West Lindsey District Council Making a Difference WEST LINDSEY ANNUAL MONITORING REPORT April 2009 – March 2010 Local Development Framework December 2010 West Lindsey District Council Annual Monitoring Report 2009/10 Document Credentials: Document Title: West Lindsey Annual Monitoring Report 2009/10. Document Purpose: This document provides the annual monitoring statement of policy implementation. Document Status: Local Development Document (but not a Development Plan Document or Supplementary Planning Document) Production Stage: Published Published By: West Lindsey District Council, February 2011. Document Availability: Paper Version: West Lindsey District Council Offices in Gainsborough On-Line at: www.west-lindsey.gov.uk/ldf (Speech Enabled) Alternative Formats: This document can be made available, on request, in another format, e.g. large print, or languages other than English. Please contact Customer Services on 01427-676676, by email [email protected] or ask any member of the Customer Services staff. i West Lindsey District Council Annual Monitoring Report 2009/10 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Government introduced a new planning system called Local Development Frameworks (LDFs) under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. This will see the gradual replacement of the Local Plan system over the coming years. In the context of the new planning system, with its focus on the delivery of sustainable development and sustainable communities, monitoring takes on an added importance in providing a check on whether those aims are being achieved. The 2004 Act introduced mandatory Annual Monitoring Reports and it became a legal requirement for Local Authorities to produce an Annual Monitoring Report every year from 2005 onwards. This is the sixth Annual Monitoring Report to be produced by the Council. The report covers the period 1st April 2009 to 31st March 2010 and must be submitted to the Secretary of State no later than the 31st December 2010. Submission of the Annual Monitoring Report to the Secretary of State by the end of the calendar year fulfils not only a statutory requirement but also meets a Best Value Target BV200c. This AMR will be used to identify the key challenges and opportunities facing the District and will enable appropriate policy adjustments and revisions to be made. This reflects the Government’s concept of ‘plan, monitor, and manage’, whereby the findings of monitoring feed directly into any review of policy that may be required, giving Local Authorities greater ownership of their planning policies. However, monitoring may indicate the need to address other aspects beyond reviewing the policies set out in the Local Development Framework (or contained in the current Local Plan). For example, it may indicate the need to refine or extend the monitoring framework itself or propose actions in respect to related local strategies and initiatives (e.g. Community Strategies). The Government White Paper Strong and Prosperous Communities published in October 2007 outlined a new set of indicators that would be introduced, replacing all other Best Value Indicators and Performance Assessment Framework indicators currently in place. These streamline the number of previous indicators and better reflect national priority outcomes for Local Authorities. The new National Indicators came into effect on April 1st 2008, along with an updated set of Core Output Indicators for Annual Monitoring Reports. During this monitoring period significant progress was made on the formation of a new planning unit for the area known as Central Lincolnshire, in line with recommendations set out in the East Midlands Regional Plan (March 2009) . This mirrors the partner members of the Central Lincolnshire Housing Market Area (HMA) and comprises the Districts of West Lindsey, North Kesteven and the City of Lincoln. Full details of this change are contained in section 2. ii West Lindsey District Council Annual Monitoring Report 2009/10 CONTENTS Page No Document Credentials i Executive Summary ii Contents iii List of Tables and Figures iv Glossary of Terms used in the Annual Monitoring Report vi Section 1 Introduction 1 Section 2 The Local Development Framework: 2010 Update 3 Section 3 West Lindsey District Profile 11 Section 4 Development Control Monitoring 14 Section 5 Housing 17 Section 6 Business Development, Retail and Local Services 31 Section 7 Transport 39 Section 8 Flood Protection and Water Quality 42 Section 9 Bio-diversity, Renewable Energy and the Built Environment 45 Appendices 50 Appendix 1: Local Development Framework Core Output Indicators 51 Appendix 2: West Lindsey Annual Housing Supply Assessment 2009/10 55 Appendix 3: Services and Facilities Audit 2006 (with 2007 update) 85 Appendix 4: Schedule of Local Plan Policies saved and not saved. 