Draft AMR 07-08
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Borough of Crewe and Nantwich – Local Development Framework Annual Monitoring Report 2008 If you require this document or a summary version in large print, Braille, audiotape, cd or in another language, please contact our Equality and Diversity Officer on (01270) 537565. 1 Borough of Crewe and Nantwich – Local Development Framework Annual Monitoring Report 2008 Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council Local Development Framework ANNUAL MONITORING REPORT 2008 CONTENTS Executive Summary Part 1 PAGE 1 Review of Local Development Scheme and progress of Local 6 Development Framework Part 2 PAGE 1 Characteristics of the Borough 12 2 Key Characteristics 13 3 The Natural Environment 34 4 The Built Environment 45 5 Employment 47 6 Housing 66 7 Transportation 85 8 Recreation and Tourism 92 9 Shopping Town Centres and Regeneration 100 10 Community Needs 106 11 Appeals 112 12 Saved Policies 119 13 Sustainability Appraisal Indicators Monitoring 120 Sources 128 Appendices 131 Glossary 143 2 Borough of Crewe and Nantwich – Local Development Framework Annual Monitoring Report 2008 Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council Local Development Framework ANNUAL MONITORING REPORT 2008 Executive Summary One of the requirements of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 is for Local Planning Authorities (LPA) to produce an Annual Monitoring Report (AMR). This is the fourth AMR for the Borough of Crewe and Nantwich and contains information on the period 1st April 2007 – 31st March 2008. This report will address the following matters · Review actual progress in terms of local development document preparation against the timetable and milestones on the local development scheme. · Assess the extent to which policies in local development documents are being implemented. · Highlight specific issues that are relevant to the Borough of Crewe and Nantwich that may need to be addressed through policy intervention. · Where policies are not being implemented, explain why and to set out what steps are to be taken to ensure that the policy is implemented; or whether the policy is to be amended or replaced. · Identify the significant effects of implementing policies in local development documents and whether they are as intended; and · Set out whether policies are to be amended or replaced. The report is split into 2 parts, part 1 deals with the issues highlighted above, the review of the Local Development Scheme and progress of the Local Development Framework. The document will be submitted to the Secretary of State through the Government Office for the North West (GONW) by the 31st December 2008. The Local Plan The Local Plan was approved in February 2005 and covers the period up to 2011. The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 required LPA to make an application to ‘Save’ policies beyond the 3 year period after the adoption of the current Local Plan. The Borough Council applied for a number of Local Plan policies to be saved for longer than the 3 year period specified, using the protocol set out within the Planning and Compulsory Act. This protocol required the LPA to demonstrate that the policies set out within the Local Plan reflected the principles of Local Development Frameworks; were consistent with current national policy; and that it was not feasible or desirable to replace them. The Borough Council submitted a list of ‘Saved’ policies and their intentions for them to the GONW before the deadline of the 17th August 2007. A response was received on the 14th February 2008, from GONW. This response and attached schedule detailed those policies within the Adopted Replacement Local Plan 2011 deemed as ‘Saved’ beyond the three year period after the adoption of the Local Plan. A copy of the ‘Saved’ policies direction received from GONW and the list of policies ‘Saved’ beyond the three year period have been reproduced within this AMR document, see Appendix 2. 3 Borough of Crewe and Nantwich – Local Development Framework Annual Monitoring Report 2008 The Local Development Framework The Borough Council’s first Local Development Scheme (LDS) came into force on 31st December 2004. A First Review of the LDS was submitted to the GONW in October 2006 and came into effect on 21st November 2006. A Second Review of the LDS came into force on the 20th April 2007. The revised LDS documents altered some of the timescales in order to provide more achievable targets for the production of the relevant DPDs. Indicators Part 2 is divided into 12 chapters which reflect chapters contained within the Local Plan, this part contains information relating to the Core Indicators set out by the Government Office and other indicators suggested for inclusion by Communities and Local Government guidance documents. The list below shows all of the Core Indicators and their location within the report, there has also been considerable use of local indicators to give a clear picture of the Borough. The “Regional Spatial Strategy and Local Development Framework Core Output Indicators – Update 2/2008” published by CLG in July 