Northumberland Local Plan Core Strategy Pre-Submission Draft October 2015 Contents Foreword 3 1 Introduction 4 2 A Spatial Portrait of Northumberland – opportunities and challenges 12 3 Spatial vision, objectives and outcomes 29 4 Delivering the vision for Northumberland 37 5 Delivering a thriving and competitive economy 46 6 Providing existing and future communities with a choice of decent, affordable homes 85 7 Green Belt 115 8 Conserving and enhancing Northumberland's distinctive and valued natural, historic, water and built environments 137 9 Ensuring connectivity and infrastructure delivery 180 10 Community well-being 195 11 Managing natural resources 205 12 Implementation 240 Glossary 246 Appendices A Employment land portfolio 262 B Primary Shopping Area and Commercial Centre boundaries 336 C Northumberland housing trajectory 2011 to 2031 348 D Green Belt Inset Boundaries for small settlements 349 E Mineral Safeguarding Areas 380 F Safeguarded minerals infrastructure 385 Northumberland Local Plan Core Strategy - Pre-Submission Draft (October 2015) Foreword Foreword As Cabinet Member for Economic Growth in Northumberland, I am pleased to have overseen recent stages in the preparation of the Northumberland Local Plan 'Core Strategy' – the Council's strategic plan for the development of the County over the next decade and a half. We are now reaching the most crucial stage in the process. Soon we will be sending the Core Strategy to the Government and they will appoint an inspector to decide whether it is a sound plan. But before that, you have one final chance to shape what is in the document. Since 2012, about 5,000 people have taken the opportunity to comment on stages of the Core Strategy and 4,500 have attended drop-in sessions, meetings or workshops. We are extremely grateful to everyone who has participated and helped make this a plan for a sustainable Northumberland – a plan for communities and businesses throughout the County, urban and rural. Of course we haven't been able to change everything that people want us to change. Sometimes the facts and figures and the expert advice have kept us to a particular path. It is essential that the Core Strategy supports sustainable growth in the economy, sufficient affordable homes and choice in the housing market, while conserving our superb environmental assets. We are now fully confident that we are publishing a sound plan, influenced by your views and based on the best evidence available. The introduction to this document explains how you can comment on whether the Core Strategy is 'sound'. Our officers will be pleased to help you understand this important stage in the process. As always, the Council really values your participation. Councillor Allan Hepple Cabinet Member for Economic Growth Northumberland Local Plan Core Strategy - Pre-Submission Draft (October 2015) 3 1. Introduction 1. Introduction What is a Local Plan? 1.1 All local planning authorities are required to have an up to date Local Plan(1). Local Plans should: Set out a vision for growth and identify the quantity, broad location and key sites for new housing, employment, shops and community facilities; Identify how through the planning process the environment will be protected and enhanced; Be in line with national planning policy principles as set out in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and National Planning Practice Guidance (NPPG); and Reflect the needs and priorities of local communities. 1.2 Policies within the Local Plan are the starting point for the assessment of all planning applications. A Local Plan can be made up of a number of different documents, see Figure 1.1. Neighbourhood Plans, prepared by Town and Parish Councils, will also form part of the Development Plan once they are adopted. Figure 1.1 The Local Plan What is the Northumberland Local Plan? 1.3 The Core Strategy is the first step in replacing the existing Local Plan with a new one. In Northumberland, the Local Plan is currently the adopted Core Strategies and saved policies of the Local Plans of the former local planning authorities that made up Northumberland prior to Local Government reorganisation in 2009. These are increasingly becoming out of date. 1 'Local Plan' is a clear term that people understand. We have previously called it the 'Local Development Plan' or the 'Local Development Framework'. 4 Northumberland Local Plan Core Strategy - Pre-Submission Draft (October 2015) 1. Introduction 1.4 The Council will make sure that more detailed plans are also prepared to accompany the Core Strategy. In some parts of the County, this will be through Neighbourhood Plans, prepared by Town and Parish Councils. Elsewhere, the forthcoming 'Delivery Document' will add detail to the Core Strategy. Taken together, these documents will eventually replace all of the previously adopted and Local Plan saved policies. 