Borough Local Plan: Submission Version (2017) 1 Foreword
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Borough Local Plan 2013 - 2033 Submission version Borough Local Plan: Submission Version (2017) 1 Foreword Foreword by Leader of the Council and the Lead Member for Planning We are delighted to present the Borough Local Plan for the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. The Borough Local Plan promotes a sustainable pattern of development for the Borough until 2033. The new development that is proposed in this plan aims to provide for new housing and affordable housing to fulfil the needs of all of our residents, whilst at the same time protecting our valued natural and built historic environment and assets. The plan aims to protect and enhance those elements that make our Borough special in the eyes of not only our residents but all those who choose to visit, work and invest in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. We are privileged to be home to one of the most recognisable and valued historic assets in the country, Windsor Castle and the Windsor Great Park which the Borough Local Plan seeks to protect not only for our own benefit but also for future generations. The Borough Local Plan is based on a substantial and robust evidence base and on the results of the consultation exercises we have carried out in the past, as guided by national policy and legislation. We have worked with partners including our neighbouring local authorities, statutory bodies and local communities and agencies, as well as considering the many emerging and adopted Neighbourhood Development Plans being prepared by parishes and neighbourhood forums. Planning often presents difficult choices and requires a balance of national policy and local wishes. Your Council believes this plan sets out the right framework for the future development of the Royal Borough with policies to protect our most valued landscapes and open spaces whilst also delivering the required level of housing and employment opportunities to meet our growing needs. Cllr Simon Dudley, Leader of the Council and Cllr Derek Wilson, Lead Member for Planning Cllr Simon Dudley, Leader of the Cllr Derek Wilson, Lead Member for Planning Council 2 Borough Local Plan: Submission Version (2017) Making Representations The Borough Local Plan Proposed Submission Document represents the Councils chosen strategy for the Borough having considered other alternatives and all relevant matters. Should you wish to make representations on the legal compliance or soundness of this document you must do so within the eight week consultation period which runs from Friday 30th June 2017 to 12 noon Monday 26th August 2017. Please submit your representations using the on-line forms which can be found on the Borough Local Plan pages at www3.rbwm.gov.uk/blp Alternatively completed representation forms can be emailed to: [email protected] Or hard copies can be sent to: FREEPOST RBWM PLANNING POLICY NO LATE REPRESENTATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED. Your representations will need to focus on the following: Whether or not the plan is legally compliant (Duty to Cooperate); Whether it has met the tests of soundness: Positively prepared - being based on a strategy that aims to meet objectively assessed needs for development and infrastructure Justified - being the most appropriate strategy Effective - being deliverable over the plan period based on effective joint working Consistent with national policy - enabling the delivery of sustainable development in accordance with the NPPF. Representations should be supported by evidence if possible, and when making representations, please clearly indicate which policy, paragraph or page number you are referring to. Following the consultation period any submitted representations will be collated and sent with the Proposed Submission Borough Local Plan and supporting evidence to the Planning Inspectorate for independent examination. Respondents will not receive individual responses from the Council. It is intended to submit the Plan to the Inspectorate in October 2017. Borough Local Plan: Submission Version (2017) Contents 1 Introduction to the Pre-submission Borough Local Plan 5 2 List of Policies 9 3 Spatial Portrait 12 4 Spatial Vision and Objectives 18 5 Spatial Strategy 25 6 Quality of Place 30 7 Housing 44 8 Economy 60 9 Town Centres and Retail 71 10 Visitors and Tourism 84 11 Historic Environment 88 12 Natural Resources 92 13 Environmental Protection 105 14 Infrastructure 111 15 Monitoring and Implementation 125 16 Glossary 132 Appendices A Maidenhead Town Centre Area Action Plan Superseded Policies 136 B Green Belt Boundary Amendments 138 C Housing Trajectory 152 D Housing Site Allocation Proformas 154 E Marketing and Viability Evidence 214 F Local Centre Maps 217 G Open Space Standards 225 H Sports and Leisure Development Site Proforma 228 - Borough Local Plan: Submission Version (2017) 4 Introduction to the Pre-submission Borough Local Plan 1 Borough Local Plan: Submission Version (2017) 5 Introduction to the Pre-submission Borough Local Plan 1 1.1 Introduction 1.1.1 The Borough Local Plan (BLP) is the key document that provides the framework to guide the future development of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. It sets out a spatial strategy and policies for managing development and infrastructure to meet the environmental, social and economic opportunities and challenges facing the area up to 2033. The Plan not only looks at the scale and distribution of development, but also explains how the Council and its partners will deliver it in a sustainable manner that maintains and enhances the quality of the places that make up the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. 