Ellesmere Port and Neston Borough Local Plan
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Ellesmere Port and Neston Borough Local Plan Contents Introduction 5 General Policies 8 GEN1 General development criteria 9 GEN2 Allocation of sites 11 GEN3 Land safeguarded to meet possible future development needs 12 GEN4 Noise 13 GEN5 Crime prevention 14 GEN6 Access for everyone 15 GEN7 Development by telecommunications code systems operators 16 GEN8 Telecommunications' development other than by code system operators 18 GEN9 Art 18 GEN10 Power stations 19 GEN11 Renewable energy 21 GEN12 Overhead power lines 22 GEN13 Development on agricultural land 22 Housing 23 H1 Allocation of land for housing development 25 H1(1) South of Ledsham Road 27 H1(2) West of Backford Cross 27 H1(3) Overpool 27 H1(4) Green Lane, Great Sutton 28 H1(5) Stanney Grange Infants' School 28 H1(6) Rossfield Road 28 H1(7) Grange College 29 H1(8) North of Berwick Road, Little Sutton 29 H2 Affordable housing 30 H3 Housing needs 31 H4 Housing development in urban areas 32 H5 Conversion to flats 34 H6 House extensions 36 H7 Transport & access provision in housing estates 37 H8 School site 38 Ellesmere Port and Neston Borough Local Plan Contents Employment 39 EMP1 Sites for employment development 41 EMP2 Stanlow special policy area 44 EMP3 Hooton Park strategic site 46 EMP4 Ince Marshes 47 EMP5A Cheshire Oaks 49 EMP5B Cheshire Oaks 50 EMP5C Cheshire Oaks 51 EMP6 Established industrial areas 52 EMP7 Ince Power Station site 53 EMP8 Land at Station Road, Ince 54 Green Belt 55 GB1 Definition of Green Belt area 56 GB2 Green Belt policy 57 GB3 Re-use of buildings 58 GB4 Housing development in the Green Belt 59 GB5 Extensions and alterations to dwellings in the Green Belt 60 GB6 Willaston village inset 61 GB7 Roften area major developed site 62 GB8 Stables and field shelters 64 GB9 Large stables and riding facilities 66 GB10 Golf courses 67 Natural and Built Environment 68 ENV1 International sites of nature conservation importance - The Dee and Mersey special protection areas/Ramsar sites 69 ENV2 National sites of nature conservation importance 70 ENV3 Nature conservation sites of regional, district or more than local importance 70 ENV4 The protection of sites of local importance for nature conservation - Sites of Nature Conservation Value (SNCVs) 71 ENV5 Ecological interest 72 ENV6 Area of Special County Value for Landscape (ASCV) 73 ENV7 Agricultural buildings and structures 74 Ellesmere Port and Neston Borough Local Plan Contents ENV8 Urban green network 75 ENV9 Landscape and habitat features 76 ENV10 The Mersey Forest 78 ENV11 M53/Shropshire Union Canal Corridor 79 ENV12 Coastal zones 80 ENV13 Development in conservation areas 81 ENV14 Parkgate conservation area 82 ENV15 Conservation of listed buildings and their settings 83 ENV16 Non listed buildings and structures of architectural and historic interest 84 ENV17 Sites of special archaeological interest 85 Hazard and Pollution 87 HAZ1 New or extended hazardous installations 88 HAZ2 Development in the vicinity of hazardous installations 89 HAZ3 Potentially polluting development 90 HAZ4 Contaminated land 91 Recreation and Tourism 92 REC1 Protection of sports fields, play areas and parks 94 REC2 Open space provision in new residential development 96 REC3 Indoor sports and social facilities 98 REC4 Amenity open space in residential areas 98 REC5 Allotments 99 REC6 Site for potentially noisy or nuisance outdoor sports 100 REC7 Recreational routeways 101 REC8 Tourist accommodation 102 REC9 Historic canal port 103 Town Centres and Shopping 104 SHOP1 Primary shopping areas 105 SHOP2 Local shopping centres 107 SHOP3 Small shopping centres 108 SHOP4 Retail development 110 SHOP5 Food and drink establishments and amusement centres 112 SHOP6 Shop fronts 113 Ellesmere Port and Neston Borough Local Plan Contents SHOP7 Cromwell Road 114 Transport 116 TRANS1 Access to developments 117 TRANS2 Highway network 117 TRANS3 Freight transport 118 TRANS4 Provision for cyclists 118 TRANS5 Car parking in residential areas 119 TRANS6 Car parking standards 120 Appendix 1 Open Space Provision in Proposed Residential Development 121 Appendix 2 Evaluation of Urban Green Network 122 Definition of terms 136 Monitoring the Local Plan 144 Ellesmere Port and Neston Borough Local Plan 5 Introduction Introduction What is a Local Plan? A Local Plan is prepared by a district council to guide the future development and use of land within its area. The Plan contains a series of policies and proposals which are used to help determine planning applications. The Local Plan must conform with the broader, county-wide planning policies set out in a Structure Plan, which is prepared by a County Council. The Structure Plan and Local Plan are together known as the ‘development plan’ for an area, and form part of the statutory town and country planning system. Legislation states that planning applications should generally be decided in accordance with the development plan. The preparation of a Local Plan