DEVELOPMENT POLICY COMMITTEE 29 September 2016 AGENDA ITEM 7 Subject STRATEGIC LAND AVAILABILITY ASSESSMENT (SLAA) – ANNUAL PUBLICATION Report by DIRECTOR OF SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES Enquiries contact: Laura Percy, (01245) 606486, [email protected] Purpose The purpose of this report is to publish the City Council’s annual Strategic Land Availability Assessment (SLAA). Recommendation That the content of this report be noted and that the Site Assessments and supporting information attached at Appendices 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 to this report are published on the City Council’s website, in accordance with the SLAA procedures. Corporate Implications Legal: As part of the Local Plan process a Strategic Land Availability Assessment is necessary to adhere to the requirements of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). Financial: None. Personnel: None. Risk Management: Without this document the City Council is at risk of criticism for not meeting the requirements of the NPPF in its plan making process. Equalities and Diversity: None. Health and Safety: None. IT: None. Other: None. 1 Policies and Strategies The report takes into account the following policies and strategies of the Council: Statement of Community Involvement, January 2013 Core Strategy and Development Control Policies DPD Focused Review of the Core Strategy and Development Control Policies DPD Chelmsford Town Centre Area Action Plan North Chelmsford Area Action Plan Site Allocations Development Plan Document Local Development Scheme Supplementary Planning Documents Community Infrastructure Levy Charging Schedule Strategic Land Availability Assessment Methodology Chelmsford City Council’s Local Development Framework takes into account all published strategies of the Council, together with the Community Plan published by the Chelmsford Partnership. Corporate Plan Priorities The report relates to the following priorities in the Corporate Plan Attracting investment and delivering infrastructure √ Facilitating suitable housing for local needs √ Providing high quality public spaces √ Promoting a more sustainable environment √ Promoting healthier and more active lives √ Enhancing participation in cultural activities 1. Background 1.1 The background into the need to carry out a Strategic Land Availability Assessment (SLAA) has been reported previously to the Development Policy Committee in January 2015 (Item 7). 1.2 The City Council has published a methodology for carrying out its Strategic Land Availability Assessment; this was approved by the Development Policy Committee at its meeting held on 5th March 2015 (Item 9). 1.3 Links to these two items can be found at: http://www.chelmsford.gov.uk/development-policy-committee-15-jan-2015-700pm and http://www.chelmsford.gov.uk/development-policy-committee-05-mar-2015-700pm 1.4 At the meeting of the Committee held on 2nd September 2015 the first publication of the City Council’s SLAA was published in full. This included a full assessment of all sites submitted through the 2014 ‘Call for Sites’. 2 2. Policy Background 2.1 Chelmsford City Council is progressing the SLAA, which will help identify land that may be suitable for development in the new Local Plan for the period up to 2036. The full process for completing a SLAA is set out in the chart below, which is taken from the Government’s Planning Policy Guidance (PPG). 3 3. Assessment of Sites 3.1 This report effectively deals with the annual publication of ‘Stage 2’ of the SLAA. It should be noted that, as set out in the City Council’s published Strategic Land Availability Assessment Methodology, this initial Stage 2 assessment is based on the City Council’s adopted planning policies in the current Local Plan. 3.2 It is important to note that the SLAA is not a one off assessment and it will continue to be updated and monitored as the City Council continues to move towards the new Local Plan. As the new Local Plan progresses the SLAA assessment will need to be updated in line with emerging or new local policies. Furthermore, as new information for sites comes forward, or there are other changes, the SLAA will need to be updated, as it has been since its last publication in 2015. 3.3 This annual publication includes: Relevant updates to existing SLAA sites which have been received by the City Council since the last publication of the assessment in September 2015 New sites which have been submitted to the City Council since the last publication of the assessment in September 2015 New sites which were submitted to the City Council through the new Local Plan Issues and Options Consultation Updated Parish Maps to include all SLAA previous and new sites submissions. 3.4 Any new sites or further information which have been received after August 2016 have not been included within this publication and will be carried over into the next annual publication of the SLAA in 2017. 