Auckley Parish Neighbourhood Plan 2021 - 2037
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Auckley Parish Neighbourhood Plan 2021 - 2037
Foreword
The Localism Act 2011 granted powers to Parish Council’s to prepare land use planning documents. The Act provides an opportunity for local communities to have direct input into the development of their local area by preparing a plan for a 20-year period.
The Plan for the Parish of Auckley has been prepared by the Parish Council through a sub Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group comprising of Parish Councillors and members of the local community. It includes proposals which have been put forward as a result of extensive community consultation that has taken place over the last 2 years. The draft plan is now available for local consideration and you may wish for additional information to be included within the Plan prior to it being submitted for approval by Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group for volunteering their time to work on the Neighbourhood Plan and getting the Plan to the stage we are at now. It has taken 6 years of hard work and determination to get the Neighbourhood Plan to regulation 14 consultation.
Consultation period starts on the 28th June until the 28th August 2021.
30th June school
Auckley Show 21st August 2021
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Auckley Parish Neighbourhood Plan 2021 - 2037
Table of Contents 1 Introduction ...... 4 2 History of Auckley Parish ...... 6 3 Auckley Parish Today ...... 9 4 Public Consultation...... 11 5 Community Vision and Objectives ...... 13 6 The Spatial Strategy for Auckley Parish ...... 15 7 Housing ...... 19 Policy 1: Strategic Residential Development linked to growth at the Airport ... 20 Policy 2: Non-Strategic Residential Development ...... 22 Policy 3: Housing Type and Mix ...... 28 Policy 4: Making Efficient Use of Existing Buildings ...... 30 8 Protection of Local Amenities and Neighbourhood Centres ...... 32 Policy 5: The Protection of Key Local Amenities ...... 35 Policy 6: Neighbourhood Centres ...... 36 9 Design and Character ...... 38 Policy 7: Design Principles ...... 43 Policy 8: Non Designated Heritage Assets and Important Historic Frontages . 49 ...... 50 10 The Environment ...... 51 Policy 9: Local Green Spaces ...... 55 Policy 10: Biodiversity and Nature Conservation ...... 58 Policy 11: Settlement Break ...... 64 11 Monitoring and Review ...... 65 12 Appendix 1: Proposed Development Limit Maps ...... 66 13 Appendix 2: Evidence Base documents ...... 68 14 Appendix 3: Non-Designated Heritage Asset Justification ...... 69
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1 Introduction 1.1 This document contains the Auckley Parish Neighbourhood Plan. It represents one part of the development plan for the Parish over the period 2021 to 2037, the other part being the emerging Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council (DMBC) Local Plan.
1.2 DMBC, as the local planning authority, designated a Neighbourhood Area for the whole of Auckley Parish including the settlements of Auckley and Hayfield Green on 21st December 2015 to enable Auckley Parish Council to prepare a Neighbourhood Plan. The Plan has been prepared by the community through the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group.
1.3 Map 1 shows the boundary of the Neighbourhood Plan area, which is contiguous with the boundary of Auckley Parish.
1.4 This Neighbourhood Plan is prepared in accordance with the Town & Country Planning Act 1990, the Planning & Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, the Localism Act 2011, the Neighbourhood Planning Regulations 2012 (as amended 2015), the National Planning Policy Framework 2019, and the DMBC Local Plan 2015 - 2035. The Parish Council, through the Steering Group has prepared the plan to establish a vision for the future of the parish and to set out how that vision will be realised through planning and managing land use and development change over the plan period 2021 to 2037.
1.5 The purpose of this Neighbourhood Plan is to guide development within the parish and provide direction to any parties wishing to submit planning applications for development within the parish. The process of producing the Plan has involved the community as widely as possible and the different topic areas are reflective of matters that are of considerable importance to residents, businesses and community groups.
1.6 Each section of the Plan covers a different local topic. Under each heading there is the reason for the policies presented which provides the necessary understanding of the policy and what it is seeking to achieve. The policies themselves are those against which planning applications will be determined. Policies should be read in conjunction with the supporting text in order to fully understand them.
The Neighbourhood Plan does not:
Strategic planning issues are dealt with through the Doncaster Local Plan. This covers issues such as infrastructure, flooding, transport, development related to the Airport and Development related to Yorkshire Wildlife Park. In addition, proposed allocated development sites at Hayfield Green are also covered by the Local Plan and only parts of these are within the Neighbourhood Plan Area.
The Neighbourhood Plan will:
Deal with local issues such as the location and type of housing, design quality, character, the protection of green spaces and the environment.
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Map 1: Auckley Parish Neighbourhood Plan Area
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2 History of Auckley Parish 2.1 Heritage records and archaeological investigations, with evidence including the discovery of a stone axe head in a field near Bell Butts Lane, indicate that Auckley has a long history of human settlement.
2.2 Evidence also shows settlement in Auckley dating back to Roman times. Potters have been identified as having been working in Auckley and its surrounding Parishes between AD130 and AD 190. In 1944, a Roman pottery kiln, producing ‘grey ware’, was unearthed during quarrying in an Auckley sandpit off Mosham Road.
2.3 In recent times a 6th-7th Century Saxon pendant of gold with semi-precious stones was found at an undisclosed site near the village and is usually on display at the Doncaster Museum.
2.4 Today the parish of Auckley is divided into two distinct settlements: the historical village of Auckley and Hayfield.
2.5 In 1066, after the Norman conquest, Auckley, ‘Alkley’, formed part of the ‘Soke or Estate of Hexthorpe. References to Alkley can be found in Doomsday Books of 1086 and 1279.
2.6 In the 1800's, the village is referred in historical records as 'Awkley'. Its boundaries formed partly by Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire. Miss R.F. Walbanke Childers of Cantley Hall, and the trustees of the late William Cadman Esq. were Lords of the Manor and principle landowners.
2.7 The chapel was built in 1832, the National School in 1837 and the Church a year later. At this time the population was recorded as 362 inhabitants.
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2.8 There were two public houses, 'The Eagle and Child' and the now absent 'Plough'. The blacksmith, Samuel Garnett was next to 'The Eagle and Child', and the landlord, Rd. Gillat was also butcher and shopkeeper.
2.9 There was also a wheelwright and fellmonger listed, in addition to a number of farmers, amongst them Rd. Baxter (presumably at Baxter Farm at the corner of Bell Butts Lane and Main Street). The principle crops grown were wheat, barley, rye and turnips. Other buildings of note include the three storey pantiled Lidget, at the junction of Main Street and Hurst Lane, and the 18th Century farmhouse (partly destroyed) by The Green and Common Lane.
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2.10 By 1881 the population of Auckley had fallen to 278 and remained low until the 20th Century. After WWII and the need for more social housing we see the developments on Common Lane, Ellers Lane (including the errection of the two Swedish houses) and School Lane, From the 1960's, substantial housing development began with the Spey Drive Estate, followed by the Ravenswood Drive Complex, The Hollows, Ivy House Court, Riverside Gardens and Dursley Court. This necessitated the building of a new school which officially opened in July 1974 Despite these developments the village retains its agricultural/rural heritage.
2.11 In 1915, the Royal Flying Corps operated from an air-strip at Bancroft Farm in Finningley Parish, this subsequently became RAF Finningley.
2.12 The Hayfield settlement evolved out of RAF Finningley, when in 1935 additional agricultural/wood land was acquired, which straddled both the Parishes of Finningley and Auckley. The station was officially opened on 3rd September 1936 and was home to 7th and 102 Squadrons, joined later by 106 Squadron, in 1939 as war broke out. The site became part of RAF Bomber Command.
2.13 Post WWII different training units were stationed at RAF Finningley, until the spring of 1957 when after extensive work to relay and extend the main runway it became a V bomber station. 101 Squadron reformed operating the Vulcan bombers until 1969. Arguably the most famous of the Finningley's Avro Vulcan Bombers was aircraft XH558. On 1 July 1960 XH558 was the first Vulcan B.2 to enter RAF service. It was subsequently restored to flight by the Vulcan to the Sky Trust and on 29 March 2011 returned to Doncaster airport, her original home. Still residing there now, she remains in operating condition but without a permit to fly.
2.14 In the 1970s, Training Command and later Support Command took over the base. During this time, Hayfield settlement further developed with the building of married quarter dwellings, the Hayfield Lane Primary School, a church and facilities such as a NAAFI.
2.15 In 1971, the Hayfield Secondary School, Hurst Lane opened, to accommodate pupils from the expanding Auckley Parish and neighbouring Parishes.
2.16 However, despite the opening of a new Air Navigation School building in 1992, RAF Finningley was decommissioned in 1996. The 500 married quarters were sold, approximately 100 dwellings were purchased by the South Yorkshire Housing Association, and the rest by private individuals. The airfield itself was bought by Peel Holdings for business development, housing and of course the Doncaster Sheffield airport which opened for commercial flights in April 2005.
2.17 More recently the Hayfield settlement has expanded further, with the development of the Pembridge Estate, off Hurst Lane and in 2017 the opening of the Doncaster Sixth Form College, built adjacent to the Hayfield School, accommodating students from across the Doncaster Borough.
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3 Auckley Parish Today 3.1 The Parish is dominated by the settlements of Auckley and Hayfield Green (population c.4,000). Greenfield land availability (which will need to be utilised over the plan period) is disappearing due to increase development and urbanisation. This is increasingly being realised through planning permissions for the redevelopment of such sites at Hayfield Green. The Parish is well connected and has easy access to the strategic road network (the A1, M1 and M18); good rail links (east-west rail links connect Doncaster and Sheffield; close proximity to the Doncaster/Rotherham/Sheffield conurbation (and Doncaster Sheffield Airport)); a sizeable and flexible workforce and a good range of potential employment sites. Employment generation and the demand for employment land is expected to increase considerably over the next 15 years around the area with the increase in large industrial and storage sites at IPORT on the M18.
3.2 At present the local economy is still re-structuring. Its key characteristic is a high level of industrial (manufacturing) units, along with storage and distribution warehouses. There is a high level of commuting out of the area for higher wage jobs; evidence of a local economy that, while relatively buoyant in terms of its low unemployment levels, is still weighted towards employment opportunities at the lower end of the pay scale5. This situation is reflected by poor local skills levels, with 10 % of the working population having no qualifications at all.
3.3 Similarly, there is a low level of office space and growth in creative/innovative businesses, although recent years have seen a slow, but increasing, level of interest in these areas. Pressure for housing or mixed-use development on employment land
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is a further reflection of the changing nature of the area’s economy, as many of the old manufacturing sites close and struggle to find new occupiers for their out-of-date buildings.
3.4 Both Yorkshire Wildlife Park and Doncaster Sheffield Airport continue to expand. The Airport has an expansion masterplan that could see significant employment growth as well as growth in housing provision at Hayfield Green.
3.5 The Wildlife Park has recently expanded off Hurst Lane to provide a new entrance/ access into the park and attracts thousands of visitors per year.
3.6 The quality of life available to most residents is generally perceived as good, which means that houses in the parish can command high prices. Well over half of the parish boasts above average prices for the area of £200,000 to £300,000. Average house prices in the parish are, however, low in comparison with neighbouring areas and houses are regarded as being good value for money. Even so, the relatively low wage levels of many residents mean that a lack of affordable housing provision, particularly two- and three-bedroom houses, remains a serious issue.
3.7 Auckley, like other areas, also has a growing percentage of older residents, which is likely to drive an increasing demand (where older residents want to leave their existing homes) for specific property types (e.g. bungalows) and a requirement for increased numbers of carehomes or sheltered accommodation schemes.
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4 Public Consultation 4.1 Throughout the Neighbourhood Plan process, engagement with the community was undertaken at various stages. There was a gap in public events during the Covid-19 Pandemic through 2020 and early 2021, but the group placed several notices on the Neighbourhood Plan Facebook Page to keep residents up-to-date with progress. Public events are planned in line with the relaxation in Government social-distancing restrictions from early summer 2021. A list of the key events is outlined in Table 1.
Consultation at the Auckley Show
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Table 1: Consultation Activities
Consultation Date Purpose Outcome Activity Advert in the October To create a 12 members on the local 2017 Neighbourhood Plan group Newsletter Group
Facebook November To set-up a social media Continuous activity Page created 2017 presence and updates
Residents’ February To seek the opinion of 25% return Survey 2018 the local community on various issues
Website March 2018 To set-up a social media Continuous activity created presence and updates
Consultation May 2018 To engage with the meeting with large landowner and Peel Airports employer
Public Event July 2018 To inform people of the 67 attended results of the residents’ survey
Auckley Show August To engage with people Over 200 people Consultation 2018 about local issues and attended. policy ideas
Auckley Show August To engage with people Over 100 people Consultation 2019 about local issues and attended. policy ideas and Local Green Space designations
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5 Community Vision and Objectives 5.1 The Community Vision was prepared following consultation with local people between 2017 and 2021. The Community Vision focuses on how local people would like the area to be in 2037. It is a shared vision created using the views and concerns of residents, businesses and stakeholders.
Community Vision In 2037, the Parish of Auckley will be a vibrant, attractive, prosperous and
sustainable place that retains its own and separate identity. There will be a variety of housing types, employment opportunities, local service and facilities provided to its residents. Community Objectives All new development will be of the highest quality and design to ensure the character of the area is enhanced and retained.
Accessibility to the open countryside, public spaces and the wider green infrastructure network will be enhanced and biodiversity protected.
Local heritage assets will be preserved to maintain the traditional character of the area.
5.2 The objectives below have been developed from the feedback from the public consultations through this Neighbourhood Plan. The objectives cover a range of economic, social and environmental issues that together will ensure that the area can grow sustainably in the future.
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Community Objectives 1. To ensure all new housing is of good design and quality, whilst contributing towards
the provision of sustainable development;
2. To provide a mix of type and sizes of housing to help meet the current and future needs of the community;
3. To support the inclusion the right type and mix of housing so that all the community
has the chance to live in a home that is right and affordable to them;
4. To preserve our valued community amenities and facilities;
5. To protect our neighbourhood centres, whilst encouraging diversity to enable the centres to adapt to new consumer needs and for it to thrive in the future;
6. To protect and enrich our existing green spaces, heritage, wildlife to maintain a
vibrant and pleasant environment in which to live and work.
7. To support low-carbon technologies and design within new development to improve energy efficient and reduce our impact on Climate Change.
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6 The Spatial Strategy for Auckley Parish 6.1 This Neighbourhood Plan covers four policy themes. Each theme outlines the spatial outcomes and role of their respective area. Drawn together, these themes set out the comprehensive strategy that covers the Neighbourhood Area of Auckley and Hayfield Green.
6.2 The distribution of development within the Parish, over the period specified in this plan will accord with the objectives of one or more of the following policy themes. This will ensure the pattern, scale and quality of new development supports the aims of the policies contributing to the overall sustained pattern of growth sought in the vision of this plan and ensure the identified housing and economic needs for the Parish are met within the plan period.
6.3 Planning permission will be supported for sites that comply with relevant policies of this plan.
6.4 The Policy themes of this Plan are:
1. Housing; 2. Local amenities and services; 3. A distinctive local character; 4. The Environment.
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The Development Limits
6.5 Local residents accept that with a growing and ageing population the housing needs across the area are changing. The NPPF and the existing and emerging Policy support the location of developments where they adjoin existing settlements and that avoid the most valuable agricultural land and areas of nature conservation.
6.6 Unplanned development in the open countryside is not considered sustainable development except in certain circumstances (in accordance with National Policy).
6.7 The Development Limit defines the extent of existing built-up areas within the Parish. The Neighbourhood Plan takes the opportunity to designate a development Limits based on a criteria identified below.
6.8 Areas of landscape within the Parish that the community has identified as being especially sensitive to development are identified as ‘settlement breaks’ and are discussed in more detail in Policy 11. Areas that should be protected from development are identified as Local Green Spaces and are discussed in Policy 9. Any additional development to that proposed in the Doncaster Local Plan should be concentrated within the identified Development Limits. The following criteria have been used by the Steering Group to define the extent of the Development Limit:
a) current commitments by virtue of an existing planning permission for residential development; and b) the presence of predefined physical features, such as walls, fences, hedgerows, roads and streams; and c) open areas including informal recreation space which contribute to the character or setting of the settlement are excluded either to safeguard their use or to maintain their contribution to the wider landscape setting; and d) a consideration of the existing built form and an assessment of the amount of additional housing required in the Plan area to meet District and local needs up to 2037 in accordance with National Policy.
6.9 The options the Group considered and the reasons they were either progressed or dismissed are set out below.
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Table 2: Development Limit Options
Option 1 Reasoned Assessment Tightly constrained development limits This would not allow an appropriate response to proposals to meet local need and does not reflect existing planning permissions. Option 2 No development limits Does not provide a clear Parish level policy framework and could endanger important landscape features. Would be contrary to consultation and evidence of need for more detailed policy guidance on where development should be located. Option 3 Settlement development limits that allow This allows for incremental, sustainable for modest growth in parts of the Parish growth of the Parish reflecting the that have the least landscape community consultation and enabling sensitivity. the community to influence where unplanned growth takes place. This is the preferred approach.
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Housing
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7 Housing 7.1 Over the Plan period, the Neighbourhood Plan is supporting sustainable housing and employment growth. With new planned residential development in the area, policies must be in place to help make the Parish more resilient. Some policies in this Neighbourhood Plan are proactive to anticipate this change, whilst other policies in this Plan provide greater clarity on what parts of the Plan area require protection.
7.2 The Neighbourhood Plan will take a positive approach to development where it brings forward a balance of housing and employment to ensure the Parish remains an attractive and vibrant place to live and work. When commenting on development proposals the Parish Council will take a positive approach that reflects the presumption in favour of sustainable development and will work proactively with applicants to find joint solutions. This approach will mean that proposals can be supported where they secure development that improves the economic, social and environmental conditions for the whole area.
7.3 This Neighbourhood Plan acknowledges the proposed growth requirement identified within the emerging Doncaster Local Plan and the number of existing planning permissions and allocations in Hayfield Green. However, it is important that these new developments are appropriate and deliver the homes that will benefit the wider community and make the Parish a more sustainable and attractive place to live. In addition, it is also important that new services, facilities and infrastructure are delivered alongside the new housing developments to reduce any concerns about the adverse impact on existing infrastructure raised by the community.
Current Housing Position
7.4 Housing provision in Auckley will be delivered in two ways:
1. Strategic Residential Development linked to Doncaster Sheffield Airport
7.5 The emerging Doncaster Local Plan sets a target for the amount of new housing to be delivered in Auckley as a minimum of 255 new homes over the plan period and 14.85 hectares of employment. Since the start of the Local Plan period the majority of the 255 dwellings have been permitted on sites at Hayfield Green.
7.6 The wider strategic growth and infrastructure aspirations to support the viability of the Doncaster Sheffield Airport will be managed through Doncaster Local Plan Policy 6.
7.7 Local Plan Policy 6 proposes the release new dwellings to support the initial phases of the airport expansion and is closely linked to employment growth (or airport masterplan area, or closely related to airport functions).
7.8 Site 940E2 in the DLP is allocated for development of 280 houses on land adjacent to the airport. A Reserve Housing Site 940E3 is earmarked for up to a maximum of 920 houses on land adjacent to this - meaning a total of 1,200 homes could be brought forward overall at the airport through the Plan period of the Doncaster Local Plan.
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7.9 The release of houses on the reserve housing site, as identified on Map 2, will be strictly controlled and linked to the proven delivery of jobs at the airport (or masterplan area, or closely related to airport functions). It is important that the development on these sites are carefully planned and does not lead to piecemeal developments occurring which, in turn, lead to an un-connected set of new developments in the area that have no relationship to the rest of the Parish. Any development of a masterplan or planning application within the Neighbourhood Plan Area should involve consultation with the Parish Council and community.
Policy 1: Strategic Residential Development linked to Doncaster Sheffield Airport 1. Development of sites related to Doncaster Sheffield Airport must be delivered in line with Policy 6 of the Doncaster Local Plan, including consultation with the local community on the masterplan exercise.
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Map 2: Allocations linked to Policy 7 in the Local Plan
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2. Additional Residential Development
7.10 In addition to the planned growth at Hayfield Green, there is support for further new small-scale development only where there is an identified housing need and are within the identified development limits of each village.
7.11 National planning policy defines small-scale residential development of 10 units or less per site. Although this is considered an appropriate threshold for Auckley, it shouldn’t be viewed in isolation and considerations of a sites size, its location, neighbouring land uses, character and scale of development should also be considered when planning for new development.
7.12 In some instances, such as ‘’infilling’’, only 1 or 2 units may be appropriate and therefore a much smaller threshold will be supported. This is most likely within the existing built-up areas of the parish.
Policy 2: Additional Residential Development
1. proposals for new residential development, will only be supported if it is filling a gap within existing development limit of Auckley and Hayfield Green, as identified on Maps in Appendix 1, and it meets all the following criteria:
a) It is only proposing 1 or 2 dwellings per site, unless a greater number would not lead to the site becoming overdeveloped and therefore out of scale with the immediate character of the locality; b) has regard to the overall character of the area and the current layout, density and size of the surrounding plots and dwellings to which the scheme relates; and c) safeguards the integrity of existing garden spaces and the relationship between property sizes and their wider curtilages; d) does not lead to the loss of any mature trees, hedgerows and boundary walls that make a positive contribution to the character of the area and wider street scene;
e) provides satisfactory landscaping to provide privacy for new and existing dwellings, where appropriate; and f) provide satisfactory layouts to safeguard the amenities of residential properties in the immediate locality.
2. Development proposals that lead to an overdevelopment of a site, where the proposal is considered out of character in terms of its scale or its proposed
density, will not be supported.
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Providing an Appropriate Housing Type and Mix
7.13 The NPPF requires that a sufficient amount and variety of land should be brought forward (in this case through the DMBC Local Plan) to address the needs of groups with specific housing requirements (paragraph 59), and that the size, type and tenure of housing needed for different groups of the community should be assessed and reflected in planning policy (paragraph 61), in order to create inclusive and mixed communities.
7.14 The DMBC Local Plan sets out the strategic approach to providing for a mix of dwelling sizes and tenures to meet the needs of the wider community. The policies highlight the need to provide for specialist forms of housing, particularly those relevant to older persons. It builds on the requirements set out in the NPPF that support strong, vibrant and healthy communities by providing enough houses to meet the needs of both present and future generations.
7.15 A major consideration in planning new communities is the UK’s aging population, which will influence the future design of the built environment and housing provision. The opportunity to maintain independent living as people grow older strongly depends on the provision of the right sort of housing in the right places. However, the majority of new homes being built do not meet the changing needs of people as they get older. Some of the inadequacies in ordinary mainstream family housing could be improved by simple design modifications to ensure that changing needs are met.
7.16 Access to decent and suitable housing is critically important for health and wellbeing, especially for the very young and very old. In general, Auckley presents a range of popular housing forms but principally of a type and size that benefits families (as detached houses dominate provision). Greater provision is needed of accessible and adaptable dwellings, affordable housing, and smaller forms of housing to suit the growing number of small households particularly for an ageing population.
What are the local challenges?
7.17 The present type and amount of housing does not offer a mix that is needed. This is tempered by continuing deep concern that growth has not been matched by infrastructure - a subject that is addressed elsewhere in this Plan.
