PP008 Achieving Sustainable Communities in the A66 North Richmondshire Area November 2009
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Achieving Sustainable Communities in the A66 North Richmondshire Area A Local Development Framework Issues and Options Consultation Paper November 2009 Foreword What will your town or village be like by 2026? 5. Scale and Distribution of Development It’s not an easy question, but it is one that we need to try and answer with your help. 6. Economy Richmondshire’s Local Development framework 7. Environmental Assets (LDF) will help shape future development across all parts of the District outside of the National 8. Housing Park. This includes Richmond, Leyburn, Catterick Garrison and the villages to the north and south. 9. Infrastructure The National Park Authority is responsible for development in the rest of Richmondshire. 10. Climate Change The LDF will be a set of policy documents that Each report asks a series of questions about shape an overall direction for development in issues we need to debate. For example, how these places. These policies will help determine should we treat small villages in terms of future planning applications for, amongst other development? Or how should Richmond and things, housing, economic or green energy Catterick Garrison grow? You can make detailed developments, once the LDF is adopted. Before responses to any of the questions using the on- we can write these policies we must understand line form on our website or by writing to us using local conditions. We need to find out about the contacts below. Or simply get in touch with where people live and work and how they travel. us to talk about the LDF. We also need to recognise the sensitivity of the local environment and our local heritage to Please ask if you would like this document in a development. different format or language. This consultation report is one in a series of ten: John Hiles 01748 827025, Emma Lundberg 01748 827026 1. Achieving Sustainable Communities - Settlement Hierarchy Email: [email protected] 2. Achieving Sustainable Communities in the Write LDF, Richmondshire District Council, Central Area Swale House, Frenchgate, Richmond, DL10 4JE 3. Achieving Sustainable Communities in Lower Richmondshire District Council Website: Wensleydale www.richmondshire.gov.uk 4. Achieving Sustainable Communities in the A66 North Richmondshire Area. Richmondshire Local Development Framework i i Contents 1. Introduction 1 2. Key features of the A66 North Richmondshire Area 2 3. Influences 4 4. Area wide issues for the A66 North Richmondshire Area 5 Relating settlements and communities, the settlement hierarchy 5 5. Service Settlements 7 6. Small Settlements 10 7. The A66 North Richmondshire Area in the wider context 12 ii Richmondshire Local Development Framework 1. Introduction 1.1 This consultation paper, is one of a series. need to be made to determine how this It aims to look in greater detail at the A66 area and the settlements in this area will North Richmondshire area to guide feel, appear and function into the future. decisions about where services and facilities are located and where development can 1.3 This paper outlines our current best be delivered to ensure the most understanding of the area as based on sustainable future for local communities. available evidence and consultation. It poses a series of questions about places 1.2 This area was introduced in the Achieving within the area. It is primarily concerned Sustainable Communities in Richmondshire with the: paper, the first in the consultation paper series. This northern part of Richmondshire future of the A66 area as a whole extends from the National Park boundary need to balance the expectations of in the west to the outskirts of Darlington different settlements in the in the east. This is a rural area with role of this area in relation to a distinctive landscape. Although it has a neighbouring areas. small population, fundamental decisions © Crown Copyright. All rights reserved (100018842) (2009). National Park Boundary District Boundary Richmondshire Local Development Framework 1 2. Key features of the A66 North Richmondshire Area 2.1 The A66 area sits in a triangle formed by shows that the four villages with the widest Richmond, Barnard Castle and Darlington. range of facilities can each offer only a The river Tees runs along a major part of single shop. But this area does have seven its northern boundary and the landscape primary schools and fourteen village halls, extends from the Tees Lowlands in the east which suggests a dispersed pattern of to an extensive area of moorland in the settlements in this area rather than an west. The western part has a major military integrated network of rural communities. training area and borders the Yorkshire Dales National Park. 2.6 Its rural attractiveness sustains a strong housing market that creates affordability 2.2 It has a fairly remote rural character. issues and limits the available workforce. Agriculture is the dominant land use, but This housing market operates within the mineral extraction has also impacted on Darlington housing market. The Index of the local landscape, particularly at Forcett Multiple deprivation 2007 records the and Barton. Stanwick Camp is a major limited range of services and the difficulty Iron Age site. of access to the housing market in this area. All wards are in the bottom quartile 2.3 7,780 people live in this area. The age for access to services and barriers to profile of the population is older than the housing and the most extreme is in the District as a whole, and has been bottom 2 percent. influenced by immigration from the Tees Valley and the loss of younger people 2.7 Employment within the area is through educational, work and housing predominantly agricultural. The tourism opportunities. sector includes a number of high quality hotels and Croft circuit motor racing track. 