1.1.2 Ultimately, the BLP will be used to make decisions on planning applications. It will also form the strategic framework for Neighbourhood Plans with more detailed guidance to be provided in the form of Supplementary Planning Documents. 1.2 Preparation of the Borough Local Plan 1.2.1 The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 (and amendments in Subsequent Acts) sets out the requirements and consultation processes needed to produce a Local Plan. The Council is also required to have followed the processes outlined within the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012. 1.2.2 The new BLP must also be consistent with the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The NPPF requires that the presumption in favour of sustainable development should be seen as a golden thread running through the BLP. In particular the BLP should be seeking positively to meet the development needs of the Borough, encourage sustainable growth and development, and maintain and enhance the natural and built environments. The Planning Practice Guidance (PPG) provides further clarity about national policy and its implementation. 1.2.3 This pre-submission document follows a process of plan-making which commenced with the preparation of Issues and Options in 2009, 'Planning for the Future' in 2012, the publication of Preferred Options in 2014 and Regulation 18 draft BLP in 2016 and a series of public consultations which are described in the Consultation Statement. It is informed by national policy, the Council’s strategic vision as set out in the Corporate Plan, and a collection of research and information documents called the Evidence Base and on-going engagement with specific consultation bodies, organisations and our local community. 1.3 Evidence base 1.3.1 Local plans are required to be based on adequate, up to date and relevant evidence about the social, economic and environmental characteristics and prospects of the area. A comprehensive evidence base has been developed alongside the BLP to support the policies within it. The evidence base for the BLP is available for reference on the Council website at: https://www3.rbwm.gov.uk/downloads/download/158/borough_local_plan_documents 1.3.2 The BLP must be accompanied by a Sustainability Appraisal and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SA/SEA) that considers the impact of the policies on the community, the economy and the environment. The Council has also undertaken a Habitat Regulation Assessment (HRA) which assesses the likely impacts of BLP policies on the integrity of internationally designated nature sites. 1.4 Policy context 1.4.1 The BLP must take account of relevant national guidance, policy and legislation. The BLP does not repeat national policy but aims to explain how the policy has been applied in the local context. 1.4.2 The current statutory development plan for the Royal Borough comprises: Policy NRM6 of the partially revoked South East Plan which is concerned with the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area Saved policies of the Adopted Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Local Plan 1999 Maidenhead Town Centre Area Action Plan 2011 6 Borough Local Plan: Submission Version (2017) 1 Introduction to the Pre-submission Borough Local Plan Replacement Minerals Local Plan (incorporating alterations adopted in December 1997 and May 2000) Waste Local Plan December 1998 Made Ascot, Sunninghill and Sunningdale Neighbourhood Plan 2014. 1.4.3 Once adopted, the BLP will supersede the saved policies of the 1999 Local Plan and several polices in the Maidenhead Town Centre Area Action Plan. Appendix A sets out the policies which will be replaced by the policies of this document and will cease to have effect following the adoption of the BLP. 1.5 Neighbourhood Plans 1.5.1 The Local Plan sets out an up-to-date framework for local communities who are preparing Neighbourhood Plans. A Neighbourhood Plan is a community-led development framework, which in combination with a Local Plan will help guide the future development of local places. Neighbourhood planning offers a formal opportunity to add real value to the planning process by setting out community aspirations for a specific area in the Borough. 1.5.2 Neighbourhood Plans must be consistent with national policies and the strategic policies of the Local Plan. The strategic policies in this BLP are clearly marked in the List of Policies in Section 2.