7.18 There is a higher number of owner-occupied dwellings in Auckley (76.4%) compared to Doncaster (65.4%) and England (63.3%). There is a slightly higher number of shared ownership dwellings in Auckley (1.2%) compared to Doncaster (0.3%) and England (0.8%). When looking at the social rented sector, there is a lower proportion in Auckley (9.1%) when compared to Doncaster (17.7%) and the rest of England (17.7%), which is also seen, to a lesser extent, in the proportion of private rented dwellings in Auckley (12.4%) compared to the District (14.8%) and the rest of England (16.8%).
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Table 3: Housing Tenure Comparison
Tenure Auckley Doncaster England Owned; total 76.4% 65.4% 63.3% Shared ownership 1.2% 0.3% 0.8% Social rented; total 9.1% 17.7% 17.7% Private rented; total 12.4% 14.8% 16.8%
7.19 The demand for affordable homes is strong irrespective of size. Market provision is unlikely to redress the inadequate supply of affordable units as houses cost nearly 15 times the average annual earnings of low paid workers. Although this is the same as the England average, polices that promote housing growth will seek to rebalance provision.
Specialist types of housing for the Parish
7.20 Providing an appropriate housing mix should also include more specialist types of accommodation to cater for the ‘’hard to reach’’ part of the population. These include affordable housing, self and custom build opportunities, encouraging smaller sites, build to rent opportunities and accommodation for older people.
7.21 In addition to addressing the need for affordable housing and the type of housing, the neighbourhood plan must also consider the needs of a range of other groups, including specialist housing for older people. It is clearly evident that people are living longer and with this comes the need to ensure that the plan assists in the delivery of enough new housing that is fit for the needs of older people and people affected with disability.
Affordable Housing
7.22 Affordable housing is defined in the NPPF as:
‘’social rented, affordable rented and intermediate housing provided to eligible households whose needs are not met by the market’’.
7.23 Mix of housing types and tenures. This is required to meet local needs. There is a particular demand for two and three bed properties in the area, arising from newly forming households and older households seeking to downsize.
7.24 Ensuring an adequate supply of housing which is affordable for local incomes is an essential element of building a thriving and sustainable local economy and helps to promote social inclusion. Whist local providers are building some, most will come from private developers as part of larger housing developments. More rented housing, both public and private is needed.
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Table 4: Change in house prices within Auckley
Type 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Detached £199,199 £187,437 £193,500 £241,938 £245,142 £244,131 £239,214
Semi- £128,995 £128,669 £126,430 £137,126 £145,441 £150,913 £156,516 detached
Terraced £80,000 £78,005 £92,333 £122,766 £108,740 £132,041 £129,905
Flats £66,667 - £67,500 £90,000 £84,214 £96,735 £98,600
All £145,036 £142,363 £143,380 £200,605 £190,487 £187,902 £187,654 Types
Table 5: Housing Tenure and associated costs
Tenure Cost of purchase Annual rent Income Required
Entry-level Market Sale £134,998 N/A £38,571
Shared ownership (75%) £101,248 £3,750 £32,678
Starter Homes £107,998 N/A £30,857
Entry-level Market Rent £67,499 £7,500 £26,785
Shared ownership (50%) N/A £6,293 £25,171
Shared ownership (25%) £33,749 £11,250 £20,893
Affordable Rent N/A £5,034 £20,137
Social Rent - 3 Bed Dwelling N/A £4,799 £19,194
Social Rent - 2 Bed Dwelling N/A £4,232 £16,927
7.25 The income required to afford the different tenures is then benchmarked against two measurements of household income: the median annual household income and the lower quartile household income for the District set out above of £20,098 and £13,104 respectively.
7.26 Taking into consideration the Affordability Thresholds set out above, it is immediately apparent for a large proportion of these households, the majority of tenures would not be suitable, depending on whether they are seeking to rent or adopt a pathway to
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home ownership. As a result, a varied mix of tenures is appropriate to meet the community's housing.
Accommodation for Older People
7.27 Like many communities, Auckley has a progressively ageing population. This is exacerbated by younger people leaving the area, whilst there is an increase in older people arriving.
7.28 Appropriate adapted and specialist housing is needed for a progressively ageing population. The number of older people living in the Borough as a whole is expected to increase significantly – this has significant implications for meeting housing, health and care needs. Increasing need for specialist or extra care housing needs to be supported through targeted new build provision and providing adaptations to existing housing stock. The accommodation types for older people varies heavily depending on the wealth, health and well-being of the individual at the time of need. The need for socially provided accommodation is met with the need for more private and even luxury accommodation as seen elsewhere in the county.
Public Consultation 7.29 A summary of residents’ survey. The most important home types sought from new developments were:
Small houses to purchase (1 + 2 bedroom);
Large houses to purchase (3+ bedrooms);
Retirement and sheltered housing.
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Figure 2: Type of new housing required
7.30 Feedback from the resident’s survey suggests that the majority of people supported a mixture of housing types, including some retirement houses, smaller homes and some larger properties for families.
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Policy 3: Housing Type and Mix 1. Proposals for 10 or more dwellings will provide an appropriate mix of
housing types and sizes to help meet the need for smaller accommodation in the community – particularly for younger families and older people with the inclusion 1, 2 and 3 bedroom dwellings.
2. The subdivision of an existing dwelling or the provision of an on-site annex will be supported where it does not cause a detriment to the private amenity of existing occupants or any adjoining occupants.
Affordable Housing
3. Developers will be required to supply high quality affordable housing in line with the requirements identified in the Doncaster Local Plan. The provision of affordable housing through Starter Homes, self-build or Shared Ownership schemes will be particularly supported as there is an under provision of owner-occupied affordable housing in the Parish.
4. The affordable dwellings should be made available as an integral part of the development, should be visually indistinguishable from the equivalent market housing on the site and dispersed throughout the development.
5. Proposals for new care or supported living dwellings (public or private) for the older people and those with additional needs, including dementia housing, should be within a reasonable walking distance, to existing public transport services, walking and cycling routes and be easily accessible to nearby shops and health facilities. Proposals which use opportunities for the multi-use and co-location of care facilities and accommodation for older people with other services and facilities, and thus co-ordinate local care and provide convenience for users, will be supported.
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Making Efficient Use of Existing Buildings
7.31 High design quality should be achieved through all new development, including extensions, alterations and retrofitting measures. A poor quality extension, alteration or retrofitting can significantly impact the quality of the street scene, and cumulatively can reduce the attractiveness of a neighbourhood. Across the neighbourhood there are many examples of good quality, but many also jar with the host building, do not complement the street scene and local context
7.32 Neighbourhood Plan Policy 4 encourages and supports developments that sensitively incorporate such initiatives into new developments and this includes the schemes design, construction, use of materials and their long-term efficiency.
7.33 Whilst some retrofitting measures, extensions and alterations are allowed through permitted development rights, others will need consent, especially where they impact historic buildings and their setting. Policy 4 only applies to those proposals requiring planning permission.
7.34 The Neighbourhood Plan recognises that the urban grain and local character of streets can vary greatly. Policy 4 recognises therefore that quality is particularly important where alterations or extensions are visible from the frontage or public realm, are within established residential areas. Proposals need to be well thought out, using the design- led approach to ensure a site specific response to the urban grain. This will help ensure alterations and extensions are sensitive to their local and historical context, and do not adversely impact on the amenity of neighbouring properties.
7.35 Extensions to residential buildings should normally be subordinate in scale to the original. This will ensure that new development does not dominate existing and well- established features of the building or setting, or result in disproportionate additions that detract from local character. Alterations and extensions must also respect the architectural qualities and coherence of the urban grain, for example, by taking into account the distinctive qualities of blocks or terraces of buildings and not undermine their established uniformity.
7.36 Innovative, high quality and creative contemporary design solutions that respond positively to the site context will be supported, so long as the design carefully considers the architectural integrity of the original building and avoids any jarring building forms.
7.37 Light wells can help to enhance the amenity of a building’s users. Such proposals must give careful consideration to their integration within the site along with their relationship to the host building and wider setting.
Energy Efficiency
7.38 Many existing buildings in Auckley are of traditional form and style. These buildings are often less efficient than newer buildings, but provide opportunities for the
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installation of measures retrospectively to reduce their carbon emissions and to make them more appealing commercially.
7.39 Retrofitting measures to existing buildings will be supported to improve their energy and water efficiency and their adaptability to climate change.
Policy 4: Making Efficient Use of Existing Buildings 1. Proposals for the extension, alteration and/or retrofitting of existing buildings to incorporate low carbon or renewable technologies and materials should follow the design-led approach and will be expected to:
a) ensure there is no unacceptable impact on relevant designated and non designated heritage assets and their settings, where appropriate; b) respond positively to the local context, character and distinctiveness of the site and host building with regard to the form, proportion, setting, period, architectural characteristics and detailing of the original building; c) use high quality, durable and matching or complementary materials; d) maintain and wherever possible enhance the architectural integrity of a group of buildings as a whole; e) ensure new rooms created by a residential alteration or extension provide adequate amenity and space for all building occupiers;
f) ensure innovative and contemporary designs/materials and/or modern structures are of an exceptional design quality and comply with (b) above; g) Protect the amenity of neighbouring properties, including back gardens;
Urban greening
2. Living roofs and walls will be supported where they are appropriately designed, installed and maintained. Proposals should have regard to the latest industry good practice guidance to help ensure that green roofs and walls are designed to maximise environmental benefits and will function effectively over the lifetime of the development.
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8 Protection of Local Amenities and Neighbourhood Centres 8.1 There is a good variety of local amenities within the Parish, including shops and education facilities. Some of these are cluster together to provide a range of amenities. Where these occur, they have been designed as ‘Neighbourhood Centres’ in Policy 6.
8.2 Protection of local amenities through Policy 5, especially where they help to support the role of the area, is an important aim of this plan and will help to ensure the vitality and continued viability of both settlements in the future.
8.3 The loss of local amenities will be resisted and the Parish Council will continue to work with local businesses and service providers to make sure the community doesn’t lose its vital local amenities.
8.4 Where amenities are clustered together, they have been designated Neighbourhood Centres.
8.5 Local amenities and neighbourhood centres have been identified on Maps 3 and 4.
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Map 3: Local Amenities and Neighbourhood Centre in Auckley Village
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Map 4: Local Amenities and Neighbourhood Centres in Hayfield Green
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Policy 5: The Protection of Key Local Amenities 1. The local amenities, as identified on Maps 3 and 4, are designated local Amenities:
(1) St Saviours Church (2) Community Hall (3) Auckley Primary School (4) Methodist Chapel
(5) Eagle and Child Public House (6) Auckley Friary (7) Doctors Surgery (8) Hayfield Secondary School (9) Hayfield Primary School
2. Proposals to redevelop, or change the use of, an existing community facility to a non-community use shall only be supported where one of the following
conditions is met:
a) the facility is demonstrably no longer fit for purpose and the site is not viable to be redeveloped for a new community facility; or b) the service provided by the facility is met by alternative provision that exists
within reasonable proximity; what is deemed as reasonable proximity will depend on the nature of the facility and its associated catchment area; or c) the proposal includes the provision of a new community facility of a similar nature and of a similar or greater size in a suitable on or offsite location.
3. Proposals for a new community facility will only be supported if it located within the developed footprint of Auckley, Hayfield Green or directly linked to growth via Policy 1, unless there is a demonstrated need for such a
proposal and a more central site is not available elsewhere in the Parish.
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Policy 6: Neighbourhood Centres 1. The plan defines the following Neighbourhood Centres, as identified on Maps 3 and 4:
1a) Neighbourhood Centre 1: Ellers Lane, Auckley;
2a) Neighbourhood Centre 2: Hurst lane, Hayfield Green;
3a) Neighbourhood Centre 3: Hayfield Lane, Hayfield Green.
2. Proposed changes of use of premises within the neighbourhood centres, from E (business, commercial and service uses), class F (learning and non- residential uses) and class F2 (local community uses) use classes to residential use, will only be supported where:
a) It can be demonstrated that there is no need for the existing use in the neighbourhood centre; or
b) It can be demonstrated that the existing use is no longer economically viable and that appropriate marketing for its occupation by Use Classes E, F1 and F2 has been undertaken without an alternative commercial or acceptable use being identified.
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9 Design and Character 9.1 Future growth within Auckley and Hayfield Green will see the development of new buildings and spaces. Individually and collectively, these should improve and enrich the quality and image of the area through high quality design that is sensitive to the historic character and local distinctiveness.
9.2 On that basis, this policy promotes a design-led approach to ensure that design successfully responds to its local context, the distinctive features that shape local character and that positively contribute to area and the ways in which people use and experience them. Importantly, development should be designed to function effectively, both on its own and in relation to surrounding buildings and spaces.
9.3 Understanding site context and its wider neighbourhood setting - the historical, built and natural environment, and the existing and emerging urban character of the locality - is vital.
9.4 The identification of Auckley and Hayfield Green as separate built forms is a useful starting point; giving an indication where new development should focus on reinforcing the established urban form and fabric, as well as those areas that may be more receptive to gradual change or transformation. It also provides useful context for considering appropriate densities and scale.
9.5 Auckley is considered a more traditional South Yorkshire village with a linear historic core along Main Street which is characterised by larger more historic buildings that interspersed by old farmyards, trees and open spaces such as the Village Green. Development is focused to the north of Main Street with less dense and more traditional streets and buildings to the south of Main Street. These include Butts Bell Lane and Brooke Farm which are also dotted with mature trees and hedging.
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Moving away from Main Street, the development is clearly defined by its era. Developments around Norwood Avenue, Common Lane and Spey Drive provide a series of latter 20th Century (1970’s and 1980’s) housing types and design.
Parts of Eastfield Lane and The Hollows provide newer 1980’s, 1990’s and 21st Century architectural design.
Newer developments during the early 2000’s at Ivy House Court and River Way are smaller in scale and provide pockets of newer housing design within a more traditional form.
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Hayfield Green is also considered historic in terms of its military heritage, but is different in character and form due to it being a purpose built settlement that accompanied the former Finningley Airbase.
The regeneration of the area into a Regional air transport Hub, the settlement has progressively evolved and led to the settlement becoming more of an established village.
The majority of the housing type and design within the centre and towards the old airbase near Sycamore Drive and Hawthorne Road is reference to its military character with the old officers housing still present.
Along Hurst Lane between the Airport and The Hayfield School are more recent housing types and design. These are more urban in form and style with estate-like character.
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Design codes
9.6 Other relevant guidance, such as development briefs for key areas/sites, should also be used to demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the site context, and to clearly articulate how the development has been designed responsively and positively.
9.7 The density and scale need to be carefully considered to ensure capacity is responsive to place, and is sustainable; proximity to public transport and active travel links and availability of supporting infrastructure is essential.
9.8 Layout and design of buildings, the public realm and green infrastructure, can significantly impact on people’s ability to move with ease around the area and to live independent lives.
9.9 Taller buildings (those that project above the prevailing heights of buildings and structures by 1-2 storeys within a site’s immediate area) can optimise the use and capacity of land, particularly to deliver housing to meet local needs, but unless sensitively designed can contrast with local character. Proposals must, therefore, have a clear urban design rationale. Policy 7 requires exceptional design and architectural quality to make a positive contribution to local character and reflect their prominence in the streetscape and skyline.
9.10 Key buildings, such as Auckley Parish Church serve as local landmarks. Policy 7 recognises their value to the townscape, whilst also aiding movement and legibility by providing points of reference for those who live in the Parish.
9.11 An important part of townscape quality and local distinctiveness are local views that can be experienced when moving around the Parish. Policy 7 recognises that such views, including between the villages of Auckley and Hayfield Green and those across the countryside, help to define the form of the villages and shape people’s sense of place, particularly as many views provide corridors that lead to important landmarks. This warrants protection and positive management in the long term.
9.12 The comprehensive redevelopment of sites, in Hayfield Green provide a unique opportunity through layout, orientation and height of buildings to enhance existing views, or introduce new ones, to help reveal townscapes and landmarks.
9.13 In this urbanised setting, and where mixed use development exists or is planned, development should be designed in a way that does not adversely impact on the amenity of people in the area, or on the ability of different uses to continue operating. Where new development is proposed close to existing noise generating uses, such as pubs or employment uses, they must be designed to protect the new occupiers from noise and to ensure established businesses can operate in a viable way.
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Map 5 Proposed locations of Important Views
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Policy 7: Design Principles
1. All new development must be of a high-quality design that reflects the positive features that make up the character of the local area and both physically and visually enhances and compliments the local area. Proposals will only be supported where they are designed to meet the key design principles for delivering high quality development.
Development should, where appropriate:
Site characteristics
a) enhance any important historic or natural features, buildings and structures on site. Any retention should be appropriately incorporated into the design of the development, whilst not leading to these features being compromised by the construction of the scheme or by the future occupants of the site.
Local Character and settlement structure
b) respect the historic character of the local area in terms of the form, density, style, height, scale, orientation, plot sizes and position to existing buildings. Developments should not be designed as ‘standalone’ additions with no clear relationship to the existing settlement in terms of its character and connectivity.
Architectural quality and materials
c) respect its context and improve the quality of local architecture in terms of its sustainability, use of materials and durability. Developments should take inspiration from the positive local architectural features and materials in their designs and not simply produce a development with no reference to local architectural or material merit or distinctiveness. Proposals for new innovative buildings should reflect the highest standards in architecture, utilising modern construction methods and environmentally
sustainable materials whilst minimising its impact on the surrounding built and natural character of the area.
Important Views d) enhance the important views, as identified on Map 5 to ensure the local character and distinctiveness of is maintained.
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Landscaping e) provide a positive hard and natural landscaping scheme, including boundary treatments that complement the development and respect the surrounding context, particularly where a development site is adjoin surrounding countryside. Where trees or hedgerows are being used, they must be appropriate to the size of the site and consider their proximity to the new buildings. Surfacing must be appropriate for its intended use.
Private Amenity f) provide a decent standard of private amenity space, allowing adequate spaces for waste, recycling, parking, servicing and cycle storage. The amount of land that should be provided for amenity space will be
determined by the size of the development proposed and by the character of surrounding development. Amenity areas should not be compromised by shading from buildings or shading from trees, leaf litter of established significant trees and hedges that would lead to future pressure to prune or remove these landscape features.
Accessibility g) ensure that all people, including those with disabilities, can easily and comfortably move through and into it. Developments should prioritise safe, easy and direct pedestrian movement and the creation of a network of attractive, well-connected public spaces, cycle routes and walkways; establish both visual and functional relationships between different parts of a development and between the development and its wider setting. Climate resilience and renewable energy h) demonstrate that careful consideration has been given to minimising CO2 emissions and measures that will allow all new buildings in Auckley to adapt to climate change. Such measures include, but are not limited to: use of suitable construction materials; site layout and building orientation that makes best use of passive heating and cooling, natural light and natural ventilation; minimising water consumption and maximising water recycling; achieving the highest feasible level of energy efficiency; and maximising opportunities to integrate renewable and low carbon energy infrastructure
2. Where neighbouring or functionally linked sites come forward together, applicants will be expected to work together and with the Council to ensure that proposals are, or can be, properly integrated.
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Historic Environment
9.14 Several buildings and structures in the Plan Area have statutory protection through Scheduling or Listing at Grade I, II* or II. The Neighbourhood Plan lists them for reference, and to note that new development will be required to consider their settings as defined, on a case by case basis, by Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council and through Policy 8 of this plan.
Auckley Parish Church
9.15 National Planning policy requires development proposals to take account of the settings of heritage assets. Historic England reviews any Planning Applications likely to affect statutorily protected buildings and features (Listed Buildings, Scheduled Monuments), while non-designated heritage assets are recognised as significant by Historic England and the Local Planning Authorities and should be taken into account when Applications are considered.
Non-Designated Heritage Assets
9.16 Historic England (Advice Note 7, 2016) encourages Local Planning Authorities (and communities, through Neighbourhood Plans) to identify historic heritage features at the level beneath national significance (i.e. Listed Buildings and Scheduled Monuments).
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9.17 This Neighbourhood Plan identifies several buildings and structures in the built environment of Auckley that are of local significance for architectural, historical or social reasons. Their inclusion here in a Local Heritage List provides them with recognition in the Planning system as non-designated heritage assets. The details of this buildings and structures can be viewed in Appendix 3.
Important Frontages
9.18 In addition to local heritage assets, there are a number of traditional stone wall frontages still present around Auckley. These are most prominent along Main Street and around the Village Green. A long stretch of walling remains to the South of the B1396 at Brookes Farm.
9.19 It is important that these features are preserved to maintain local character. In addition, it is also important that these features inform newer developments so that the inclusion of stone walling as a boundary treatment in new development helps to enhance local character and the historic environment.
Important frontages – Stone walling around Auckley Village
Now and then – Stone walling has been a prominent boundary feature within Auckley
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Map 6: Non-designated Heritage Assets
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Map 7: Important Historic Frontages
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Policy 8: Non Designated Heritage Assets and Important Historic Frontages 1. Where development proposals affect designated, non-designated heritage assets and important historic frontages, as identified on Maps 6 and 7, Development should:
a) respect the historic fabric of the building/ structure or wider area;
b) conserve or enhance the heritage asset and their setting;
c) ensure that the size and scale of new and extended buildings relate
sympathetically to the surrounding area; and
d) use traditional and vernacular building materials which respect the context of the development concerned.
2. Development that would have a detrimental impact on, or result in the loss of non-designated heritage assets or important frontages, will not be supported, unless it can be demonstrated that the harm or loss is necessary to achieve substantial public benefits that outweigh that harm or loss, as appropriate to the significance of the asset or frontage.
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10 The Environment 10.1 The social definition of health as physical, mental and social well-being directly corresponds to the concept of sustainable communities synonymous with spatial planning. Even without formal public health training, planners increasingly recognise the public health impacts of development. These impacts contribute to environmental issues such as climate change and biodiversity. There are strong synergies between the measures used to mitigate and adapt to climate change and those associated with addressing health issues. The common themes focus upon:
Promoting walking and cycling to reduce car use and carbon emissions; and
Providing parks and open spaces that provide a “green lung” for towns and cities, whilst providing a safe and quality space for leisure and exercise.
10.2 Poorly designed neighbourhoods can have a negative impact on the health of those who live in them. It is important that housing, streetscape design and the connectivity to other areas are considered as part of a new development.
10.3 Mixed communities with a range of housing types and tenures, well-designed open walkways, cycle routes and streets are most likely to reduce health inequalities and can help to avoid segregation within a community. Areas with nearby parks and green space help to support opportunities for physical activity. Such areas are particularly helpful to children and older people by reducing the risk of social isolation. The good design of these spaces encourages greater community ownership of the environment and reduces negative effects such as vandalism and the under-use of local facilities.
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Local Green Spaces
10.4 The NPPF indicates that local communities can, through local and neighbourhood plans, identify for special protection green areas of special importance. By designating land as Local Green Space, local communities will be able to rule out new development other than in very special circumstances. Identifying land as Local Green Space should, therefore, be consistent with the local planning of sustainable development and complement investment in sufficient homes, jobs and other essential services.
10.5 The NPPF (paragraph 100) sets out the criteria for sites to be designated as Local Green Space. The Local Green Space designation should only be used where the green space is:
in reasonable proximity to the community it serves; demonstrably special to a local community and holds a particular local significance, for example because of its beauty, historic significance, recreational value (including as a playing field), tranquillity or richness of its wildlife; and local in character and is not an extensive tract of land.
