Consultation Statements: Emerging Core Strategy 2012 and Land for Housing Outside Urban Areas 2012 August 2016 1 Please note: This document was updated in April 2017 to insert Appendix A3. With the exception of the renumbering of subsequent appendices, the rest of the document remains as published in August 2016. 2 Contents Introduction 3 Part 1 ʹ Emerging Core Strategy Consultation Statement 7 The Foreword 9 The Document 11 Section 1 ʹ Introduction 13 Section 2 ʹ Welwyn Hatfield Now 14 Section 3 ʹ Vision and boroughwide Objectives 18 Section 4 ʹ Delivering Sustainable Development 23 Section 5 ʹ Policy CS2 Meeting the Needs for Growth 29 Section 6 ʹ Policy CS3 Settlement Strategy 36 Section 6 ʹ Policy CS4 Green Belt Boundaries and Safeguarded Land 46 Section 7 ʹ Key Diagram 56 Section 8 ʹ Policy CS5 Retail Development 57 Section 8 ʹ Policy CS6 Community Services and Facilities 59 Section 9 ʹ Policy CS7 Type and Mix of Housing 61 Section 10 ʹ Policy CS8 The Local Economy 65 Section 11 ʹ Policy CS9 Good Quality Design 67 Section 11 ʹ Policy CS10 Sustainable Design and Construction 71 Section 12 ʹ Policy CS11 Protection of Critical Assets 75 Section 13 ʹ Policy CS12 Infrastructure Delivery 80 Section 15 ʹ Vision and Objectives for Welwyn Garden City 94 Section 15 ʹ Policy CS13 The Historic Environment of Welwyn Garden City 95 Section 15 ʹ Policy CS14 Welwyn Garden City Town Centre 97 Section 15 ʹ Policy CS15 Broad Location for Growth 1 (North East of Welwyn Garden City) 99 Section 16 ʹ Vision and Objectives for Hatfield 112 Section 16 ʹ Policy CS16 Hatfield Town Centre 114 Section 16 ʹ Policy CS17 University of Hertfordshire 117 Section 16 ʹ Policy CS18 Broad Location for Growth 2 (North West of Hatfield) 119 Section 16 ʹ Policy CS19 Ellenbrook Fields Country Park and Safeguarded Land 134 Section 17/18 ʹ Policy CS20 Villages and Rural Areas 138 Section 19 ʹ Implementation 143 Section 20 ʹ Monitoring 144 Appendix A ʹ Housing Trajectory 145 Appendix B ʹ District Plan Policies to be replaced 146 Appendix C ʹ District Plan Policies to be saved 146 Appendix D ʹ Full Glossary 147 Appendix E ʹ Spatial Implications of other plans and strategies 147 Part 2 ʹ Land for Housing Outside Urban Areas Consultation Statement .148 Site Hat1 ʹ Land North West of Hatfield 150 Site Hat2 ʹ Land West of Hatfield 154 Site Hat3 ʹ Land West of Ellenbrook, Hatfield 156 Site Hat4 ʹ Land South of Ellenbrook, Hatfield 158 Site Hat5 ʹ Land North of Roehyde, Hatfield 160 Site WeG8 ʹ Land at New Barnfield, South of Hatfield 162 Site WGC1 ʹ Land at Creswick, South of Welwyn Garden City 164 Site WGC4 ʹ Land North East of Welwyn Garden City 167 Site WGC5 ʹ Land South East of Welwyn Garden City 171 Appendices 174 3 Introduction Consultation on the Emerging Core Strategy (ECS) and ͚>ĂŶĚ ĨŽƌ ,ŽƵƐŝŶŐ KƵƚƐŝĚĞ hƌďĂŶ ƌĞĂƐ͛ (LfHOUA) Documents took place between 12 November 2012 and 31 January 2013. The consultation on both documents was supported by further consultation on a Sustainability Appraisal (incorporating Habitats Regulations Assessment), and a draft Infrastructure Delivery Plan. In addition, we consulted on a revised Statement of Community Involvement (SCI). This statement sets out which bodies and persons were invited to make representations under Regulation 18 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 as amended, how those bodies were invited to make such representations, a summary of the main issues raised by those representations, and how those main issues have been addressed in the Local Plan Proposed Submission 2016 in accordance with Regulation 17 of the aforementioned Regulations. Statement of community Involvement The SCI explains when the Council will involve the community in preparing a Local Plan; who we will involve and how we will engage with them; and sets out our approach to consulting statutory bodies ĂŶĚ ŽƚŚĞƌ ƐƚĂŬĞŚŽůĚĞƌƐ͘ dŚĞ ŽƵŶĐŝů͛Ɛ ĐƵƌƌĞŶƚ ^ƚĂƚĞŵĞŶƚ ŽĨ ŽŵŵƵnity Involvement (SCI) was adopted on 3 December 2013. However, at the time the Council was consulting on the ECS and LfHOUA in 2012/2013, the adopted SCI from 2007 was undergoing revision. This was made necessary by the relevant Regulations for plan- making having been amended. The revised draft SCI was subject to consultation at the same time as the ECS and LfHOUA, and those consultations were therefore carried out in accordance with the adopted SCI (2007) but taking account of the draft version of the current (more recently adopted) SCI in light of the more up to date regulatory requirements it contained. The 2007 SCI stated that at the production stage of plan making (preferred options), the Council would consult: x Statutory Stakeholders and other key stakeholders (as identified in section 4 of the SCI), x The Wider Community, x Respondents [to previous stages of consultation] A combination of consultation methods would be used to involve bodies and persons in the plan making process. At this stage of consultation, the methods indicated were: x Media/ Statutory Notices x Preferred Options document and representation forms published on the website and available at Council offices and other inspection or information points x Leaflet/ summary of main proposals x Letters and email to people registered on the database The table overleaf is extracted from the 2012 Draft Revised SCI, and sets out the activities that the Council would undertake when preparing Local Development Documents including the ECS and the LfHOUA (as a precursor to subsequent site allocations). 