involves extensive public consultation. This enables the public to become involved in making choices about how much development there should be and where it should be accommodated in the area. The main functions of a Local Plan are: to interpret strategic policies in the County Structure Plan and apply these at the local level, -to identify land to meet future needs, to provide a framework for the consideration of planning applications, to provide a framework for co-ordinating development by public authorities and private agencies, to provide the opportunity for the public to comment on and become involved in the debate on local planning issues. The Ellesmere Port and Neston Borough Local Plan This Local Plan covers the whole of the Borough of Ellesmere Port & Neston and will guide development up to the year 2011. The Local Plan was adopted on 15th January 2002. It replaces the two former Local Plans that covered the district, namely the Ellesmere Port & Neston Local Plan (adopted in 1993) and the Mersey Marshes Local Plan (approved in 1986). In preparing the Local Plan the Council first carried out consultation on a draft plan in 1996. In 1998 a second draft (the deposit draft version) was prepared and over 1000 objections to various policies were received. A public local plan inquiry took place in 1999 with the Inspector delivering his report in November of that year. In 2000 the council proposed to make changes (proposed modifications) to the plan as a result of the Inspector’s Report. These resulted in further objections, one of which led to the holding of a second inquiry in 2001. After a small number of further proposed modifications were made at the end of 2001, the plan was finally adopted on 15th January 2002. Strategic Context The Ellesmere Port & Neston Borough Local Plan conforms to the approved Structure Plan for Cheshire which covers the period of the plan. The Plan takes account of Regional Planning Guidance for the North West (issued 1996), which covers the period up to 2011 “A Plan for Future Generations” The intention of the Ellesmere Port and Neston Local Plan is to look ahead and plan for future generations as well as those who currently live in, work in or visit the Borough. The Local Plan is essentially a land use plan and therefore there are limitations as to what it can control. Nevertheless it has a significant role to play in promoting development which is sustainable. Sustainable forms of development enable 6 Ellesmere Port and Neston Borough Local Plan Introduction today’s generation to meet its needs without harming the ability of future generations to meet their needs. The Local Plan must help to ensure that planning decisions do not deny future generations the best of today’s environment. Its policies and proposals aim to make adequate provision for development and at the same time take account of the need to protect the natural and built environment. To ensure that the detailed policies and proposals are compatible with the aims of sustainable development, an Environmental Appraisal of the Plan has been carried out. Each policy has been scrutinised to check that all of the environmental, social and economic impacts have been taken into account, and to ensure that the policies work together to achieve the Local Plan’s “Guiding Principle”, described below. Plan Structure At the core of the Local Plan is the following “Guiding Principle” drawn up by the Borough Council: “To nurture development and land use which will improve the quality of life in Ellesmere Port and Neston Borough without causing long term social, economic or environmental harm to existing or future generations.” The Plan Objectives that spring from the Guiding Principle are: to create a thriving economy providing a wide range of employment opportunities which are accessible to local people, to enable all residents to have quality housing, services and recreational facilities, to secure the regeneration of urban and industrial areas, to protect and enhance landscape, habitat and wildlife, greenspaces and the built environment in urban areas and the countryside, to guide development to locations which are accessible by walking, cycling and public transport. These objectives form the basis of the aims and policies contained in the Plan. The Local Plan consists of 2 documents; the Written Statement and the Proposals Map. The Local Plan is divided into a number of chapters, each covering a specific topic area such as Employment, Transport and Housing. At the beginning of each chapter is a series of aims, which reflect elements of the Guiding Principle. These chapter aims are translated into a series of policies, which are set out in the Written Statement together with explanatory text. Chapters are not set out in order of priority and none are more important than any other. A system of cross-referencing is included since very often more than one policy will apply to a particular area or issue.top The Proposals Map identifies how each policy relates to specific areas of the Borough.