10.6 The proposed designated green spaces are shown on Map 7 and 8 and the supporting evidence is in Appendix 2.
10.7 The designation of these areas as Local Green Spaces in planning terms would provide an element of surety about their protection over the Plan period and would also focus local energies on securing grants to undertake environmental improvements in line with the community’s support going forward. Given the concern about proposed development elsewhere within the Plan area this policy safeguards locally highly valued assets and ensures that local people will see an improvement in these cherished open spaces over time as funding becomes available.
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Map 8: Local Green Spaces in Auckley
LGS19
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Map 9: Local Green Spaces in Hayfield Green
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Policy 9: Local Green Spaces
1. The sites, as shown on Maps 8 and 9, are designated as Local Green Spaces:
a) LGS1: The Copse (rear of The Hollows) b) LGS2: Riverside Park c) LGS3: Norwood Avenue
d) LGS4: Allotments to the rear of Grassmoor Close e) LGS5: Spey Drive Play Area f) LGS6: The Green g) LGS7: Church Close Green h) LGS8: Open Field (rear of Birch Avenue) i) LGS9: Grass Verges at Willow Crescent j) LGS10: Grass Verges at Oak Tree Avenue k) LGS11: Green between Hazel Avenue and Sycamore Close
l) LGS12: Green between Hawthorne and Holly Road m) LGS13: Green Apple Grove and Lime Avenue n) LGS14: Grass Verge at Hayfield Lane o) LGS15: Grass Verge at Spruce Crescent p) LGS16: Green between Laurel Square and Larch Avenue
q) LGS17: Grass Verge at Hayfield Lane r) LGS18: Grass Verge at Fir Tree Avenue s) LGS19: Grassed area, Sandhill Rise
2. Development on these sites will not be supported other than in very special circumstances.
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Biodiversity and Nature Conservation
10.8 The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) protects the seasonal and permanent standing water bodies and historical drains and ditches in that they provide flood mitigation, improve biodiversity and minimise greenhouse gas emissions through their role as carbon stores. Furthermore, the Local Plan serves to preserve and enhance areas of diverse ecology and requires robust ecological and land contamination surveys (remediation at cost to the developer) stipulates that net gain for biodiversity should be achieved.
10.9 Auckley contains numerous sites of nature importance ranging from woodland, watercourses and open countryside and all host important and protected species.
10.10 Protection of habitats and species in the Planning system is an obligation under European directives (e.g. Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora) and the English legislation derived from them (e.g. Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 with later amendments). The NPPF also recognises and emphases the need to protect and enhance valued landscapes, sites of biodiversity or geological value.
10.11 There are several other existing environmental designations within the Parish, these include: a) those where priority habitats occur and are identified by Natural England; and b) Local Wildlife Sites (LWS) as designated by DMBC. River Torne is seen as the
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most significant environmental assets to the Parish and is designated a Local Wildlife Site.
10.12 Local Wildlife Sites are the foundation of nature conservation. Not only are they important sites within their own right, but they also create a vital network of rich wildlife sites reaching across boundaries.
10.13 Further information on the local environment can be found in the Auckley Ecology Background Evidence Document in Appendix 2.
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Policy 10: Biodiversity and Nature Conservation
1. Development proposals should promote preservation, restoration and recreation of priority habitats, ecological networks and the protection and recovery of priority species populations where practicable. This could include, for instance, the incorporation of roosting opportunities for bats or the installation of bird nest boxes and swift boxes as part of any new development proposal.
2. Development proposals that cannot avoid (through locating an alternative site with less harmful impacts), adequately mitigate, or, as a last resort, compensate for the loss of a locally or nationally identified site of biodiversity value will not be supported.
3. Development should conserve the character and integrity of the River Torne and its important habitats. Development should provide, at least, a 30 metre buffer between it and the River.
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Important Landscape – Settlement Breaks
10.14 This Plan designates a Settlement Break to preserve the green separations between neighbouring settlements. These include:
10.15 Beyond the villages, much of the designated Plan area is open countryside. This aspect of siting within the landscape is a key component of both the character of the villages and of the quality of life that the residents enjoy. A key concern of the community is the coalescence of existing settlements of Hayfield Green, Blaxton and Auckley village, the subsequent loss of green space, biodiversity, woodlands and the damage this might do to the identity of what are currently two distinct settlements.
10.16 This section examines the area of separation that acts to provide a valuable amenity for residents, that connect the villages to green spaces and features in the wider area, and which help preserve the villages as a distinct place with their own character. These green connections are important wildlife corridors and provide space for biodiversity and ecology to thrive.
10.17 The role of the settlement break in supporting the character to the entrance of Auckley is set out below, and risks to the essential role of these spaces are identified to suggest ways in which these essential green spaces can be protected from erosion over time.
Land between Auckley and Hayfield Green
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Hedge line of green space between Auckley and Hayfield Green (Hust Lane)
10.18 For settlements to maintain a distinctive character, it is important to avoid coalescence, especially if the built environment is distinct between places. The southern fringe of Auckley is distinct from the built environment of Hayfield Green, with less dense development of detached and semi-detached dwellings fronting the street.
10.19 Hayfield Green is very different, with a more urbanised feel, including a recently completed education campus. The separation between the settlements helps to manage this transition in character, so that as you pass through the area you get the feeling of moving between distinct places.
10.20 This settlement break also helps in bringing the role of the underlying landform in influencing settlement formation to the fore, as here there is a distinct local depression that reveals the spatial logic of how the settlements came to be formed in the first place. Within this area is a railway line which also acts as a physical divide, but this is a man-made structure and adds little to the existing green character of the area.
10.21 The integrity and character of this area should be preserved as it is an important part of the user experience of visiting the area, helping to keep Hayfield Green and Auckley village two distinct settlements.
10.22 The area of land within the settlement break between Auckley and Blaxton is to the south of the B1396 where there is development associated with Walkers Garden Centre. This development has expanded in the past and has also significantly changed the character from agricultural to a more managed and less rural character.
10.23 The area to the North of the B1396 is considered less vulnerable to development as there is little to no development. In addition, there is a strong and mature woodland buffer between the open countryside and development in Auckley along Eastfield Lane and The Hollows and therefore remains outside the settlement break.
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Land between Auckley and Hayfield Green
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Land between Blaxton and Auckley
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Map 10: Proposed Settlement Break
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Policy 11: Settlement Break 1. The Plan designates a Settlement Break, as identified on Map 10. The Settlement Break will be safeguarded from built development which would detract from the separation of the three settlements. Insofar as planning permission is required development in the Settlement Break which is essential for agricultural or forestry purposes will be supported where it safeguards the separation and integrity of the settlements.
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11 Monitoring and Review 11.1 The policies in this Plan will be implemented by DMBC as part of their development management process. Where applicable the Parish Council will also be actively involved. Whilst DMBC will be responsible for development management, the Parish Council will use the Neighbourhood Plan to frame its representations on submitted planning applications.
11.2 In line with the Neighbourhood Planning Act 2017, The Neighbourhood Plan will be reviewed within 5 years following the making of the Neighbourhood Plan by DMBC.
11.3 The impact of the Neighbourhood Plan policies on influencing the shape and direction of development across the Plan area will be monitored by the Parish Council. If it is apparent that any policy in this Plan has unintended consequences or is ineffective it will be reviewed.
11.4 Any amendments to the Plan will only be ‘’made’’ following consultation with DMBC, local residents and other statutory stakeholders as required by legislation
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12 Appendix 1: Proposed Development Limits Maps for Hayfield Green and Auckley
Hayfield Green
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Auckley
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13 Appendix 2: Evidence Base Documents 1. Ecology and Biodiversity Report (See separate document) 2. Housing Needs Assessment (See separate document) 3. Local Green Space Assessment (See separate document)
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14 Appendix 3: Non-Designated Heritage Asset Justification
Name of Building Historic Merit Contribution to Local Photograph Character Baxter Farm Baxter Farm - around the Fortunately, the main farm time of the 1778 Auckley building remain, retaining map this property was its largely original occupied by Auckley appearance farmer Thomas Gough along with the immediate land around them. Baxter Farm went to the ownership of Richard Baxter and family in the 1830’s, so hence the name. Subsequent development of these traditional brick and pantile roofed farms lead to a number of ‘new’ outbuildings including barns and cart sheds.
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Little Manor House Dating back to the early Though the building has 1700, the Georgian Manor some alterations including House occupies a the addition of a prominent position conservatory to the rear, overlooking the village the building still retains its green. It maintains many character and is a of its original features both prominent building within internally and externally the village including the original water well in the rear garden
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Name of Building Historic Merit Contribution to Local Photograph Character Eagle and Child An inn has stood on this The building remains the site since 1492, the hub of the village and is present property having very little altered externally, stood here since 1820. though the windows have been replaces with upvc double glazed units
Methodist Chapel Built in 1832 as a weslyan Little changed since its chapel and located by the building except for painting village green the chapel and installation of an as been used as a place illuminated cross. It is still of worship since its used as a place of worship, opening in 1832. holding weekly services. It is now known as the Methodist Chapel.
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Name of Building Historic Merit Contribution to Local Photograph Character IVY HOUSE FARM Around Fortunately, the main Ivy House the time of the 1778 Auckley farm building remain, map this property was retaining its largely occupied by Auckley farmer original appearance Thomas Tuke , along with the immediate land around them. . Subsequent development of these traditional brick and pantile roofed farms lead to a number of ‘new’ outbuildings including barns and cart sheds. By the early 1990’s much of these properties were dismantled and destroyed to make way for new housing (Ivy House Court).
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Auckley Pre School The school was built in 1875 There is much more on land provided by Mr history available on the Childers of Cantley Hall to a school in various cost to the Board of sources but the building conveyancing costs only, remains virtually though the cost of building unchanged externally. was £1608 2s 6d on It is still used as a completion in 1876. The nursery and preschool school opened on 9 October 1876, the foundation stone listed names of all the board members though this is now almost completely eroded. It remained a board school until 1904 when it came under the LEA of West Riding County Council. An extension of a further classroom was done in 1939 and the school remained in use until 1973 when a new school was built on the site of the old schoolhouse and the old school became a nursery.
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Name of Building Historic Merit Contribution to Local Photograph Character 21 Ellers Lane This is rumoured to be the The building still oldest house in Auckley, Its maintains its elongated elongated shape used to shape and maintains house a cobblers business many of the original and provided an enclosing features and maintains wall for the fold of no the rural nature of the 21.ELLERS LANE The village. Despite internal property retains its overall changes the overall size and position on both the appearance in brick, 1778 and 1891 maps pantile and rendering indicating has kept the traditional appearance.
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Name of Building Historic Merit Contribution to Local Photograph Character 19 Ellers Lane Date stone on the barn The barn has been Barn and House records a date of 1771, sympathetically restored, with the area in front of with new windows and the house was held doors. The house also domestic animals. This restored but still in was one of many tenant keeping and maintains the farm smallholdings in rural nature of the village. Auckley
This property retains its overall size and position on both the 1778 and 1891 maps despite internal changes their overall appearance in brick, pantile and rendering they have that traditional appearance
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Name of Building Historic Merit Contribution to Local Photograph Character Cottages Main Street COTTAGES No 69 and The buildings are now 71 MAIN STREET Now partly rendered externally though partly rendered they retain much of their buildings they still display original appearance traditional pantile roofing though the windows have and appearance of early been replaced with Upvc 19th century properties. Both properties form part of the 1891 OS Map of Auckley
Stone Gate Posts Stone gateposts, circa Though these gateposts Mosham Road 1800, were entrances to are no longer hung with farmyards and enclosed gates and look neglected, fields they should be protected as they are no longer a normal site in the countryside and these posts maintain the rural feel of the village.
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Name of Building Historic Merit Contribution to Local Photograph Character Main Street Plaque for Plaque commemorates Remembrance sited on those lost in the conflicts original stone walls circa of the wars and is the only 1800. memorial in the village serving this purpose as should be preserved as the village War Memorial.
Carriage shed Main Built pre 1900 and used The building has been Street to store small carriage mainly unaltered except for being re roofed and some gutter replacement. The building fronts onto the main street through the village and demonstrates the rural nature of the village.
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Name of Building Historic Merit Contribution to Local Photograph Character Brookes Farm Barn Main the majestic looking Very little alterations Street barn, cart and stable made to the barn, building that still stands retaining thee rural feel to largely complete. It is the village also mentioned on the 1849 map for Auckley.
Pinfold Cottages PINFOLD COTTAGES They retain the traditional There where two outer appearance of properties in the area of properties of the time the Pinfold at the end of despite some extension the 18th century and the and modernisation current restored and extended buildings are identified on the 1891 OS Map. One of the properties carries a story of a now concealed well. This may have some significance as regards the adjacent pinfold.
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Name of Building Historic Merit Contribution to Local Photograph Character Old Post House THE OLD POST HOUSE The buildings are now No 67 MAIN STREET partly rendered externally Now though partly it retains its original rendered buildings they appearance though still display traditional partially hidden by new pantile roofing and modern fencing. appearance of early 19th century properties. Around 1818, the Post House was run by widow Isaac Rawson who lived there with his six children and his father John, a wheelright, which may explain the purpose of the re-roofed shed or one of those attached. Letters arrived at 7.45am and were dispatched at 4.20 pm to the Doncaster. The property forms part of the 1891 OS Map of Auckley.
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Name of Building Historic Merit Contribution to Local Photograph Character The Pinfold Nearly every village once had Little remains of the actual its pound for stray cattle, pigs, Pinfold though the memorial geese, etc. to be driven into plaque is placed on of the and there kept at the expense original walls of the Pinfold, of the owner, till such time as there is unfortunately no he should pay the fine (the current photo of the pinfold amount claimed by the person except of the part appearing on whose land they had earlier in this document strayed, for damage done), showing the memorial and the fee to the pound plaque, keeper, man or sometimes woman, for feeding and watering the same. If not claimed in three weeks, the animals were driven to the nearest market and sold, the proceeds going to the impounder and pound-keeper. An ingenious form of receipt was sometimes used. The person who found the animals on his land cut a stick and made notches, one for every beast, and then split the stick down the centre of the notches so that half each notch appeared on each stick; one half he kept, the other he gave to the pound-keeper. When the owner came to redeem his
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Name of Building Historic Merit Contribution to Local Photograph Character property and had paid for the damage done, the impounder gave him his half stick. He took this to the pound-keeper, and if the two pieces tallied, it proved he had paid and his beast was freed. Hence the word ‘tally-stick’ and the ‘pound-keeper’ being referred to as the tallyman
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Auckley Housing Needs Assessment (HNA)
MARCH 2019
AECOM
2 Quality information
Prepared by Checked by Approved by
Chris White, Senior Environment Ivan Tennant, Principal Planner Ivan Tennant, Principal Planner Consultant Paul Avery, Housing Research Consultant
Revision History
Revision Revision date Details Authorized Name Position
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3
Prepared for:
Auckley Parish Council
Prepared by:
AECOM Aldgate Tower 2 Leman Street London E1 8FA aecom.com
© 2018 AECOM. All Rights Reserved.
This document has been prepared by AECOM Limited (“AECOM”) in accordance with its contract with Locality (the “Client”) and in accordance with generally accepted consultancy principles, the budget for fees and the terms of reference agreed between AECOM and the Client. Any information provided by third parties and referred to herein has not been checked or
AECOM
4 verified by AECOM, unless otherwise expressly stated in the document. AECOM shall have no liability to any third party that makes use of or relies upon this document.
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5 Table of Contents
1. Executive Summary...... 8 Tenure 8 Type and size ...... 9 2. Context ...... 10 2.1 Local context ...... 10 2.2 Planning policy context ...... 11 2.2.1 Policies in the emerging Local Plan (2015-2032) ...... 11 3. Approach ...... 13 3.1 Research Questions ...... 13 3.1.1 Quantity...... 13 3.1.2 Tenure...... 13 3.1.3 Type and size ...... 13 3.1.4 Specialist housing ...... 13 3.2 Relevant Data ...... 14 3.2.1 Local Authority evidence base...... 14 3.2.2 Other relevant data ...... 14 4. RQ 1. Quantity ...... 15 4.1 Introduction ...... 15 4.2 Standard method ...... 16 4.3 Latest LPA planning strategy ...... 16 4.4 Past dwelling completions ...... 17 5. RQ 2. Tenure ...... 18 5.1 Definitions ...... 18 5.2 Current tenure profile ...... 18 5.3 Affordability ...... 19 5.4 Affordability Thresholds ...... 21 6. RQ 3. Type and size ...... 22 6.1 Existing types and sizes ...... 22 6.2 Household composition and age structure ...... 23 6.2.1 Age structure ...... 23 6.2.2 Household composition ...... 24 6.1 Dwelling mix determined by life-stage modelling ...... 25 7. RQ 4. Specialist Housing ...... 30 7.1 Newly forming households ...... 30 7.2 Elderly residents ...... 32 7.2.1 Tenure-led projections ...... 32 7.2.2 HLIN recommended provision ...... 35 7.2.3 Conclusions ...... 36 8. Conclusions ...... 37 8.1 Overview ...... 37 8.2 Recommendations for next steps ...... 40 Appendix A : Calculation of Affordability Thresholds ...... 41 A.1 Market housing ...... 41 i) Market sales ...... 41 ii) Private Rented Sector (PRS) ...... 41 A.2 Affordable Housing ...... 42 i) Social Rent ...... 42 ii) Affordable Rent ...... 43 iii) Intermediate Tenures...... 43
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6 Appendix B : Housing Needs Assessment Glossary ...... 45 Appendix C : Comments ...... 52
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List of acronyms used in the text:
AH Affordable Housing (NPPF definition)
AMH Affordable Market Housing
APC Auckley Parish Council
DC Doncaster Council
HNA Housing Needs Assessment
HRF Housing Requirement Figure
HRP Household Reference Person
LHN Local Housing Need
LPA Local Planning Authority
LQAR Lower Quartile Affordability Ratio
MAR Median Affordability Ratio
MHCLG Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (formerly DCLG)
NA Neighbourhood Plan Area
NDP Neighbourhood Development Plan
NP Neighbourhood Plan
NPPF National Planning Policy Framework
ONS Office for National Statistics
PPG Planning Practice Guidance
PRS Private Rented Sector
RQ Research Question
SHMA Strategic Housing Market Assessment
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1. Executive Summary
Introduction 1. This report provides Auckley Parish Council (APC) with information about the amount and mix of housing they should plan for going forward. The information provided can be used to inform debate within the group, local understanding of the needs and the justification for any site allocation and site mix policies within the neighbourhood plan.
2. The approach taken here recognises that the Neighbourhood Plans will need to meet the statutory ‘basic conditions’, the fulfilment of which is tested through an independent examination. One of these, Basic Condition E, requires the Neighbourhood Plan to be in ‘general conformity with the strategic policies’ of the Local Plan. 3. The National Planning Policy Framework indicates that the level of housing development is a strategic policy.1 As such, this formal Housing Need Assessment (HNA) investigates specific local needs that are relevant to the neighbourhood whilst supporting the strategic development needs set out in the current Local Plan. This means a Neighbourhood Plan can propose more housing where there is demonstrable need, but not less than the Local Plan. 4. In terms of the types of housing needed, there is generally more flexibility on what Neighbourhood Plan can cover. In order to understand the types of housing needed in the Neighbourhood Area (NA), we have gathered a wide range of local evidence and distilled this into policy recommendations designed to inform decisions on housing characteristics. 5. The information is produced using reputable sources of the most recent data available and tested ways of analyzing such data. 6. At a neighbourhood planning level, one important consideration is determining the extent to which the neighbourhood diverges from the local authority average, reflecting the fact that a single town, village, or neighbourhood almost never constitutes a housing market area on its own and must therefore be assessed in its wider context. 7. Our brief was to advise on data at this more local level to help APC understand the tenure, type, and size of housing needed to inform Neighbourhood Plan policies including allocations. The analysis also responds to important background information given to the researchers by the APC which resulted in a number of agreed research questions: RQ1: What quantity of housing in the Neighbourhood Plan Area (NA) is appropriate over the Plan period? Q2: What Affordable Housing (Social Rented, Affordable Rented, and affordable routes to home ownership) and market tenures should be included in the housing mix? RQ3: What type (terrace, semi, bungalows, flats, and detached) and size (number of habitable rooms) of housing is appropriate? RQ4: What provision should be made for: i. Newly forming households ii. Older people seeking to down-size iii. Elderly people no longer able to remain in their own home. Headlines
8. On account of the need to deduct completed dwellings from the start of the Plan period, Auckley Parish’s Housing Requirement Figure (HRF) is 0 dwellings.
Tenure
9. Based on CACI Paycheck data compared with price paid data from the Land Registry, an estimated Median and Lower Quartile Affordability Ratio for Auckley is 4.7 and 6.15 in 2017 respectively. This suggests a significant concern regarding affordability at the lower end of the income scale. 10. The affordability threshold calculations indicate that for those households earning around the median or less, the majority of tenures are not accessible. For these households, only Social Rent dwellings would be within their reach. 11. Having said this, property in Auckley is relatively inexpensive compared with elsewhere in the England. For this
1 NPPF para 20
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reason a wide range of tenures are affordable to households earning around £30,000. To afford entry-level market sale dwellings an income of around £38,600 is however required.
Type and size
12. Terraced homes have seen the greatest increase in prices over the period 2008 -2017 (38.9%) and semi-detached homes have also increased significantly (29.0%). This suggests strong demand for family housing, reinforcing the impression the area is attractive to these households. By contrast the prices of flats decreased by 25.0% over the period. Overall, this suggests a strong demand for terraced and semi-detached homes, as well as to a lesser extent detached homes in the NA. 13. The housing stock in Auckley is characterised by large properties with the majority of dwellings having more than five rooms. The share of very large dwellings (more than 8 rooms) is higher in Auckley than at the District level (18.7% compared to 9.5%). 14. Only 19% of the stock in Auckley consists of dwellings with one to four rooms, with one to three bedrooms making up only 2.2% of the stock compared to 8.0% at a District level. This points firmly to the existence of a preponderance of larger dwellings in the NA.
15. This scenario is compounded by 2001 Census findings that suggest that the number of very large properties increased in the NA, and there was a significant drop in two-room dwellings. 16. There are a lower proportion of terraced homes in the NA than in the District (14.7% v 23.7%), and roughly half the proportion of all dwellings are flats in the NA compared with the District. This points reflect the more rural character of the NA. Demographic change 17. The NA has a smaller proportion of people in the age bands 65-84 and 85 and over, and a greater proportion in 0-15 compared with the District and England. This points to the area being popular with families.
18. The Census shows that since 2001 the proportion of the population aged over 85 has increased by 71.4% in Auckley, compared to 37.6% in the District, while the population aged 16-24 has increased by 43.1% compared with 18.8% in the District. 19. ONS projections over the Plan period to 2032 suggest there will be significant increases the proportion of the population in older age band. This compares to a decline in age groups 0-9, 24-34, and 50-59. This suggests that smaller dwellings, and those suited to the needs of the elderly should be treated as a priority. 20. Household composition in Auckley differs from the District in that there are around 10% fewer one person households and 10.9% more families with dependent children.
21. The number of single person households increased by 39.4% during the inter-censual period, which is 29.2% above the District. Of this, there was an increase in singe person households aged 65 and over of 32.1% in Auckley compared to a decrease of 8.6% at the District level. It is also notable that family households with no children increased in by 23.9%, as against 7.3% in the District. 22. This HNA produces an overall requirement for 70 specialist dwellings for the elderly should exist in the NA come the end of the Plan period. This target may be met from current supply and new development over the period. 23. Following our life-stage modelling, by 2032, the distribution of dwellings should be weighted more towards the smaller end of the size spectrum, with a particular focus on entry-level and family dwellings of one, two, and three bedrooms.
