Wiltshire Local Development Framework Working towards a Core Strategy for Wiltshire Topic paper 11: Green infrastructure Wiltshire Core Strategy Consultation January 2012 Wiltshire Council Information about Wiltshire Council services can be made available on request in other languages including BSL and formats such as large print and audio. Please contact the council on 0300 456 0100, by textphone on 01225 712500 or by email on [email protected]. This paper is one of 16 topic papers, listed below, which form part of the evidence base in support of the emerging Wiltshire Core Strategy. These topic papers have been produced in order to present a coordinated view of some of the main evidence that has been considered in drafting the emerging Core Strategy. It is hoped that this will make it easier to understand how we have reached our conclusions. The papers are all available from the council website: Topic Paper 1: Climate Change Topic Paper 2: Housing Topic Paper 3: Settlement Strategy Topic Paper 4: Rural Signposting Tool Topic Paper 5: Natural Environment Topic Paper 6: Retail Topic Paper 7: Economy Topic Paper 8: Infrastructure and Planning Obligations Topic Paper 9: Built and Historic Environment Topic Paper 10: Transport Topic Paper 11: Green Infrastructure Topic Paper 12: Site Selection Process Topic Paper 13: Military Issues Topic Paper 14: Building Resilient Communities Topic Paper 15: Housing Requirement Technical Paper Topic Paper 16: Gypsy and Travellers Contents 1. Executive summary 1 2. Introduction 2 2.1 What is green infrastructure (GI)? 2 2.2 The benefits of GI 4 2.3 A GI Strategy for Wiltshire 5 2.4 Collaborative working 6 3. Policy and regulatory framework 7 3.1 Introduction 7 3.2 National policies 7 3.3 Regional policies 15 3.4 Local policies and targets 16 4. Evidence 32 4.1 Introduction 32 4.2 Social, health and well being benefits of GI 32 4.3 Economic benefits of GI 33 4.4 Benefits of GI for the natural environment 40 4.5 Analysis of completed ex-district leisure and recreation needs 42 assessments and open space studies 4.6 Open space standards 45 4.7 GI asset mapping 52 4.8 Specific GI projects 52 4.9 Wiltshire‟s canal network 56 4.10 The Cotswold Water Park 58 5. Identifying priorities at a community level 62 5.1 Introduction 62 5.2 Community plans, parish/town plans and the rights of way 62 network community level priorities 6. Consultations undertaken to inform the Wiltshire Core 68 Strategy 6.1 Review of local district planning documents 74 6.2 Identifying priorities at a community level in relation to canals 80 6.3 Identifying priorities at a community level in relation to the 82 Cotswold Water Park 7. Other relevant strategies/plans 85 7.1 Relevant GI strategies or similar 85 7.2 Draft vision statements (Trowbridge, Chippenham, Salisbury) 87 7.3 Biodiversity plans 87 7.4 Site based plans 87 7.5 Emerging documents 91 8. Challenges and opportunities 92 8.1 Wiltshire wide/strategic GI projects and initiatives 92 8.2 Wiltshire wide/local GI projects, initiatives and requirements 96 9. Policy options 99 9.1 Introduction 99 9.2 Green infrastructure policy options 100 10. Abbreviations 108 11. Glossary of terms 109 12. References 111 Tables Table 1 – Policies relating to GI as set out within the Wiltshire and 19 Swindon Structure Plan 2016 Table 2 – Overview of GI relevant local plan/DPD „saved‟ policies 20 Table 3 – Summary of economic gains provided by GI 35 Table 4 – Summary of ecosystem services provided by Millennium 39 Ecosystem Assessment (MA) categories Table 5 – Open space standards applied in the former district areas 46 Table 6 – Draft interim Wiltshire open space standards 50 Table 7 – Summary of key community aspirations as detailed through 63 Wiltshire‟s community plans Table 8 – Summary of key community aspirations as detailed through 65 Wiltshire‟s town and parish plans Table 9 – Summary of comments received from town and parish 66 councils through consultation to inform the RoW Improvement plan 2008-2012 Table 10 – June 2011 core strategy consultation: summary of 68 responses received in relation to green infrastructure Table 11 – Wiltshire 2026 consultation: comments on strategic 70 objectives which are relevant to green infrastructure Table 12 – Wiltshire 2026 consultation: comments relating to green 71 infrastructure in specific community areas Table 13 – GI Content relating to each community area in Kennet 74 Table 14 – North Wiltshire place specific GI issues and opportunities 75 Table 15 – Suggested generic development control policies (relevant 76 to GI)(North Wiltshire) Table 16 – West Wiltshire place specific GI issues and opportunities 79 Table 17 – Policy options: green infrastructure policy 100 Table 18 – Policy options: canal restoration policy 102 Table 19 – Policy options: Melksham Link project 104 Table 20 – Policy options: Cotswold Water Park 106 Figures Figure 1 - Typical GI assets and associated scales 3 Figure 2 – Areas of economic gains through GI investment 34 Figure 3 – Cricklade Country Way Project Area 53 Appendices Appendix 1 – List of community and parish plans