may lead to a loss of coastal habitats and therefore compensatory habitats will need to be provided. Farlington Marshes has the potential to provide compensatory habitat. This issue is being investigated as part of the Portsea Island Coastal Strategy and through the Environment Agency’s regional habitat creation programme.

8.13 The Portsea Island Coastal Strategy Study is funded entirely by the central government flood risk management budget and should be ready for submission in 2008. It is anticipated that on site construction works may

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start in 2012 and will be phased over twenty years. Where on site works are funded by developers, contributions will be secured through condition or legal agreement.

Alternatives 8.14 In the issues and options consultation 2007 the city council set out only one approach to flood risk, namely to seek to implement the advice set out in PPS25, while accepting that it is unrealistic to seek to avoid entirely additional development in the higher risk flood zones. This approach was accepted by the majority of consultees. While some consultees felt that no more building at all should take place in areas at risk of flooding, the city council does not believe that this is a realistic option to be considered further, as it would significantly restrict the city’s housing supply making it impossible to meet the housing target and to realise the PUSH strategy for regenerating the city. The approach put forward in this document seeks to ensure that the PUSH strategy is met while ensuring that development is safe.

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9. INFRASTRUCTURE AND COMMUNITY BENEFIT

Background 9.1 As Portsmouth grows and its population increases certain infrastructure will be needed to ensure the city can still function. Up until 2026 Portsmouth is expected to provide an additional 225,000m2 of employment floorspace, an additional 14,700 homes and there will be an increase of 14,500 people. This additional development and population will place pressure on existing infrastructure or create a need for new infrastructure and therefore additional or improved infrastructure will be needed.

9.2 The type of infrastructure that will be needed to support additional growth in Portsmouth is health, education, transport, utilities (gas, electricity, water, drainage), information and communication technology, flood defences, emergency services, community facilities, leisure, open space, and affordable housing. For example additional development in the city will necessitate improvements to transport to allow easy movement to and within the city or additional development in the city will lead to the provision of additional health facilities.

9.3 New development in the city should also provide community benefits where this is appropriate and necessary. Types of community benefit could include improving skills levels in the city through the use of local labour in construction or the provision of skills training related to the type of new development.

9.4 The city council already asks for contributions towards open space, sustainable transport, affordable housing, education and environmental improvements, which will continue.

What have you told us? 9.5 The issues and options consultation paper stated that the city council would implement a tariff approach to providing infrastructure. This was broadly supported by most respondents as being an effective way of delivering the necessary infrastructure. Many responses to the consultation emphasised a need for further clarification of the approach, in terms of defining what could be delivered by the tariff and its implementation.

Preferred option 9.6 The government is proposing a Community Infrastructure Levy, the purpose of which is to ensure that development contributes fairly to the mitigation of impacts it creates. The CIL will be a standard charge that applies to all new development within an area and could be applied as an amount per dwelling or per square metre of development. The CIL will need to be set at a level that supports development and does not prevent development.

9.7 An infrastructure study is currently being undertaken that will identify what additional facilities are needed to support growth in Portsmouth and what the cost will be. The study will identify those facilities that are needed city wide and those that are needed to support a particular development such as

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Tipner. The results of the study will help to determine the amount of charge to be levied against development to contribute towards the cost of infrastructure.

9.8 A sub regional tariff approach is being investigated by PUSH in order to provide infrastructure that is needed across local planning authority boundaries. If a sub regional approach is agreed then a proportion of money collected in Portsmouth will be allocated for infrastructure needed at the PUSH level.

9.9 In order to ensure that the necessary infrastructure is provided in the city there will be a standard charge imposed on all development across the city together with additional contributions required depending upon the type or location of the development. Infrastructure that development will be expected to contribute to or provide includes health, education, transport, utilities (gas, electricity, water, drainage), information and communication technology, flood defences, emergency services, community facilities, leisure, open space, and affordable housing.

9.10 Certain types of infrastructure will be needed to support any development in any location within the city such as open space, flood defences and transport. In these instances a standard charge will be applied per development. Other types of infrastructure or community benefit will only be needed from specific developments or in specific locations such as public realm improvements in town centres, skills training, GP surgeries in large developments or upgrades to the sewer system. In this instance the infrastructure or community benefit will be negotiated via section 106 agreements. The exact arrangements for securing the necessary infrastructure or community benefit will be set out in SPD. The SPD will be reviewed as necessary to update costs or infrastructure covered.

9.11 The provision of affordable housing will continue to be secured via section 106 agreements.

POLICY: INFRASTRUCTURE AND COMMUNITY BENEFIT

Development in Portsmouth will be required to provide or contribute towards the provision of infrastructure needed to support the development. Infrastructure must be operational before, or as a result of development.

Development in Portsmouth will be required to provide or contribute towards community benefits related to the development.

