West Northamptonshire Joint Core Strategy Local Plan (Part 1) Adopted - December 2014 West Northamptonshire Joint Core Strategy Local Plan (Part 1) Adopted DEC 2014 1.0 Foreword The importance of "Strategic Planning" which shapes and makes the places in which people live, work and play cannot be overstated. The alternative would, in all likelihood, result in an uncoordinated approach through speculative developer-led planning and related applications. This West Northamptonshire Joint Core Strategy Local Plan is a key document in ensuring places are shaped and made in a way which meets the needs of the people of today whilst ensuring the needs of future generations are safeguarded. This Local Plan forms Part 1 of the suite of Local Plans in West Northamptonshire that will, together, guide the evolution of Northampton, Daventry and South Northamptonshire in the years that lie ahead. It provides a long-term vision for the area with an overall framework in which more detailed plans will be drawn up and decisions made. It contains a broad planning strategy aimed at meeting that vision, and contains core strategic policies, which the Partner Councils - Daventry District, Northampton Borough, South Northamptonshire and Northamptonshire County Councils - believe will provide sound guidance in the years ahead. This Joint Core Strategy provides a strategic framework to guide the preparation of Part 2 Local Plans which will provide more detailed planning policies and site allocations for each of the partner Borough and District Councils. The whole community has had a real opportunity to positively and collectively influence and improve the way we do things in the future - in the way we use land, we build, and how we shape our environment. The involvement of the local community and many other organisations and groups to date has helped the Partner Councils to shape the Local Plan. All involved in the preparation of it are very grateful for these contributions that have been made throughout the lengthy period the document has been in the making. The Councils consider that the scale of development set out in this Plan to meet the local needs of the area is both realistic and deliverable. We recognise the importance of ensuring the appropriate levels of strategic and local community infrastructure requirements are delivered alongside any future housing growth. West Northamptonshire Joint Core Strategy Local Plan (Part 1) Adopted DEC 2014 The dynamic partnership of Councils and other stakeholders that make up the West Northamptonshire planning partnership are delighted that we have adopted this joint Local Plan in order to protect our communities whilst at the same time meeting future local housing demand and encouraging future economic growth, which is so important to all of us. It strikes the right balance between ensuring the area is planned as a whole whilst also celebrating the diversity of the distinctive places across the constituent Councils' areas. The Councils remain committed to this co-operative working and where appropriate this will extend to other local authority areas to meet the ‘duty to co- operate’. Councillor Rebecca Breese, Chair of the West Northamptonshire Joint Strategic Planning Committee West Northamptonshire Joint Core Strategy Local Plan (Part 1) Adopted DEC 2014 2.0 Contents and List of Policies Contents Page Number 1 Foreword – Chair of the Joint Strategic Planning Committee - 2 Contents & List of Policies 1 3 Introduction 5 4 Spatial Portrait, Spatial Vision and Objectives 9 5 Spatial Strategy and Key Diagram 23 West Northamptonshire Wide Policies: 60 6 Connections 61 7 Regenerating and Developing Communities 76 8 Economic Advantage 86 9 Housing 99 10 Built and Natural Environment 111 11 Infrastructure and Delivery 134 Places Policies: 143 12 Northampton 144 13 Daventry 173 14 Towcester 184 15 Brackley 194 16 Rural Areas 203 17 Monitoring and Implementation Framework 212 18 Appendices: 217 Appendix 1 – Plans and Other Strategies Taken into Account in 218 the Preparation of the Joint Core Strategy Appendix 2 – Evidence Base for the Joint Core Strategy 221 Appendix 3 – West Northamptonshire Housing Trajectory 227 Appendix 4 – West Northamptonshire Infrastructure Schedule 232 Appendix 5 – Saved Local Plan Policies Replaced by Joint Core 257 Strategy Policies Appendix 6 – West Northamptonshire Monitoring Framework 264 19 Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations 298 20 Maps and Key Diagram: 308 Figure 1 – West Northamptonshire Context Map 309 Figure 2 – West Northamptonshire Key Diagram & Legend 310 Figure 3 – West Northamptonshire Key Diagram Enlargements 312 Figure 4 – Northampton Related Development Area Map 314 Figure 5 – West Northamptonshire Policies Map & Insets 315 Figure 6 – West Northamptonshire