Suffolk Coastal Local Plan The Suffolk Coastal Local Plan (SCLP) was adopted by the District Council in September 2020. It is 568 pages long and covers such matters as the local economy, tourism, the natural environment, transport, the built and historic environment, community facilities and assets and climate change. The full plan can be accessed on the East Suffolk Council website. The Plan includes over 140 policies that cover various topics or are specific to particular locations in the district. We have identified those which are relevant to the planning process as it affects Woodbridge and have abridged them below. The Plan sets out how many new residences are required to be built in the former Suffolk Coastal District in the period 2018-2036. The detail of this is shown under the heading: District Housing Requirement. This target is allocated to various communities which are ranked in a hierarchy as follows: Major Centres namely Felixstowe and the area in Suffolk Coastal immediately East of Ipswich including Adastral Park (now known as Brightwell Lakes); Market Towns namely Aldeburgh, Framlingham, Leiston, Saxmundham and Woodbridge; Large Villages such as Melton, Martlesham, Grundisburgh, Wickham Market, Rendlesham and Orford; Small Villages such as Waldringfield, Hasketon and Little Bealings. Town Centre Environments Policy SCLP 4.10 Development will encourage people to spend more time, enjoy and participate in town centres. It will do this by: a) supporting opportunities for social interaction; b) ensuring safe pedestrian access to link up with and enhance existing pavements, pedestrian spaces, routes and focal points; c) improving access for cyclists, people with limited mobility and people with other disabilities; d) enabling physical linkages so that pedestrians can move easily and safely between parts of the town centre; and Woodbridge Society 2020 1 e) providing environmental improvements that make the most of historic environments and heritage features. The expansion of Shared Space and Dementia Friendly areas will be supported where proposals maintain active town centre frontages without compromising highway access, vehicular and pedestrian movements. Housing Mix Policy SCLP 5.8 Proposals for new housing developments will be expected to contribute to the housing needed for different groups in the community as identified in the Strategic Housing Market Assesssment or latest equivalent assessment. New developments should provide a mix of housing tenures, types and size appropriate to the size, characteristics and location of the site, reflecting where possible the identified need, particularly focusing on smaller dwellings (1 and 2 bedrooms). Given the significant needs for housing for older people, proposals for ten or more dwellings should demonstrate how the developments will contribute to meeting those needs. On proposals for 10 or more non-specialist dwellings at least 50% of the residences will need to meet the requirements for accessible and adaptable dwellings. Only in exceptional circumstances would a lower percentage be accepted, and applicants would need to demonstrate that such a provision is unfeasible or unviable. District Housing Requirement District Councils follow a standard method of identifying their need for housing. The annual housing need in the Suffolk Coastal area is 542, resulting in a total of 9,756 in the plan period from 2018 to 2036. Jobs are forecast to grow by 15,580 in the same period. The ‘housing need’ figure includes outstanding planning permissions. It is therefore possible to calculate the residual need, ie. the number of planning permissions that need to be granted. As at the beginning of the plan period, commitments of 6,998 had been made, including 3,609 outstanding planning permissions and 2,413 dwellings with resolutions to grant planning permission, including 2,000 at Brightwell Lakes (the former Adastral Park). Woodbridge Society 2020 2 The residual requirement is 2,758 between now and 2036. A contingency figure will be added to this to allow for delays in planning permissions being acted upon. That contingency increases the required planning permissions to 4,335. Over 50% of this is planned to be in two new Garden Neighbourhoods at Felixstowe and Saxmundham. Woodbridge Housing Requirement Woodbridge is expected to have 556 new residences in the plan period 2018-2036. At the beginning of the plan period there were 336 permissions and resolutions to grant permission, meaning that there are 220 new housing applications required before the end of the plan period. In the Local Plan, Woodbridge includes part of Melton and Martlesham. The boundary between Melton and Woodbridge runs roughly up Pytches Road and Bredfield Road. That part of Melton bounded by these roads plus Woods Lane, Melton Hill and Melton Road are included in Woodbridge for the purpose of contributing to the number of residences. Similarly that part of Martlesham which lies to the north of the railway line is included with Woodbridge. The two sites which will meet most of this requirement are the Council Offices at Melton Hill, which is partly in Melton, and Woodbridge Town Football Club’s ground, which is in Fynn Road, Martlesham but north of the railway line. Affordable Housing on Residential Developments Policy SCLP5.10 Proposals for residential development with capacity for ten units or more or sites of 0.5 hectares will be expected to make provision for one in three units to be affordable dwellings. Of these affordable dwellings, 50% should be for affordable rent/social rent, 25% should be for shared ownership, and 25% should be for discounted home ownership. Provision is expected to be made on-site unless it can be demonstrated that this is not feasible, when an agreed commuted sum could be paid towards provision outside of the site. In exceptional circumstances, where the Council is satisfied that the provision of affordable housing is not viable, the requirement for affordable housing may be varied. The development for affordable housing does not apply for schemes which are solely brownfield flatted schemes. Woodbridge Society 2020 3 Parking Proposals and Standards Policy SCLP7.2 The level of parking provision required will depend on the location, type and intensity of use. Proposals involving vehicle parking will be supported where they take opportunities to make efficient use of land and they include: a) the provision of safe, secure, and convenient off-street parking of an appropriate size and quantity including addressing the need for parking or secure storage for cars, cycles and motorcycles and, where relevant, coaches and lorries; b) opportunities to reduce the recognised problem of anti-social parking or potential problems that may arise which impact the quality of life or vitality of an area for residents and visitors; c) appropriate provision for vehicle charging points; d) the incorporation of sustainable drainage systems, permeable surfacing materials and means of protecting water quality. Proposals will be expected to have regard to the parking standards contained in the Suffolk Guidance for Parking, excluding the elements of the Guidance related to ‘Residential Parking Design’, unless local planning considerations indicate otherwise. Proposals should also accord with East Suffolk Parking Plan and the Suffolk Parking Management Strategy. Residential Caravans & Mobile Homes Policy SCLP 5.16 As a residential use, the principle of development of permanent residential caravans and mobile homes will be considered under the relevant policy for housing. Proposals will be supported where: a) they are designed and sited in a way which does not result in a harmful impact on the landscape or on the character of a settlement; b) amenity space is provided on site; c) safe access and space for vehicle manoeuvring can be achieved within the site. Woodbridge Society 2020 4 Extensions to Residential Curtilages Policy SCLP 5.14 Extensions to residential curtilages will be permitted where: a) the resulting size of the curtilage reflects the scale and location of the dwelling; b) they do not result in the removal of an existing hedgerow of native species unless replaced by a similar hedgerow; c) they do not have a harmful result on the historic environment, landscape or character of the area, including as a result of developments ancillary to the residential use; and d) the proposed boundary feature of the extended curtilage is of a form which reflects it location and the character of the area. In granting planning consent for the extension of residential curtilages, the Council will consider the removal of Permitted Development rights. Permitted Development Rights Not all changes to a property require planning permission. Those that are allowed are called permitted development rights. This means small extensions, defined as no more than a percentage of the existing property, do not require planning permission. Often, once an extension is built, the property will not have further permitted development rights. Planning officers will confirm whether an extension qualifies as a permitted development. Conservation Areas Policy SCLP 11.5 Development within, or which has potential to affect the setting of, Conservation Areas will be assessed against the relevant Conservation Area Appraisals and Management Plans and any subsequent additions or alterations. Developments should be of particularly high standard of design and high quality of materials in order to preserve or enhance the character or appearance