Summary The purpose of this topic paper is to provide background information for the Cheshire West and Chester Core Strategy. The topic paper relates to the Winsford and Rural East Area Partnership Board (APB) area. The APB areas have been used as a basis for the topic papers as monitoring information has been collected for these areas. Many of the issues discussed in this Topic Paper are covered in more detail in subject specific Topic Papers and you may find it helpful to read these alongside this paper. Winsford is the major town in the area, which is surrounded by rural farmland and smaller settlements. These include Tarporley in the south and Davenham and Lostock Gralam in the north. The north of the area also has strong links with the nearby town of Northwich. Rural East contains large areas of farmland, open countryside and small villages. The North Cheshire Green Belt is located to the north, around the settlements of Delamere, Cuddington and Wincham. To the south there are large areas of open countryside and agricultural land. The area has strong links with neighbouring Cheshire East. National, regional and local context The North West of England Plan Regional Spatial Strategy to 2021 (2008) Adopted Vale Royal Borough Local Plan First Review Alteration (2006) Vale Royal Supplementary Planning Documents: Various West Cheshire Growth Point - Programme of Development (2008) Cheshire West and Chester Strategic Housing Market Assessment (in draft) West Cheshire Integrated Transport Study Baseline Report (2009) Vale Royal Draft Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (2008) Cheshire West and Chester Employment Land Study (in draft) Cheshire Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Cheshire Replacement Minerals Local Plan (1999) Cheshire Replacement Waste Local Plan (2007) Winsford Waterfront Regeneration Strategy Winsford Waterfront Development Brief (in draft) Cheshire Town Centre Study (2006) Cheshire West and Chester Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (2008) Winsford Area Flood Risk Assessment (in draft) Northwich Area Flood Risk Assessment (2009) Marley Tile Works Development Options Report (in draft) Access Weaver Community Infrastructure Fund Round 2 Bid (2009) Winsford and Rural East Area Partnership Board Profile (2009) Cheshire West and Chester Joint Strategic Needs Assessment A number of Village Design Statements and Conservation Area Appraisals also cover the area. Context and Characteristics Winsford and Rural East had a population of 58,000 in 2007 (Cheshire County Council population estimates 2007), which represents about 18% of the population of Cheshire West and Chester. Winsford Parish had a population of 30,700 and Rural East had a population of 27,300. The population Cheshire West and Chester Local Development Framework | Topic Paper - Winsford 1 and Rural East of Winsford & Rural East is expected to increase by about 3% between 2006 and 2016 according to Council forecasts. Rural East consists of 23 Parishes. The age distribution across the area varies significantly. In Rural East there are lower proportions of 20-34 year olds and higher proportions of those aged between 35 and 79 than the England and Wales average. Rural East has the highest proportion of over 75's in Cheshire West and Chester. In contrast, Winsford has the highest proportions of 0-19 and 35-39 year olds and lowest proportions of people aged 75+ in Cheshire West and Chester (Cheshire County Council population estimates 2007). The 2007 IMD update identified the West Winsford L2 Lower Super Output Area (LSOA) as the third most deprived in Cheshire West and Chester. Five LSOAs in Winsford and Rural East were in the top 20% most multiply deprived LSOAs nationally. Winsford and Rural East has a large amount of dedicated employment sites. The majority of these are located on the edge of Winsford, Rudheath, Wincham and Lostock Gralam. There are high levels of people travelling to work by car in the area, with 75% of residents doing so, compared to 61% nationally. At April 2009, the unemployment rate in Winsford and Rural East was 4.0%, compared with 3.6% for Cheshire West and Chester. Unemployment rates for Winsford are consistently higher than the England average, whilst Rural East has lower unemployment levels than the Borough and national averages (NOMIS Official Labour Market Statistics). Lowest average household income was in central Winsford (£27,300) and highest was in Cuddington, Oakmere and Whitegate (£43,400) (Source: CACI PayCheck 2008). Winsford performs an important shopping function for the local population and is predominately a convenience shopping destination, with a high proportion of floorspace devoted to convenience goods when compared to the national average. The 2006 Cheshire Town Centre Study identified a need for further convenience and comparison goods floorspace in Winsford through to 2021. Winsford and Rural East is well served by the strategic road network. In Winsford, a