Green Infrastructure Network 333 Figure 7 – Upper Nene Valley Gravel Pits Special Protection 334 Area (SPA) (Policy BN4) 1 West Northamptonshire Joint Core Strategy Local Plan (Part 1) Adopted DEC 2014 List of Policies by Section Page Number 5. Spatial Strategy and Key Diagram Policy SA – Presumption in Favour of Sustainable Development 23 Policy S1 – The Distribution of Development 27 Policy S2 – Hierarchy of Centres 29 Policy S3 – Scale and Distribution of Housing Development 35 Policy S4 – Northampton Related Development Area 36 Policy S5 – Sustainable Urban Extensions 37 Policy S6 – Monitoring and Review 41 Policy S7 – Provision of Jobs 43 Policy S8 – Distribution of Jobs 46 Policy S9 – Distribution of Retail Development 52 Policy S10 – Sustainable Development Principles 56 Policy S11 – Low Carbon and Renewable Energy 58 West Northamptonshire Wide Policies: 6. Connections Policy C1 – Changing Behaviour and Achieving Modal Shift 66 Policy C2 – New Developments 67 Policy C3 – Strategic Connections 70 Policy C4 – Connecting Urban Areas 72 Policy C5 – Enhancing Local and Neighbourhood Connections 74 Policy C6 – High Speed Rail 2 75 7. Regenerating and Developing Communities Policy RC1 – Delivering Community Regeneration 80 Policy RC2 – Community Needs 85 8. Economic Advantage Policy E1 – Existing Employment Areas 87 Policy E2 – New Office Floorspace 88 Policy E3 – Technology Realm, SEMLEP Northampton Waterside 89 Enterprise Zone Policy E4 – Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal (DIRFT) 90 Policy E5 – Silverstone Circuit 93 Policy E6 – Education, Skills and Training 94 Policy E7 – Tourism, Visitor and Cultural Industries 95 Policy E8 – Northampton Junction 16 Strategic Employment Site 98 9. Housing Policy H1 – Housing Density and Mix and Type of Dwellings 102 Policy H2 – Affordable Housing 104 Policy H3 – Rural Exception Sites 106 Policy H4 – Sustainable Housing 107 Policy H5 – Managing the Existing Housing Stock 107 Policy H6 – Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople 110 10. Built and Natural Environment Policy BN1– Green Infrastructure Connections 114 2 West Northamptonshire Joint Core Strategy Local Plan (Part 1) Adopted DEC 2014 Policy BN2 – Biodiversity 116 Policy BN3 – Woodland Enhancement and Creation 117 Policy BN4 – Upper Nene Valley Gravel Pits Special Protection Area 119 Policy BN5 – The Historic Environment and Landscape 121 Policy BN6 – Weedon Depot 124 Policy BN7A – Water Supply, Quality and Wastewater Infrastructure 128 Policy BN7 – Flood Risk 129 Policy BN8 – The River Nene Strategic River Corridor 131 Policy BN9 – Planning for Pollution Control 132 Policy BN10 – Ground Instability 133 11. Infrastructure and Delivery Policy INF1 – Approach to Infrastructure Delivery 136 Policy INF2 – Contributions to Infrastructure Requirements 139 Places Policies: 12. Northampton Policy N1 – The Regeneration of Northampton 146 Policy N2 – Northampton Central Area 148 Policy N3 – Northampton North Sustainable Urban Extension 151 Policy N4 – Northampton West Sustainable Urban Extension 153 Policy N5 – Northampton South Sustainable Urban Extension 155 Policy N6 – Northampton South of Brackmills Sustainable Urban 157 Extension Policy N7 – Northampton Kings Heath Sustainable Urban Extension 159 Policy N8 – Northampton North of Whitehills Sustainable Urban 161 Extension Policy N9 – Northampton Upton Park Sustainable Urban Extension 163 Policy N9A – Northampton Norwood Farm/ Upton Lodge Sustainable 165 Urban Extension Policy N10 – Convenience Shopping Needs Outside Northampton 167 Town Centre Policy N11 – Supporting Areas of Community Regeneration 169 Policy N12 – Northampton’s Transport Network Improvements 172 13. Daventry Policy D1 – The Regeneration of Daventry Town 176 Policy D2 – Daventry Town Centre 178 Policy D3 – Daventry North East Sustainable Urban Extension 180 Policy D4 – Supporting Areas of Community Regeneration: 181 Southbrook Policy D5 – Daventry’s Transport Network Improvements 183 14. Towcester Policy T1 – Spatial Strategy for Towcester 185 Policy T2 – The Town Centre and Moat Lane Regeneration Area 187 Policy T3 – Towcester South Sustainable Urban Extension 189 Policy T4 – Transport Improvements for Towcester 191 Policy T5 – Towcester Racecourse 193 15. Brackley 3 West Northamptonshire Joint Core Strategy Local Plan (Part 1) Adopted DEC 2014 Policy B1 – Spatial Strategy for Brackley 197 Policy B2 – Brackley East Sustainable Urban Extension 199 Policy B3 – Brackley North Sustainable Urban Extension 201 Policy B4 – Transport Improvements for Brackley 202 16. Rural Areas Policy R1 – Spatial Strategy for the Rural Areas 207 Policy R2 – Rural Economy 210 Policy R3 – A Transport Strategy for the Rural Areas 211 4 West Northamptonshire Joint Core Strategy Local Plan (Part 1) Adopted DEC 2014 3.0