reviewed 115 Appendix 2 – Cross cutting issues 119 Appendix 3 – Summary of content of „saved‟ local planning policies 120 Appendix 4 – Review of open space standards 130 Appendix 5 – Review of local district consultation responses 152 Topic Paper 11: Green Infrastructure 1. Executive summary The Wiltshire Core Strategy will set a strategic policy framework to influence the shape of development in Wiltshire up to 2026. This topic paper summarises evidence to support the development of policies which will be included in the core strategy relating to green infrastructure. Green infrastructure (GI) is a strategic network of multi-functional green space, both new and existing, both rural and urban, which supports natural and ecological processes and is integral to health and quality of life in sustainable communities. It delivers a broad range of functions and provides vital socio-economic and cultural benefits which underpin individual and community health and wellbeing. GI policies are required in order to achieve the relevant core strategy objective „To protect and enhance the environment‟. A wide range of source material has been reviewed in the preparation of this topic paper, including research and legislation. The current policy framework has been analysed and community concerns and aspirations have been identified as part of this process. The information gathered as a result of this investigation has identified a wide range of potential threats and opportunities to the development of a comprehensive Wiltshire GI network and these have informed the formulation of GI policy options for the core strategy. GI is a highly cross cutting topic and many policy areas within the core strategy will relate to it. Other topic papers, for example relating to climate change and the natural environment, also refer to issues relating to green infrastructure. Cross cutting issues are summarised in Appendix 2. Policy options to address GI issues, support the delivery of the Wiltshire Green Infrastructure Strategy (currently in preparation) and maximise opportunities for enhancement of Wiltshire‟s GI network through the planning process, have been explored. The most sustainable solution identified involves the inclusion of a „green infrastructure‟ policy that supports projects and initiatives that contribute to the delivery of a green infrastructure network in accordance with the objectives of the Wiltshire Green Infrastructure Strategy, and ensures that proposals for development support the delivery of the emerging GI Strategy as well as conforming to open space standards. Policy options have also been considered relating to the protection and reinstatement of the historic alignment of the Wilts & Berks and Thames and Severn canals, to the protection of the proposed route of the Melksham link canal, and to sports, leisure and recreation based development in the Cotswold Water Park. These policy options were developed in direct response to concerns raised during the June 2011 consultation to inform the core strategy. The most appropriate policy approaches are considered to be the inclusion of policies safeguarding the historic alignment of the canals, protecting the proposed Melksham link route, and supporting outdoor or water-based sports, leisure and recreation based development in the Cotswold Water Park, subject to fulfilment of certain criteria. Core Strategy policies will also be supported by more detailed saved local plan policies that relate to the Wiltshire GI network. Details of those saved local plan policies which will be replaced by the new core strategy policies are provided in the Submission Draft Core Strategy. 1 Topic Paper 11: Green Infrastructure 2. Introduction The purpose of this topic paper is to summarise evidence to support the development of policies which will be included in the Core Strategy relating to green infrastructure. GI policies are required in order to achieve the relevant draft core strategy objective „To protect and enhance the environment‟. A wide range of source material has been reviewed in the preparation of this topic paper, including research and legislation. The current policy framework has been analysed and community concerns and aspirations have been identified as part of this process. Throughout this document the term Wiltshire refers to the area covered by Wiltshire as the Local Planning Authority. This excludes the area of Wiltshire covered by the New Forest National Park Authority, unless otherwise stated. 2.1 What is green infrastructure? Green infrastructure (GI) can mean different things to different people and there are a number of definitions available. For the purposes of the Wiltshire Core Strategy, the definition of GI employed is that from Planning Policy Statement (PPS): Planning for a Natural and Healthy Environment: Consultation 2010: „Green infrastructure is a strategic network of multi-functional green space, both new and existing, both rural and urban, which supports natural and ecological processes and is integral to the health and quality of life in sustainable communities.