1.5 The Northumberland Core Strategy – this document: Sets out the strategic planning policies of the Council; Provides the planning principles to guide future development and planning decisions in Northumberland(2) from 2011 to 2031; Sets out the general scale and distribution of new development which is required to meet Northumberland’s needs to 2031; and Includes strategic allocations for housing and employment. 1.6 The Core Strategy will supersede: All strategic policies in the Core Strategies adopted in 2007 for the former Alnwick, Blyth Valley and Tynedale Districts, and some policies in the former Blyth Valley Development Control Development Plan Document (2007); Some saved policies from the Local Plans of former planning authorities; and Policy S5 of the Northumberland County and National Park Joint Structure Plan (2005). 1.7 The Northumberland Delivery Document will include: Detailed land allocations and designations, as well as site-specific proposals for the necessary infrastructure, buildings and services to deliver the proposals in the Core Strategy; Detailed development management policies; and A policies map identifying land allocations and designations. What is the relationship with Neighbourhood Plans? 1.8 A number of Town and Parish Councils across the County are preparing Neighbourhood Plans. Provided they conform generally to the Core Strategy's strategic policies, pass independent examination and are agreed by the community following a referendum, these plans will become part of the Development Plan. 1.9 The scope of Neighbourhood Plans will be determined by the Town and Parish Councils in consultation with their communities. Sometimes, they will decide that their Neighbourhood Plans should cover a wide range of topic areas and land allocations; in other cases they will prefer to limit it to selective topics or sites. There are matters for which Neighbourhood Plans may not set policy or make proposals, such as mineral extraction. 1.10 The Council is supporting an increasing number of Neighbourhood Plans across Northumberland. As a result the future Delivery Document will only need to set detailed policies and allocate sites in areas not covered by up-to-date Neighbourhood Plans. 2 Excluding Northumberland National Park which is a separate Local Planning Authority and has separate adopted planning policies. Northumberland Local Plan Core Strategy - Pre-Submission Draft (October 2015) 5 1. Introduction Core Strategy - what have we done so far? Issues and Options This was the first significant period of public engagement on the Core Strategy; Consultation took place between May and August 2012 over a 12 week period; There were substantial levels of participation and response during the consultation period – over 12,600 responses were received, all of which are available on the Council's website(3). Preferred Options – Stage 1 Responses to the Issues and Options consultation highlighted that there was a requirement for a significant amount of work on the housing and employment evidence base before housing numbers and employment land requirements could be accurately defined; Consultation took place during February and March 2013, over a 6 week period. This was limited to 6 weeks because of a requirement to be completed before the start of the purdah period associated with the local elections; During the consultation 24 drop in sessions and workshops were held and officers attended 7 other awareness raising sessions; This document proposed 57 draft policies covering: affordable housing, rural economy, tourism, town centres, minerals waste, renewable energy, sustainable construction, transport, community facilities and the environment; As additional detailed work was still being undertaken, it did not include draft policies covering: Proposed level and location of housing land; Proposed level and location of employment land; or Approach to Green Belt. Over 4,500 responses were received, and are all available on the Council’s website(4). Preferred Options – Stage 2 Consultation took place between October 2013 and January 2014 over a 9 week period; during which 12 drop-in events and workshops were held. In addition a wider stakeholder workshop was held and there was on-going engagement with Town and Parish Councils and a number of other stakeholders; This consultation document proposed 8 policies, which; Defined the preferred level of housing and economic growth; Defined the preferred broad distribution of development to deliver the strategy for Northumberland; Proposed the preferred policy approach to Green Belt: 3 Comments received in response to the Core Strategy Issues and Options consultation are