TAMESIDE UNITARY DEVELOPMENT PLAN Adopted Plan 17th November 2004 CONTENTS PART 1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................Page 2 Other Relevant Policies and Strategies ................................................................................. 3 Overview of the Borough ..................................................................................................... 5 Themes and Objectives for the New Plan ............................................................................ 6 Part 1 Policies ....................................................................................................................... 8 PART 2 Reasoned Justifications for Part 1 Policies ......................................................................... 14 Part 2 Policies and Reasoned Justifications Employment and the Local Economy ................................................................................ 25 Housing and Community Facilities .................................................................................... 39 Town Centres, Retailing and Leisure ................................................................................. 57 Countryside, Open Land, Sport and Recreation ................................................................. 65 Transportation and Access .................................................................................................. 81 Conservation and Enhancement of the Built Environment ................................................ 97 Nature Conservation, Trees and Woodland ...................................................................... 105 Mineral Working, Waste Management and Pollution Control ......................................... 111 Utilities and Energy .......................................................................................................... 121 Indicators to Measure Performance of the Plan ................................................................ 127 Abbreviations ................................................................................................................... 128 Tameside Unitary Development Plan - Adopted Plan 17th November 2004 - Part 1 TAMESIDE UNITARY DEVELOPMENT PLAN Adopted Plan 17th November 2004 PART 1 -1- Tameside Unitary Development Plan - Adopted Plan 17th November 2004 - Part 1 INTRODUCTION The Unitary Development Plan (UDP) is a land use planning document which the Council is required to produce by law, adopt and keep under review. Its purpose is to provide a framework for development and conservation over the whole of the Tameside area, to set out the main considerations on which planning applications in the Borough are determined, and to guide land use decisions by the Council and other agencies. The Need for Review The first Tameside UDP was adopted by the Council in September 1996, at which time it superseded all previous development plans. Maintaining an up to date and relevant development plan is important if the planning system is to be dynamic and effective, and if decisions on planning applications are to continue to be made in accordance with the plan rather than on an ad-hoc basis. Although there is no strict end date for UDP policies (except for housing land requirements which run until mid-2001) the Government expects that development plans should be reviewed at least once every 5 years, depending on local circumstances. Although many of the policies and proposals in the superseded plan were working well or are still important for the future of the Borough, others have either been implemented or overtaken by events, or have proved to be unnecessary or impractical. National planning policy guidance has continued to evolve since the UDP was first drawn up, especially the importance attached to sustainability and urban regeneration, and Tameside's own conditions, problems, needs and priorities have also changed in some respects. The previously adopted UDP is also perceived by many as unnecessarily long and complex and sometimes overly prescriptive. The Form of the Review The extent of the changes which need to be made to the previously adopted UDP are such that a replacement rather than an altered plan is appropriate. Many of the policies which have been inherited from the previously adopted UDP have been shortened or refined to try to make them clearer and more effective, and the proposals map has been simplified... The period covered by the replacement plan will be extended through to 2011. Consultations In line with Government advice, pre-deposit consultations for the plan review have been based around key issues. An Issues Paper was published by the Council in July 2000, summarising the guidance, strategies and local circumstances influencing the review and putting forward key themes and ideas on how the current plan might be changed. This was widely publicised and copies or notification of its availability sent directly to a large number of organisations thought likely to have an interest. In preparing the draft plan the Council has taken into account the comments received from the 68 individuals or organisations that responded to the Issues Paper. The first deposit draft of this replacement UDP was placed on deposit between 18th June and 30th July 2001. Written submissions were received from 149 different organisations and individuals during this six week period, containing 517 duly made objections and 112 representations of support. The Council has considered each of these submissions and numerous changes to the plan have been introduced with a view to resolving objections wherever possible. Other people who might be affected by these changes had the opportunity to object during the deposit period for the revised draft, which ran from 15th March to 26th April 2002. 47 new, duly made objections were made to the changes, along with 36 representations of support, whilst 291 of the original objections were eventually withdrawn. - 2 - Tameside Unitary Development Plan - Adopted Plan 17th November 2004 - Part 1 The outstanding objections were heard by an Inspector appointed by the First Secretary of State, at a public local inquiry which took place between 29th October and 8th November 2002 and which formally closed on 29th January 2003 after all written submissions had been received. The Inspector's report was received by the Council on 24th April 2003 and published on 18th June. The Council has considered the Inspector's recommendations, took a decision on each, and deposited a list of the modifications in October/November 2003. Objections to these were considered by the Council and as a result a further set of modifications was placed on deposit in July/August 2004. Objections to these were considered by the Council on 5th October 2004 where the decision was made to adopt the plan without further modification. The replacement plan therefore was adopted on 17th November 2004. Format of the Plan It is a legal requirement that the UDP is split into two parts. Part 1 comprises, along with this introduction, other relevant policies and strategies, a strategic overview of the Borough, themes and objectives for the new plan, and the Council's general policies for the development and use of land. Part 2 contains the more detailed policies and proposals for the development and use of land, and in particular those which will form the basis for deciding planning applications. It also includes reasoned justifications for both the Part 1 and Part 2 policies, which often also contain background information about relevant local circumstances. Throughout the document policies are distinguished by use of bold typeface, justifications by italic typeface, other material by normal typeface and headings by bold italic typeface. Part 2 is completed by the proposals map inside the back cover, showing site-specific proposals and area based policies on a geographical base. OTHER RELEVANT POLICIES AND STRATEGIES In preparing this replacement plan the Council has taken into account both national and regional planning policy guidance issued by the Government, and relevant local strategies which have been established by the Council and its partners, including the Vision for Tameside, the Community Plan and the Economic Development Strategy. National and Regional Guidance National policy is set out in Planning Policy Guidance Notes (PPGs), the main principles of which are referred to where appropriate in the reasoned justifications to the policies of this plan. There is a programme to replace these with Planning Policy Statements but at the time of printing this document only five have been published. The latest version of Regional Planning Guidance for the North West (RPG13) was published by the Government Office for the North West in March 2003. This has now become the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) and will in future be referred to as such, providing a framework within which development plans and local transport plans are prepared. The overriding aim of RSS is to promote sustainable patterns of spatial development and physical change, with the region's economic, social and environmental interests being advanced together and supporting each other. The Core Development Principles of the RSS are economy in the use of land and buildings, enhancing the quality of life, quality in new development, promoting sustainable economic growth, competitiveness and social inclusion. The Spatial Development Framework establishes that