Preferred Approach' Consultation
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Southbourne Parish Council Agenda Item 4 29 January 2019 Chichester District Council Local Plan Review 'Preferred Approach' Consultation Southbourne Parish Council Responses PART B Please use a new form for each representation that you wish to make. Please note anonymous comments cannot be accepted. Any personal information provided will be processed by Chichester District Council in line with the General Data Protection Regulations 2018. More information is available at: http://www.chichester.gov.uk/dataprotectionandfreedomofinformation. To which part of the document does your representation relate? Page/ 24 & 56 Policy Reference: Spatial Vision and Paragraph Number: 3.3, 3.6, 3.7, 3.8 & Strategic Objectives – 4.88 East-West Corridor Do you support, object, or wish to comment on this policy or paragraph? (Please tick one answer) Support □ Object □X Have Comments □X Enter your full representation here giving details of your reasons for support/objection: Objection 3.4 Given the huge amount of development proposed for the settlements to the west of Chichester we object to the emphasis placed on Chichester in the special strategy at the expense of the settlements on the receiving end. There needs to be a fresh look at the cumulative impact on the settlements along the A259. We are not primarily an East-West corridor; we have our own distinct identities and histories. While the term ‘East-West corridor’ describes the road and rail links to the west of Chichester it is not a sufficient description of the Bourne villages. 3.7 Maintaining and enhancing the relationship between the SDNP and the Harbour AONB requires the reinstatement of the proposed Wildlife Corridor at Ham Brook. Without this corridor, this aspiration has no teeth. 3.8 Southbourne’s “good transport links” have recently been downgraded with loss of all north- south buses which will be needed to connect any new housing growth north of the railway line to both the station and the A259. The station itself needs nearby parking and/or drop-off points, electric car chargers and secure cycle storage. What improvements or changes would you suggest? We suggest that the Bourne villages area be considered a ‘green / blue ladder’ between the AONB and the National Park rather than an East-West transit corridor. Varied countryside views from the Bourne villages towards the SDNP and AONB should be protected, as should views from the A259 and railway of the local countryside and countryside gaps. This will require properly contoured development and good screening. (Continue on separate sheet if necessary) 1 PART B Please use a new form for each representation that you wish to make. Please note anonymous comments cannot be accepted. Any personal information provided will be processed by Chichester District Council in line with the General Data Protection Regulations 2018. More information is available at: http://www.chichester.gov.uk/dataprotectionandfreedomofinformation. To which part of the document does your representation relate? Page/ Page 29 Policy Reference: Spatial Strategy – Paragraph Number: Section 1 Sustainable Development Principles Do you support, object, or wish to comment on this policy or paragraph? (Please tick one answer) Support □ Object □X Have Comments □X Enter your full representation here giving details of your reasons for support/objection: Objection A reliance upon national ‘sustainable development’ principles is insufficient as these national policies are inadequate for delivering genuinely sustainable development. There needs to be an emphasis on economic, social and environmental sustainability. The built environment and history, so frequently lumped in with environmental sustainability, should be considered as part of economic and social sustainability where this conflicts with natural environmental sustainability. The construction industry is a significant contributor of carbon emissions and while we recognise that there is limited scope to make requirements beyond those mandated by national legislation the Local Plan should nevertheless indicate the direction of travel. It should set out what the community will increasingly come to expect from the industry in the years ahead, including the increasing weight that may in future be given to developments and developers which are making serious attempts to become carbon neutral. The objective of the Local Plan should be to aim higher. While recognising that not everything is possible, we suggest referring to the principles set out in the Wildlife Trust’s ‘Homes for People and Wildlife’ policy guidance: https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/sites/default/files/2018- 05/homes_for_people_and_wildlife_lr_-_spreads.pdf and the World Health Organisation’s ‘Urban Green Spaces – A Brief For Action’: http://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/environment-and- health/urban-health/publications/2017/urban-green-spaces-a-brief-for-action-2017 . (Continue on separate sheet if necessary) 2 What improvements or changes would you suggest? See comments in section above. (Continue on separate sheet if necessary) 3 PART B Please use a new form for each representation that you wish to make. Please note anonymous comments cannot be accepted. Any personal information provided will be processed by Chichester District Council in line with the General Data Protection Regulations 2018. More information is available at: http://www.chichester.gov.uk/dataprotectionandfreedomofinformation. To which part of the document does your representation relate? Page/ Page 66 Policy Reference: Spatial Strategy – Paragraph Number: Section 17 Thorney Island Do you support, object, or wish to comment on this policy or paragraph? (Please tick one answer) Support □ Object □ x Have Comments □ Enter your full representation here giving details of your reasons for support/objection: Object We welcome the presence of the military base and recognise that the needs of the military will determine policy while the base is maintained, including the need for an upgrade of the housing stock on the base. However, should Thorney Island cease to be required for military purposes, rather than masterplanning for new development, the island should receive at least equal protection to other areas within the AONB, including the presumption against new development. Any proposed development should follow the principles laid out in the Chichester Harbour Conservancy’s Planning Principles policy: www.conservancy.co.uk/page/planning. In addition, while not seeking anything that would compromise the base’s security, the policy should be to expand the Dark Skies sites and, where necessary, to take additional steps to support the existing ones e.g. by upgrading or redirecting street lighting. (Continue on separate sheet if necessary) What improvements or changes would you suggest? We welcome the presence of the military base and recognise that the needs of the military will determine policy while the base is maintained, including the need for an upgrade of the housing stock on the base. 4 However, should Thorney Island cease to be required for military purposes, rather than masterplanning for new development, the island should receive at least equal protection to other areas within the AONB, including the presumption against new development. Any proposed development should follow the principles laid out in the Chichester Harbour Conservancy’s Planning Principles policy: www.conservancy.co.uk/page/planning. In addition, while not seeking anything that would compromise the base’s security, the policy should be to expand the Dark Skies sites and, where necessary, to take additional steps to support the existing ones e.g. by upgrading or redirecting street lighting. (Continue on separate sheet if necessary) 5 PART B Please use a new form for each representation that you wish to make. Please note anonymous comments cannot be accepted. Any personal information provided will be processed by Chichester District Council in line with the General Data Protection Regulations 2018. More information is available at: http://www.chichester.gov.uk/dataprotectionandfreedomofinformation. To which part of the document does your representation relate? Page/ Page 82 Policy Reference: Strategic Policies – Paragraph Number: Section 24 Countryside and Countryside Gaps Do you support, object, or wish to comment on this policy or paragraph? (Please tick one answer) Support □x Object □ Have Comments □x Enter your full representation here giving details of your reasons for support/objection: Support However, much of the language in this section is weak and aspirational rather than strong and definitive. 5.37 The coastal, alluvial agricultural plain has a particular historic and environmental character which we value greatly. This includes, but is not limited to recognition of its value for agriculture / food production. While we do not expect that this landscape will have the same protection as that inside the SDNP, it forms part of the setting for the National Park and deserves some recognition of the threats facing it from piecemeal (though rapid) development. The draft Plan in its present form does not give sufficient recognition to the inherent value of the land. It would make sense for this to be rectified as part of a strategy or vision for the whole of the Bournes area, perhaps in a supplementary planning document. We would like to see the preservation, protection and even reintroduction of bees and their habitats be given real consideration, given their ecological importance. It makes sense to do this