Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council Local Development Framework Authority’s Monitoring Report (AMR) st st For the period 1 April 2014 to 31 March 2015 Documents and any related literature are available in a variety of formats e.g. Braille, large print or audio format. If you require documents in another format please contact: Technical Policy & Planning (Policy Performance & Reform) Tel: 0161 474 4395 Corporate and Support Services Email: [email protected] Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council Stopford House Piccadilly Stockport SK1 3XE Contents 1 Executive Summary 2 2 Introduction 6 3 Background 8 4 Development Plan Production 10 5 Monitoring of Policy Performance 26 Overarching Principles 31 Providing a Decent Home for Everyone 51 Access to Services 67 Accommodating Economic Development 89 Safeguarding and Improving the Environment 101 Transport 120 Stockport Town Centre Strategic Location 124 Woodford Aerodrome Opportunity Site 128 6 Planning Obligations 137 7 Conclusions 138 8 Future Monitoring & Reporting 142 2 1 Executive Summary 1 Executive Summary Background 1.1 This annually produced Authority's Monitoring Report (AMR) collates information which allows assessment of the performance of planning policies over the period 1st April 2014 to 31st March 2015. This is the fourth monitoring report since the adoption of Stockport's Core Strategy, which replaced large parts of the the Unitary Development Plan (UDP) from the start of April 2011. 1.2 This Executive Summary highlights the various elements of monitoring reporting on delivery of employment development, employment levels, retail & leisure development, housing provision and a range of environmental indicators around biodiversity, flood risk, low carbon development and Green Belt. In addition the report comments on minerals and waste related development, preservation of conservation and heritage assets as well as the overarching management and delivery of transport infrastructure. 1.3 Section 7 'Conclusions' provides a more detailed overview. The Introduction lays out why monitoring is done and why it is useful. To provide context the Background section reminds readers of baseline data from development of the Core Strategy and the Sustainability Appraisal of the various elements of the Local Development Framework (LDF). Section 4 provides information on the progress of local plan documentation preparation. Section 5 contains detail on the monitoring of each policy topic section of the Core Strategy. Details of proposed Future Monitoring & Reporting are provided in Section 8. 1.4 The Localism Act(1) includes a statutory requirement for every local authority to prepare an Authority's Monitoring Report covering no less than a 12 month period, monitoring the performance of local planning policy. The National Planning Policy Framework lays out broad guidelines for local planning authorities to prepare a Local Plan. Monitoring is essential in assessing whether existing planning policies are addressing what they are intended to address and to review the progress on the preparation of new planning documents. 1.5 Stockport's eleventh AMR covers the Reporting Year from 1st April 2014 to 31st March 2015, apart from Section 4 'Development Plan Production' which provides information on the state of play as at December 2015. This report contains data on a range of indicators identified by the Council as outlined in relevant sections of the document. These indicators are intended to measure the effectiveness of the Council’s planning policies in achieving sustainable development.This means meeting the development needs of the borough, safeguarding environmental assets, addressing social equity, ensuring accessibility and addressing climate change, whilst achieving a sustainable economy. 1 www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/5959/1896534.pdf 3 Executive Summary 1 Monitoring Headlines 1.6 Implementation of Stockport's Core Strategy remains reasonable, with improvement in the levels of housing and employment development reflecting the improving economic circumstances during the monitoring period from April 2014 to March 2015. Although the level of retail and service development is lower than previous years there are major developments in the pipeline, such as Redrock, which will be reported in future AMRs. However this monitoring period has seen a continued reduction in available data to ensure a robust monitoring process as a result of staff and capacity changes which have occurred across the Council in recent years. 1.7 The achievement of sustainable development is reasonably strong in the Borough, impacted on more by national and international policy changes than any specific failure of local policy. Below are snapshots from the policy topic sections reported on in detail in Section 5 of this document referring to achievements during the monitoring period 1st April 2014 to 31st March 2015. For a more detailed summary read Section 7 'Conclusions'. Development Plan Document (DPD) Preparation 1.8 The Duty to Co-operate requirements within the Localism Act (2011) are being addressed primarily through historic partnerships with neighbouring authorities. Stockport Council adopted its Core Strategy in 2011. Progressing other parts of the Local Plan was delayed initially as a result of having to examine in greater detail the issue of provision of Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople sites in the Borough and subsequently to take account of work on the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework - see Section 4 'Development Plan Production' for further detail of the situation to date. Overarching Principles: Delivering Sustainable Development 1.9 Childhood obesity remains at levels which continue to require consideration of how design can help prevent obesogenic environments(2). Stockport Borough has some areas of deprivation which policies are targeted at addressing. An estimated average of 528 tonnes of carbon savings per year (equivalent to average annual carbon emissions of around 52 houses) have been achieved for the monitoring period through the house extension policy. Carbon savings as a result of the policy targets on new development are calculated at nearly 40 tonnes per annum. Various renewable energy schemes have received planning permission including several schools granted planning permission for a total of 42,000 kW of solar photovoltaics generation. 2 An environment that tends to cause obesity whether through lack of encouragement of activity or access to healthy food options 4 1 Executive Summary 1.10 Three dwellings designed to Passivhaus(3) and four dwellings designed to Code Level 4 of Code for Sustainable Homes(4) were granted planning permission. No new commercial development was delivered to environmental design standards. 70% (previous year 40%) of relevant applications included sustainable drainage, with continuing work needed to improve applicants' awareness of this requirement, which applies at this stage of the Core Strategy plan period. Providing a Decent Home for Everyone 1.11 There were 443 net dwellings delivered this monitoring year, higher than the previous five years but still below the 495 target. The highest proportions were three and four bed houses followed by two and then one bedroom flats. 174 affordable dwelling units were delivered. The majority of housing delivery was in Central and Heatons & Reddish Committee Areas. 95.5% of dwellings were built on previously developed land. Stockport does not yet have a five year deliverable supply at 4.2 years. However the Council continues to work with developers to identify deliverable sites in the short to medium term which should contribute to addressing this situation which will be reflected in next year's reporting. Access to Services 1.12 Retail and leisure development levels experienced a slight decline this year however the Redrock development will be reported in future AMRs. There has been a slight increase in vacancy rates in the Town Centre but the planned regeneration around Underbanks and the Market Place will address this. Vacancy rates in other centres remained static. Three District Centres have gained major national multiples this year, whilst four show losses. The Town and District Centres continue to report a reasonable level of retail in the main frontages. Expansion projects took place at 12 primary schools and there were 23 school improvement schemes. There continues to be a shortfall of four court sports halls (11.5). One new allotment site was granted planning permission in Marple. No new hot food takeaways were completed outside of District Centres. One 115 bed hotel was granted planning permission at Stockport Exchange. Accommodating Economic Development 1.13 In terms of floorpsace there was less than half the level of office development this year compared to last year and a major increase in the levels of industrial and warehouse development. Of the total floorspace delivered, 2,043m2 was delivered in the Town Centre. Six new jobs were created in total from the new development across the Borough specifically in rural areas.The Council has identified nearly 29 hectares of industrial use (B2/B8) and upwards of 23 hectares of office space for development. During the monitoring period there has been a substantial loss of employment land of nearly 8,000m2 at Hopes Carr to housing development with further losses due to be recorded as a result of the Woodford 3 www.passivhaus.org.uk 4 www.breeam.org/page.jsp?id=86 5 Executive Summary 1 development.