3.5 Based on the above it is important to note that the assessments published with this report are by no means conclusive or final: it is simply an annual publication of the sites based on the latest available information and planning policies. 3.6 Therefore, as set out previously, the results of this and indeed any future SLAA assessments do not mean that a site will necessarily be allocated for future development in the Local Plan. The SLAA is simply a way of helping the Council establish what sites/land could potentially be made available for development in the future. It is the Local Plan itself which will select from these sites and allocate appropriate sites, not the SLAA. 3.7 Officers have identified additional sites in Chelmsford Urban Area with potential for residential development. These sites were not submitted as part of the Call for Sites, and are included in a separate evidence base report entitled ‘Housing Capacity in Chelmsford Urban Area’. 4 4 Assessment Process 4.1 The SLAA has been carried out in accordance with the City Council’s approved Strategic Land Availability Assessment Methodology (March 2015). This involves an assessment of the Suitability, Availability and Achievability of each site. This information comes from the forms and further information submitted by the Developer/Landowner who submitted the site into the SLAA, which has then been checked against City Council records and current planning policy. Suitability 4.2 Suitability of a site has been assessed against current policy and physical constraints of each site. For example, such constraints include, but are not limited to, if a site is within the Green Belt, Green Wedge, a flood zone, or has electricity lines or pipelines running through it. 4.3 This assessment identifies constraints which may limit the development potential of a site and discounts areas affected by such constraints. Availability 4.4 Availability of a site has been assessed against the information submitted by the Landowner/Developer who submitted each site, as well as any other information known to the City Council. 4.5 This assessment identifies issues which have an impact on when and if a site may become available for development. For example, issues which have been considered that may affect the availability of a site include, but are not limited to, multiple land ownerships, potential ransom strips and other land uses on a site. Achievability 4.6 Availability of a site has been assessed against the information submitted by the Landowner/Developer who submitted each site, as well as viability assessments for all sites. This viability work was carried out on the City Council’s behalf by Peter Brett Associates (PBA) and is attached at Appendix 1. 4.7 The report attached at Appendix 1 sets out the methodology used to test the potential viability of sites based on a number of potential site typologies. This remains the same as that published alongside the last publication of the SLAA assessment in 2015. 4.8 This work then feeds into the overall site assessment which is attached at Appendix 2. Overall Assessment Appendix 2 – SLAA Database Methodology and Output 4.9 Appendix 2 sets out the overall methodology used to bring the Suitability, Availability and Achievability assessments together for each site. Appendix 3 – SLAA Assessment Criteria 4.10 Attached at Appendix 3 is the Assessment Criteria which has been used to assess all sites. From this work, two lists of sites have been produced (Appendix 4 and Appendix 6). Sites are listed in numerical order, based on their previously published reference number if applicable, and provide the overall SLAA assessment for each site. 5 Appendix 4 – ‘Policy on’ Site Assessments 4.11 Appendix 4 is for all sites outside of the Green Belt or a Green Wedge (essentially a ‘policy on’ approach). Appendix 5 – List of Discounted Sites 4.12 For those sites which failed to overcome an ‘absolute constraint’, e.g. fell within the Green Belt the site is not carried forward into the overall assessment at Appendix 4. 4.13 A list of all those sites which were not carried forward into the overall assessment and the reason for discounting them is attached at Appendix 5. Appendix 6 – ‘Policy off’ Site Assessments 4.14 For those sites which were discounted due to the fact they either fell within the Green Belt or a Green Wedge these sites have been assessed fully at Appendix 6. This gives the assessment for all of those sites as if they were not in the Green Belt or a Green Wedge (essentially a ‘policy off’ assessment) to inform the City Council. However, at this point in time, based on current policy these sites are not currently to be carried forward as they do not comply with current policy constraints. 4.15 It should also be noted that current ‘absolute constraints’ may be amended at a later date should the City Council take the view that such constraints may no longer apply, i.e.