Northumberland Local Plan Core Strategy Strategic Land Review – West Northumberland Delivery Area June 2016 Strategic Land Review West Northumberland Delivery Area 1 Introduction 1.1 The West Northumberland Delivery Area straddles the southern part of the Northumberland National Park. It includes the Kielder area to the north west of the National Park, the North Tyne Valley, the South Tyne Valley and parts of the Hadrian’s Wall World Heritage Site and the North Pennines AONB. The delivery area includes the Main Town of Haltwhistle and the Service Centres of Haydon Bridge, Allendale and Bellingham. The small areas which cover these settlements, and the Rest of the West Northumberland Delivery Area is shown below. Figure 1: West Northumberland Delivery Area 1 1.2 The distribution of housing across the Delivery Area was been informed by a number of factors including the overall strategic objectives of the plan, the level of housing currently in an area, and the size of the current population and the projected scale of population change without policy intervention and the characteristics of this change. 1.3 As the Main Town of the Delivery Area, the greatest amount of housing is proposed for Haltwhistle; significantly more than its population may suggest may be proportionate. Very little population growth is projected over the plan period, while the proportion of working age people in the town is projected to decrease markedly. Additional growth will assist in reversing these trends. 1.4 Bellingham is also projected to see minimal population growth and a significant decline in the size of the working age population. To address these issues, a greater proportion of housing is proposed in this location. While the population is projected to increase in Allendale and Haydon Bridge, the proportion of people of working age is projected to decline significantly. The population sizes of the two areas may suggest that a larger proportion of development should be allocated to Allendale than proposed, and less to Haydon Bridge. However, given the rural nature of much of the Allendale area, characterised by small villages, hamlets and isolated dwellings, it is considered appropriate to allocate a larger proportion to the larger settlement of Haydon Bridge which benefits from better transportation and communication links. 1.5 Over 40% of the population live in the ‘Rest of West Delivery Area’. The proportion of development allocated to this area is less however, reflecting the spatial strategy to focus development in the Main Towns and Service Centres. A significant amount of development in this area is however proposed to assist in arresting the projected loss of population, particularly the working age population which is projected to decline by more than one third over the plan period. 2 Figure 2: Distribution of population, dwellings and the number of dwellings proposed in the Northumberland Core Strategy. Projected Projected change in No of No or popn change working age popn dwellings Population % dwellings % 2011-31 2011-31 (SNPP 2012) proposed % Haltwhistle 3791 18.7% 1842 18.8% 0.8% -19.7% 400 29.6% Allendale 2021 10.0% 1039 10.6% 100 7.4% 6.3% -17.7% Haydon Bridge 2184 10.8% 1011 10.3% 200 14.8% Bellingham 3419 16.9% 1665 17.0% 0.3% -23.1% 280 20.7% Rest of West 8,813 43.6% 4,227 43.2% -5.1% -33.5% 370 27.4% West Delivery Area 20,228 9,784 1350 1 2 Haltwhistle Introduction 2.1 Haltwhistle is a Main Town and largest settlement in the West Northumberland Delivery Area and is located in the South Tyne Valley. The small area is comprised of the parish of Haltwhistle. Figure 3: Haltwhistle small area Role and function 2.2 Haltwhistle is a hub for housing, employment, retailing and other services, and is one of the key gateways to Hadrian's Wall. It has key links with Hexham. 2.3 The role of Haltwhistle as a Main Town is exemplified by the range of services and facilities it offers. While Haltwhistle is served by Haydon Bridge High School, Haltwhistle contains a middle school, Haltwhistle Memorial Hospital, a leisure centre, 3,580 square metres of central retail floorspace and approximately 14.9 hectares of developed employment land. Cultural facilities include a library. Haltwhistle benefits from ambulance and fire stations. The middle schools catchment area extends north of Melkridge and south of the River South Tyne and borders Cumbria to the east. 1 Demographic, economic and housing profile Population Profile 2.4 The 2011 Census recorded that there were 3,791 usual residents in the Haltwhistle area; a decrease of 20 people since 2001. 