Draft Local Plan Proposed Submission August 2016
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Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council - Draft Local Plan Proposed Submission August 2016 Draft Local Plan Proposed Submission August 2016 Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council - Draft Local Plan Proposed Submission August 2016 2 Foreword Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council - Draft Local Plan Proposed Submission August 2016 1 Foreword About this consultation This document is a consultation on the proposed submission version of the Local Plan for Welwyn Hatfield, and runs for an 8 week period from Monday 22nd August until 5:00pm on Monday 17th October. You can respond online, by post or email but you should complete a response form so that your representation can be forwarded to the Planning Inspectorate with the necessary information. If you do not use a form there is a risk that your response cannot be forwarded to the Inspector as it will not meet the Planning Inspectorate's requirements for the Examination. Completed representation forms can be returned to one of the following addresses: Online: www.welhat.gov.uk/localplan By email: [email protected] By post: Planning Policy, Council Offices,The Campus, Welwyn Garden City, AL8 6AE What can you comment on and how should you respond The Council has produced a guidance note which relates to the matters the Inspector will consider at the Examination, and will help you to complete the response form. You can comment on any policy or part of this document, the Policies Map or the Sustainability Appraisal of this Plan but you will need to identify which document and section you are commenting on. The Inspector will need to know whether you support or object to the plan and, if you object, what is the basis for your concern. The Inspector will want to know whether the Council has met the legal requirements for the preparation of the plan and whether it meets what are known as the tests of soundness which are set out in the National Planning Policy Framework. You can find out more about the legal requirements in the Introduction to this plan and the guidance notes. The tests of soundness are set out below. Tests of Soundness Positively prepared - the plan should be prepared on a strategy which seeks to meet the objectively assessed needs for growth, including unmet needs needs from neighbouring authorities where it is reasonable to do so and consistent with achieving sustainable development; Justified by the evidence - the plan should be the most appropriate strategy, when considered against the reasonable alternatives, based on proportionate evidence; Effective - the plan should be deliverable over its period and based on effective joint working on cross boundary strategic priorities; and Consistent with National Policy - the plan should enable the delivery of sustainable development in accordance with the National Planning Policy Framework. Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council - Draft Local Plan Proposed Submission August 2016 1 2 Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council - Draft Local Plan Proposed Submission August 2016 Foreword We cannot accept late representations. Any comments that you send to us will be public documents. We will consider the comments you make before deciding whether or not to submit the Local Plan for examination to the Planning Inspectorate. 2 Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council - Draft Local Plan Proposed Submission August 2016 Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council - Draft Local Plan Proposed Submission August 2016 Contents 1 Introduction 8 2 Welwyn Hatfield Now 11 2.1 Profile of Welwyn Hatfield 11 2.2 Previous Consultation 17 2.3 Relationship to other plans and strategies 20 2.4 Key Challenges and Opportunties for Welwyn Hatfield 25 The Overarching Strategy 3 Vision and Boroughwide Objectives 29 4 Sustainable Development 32 Delivering Sustianable Development 32 5 How Much Growth 35 Targets for Growth 35 6 Settlement Strategy and Green Belt boundaries 41 Settlement Strategy and Green Belt Boundaries 41 Windfall development 45 Key Diagram 47 Topic Specific Policies 7 Movement 49 7.1 Transport and Travel 49 7.2 Highway network and safety 51 7.3 Sustainable Travel for All 52 8 Centres, Services and Facilities 54 8.1 Retail Development 54 8.1.1 New Retail Provision 54 8.1.2 Development in Designated Centres 58 8.1.3 Development outside Designated Centres 61 8.1.4 Shopfronts, Adverts and Signage 62 8.2 Community Services and Facilities 63 8.2.1 New and Existing Community Services and Facilities 65 8.2.2 New Cemetery Provision 66 9 Housing 68 9.1 Type and Mix of Housing 68 Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council - Draft Local Plan Proposed Submission August 2016 Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council - Draft Local Plan Proposed Submission August 2016 Contents 9.2 Loss of Residential 77 10 Economy 78 10.1 The Local Economy 78 10.2 Employment Development 81 11 