Poole Local Plan Poole Green Belt Review July 2017 Contents 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 3 2. Context for Green Belt Review ............................................................................................... 5 National Planning Policy on Green Belt ........................................................................................ 5 3. Assessment of Poole’s Green Belt ........................................................................................ 6 Site Assessment Methodology ..................................................................................................... 6 Assessing the NPPF Essential Characteristics ............................................................................ 6 Assessing against the Purposes .................................................................................................. 7 Settlement Type Definitions .......................................................................................................... 9 Identifying Areas for Assessment ............................................................................................... 10 4. Site Assessments .................................................................................................................. 14 Parcel 1 - Public Open Space at Turlin Moor. ............................................................................ 14 Parcel 2 - Upton Country Park and Farm ................................................................................... 16 Parcel 3 - Land south of Creekmoor (north of A35 and Upton Road) ......................................... 18 Parcel 4 - Land west of Creekmoor (south and north of former railway line) .............................. 25 Parcel 5 - Corfe Hills School and Broadstone Golf Club ............................................................ 28 Parcel 6 - Farmland to east of Higher Blandford Road Corfe Mullen .......................................... 31 Parcel 7 - Farmland extending across from Corfe Mullen / Ashington to Merley Park ................ 35 Parcel 8 - Western edge of Merley and south of Merley Ways (north and south of Merley Park Road).......................................................................................................................................... 37 Parcel 9 - Farm Land north of Oakley Lane and south of A31 / River Stour (north of Merley).... 45 Parcel 10 - Tract of land north of A341 Magna Road to east of Merley including Canford School and the Hamworthy Club ............................................................................................................ 49 Parcel 11 - Tract of land north of A341 Magna Road between Merley and Bearwood, south of River Stour floodplain. ................................................................................................................ 57 Parcel 12 - Tract of land north of A341 Magna Road between Merley and Bearwood East of Moortown Farmhouse ................................................................................................................ 66 Parcel 13 - Knighton Heath Golf Course, Bearwood .................................................................. 74 Parcel 14 - Tract of land to south of A341 Magna Road between Merley and Bearwood, east of Canford Arena ............................................................................................................................ 81 Parcel 15 - Land to south of A341 Magna Road between Merley and Bearwood, including Canford Arena and land to the east and west ............................................................................ 91 Parcel 16 - Tract of land to south of A341 Magna Road between Merley and Bearwood ........ 100 Parcel 17 - Low density residential area to south and east of A341 Queen Anne Drive, East of A349 and West of Arrowsmith Road. ....................................................................................... 102 Parcel 18 - Gravel Hill, Dunyeats, Arrowsmith Copse .............................................................. 108 5. Conclusion ........................................................................................................................... 110 Poole Local Plan. Poole Green Belt Review. July 2017 2 1. Introduction 1. The general extent of the South East Dorset Green Belt was first designated in 1980, as part of the adoption of the South East Dorset Structure Plan (1980). The extent of the South East Dorset Green Belt within Dorset is Figure 1. 2. The designation was primarily seen as a means of restricting the outward growth of the conurbation of Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch; and protecting the separate identity of towns such as Wimborne, Wareham and Ringwood. An attitude of control and containment was the main premise of strategic planning policy at that time and the long- term growth needs of the sub-region were assessed periodically through structure and regional planning. 3. The South East Dorset Green Belt was last subject to strategic review in the work that was undertaken for the draft South West Regional Spatial Strategy in the early-2000s. This work recommended some land to be released from the South East Dorset Green Belt to meet strategic development needs although it did not include any land in Poole. 4. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) sets out a presumption in favour of sustainable development1 and requires local planning authorities to plan positively for the current and future needs of their population. In accordance with the NPPF, the Local Plan Review has considered all available evidence to establish an updated spatial strategy aimed at meeting objectively assessed needs where possible. Of particular relevance is the Eastern Dorset Strategic Housing Market Assessment (December 2015) that identifies that Poole’s housing needs are 710 homes per annum in the period 2013 to 2033. By contrast the current housing requirement for Poole is to provide 500 homes per annum between 2006 and 2026. 5. Poole is subject to considerable environmental and physical constraints with the sea to the south, Green Belt to the north and a range of internationally protected sites. These constraints mean that to meet the objectively assessed needs, the Council has to plan carefully to identify sites that will meet needs in a sustainable and realistic manner. 6. However, notwithstanding the constraints to development, there was a need to look at all options for meeting Poole’s development needs. The increase in housing needs, in particular, represented a significant challenge for the borough. Work looking at urban capacity identified that Poole would be unable to meet its needs in the urban area alone. As a result consideration of outward expansion was required to consider whether it was a reasonable option to help meet some of the development needs. For Poole, this inevitably involved considering land that falls within the South East Dorset Green Belt. As part of this consideration, a comprehensive review of the Green Belt within the borough was carried out. 7. This process relied significantly upon a Green Belt Assessment, which is an evidence- based study of the quality of the South East Dorset Green Belt within the borough. This assessed the extent to which different parts of the Green Belt displayed the essential characteristics of openness and permanence; and met the purposes of Green Belt as set out in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). 8. While the Green Belt review assisted in the decision making process with regard to identifying the best location or locations for housing development sites and where it might be appropriate to alter the Green Belt boundary, this report only relates to the objective site assessment stage of the review. No consideration has been given to the suitability of the 1 National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) Department for Communities and Local Government March 2012 Poole Local Plan. Poole Green Belt Review. July 2017 3 assessed parcels for development – only how development would impact upon the contribution that the particular parcel makes to the purposes of Green Belt. The suitability of sites is considered under the Housing and Economic Land Availability process that supports the emerging Poole Local Plan. 9. The Green Belt assessment has been carried out in a rigorous and consistent manner, using a robust methodology. As outlined above, no consideration of development potential was made. The consideration of new built form was only looked at in terms of the impact it would have upon the purposes of Green Belt. This approach aimed to ensure that the judgements reached were as objective and evidential as possible and focused on the function of the Green Belt within Poole’s boundaries. 10. This paper does not have any policy weight, but forms part of the evidence base for the Local Plan Review. Any decisions to alter the Green Belt boundary will be made through that process. This report will assist in the consideration of where sustainable development can be delivered to meet the housing and employment needs of the Borough of Poole. Figure 1: South East Dorset Green Belt Poole Local Plan. Poole Green Belt Review. July 2017 4 2. Context for Green Belt Review 11. As outlined in Section 1 the latest evidence indicates that there is a need to provide additional housing and other development growth over and above that currently planned for in the