4 Stage 1 Prepare Plan What we ͻ As a minimum, we will ensure that we comply with the relevant current planning will do regulations. We will consult more widely where it is relevant and appropriate to do so ͻ We will advertise any consultation and make it clear where material can be viewed by the community ͻ We will maintain and add people to our planning database at any time ͻ Comments received at this stage will be taken into account, together with any available technical evidence as well as national policies and guidance Who we ͻ We will notify specific consultation bodies that may have an interest in the will consult document ͻ We will engage with general consultation bodies, and other consultation bodies as appropriate ͻ We will consult with the wider community at least once during this stage in the production of the document How we We will use a range of types of consultation during this stage in order to understand will consult key issues and views. Methods will include one or more of the following: ͻ Surveys and questionnaires ͻ Correspondence through letters or email ͻ Workshops or focus groups ͻ Drop-in events, displays or exhibitions ͻ Meetings (one to one or group) ͻ Make plans available on our website and at public inspection points (council offices and local libraries) ͻ Targeted measures for hard to reach groups Who we consulted at the ECS and LfHOUA stage In accordance with the SCI (and Regulation 18 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012), the Council consulted with specific consultation bodies that may have an interest in the subject of the document; general consultation bodies and other consultation bodies as the planning authority considers appropriate; and all those residents and businesses listed on the ŽƵŶĐŝů͛Ɛ>ŽĐĂůWůĂŶĚĂƚĂďĂƐĞƚŚĂƚĨŽƌŵƉĂƌƚŽĨƚŚĞǁŝĚĞƌĐŽŵŵƵŶŝƚLJ͘ƉƉƌŽƉƌŝĂƚĞƵƚLJƚŽŽ-operate bodies were also consulted. The list of specific (including Duty to Cooperate) and general bodies and other key stakeholders that were consulted is set out in Appendix A. In total, around 2,400 individuals, bodies and organisations were notified of the consultation and invited to make representations ʹ the bodies and organisations consulted are set out in Appendix A1 and A2, with a full list of consultees set out in Appendix A3. The letters sent are set out in Appendix A4. Further details of the process are set out below. How we consulted Consultation on the ECS and LfHOUA took place between 12 November 2012 and 31 January 2013 (11 weeks 4 days). The initial period for consultation was scheduled to end on 18 January, but was extended to give people more time to respond. 5 A variety of consultation methods were used to raise awareness of the consultation and engage with specific and general consultation bodies, other key stakeholders and the wider community. Extracts of consultation materials are set out in Appendix B, as indicated below. x The ECS, LfHOUA and all supporting and background documents were made available on the ŽƵŶĐŝů͛ƐǁĞďƐŝƚĞ1 x The ECS and LfHOUA were made available at a number of inspection points (Appendix B1) x Seven drop-in events were held ʹ one each in Brookmans Park, Cuffley, Welwyn and Welwyn Garden City; with three in Hatfield (one in each of November and December 2012, with a third added in January 2013) (Appendix B2). x A notice was placed in the Welwyn Hatfield Times advertising the consultation and drop-in events (Appendix B3); x The ƵƚƵŵŶͬtŝŶƚĞƌĞĚŝƚŝŽŶŽĨƚŚĞŽƵŶĐŝů͛Ɛ>ŝĨĞDĂŐĂnjŝŶĞǁĂƐĚĞůŝǀĞƌĞĚƚŽĞǀĞƌLJŚŽƵƐĞŚŽůĚ in the borough and contained a double page article on the ECS (and LfHOUA) which also highlighted the drop-in events and invited people to get involved (Appendix B4); x A Borough Panel Newsletter was issued (Appendix B5); x The ECS (and LfHOUA) had extensive coverage on local radio (Jack FM) with extracts of interviews with council officers broadcast in early December 2012; x An easy to read summary leaflet was posted on the website (link at footnote 1); x Flyers were distributed to the various inspection points (Appendix B6); x Posters were displayed at various locations throughout the borough including libraries, council and town and parish council offices; whilst some local shops also agreed to display the posters; x Both the Hertfordshire and the Welwyn Hatfield Chambers of Commerce were notified and asked to publicise the consultation to their members (a presentation by officers was also made to the Welwyn Hatfield Chamber of Commerce); x The Local Enterprise Partnership was made aware of the Emerging Core Strategy consultation by letter and invited to comment.