Formby & Little Altcar Neighbourhood Development Plan 2012 to 2030 FOREWORD Formby is a great town with a unique heritage and a dynamic future. Investment and change in the years ahead will only be worthwhile if it makes a real difference to the lives of local people and the future of its community. 1 The Formby and Little Altcar Neighbourhood Development Plan, [The Plan] being written jointly by the Parish Councils of Formby and Little Altcar, started back in September 2013. The Parish Councils wanted the people of Formby and Little Altcar to have a say in all aspects of the future of the town; addressing the issues surrounding housing, infrastructure, health and wellbeing, the environment, and include natural/heritage assets. However, most importantly, it wanted local people to decide what they wanted in their community. The Plan sets out a vision for the area that reflects the thoughts and feelings of local people with a real interest in their community. It sets objectives on key themes such as moving around, housing, employment, green space and community facilities and builds on current and planned activity. The Parish Councils are committed to developing and strengthening contacts with the groups that have evolved because of the Neighbourhood Planning process. We believe that by working together to implement the Plan it will make Formby an even better place to live, work and enjoy. We have had to ensure that our Neighbourhood Plan is consistent, where appropriate, with the emerging Sefton Local Plan 2, the 2012 National Planning Policy Framework, subsequent updates, and guidance notes. Following scrutiny by an examiner and once approved by the community in a referendum, the Plan becomes a legal document and is accepted by Sefton MBC to become part of the development plan for Formby and Little Altcar. The plan will direct future development in Formby and Little Altcar to meet the changing needs of the community over the next 15 years or so. It indicates where and when development should take place, and what additional community facilities we will require because of it. We believe that the Plan addresses all of the key issues facing Formby and Little Altcar in successfully completing this phase of growth in the town’s long history. It also ensures that new housing development is contained within a sensible development boundary. The plan provides for homes suited to those in later life, growing families, those seeking low cost starter homes and ensures that sufficient accessible public open green space and parks are allocated within new developments. There is a provision to review the plan every five years so that we can reflect changing needs over time. My heartfelt thanks go to all those who have worked so hard to bring this plan together and to the whole community for the positive response you have shown. Cllr Maria Bennett Chair of Formby and Little Altcar Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group 1 Producing this Plan has been extremely difficult taking into account the various constraints on the land and concerns of local people. Unfortunately, the planning system, in its current form, is unable to take an holistic approach when addressing flooding and flood risk to the community. As this plan has not allocated any land but works with land already allocated via the emerging Sefton Local Plan, we reserve our right to object to any application that does not demonstrate that it has fully addressed the flooding issues. The evidence base and flood management section of this Plan demonstrates beyond any doubt that the community is determined to do something meaningful with regards to addressing the very real ongoing risk of flooding in Formby. 2 It should be noted that any land allocated in the emerging Sefton Local Plan be removed from the emerging Sefton Local Plan, then this land will also be removed from the Neighbourhood Plan and will not be supported for development, likewise if any additional land is included then this will have to be included in the neighbourhood development plan. 1 2 CONTENTS SECTION 1 Introduction 1.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................page 5 1.2 How the Neighbourhood Plan fits into the planning system ..............................page 7 1.3 What is the Neighbourhood Plan ..........................................................................page 7 1.4 How this Plan is organised ....................................................................................page 7 SECTION 2 Introduction to Formby and Little Altcar 2.1 History of Formby ................................................................................................page 11 2.2 Tourism & Wildlife ................................................................................................page 12 2.3 Key facts for Formby and Little Altcar ................................................................page 13 2.4 Biodiversity ............................................................................................................page 15 2.5 Heritage ................................................................................................................page 18 2.6 Grade II listed buildings a brief description of a few ........................................page 20 2.7 Listed buildings in Formby and Little Altcar ......................................................page 22 2.8 Locally listed heritage ..........................................................................................page 23 2.9 Consultation on the draft Formby and Little Altcar Neighbourhood Plan ..................................................................................................page 24 SECTION 3 A Vision for Formby and Little Altcar 3.1 Formby and Little Altcar Today ............................................................................page 27 3.2 Constraints of Formby and Little Altcar ..............................................................page 31 3.3 Issues that have influenced the vision ................................................................page 39 3.4 Vision Statement and Core Objectives ................................................................page 40 SECTION 4 Introduction to Neighbourhood Plan Policies 4.1 Neighbourhood Plan Policies ..............................................................................page 45 4.2 General policies ....................................................................................................page 45 4.3 Housing ..................................................................................................................page 47 4.4 Working and shopping ........................................................................................page 51 4.5 Getting around ......................................................................................................page 53 4.6 Community, leisure and wellbeing ......................................................................page 55 4.7 Environment, sustainability and design ..............................................................page 56 4.8 Flooding ................................................................................................................page 61 SECTION 5 Site Specific Requirements MN2.16 Land at Liverpool Road ................................................................................page 69 MN2.12 Land at Bracken Way ....................................................................................page 71 MN2.19 Land at Andrews Close ................................................................................page 75 MN2.18 Land at Hoggs Hill Lane ................................................................................page 79 MN2.15 Land at Formby PDC Centre, Park Road ......................................................page 81 MN2.13 Land at West Lane ........................................................................................page 83 MN2.48 Land North of Formby Industrial Estate ......................................................page 85 MN2.17 Land at Altcar Lane ......................................................................................page 87 MN2.14A Land at Shorrocks Hill ................................................................................page 89 SECTION 6 Developers working with the Community 6.1 Expectations/requirements from developers ....................................................page 91 APPENDIX A Summary of Consultation Questionnaire Summary of questionnaires ......................................................................................page 94 APPENDIX B Glossary Glossary ....................................................................................................................page 110 3 SECTION 1 Introduction 4 1.1 INTRODUCTION 1.1.6 Given the fact that the NDP does not propose to allocate sites that have not already been brought 1.1.1 The Formby and Little Altcar Neighbourhood forward by Sefton’s Local Plan and all Development Plan (the Plan)is a new type of environmental effects have been considered and planning document. It is part of the Government’s dealt with by the sustainability appraisal of the new approach to planning, which aims to give Local Plan along with modified HRA’s and local people more say about what goes on in their proposed mitigation which form part of the area. This is set out in the ‘Localism Act’ that came shared evidence base, the NDP is unlikely to into force