24. To avoid misalignment between supply and demand and to re-equilibrate the stock over the plan period, we recommend that 11% of houses in new developments be one-bedroom homes, 36% two-bedroom, and 53% three- bedroom. Most of the communities need will be for two and three-bedroom homes and there will be no need to build further large properties with four or five more bedrooms.
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2. Context
2.1 Local context
25. Auckley is a civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster, in South Yorkshire. The parish includes the villages of Auckley and Hayfield Green. 26. Auckley is located approximately six miles from central Doncaster and as such benefits from the larger town’s transport connections, including its airport, mainline railway station, and road links to the M18 and A1(M). 27. Despite its location, the parish is largely rural in character. It is surrounded by agricultural land, and the northwest edge of the parish boundary runs along the River Tome. The Parish has a range of community amenities, including a Parish Centre, multiple schools, places of worship, and a pub. The majority of residents commute to employment opportunities in Doncaster as well as Sheffield and other nearby cities. 28. Auckley’s population at the time of the 2011 Census was 3,745. 29. Doncaster Council (DC) designated Auckley Parish as a Neighbourhood Plan Area (NA) in June 2018. The boundary of the Parish and NA is shown in Figure 2-1 below. Figure 2-1: Auckley Parish Neighbourhood Plan Area
Source: Auckley Neighbourhood Plan Area Designation Application
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2.2 Planning policy context
30. In line with the basic conditions2 of Neighbourhood Planning, Neighbourhood Development Plans (NDPs) are required to be in general conformity with adopted strategic local policies. Consequently, there is a requirement for the relevant Local Plan documents to be reviewed as part of this Housing Needs Assessment (HNA). 31. DC is in the process of producing a new Local Plan to replace the 1998 Unitary Development Plan and 2012 Core Strategy. A Housing Strategy covering the period 2015-2025 has been published more recently than the Core Strategy, but it sets out objectives rather than policies and sits below the Core Strategy in terms of its statutory importance. 32. The emerging Local Plan covers the period 2015-2032 and the most recent published version is, at the time of writing, undergoing consideration by DC following a consultation period. It is scheduled for adoption in Winter 2019. 33. Due to the advanced stage of the Plan’s development, planning officers would be expected to accord it material weight when assessing planning applications. Additionally, the Auckley Neighbourhood Plan is intended to mirror the emerging Local Plan, and this policy review will therefore focus on the emerging Local Plan, with reference to how key policies depart from those of the adopted Core Strategy, where relevant.
34. The emerging Local Plan is informed by an HNA for the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster, published in August 2015 and then updated in March 2016, and a more recent but smaller in scope Economic Forecasts and Housing Needs Assessment published in June 2018. A Settlement Profiles document and Settlement Background Paper are also part of the emerging Local Plan evidence base in support of the settlement hierarchy it lays out. 35. The evidence base for the Auckley Neighbourhood Plan will also include an online survey, which was completed in Spring 2018 and has since been published. It includes quantified responses to questions about the type and tenure of additional housing, and the scale of new developments, favoured by the community.
2.2.1 Policies in the emerging Local Plan (2015-2032)
36. The following policies are relevant to this HNA: 37. Policy 2: Spatial Strategy and Settlement Hierarchy – outlines how sustainable development is to be apportioned throughout the Borough in a way that is appropriate to the size of individual settlements. 38. At least 50% of new homes will go to the ‘Main Urban Area’, around 40% to the ‘Main Towns’, and 10% to the ‘Service Towns and Larger Villages’. ‘Defined Villages’, ‘Green Belt’ settlements, and ‘Countryside’ are lower down on the settlement hierarchy and permit only limited development. 39. Auckley and Hayfield Green are classified together in the ‘Service Towns and Larger Villages’ category, in which nine other areas are included. These settlements are to accommodate an appropriate level of growth with priority given to renewing and regenerating run-down neighbourhoods. 40. It is worth noting that Policy CS2: Growth and Regeneration from the adopted Core Strategy classifies Auckley as a ‘Larger Defined Village’ where only quality infill will be permitted. The emerging Local Plan therefore represents a step change in the District’s development ambitions for Auckley. 41. Policy 3: Level and Distribution of Growth – requires at least 920 net additional dwellings across the Borough each year over the Plan period 2015-2032, totaling 15,640 homes. 42. The policy then breaks down that figure among the various settlements classified within the settlement hierarchy set out in Policy 2. Auckley and Hayfield Green are together allocated 125 net additional homes over the Plan period. 43. In Policy CS10: Housing Requirement, Land Supply and Phasing, the Adopted Core Strategy puts forward an annual target of 1,230 homes for the 2011-2028 period, totaling 20,910 over the Plan period. No specific allocation for Auckley Parish is given. 44. Policy 6: Housing Allocations – identifies sites with and without planning permission that will help to deliver the housing requirement. These are listed in separate documents and include none within Auckley Parish. 45. Policy 8: Delivering the Necessary Range of Housing – requires new housing developments to deliver a mix of size, type, price, and tenure to address local needs and market demand as identified in the latest evidence, such as
2 See Glossary
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an HNA. 46. Sites of 15 or more homes in high value market areas are expected to include 25% Affordable Housing (AH) on site. They are expected to provide 15% AH elsewhere in the borough. Sites of fewer than 15 homes are not required to provide AH but this is encouraged where possible. This policy builds upon Policy CS12: Housing Mix and Affordable Housing in the Core Strategy, which only specifies that such sites will normally include onsite AH provision with their type and tenure split reflecting the latest evidence. The Core Strategy also permits 100% AH exception sites where need is identified in a ‘Defined Village’, and it is assumed that this criterion will no longer apply when the new Local Plan is adopted. 47. New development is encouraged to support the adaptation of existing housing stock to enable people to remain living independently and to include the provision of adaptable and accessible homes that are suitable for people with a wide range of needs, particularly elderly people. 48. Policy 46: Housing Design Standards – requires 30% of all new homes on housing developments of 10 or more units to be built to building regulations standards for adaptability and accessibility in order to support the needs of the elderly and disabled population.
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3. Approach
3.1 Research Questions
49. Below we set out the RQs relevant to this study, as discussed and agreed with APC. 50. Research Questions, abbreviated to ‘RQ;’ are arrived at the start of the project through discussion with the parish. They serve to direct our research and provide the structure for the HNA.
3.1.1 Quantity
51. Documents provided to us by APC state the following, “the emerging Doncaster Local Plan, and its supporting evidence base, has identified Auckley-Hayfield Green as one of 10 Service Towns/Villages in the borough, The Homes and Settlements consultation (March 2016) proposed a housing allocation of 105 new homes over the plan period to 2032. The latest, and most up-to-date, evidence base now proposes a slightly higher target for Auckley- Kayfield Green of 125 homes during this same time-frame”. For the avoidance of doubt the geography of Auckley- Hayfield Green is the same as that of the NA. 52. This allocation of 125 dwellings is in agreement with “Policy 3: Level and Distribution of Growth (Strategic Policy)” set out in the emerging Local Plan’s evidence base; this draft policy allocates 10% of the borough’s total housing need to service towns and larger villages (of which Auckley & Hayfield Green is one). 53. Finally, the target of 125 dwellings for Auckley-Hayfield Green has been re-asserted in an email received by AECOM from DC, which reads as follows, “we have a target of 125 dwellings over the plan period and we believe that given the level of existing commitments etc. this can be met, although we were proposing to allocate a further site”. 54. Nevertheless, APC wish the HNA to re-visit the quantity of housing needed in the NA over the Plan period.
RQ1: What quantity of housing in the Neighbourhood Plan Area (NA) is appropriate over the Plan period?
3.1.2 Tenure
55. While APC are at an early stage in the development of policy, the affordability of housing is a live topic. There is a perception of there being relatively little social housing and that households on lower incomes struggle to get access suitable housing. RQ2: What Affordable Housing (Social Rented, Affordable Rented, and affordable routes to home ownership) and market tenures should be included in the housing mix?
3.1.3 Type and size
56. There is a perception that the current stock of housing tends towards larger dwellings, and there is therefore a mis- alignment between the supply of dwellings and the demand. The HNA should therefore consider what type and size of dwellings should be supported over the Plan period to address this issue. RQ3: What type (terrace, semi, bungalows, flats, and detached) and size (number of habitable rooms) of housing is appropriate?
3.1.4 Specialist housing
57. Given the perception of a lack of affordable market properties, APC has identified a particular need for housing suited to newly forming households. In addition, there is a perception of a shortage of dwellings suited to those wishing to down-size from a family house to a smaller dwelling as well as institutional housing for the elderly. RQ4: What provision should be made for: i. Newly forming households ii. Older people seeking to down-size iii. Elderly people no longer able to remain in their own home.
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3.2 Relevant Data
3.2.1 Local Authority evidence base
58. Planning Practice Guidance (PPG) states that those bringing forward a Neighbourhood Plan (NP) can refer to existing needs assessment prepared by the Local Planning authority as a starting point. As Auckley Neighbourhood Area is located within the Doncaster District Council (DDC), we therefore turned to the relevant Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA).
59. For the purpose of this HNA, data from DDC’s own evidence base to support their housing policies has been considered applicable to it unless it conflicts with locally specific material. The Housing Market Evidence draws upon a range of data including population and demographic projections, housing market transactions, and employment scenarios. As such, it contains a number of points of relevance when determining housing need within the NA. 60. This provides a strong starting point for policy development that aims to build on and add local specificity to those of the Local Planning Authority (LPA) by enabling a comparison to be made with parish-level data (gathered as part of the preparation for this study), given that such an exercise reveals contrasts as well as similarities.
3.2.2 Other relevant data
61. In addition to the DDC evidence base, we have gathered a range of other data sources to ensure our study is robust for the purposes of developing policy at the NP level and is locally specific. These include Census data providing data into demographic shifts. 62. Further, to assess the housing in the NA, data from the Land Registry was analysed. This data provides prices paid, housing types, and date of transaction information, which allows housing market trends to be identified. 63. The material was collected for the postcodes that are contained within the NA boundary to create a database including all housing transactions registered with the Land Registry between 1 January 2008 and 31 December 2017. A similar exercise was carried out for the whole postcode areas and for the whole of Doncaster. These datasets were used to inform our response to RQ1 and RQ2. 64. Market rental data was collected from a range of sources including www.home.co.uk.
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4. RQ 1. Quantity
RQ1: What quantity of housing in the Neighbourhood Plan Area (NA) is appropriate over the Plan period?
4.1 Introduction
65. As noted in the Policy Context section, the emerging Local Plan supplies a housing target of 125 dwellings for Auckley Parish over the Plan period. However, the current version of the emerging Local Plan was published in September 2018 and DC have advised that it will not be revised again until the Summer of 2019. In the meantime, updates to PPG introduced changes to the Standard Method of calculating housing need with which Local Authorities whose Local Plans will be adopted in future must comply. We have therefore produced an alternative Housing Requirement Figure (HRF) for Auckley that employs the most recent guidance. 66. It must be recognised, however, that when DC come to adopt their new Local Plan, the target it allocates to Auckley may supersede the figure derived here, and the Neighbourhood Forum are advised to liaise with DC at that point. 67. We have estimated the number of new dwellings that should be sought in the NA over the Plan period (the HRF) using a four-step approach in accordance with the latest National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and Planning Practice Guidance (PPG). 68. According to the NPPF, the HRF for a designated NA, “should take into account factors such as the latest evidence of local housing need, the population of the neighbourhood area and the most recently available planning strategy of the planning authority”.3 69. An HRF is a policy-off figure, which means that it is an expression of total housing demand unconstrained by the limits of the land available to build on or by the impact of policies that either facilitate or obstruct development. A policy-off figure can then be reviewed in light of relevant Local and Neighbourhood policies and site allocations to arrive at a policy-on understanding that reflects these factors.
Step 1: “the population of the neighbourhood area” The HRF for the NA should take as its starting point the housing target for the local authority in which it sits. The baseline for our calculation for Auckley is therefore a share of the current LPA Local Housing Need (LHN) figure that reflects the share of the LPA population living in Auckley Parish. In order to determine their housing targets, the NPPF requires LPAs to use the Standard Method. The 2014-based ONS household projections should be used as the demographic dataset for calculating housing targets based on the Standard Method.4 This is then adjusted using the most recent affordability ratios and weighed against a potential cap. Step 2: “most recently available planning strategy of the planning authority” We then follow the guidance presented in the NPPF which states that the initial HRF for neighbourhood plans should reflect “the overall strategy for the pattern and scale of development and any relevant allocations”5 and “the most recently available planning strategy of the local planning authority”.6 That means introducing LPA spatial policy, housing targets, and assessments of housing need at different scales to arrive at a more locally appropriate proportion of the LPA housing target that should be provided in Auckley Parish. This will usually be a slightly different figure to that produced in Step 1. Step 3: dwelling completions Next, any dwellings that have already been completed over the Plan period should be deducted from the HRF in order to provide an HRF for the remainder of the Plan period and an annual HRF that reflects past under- or over-delivery. Step 4: the Local Planning Authority The NPPF makes it clear that the LPA is under a duty to provide designated neighbourhood planning areas within their district with their housing target.7 In arriving at this HRF, AECOM is therefore providing an alternative figure to that of the LPA. With this in mind, it is important that the number and underlying methodology are shared with the LPA to confirm it is aligned with their current planning strategy and fit for this purpose.
70. Employing this methodology, the HRF for the NA may be calculated as follows:
3 NPPF, paragraph 66, page 18 4 Technical consultation on updates to national planning policy and guidance, October 2018, page 10 5 NPPF, paragraph 65, page 18 6 Ibid 7 Ibid
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4.2 Standard method
71. Firstly, we calculate the LHN for the District using the standard method outlined in the PPG, before taking the population of the NA, and calculating the proportion of the total population of the District that it represents. This percentage will then be used to arrive at the share of the LPA’s target that should be apportioned to the NA. 72. The Doncaster LHN figure, using the standard method, is calculated as follows:
• Step one is to set the baseline, by calculating the projected average annual household growth in the District over a 10-year period, beginning with the current year, using the most recent ONS household projections. ─ Doncaster’s 2016-based household projection for 2019, the current year, is 131,335. Its projection for 2029, the end of the 10-year period, is 136,591. This represents total growth of 5,256 households which, divided by the number of years in the period (10), gives an annual average growth rate of 526 (rounded) households.
• Step two is to adjust this annual average using the most recent ONS median workplace-based affordability ratios (released in April 2018), which provide the ratio of house prices to earnings for various geographies. For each 1% increase in the ratio above 4, projected household growth should be increased by a quarter of a percent. ─ Doncaster’s 2017 affordability ratio is 5.21. Its adjustment factor is therefore ((5.21 – 4)/4) x 0.25, or 0.075625. The figure arrived at in step one is then multiplied by the adjustment factor of 1.075625 to give an adjusted annual projection of 566 households (rounded).
• Step three is to cap the level of increase at 40% above whichever is higher of: the average annual household growth figure arrived at in step one; or the average annual housing requirement figure set out in the most recently adopted local strategic housing policies. ─ The adopted Core Strategy for the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster contains the latest adopted strategic housing policy. (Though it is due to be replaced by the emerging Local Plan, no newer policy has yet been formally adopted). Policy CS 10 makes provision for a minimum of 1,230 net additional dwellings per year. 140% of the annual growth figure of 526 is 736, and 140% of the most recently adopted strategic housing policy of 1,722. As an additional check, if we were to use the strategic housing policy of the emerging Local Plan, 140% of 920 would be 1,288. The highest figure of 1,722 would therefore be the relevant cap. However, the capped figure (along with all of the other potential caps) is higher than the adjusted household projection figure of 566, and therefore does not apply.
• Doncaster’s LHN is therefore 566 dwellings per year. 73. Having derived Doncaster’s LHN, we now calculate Auckley Parish’s share of that target by looking at what proportion of Doncaster’s population currently reside in Auckley and applying that percentage to the District’s LHN. At the time of the last Census, there were 3,745 people in Auckley Parish, or 1.2% of the 302,402 people in Doncaster. Therefore, applying this percentage to Doncaster’s LHN gives am HRF for the NA of 7 dwellings (rounded) per annum, or 105 dwellings over the entirety of the NP period, 2017-2032.
4.3 Latest LPA planning strategy
74. However, as stated in NPPF guidance, it is important to acknowledge the relevant policies in the most recently available development plan document for the District, which reflect the overall strategy for the pattern and scale of development and any relevant allocations. This requires producing an HRF for the NA that takes into account the LPA’s spatial strategy, and therefore may differ slightly from the initial HRF calculated above. 75. In Doncaster, the most relevant document is the emerging Local Plan. Policy 2 classifies Auckley Parish as one of 10 ‘Service Towns and Larger Villages’ which in total are expected to supply 10% of the District’s housing target. Rather than employ the relatively crude measure of dividing that 10% allocation by the 10 settlements in that category to arrive at an allocation of 1% each, we continue to follow policy guidance and consult the next stage of the District’s spatial strategy. 76. Policy 3 divides the District total of at least 15,640 net additional dwellings over the Plan period 2015-2032 among its component settlements according to the settlement hierarchy set out in Policy 2. Auckley and Hayfield Green are together allocated 125 net additional homes over the Plan period. DC have indicated that this figure was derived by looking at the number of existing dwellings in each of the relevant settlements and adding an ‘economic’ uplift to the larger towns. 77. The percentage of new development allocated to Auckley Parish is therefore 0.8% (125 / 15,640). This is logical in comparison with the crude calculation of 1% alluded to above, since Auckley Parish is likely to be one of the less
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populous settlements in the ‘Service Towns and Larger Villages’ category in the settlement hierarchy and is allocated a smaller proportion of dwellings than would result from an even split. 78. Having now derived the proportion of the District’s housing target allocated to Auckley Parish, we can apply this proportion to the District LHN figure calculated above. 0.8% of 566 is 5 dwellings (rounded) per year, or 75 over the Plan period, 2017-2032. 79. In summary, we have taken a number of additional steps to produce an HRF that is more locally-specific and aligned with policy than the relatively crude measure of deriving the ratio of the entire District population living in Auckley Parish. This has resulted in an annual HRF that is lower by three dwellings per year. 80. When the Doncaster emerging Local Plan is adopted, whether or not its housing target is revised according to the updated Standard Method, this figure may need to be updated.
4.4 Past dwelling completions
81. Since the Plan period begins in 2017, we now need to deduct any dwellings completed during the Plan period. The most recent available data provided by DC is for the year 2017/2018. There were four sites on which dwellings were completed during that period. The data given is for total completions to date on each site, so from the total completions to 2017/18 were deducted the total completions to 2016/17, with the remainder representing only those dwellings built during the first year of the Plan period:
• The site at Hurst Lane had 335 total completions, minus 245 built in previous periods, resulting in 90 net additional dwellings.
• The site at Club Impact had 24 total completions, minus 19 built in previous periods, resulting in 5 net additional dwellings.
• The site at Hayfield Lane had 14 total completions, minus 12 built in previous periods, resulting in 2 net additional dwellings.
• The site at Walnut Avenue had 1 total completion, which occurred during the period in question. 82. The total number of completions during the 2017/18 period was 98 dwellings. This figure already exceeds the HRF over the Plan period of 75 dwellings and is close to meeting Auckley’s Parish’s allocation of 125 dwellings in the emerging Doncaster Local Plan. 83. Although future commitments should not be deducted from housing targets, the site at Hurst Lane is delivering new homes consistently over time and is proposed to deliver a total of 450 units in total, leaving 115 units to be supplied in future years. If this site continues to supply new dwellings, it will lead Auckley Parish to significantly exceed its HRF over the course of the Plan period. 84. Having deducted completed dwellings since the start of the Plan period, Auckley Parish’s HRF, both in total over the Plan period and on an annual basis, is reduced to 0 dwellings.
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5. RQ 2. Tenure
RQ2. What Affordable Housing (social housing, affordable rented, shared ownership, intermediate rented) and market housing tenures should be included in the housing mix?
85. Tenure refers to the legal arrangements in place that enable a household to live in their home; it determines their rights and influences the level of payments to be made in return for these rights. Broadly speaking, tenure falls into two categories, Affordable Housing and Market Housing, depending on whether the household benefits from a subsidy of some sort to enable them to live in their home. 86. We will address this section by examining the tenure of dwellings in the current stock and recent supply. 87. Then, looking at affordability, we will make an assessment on whether continuation of these trends would meet future needs. We will also investigate whether there are misalignments between the supply of different tenures of housing and local need. 88. Such misalignments can justify policies that guide new development to prioritise certain tenures, to bring supply and demand into better alignment.8
5.1 Definitions
89. It is necessary at this stage of the study to make clear the distinction between Affordable Housing as planning terminology and the colloquial meaning of the phrase. In the course of this study, we refer to Affordable Housing, abbreviated to ‘AH’. AH is those forms of housing tenure that fall within the definition of Affordable Housing set out in the current NPPF: Social Rent, Affordable Rent, Affordable Private Rent (brought forward by Build to Rent schemes), and forms of AH designed to offer affordable routes to home ownership.9 To distinguish this from the colloquial definition, we refer to the latter as Affordable Market Housing (AMH).
90. The definition of Affordable Housing set out in the NPPF makes clear the Government’s commitment to home ownership, but recognises the important role of Social, Affordable, and Private Rent tenures for those not currently seeking home ownership. 91. The revisions seek to broaden the definition of AH to include a range of low-cost housing opportunities for those aspiring to own a home, including Starter Homes. 92. In Paragraph 64 of the NPPF, the Government introduces a recommendation that “where major housing development is proposed, planning policies and decisions should expect at least 10% of the homes to be available for affordable home ownership”. In line with PPG,10 the assumption should be that ‘major housing development’ can be defined as sites of more than 10 units, and that affordable home ownership includes Starter Homes, Shared Ownership homes, and homes available for discount market sale.
5.2 Current tenure profile
93. In order to set a baseline for our examination of tenure, it is necessary to present a picture in the NA based on the most recent reliable data. Table 5-1 below presents Census data from 2011; this table shows the distribution of how households occupy their homes within Auckley, compared to the rest of Doncaster and England. 94. It is worth noting the higher number of owner-occupied dwellings in Auckley (76.4%) compared to Doncaster (65.4%) and England (63.3%). There is a slightly higher number of shared ownership dwellings in Auckley (1.2%) compared to Doncaster (0.3%) and England (0.8%). When looking at the social rented sector, there is a lower proportion in Auckley (9.1%) when compared to Doncaster (17.7%) and the rest of England (17.7%), which is also seen, to a lesser extent, in the proportion of private rented dwellings in Auckley (12.4%) compared to the District (14.8%) and the rest of England (16.8%).
