Local Plan Update Settlement Hierarchy Assessment (November 2018) 1 This page is intentionally blank 2 Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 5 The relationship between the study and the Local Plan ................................................................. 5 The relationship between the study and the Core Strategy ............................................................ 5 2.0 Methodology ............................................................................................................................... 8 National policy context ...................................................................................................................... 8 Methodology ....................................................................................................................................... 8 Stage 1 – Define settlements ........................................................................................................... 8 Stage 2 – Audit of key service provision and identification of higher-tier settlements ................. 9 Figure 2: List of Key Services ................................................................................................................ 9 Stage 3 – Audit of accessibility ...................................................................................................... 10 Stage 4 – Construction of hierarchy + Qualitative assessment/validation ................................ 11 3.0 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 12 Tier 3: Summary .............................................................................................................................. 14 5.0 Figure 7: Settlement Hierarchy locations .............................................................................. 16 Appendix A – Summary of Information sources ................................................................................ 17 Appendix B: Glossary of Terms ........................................................................................................... 18 List of Figures: Figure 1 Core Strategy Development Locations (2010) ...................................................................... 7 Figure 2: List of Key Services ................................................................................................................ 9 Figure 3: Higher Order Services ........................................................................................................ 10 Figure 4: Audit of Accessibility............................................................................................................ 10 Figure 5: Wokingham Borough Settlement Hierarchy ...................................................................... 12 Figure 6: Settlement Audit Matrix ...................................................................................................... 14 Figure 7: Settlement Hierarchy locations .......................................................................................... 16 3 This page is intentionally blank 4 1.0 Introduction 1.1 This Settlement Hierarchy Assessment is a technical study that considers the range of services and facilities available at different settlements within Wokingham Borough. The wider and larger the range of facilities is, the more sustainable the location is in terms of minimising the need to travel in particular and being able to travel by more sustainable modes. 1.2 Specific outputs for the study are: To audit the current provision of services and facilities in settlements across the borough; To group settlements into a hierarchy reflecting their existing and planned provision of services/facilities and their role in the borough; and To ascertain any shortages of services /facilities the settlements, and provide the evidence base underpinning requirements from new development in the various settlements. 1.3 The provision of services and facilities, and accessibility to them, is not fixed but subject to change over time according to market forces and changing travel and service patterns. It is also possible for new or improved serviced and facilities to be provided as part of a development proposal. This study therefore represents a snapshot in time. The relationship between the study and the Local Plan 1.4 It is not the role of this study to determine where development is directed. Decisions on this and the allocation of land are made through the Local Plan process, and where produced, a Neighbourhood Development Plan. 1.5 This study provides one component of the evidence base to support the Local Plan, and decisions made through the plan preparation process will take into account a wide range of factors. This will include the sustainability of settlements, work to assess transport capacity, flood risk, other key constraints and opportunities. This full range of factors will affect how much development might be accommodated in different places across the borough. The relationship between the study and the Core Strategy 1.6 The council’s strategic policies which are used to direct development are currently contained in the Core Strategy (adopted January 2010). 1.7 Core Strategy Policy CP9: Scale and Location of Development, identifies three tiers of settlements: major, modest and limited development locations (see Table 1). The scale of development proposals are required to reflect the existing or proposed levels of facilities and services at or in the location, together with their accessibility. 1.8 This study reviews the tiers of settlements set out in the Core Strategy to determine whether they remain relevant. 5 Table 1: Core Strategy (2010) development locations Settlement tier Settlements Major Development Locations Earley, Green Park, Shinfield (North of M4), Twyford, Winnersh, Wokingham, Woodley. Modest Development Locations Arborfield Garrison, Pinewood (Crowthorne), Finchampstead North, Ruscombe, Shinfield, Spencers Wood, Three Mile Cross, Wargrave. Limited Development Locations Arborfield Cross, Barkham Hill, Charvil, Finchampstead, Hurst, Riseley, Sindlesham, Sonning, Swallowfield. 6 Figure 1 Core Strategy Development Locations (2010) 7 2.0 Methodology 2.1 The following section provides a review of the national planning policy context and outlines the methodology used to assess the sustainability of settlements. National policy context 2.2 In England, the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) sets out the government’s policy on planning including the context in which Local Plans must be prepared. The NPPF was revised and republished in 2018. This study is consistent with the relevant policies of the NPPF. Being consistent with national policy is one of the tests against which Local Plans are examined. 2.3 At the heart of the NPPF is a presumption in favour of sustainable development and that the planning system should contribute to the achievement of this.1 The NPPF further recognises the importance of promoting such sustainable development in rural areas than can help to enhance or maintain the vitality of rural communities.2 2.4 The Planning Practice Guidance (PPG3) provides further detail when stating that “A thriving rural community in a living, working countryside depends, in part, on retaining local services and community facilities such as schools, local shops, cultural venues, public houses and places of worship, and that rural housing is essential to ensure viable use of these local facilities”. 2.5 The PPG4 further states “that assessing housing need and allocating sites should be considered at a strategic level and through the Local Plan and/or Neighbourhood Plan process”. However, it continues to set out that “all settlements can play a role in delivering sustainable development in rural areas and so blanket policies restricting housing development in some settlements and preventing other settlements from expanding should be avoided unless their use can be supported by robust evidence”. Methodology 2.6 The NPPF and PPG clearly support consideration of sustainability. Notwithstanding this there is no specific national guidance which specifically addresses how to undertake settlement hierarchy studies. 2.7 The methodology followed and outlined here draws on the process undertaken for the adopted Core Strategy (2010) and similar studies undertaken elsewhere. The methodology comprises four stages: 1. Defining settlements 2. Audit of key service provision and identification of higher-tier settlements 3. Audit of accessibility 4. Construction of hierarchy + Qualitative assessment/validation Stage 1 – Define settlements 2.8 Stage 1 is to define the settlements being audited in the study. 1 NPPF, paragraph7 2 NPPF, paragraph 78 3 PPG: Rural Housing, Paragraph: 001 Reference ID: 50-001-20160519 4 PPG: Rural Housing, Paragraph: 001 Reference ID: 50-001-20160519 8 2.9 To do this a desktop review of the development locations defined within the Core Strategy was undertaken. 2.10 To improve efficiency of the study, the existing settlement structure designated in CP9 of the Core Strategy has been used. Settlements outside these existing development locations were very unlikely to contain any concentration of services and facilities. 2.11 Where settlements straddle local authority boundaries, the out-of-borough segment of the settlement was also included in the