2.4 The A1 and A66 trunk routes, converge at There has been further diversification with Scotch Corner in the middle of this area. the development of the Aske Hall business The ease of communications provided by units and other smaller units across the the A1, A66 and A167 place most of this area which takes advantage of the area’s area in the Darlington travel to work and good communications. This is likely to housing market areas. continue with the proposed development of the Scotch Corner business park. 2.5 The largest settlements are Barton (900), Melsonby (750) and Middleton Tyas (590), 2.8 The Plan our Future survey for the A66 but there is no clear local service centre for Area collected information from people the whole area. Settlements in this area living in this area. Their responses are more closely aligned to Tees Valley reinforce the picture of this area as having from Barnard Castle to Darlington along dispersed settlements lacking in a local the A66, A1 and A167 routes. The service centre. Poorer access within the Settlement Facilities study (RDC2009) area is balanced by easy access outside. 2 Richmondshire Local Development Framework Respondents from one settlement sought improved community facilities to help improve community spirit. Respondents from another village were concerned with the problems caused by local flooding. Unlike other sparsely populated areas, respondents’ list of issues for improvement did not highlight employment needs or affordable housing. Issue NR1: The A66 North Richmondshire Area NR1a Does the description above pick up the essential features of the area? NR1b Does the A66 area represent an area with distinct character and issues which should be reflected in the LDF strategy? Richmondshire Local Development Framework 3 3. Influences 3.1 The following documents give general provides in Richmond, Catterick spatial policy guidance relevant to the Garrison an appropriate scale of A66 Area: affordable and market housing and employment opportunities to meet Regional Spatial Strategy Yorkshire and local needs. Humber (RSS YH) Richmondshire Sustainable Community 3.4 We also need to recognise the impact of Strategy (SCS) spatial policies in neighbouring areas. The Richmondshire District Council A66 area also borders the Tees Valley City Corporate Plan Region of the North East Region and its direction is directly shaped by change in We need to build these into our discussion this neighbouring area. The Regional of this area to help create relevant policy Spatial Strategy for the North East (RSS NE) for the future that is both generally sets out the general spatial policy for areas compliant with national and regional to the north of the A66 area and in drivers but also relevant to local particular expectations for growth in conditions. Darlington and Barnard Castle. Darlington’s strong influence on 3.2 The RSS for Yorkshire and the Humber Richmondshire is identified as is the (approved in May 2008) sets the regional expectation for it to continue to develop as and sub-regional policy context for the a sub-regional centre. Barnard Castle is Richmondshire LDF. The LDF must be in identified as a Rural Service Centre serving “general conformity” with the RSS, which a wide rural hinterland which extends provides strategic policy guidance that beyond administrative area boundaries. needs to be taken into consideration in preparing the Core Strategy. 3.5 The current Richmondshire Sustainable Community Strategy seeks to: 3.3 The A66 Area sits within the “Vales and Tees Links” sub area established by the “Support sparsely populated parts of the RSS. The RSS indicates that this part of the district to secure, and where appropriate Vales and Tees Links sub area is subject to enhance, the vitality and viability of rural potential development pressures from the communities in sustainable ways through main urban areas of the Tees Valley City low level growth, diversification, and Region. This policy envisages a strategic enterprise to meet local needs, building on pattern of development which: the area’s inherent strengths and character.” supports regeneration in the Tees Valley City region and reduce long distance 3.6 The A66 area has been identified in the commuting Richmondshire District Council Corporate focuses development in Richmond and Plan as a discrete area for the organisation Catterick Garrison of council services and strategy.