8 PPG Paragraph: 021 Reference ID: 2a-021-20160401 9 NPPF, July 2018 10 PPG 031 Reference ID: 23b-031-20161116
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Table 5-1: Tenure (households) in Auckley, 2011 Tenure Auckley Doncaster England Owned; total 76.4% 65.4% 63.3% Shared ownership 1.2% 0.3% 0.8% Social rented; total 9.1% 17.7% 17.7% Private rented; total 12.4% 14.8% 16.8% Source: Census 2011, AECOM Calculations
95. In Table 5-2, we note the changes in the way households occupy their homes during the inter-censual period; the general uplift across all tenures is the result of the increase in dwellings (and therefore households) over the period from 1,212 in 2001 to 1,447 in 2011. It is important to note the percentages shown below can be misleading: the increase of 325.0% in shared ownership starts from a low base of 4, increasing to 17; although this is less so the case in the PRS where the 260% increase represents a base of 50 increasing to 180. Overall, the trends in Auckley show a much greater increase across all tenures than in either Doncaster or England and it is notable that Auckley saw an increase in social rented dwellings of 15.8% while both Doncaster and England saw a decrease. Table 5-2: Rates of tenure change in Auckley, 2001-2011
Tenure Auckley Doncaster England
Owned; total 9.0% 0.6% -0.6%
Shared ownership 325.0% 24.8% 30.0%
Social rented; total 15.8% -9.8% -0.9%
Private rented; total 260.0% 173.3% 82.4%
Source: Census 2001 and 2011, AECOM Calculations 96. In conclusion, we can therefore note that:
• There are a substantially smaller proportion of dwellings in owner occupation in the District than the NA (65.4% v 76.4%)
• There are proportionally more shared ownership dwellings in the NA than the District (1.2% v 0.3%) • the NA has a much smaller proportion of dwellings that are Social Rented than the District (9.1% v 17.7%) 97. Taking into account shifts over the inter-censual period,
• Owner-occupation remains the dominant tenure in the NA (the tenure for most households). • There has been a substantial increase in the Private Rented Sector (PRS) during the 2001-11 inter-censual period of 260%, or 130 homes.
• The number of those socially renting has increased in the NA by 15.8%, but fell in the District by 9.8%.
5.3 Affordability
98. In order to understand whether the tenure profile of the current stock reflects the needs of the population currently and over the Plan period, an important starting point is to consider whether this profile provides different market segments access to dwellings of a suitable type and size given their household composition. 99. In line with the PPG, we have considered evidence of affordability by looking specifically at the relationship between lower quartile house prices and incomes, as expressed in the Lower Quartile Affordability Ratio11 (LQAR) and the Median Affordability Ratio12 (MAR). While this is a relatively crude measure of affordability, as it does not take account of the cost of servicing mortgage debt, it is a useful basic measure for benchmarking affordability changes over time. Further, the PPG makes clear that lower-quartile house prices should also be used as a benchmark for entry-level
11 See glossary 12 See glossary
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home prices.13 100. Figure 5-1 on the following page looks at selected measures of house prices in Auckley. This shows that price growth has been highest for the lower quartile (21.2%) and slightly lower for median prices (9.1%) and mean prices (5.6%). This suggests that price growth has been concentrated in the lower end of the market, while there has been slightly less growth in the upper end of the market, thus lifting the lower quartile figures. 101. It can be noted from Figure 5-1 below that house prices have fluctuated over this period, with house prices falling in 2010 before recovering to a peak in 2014. Since then house prices have been relatively stable. Figure 5-1: House prices in Auckley 2008-2017
£250,000
£200,000
£150,000
£100,000
£50,000
£0 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Mean Median Lower quartile
Source: Land Registry PPD 102. Table 5-3 below breaks down house prices by type of house, as recorded in the Land Registry. This shows that terraced homes have seen the greatest increase in prices over this period (38.9%) and semi-detached homes have also increased significantly (29.0%). By contrast the prices of flats decreased by 25.0% over the period. Overall, this suggests a strong demand for terraced and semi-detached homes, as well as to a lesser extent detached homes in the NA. Table 5-3: House prices by type in Auckley, 2008-2017
Type 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Growth
£223,70 £211,22 £233,71 £199,19 £187,43 £193,50 £241,93 £245,14 £244,13 £239,21 6.9% Detached 9 9 0 9 7 0 8 2 1 4
£121,29 £127,74 £132,31 £128,99 £128,66 £126,43 £137,12 £145,44 £150,91 £156,51 29.0% Semi-detached 9 4 3 5 9 0 6 1 3 6
£93,500 £94,625 £117,40 £80,000 £78,005 £92,333 £122,76 £108,74 £132,04 £129,90 38.9% Terraced 0 6 0 1 5
£131,45 £156,00 £125,00 £66,667 - £67,500 £90,000 £84,214 £96,735 £98,600 -25.0% Flats 0 0 0
All Types £177,72 £178,47 £188,21 £145,03 £142,36 £143,38 £200,60 £190,48 £187,90 £187,65 5.6% 8 2 2 6 3 0 5 7 2 4
Source: Land Registry PPD For the purposes of this HNA, given the inaccessibility of household income data at the neighbourhood level, we have used CACI paycheck data to identify mean, median and lower quartile income bands. Table 5-4 below sets out the household income for the NA; the median income is £38,071, while the lower quartile income is £22,759.
13 Planning Practice Guidance, Paragraph: 024 Reference ID: 2a-024-20180913
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Table 5-4: Household Income, Auckley 2018
Auckley England Mean Income £44,842 £32,945 Median Income £38,071 £26,336 Upper Quartile Income £59,336 £43,728 Lower Quartile Income £22,759 £14,968 Source: CACI paycheck data 103. From this it is possible to generate an estimated MAR of 4.7 (£180,000/£38,071) and LQAR of 6.15 (£140,000/22,759)
5.4 Affordability Thresholds
104. In order to gain a finer understanding of affordability, it is also useful to understand what levels of income are required to afford different tenures. This done using ‘affordability thresholds’. 105. We have prepared thresholds for: market purchase; PRS; Shared Ownership at 25%, 50%, and 75%; Affordable Rent set at 80%, and estimated Social Rent levels across Auckley. These calculations are detailed in the Appendix A. The key assumptions made in assessing the affordability of different tenures are explained alongside the calculations. Table 5-4 below shows the annual cost of different tenures and the income required (excluding deposits saved) to support these costs within Auckley. Table 5-4: Affordability Thresholds (Income required, £)
Tenure Cost of purchase Annual rent Income Required Entry-level Market Sale £134,998 N/A £38,571 Shared ownership (75%) £101,248 £3,750 £32,678 Starter Homes £107,998 N/A £30,857 Entry-level Market Rent £67,499 £7,500 £26,785 Shared ownership (50%) N/A £6,293 £25,171 Shared ownership (25%) £33,749 £11,250 £20,893 Affordable Rent N/A £5,034 £20,137 Social Rent - 3 Bed Dwelling N/A £4,799 £19,194 Social Rent - 2 Bed Dwelling N/A £4,232 £16,927
Source: AECOM Calculations 106. The income required to afford the different tenures is then benchmarked against two measurements of household income: the median annual household income and the lower quartile household income for the District set out above of £20,098 and £13,104 respectively. 107. Taking into consideration the Affordability Thresholds set out above, it is immediately apparent for a large proportion of these households, the majority of tenures would not be suitable, depending on whether they are seeking to rent or adopt a pathway to home ownership. As a result, a varied mix of tenures is appropriate to meet the community's housing. Conclusions
• Based on CACI Paycheck data compared with price paid data from the Land Registry, an estimated LQAR for Auckley is 4.7 and 6.15 in 2017.
• The affordability threshold calculations indicate that for those households earning around the median or less, the majority of tenures are not accessible. For these households, only Social Rent dwellings would be within their reach.
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• Having said this, property in Auckley is relatively inexpensive compared with elsewhere in the England. For this reason a wide range of tenures are affordable to households earning around £30,000. To afford entry- level market sale however, an income of £38,571 is required. 6. RQ 3. Type and size
RQ3: What type (terraced semi, bungalows, flats and detached) and size (number of bedrooms) of housing is most appropriate to meet local needs?
108. The PPG recommends a consideration of the existing housing provision and its suitability, having regard to demographic shifts in age and household composition, to address future, as well as current community need. For this reason, we start with a consideration of type and size within the existing housing stock in Auckley. Demographic shifts in age and household composition will then be considered. Finally, the future demand for housing by size and type will be determined by the way different household types currently occupy their dwellings in the District.
6.1 Existing types and sizes
109. The 2011 Census shows that there were 1,482 households in Auckley, living in 584 detached houses, 627 semi- detached, 218 terraced houses, and 52 flats. Compared with the District, Auckley is characterised by a greater proportion of detached dwellings (16.4% higher than the District level), and smaller proportion of semi-detached and terraced dwellings. There are also a very limited number of flats compared to the District and National level (see Table 6-1 below). Table 6-1: Accommodation type (households), 2011
Dwelling type Auckley Doncaster England Whole house or bungalow Detached 39.4% 23.0% 22.4% Semi-detached 42.3% 44.8% 31.2% Terraced 14.7% 23.7% 24.5% Flat, maisonette or apartment Purpose-built block of flats or tenement 3.3% 6.2% 16.4% Parts of a converted or shared house 0.1% 1.1% 3.8% In commercial building 0.1% 0.8% 1.0% Source: ONS 2011, AECOM Calculations 110. Table 6-2 below sets out the distribution of the number of rooms by household space. The housing stock in Auckley is characterised by large properties with the majority of dwellings having more than five rooms. The share of very large dwellings (more than 8 rooms) is higher in Auckley than at the District level (18.7% compared to 9.5%). Only 19% of the stock in Auckley consists of dwellings with one to four rooms, which could be considered entry-level homes,14 with one to three bedrooms making up only 2.2% of the stock compared to 8.0% at a District level. Table 6-2: Number of rooms per household, 2011
2011 2011 Number of Rooms Auckley Doncaster 1 Room 0.0% 0.3% 2 Rooms 0.1% 1.1% 3 Rooms 2.1% 6.6% 4 Rooms 16.8% 15.9% 5 Rooms 30.5% 31.9% 6 Rooms 20.5% 24.9% 7 Rooms 11.3% 9.9% 8 Rooms or more 8.8% 5.3%
14 Homes that are suitable for first-time buyers, sometimes also defined as lower quartile property price.
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9 Rooms or more 10.0% 4.2% Source: ONS 2011, AECOM Calculations 111. It is also relevant to consider how the number of rooms occupied by households changed between the 2001 and 2011 censuses. The main change from the 2001 Census findings is that the number of very large properties increased, smaller family houses of four to five rooms increased slightly, while there was a significant growth in three-room dwellings. The biggest drop was in two-room dwellings, although this was from a low base of 3 dwellings. Table 6-3: Rates of change in number of rooms per household in Auckley, 2001-2011
Number of Rooms Auckley Doncaster England 1 Room 0.0% -10.2% -5.2% 2 Rooms -66.7% 14.7% 24.2% 3 Rooms 55.0% 19.6% 20.4% 4 Rooms 3.8% -1.3% 3.5% 5 Rooms 2.6% -3.5% -1.8% 6 Rooms 13.8% 4.5% 2.1% 7 Rooms 44.2% 28.8% 17.9% 8 Rooms or more 77.1% 47.6% 29.8% Source: ONS 2001-2011, AECOM Calculations 112. At this point it is also useful to compare the data on numbers of rooms with Census estimates of the number of bedrooms for each household. Table 6-4 below summarises the proportion of households occupying each size of home in terms of the number of bedrooms. This data finds a clear lack of 1 bedroom homes in Auckley and an excess of 4 bedroom homes. Table 6-4: Number of bedrooms in household spaces, 2011
Bedrooms Auckley Doncaster England
All categories: No of bedrooms 1,447 100.0% 126,487 100.0% 22,063,368 100.0% No bedrooms 1 0.1% 204 0.2% 54,938 0.2% 1 bedroom 14 1.0% 8,887 7.0% 2,593,893 11.8% 2 bedrooms 330 22.8% 30,346 24.0% 6,145,083 27.9% 3 bedrooms 728 50.3% 69,266 54.8% 9,088,213 41.2% 4 bedrooms 295 20.4% 14,513 11.5% 3,166,531 14.4% 5 or more bedrooms 79 5.5% 3,271 2.6% 1,014,710 4.6% Source: ONS 2011, AECOM Calculations
6.2 Household composition and age structure
113. We have established the current stock profile of Auckley and identified recent changes in its composition. The evidence assembled below examines the composition and age structure of households both now and in future years. Through a consideration of the types of households forming and the mix of age groups, it is possible to consider the type and size of housing needed in the NA.
6.2.1 Age structure
114. The 2011 Census data reveals that the age band 45-64 is the largest single group, which is also the case in the District, but not nationally, where the largest single group is the age band 25-44. The NA has a smaller proportion of people in the age bands 65-84 and 85 and over, and a greater proportion in 0-15 compared with the District and England (see Table 6-1Figure 6-1 below).
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Figure 6-1: Age structure, 2011
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
Percentage Population Percentage of 5%
0% 0-15 16-24 25-44 45-64 65-84 85 and over
Auckley Doncaster England
Source: ONS 2011, AECOM Calculations 115. The Census shows that since 2001 the proportion of the population aged over 85 has increased by 71.4% in Auckley, compared to 37.6% in the District, while the population aged 16-24 has increased by 43.1% compared with 18.8% in the District (see Table 6-5 below). Table 6-5: Rate of change in the age structure of the population, 2001-2011
Age group Auckley Doncaster England 0-15 -0.8% -4.1% 1.2% 16-24 43.4% 18.8% 17.2% 25-44 -5.9% -3.0% 1.4% 45-64 36.5% 15.3% 15.2% 65-84 37.5% 5.8% 9.1% 85 and over 71.4% 37.6% 23.7% Source: ONS 2001-2011, AECOM Calculations 116. ONS population projections also reveal that by the end of the Plan period in 2032, there will be significant increases the proportion of the population in older age band. With the numbers of people aged over 60 all increasing significantly, particularly amongst those aged 70-74. This compares to a decline in age groups 0-9, 24-34, and 50-59. This is likely to lead to a significant increase in the demand for housing related support services. The ageing of the current 45-64 age band also has major implications for Auckley over the neighbourhood plan period.
6.2.2 Household composition
117. Household composition in Auckley differs from the District in that there are around 10% fewer one person households and 10.9% more families with dependent children. Single families with dependent children are the single largest household type in the NA (37.9%), accounting for the prevalence of large family dwellings identified earlier.
118. There are fewer households aged 65 and over in Auckley compared with the District, which echoes with the earlier finding that the NA has a slightly smaller proportion of older people (Table 6-6).
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Table 6-6: Household composition (by household), 2011
Household composition Auckley Doncaster England One person household Total 18.6% 28.5% 30.2% Aged 65 and over 7.1% 12.8% 12.4% Other 11.5% 15.8% 17.9% One family only Total 76.7% 65.0% 61.8% All aged 65 and over 6.8% 8.7% 8.1% With no children 21.8% 18.8% 17.6% With dependent children 37.9% 27.0% 26.5% All children Non-Dependent 10.2% 10.6% 9.6% Other household types Total 4.7% 6.4% 8.0% Source: ONS 2011, AECOM Calculations 119. Since 2001, the main changes are the significant increase of single person households. The number of single person households increased by 39.4%, which is 29.2% above the District. Of this, there was an increase in singe person households aged 65 and over of 32.1% in Auckley compared to a decrease of 8.6% at the District level (see Table 6-7). It is also notable that family households with no children increased in by 23.9%, as against 7.3% in the District. Table 6-7: Rates of change in household composition, 2001-2011
Household type Percentage change, 2001-2011 Auckley Doncaster England One person household Total 39.4% 10.2% 8.4% Aged 65 and over 32.1% -8.6% -7.3% Other 44.3% 32.3% 22.7% One family only Total 14.6% 2.3% 5.4% All aged 65 and over 11.4% -5.0% -2.0% With no children 23.9% 7.3% 7.1% With dependent children 11.4% -1.8% 5.0% All children non-dependent 10.5% 11.5% 10.6% Other household types Total 19.3% 47.7% 28.9% Source: ONS 2001-2011, AECOM Calculations 120. It is important to recognise that households of different ages are likely to have different housing needs. This relationship is examined in the following section.
6.1 Dwelling mix determined by life-stage modelling
121. In this section, we provide an estimate of the mix of size of homes needed by the end of the Plan Period by matching future household composition to current patterns of occupation by age. We are working from the assumption that the same household types are likely to wish to occupy the same size of homes in 2032 as they did in 2011. 122. First, we use household projections provided by MHCLG to achieve an understanding of the future distribution of households by the age of the Household Reference Person (HRP). This data is only available at the District level and for the years 2014 and 2039. Therefore, we have estimated what the distribution of households by the age of the HRP would be in 2032 (red in the table). The data is presented in Table 6-8 below.
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Table 6-8: Projected distribution of Households by age of HRP (Doncaster)
Age of HRP 24 Age of HRP 25 to Age of HRP 35 to Age of HRP 55 to Age of HRP 65 Year and under 34 54 64 and over 2011 4,570 17,473 48,351 21,931 34,162 2014 4,800 17,935 46,362 21,864 37,361 2032 5,137 15,582 45,985 21,540 49,039 2039 5,268 14,666 45,839 21,415 53,580 Source(s): MHCLG 2014-based household projections, ONS 2011, AECOM Calculations 123. At this point, it is necessary to arrive at an estimate of the change to the age structure of the population in Auckley. To do so, the percentage of increase expected for each group in Doncaster, derived from the data presented in Table 6-8 was applied onto the population of Auckley. The results of our calculation are detailed in Table 6-9 below: Table 6-9: Projected distribution of Households by age of HRP (Auckley)
Age of HRP 24 Age of HRP 25 to Age of HRP 35 to Age of HRP 55 to Age of HRP 65 Year and under 34 54 64 and over 2011 36 193 688 256 274 2014 38 198 660 255 300 2032 40 172 654 251 393 Source: AECOM Calculations 124. In Table 6-10 below, we set out the distribution of dwellings of different sizes according to the age of the HRP. Table 6-10: Age of household reference person to size, grouped (Doncaster)
Age of HRP 16 to Age of HRP 25 to Age of HRP 35 to Age of HRP 55 to Age of HRP 65 and Size 24 34 54 64 over
1 bedroom 7.6% 5.8% 4.3% 6.8% 12.2%
2 bedrooms 39.9% 28.7% 17.8% 21.2% 30.0%
3 bedrooms 48.2% 57.0% 57.5% 56.0% 49.8%
4 bedrooms 3.0% 6.9% 16.6% 13.2% 6.5%
5+ bedrooms 1.2% 1.5% 3.8% 2.9% 1.5%
Source(s): MHCLG 2014-based household projections, ONS 2011, AECOM Calculations 125. We established the preference shown by households at different life-stages towards dwellings of different sizes, and the approximate number of households in Doncaster and Auckley falling into each of these stages at the end of the Plan period in 2032. It is now possible to put forward recommendations as to how the housing stock should evolve in terms of size over the Plan period to overcome any misalignments between supply of dwellings and demand (see Table 6-11 below). Table 6-11: Ideal size distribution in Auckley in 2032, according to household life-stages
Total Age of HRP 16 Age of HRP Age of HRP 35 Age of HRP 55 Age of HRP 65 Households Size to 24 under 35 to 54 to 64 and over requiring dwelling sizes Pop 2032 40 172 654 251 393 - 1 bedroom 3 10 28 17 48 106 2 bedrooms 16 49 117 53 118 353 3 bedrooms 20 98 376 141 196 831 4 bedrooms 1 12 109 33 26 181 5+ bedrooms 0 3 25 7 6 41 Source: Census 2011, AECOM Calculations
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126. It is now possible to compare the housing mix in terms of size in 2011 with the projected requirement based on the estimates set out above in Table 6-11 as to the change in the age structure of the population in Auckley.
127. below indicates that, by 2032, the distribution of dwellings should be weighted more towards the smaller end of the size spectrum, with a particular focus on entry-level and family dwellings of one, two, and three bedrooms. Table 6-12: Size distribution in 2011 compared to ideal distribution in 2032 (Auckley)
Number of bedrooms 2011 2032 1 bedroom 1 0.1% 106 7.0% 2 bedrooms 14 1.0% 353 23.4% 3 bedrooms 330 22.8% 831 54.9% 4 bedrooms 728 50.3% 181 12.0% 5 or more bedrooms 295 20.4% 41 2.7% Total households 1,447 100.0% 1,512 100.0% Source: Census 2011, AECOM Calculations 128. Table 6-13 below sets out in stark terms the dramatic misalignment between demand for housing, based on the preferences expressed by households at different life-stages, and the current stock in the NA. Table 6-13: Misalignments of supply and demand for housing
Change to housing Number of bedrooms 2011 2030 Recommended split mix 1 bedroom 1 106 105 11.1% 2 bedrooms 14 353 339 35.9% 3 bedrooms 330 831 501 53.0% 4 bedrooms 728 181 -547 0.0% 5 or more bedrooms 295 41 -254 0.0% Source: AECOM Calculations 129. In order to avoid misalignment between supply and demand and to re-equilibrate the stock over the plan period, we recommend that 11% of houses in new developments be one-bedroom homes, 36% two-bedroom, and 53% three- bedroom. The need of most people in the community will be for two and three-bedroom homes and there will be no justification to build further large properties with four or five more bedrooms. 130. In addition, Auckley Parish Council have conducted a household survey in which resident were asked about various aspects of life in the NA, and their opinion about future development. The survey attracted 504 responses; assuming one response per household, this equates to a response rate of around 35%. This included the question, “Doncaster Council may seek to build more homes in Auckley Parish over the next 15 years, which type of dwellings do you think are needed?” The responses are outlined below; this supports the findings set out in this study that there is strong support for smaller dwellings, in addition to the larger homes suitable for families.
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Figure x: Resident housing preferences
Source: Auckley Resident Survey
Conclusions
131. Bringing together the evidence related to type and size of dwellings, the following conclusions are relevant to plan- making moving forward:
• Terraced homes have seen the greatest increase in prices over this period (38.9%) and semi-detached homes have also increased significantly (29.0%). This suggest strong demand for family housing, reinforcing the impression the area is attractive to these households By contrast the prices of flats decreased by 25.0% over the period. Overall, this suggests a strong demand for terraced and semi-detached homes, as well as to a lesser extent detached homes in the NA.
• There are a substantially higher proportion of detached dwellings in the NA compared with the District (34.3% v 23.0%). In addition, the housing stock in Auckley is characterised by large properties with the majority of dwellings having more than five rooms. The share of very large dwellings (more than 8 rooms) is higher in Auckley than at the District level (18.7% compared to 9.5%). Only 19% of the stock in Auckley consists of dwellings with one to four rooms, which could be considered entry-level homes, with one to three bedrooms making up only 2.2% of the stock compared to 8.0% at a District level. This points firmly to the existence of a preponderance of larger dwellings in the NA.
• This scenario is compounded by 2001 Census findings that suggest that the number of very large properties increased, and there was a significant drop in two-room dwellings. This points to the conversion of smaller dwellings into larger homes over the course of the inter-censual period
• There are a lower proportion of terraced homes in the NA than in the District (14.7% v 23.7%), and roughly half the proportion of all dwellings are flats in the NA compared with the District. This points reflect the more rural character of the NA.
• The NA has a smaller proportion of people in the age bands 65-84 and 85 and over, and a greater proportion in 0-15 compared with the District and England. This points to the area being popular with families.
• The Census shows that since 2001 the proportion of the population aged over 85 has increased by 71.4% in Auckley, compared to 37.6% in the District, while the population aged 16-24 has increased by 43.1% compared with 18.8% in the District.
• ONS projections over the Plan period to 2032 suggest there will be significant increases the proportion of the population in older age band. This compares to a decline in age groups 0-9, 24-34, and 50-59. This suggests that smaller dwellings, and those suited to the needs of the elderly should be treated as a priority.
• Household composition in Auckley differs from the District in that there are around 10% fewer one person households and 10.9% more families with dependent children.