100 iii West Lindsey District Council Annual Monitoring Report 2009/10 LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Tables Page No Table 1: LDF progress against the Central Lincolnshire LDS 6 Table 2: Schedule of LDF Evidence Base 6 Table 3: Population Change 12 Table 4: Demographics 13 Table 5: Determinations of Applications against BVPI Targets 14 Table 6: Determinations by Type of Development 2009/10 15 Table 7: Planning Appeal Decisions 16 Table 8: Enforcement Monitoring 16 Table 9: West Lindsey Housing Trajectory as of 1st April 2010 21 Table 10: Vacant Dwellings in West Lindsey as of the 1st April 2010 27 Table 11 Housing Type 29 Table 12:: House Price by Type 29 Table 13: Educational Qualifications 33 Table 14: Employment Rates 34 Table 15: Occupational Profile 35 Table 16: Choice of Transport to Work 40 Table 17: Number of Planning Applications where the Environment 43 Agency objected on Flood Risk (Defence) Grounds Figures Figure 1: Map of West Lindsey and its Position within Lincolnshire 11 Figure 2: Population Breakdown by Age 13 Figure 3: West Lindsey Housing Trajectory 20 Figure 4: Monitor; amount above or below EMRP cumulative allocation 22 Figure 5: Completions against EMRP & Local Plan Requirements 22 iv West Lindsey District Council Annual Monitoring Report 2009/10 Figure 6: Completions achieved on Allocated Sites against Windfall Sites 23 Figure 7: Completions by Settlement Hierarchy 24 Figure 8: Settlement Hierarchy Completions for the period 2001 – 2009/10 24 Figure 9: Annual Brownfield and Greenfield Completions Compared with 25 Best Value Target (BV 106) Figure 10: Housing Completions by Type for the year ended 31st March 2010 28 Figure 11: Tenure of Housing 29 Figure 12: Average House Prices (1998 – 2010) 30 Figure 13: A Comparison of Academic Achievement 33 Figure 14: Employment Type 34 Figure 15: Occupational Profile 35 Figure 16: Average Distance (km) travelled to fixed place of Work 41 v West Lindsey District Council Annual Monitoring Report 2009/10 GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED IN THIS AMR Adoption The final confirmation of a development plan or Local Development Document having statutory status by a Local Planning Authority. Annual Housing Supply Assessment (AHSA) An annual survey is conducted every year to assess the level of development of new houses and existing commitments. The assessment is important as it helps to identify the amount of land available to build houses; it now forms part of this Annual Monitoring Report and can be viewed in Appendix 3 of this document. In past years this assessment was called a Housing Land Availability Study. Annual Monitoring Report (AMR) Part of the Local Development Framework, the annual monitoring report will assess the implementation of the Local Development Scheme and the extent to which policies in Local Development Documents are being successfully implemented. Area Action Plan (AAP) Used to provide a planning framework for areas of change and areas of conservation. Area Action Plans will have the status of Development Plan Documents. Best Value The Government has placed a duty of best value on local authorities to deliver services to clear standards - of cost and quality - by the most economic, efficient and effective means available. Best Value Performance Indicators (BVPI’s) have been superseded as of 1st April 2008 by a new National Indicator Framework. Central Lincolnshire JPU The newly formed Joint Planning Unit (JPU) covering the Central Lincolnshire Housing Market Area (HMA), which comprises West Lindsey, North Kesteven and City of Lincoln. The unit will initially produce a Joint Core Strategy and a revised Local Development Scheme (LDS) is expected in January 2010 which will set out how future Local Development Framework (LDF) documents will be produced. Core Strategy Sets out the long-term spatial vision for the local planning authority area, the spatial objectives and strategic policies to deliver that vision. The Core Strategy will have the status of a Development Plan Document. Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) The DCLG sets guidance and UK policy on Local Government, Housing, Urban Regeneration, Planning, Communities & Neighbourhoods, Cities & Regions, and Fire and Resilience. The DCLG subsumes many of the roles and responsibilities of what was the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM*). * Please note: The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) took over the planning remit of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) on 5th May 2006. vi West Lindsey District Council Annual Monitoring Report 2009/10 Development Control / Development Management The process whereby a local planning authority manages, shapes, and considers the merits of a planning application and