Implementation 9.12 SPD will be produced setting out in detail what infrastructure or community benefit is needed and how much development will be expected to contribute towards providing the infrastructure. The SPD will include information on how charges have been calculated and how the money will be spent.

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9.13 Arrangements for providing electricity, gas or water supplies to new developments will continue as present as will arrangements for requisitioning connections to the sewer system.

Alternatives 9.14 The city council considers that the only realistic approach option to facilitating the timely provision of infrastructure is through the adoption of the tariff approach. Therefore the issues and options paper did not consider any alternatives.

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10. MONITORING FRAMEWORK

10.1 It will be essential to monitor the Core Strategy to assess if our vision and strategy are working. Monitoring will enable us to identify if any policies need reviewing or changing to ensure they deliver their intended outcome.

10.2 The main tool to monitor the Core Strategy will be the Annual Monitoring Report (AMR) which includes a set of national and local indicators to assess policies. The following targets will be used to monitor the Core Strategy and will be set out in the AMR.

Policy Indicator Type of Source indicator Spatial Strategy Amount of completed retail, Core HCC monitoring systems office and leisure development.

Amount of land developed Core HCC monitoring systems for employment by type.

Housing trajectory Core PCC monitoring

Net additional dwellings Core HCC monitoring systems completed

5 year supply of housing Core PCC monitoring

% of completed retail, office Core HCC monitoring systems and leisure development in town centres

Tipner, Port Progress towards the Local Pre application Solent, delivery of major sites discussions and planning Somerstown and applications Fratton Park Amount of employment, Local Planning applications and residential and retail decisions. development permitted and completed at each site. City Centre Amount of employment, Local Planning applications and residential and retail decisions. development permitted and completed

Percentage of A1 frontage Local PCC annual retail in the city centre surveys

Decrease in crime statistics Local Hampshire constabulary for city centre Other town centres Percentage of A1 frontages Local PCC annual retail

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in town centres surveys

Amount of office and Local Planning applications and housing permitted and decisions completed on town centres Seafront Increase in visitor uses at Local Planning applications and the seafront decisions Local centres Loss of shops Local Planning applications and decisions Sustainable % of developments meeting Local Planning permissions, development at least code level 4 or Buildings control and BREEAM good standards assessment certificates.

Density of new residential Core HCC monitoring systems development

Change in areas and Core populations of biodiversity importance including change in priority habitats and species and change in areas designated for their environmental value.

% of SSSI’s in favourable Local condition

Renewable energy capacity Core Planning applications and installed by type decisions

Greening the city Local

Design and Number of listed buildings Local Planning applications and Heritage and conservation areas decisions

Number of applications Local Planning refusals refused on design grounds Tall buildings Number of tall buildings Local Planning permissions allowed outside the areas of opportunity Open Space Amount of open space Local Planning permissions Transport % of residential Core Planning applications and developments complying decisions. with car parking standards

% of new residential Core Accession software development within 30 minutes public transport time of a GP, hospital,

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schools, employment and major retail centre.

Percentage of new Local Accession software residential development within 10 minutes walk of a GP, school and major retail centre

Progress towards transport Local Planning applications and proposals decisions Housing mix and Amount of dwellings Local HCC monitoring systems type completed by size and type Affordable housing Number and % of affordable Core PCC monitoring housing provided Flood risk Number of planning Core Environment Agency permissions granted contrary to the advice of the Environment Agency on the grounds of flooding

% of Portsmouth’s coastline protected to a 1 in 1000 yr Local flood event Infrastructure Provision of infrastructure in Local line with infrastructure plan.

Level of contributions Local PCC monitoring of collected towards open planning contributions space, transport and education and schemes implemented as a result.

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APPENDIX 1: EVIDENCE BASE FOR PREFERRED OPTIONS

National The Children’s Plan Department for Children, 2007 Families and Schools Fair Play: A consultation on the play Department for Children, 2008 strategy Families and Schools Index of Multiple Deprivation Office for National Statistics 2008 The Code for Sustainable Homes - Communities and Local 2008 Setting the standard in sustainability Government for new homes Lifetime Homes, Lifetime Communities and Local 2008 Neighbourhoods - A National Strategy Government, Department of for Housing in an Ageing Society Health, Department for Work and Pensions Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives: A Department of Health 2008 Cross Government Strategy for England

Regional Draft South East Plan South East England Regional 2006 Assembly Regional Housing Strategy SEERA 2007/08 Regional Economic Strategy SEEDA 2006 Regional Transport Strategy SEERA 2004

