Contents Introduction 1 Introduction 1 2 The SWDP Review 3 3 Vision and Objectives 6 4 Spatial Context 9 Strategic Policies 5 Employment, Housing and Retail Requirements 11 6 The Spatial Development Strategy and Settlement Hierarchy 13 7 Transport 17 8 Green Infrastructure 22 9 Historic Environment 26 10 Infrastructure 29 11 Health and Wellbeing 33 Non-Strategic Policies 12 Economic Growth 37 Providing the Right Land and Buildings for Jobs 37 Protection and Promotion of Centres and Local Shops 43 Employment in Rural Areas 49 13 Housing 52 Effective Use of Land 52 Market Housing Mix 57 Meeting Affordable Housing Needs 60 Providing Opportunities for Self-Build and Custom Housebuilding 63 Residential Space and Access Standards 65 Rural Exception Sites 69 Meeting the Needs of Travellers and Travelling Showpeople 71 Replacement Dwellings in the Open Countryside 76 Dwellings for Rural Workers 78 Meeting the Needs of Older Residents and Residents with Special Needs 80 Contents Reuse of Rural Buildings 82 Extensions to Residential Curtilage 85 14 Environmental Enhancement and Protection 87 Design 87 Biodiversity and Geodiversity 92 The Cotswolds and Malvern Hills Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) 95 Management of the Historic Environment 97 Landscape Character 99 15 Resource Management 101 Electronic Communications 101 Renewable and Low Carbon Energy 103 Management of Flood Risk 109 Sustainable Drainage Systems 116 Water Resources, Efficiency and Treatment 119 Physical Constraints on Development 122 Air Quality 124 Land Stability and Contaminated Land 126 Minerals 128 16 Tourism and Leisure 130 Tourist Development 130 Visitor Accommodation 132 Static and Touring Caravans, Chalets and Camping Sites 134 Built Community Facilities 136 Green Space 139 Provision of Green Space and Outdoor Community Uses in New Development 141 Waterfronts 144 Marinas and Moorings 146 Residential Moorings 148 Equestrian Development 150 Site Allocations 17 Strategic Allocations 152 18 Worcester City Allocations 162 Contents 19 Wychavon Allocations 174 20 Malvern Hills Allocations 183 Implementation and Monitoring 21 Implementation 189 22 Monitoring 192 Glossary 23 Glossary 193 Annexes A Rural Hierarchy of Settlements (SWDPR 2) 203 B Marketing Requirements (SWDPR 8 and SWDPR 42) 208 C Nationally Described Space Standard (SWDPR 17) 209 D Additional Information Required to Justify Planning Permission (SWDPR 21) 211 E List of Signficant Gaps Removed 212 Contents Introduction 1 Introduction 1.1 The South Worcestershire Development Plan (SWDP), also known as the local plan, was adopted in February 2016 and is unusual in that it is a major sub-regional land use plan, prepared jointly by the three South Worcestershire Councils (SWCs); Malvern Hills, Worcester City and Wychavon, working together under informal plan making arrangements.The SWDP deals with both strategic cross boundary matters, including overall housing and employment requirements, and also includes detailed policies that are used in decisions on planning applications on a day to day basis by all three councils. 1.2 Following recent changes to national legislation and the revision of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and National Planning Practice Guidance (NPPG), the SWCs have agreed to work together to roll the plan forward to cover the period 2016-2041. This means that south Worcestershire once again needs to make some very big decisions regarding where significant new housing, employment and infrastructure goes in south Worcestershire, but it may also mean rolling forward some existing policies with essentially no, or only very limited, change. 1.3 The SWCs want as many people as possible to be involved in shaping the South Worcestershire Development Plan Review (SWDPR). 1.4 This Preferred Options document is the second consultation on the review of the SWDP. During its preparation the SWCs have considered a full range of evidence base documents and comments made in response to the Issues and Options consultation. The Preferred Options sets out where the councils think the new growth should go and the changes that are needed to the policies in order to ensure that they remain in general conformity with national planning policy and respond to the updated evidence base. Importantly, the document also considers a range of other matters, such as infrastructure, e.g. roads, schools and healthcare that is required to support the new development. A number of evidence based documents have been published alongside this document. 