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• The number of single person households increased by 39.4% during the inter-censual period, which is 29.2% above the District. Of this, there was an increase in singe person households aged 65 and over of 32.1% in Auckley compared to a decrease of 8.6% at the District level. It is also notable that family households with no children increased in by 23.9%, as against 7.3% in the District.
• Following our life-stage modelling, by 2032, the distribution of dwellings should be weighted more towards the smaller end of the size spectrum, with a particular focus on entry-level and family dwellings of one, two, and three bedrooms.
• To avoid misalignment between supply and demand and to re-equilibrate the stock over the plan period, we recommend that 11% of houses in new developments be one-bedroom homes, 36% two-bedroom, and 53% three-bedroom. The need of most residents will be for two and three-bedroom homes and there will be no justification to build further large properties with four or five more bedrooms.
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7. RQ 4. Specialist Housing
RQ4: What provision should be made for i. Newly forming households ii. Older people seeking to down-size iii. Elderly people no longer able to remain in their own home
132. There are two parts to the research question addressed in this section of the report. 133. The first section sets out recommendations on providing specialist housing for newly forming households. 134. The second section sets out recommendations on providing specialist housing for elderly residents.
7.1 Newly forming households
135. This part of the research question relates to the housing needs of newly forming households in Auckley. For the purpose of this HNA, we define newly forming households as those where the HRP15 is aged between 18 and 35 and is looking to form their own independent household.
136. We start by looking at the ONS ‘Age by single year’ dataset. This reveals that there were 764 individuals aged between 18 and 35 in the NA in 2011. This represents 20.4% of the population. These individuals may or may not have formed their own households. 137. Table 7-1 below (Household lifestage) shows that there is a total of 229 households with an HRP aged below 35, or around 15.8% of all 1,447 households in Auckley. To estimate the number of individuals aged between 18 and 35 residents this represents, we use the following approach: i. We multiply the number of households under 35 by the average household size in the Parish (2.59 individuals per household), which results in 220 individuals. (229 * 2.59 = 593) ii. We then discount the number of individuals below 18. As 125 households live with at least one dependent child, we estimated there were about 125 children among these households. (593 - 125 = 468) iii. Therefore, among the 764 individuals who are between 18 and 35, 468 have formed their own household and 296 have not. (717 - 468 = 249) iv. This represents 114 households that could potentially be formed (249 is divided by 2.59). 138. We assume these households are still living with their parents. They will have not formed their own household for several reasons, including the absence of suitable affordable tenures. 139. Census data about household composition shows that 147 households have non-dependent children living in them. The figure of 114 above can therefore be seen as a broadly reasonable estimate. 140. Therefore, around 114 households in Auckley have the potential to form their own household at the time of the last Census in 2011 (7.9% of the total number of households). Table 7-1: Household where age of HRP under 35
Household composition Number
Age of HRP under 35: One person household 34
Age of HRP under 35: Two or more person household: No dependent children 70
Age of HRP under 35: Two or more person household: With dependent children 125
Age of HRP under 35: Total 229
Source: ONS, 2011
15 See glossary
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141. Now that we have identified the number of newly forming households in need, we need to find out the type of tenures they are most likely to occupy. To do so, we look at tenure occupied by households aged 24 and under, and 25 to 49 in the NA. This is presented in Table 7-2 below. 142. An overwhelming majority of households below 24 are renting their home, the majority in the PRS (or living rent free). Between 25 and 49, the majority of households own their home via a mortgage, loan, or through Shared Ownership. By contrast, only 7.4% of them own their homes outright. There is roughly similar split between social and private rent, 12.1% and 19.1% respectively. Table 7-2: Tenure by age of HRP, Auckley 2011
Age 24 and under Age 25 to 49 Tenure Number Percent Number Percent All categories: Tenure 36 100.0% 692 100.0% Owned or shared ownership: Total 10 27.8% 476 68.8% Owned: Owned outright 0 0.0% 51 7.4% Owned: Owned with a mortgage or loan or shared ownership 10 27.8% 425 61.4% Rented or living rent free: Total 26 72.2% 216 31.2% Rented: Social rented 5 13.9% 84 12.1% Rented: Private rented or living rent free 21 58.3% 132 19.1% Source: ONS, 2011 143. This data we have just examined considers the tenure of HRP aged between 25 and 49 in one single group. However, the tenures occupied by different households can vary significantly between the ages of 25 and 49. This data does not capture the tenures occupied specifically by households where the HRP is aged below 35. 144. Therefore, we turned to data at the District level, as it provides the level of precision we are seeking. The data presented in Figure 7-1 below reveals that as households age from 16-24 to 25-29 and 30-34 the proportion in the PRS falls each time and the proportion owning housing with a mortgage, loan, or through Shared Ownership increases. Figure 7-1: Tenure by age of HRP, Doncaster 2011
100% 2.2% 1.5% 1.0% 90% 30.1% 80% 42.3% 70% 61.5% 60% 16.3%
50% 17.1% 40%
30% 18.9% 48.7% 20% 36.5%
10% 14.8%
0% 2.6% 2.7% 3.9% Age 16-24 Age 25-29 Age 30-34
Owned outright Owned with a mortgage/loan or Shared ownership Social rented Private rented Living rent free
Source: ONS, 2011 145. Data on the tenures occupied by HRPs aged between 16 and 24 is available at both the NA and the District level. When comparing them, we see that trends differ between these two geographies. In both areas, HRP aged between
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16 and 24 overwhelmingly rent. However, in the NA they are much more likely to own houses through a mortgage, loan, or shared ownership (27.8%) than at a District level (14.8%). 146. Based on ONS Census data 2011, we have estimated that about 296 individuals below 35 have not formed their own household by that year. This represents around 114 households with the potential to be formed. 147. Based on the average of the numbers in Table 7-2 and Figure 7-1, an estimated tenure split of new-build homes has been arrived at bearing in mind the needs of newly forming households specifically. We note this emphasizes the importance to these households of both entry-level market sales (including affordable routes to home ownership) and private rent. Table 7-3: Recommended tenures in Auckley to meet the needs of newly forming households
Tenure Recommended proportion
Home ownership 1%
Entry-level market sales/intermediate ownership product 21%
Social rent 16%
Private rent 61%
Source: AECOM calculations
7.2 Elderly residents
148. This section sets out AECOM’s estimate of the specialist housing needs of those aged 75+. We do this through two methods, one projection based on the tenure of dwellings typically occupied by people in this age group and, for the purposes of comparison, another based on the Housing Learning and Improvement Network’s (HLIN) recommended levels of provision per 1,000 head of population. 149. Older people typically occupy a broad range of accommodation, including both market housing and more specialist accommodation. Two main types of specialist accommodation for older people include sheltered housing and extra care housing (see Appendix B for definitions). 150. It is important to note that bed spaces in communal establishments such as live-in care homes are not included in the calculation below. Such dwellings occupy a different land-use class to other types of specialist housing for older people and are subject to separate need calculations that are outside of the scope of this study, which is confined to the needs of ‘private households’. That said, we will note the provision of such accommodation as it relates to the NA in question.
7.2.1 Tenure-led projections
151. Firstly, we review data on the tenure of households aged 55-75 across Doncaster. We take this cohort approach because it is these households which, over the next 20 years, will be reaching the age of 75+. This is considered the typical threshold age for specialist housing provision, and thus forms the basis for calculations of future housing need and provision within this age group using the HLIN toolkit. We will then use the tenure split within this cohort to project forward the need for specialist housing according to different tenure, based on the premise that those currently occupying their own home will wish to do so in future, even where downsizing or moving into specialist accommodation, and that those who currently rent, either in the private or social sectors, will need affordable rented accommodation of some kind. Table 7-4: Tenure of households aged 55-75 in the District, 2011
Owned with a Owned mortgage or Living rent All owned All Rented Social rented Private rented outright loan or Shared free Ownership
74.9% 54.3% 20.5% 25.1% 18.4% 5.3% 1.5% Source: Census 2011
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152. Secondly we project how the overall number of older people in Auckley is likely to change in future based on the ONS’ sub-national population projections for the year 2032.
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Table 7-5: Projections of elderly population in the NA to end of plan period
2011 2032
Age group Auckley Doncaster Auckley Projection Doncaster Projection (Census) (Census) (AECOM Calculation) (ONS SNPP 2014)
All ages 3,745 302,402 3,899 314,873
75+ 150 24,032 228 36,504
% 4.0% 7.9% 5.8% 11.6%
Source: ONS SNPP 2016, AECOM Calculations 153. The results of this exercise provide us with a projection of the number of people living in each tenure in the 55-75 cohort in 2011 as shown in the table below. A key assumption here is that, for the purposes of arriving at the proportion of households aged 75+ falling into different tenures in 2032, and the number of specialist units to be provided, the growth in the overall population of those aged 75 and over may be used. This is justified on the basis that many people over the age of 75 do live alone on account of, for example, the death of a partner, and encourages a conservative view of future provision. In the context of a rapidly aging population, this is not unreasonable. Table 7-6: Projected tenure of households aged 75+ in the NA to the end of the Plan Period
Owned with a Owned mortgage or Living rent Owned All Rented Social rented Private rented outright loan or Shared free Ownership 171 124 47 57 42 12 3
Source: Census 2011, ONS SNPP 2013, AECOM Calculations 154. Thirdly we have considered the incidence of mobility limitations, as defined by the census, within each tenure group for those aged 65+ in Auckley. This allows us to link the levels of need (as defined by the levels of mobility limitations within the population) to tenure (based on the premise that such needs can be deemed a proxy for the need for specialist housing in this age group). The tendency for people in rented housing to have higher dependency levels is well established, and partly arises because people with higher dependency levels tend to have lower incomes and so are less able to afford to buy, even at earlier stages in their lives. Table 7-7: Tenure and mobility limitations of those aged 65+ in the NA, 2011
All categories: Day-to-day Day-to-day Day-to-day Long-term health Tenure activities limited activities limited activities not problem or a lot a little limited disability
All categories: Tenure 410 94 22.9% 101 24.6% 215 52.4%
Owned or shared ownership: Total 378 80 21.2% 91 24.1% 207 54.8%
Owned: Owned outright 333 73 21.9% 78 23.4% 182 54.7%
Owned: Owned with a mortgage or loan 45 7 15.6% 13 28.9% 25 55.6% or shared ownership
Rented or living rent free: Total 32 14 43.8% 10 31.3% 8 25.0%
Rented: Social rented 17 10 58.8% 4 23.5% 3 17.6%
Rented: Private rented or living rent free 15 4 26.7% 6 40.0% 5 33.3%
Source: DC3408EW Health status 155. If we focus on those whose activities are limited a lot, the calculations suggest that of the 57 renters and 171 owners in Auckley in this age group, there could be a need for 25 specialist homes for owner occupiers (21.2% x 171) and 80 for renters of all kinds (43.8% x 57), or 61 new specialist homes in total.
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156. These outputs are shown in the table below, based on the assumption that those whose day-to-day activities are limited a lot will need housing with care (e.g. extra care housing, with significant on-site services, including potentially medical services), whilst those with their day to day activities limited only a little may need adaptations to their existing homes, or sheltered or retirement living providing some degree of oversight or additional services for older people. Table 7-8: AECOM estimate of specialist housing need in the NA at the end of the Plan Period
Total Type Affordable Market (rounded)
Multiply the number of people across all rented (not just social rent as those aged Multiply the number of people across all 65+ who need to rent are overwhelmingly owned housing by the percent in that Housing with likely to need Affordable Housing) housing tenure who have day to day activity care (e.g. extra 61 by the percent in that tenure who have limitations limited a lot. care) day to day activity limitations limited a lot.
25 36
Multiply the number of people across all Multiply the number of people across all Adaptations, rented housing by the percent who have owned housing by the percent in that sheltered, or day to day activity limitations limited a tenure who have day to day activity 59 retirement little. limitations limited a little. living 18 41
Total 43 77 120
Source: Census 2011, AECOM Calculations
7.2.2 HLIN recommended provision
157. It is worth comparing these findings with the recommendations of the HLIN, an authority on how to plan for the housing needs of the elderly. In Table 7-9 below we reproduce from their study ‘Strategic Housing for Older People’. These serve as a guide as to the numbers of specialist dwellings for older people given the increase in their numbers over the Plan period, and how these should be split into the different tenures. Table 7-9: Apportionment of Specialist Housing for Older People
Source: HLIN 158. As we have seen in, the NA is forecast to have a population of the over 75s of 228 by the end of the Plan period, an estimated increase of 78 people. This should mean there should be an additional need (assuming those in need in 2011 are properly housed).
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• Conventional sheltered housing to rent = 60 x .078 = 5 • Leasehold sheltered housing = 120 x .078 = 9 • Enhanced sheltered housing (divided 50:50 between that for rent and that for sale) = 20 x .078 = 2 • Extra care housing for rent = 15 x .078 = 1 • Extra care housing for sale = 30 x .078 = 2 • Housing based provision for dementia = 6 x .078 = 0
159. This produces a total of 20 specialist dwellings (rounded). 160. Below are the equivalent HLIN recommendations, which produce a similar figure with regards to affordable provision (36.3% relative to 35.7%) and a much higher weighting towards lower care needs (71.7% relative to 49.1%). It is worth noting the tenure-led approach includes adapted dwellings which are typically mainstream housing. Table 7-10: HLIN estimate of specialist housing need in the NA at the end of the Plan Period
Type Affordable Market Total
Includes: enhanced sheltered Includes: enhanced sheltered housing for rent + extra care housing for sale + extra care Housing with care (e.g. extra housing for rent + housing based housing for sale 6 care) provision for dementia
2 3
Conventional sheltered housing Leasehold sheltered housing for rent Sheltered housing 14 5 9
Total 7 12 85
Source: HLIN
7.2.3 Conclusions
161. Under the Tenure-led approach, this concludes 61 extra-care dwellings are required. In contrast the number generated by the Housing LIN approach amounts to 6 dwellings. We would suggest a mid-way point is appropriate and the Neighbourhood Plan should support 33 such dwellings to exist within the NA by the end of the Plan period, allowing for current supply. 162. As regards to sheltered homes and retirement living, a similar principle may be applied. The midway point between the tenure-led approach for 59 homes and the Housing LIN for 14 homes is 37 (rounded). Therefore, 37 such dwellings should come into existence in the NA over the Plan period, taking account of current supply. 163. This produces an overall requirement for 70 specialist dwellings for the elderly should exist in the NA come the end of the Plan period. This target may be met from current supply and new development over the period. 164. To respond to the specific query raised by the group as to how should the neighbourhood plan for older people seeking to down-size; this is first and foremost a question of planning for the right size of dwellings over the plan- period to cater to changing community needs. This has been discussed at length in the section of this document that deals with “type and size” of dwellings. In particular, this analysis picked up in the “life-stage modelling” section of the study. This concludes that by 2032, the distribution of dwellings should be weighted more towards the smaller end of the size spectrum, with a particular focus on entry-level and family dwellings of one, two, and three bedrooms. 165. As regards elderly people no longer able to remain in their own home, this HNA does not look into the likely growth of the institutional population beyond accessing the need for provision for dementia. This has concluded demand for housing of this kind is beneath the level at which is it feasible to plan in the context of a Neighbourhood Plan.
Supply of dwellings 166. In arriving at a final target, it is necessary to take account of current supply. There are a number of routes open to identifying supply. Data may be available within the Local Authority’s housing evidence base. Alternatively, data may be collated manually on the amount of specialist housing within a given area using the search function on the Elderly
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Accommodation Councils Website: http://www.housingcare.org. 167. In identifying “current supply” it is necessary to bear in mind the split between the two principle types of specialist housing to arrive at an assessment of the degree to which supply of dwellings is aligned with demand. For example, if there is a clear under-supply of extra-care dwellings, this type should be a priority for future supply. Affordable homes 168. In terms of an appropriate percentage of Affordable Housing, we would recommend an overall target of around X% [comment on whether this is in line with Local Plan policy]. It is however important to take into account the type of housing being brought forward on each particular site before arriving at an appropriate number of Affordable Housing units. 169. There is a greater need for Affordable Housing among those who require extra-care housing. However, due to the higher build costs associates with this type of housing a lower percentage may be appropriate so as to safeguard viability. 170. In addition, the Parish should then consider whether further evidence, for example a survey of older people in the area, might support the need for further specialist dwellings for those whose day to day activities may be limited only a little, or whether Lifetime Homes-standard dwellings or adaptions to existing homes would be suitable to meet their needs. Relationship between specialist units and the Neighbourhood Plan’s over-all housing target 171. There is no obligation for the whole need to be provided within the Parish itself. As such, these specialist dwellings do not need to be provided within the neighbourhood plan housing target - rather, there will be some overlap between these dwellings and the target, depending on the number that could reasonably be provided within the parish itself. In many cases, it will be more appropriate for a ‘hub and spoke’ model to be developed i.e. a development of specialist care dwellings in a nearby larger, more accessible town, serving the needs of a number of smaller, more rural settlements such as Auckley. This approach takes account of larger settlement’s higher levels of accessibility to services and facilities. This is helpful in the recruitment and retention of specialist care staff and enable economies of scale (e.g. a centralised dementia care unit or enhanced sheltered development serving a widely dispersed rural population from a single location). 172. Partnership working with specialist developers is also recommended to introduce a greater degree of choice into the housing options for elderly people who wish to leave their family homes in their old age. 8. Conclusions
8.1 Overview
Table 8-1: Summary of local factors specific to APC with a potential impact on neighbourhood plan housing characteristics
Factor Source(s) (see Possible impact on housing needed Conclusion Chapter 3)
Affordable CACI Paycheck The estimated Median and Lower Quartile The Affordability Ratios suggest a Housing16 data, Land Registry Affordability Ratio for Auckley is 4.7 and 6.15 significant concern regarding Price-paid data in 2017 respectively. affordability at the lower end of the income scale. Property in Auckley is relatively inexpensive compared with elsewhere in the England. The affordability threshold calculations indicate that for those households earning around the median or less, the majority of tenures are not accessible. For these households, only Social Rent dwellings would be within their reach.
16 The term ‘Affordable Housing’ denotes the planning definition set out on page 50 of the National Planning Policy Framework, https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/6077/2116950.pdf
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Factor Source(s) (see Possible impact on housing needed Conclusion Chapter 3)
For this reason a wide range of tenures are affordable to households earning around £30,000. To afford entry-level market sale dwellings an income of around £38,600 is however required.
Demand/need for Census, MHCLG Only 19% of the stock in Auckley consists of The demographic shifts identified in this smaller dwellings Household dwellings with one to four rooms with one to report suggests that smaller dwellings, Projections three bedrooms making up only 2.2% of the and those suited to the needs of the stock compared to 8.0% at a District level. elderly should be treated as a priority.
The number of very large properties Following our life-stage modelling, by increased over the inter-censual period, and 2032, the distribution of dwellings should there was a significant drop in two-room be weighted more towards the smaller dwellings. This points to the conversion of end of the size spectrum, with a smaller dwellings into larger homes over the particular focus on entry-level and family course of the inter-censual period. dwellings of one, two, and three bedrooms. ONS projections over the Plan period to 2032 suggest there will be significant To avoid misalignment between supply increases the proportion of the population in and demand and to re-equilibrate the older age band. This compares to a decline stock over the Plan period, we in age groups 0-9, 24-34, and 50-59. recommend that 11% of houses in new developments be one-bedroom homes, The number of single person households 36% two-bedroom, and 53% three- increased by 39.4% during the inter-censual bedroom. The need of most residents period, which is 29.2% above the District. Of will be for two and three-bedroom homes this, there was an increase in singe person and there will be no justification for households aged 65 and over of 32.1% in further large properties with four or five Auckley compared to a decrease of 8.6% at more bedrooms. the District level.
It is also notable that family households with no children increased in by 23.9%, as against 7.3% in the District.
Family-sized Terraced and semi-detached homes saw an The evidence suggests strong demand housing increase in prices over the period 2008 - for family housing, reinforcing the 2017 of 38.9% and 29.0% respectively. impression the area is attractive to these households. There are a substantially higher proportion of detached dwellings in the NA compared with Overall, the evidence suggests a strong the District (34.3% v 23.0%). demand for terraced and semi-detached homes, as well as to a lesser extent The housing stock in Auckley is detached homes in the NA. characterised by large properties with the majority of dwellings having more than five rooms.
The proportion of all dwellings that are very large (more than 8 rooms) is higher in Auckley than at the District level (18.7% compared to 9.5%).
Household composition in Auckley differs from the District in that there are around 10% fewer one person households and 10.9% more families with dependent children.
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Factor Source(s) (see Possible impact on housing needed Conclusion Chapter 3)
Housing for The Census shows that since 2001 the This HNA produces an overall independent living proportion of the population aged over 85 requirement for 70 specialist dwellings for older people has increased by 71.4% in Auckley, for the elderly should exist in the NA compared to 37.6% in the District, while the come the end of the Plan period. This population aged 16-24 has increased by target may be met from current supply 43.1% compared with 18.8% in the District. and new development over the period.
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8.2 Recommendations for next steps
173. This neighbourhood plan housing needs advice has aimed to provide APC with evidence on housing trends from a range of sources. We recommend that the parish should, as a next step, discuss the contents and conclusions with DC with a view to agreeing and formulating draft housing policies, in particular the appropriate approach to identifying the level of need for new housing in the NP area, bearing the following in mind:
• Neighbourhood Planning Basic Condition A, that it has regard to national policies and advice contained in guidance issued by the Secretary of State; Condition D, that the making of the neighbourhood plan contributes to the achievement of sustainable development; and Condition E, which is the need for the neighbourhood plan to be in general conformity with the adopted strategic development plan;
• the views of DC – in particular in relation to the housing need figure that should be adopted; • the views of local residents; • the views of other relevant local stakeholders, including housing developers; and • the numerous supply-side considerations, including local environmental constraints, the location and characteristics of suitable land, and any capacity work carried out by the DC, including but not limited to the SHLAA
• the recommendations and findings of this study; and • The impact of the new Government proposed standard methodology on calculating housing need on the district and its neighbourhoods. 174. Recent changes to the planning system, forthcoming changes to the NPPF, as well as the implementation of the Housing and Planning Act, will continue to affect housing policies at a local authority and, by extension, a neighbourhood level.
175. This advice note has been provided in good faith by AECOM consultants on the basis of housing data and national guidance current at the time of writing (alongside other relevant and available information). 176. Bearing this in mind, we recommend that the steering group should monitor carefully strategies and documents with an impact on housing policy produced by DC or any other relevant body and review the neighbourhood plan accordingly to ensure that general conformity is maintained. 177. At the same time, monitoring on-going demographic or other trends over the period in which the neighbourhood plan is being developed (factors summarised in Table 8-1) would help ensure relevance and credibility of its policies.
