Copeland Local Plan Copeland Local Plan 2013-2028 Site Allocations and Policies Plan Land for development Preferred Options January 2015 Contents 1 Introduction; the Plan and your role in it 1 1.1 What is the Site Allocations and Policies Plan for? ............................................. 1 1.2 What does this document do? ................................................................................. 1 1.3 How can you have your say? .................................................................................. 2 1.4 What will happen next? ............................................................................................ 2 2 The Development Strategy for Copeland 4 3 Site Allocation Policies 10 3.2 Principles for allocating land for development .................................................... 10 3.3 Principles for revoking an existing (2006 Local Plan) allocation ...................... 13 3.4 Principles for allocating land for housing development ..................................... 17 3.5 Settlement Development Boundaries ................................................................... 30 3.6 Ensuring a steady supply of housing land ........................................................... 43 3.7 Flexibility – land suitable for a variety of uses .................................................... 45 3.8 Opportunity Sites ..................................................................................................... 47 3.9 Tourism ..................................................................................................................... 49 3.10 Retail and Town Centres ........................................................................................ 51 3.11 Green Infrastructure ................................................................................................ 57 3.12 Infrastructure ............................................................................................................ 60 4 Sites considered 63 4.2 Meeting the strategic targets; principles for allocation ...................................... 65 4.3 Whitehaven Strategic Summary ........................................................................... 68 4.4 Cleator Moor Strategic Summary ......................................................................... 83 4.5 Egremont Strategic Summary ............................................................................... 90 4.6 Millom Strategic Summary ..................................................................................... 95 4.7 Local Centres Strategic Summary ......................................................................100 4.8 Sites in Small Villages and in the Countryside .................................................119 4.9 Sites potentially suitable for housing development but not allocated. ..........121 4.10 Small Sites considered suitable for housing development .............................123 5 Monitoring 125 Appendix 1: List of all sites considered ....................................................................................131 Appendix 2: Housing Trajectory ................................................................................................145 Appendix 3: Policies in the Local Plan 2006 superseded by this document......................147 Appendix 4: Green Infrastructure: Open Spaces Protected by the Local Plan .................150 Appendix 5: Environment and Heritage Designations ...........................................................154 Appendix 5A: Sites of Special Scientific Interest ....................................................................154 Appendix 5B: County Wildlife Sites ..........................................................................................154 Appendix 5C: Regionally Important Geological and Geomorphological Sites...................156 Appendix 5D: Tree Preservation Orders .................................................................................157 Appendix 5E: List of Scheduled Monuments (in Parish Order) ...........................................159 Appendix 6: Glossary ..................................................................................................................160 List of Figures Core Strategy Figure 3.3: Housing Requirements by Settlement 8 Figure 3.1: Sites allocated in 2006 whose retention is proposed 15 Figure 3.2: Sites where rescinding of 2006 allocation is proposed 16 Figure 3.3: Sites which may be suitable for gypsy and traveller provision 24 Figure 3.4: Proposed Opportunity Sites 47 Figure 4.1: Sites suitable for allocation – Whitehaven 73 Figure 4.2: Sites suitable for allocation – Cleator Moor (with Cleator) 87 Figure 4.3: Sites suitable for allocation – Egremont 93 Figure 4.4: Sites suitable for allocation – Millom (with Haverigg) 97 Figure 4.5: Sites suitable for allocation – Local Centres 102 Figure 4.6: Sites in small villages and in the countryside 119 Figure 4.7: Sites Potentially Suitable for Housing Development but not Allocated 121 Figure 4.8: Small Sites Considered Suitable for Housing Development 123 Core Strategy Figure 9.1: Monitoring Framework and Outputs 126 Trajectory 1: Guide for allocations and phasing 146 Trajectory 2: Forecast house building performance 146 List of Proposed Policies Proposed Policy SA1 – Principles for allocating land for development ...................................... 12 Proposed Policy SA1B – Principles for Revoking an Existing (Local Plan 2006) Allocation ... 14 Proposed Policy SA2 – Strategic principles for housing development ....................................... 26 Proposed Policy SA3 – Settlement boundary review .................................................................... 42 Proposed Policy SA4 – Phasing of land release for housing delivery ........................................ 44 Proposed Policy SA5 – Mixed Use development ........................................................................... 46 Proposed Policy SA6 – Opportunity Sites ....................................................................................... 48 Proposed Policy SA7 – Tourism Opportunity Sites ........................................................................ 49 Proposed Policy SA8 – Town Centres and retail development .................................................... 56 Proposed Policy SA9 – Green Infrastructure .................................................................................. 58 Proposed Policy SA10 – Reservations for infrastructure proposals ............................................ 61 1 Introduction; the Plan and your role in it 1.1 What is the Site Allocations and Policies Plan for? 1.1.1 The purpose of producing this document is to set out Copeland’s supply of development land to meet the Borough’s needs and growth aspirations for the fifteen year horizon of the Local Plan. The Core Strategy sets out the strategy for growth in the borough and the Site Allocations and Policies Plan will identify the pieces of land that will deliver this growth. 1.1.2 The ‘headline’ figures for how much land is needed are based on documents in the Local Plan evidence base, available on the Borough Council website. They are based on independent data sources and research, and have been verified by the debate that accompanied the production of the Core Strategy, and the public examination which endorsed it. 1.1.3 We now, therefore, have to give a firm base to the Local Plan by identifying the land which will make up that supply. 1.2 What does this document do? 1.2.1 There are several elements to the site allocation process: . It takes forward the strategic policies of the Local Plan Core Strategy. The Core Strategy was adopted in December 2013 following wide consultation and a public examination. It gives us the basic principles of how land will be earmarked for development in order to meet the sustainable growth objectives of the strategy; . It chooses which sites in the identified supply are suitable to be allocated now - for development over the next 15 years; . It evaluates the supply of land available for employment development, to see if any undeveloped sites would be better put to other uses (this is a Government requirement); . It checks that there is enough open space and other recreational land to support a good quality of life, and that it is protected from development. Note that the Site Allocations and Policies Plan is a part of the Local Plan. So the following questions must be asked of any site that has been proposed for development. Does it meet the Is it OK in terms of Will it help to meet the Development Strategy sustainable development needs of the Borough and (and, therefore, the (see the Sustainability its communities, and Government’s national Appraisal published with provide a sound basis for planning policy)? this document)? economic growth? Copeland Local Plan 2013-2028: Site Allocations and Policies Plan Preferred Options (January 2015) Page 1 1.3 How can you have your say? 1.3.1 This document presents a range of possibilities, both in terms of general approach in settlements as well as specific sites, and we want to hear what you think. This is a formal 10 week public consultation on the Preferred Options that runs from Monday 12th January to Friday 20th March 2015. 1.3.2 You can choose to comment on particular approaches to development in an area that are outlined in the document and/or comment on an individual site, and we have produced different Representation Forms in order to help this process. Representation