Sub Regional Draft Portchester Castle to Emsworth Halcrow for the Environment 2007 Coastal Defence Strategy Agency Draft PUSH Employment Floorspace Partnership for Urban South 2007 Distribution Hampshire PUSH Strategic Flood Risk Atkins for the Partnership for 2007 Assessment Urban South Hampshire PUSH Sustainability Policy Framework Partnership for Urban South 2007 Hampshire Draft PUSH Affordable Housing policy Partnership for Urban South 2008 framework Hampshire PUSH Economic Drivers and Growth DTZ Pieda Consulting for the 2005 Partnership for Urban South Hampshire PUSH Final Advice to South East Partnership for Urban South 2005 Regional Assembly Hampshire South Hampshire Housing Market DTZ Pieda Consulting for the 2006 Assessment Partnership for Urban South Hampshire South Hampshire Town Centres DTZ Pieda Consulting for the 2006 Sub-Regional Study Partnership for Urban South Hampshire PUSH Business Plan PUSH 2008

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Property Requirements for Distribution Roger Tym and Partners 2008 and Logistics (Draft Report) Solent Waterfront Strategy SEERA 2007 Towards a Green Infrastructure TEP 2008 strategy for urban South Hampshire Towards Delivery – Transport for Transport for South 2008 South Hampshire Statement Hampshire

Local Affordable Housing Strategy 2007-09 Portsmouth City Council 2007 City Growth Strategy Portsmouth and South East 2006 Hampshire Partnership Core Strategy Issues and Options Portsmouth City Council 2006 Paper 2006 & 2007 Open Space and Recreation Study Kit Campbell Associates for 2007 Portsmouth City Council Draft Portsea Island Coastal Defence Halcrow for Portsmouth City 2008 Strategy Plan - Appropriate Council Assessment Draft Portsea Island Coastal Strategy Halcrow for Portsmouth City 2008 Study – Strategic Environmental Council Assessment Portsmouth Hotel Futures Hotel Solutions for 2007 Portsmouth City Council Portsmouth Shopping Study Update Colliers CRE for Portsmouth 2007 City Council Evening and Late Night Economy Portsmouth City Council 2007 Strategy Hampshire and Isle of Wight Gypsy David Couttie Associates 2006 and Traveller Accommodation Assessment

Housing Needs Study Fordham Research for 2005 Portsmouth City Council Portsmouth City Local Plan 2001-2011 Portsmouth City Council 2006 Portsmouth Seafront Strategy Issues Common Knowledge for 2007 Paper Portsmouth City Council Portsmouth’s Cultural Strategy: 'From Portsmouth City Council 2004 The Hill To The Sea’ Socio-Economic Impact Assessment University of Portsmouth 2007 of Portsmouth Naval Base Somerstown and North Southsea Draft Terence O’Rourke for 2006 Regeneration Framework and Area Portsmouth City Council Action Plan – Preferred Options Southsea Town Centre Area Portsmouth City Council 2007 Action Plan Station Square and Station Street David Lock Associates for 2007 Supplementary Planning Document Portsmouth City Council Sustainability Appraisal General Portsmouth City Council 2006 Scoping Report

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Supplementary Planning Document on Portsmouth City Council 2008 Planning Obligations The Second Local Transport Plan MVA for Portsmouth City 2006 For Portsmouth 2006/07 to 2010/11 Council Towards a New Transport Strategy MVA for Portsmouth City 2005 Council Draft Strategic Housing Land PCC 2008 Availability Assessment

Portsmouth Character Area PCC 2008 Assessment Tipner Masterplan TRC 2007 Tall Buildings Study PCC 2008 CABE workshop – design and Core 2008 Strategy Residents Parking Survey and report PCC 2007 Community Strategy and Story of PCC 2008 Portsmouth and LAA Football Club Report PCC 2006 School Organisation Plan PCC Sustainability Strategy PCC 2007 Draft Climate Change Strategy PCC 2008 Housing Strategy PCC 2008 LDF Annual Monitoring Reports PCC 2006 2007 Draft Habitat Regulations Assessment Tesserae for Portsmouth City 2008 Screening Statement Council Green Planting Policy PCC 2008 Play Pathfinder Bid PCC 2008

Conservation Area guidelines PCC 2006 Seafront Improvement Strategy – Draft PCC 2008 Action Plan Pyramids Report PCC 2008 Monitoring of Portsmouth Shopping PCC` 2007 Areas Sustainability Appraisal of Issues and PCC 2007 Options 2007 Portsmouth Inward Investment PCC 2007 Strategy Annual Retail Monitoring Survey PCC 2007 Joint Accommodation Strategy for PCC 2005 Older People 2005-2016

Other authorities Core Strategy Issues and Options Fareham BC 2007 Core Strategy Issues and Options Winchester CC 2007 Core Strategy Issues and Options Gosport BC 2006

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Core Strategy Preferred Options Havant BC 2008

Good practice guidance Building Health – Blueprint for Action National Heart Forum, Living 2007 Streets, CABE Development and Flood Risk: A Communities and Local 2007 Practice Guide Companion to PPS25 Government 'Living Draft' Good Practice Guide on Planning for Communities and Local 2006 Tourism Government Planning for Town Centres: Guidance Office of the Deputy Prime 2005 on Design and Implementation Tools Minister

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