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Appendix A : Calculation of Affordability Thresholds
A.1 Market housing
178. Given the limited quantity of Affordable Housing (AH) in the NA, the needs of the great majority of the people will be served by the market. People on higher incomes will be able to access a variety of market dwellings; their choices will be driven principally by how much they can afford to spend, the extent to which old age is driving their choice of home as well as personal taste. 179. The operation of the market is the best means of addressing the demand for different types of housing for sale. It is important planning policy does not place unnecessary burdens on the market preventing its ability to respond to demand; this is after all the principal way equilibrium is achieved in the housing market and house price growth kept in check. In this way, the notion of viability is essential. It is important not to deter development in the context of clear housing need; to do so will not only frustrate the delivery of new housing but also may deprive the community of resources for infrastructure improvements. 180. To determine affordability in market housing, we consider two primary indicators, ‘Income Thresholds’ (IT), which denotes the maximum share of a family’s income that should be spent on accommodation costs, and thirdly ‘Purchase Thresholds’ (PT), which denotes the standard household income requirement to access mortgage products.
i) Market sales
181. The starting point for calculating the affordability of a for sale dwelling (Purchase Threshold) for a given household is the loan to value ratio to which most mortgage companies are prepared to agree. This is conservatively estimated to be 3.5. We note that to produce a more accurate assessment of affordability, both the savings available for a deposit and the equity in the home from which the buyer is moving (if not a first-time buyer) should be taken into account. However, this data is not available for Auckley, an assumption is therefore made that a 10% purchase deposit is available to the prospective buyer. 182. The calculation is therefore:
• Value of an ‘entry level dwelling’17 = £149,998 • Purchase deposit = £15,000 @10% of value • Value of dwelling for mortgage purposes = £134,998 • Loan to value ratio = 3.5 of value of mortgage
• Purchase Threshold = £38,571
ii) Private Rented Sector (PRS)
183. Income thresholds are used to calculate the affordability of other tenures of housing, rented, and AH tenures. Households are deemed able to afford private rent if the lower quartile private rent does not exceed 25% of gross household income for households with incomes of less than £40,000 per annum or 30% for households with incomes of more than £40,000 per annum. 184. For the purposes of arriving at an understanding of lower quartile private rent, an assumption is made this equates to the average rent paid for in the NA for a two-bedroom dwelling (enough space for two or three individuals). In order to conform with the Government guidance on overcrowding,18 such a home would require three habitable rooms (a flat or house with two bedrooms). 185. We have turned to the property website Home.co.uk to establish the rental values for property in the NA. The best available data is derived from properties available for rent within the DN9. Postcode area, which covers a slightly larger are than the NA as there were no 2-bed properties for rent in the NA itself. Moreover, it forms a larger
17 Entry-level dwelling can be understood to mean the average value of dwellings falling into the lower quartile of house prices in the NA. For the purpose of this exercise, we have used the LQ house price in Table 5-3. 18 This is based in the notion of the ‘room standard’. This indicates a dwelling is legally overcrowded if two people of the opposite sex have to share a room to sleep in (this does not apply when couples share a room). See: http://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/repairs/overcrowding
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geography with a greater number of example properties; the larger sample size is likely to generate more robust findings. 186. According to this search there are five two-bed properties currently listed for rent in DN9 with an average price of £524 per month. 187. It is possible to derive from this data the estimated income threshold for PRS dwellings in the NA; the calculation is therefore
• Annual rent = £524 x 12 = £6,293 • Multiplied by 4 = £25,171 • Income Threshold (PRS) = £25,171 188. The new NPPF acknowledges that Build to Rent dwellings have a role to play in providing affordable market homes and may contribute to AH need where they include a component of Affordable Private Rent. It is therefore appropriate for policy in Auckley to support Build to Rent development.
A.2 Affordable Housing
189. We identified the various different tenures that constitute the new definition of Affordable Housing (AH) within the NPPF (2018 version): Social Rent and Affordable Rent, Starter Homes, Discounted market sales housing, and other affordable routes to home ownership. 190. This variety of AH tenures reflects an ambition by the Government to provide a pathway to home ownership to those who seek it, as well as introducing market principles into the provision of subsidised housing for rent. The aim is to divide AH into a series of products designed to appeal to different sectors of the market and, by changing eligibility criteria, bring rents closer in line with people’s ability to pay. 191. A good example is, in 2012, the introduction of dwellings for Affordable Rent, rent for this tenure is set at up to 80% of market rent, with the intention that the additional income is used to help fund the development of new homes. Labelled an ‘intermediate’ product, this would be suitable for people with an income that precludes them from eligibility for the Social Rent dwellings (those dwellings where the rent is set in accordance with the Government’s rent policy), but who cannot afford to access the private market. 192. The overall aim is to reduce the group who are eligible for Social Rent dwellings to those who have, relatively speaking, very low household incomes. However, within this segment, market principles also apply given the link between rents and size of dwelling, with a strong financial incentive for households to only occupy a dwelling deemed suited to their composition, based on an ‘occupancy rating’ formula set by the Government.
193. We consider each of the AH tenures in turn, before arriving at a recommendation for how the quota of AH yielded by development should be divided between these tenure types.
i) Social Rent
194. Rents in socially rented properties reflect a ‘formula rent’ based on a combination of individual property values and average earnings in each area, maintaining substantial discounts to market rents. As such, it is suitable for the needs of those on low incomes and is subject to strict eligibility criteria. 195. To determine social rent levels, we used the Data and Statistical Return from the HCA. This data is only available at the District level but operates as an acceptable proxy for Auckley given the shared demographic and employment characteristics identified in this study between the two geographies. DSR provides data about rents and the size and type of stock owned and managed by Private Registered Providers (PRPs) and is presented in the table below. Table A-1: Social rent levels (£)
Size 1 bed 2 beds 3 beds 4 beds All Average social rent PCM £70 £81 £92 £102 £82 Annual average £3,618 £4,232 £4,799 £5,313 £4,264 Income needed £14,471 £16,927 £19,194 £21,251 £17,054 Source: HCA, AECOM Calculations
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196. Given the household income levels reported in the SHMA, it is appropriate that a substantial portion of the AH dwellings coming through the planning system are for Social Rent.
ii) Affordable Rent
197. Commentators have repeatedly raised concerns about Affordable Rent not constituting a realistic form of AH given that in many areas this reduces rent to levels that are still beyond the means of the target group: those on incomes substantially below the mean.
198. Affordable rent is controlled at no more than 80% of the local market rent; as we have seen the annual entry-level rent is £6,293. In the event of a 20% reduction in rent to £5,034, the IT would come down to an estimated £20,137.
iii) Intermediate Tenures
199. Intermediate housing includes homes for sale and rent provided at a cost above social rent, but below market levels subject to the criteria in the Affordable Housing definition above. They can include shared equity (shared ownership and equity loans), other low-cost homes for sale and intermediate rent, but not affordable rented housing.
Starter Homes 200. The Housing and Planning Act 2016 (HPA) includes provisions to introduce a general duty on planning authorities in England to promote the supply of ‘Starter Homes’, and a specific duty to require a minimum number or proportion of ‘Starter Homes’ on certain residential development sites. In Paragraph 64 of the NPPF18, the Government introduces a recommendation that “where major housing development is proposed, planning policies and decisions should expect at least 10% of the homes to be available for affordable home ownership”. 201. This is a fulfilment of the direction of travel set out in the Housing White Paper which states that, “in keeping with our approach to deliver a range of affordable homes to buy, rather than a mandatory requirement for ‘Starter Homes,’ we intend to amend the NPPF to introduce a clear policy expectation that housing sites deliver a minimum of 10% affordable home ownership units. It will be for local areas to work with developers to agree an appropriate level of delivery of ‘Starter Homes’, alongside other affordable home ownership and rented tenures”. 202. This is a substantial watering-down of the ‘Starter Home’ requirement as envisaged when policy contained in the Housing and Planning Act was first conceived. In effect, it leaves it to local groups, including neighbourhood plans, to decide an appropriate level of affordable home ownership products, while taking note of the 10% policy expectation. 203. A Starter Home is a new build home with a value not exceeding £250,000 outside London and £450,000 inside the city; they are eligible for first time buyers aged under 40.
204. The decision whether to treat Discounted Market Sale Homes (DMSH) as AH should be determined by whether lowering the asking price of new build homes of a size and type suitable to first time buyers by 20% would bring them within reach of people currently unable to access Affordable Market Housing for purchase. 205. To provide a conservative assessment of the suitability of DMSH, we propose to use the value we have estimated for an entry-level dwelling of £149,998. 206. Applying a discount of 20% arrives at the approximate selling price of £119,998. Allowing for a 10% deposit further reduces the value of the property to £107,998. The IT at a multiple of 3.5 is £30,857. 207. The income required is significantly higher than the median income for Auckley (£20,098) for households in need of housing, and although building Starter Homes would reduce affordability pressures, home ownership would still remain out of reach for many people. 208. Notwithstanding, for those earning over £30,000 who wish to purchase their own home, Starter Homes offer a route to do so. Shared Ownership 209. As we have seen, there are relatively few shared ownership dwellings in Auckley (17 at the time of the last Census). Nevertheless, it is worth considering its future role. 210. Shared ownership involves the purchaser buying an initial share in a property typically of between 25% and 75% and paying rent on the share retained by the provider. Shared ownership is flexible in two respects, in the share which can be purchased and in the rental payable on the share retained by the provider. Both of these are variable. The share
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owned by the leaseholder can be varied by 'stair casing'. Generally, stair casing will be upward, increasing thereby the share owned. In exceptional circumstances (as a result of financial difficulties, and where the alternative is repossession), and at the discretion of the provider, shared owners may staircase down, thereby reducing the share they own. Shared equity is available to both first-time buyers, people who have owned a home previously and council and housing association tenants with a good credit rating whose household income does not exceed £60,000. 211. To determine the affordability of shared ownership, calculations are based on the lower quartile house price of £149,998 in 2017.19 The amount of the deposit available to the prospective purchaser is assumed to be 10% of the value of the dwelling, and the standard loan to value ratio of 3.5 is used to calculate the income required to obtain a mortgage. The income required to cover the rental component of the dwelling is based on the assumption that a household spends no more than 25% of the income on rent (as for the IT for PRS). 212. A 25% equity share of £149,998 is £37,499, from which a 10% deposit of £3,750 is netted off. The mortgage value of £33,749 (£37,499 - £3,750) is then divided by 3.5. To secure a mortgage of £33,749, an annual income of £9,643 (£33,749 / 3.5) is therefore needed. In addition to the mortgage costs, rent is charged on the remaining 75% shared ownership equity, the unsold value of £112,498. An ongoing annual rent equivalent to 2.5% of the value of the unsold equity is assumed, which is £2,812 and requires an income of £11,250. Therefore, an income of around £20,893 (£9,643 + £11,250) is required to afford a 25% shared equity purchase of an entry-level house with annual rent. 213. A 50% equity share of £149,998 is £74,999, from which we are netting off a 10% deposit of £7,500. The mortgage cost of £67,499 (£74,999 - £7,500) is then divided by 3.5. To secure a mortgage of £67,499, an annual income of £19,285 (£67,499 / 3.5) is therefore needed. In addition to the mortgage costs, rent is charged on the remaining 25% shared ownership equity, the unsold value of £74,999. An ongoing annual rent equivalent to 2.5% of the value of the unsold equity is assumed, which corresponds to £1,875, requiring an income of £7,500. Therefore, an annual income of around £26,785 (£19,285 + £7,500) is required to afford a 50% shared equity purchase of an entry-level house with annual rent. 214. A 75% equity share of £149,998 is £112,498, from which we are netting off a 10% deposit of £11,250. The mortgage cost of £101,248 (£112,498 - £11,250) is then divided by 3.5. To secure a mortgage of £101,248, an annual income of £28,928 (£101,248 / 3.5) is therefore needed. In addition to the mortgage costs, rent is charged on the remaining 25% shared ownership equity, the unsold value of £37,499. An ongoing annual rent equivalent to 2.5% of the value of the unsold equity is assumed, which corresponds to £937, requiring an income of £3,750. Therefore, an annual income of around £32,678 (£28,928 + £3,750) is required to afford a 75% shared equity purchase of an entry-level house with annual rent. 215. Given these values, again noting where these values fall in relation to Affordable Rented dwellings, PRS, and for sale homes, Shared Ownership offers an alternative to people currently in rented accommodation seeking to move over to a tenure that offers a route to home ownership. For this reason, it is reasonable to include this tenure within the housing mix at Auckley.
19 It is important to note that this is based on new build sales only. The current shared ownership models are only available for new build homes, with the assumed cost therefore differing from the cost of open market housing, which also include resale properties.
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Appendix B : Housing Needs Assessment Glossary
Adoption
The final confirmation of a local plan by a local planning authority.
Affordability20
The terms ‘affordability’ and ‘affordable housing’ have different meanings. ‘Affordability’ is a measure of whether housing may be afforded by certain groups of households. ‘Affordable housing’ refers to particular products outside the main housing market.
Affordability Ratio
Assessing affordability involves comparing house costs against the ability to pay. The ratio between lower quartile house prices and the lower quartile income or earnings can be used to assess the relative affordability of housing. The Ministry for Housing, Community and Local Governments publishes quarterly the ratio of lower quartile house price to lower quartile earnings by local authority (LQAR) as well as median house price to median earnings by local authority (MAR) e.g. income = £25,000, house price = £200,000. House price: income ratio = £200,000/£25,000 = 8, (the house price is 8 times income).
Affordable Housing (NPPF Definition)/Intermediate Housing21
Social rented, affordable rented, and intermediate housing provided to eligible households whose needs are not met by the market. Eligibility is determined with regard to local incomes and local house prices. Affordable housing should include provisions to remain at an affordable price for future eligible households or for the subsidy to be recycled for alternative affordable housing provision. Social rented housing is owned by local authorities and private registered providers (as defined in section 80 of the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008), for which guideline target rents are determined through the national rent regime. It may also be owned by other persons and provided under equivalent rental arrangements to the above, as agreed with the local authority or with Homes England. Affordable rented housing is let by local authorities or private registered providers of social housing to households who are eligible for social rented housing. Affordable Rent is subject to rent controls that require a rent of no more than 80% of the local market rent (including service charges, where applicable). Intermediate housing is homes for sale and rent provided at a cost above social rent, but below market levels subject to the criteria in the Affordable Housing definition above. These can include shared equity (shared ownership and equity loans), other low- cost homes for sale and intermediate rent, but not affordable rented housing. Homes that do not meet the above definition of affordable housing, such as “low cost market” housing, may not be considered as affordable housing for planning purposes.
Affordable Rented Housing
Rented housing let by registered providers of social housing to households who are eligible for social rented housing. Affordable Rent is not subject to the national rent regime** but is subject to other rent controls that require a rent of no more than 80% of the local market rent (Including service charges, where applicable)*** ** The national rent regime is the regime under which the social rents of tenants of social housing are set, with particular reference to the Guide to Social Rent Reforms (March 2001) and the Rent Influencing Regime Guidance (October 2001). *** Local market rents are calculated using the Royal Institution for Chartered Surveyors (RICS) approved valuation methods. The Tenant Services Authority has issued an explanatory note on these at http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/1918430.pdf
Annual Monitoring Report
A report submitted to the Government by local planning authorities assessing progress with and the effectiveness of a Local Development Framework.
Basic Conditions
The basic conditions are the legal tests that are made at the examination stage of neighbourhood development plans. They need to be met before a plan can progress to referendum.
Backlog Need
The backlog need constitutes those households who are eligible for Affordable Housing, on account of homelessness, over-crowding, concealment or affordability, but who are yet to be offered a home suited to their needs.
20 http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/1918430.pdf 21 https://www.gov.uk/guidance/national-planning-policy-framework/annex-2-glossary
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Bedroom Standard22
A measure of occupancy (whether a property is overcrowded or under‐occupied, based on the number of bedrooms in a property and the type of household in residence. The Census overcrowding data is based on occupancy rating (overcrowding by number of rooms not including bathrooms and hallways). This tends to produce higher levels of overcrowding/ under-occupation. A detailed definition of the standard is given in the Glossary of the EHS Household Report.
Co-living
Co-living denotes people who do not have family ties sharing either a self-contained dwelling (i.e. a 'house share') or new development akin to student housing in which people have a bedroom and bathroom to themselves, but share living and kitchen space with others. In co-living schemes each individual represents a separate 'household'.
Community Led Housing/Community Land Trusts
Housing development, provision and management that is led by the community is very often driven by a need to secure affordable housing for local people in the belief that housing that comes through the planning system may be neither the right tenure or price-point to be attractive or affordable to local people. The principle forms of community-led models include cooperatives, co-housing communities, self- help housing, community self-build housing, collective custom-build housing, and community land trusts. By bringing forward development which is owned by the community, the community is able to set rents and/or mortgage payments at a rate that it feels is appropriate. The Government has a range of support programmers for people interested in bringing forward community led housing.
Community Right to Build Order23
An Order made by the local planning authority (under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990) that grants planning permission for a site- specific development proposal or classes of development.
Concealed Families (Census Definition)24
The 2011 Census defined a concealed family as one with young adults living with a partner and/or child/children in the same household as their parents, older couples living with an adult child and their family or unrelated families sharing a household. A single person cannot be a concealed family; therefore, one elderly parent living with their adult child and family or an adult child returning to the parental home is not a concealed family; the latter are reported in an ONS analysis on increasing numbers of young adults living with parents.
Equity Loans/Shared Equity
An equity loan which acts as a second charge on a property. For example, a household buys a £200,000 property with a 10% equity loan (£20,000). They pay a small amount for the loan and when the property is sold e.g. for £250,000 the lender receives 10% of the sale cost (£25,000). Some equity loans were available for the purchase of existing stock. The current scheme is to assist people to buy new build.
Extra Care Housing25
New forms of sheltered housing and retirement housing have been pioneered in recent years, to cater for older people who are becoming frailer and less able to do everything for themselves. Extra Care Housing is housing designed with the needs of frailer older people in mind and with varying levels of care and support available on site. People who live in Extra Care Housing have their own self-contained homes, their own front doors and a legal right to occupy the property. Extra Care Housing is also known as very or enhanced sheltered housing, assisted living, or simply as 'housing with care'. It comes in many built forms, including blocks of flats, bungalow estates and retirement villages. It is a popular choice among older people because it can sometimes provide an alternative to a care home. In addition to the communal facilities often found in sheltered housing (residents' lounge, guest suite, laundry), Extra Care often includes a restaurant or dining room, health & fitness facilities, hobby rooms and even computer rooms. Domestic support and personal care are available, usually provided by on-site staff. Properties can be rented, owned or part owned/part rented. There is a limited (though increasing) amount of Extra Care Housing in most areas and most providers set eligibility criteria which prospective residents have to meet.
Fair Share
'Fair share' is an approach to determining housing need within a given geographical area based on a proportional split according to the size of the area, the number of homes in it, or its population.
22 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/english‐housing‐survey‐ 2011‐to‐2012‐headline‐report 23 https://www.gov.uk/guidance/national-planning-policy-framework/annex-2-glossary 24http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20160107160832/http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171776_350282.pdf 25 http://www.housingcare.org/jargon-extra-care-housing.aspx
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Habitable Rooms
The number of habitable rooms in a home is the total number of rooms, less bathrooms, toilets and halls.
Household Reference Person (HRP)
The concept of a Household Reference Person (HRP) was introduced in the 2001 Census (in common with other government surveys in 2001/2) to replace the traditional concept of the head of the household. HRPs provide an individual person within a household to act as a reference point for producing further derived statistics and for characterising a whole household according to characteristics of the chosen reference person.
Housing Market Area (PPG Definition)26
A housing market area is a geographical area defined by household demand and preferences for all types of housing, reflecting the key functional linkages between places where people live and work. It might be the case that housing market areas overlap.
The extent of the housing market areas identified will vary, and many will in practice cut across various local planning authority administrative boundaries. Local planning authorities should work with all the other constituent authorities under the duty to cooperate.
Housing Needs
There is no official definition of housing need in either the National Planning Policy Framework or the National Planning Practice Guidance. Clearly, individuals have their own housing needs. The process of understanding housing needs at a population scale is undertaken via the preparation of a Strategic Housing Market Assessment (see below).
Housing Needs Assessment
A Housing Needs Assessment (HNA) is an assessment of housing needs at the Neighbourhood Area level.
Housing Products
Housing products simply refer to different types of housing as they are produced by developers of various kinds (including councils and housing associations). Housing products usually refer to specific tenures and types of new build housing, such as Starter Homes, the Government’s flagship ‘housing product’.
Housing Size (Census Definition)
Housing size can be referred to either in terms of the number of bedrooms in a home (a bedroom is defined as any room that was intended to be used as a bedroom when the property was built, any rooms permanently converted for use as bedrooms); or in terms of the number of rooms, excluding bathrooms, toilets halls or landings, or rooms that can only be used for storage. All other rooms, for example, kitchens, living rooms, bedrooms, utility rooms, studies and conservatories are counted. If two rooms have been converted into one, they are counted as one room. Rooms shared between a number of households, for example a shared kitchen, are not counted.
Housing Type (Census Definition)
This refers to the type of accommodation used or available for use by an individual household, including detached, semi-detached, terraced including end of terraced, and flats. Flats are broken down into those in a purpose-built block of flats, in parts of a converted or shared house, or in a commercial building.
Housing Tenure (Census Definition)
Tenure provides information about whether a household rents or owns the accommodation that it occupies and, if rented, combines this with information about the type of landlord who owns or manages the accommodation.
Income Threshold
Income thresholds are derived as a result of the annualisation of the monthly rental cost and then asserting this cost should not exceed 35% of annual household income.
Intercensal Period 2001-2011
26 https://www.gov.uk/guidance/housing-and-economic-development-needs-assessments
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The period between the last two censuses, i.e. between years 2001 and 2011.
Intermediate Housing
Intermediate housing is homes for sale and rent provided at a cost above social rent, but below market levels subject to the criteria in the Affordable Housing definition above. These can include shared equity (shared ownership and equity loans), other low-cost homes for sale and intermediate rent, but not affordable rented housing. Homes that do not meet the above definition of affordable housing, such as ‘low cost market’ housing, may not be considered as affordable housing for planning purposes.
Life Stage Modelling
Life Stage modelling is forecasting need for dwellings of different sizes at the end of the Plan period on the basis of changes in the distribution of household types and key age brackets (life stages) within the NA. Given the shared behavioural patterns associated with these metrics, they provide a helpful way of understanding and predicting future community need. This data is not available at the parish level, so District level data is employed on the basis of the NA falling within a defined Housing Market Area.
Life-time Homes
Dwellings constructed to make them more flexible, convenient adaptable and accessible than most ‘normal’ houses, usually according to the Lifetime Homes Standard, 16 design criteria that can be applied to new homes at minimal cost: http://www.lifetimehomes.org.uk/http://www.lifetimehomes.org.uk/.
Life-time Neighbourhoods
Lifetime neighbourhoods extend the principles of Lifetime Homes into the wider neighbourhood to ensure the public realm is designed in such a way to be as inclusive as possible and designed to address the needs of older people, for example providing more greenery and more walkable, better connected places.
Local Development Order
An Order made by a local planning authority (under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990) that grants planning permission for a specific development proposal or classes of development.
Local Enterprise Partnership
A body, designated by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, established for the purpose of creating or improving the conditions for economic growth in an area.
Local Planning Authority
The public authority whose duty it is to carry out specific planning functions for a particular area. All references to local planning authority apply to the District council, London borough council, county council, Broads Authority, National Park Authority and the Greater London Authority, to the extent appropriate to their responsibilities.
Local Plan
The plan for the future development of the local area, drawn up by the local planning authority in consultation with the community. In law this is described as the development plan documents adopted under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. Current core strategies or other planning policies, which under the regulations would be considered to be development plan documents, form part of the Local Plan. The term includes old policies which have been saved under the 2004 Act.
Lower Quartile
The bottom 25% value, i.e. of all the properties sold, 25% were cheaper than this value and 75% were more expensive. The lower quartile price is used as an entry level price and is the recommended level used to evaluate affordability; for example, for first time buyers.