1.5 Those interested in researching the issues in more detail and providing comments on specific policies, may wish to refer to the adopted SWDP alongside this consultation document as well as the published evidence base, using the links provided throughout the document. However, if you wish to express views on the overall direction and approach of the SWDPR, the SWCs have produced a summary document of this consultation document, which sets out the main sites proposed for development and the main strategic policy proposals. How to Comment 1.6 Consultation on this document will take place from Monday 4 November until 5pm on Monday 16 December 2019. We strongly encourage responses to be made on-line via the interactive consultation system, as this enables us to process responses more quickly and reduces costs, however, you can submit your comments in any of the following ways: On-line by following the links from our website : http://www.swdevelopmentplan.org/?page_id=13748 By e-mail: [email protected] By post: South Worcestershire Development Plan, Civic Centre, Queen Elizabeth Drive, Pershore, WR10 1PT. If you have any queries relating to this consultation, please contact the Planning Policy Team on 01386 565565 or 01905 722233. 1.7 During the consultation period there will be a number of staffed exhibitions where you can discuss the Preferred Options and what they mean for you with planning officers. These are as follows: Tenbury Wells (Tenbury Community Centre) - Tuesday 12 November 2019 - 2PM til 8PM Pershore (Town Hall) - Wednesday 13 November 2019 - 2PM til 8PM Droitwich Spa (The Old Library) - Thursday 14 November 2019 - 2PM til 8PM Worcester (The Guildhall) - Saturday 16 November 2019 - 10PM til 4PM 1 1 Introduction Upton-upon-Severn (Memorial Hall) - Tuesday 19 November 2019 - 2PM til 8PM Malvern (Lyttleton Rooms) - Wednesday 20 November 2019 - 2PM til 8PM Norton Juxta Kempsey (Norton Village Hall) - Thursday 21 November 2019 - 2PM til 8PM Rushwick (Village Hall) - Monday 25 November 2019 - 1PM til 7PM Throckmorton (Lower Moor Village Hall) - Tuesday 26 November 2019 - 2PM - 8PM Evesham (Town Hall) - Thursday 28 November 2019 - 2PM - 8PM 1.8 Following the close of the Preferred Options consultation, all responses will be summarised and the SWCs will respond to them. A summary of the responses received will be published in autumn 2020 alongside the SWDPR Publication document. 2 The SWDP Review 2 Why are we Reviewing the SWDP? 2.1 As a result of changes to national legislation and planning policy, local plans are now considered to be potentially out of date when they are 5 years old or more. Therefore, Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) must consider whether they need to undertake a review of their plan. In order, therefore, to have a new plan in place before the adopted SWDP is 5 years old in February 2021, work commenced on the review in 2017. Additionally, there have been changes to the way that LPAs are required to calculate housing need and this generates a larger annual requirement than that currently set out within the adopted SWDP. In order to ensure that growth is directed to the most appropriate areas within south Worcestershire, continues to be plan led, and that the SWCs are in the strongest position to resist speculative planning applications, we now need to carry out a review of the SWDP. The adopted SWDP covers the period up until 2030, however the SWDPR will extend the plan period to 2041. The Plan Review Timetable Stage Date Evidence Gathering Commencing late 2017 Issues and Options Consultation November / December 2018 Preferred Options Consultation November / December 2019 - WE ARE HERE Publication October / November 2020 Submission February 2021 Examination April 2021 Inspector©s Report October 2021 Adoption November 2021 The Role of the SWDPR and how it will affect you 2.2 The SWDPR will set out how much development is required across south Worcestershire up until 2041. This will cover residential (including Travellers and Travelling Showpeople Accommodation), retail and employment uses. The SWDPR will allocate the sites required, or identify the broad locations (such as neighbourhood plan areas), to deliver the identified level of development. The adopted SWDP looks forward to 2030. There are a number of sites that are allocated within the adopted SWDP that have not yet been developed and the SWCs are suggesting that the majority of these allocations should continue. However, new sites are also needed to meet the requirements for homes, employment and retail growth over the longer timeframe. 2.3 The SWDPR sets out development management policies that will guide the determination of planning applications. Most SWDP policies have generally stood up to scrutiny at planning appeals. Therefore, the majority of the policies set out have not changed substantially from the adopted SWDP, however, they have been brought into line with more recent national planning policy, updated to reflect how they have been interpreted in determining planning applications and appeals and to provide clarity over their meaning where this is considered to beneficial. 2.4 Once adopted, the SWDP will provide the basis for determining planning applications. It is important that we have an up-to-date local plan and enough land to meet our housing requirements for a rolling 5 year timeframe. Not having an up-to-date local plan could result in the SWCs being vulnerable to speculative planning applications which would result in a piecemeal approach to new development and sites that do not relate to existing settlements being developed.