150 Proposals for Development Outside of the Identified Broad Areas
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Proposals for development outside of the identified broad areas and the settlement boundary for growth will not be supported. This policy should be read in conjunction with the generic Neighbourhood Planning policy SG7, policy SG3 and policies in the Tiptree Neighbourhood Plan, once it has been adopted. 6.201 The Council’s Housing Trajectory reflects that 2 sites, the Tiptree Jam Factory site and Vine Farm (Grange Road) have already secured planning permission for 126 houses and 103 houses respectively. These will not form part of the Neighbourhood Plan as they are already commitments. 6.202 There are currently 4 designated Local Economic Areas (LEAs) in Tiptree; the Alexander Cleghorn Site, Tiptree Jam Factory, the Basketworks Site and the Tower Business Park. These will continue to be protected for this use. Any development proposals affecting these sites or any other sites providing an economic/employment use in Tiptree over the Local Plan period will be required to comply with policy EG4 unless they are reviewed and amended through the Tiptree Neighbourhood Plan. West Bergholt 6.203 West Bergholt is a rural parish located approximately 1km to the north west of Colchester. The majority of its residents live in the village of West Bergholt. 6.204 The village is centred around a triangle of roads: the B1508 Colchester Road; Chapel Road; and Lexden Road. West Bergholt is separated from Colchester by an area of open countryside and the valleys of St Botolph’s Brook and the river Colne. The A12 bisects the open countryside between West Bergholt and Colchester. 6.205 The majority of more recent new development has occurred on the northern side of Colchester Road, notably on the site of the old brewery. 6.206 West Bergholt is considered a Sustainable Settlement as it has a sufficient population base to allow for proportionate growth which will support expansion of infrastructure and community facilities. It is located on a key transport route (B1508) to Colchester with good public transport links to the town centre and to Colchester Station. It has a good level of local facilities including a food store, post office, doctor’s surgery, pharmacy and a primary school, and provision of open space, allotments and a village hall located centrally in the village. 6.207 A proportionate level of growth, supported by adequate infrastructure, can be physically accommodated in West Bergholt without compromising the existing settlement shape, form and character. 6.208 The current population of West Bergholt (2011 Census) is 2,855 with approximately 1,200 dwellings with the defined built up area of the village and a total of 1,365 dwellings within the wider Parish area. 6.209 There are a number of constraints which restrict sites available for development. To maintain the current settlement pattern, development will continue to be 150 located around the three main roads with facilities located centrally where possible. 6.210 There is currently limited inter-visibility between Colchester and West Bergholt. However, there is a relatively high potential for visual coalescence of settlements and any new built development on land to the south of the village may undermine the sense of settlement separation. Development to the south of the village towards Colchester on Colchester Road is therefore not considered suitable due to the high potential of visual coalescence. 6.211 Development to the north of the village on Colchester Road/Nayland Road would extend new development away from existing key facilities and into open countryside, which is not considered sustainable. 6.212 West Bergholt Parish Council is currently preparing a Neighbourhood Plan for the village, which will provide for allocated sites for further growth in the Parish. Given the current number of dwellings in West Bergholt, the available facilities and the proximity of the village to Colchester, it could accommodate approximately 120 dwellings over the next 15 years. This is considered a proportionate level of growth for West Bergholt. 6.213 The West Bergholt Neighbourhood Plan will allocate land for housing and develop a policy framework to guide and meet all other development or community needs identified by the community in West Bergholt and associated with development proposals in West Bergholt up to 2033. Policy SS16: West Bergholt Within the broad area of growth as shown on the West Bergholt Proposals map, the West Bergholt Neighbourhood Plan will: i) Identify the settlement boundary for West Bergholt ii) Identify specific sites for housing allocations needed to deliver 120 dwellings. iii) Set out any associated policies needed to support this housing delivery i.e. housing mix, type of new housing and density for each site allocated for housing. iv) The Neighbourhood Plan will also set out the policy framework to guide the delivery of any infrastructure and community facilities required to support the development. Proposals for development outside of the identified broad areas for growth and the settlement boundary will not be supported. This policy should be read in conjunction with the generic Neighbourhood Planning Policy SG7 and the West Bergholt Neighbourhood Plan, once it has been adopted. 151 6.214 Pattens Yard in West Bergholt is allocated as a Local Economic Area. This site will remain allocated for this use and any future planning applications will be required to accord with policy EG4. Any development proposals affecting this site or any other sites providing an economic/employment use in West Bergholt over the Local Plan period will be required to comply with policy EG4 unless they are reviewed and amended through the West Bergholt Neighbourhood Plan. Mersea Island West Mersea 6.215 West Mersea is a small coastal town located on the confluence of the Colne and Blackwater Estuaries approximately 15km from the centre of Colchester Town. West Mersea is the larger of two settlements on Mersea Island, the other being the much smaller village of East Mersea. Early development in West Mersea was concentrated around the harbour and nearby oyster pits to the south west of the island. Development has since expanded to the north and west. 6.216 West Mersea is a District Centre with a high number of key services and community facilities. Mersea has 2 supermarkets, a primary school a community centre, as well as a range of independent shops, cafes and restaurants but no secondary school. These services support the needs of local residents and businesses on Mersea as well as communities from the surrounding rural areas in the south of the Borough. It will be important to protect the function of the District Centre in Mersea to ensure that it continues to meet the needs of the local coastal communities who use it. While West Mersea does not have a train station, frequent bus routes serve the town which bus older pupils off the Island to secondary schools in Colchester and other parts of the Borough. 6.217 West Mersea is considered to be a sustainable location for some housing growth. There are currently approximately 3,200 dwellings in West Mersea. The preferred sites could deliver an additional 350 houses over the Local Plan period. This equates to an 11% increase in the number of dwellings, a level which reflects the availability of existing facilities and services East Mersea 6.218 The Parish of East Mersea is a smaller settlement situated on the eastern side of Mersea Island. It comprises a small cluster of dwellings and a limited range of community facilities. It is also home to Cudmore Grove Country Park which is very popular with visitors at weekends and in the holidays. Due to its size and limited facilities, East Mersea is not considered a sustainable location to accommodate substantial additional growth and is now defined as an Other Village in the hierarchy to reflect the important community function the village provides . Policy SS17a: Mersea Housing and Employment Within each site shown on the West Mersea Policies Map development will be supported which provides: ñ Adequate wastewater treatment and sewage infrastructure enhancements in the catchment area; 152 .