Lower Quartile Affordability Ratio
The Lower Quartile Affordability Ratio reflects the relationship between Lower Quartile Household Incomes and Lower Quartile House Prices, and is a key indicator of affordability of market housing for people on relatively low incomes.
Market Housing (PPG Definition)
Market housing is housing which is built by developers (which may be private companies or housing associations, or Private Registered Providers), for the purposes of sale (or rent) on the open market. It is the opposite of affordable housing.
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Mean (Average)
The sum of all values divided by the number of values. The more commonly used “average” measure as it includes all values, unlike the median
Median
The middle value, i.e. of all the properties sold, half were cheaper, and half were more expensive. This is sometimes used instead of the mean average as it is not subject to skew by very large or very small statistical outliers.
Median Affordability Ratio
The Lower Quartile Affordability Ratio reflects the relationship between Median Household Incomes and Median House Prices, and is a key indicator of affordability of market housing for people on middle-range incomes.
Mortgage Ratio
The mortgage ratio is the ratio of mortgage value to income which is typically deemed acceptable by banks. Approximately 75% of all mortgage lending ratios fell below 4 in recent years27, i.e. the total value of the mortgage was less than 4 times the annual income of the person who was granted the mortgage.
Neighbourhood Plan
A plan prepared by a Parish or Town Council or Neighbourhood Forum for a particular neighbourhood area (made under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004).
Older People
People over retirement age, including the active, newly-retired through to the very frail elderly, whose housing needs can encompass accessible, adaptable general needs housing for those looking to downsize from family housing and the full range of retirement and specialised housing for those with support or care needs.
Output Area/Lower Super Output Area/Middle Super Output Area
An output area is the lowest level of geography for publishing statistics and is the core geography from which statistics for other geographies are built. Output areas were created for England and Wales from the 2001 Census data, by grouping a number of households and populations together so that each output area's population is roughly the same. 175,434 output areas were created from the 2001 Census data, each containing a minimum of 100 persons with an average of 300 persons. Lower Super Output Areas consist of higher geographies of between 1,000-1,500 persons (made up of a number of individual Output Areas) and Middle Super Output Areas are higher than this, containing between 5,000 and 7,200 people, and made up of individual Lower Layer Super Output Areas. Some statistics are only available down to Middle Layer Super Output Area level, meaning that they are not available for individual Output Areas or parishes.
Overcrowding
There is no one agreed definition of overcrowding, however, utilising the Government’s bedroom standard, overcrowding is deemed to be in households where there is more than one person in the household per room (excluding kitchens, bathrooms, halls and storage areas). As such, a home with one bedroom and one living room and one kitchen would be deemed overcrowded if three adults were living there.
Planning Condition
A condition imposed on a grant of planning permission (in accordance with the Town and Country Planning Act 1990) or a condition included in a Local Development Order or Neighbourhood Development Order.
Planning Obligation
A legally enforceable obligation entered into under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to mitigate the impacts of a development proposal.
Purchase Threshold
27 https://www.which.co.uk/news/2017/08/how-your-income-affects-your-mortgage-chances/
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Purchase thresholds are calculated by netting 10% off the entry house price to reflect purchase deposit. The resulting cost is divided by 4 to reflect the standard household income requirement to access mortgage products.
Proportionate and Robust Evidence (PPG Definition)
Proportionate and robust evidence is evidence which is deemed appropriate in scale, scope and depth for the purposes of neighbourhood planning, sufficient so as to meet the Basic Conditions, as well as robust enough to withstand legal challenge. It is referred to a number of times in the PPG and its definition and interpretation relies on the judgement of professionals such as Neighbourhood Plan Examiners.
Private Rented
The Census tenure private rented includes a range of different living situations in practice, such as private rented / other including households living “rent free”. Around 20% of the private rented sector are in this category, which will have included some benefit claimants whose housing benefit at the time was paid directly to their landlord. This could mean people whose rent is payed by their employer, including some people in the armed forces. Some housing association tenants may also have been counted as living in the private rented sector because of confusion about what a housing association is.
Rural Exception Sites
Small sites used for affordable housing in perpetuity where sites would not normally be used for housing. Rural exception sites seek to address the needs of the local community by accommodating households who are either current residents or have an existing family or employment connection. Small numbers of market homes may be allowed at the local authority’s discretion, for example where essential to enable the delivery of affordable units without grant funding.
Shared Ownership
Housing where a purchaser part buys and part rents from a housing association or local authority. Typical purchase share is between 25% and 75%, and buyers are encouraged to buy the largest share they can afford. Generally, applies to new build properties, but re‐sales occasionally become available. There may be an opportunity to rent at intermediate rent level before purchasing a share in order to save/increase the deposit level
Sheltered Housing28
Sheltered housing (also known as retirement housing) means having your own flat or bungalow in a block, or on a small estate, where all the other residents are older people (usually over 55). With a few exceptions, all developments (or 'schemes') provide independent, self- contained homes with their own front doors. There are many different types of scheme, both to rent and to buy. They usually contain between 15 and 40 properties, and range in size from studio flats (or 'bedsits') through to 2 and 3 bedroomed. Properties in most schemes are designed to make life a little easier for older people - with features like raised electric sockets, lowered worktops, walk-in showers, and so on. Some will usually be designed to accommodate wheelchair users. And they are usually linked to an emergency alarm service (sometimes called 'community alarm service') to call help if needed. Many schemes also have their own 'manager' or 'warden', either living on-site or nearby, whose job is to manage the scheme and help arrange any services residents need. Managed schemes will also usually have some shared or communal facilities such as a lounge for residents to meet, a laundry, a guest flat and a garden.
Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (NPPF Definition)
A Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) is a document prepared by one or more local planning authorities to establish realistic assumptions about the availability, suitability and the likely economic viability of land to meet the identified need for housing over the plan period. SHLAAs are sometimes also called LAA (Land Availability Assessments) or HELAAS (Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessments) so as to integrate the need to balance assessed housing and economic needs as described below.
Strategic Housing Market Assessment (NPPF Definition)
A Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA) is a document prepared by one or more local planning authorities to assess their housing needs, usually across administrative boundaries to encompass the whole housing market area. The NPPF makes clear that SHMAs should identify the scale and mix of housing and the range of tenures the local population is likely to need over the plan period. Sometimes SHMAs are combined with Economic Development Needs Assessments to create documents known as HEDNAs (Housing and Economic Development Needs Assessments).
Specialist Housing for the Elderly
Specialist housing for the elderly, sometimes known as specialist accommodation for the elderly, encompasses a wide range of housing types specifically aimed at older people, which may often be restricted to those in certain older age groups (usually 55+ or 65+). This could
28 http://www.housingcare.org/jargon-sheltered-housing.aspx
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include residential institutions, sometimes known as care homes, sheltered housing, extra care housing, retirement housing and a range of other potential types of housing which has been designed and built to serve the needs of older people, including often providing care or other additional services. This housing can be provided in a range of tenures (often on a rented or leasehold basis).
Social Rented Housing
Social rented housing is owned by local authorities and private registered providers (as defined in Section 80 of the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008.) for which guideline target rents are determined through the national rent regime. It may also be owned by other persons and provided under equivalent rental arrangements to the above, as agreed with the local authority or with Homes England.29
29 http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/doc/1980960.doc#Housing
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Appendix C : Comments
AECOM Comment Actions
Date:
Comment No. or AECOM Action or Non- Explanation Summary Action
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Auckley Ecology & Biodiversity New Development & Planning Permission
Contents Introduction ...... 3 Current Practice ...... 3 Relevant Data ...... 4 Doncaster Council Biological Data Search ...... 4 The Environment Agency ...... 4 Other Records ...... 4 Aerial photography ...... 4 Habitats & Environment ...... 4 Hedgerows ...... 4 Woodland & Shrubland ...... 5 Water ...... 5 Grassland ...... 5 Greenbelt ...... 5 Mosaic habitat ...... 6 Protected Species ...... 6 Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 ...... 6 Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 ...... 6 Protection of Badgers Act 1992 ...... 7 Doncaster Local Plan 2015 – 2035 (Publication version June 2019) ...... 7 National Planning Policy Framework (February 2019) ...... 7 Environment Bill (pending) ...... 7 Biodiversity Metric 2.0 ...... 8 Recent Cases ...... 8 Contravention to Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 ...... 8 Incomplete Ecology Survey ...... 8 Environmental Pollution ...... 9 References ...... 10 Figure 1: River Torne Water Levels 2015- 2020 ...... 11 Figure 2: Google maps ...... 12 Whitmoore Drive ...... 12 New College ...... 12 Yorkshire Wildlife Park...... 13
Introduction The ecology and biodiversity in Auckley are predominantly settled and have been undisturbed for decades or longer; evolution of ecosystems has followed, and continues to follow, natural paths and adaptation to changing environments and climate change. Areas which have previously served as industrial and commercial grounds are reclaimed by nature and have established carbon stores, food webs and biodiversity [NB historical aerial photography is available to purchase, new aerial photography should be considered]. Legislative changes in agriculture has seen an increase in raptors in the area over the last 30 years and the presence of apex predators including raptors, snakes and badgers demonstrates a settled and complex food web and ecosystem with good vegetative and invertebrate biodiversity [NB DMBC Biological data search suggested]. The ecology and biodiversity in Auckley centre around the River Torne and other historic water bodies as a water source, and as water levels rise (Figure 1) as a result of climate change and an increase in hard- standing development, fallow land has begun to re-establish seasonal and permanent standing water bodies which not only provide diverse habitats but also form part of the natural flood defence and are a valuable carbon store. This evolution is a partial reversion to original topography, the area being reclaimed wetlands drained by Vermuyden technology in the early 17th Century (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2020). These drainage ditches and dikes are of historical import and serve to manage water levels and the local ecology has evolved to be suited to this environment for around 400 years. Auckley has areas of established historical hedgerow environments as well as historic ditches & dikes, grassland, shrubland and woodland of varying degrees of management which support indigenous avian, mammalian and reptilian species themselves dependent on a biodiversity of vegetation and invertebrate life.
Current Practice Recent planning applications have been based in whole, or in part, on desk studies with regards to ecology and geology and have utilised Google Earth (or similar) dated aerial images to demark potential ecology and habitat. These are not an appropriate means to assess the current status of habitat or land. Geological changes have been historically key in the area with quarrying of sand and gravel having been prevalent; only site exploration and soil core sampling can identify the geological (and contamination) status of a site. A planning application indicating gravel and sand is still present on a site quarried years ago has not considered the geology of the area sufficiently and therefore any flood risk assessment is void and planned construction practices may be inappropriate. Publicly available aerial photography, such as Google Maps, are out-dated. For example, the Whitmoore Drive estate is still shown as arable agricultural land, New College a sports field for Hayfield School and The Yorkshire Wildlife Park footprint is much smaller than current reality ( Figure 2). Furthermore, the use of read-across to historical organism and land surveys provides inaccurate information and care should be taken to scrutinise restrictions to recent surveys (such as a lack of water-side survey for water voles). Current analytical techniques to identify land contamination should be utilised; the sensitivity of analytical techniques has improved exponentially over the last 30 years (advent of inductively coupled plasma, mass spectrometry and gel permeation chromatography, for example). A Weight-of-Evidence approach (based on historic data) is therefore not appropriate for ecological and biodiversity impact assessment as the level of protection is unproven and more often than not a cautionary approach is not taken. Land contamination should be adequately addressed for each site given the historic use of organophosphates, PBT’s, hydrocarbons and quarry-associated chemical processes. Many village sites are suitable habitat for protected species and each site should be surveyed seasonally, thoroughly (without restriction or constraint) and in a timely manner prior to planning permission application; the presence of protected species and habitats should be a driving consideration in development, not an after- thought.
Relevant Data Doncaster Council Biological Data Search Doncaster Council have a biological reporting system where reports of species are logged. Although a service which incurs a charge, data can be requested (e.g. Full species search in 2 km buffer, £208.33). Data is provided from a variety of sources including members of the public, natural history groups, recording societies and ecological consultancies. In addition to this, Doncaster Council undertakes a rolling survey and assessment of Local Wildlife Sites to ensure that the information held for these wildlife hotspots is current, comprehensive and accurate. Since 2008 over 50% of Local Sites have been surveyed by suitably qualified surveyors.
Records can be submitted by members of the public and are welcomed and encouraged by Helen Markham, Doncaster Council Ecologist. Residents of Auckley should be encouraged to submit recordings of species to ensure that an accurate record of biodiversity in the village is held: https://www.doncaster.gov.uk/services/planning/submitting-biological-records The Environment Agency Xxx Other Records Records of relevance may also be acquired from;
• South Yorkshire Badger Group • South Yorkshire Bat Group • Doncaster Naturalists’ Society • Yorkshire Naturalists’ Union • Biological Records Centre (BRC) • National Biodiversity Network (NBN) • British Trust of Ornithology (BTO) • Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) • Natural England • Yorkshire Wildlife Trust (YWT) Aerial photography xxx
Habitats & Environment Hedgerows Whether hedgerows are protected or not (The Hedgerows Regulations, 1997), they provide habitat for many species. There are many provisions for the protection of hedgerows which should be fully investigated prior to planning permission being granted where a hedgerow exists.
Pertaining to ecology and biodiversity specifically, hedgerows are protected if;
• contains protected species (The Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981) • contains species that are endangered, vulnerable and rare and identified in the British Red Data books • includes woody species and associated features as specified in Schedule 1, Part II Criteria, paragraph 7(1) of the Hedgerow Regulations - the number of woody species needed to meet the criteria is one less in northern counties
As the presence of badgers (protected), hedgehogs (endangered) and grass snakes (protected) in Auckley is known, a thorough biological survey (including vegetation and invertebrates) should be undertaken by suitably qualified independent experts and cover all relevant seasons; the assessment of the outcome of which should be a condition of planning application approval (considering the requirement for 10% net gain of biodiversity stated in the NPPF (Ministry of Housing Communities & Local Government, 2019). Woodland & Shrubland The geology of the area, particularly previously quarried ground, often results in stunted growth of mature trees owing to lower nutrient value in the topsoil. Since tree protection, and woodland / shrubland protection can be applied at least in part by age, the size of the tree cannot be taken as an indication of age in this locality. Thus, alternative techniques must be utilised when assessing any tree, woodland or shrubland. Surveys which make conclusions on tree age based on height / size alone are not appropriate for this locality. Owing to poor nutrient and seasonal changes in the water table, trees in the locality have the potential to have far-reaching roots. This should be particularly considered where a tree, shrubland or woodland have been considered to be protected either in any case or as part of a specific planning permission since direct impact should be assed for:
• damaging or destroying all or part of them (including their soils, ground flora or fungi) • damaging roots and understorey (all the vegetation under the taller trees) • damaging or compacting soil around the tree roots • polluting the ground around them • changing the water table or drainage of woodland or individual trees
Where a buffer zone is proposed in mitigation, guidance is that the buffer zone around tree should be at least 15 times larger than the diameter of the tree. The buffer zone should be 5m from the edge of the tree’s canopy if that area is larger than 15 times the tree’s diameter. Thought should be given to the age of the tree and likely root system footprint and consideration to extending the recommended buffer zone scope since the visible tree may be smaller than its root system in this locality. Water River Xxx Standing water & wetlands Xxx Ditches and Dikes Xxx Grassland Xxx Greenbelt xxx Mosaic habitat xxx
Protected Species Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 Section 9(1) of the Act (The Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981) prohibits the killing, injuring or taking by any method of those wild mammals listed on Schedule 5 of the Act. Section 9(4)(a) prohibits the damage, destruction, or obstruction of access to any structure or place which any wild mammal listed on Schedule 5 uses for shelter or protection, and Section 9(4)(b) prohibits the disturbance of any such mammal while it is occupying a structure or place which it uses for that purpose.
As no recent and truly independent and thorough studies or surveys have been undertaken, it is entirely appropriate to survey each proposed site (and surrounding area) for the presence of protected species. The following protected species are known, or suspected to inhabit the locality or adjacent lands:
Arvicola terrestris Water vole
Lutra lutra Otter
Vespertilionindae & Rhinolophidae All bats
Anguis fragilis Slow worm
Natrix natrix Grass snake
Vipera berus Adder
Triturus cristatus Greater crested newt
Further protected species which may be present (not limited to):
Graphoderus zonatus Water beetle
Paracymus aeneus Water beetle
Various lepidoptera and other invertebrates. Avoidance of development in the habitat of these protected species should be the first requirement. Mitigation should be thorough and complete and impose zero impact on the protected species. Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 Whilst hedgehogs are not protected under Schedule 5 of the Act (The Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981), they are listed on schedule 6 of the which makes it illegal to kill or capture wild hedgehogs. They are also listed under the Wild Mammals Protection Act (Wild Mammals (Protection) Act, 1996), which prohibits cruel treatment of hedgehogs and are a species of ‘principal importance’ under NERC (Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act, 2006) , which is meant to confer a ‘duty of responsibility’ to public bodies. With the hedgehog population in steep decline and public opinion moving toward their inclusion in Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act, it would be prudent to consider the hedgehog as if it were protected as such, in order for the public body (DMBC, Auckley Parish Council) to uphold their duty of care under the NERC Act. Protection of Badgers Act 1992 Since badger setts are known to exist in the locality, including on land with current pending permission sought for development, it is appropriate to consider the Act (Protection of Badgers Act, 1992). it is an offence to:
• Wilfully kill, injure or take a badger (or attempt to do so). • Cruelly ill-treat a badger. • Dig for a badger. • Intentionally or recklessly damage or destroy a badger sett, or obstruct access to it. • Cause a dog to enter a badger sett. • Disturb a badger when it is occupying a sett.
Whilst licences to undertake some actions can be issued if it is justified, for example where a badger sett is found on a proposed site for a road, it is imperative that Natural England (licence granter in England) be consulted and a full risk assessment be undertaken. The preference would be to leave the land undeveloped since Badgers are protected.
Doncaster Local Plan 2015 – 2035 (Publication version June 2019) Xxx
National Planning Policy Framework (February 2019) The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) protects the seasonal and permanent standing water bodies and historical drains and ditches in that they provide flood mitigation, improve biodiversity and minimise greenhouse gas emissions through their role as carbon stores (para 148, 149). Furthermore, core strategy 15 serves to preserve and enhance areas of diverse ecology and requires robust ecological and land contamination surveys (remediation at cost to the developer). Paragraph 170 stipulates that net gain for biodiversity should be achieved.
Environment Bill (pending) The Environment Bill (as current), Schedule 15 introduces the requirement for a biodiversity net gain to be a general condition of planning permission approval. Thus, the pre-development biodiversity value of the site should be considered against the proposed post-development biodiversity value of the site. Off-site biodiversity gain can be used to offset net-loss of a development, so vigilance is required to ensure off-site development to improve net gain are fulfilled accordingly, where relevant. Net-gain for biodiversity may also be purchased so a stipulation that biodiversity net gain should be within the Parish boundaries and agreed with the Parish Council is suggested, whether the off-set net gain is off-site or purchased.
The net gain percentage requirement is 10% though this is a minimum and thought should be given to the possibility of increasing this on a Parish level, if possible. The protection that the Bill affords in that pre-development biodiversity levels are legally set to October 2019 (unless agreed otherwise by the planning department and developers) may be of detriment to Auckley’s biodiversity in that many proposed development sites are privately owned, have restricted public access and the quality of existing survey data is unknown. Thus, if possible, a locally driven stipulation should be considered following acquisition of data from DMBC (Biological data search) and perhaps a new local baseline survey.
“Some experts had worried that some landowners could be tempted to reduce the biodiversity value of their land prior to the implementation of the net gain policy, making it easier to achieve a 10% target, but the new bill has effectively ruled that out by setting a date of 15 October 2019 as the baseline from which the value of biodiversity will be applied, unless otherwise agreed between the developer and local planning authority.” (Agyepong-Parsons, 2019)
Biodiversity Metric 2.0 The Biodiversity Metric 2.0 (The Biodiversity Metric 2.0, 2019) provides a way of measuring and accounting for biodiversity losses and gains resulting from development or land management change. Biodiversity Metric 2.0 updates and replaces the original Defra biodiversity metric. Biodiversity Metric 2.0 has been developed with input from a wide range of environmental NGOs, developers, land managers, Government agencies and other interested parties.
The full report for each planning application, showing current status (including data entry) and the proposed enhancement should be made available for scrutiny and it will be vital to establish that recently acquired, accurate and objective data has been used for the calculation tool (constraints owing to the Environmental Bill are relevant here).
Recent Cases Recent developments have impacted negatively on the ecology and biodiversity of the village of Auckley. Developments have started prior to planning permission approval, habitats have been destroyed in contravention to CEMP’s and planning applications continue to be submitted with incomplete or inadequate ecological assessments. Planning approvals should be granted only where robust ecological impact assessments have been made and evaluated, planning applications should only be considered where a robust ecological report has been submitted and detrimental impact to ecology at the hands of developers should incur consequences, particularly in contravention to the law, to deter future detriment to the environment. Contravention to Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 Developer / Applicant Yorkshire Wildlife Park Activity Destruction of reptile / wet grassland habitat in a restricted season prior to planning application approval being sought and prior to release by a qualified ecologist Date July 2019 Reference 19/00486/FUL Mitigation Under the consideration of DMBC
Incomplete Ecology Survey Developer / Applicant HTC Wolffkran Ltd Activity Submission of inadequate ecology report Date Application received 26 November 2019 Reference 19/02884/FULM Mitigation Ongoing application. DMBC Ecologist objects on these grounds and cites the following species to be of significance: Bats Reptiles Mature trees (avian roosting) Greater crested newts
Environmental Pollution Developer / Applicant Yorkshire Wildlife Park Activity Run-off of exposed topsoil into historic and biodiverse ditches and over road surface due to changed topography and failure to protect topsoil against advice of engineers Reference October 2019 Mitigation 19/00486/FUL Under the consideration of DMBC
References Agyepong-Parsons, J. (2019). Environment Bill: New law would lock in biodiversity baselines for net gain . ENDS Report.
Ministry of Housing Communities & Local Government. (2019). National Planning Policy Framework. CP 48.
Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act. (2006). UK Public General Acts. c. 16.
Protection of Badgers Act. (1992). UK Public General Acts. c. 51.
The Biodiversity Metric 2.0. (2019). Natural England / DEFRA. JP029.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2020). Sir Cornelius Vermuyden . Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Cornelius-Vermuyden
The Hedgerows Regulations. (1997). UK Statutory Instruments. No. 1160.
The Wildlife and Countryside Act. (1981). UK Public General Acts. c. 69.
Wild Mammals (Protection) Act. (1996). UK Public General Acts. c. 3.
Figure 1: River Torne Water Levels 2015- 2020 River Torne Water Levels 3 2.5 2 1.5 1 0.5 0 -0.5
-1
2/22/2016 4/22/2016 6/22/2016 8/22/2016 2/22/2017 4/22/2017 6/22/2017 8/22/2017 2/22/2018 4/22/2018 6/22/2018 8/22/2018 2/22/2019 4/22/2019 6/22/2019 8/22/2019
12/22/2015 10/22/2017 12/22/2019 10/22/2016 12/22/2016 12/22/2017 10/22/2018 12/22/2018 10/22/2019
min_level avg_level max_level
River Levels UK (https://riverlevels.uk/south-yorkshire-auckley-auckley-lvl#.XjKv8G52s6Y)
Data source: The Environment Agency
Figure 2: Google maps Whitmoore Drive
New College
Yorkshire Wildlife Park
Data Source: Google maps