Quality of New Development 84 11.1 Place Making and High Quality Design 84 11.1.1 Amenity and Layout 88 11.1.2 Parking, Servicing and Refuse 90 11.2 Sustainable Design and Construction 92 11.2.1 Sustainability Requirements 95 11.2.2 Flood Risk and Water Management 98 12 Environmental assets 101 12.1 Protection and enhancement of critical environmental assets 101 12.2 Green Infrastructure 106 12.3 Heritage 111 12.4 Ecology and Landscape 116 12.5 Urban Open Land 117 12.6 Environmental Pollution 118 13 Infrastructure 124 13.1 Infrastructure Delivery 124 13.2 New Schools 132 Settlement Policies 14 Welwyn Garden City 135 14.1 Vision and Objectives for Welwyn Garden City 135 14.2 Heritage of Welwyn Garden City 137 14.3 Welwyn Garden City Town Centre 139 14.3.1 Welwyn Garden City Town Centre Strategy 139 14.3.2 Development in the Core Retail Zone 143 14.3.3 Development outside the Core Retail Zone 145 14.4 New dwellings in Welwyn Garden City 146 14.4.1 Mixed Use Development Site at Broadwater Road West 149 14.4.2 North East of Welwyn Garden City 152 14.4.3 South East of Welwyn Garden City 155 15 Hatfield 161 15.1 Vision and Objectives for Hatfield 161 15.2 Hatfield Town Centre 163 Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council - Draft Local Plan Proposed Submission August 2016 Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council - Draft Local Plan Proposed Submission August 2016 Contents 15.2.1 Hatfield Town Centre Strategy 164 15.2.2 Development in the Core Retail Zone 168 15.2.3 The Common and Queensway Opportunity Areas 170 15.2.4 Lemsford Road Opportunity Area 171 15.3 High View Neighbourhood Shopping Centre 172 15.4 University of Hertfordshire 173 15.5 New dwellings in Hatfield 174 15.5.1 Strategic Development Site in Hatfield 177 16 Woolmer Green 181 16.1 Site allocations in Woolmer Green 181 17 Oaklands & Mardley Heath 183 17.1 Site allocations in Oaklands and Mardley Heath 183 18 Welwyn 185 18.1 Site allocations in Welwyn 186 19 Digswell 188 20 Welham Green 189 20.1 Site allocations in Welham Green 189 20.2 Marshmoor Policy Area 190 21 Brookmans Park 196 21.1 Site allocations in Brookmans Park 196 22 Little Heath 199 22.1 Site allocations in Little Heath 199 23 Cuffley 201 23.1 Site allocations in Cuffley 201 24 New Village 205 25 Rural Areas 209 25.1 Rural Development 209 25.2 Development within the Green Belt 210 25.3 Site allocations within the Rural Area 214 26 Neighbourhood Planning 216 Implementation and Monitoring Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council - Draft Local Plan Proposed Submission August 2016 Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council - Draft Local Plan Proposed Submission August 2016 Contents 27 Implementation and Monitoring 219 27.1 Local Plan Policies 219 27.2 Supplementary Planning Documents and Guidance 219 27.3 Other policies working alongside the Local Plan 220 27.4 Partnership working 221 27.5 Monitoring 222 Appendices A Housing and Employment Floorspace Trajectories 238 B Relationship to 2005 District Plan policies 240 C Full Glossary 253 D Spatial Implications of other plans and strategies 259 E Calculating the percentage of uses within Retail Frontages 259 Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council - Draft Local Plan Proposed Submission August 2016 Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council - Draft Local Plan Proposed Submission August 2016 7 Introduction 8 Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council - Draft Local Plan Proposed Submission August 2016 1 Introduction What is a Local Plan 1.1 The role of a Local Plan is to set out the Council's planning framework for the borough, identifying how much and what type of development is needed and where it should or should not be accommodated. 1.2 The last District Plan was adopted in 2005 and covered the period up to 2011. This Local Plan covers the period 2013-2032. It starts by identifying a number of challenges that the borough will face over the coming years and responds by setting out a vision and policies to address them and to help create the type of place the community would like the borough to be. 1.3 Along with the Minerals and Waste Local Plans for Hertfordshire and any Neighbourhood Plans it forms the Development Plan for the borough. The Development Plan is the basis upon which planning applications should be determined unless there are material planning considerations which indicate otherwise. 1.4 There are currently no Neighbourhood Plans which have been adopted in the borough and only one which is in preparation for the Northaw and Cuffley parish area. Any new Neighbourhood Plans will need to be in conformity with the strategic policies in this Local Plan How has it been prepared 1.5 The Local Plan has been prepared following consultation with the local community in accordance with the Council's Statement of Community Involvement (1) which sets out when the Council will consult the community in relation to the Local Plan, how the Council will engage with the community and who the Council will involve in that consultation.