2008 contains the Core Output indicators for Local Planning Authorities to report on in their Annual Monitoring Reports. This revised set of Core Output Indicators replaced the “Local Development Framework Core Output Indicators Update 1/2005” (October 2005) and Table 4.4 and Annex B of the “Local Development Framework Monitoring: A Good Practice Guide” (March 2005) documents. Revision to the Core Output Indicators has been limited to the rationalisation, clarification and update of indicator definitions to reflect current government guidance. It is acknowledged within the document that due to the timing of the publication of the revised indicators there may be limited scope to incorporate a number of the changes within this year’s version of the AMR. Subsequently, changes to the Core Output Indicators not reflected in this year’s AMR should be incorporated in future AMR documents. Core Output indicators reported on in previous AMR documents which have now been subsequently removed as a result of the revision process will on the whole continue to be reported on within this and future versions of the AMR document, as contextual and local indicators. The AMR has the function of helping LPA understand the wider social, environmental and economic issues affecting their areas through the use of appropriate indicators. 4 Borough of Crewe and Nantwich – Local Development Framework Annual Monitoring Report 2008 Core indicator / Paragraph ODPM Ref. number Business development and town centres BD1 Total amount of additional employment floorspace – by type 5.34 BD2 Total amount of employment floorspace on previously developed 5.37 land – by type BD3 Employment land available – by type 5.39 BD4 Total amount of floorspace for ‘town centre uses’ 5.41 Housing H1 Plan period and housing targets 6.2 H2(a) Net additional dwellings – in previous years 6.2 H2(b) Net additional dwellings – for the reporting year 6.2 H2(c) Net additional dwellings – in future years 6.2 H2(d) Managed delivery target 6.2 H3 New and converted dwellings – on previously developed land 6.13 H4 Net additional pitches (Gypsy and Traveller) 6.17 H5 Gross affordable housing completions 6.24 H6 Housing Quality – Building for Life Assessments 6.27 Environmental Quality E1 Number of planning permissions granted contrary to Environment 3.3 Agency advice on flooding and water quality grounds E2 Change in areas of biodiversity importance 3.4 E3 Renewable energy generation 3.7 Minerals - Dealt with by Cheshire County Council Waste - Dealt with by Cheshire County Council 5 Borough of Crewe and Nantwich – Local Development Framework Annual Monitoring Report 2008 PART 1 REVIEW OF THE LOCAL DEVELOPMENT SCHEME AND PROGRESS OF THE LOCAL DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK 1 Introduction 1.1 The first Local Development Scheme (LDS) was prepared in September 2004; and subsequently came into effect on 31 December 2004. It set out the rolling programme that the Borough Council intended to follow in the production of its Local Development Framework (LDF) over the subsequent three years. 1.2 Since then the LDS has been reviewed twice. The latest version came into force on 20 April 2007. 1.3 This part of the Annual Monitoring Report (AMR) looks at what progress has been made in the production the Local Development Documents during the last twelve months. But as explained below, work on the Local Development Scheme has been severely affected by the proposals for Local Government Reorganisation in Cheshire. 2 Local Government Reorganisation 2.1 On 18 December 2007, Local Government Minister John Healey announced the decision to implement Government Reorganisation in Cheshire. This would result in two Unitary Authorities being formed as of 1 April 2009 to replace the existing county council and six borough councils. 2.2 Cheshire County Council and the six districts of Cheshire, Chester City, Ellesmere Port & Neston, Vale Royal, Macclesfield, Crewe and Nantwich and Congleton, will cease to exist. They will be replaced by two new unitary councils: · Cheshire West and Chester (Cheshire County Council, Chester, Ellesmere Port & Neston and Vale Royal); and · Cheshire East (Cheshire County Council, Congleton, Crewe & Nantwich and Macclesfield). 2.3 Congleton and Crewe and Nantwich Borough Councils disagreed with the government’s proposals; and took them to judicial review. This was eventually unsuccessful; and the statutory orders for the creation of the two new unitary authorities were finally confirmed on 4 March 2008. 2.4 In May 2008 elections to the new authorities were held. Cheshire East Council now operates as a Shadow Authority, with the powers and responsibility to create the new unitary authority which will be formally vested in April 2009. 2.5 During this transitional stage, the existing councils have been working to ensure a smooth transition to the new authorities, whilst continuing to deliver existing services. In addition a considerable amount of joint working has already taken place regarding the gathering of background evidence relating to planning policy; and a draft Local Development Scheme has been produced for Cheshire East.