Staffordshire Moorlands Local Plan July 2015 Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment STRATEGIC HOUSING LAND AVAILABILITY ASSESSMENT: STAGE 1, 2 & 3 SUMMARY July 2015 Page 1 Staffordshire Moorlands Local Plan July 2015 Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment Contents 1. Introduction 3 Scoping Report 3 Coverage 3 2. Methodology 4 Stage 1 4 Stage 2 Stage 3 5 Database Coding 3. Summary of Results 9 4. Conclusions and Implications 10 Monitoring and Review 11 5. Appendices 12 Page 2 Staffordshire Moorlands Local Plan July 2015 Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment 1. Introduction 1.1 The National Planning Policy Framework requires the Council to produce a Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA). A SHLAA is a piece of evidence which will be used in the preparation of the Staffordshire Moorlands Site Allocations Document and the emerging Local Plan. The SHLAA identifies and assesses the availability, suitability and deliverability of that land as a potential housing site to meet the identified need for housing over the plan period. This evidence will help the Council understand what sites are theoretically available for housing development. The Council will use this information and other pieces of evidence to identify potential locations for housing to be allocated in the Site Allocations Document and the emerging Staffordshire Moorlands Local Plan. Scoping Report 1.2 A SHLAA Scoping Report was published in March 2007. This document set out the partners the Council would be working with to produce the SHLAA, the geographical areas to be covered, which sources of supply would be included, how the supply would be determined and how the Council would decide if the sites are genuinely available for development and are realistically developable in the short, medium and long term. The purpose of issuing the Scoping Report was to raise awareness that the assessment was being undertaken, what its aims are and to invite comments on the methodology and housing market baseline work and to invite consultants and developers to put forward sites for consideration. Consultation was undertaken on the Scoping Report between 20 March and 13 April 2007 with the report being sent to a wide range of key stakeholders including national, regional and local organisations, authorities and agencies, utility companies, developers and consultants. Coverage 1.3 The SHLAA includes the following settlements, based on the hierarchy of settlements in the adopted Core Strategy: Page 3 Staffordshire Moorlands Local Plan July 2015 Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment Towns: Biddulph, Cheadle, Leek Larger Villages: Alton, Biddulph Moor, Blythe Bridge and Forsbrook, Brown Edge, Cheddleton, Endon, Ipstones, Kingsley, Upper Tean, Waterhouses, Werrington & Cellarhead, Wetley Rocks. Smaller Villages: Bagnall, Blackshaw Moor, Boundary, Bradnop, Caverswall, Checkley, Consall, Cookshill, Cotton, Dilhorne, Draycott, Foxt, Froghall, Heaton, Hollington, Hulme, Kingsley Holt, Leekbrook, Longsdon, Lower Tean, Meerbrook, Oakamoor, Rudyard, Rushton Spencer, Stanley, Stockton Brook, Swinscoe, Whiston, Winkhill. 1.4 In addition committed and potential development areas outside of these settlements were also included. Page 4 Staffordshire Moorlands Local Plan July 2015 Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment 2. Methodology 2.1 Following consultation on the Scoping Report, the SHLAA was undertaken in 3 stages. Stage 1 2.2 This stage identified buildings or areas of land (including previously-developed sites and greenfield sites within and on the edge of settlements) that have development potential for housing in accordance with the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessments practice guidance. Sources of sites to be included 2.3 The following potential sources were considered to identify this supply: • Intensification of existing residential areas through garden and infill development and redevelopment of garage blocks • Previously-developed (brownfield) vacant and derelict land and buildings • The conversion of commercial buildings • The redevelopment of land in non-residential use • Unimplemented / outstanding planning permissions and sites under construction • Existing housing allocations • Land allocated in plans for employment and other uses • Vacant land not previously developed including greenfield sites 2.4 This supply does not include the following sources as these are difficult to identify or, in the case of empty homes, are already allowed for in calculating future housing requirements: • Subdivision of existing housing • Flats over shops • Empty homes Sites and areas to be surveyed 2.4 The scope of the survey has been determined by the following factors: 1. The housing requirements for the District in the adopted Core Strategy 2. The need to have some flexibility for increased housing requirements to ensure choice and competition in accordance with the guidance in the NPPF 3. The proposed development approach in the adopted Core Strategy which focuses development on the 3 towns and, in the rural areas, on the larger villages and gives priority to development on brownfield sites within urban areas 4. Evidence from previous housing land availability assessments of limited capacity for development on previously developed sites within the existing urban areas 5. Advice in the Planning Practice Guidance that sites which have particular policy constraints, should be included in the assessment for the sake of comprehensiveness but these constraints must be set out clearly, including where they severely restrict development 6. Support in the adopted Core Strategy for non-strategic minor green belt land releases Page 5 Staffordshire Moorlands Local Plan July 2015 Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment 7. Evidence from the Development Capacity Study of infrastructure capacity and development viability which supports the development approach and potential for development across the District 8. Evidence of constraints and opportunities from the following studies: • Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (level 1) • PPG17 Audit • Landscape and Settlement Character Assessment • Ecological Surveys (phase 1) • Employment Land Study 9. Resources available within the team to undertake and update the survey 2.6 In the light of the above factors it was considered that the survey should focus on the following types of sites and locations: • All sites within the current settlement boundaries of all of the towns, larger villages and smaller villages or infill sites within the smaller villages which currently do not have a settlement boundary, including both previously developed land and greenfield sites, of a single dwelling capacity or more. This also includes, where appropriate, sites which are in existing use if there were known opportunities for reuse. • Large sites on the edge of the current settlement boundaries of the towns including greenfield, open countryside and green belt land, generally of 10 dwelling capacity or more. • Small sites on the edge of the large and smaller villages, including greenfield, open countryside and green belt land, generally of 6 dwelling capacity or more. • Major developed sites and other previously developed sites in the open countryside and green belt, generally of a minimum capacity of 30 dwellings 2.7 Whilst in the main current policy restrictions and uses have not been applied in identifying potential sites, the following areas and sites were specifically excluded from the survey because of the need to be realistic regarding the identification of suitable sites: • Currently protected recreation and open space areas unless submitted for consideration or the area has been assessed in the PPG17 Audit or Landscape & Character Assessment as not suitable for retention • Areas subject to clear-cut designations such as SSSIs • Areas identified in the Employment Land Study as appropriate for retention • Sites in non-residential areas which are considered unsuitable for redevelopment for housing due to the nature of the area (e.g. an industrial estate) or the value of the current use (e.g. public car parks) • Isolated rural sites and buildings unless having potential for major redevelopment 2.8 Sites were identified from desk-based analysis, site survey fieldwork, other sources of information (e.g. housing land supply monitoring database, NLUD database) and from submissions from landowners, developers and consultants. As part of the consultation on the scoping report there was a general call for sites and since then there has been a continual opportunity for submissions to be made. Consultation on Page 6 Staffordshire Moorlands Local Plan July 2015 Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment the Core Strategy and public consultation events, including the Community Conversations, has also brought forward additional sites for consideration. The survey of sites 2.9 A walking survey was carried out for each settlement to check and assess suitable sites. This was combined with evidence from other sources. The analysis of sites considered was based on its current known use, ownership and discernable boundaries on the ground or as put forward by others. It should be noted that whilst