transport study is currently looking at capacity along the A54 within the town as part of wider regeneration work. Due to constraints on capacity, especially at peak times, future development in the town is likely to require a number of junction improvements to increase capacity. Two main railway lines pass through the area, the West Coast Main line and the Mid-Cheshire line. Bus services in the Winsford area provide local links within Winsford and to surrounding towns and villages, however, the 2008 Place Survey showed that the area had the highest proportion of people in the Borough saying they were very dissatisfied with local bus services. A number of National Cycle Network (NCN) routes also pass through Winsford and Rural East. Winsford is a nationally important rock salt mining area. The mines are located in the north east part of the Winsford towards Northwich and extend eastwards underground towards Middlewich in Cheshire East. Delamere is a major source of sand and gravel in Cheshire. The area has a number of sand and gravel quarries. The areas around Byley and Lach Dennis have seen the development of large scale underground gas storage facilities in recent years. In 2007/08 the Winsford Waterfront Regeneration Strategy was undertaken, looking at environmental, social and economic opportunities along the length of the Weaver Navigation and towards the town centre. It identified some 40 potential projects, including both environmental projects and hard end use projects along the length of the River Weaver in Winsford. Following the Regeneration Strategy, 2 Cheshire West and Chester Local Development Framework | Topic Paper - Winsford and Rural East a draft Development Brief covering waterfront sites along the New Road/Bradford Road and Town Park was produced during 2008/09. This looks primarily at residential development together with proposed hotel and small elements of commercial use in the area. It is anticipated that the Development Brief will be adopted at the end of 2009. An Area Flood Risk Assesssment is currently being prepared looking at the potential flood risk to the proposed development sites in the town centre. The Council have been reviewing education provision across Cheshire West and Chester as part of its Transforming Learning Communities programme. As part of this review, there are plans to build an All Age school within Winsford, which will replace a number of schools, including the two secondary schools. Key Issues The key issues for Winsford and the Rural East are: Addressing deprivation in urban areas; Delivering regeneration in Winsford; The capacity of infrastructure in the area; Improving access to services and employment; Reducing car dependency; Providing facilities for young and older people; Preserving the character of rural areas whilst still meeting the needs of local communities; Providing for the housing needs in the area, including affordable housing. Cheshire West and Chester Local Development Framework | Topic Paper - Winsford 3 and Rural East 1 Introduction 5 2 National, regional and local context 7 3 Context and characteristics 9 4 Key issues 17 5 Definitions/glossary 20 Cheshire West and Chester Local Development Framework | Topic Paper - Winsford and Rural East 1 Introduction 1.1 The purpose of this topic paper is to provide background information for the Cheshire West and Chester Core Strategy. The topic paper relates to the Winsford and Rural East Area Partnership Board (APB) area. The APB areas have been used as a basis for the topic papers as monitoring information has been collected for these areas. 1.2 Many of the issues discussed in this Topic Paper are covered in more detail in subject specific Topic Papers and you may find it helpful to read these alongside this paper. 1.3 The Winsford and Rural East APB area is shown on the map below. The area is bordered in the west by Delamere Forest and by the M6 motorway in the east. Winsford is the major town in the area, which is surrounded by rural farmland and smaller settlements. These include Tarporley in the south and Davenham and Lostock Gralam in the north. The north of the area also has strong links with the nearby town of Northwich. Map 1.1 Winsford and Rural East Area Partnership Board Area 1.4 The main town in the area is Winsford, which expanded as a result of the salt industry during the 19th Century, becoming the largest centre for the salt industry in the country. However, the subsequent decline in the salt industry meant there was little development in the town during the first half of the 20th Century. 1.5 During the 1960's Winsford saw an influx of people from the neighbouring cities of Manchester and Liverpool. Housing and employment areas were developed for the incoming population. However, towards the end of the 1960's the programme was cutback and the plan for the town was not fully implemented. Despite this, the layout of the town and infrastructure which exists today is largely a result of this earlier plan.