2.5 Over this period the proportion of the population of core working age (16- 64 years) decreased slightly from 61.5% to 61.4%, while the proportion aged over 65 increased from 19.8% to 22.1%. Figure 4: Haltwhistle demographic profile People aged 75 and Population 0 - 4 5 - 15 16 - 24 25 - 44 45 - 64 65 - 74 over 2001 3,811 5.7% 13.0% 9.3% 25.8% 26.4% 9.6% 10.2% 2011 3,791 4.9% 11.5% 8.9% 22.3% 30.2% 11.5% 10.6% 2.6 In 2011, the Haltwhistle area had a smaller proportion of its population of working age than the County as a whole, and a larger proportion aged over 65 years. Population Projection 2.7 When applied at the local level, the 2012 based Sub-national Population Projections indicate that the population of Haltwhistle will increase slightly by 0.8% between 2011 and 2031. Over this period, the number of people of core working age is projected to decrease significantly by 19.7%. In contrast, the population aged over 65 years is projected to increase markedly, with a 93.9% increase in those aged over 75. Figure 5: Haltwhistle population projection Projected population change 2011- 2031 Age Group Population Population Change Population Change as 2011 2031 a % 0-15 619 492 -127 -20.5% 16-59 (female)/ 64 (male) 2,184 1,754 -430 -19.7% 60/65-74 580 784 204 35.2% 75+ 408 791 383 93.9% Total 3,791 3,821 30 0.8% Housing Profile 2.8 In 2011, 88.0% of properties in the Haltwhistle area were in Council Tax Bands 2 A to C, with 63.1% of these in Band A. 2.9 The 2011 Census recorded 1,842 household spaces in Haltwhistle, an increase of 112 since 2001. Of these household spaces, 91, or 4.9% had no residents. In 2011, 63.2% of households were living in owner occupied properties, 20.6% in social rented housing and 16.2% in the private rented sector. 2.10 In 2011, 14.7% of households occupied properties with four or more bedrooms, 37.5% of homes had fewer than three bedrooms and 47.8% have three bedrooms. 2.11 In comparison to Northumberland as a whole, Haltwhistle contains a larger proportion of low value properties, and fewer high value properties. The area is characterised by having a slightly lower level of owner occupiers, and more households living in social rented properties. Economic activity 2.12 Amongst the population aged 16 to 74, 63.2% are in employment, 3.8% unemployed, and 18.9% retired. 2.13 The proportion of people in employment and in retirement is higher in Haltwhistle than Northumberland as a whole; however the unemployment rate is lower. Constraints analysis 2.14 Growth in Haltwhistle is constrained by the River Tyne, the A69 and the Tyne Valley Railway to the south. Much of the land to the north of Haltwhistle is constrained by its steep topography, while the Hadrian’s Wall World Heritage Site and its buffer zone lie to the north of the town. 3 Figure 6: Haltwhistle Highways and connectivity 2.15 Haltwhistle is well connected to the strategic road network, being located on the A69; connecting the town to Carlisle to the west and Haydon Bridge, Hexham, Corbridge and the Tyneside conurbation to the east, (the road bypasses the town to its south). The B6322 provides access to the A69 at two junctions located to the south west and south east of Haltwhistle. 2.16 Narrow roads located at the northern side of Haltwhistle provide a constraint to development in this area. 2.17 Haltwhistle is served by bus services that link Carlisle and Newcastle via Hexham. In addition, Haltwhistle is accessible via train. A train station is located to the south of the settlement on the north side of the river providing access to Newcastle and Carlisle. Flood Risk 2.18 While much of the town is not identified as at risk from fluvial flooding, a significant area at Bellister Haugh to the south of Haltwhistle is in Flood Zone 3; as are areas aligned with the River South Tyne, Tipal Burn to the southwest 4 and Haltwhistle Burn to the northeast. A significant area to the south of the railway line incorporates Hadrian Enterprise Park, and is in Flood Zone 2. Figure 7: Haltwhistle Environment Agency Flood Risk 2.19 The SFRA identifies that a large proportion of the open area along the South Tyne to the south of the town’s built-up areas lie within the functional flood plain, in Flood Zone 3b, while an area of the A69, adjacent to Bellister Haugh, is in Flood Zone 3a; as is an area aligned with Haltwhistle Burn, north of Castle Hill. Figure 8: Haltwhistle Strategic Flood Risk Assessment 5 Water and sewerage capacity 2.20 The detailed WCS identifies that there are no capacity constraints associated with water resources from Kielder WRZ, but that there are capacity constraints associated with Haltwhistle WwTW, where Northumbrian Water are monitoring flows at the works to assess the impact of a surface water removal project.