Local Plan Background Paper Working in Bromley Crystal Palace
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Local Plan Background Paper Working in Bromley Crystal Palace Strategic Outer London Development Centre (SOLDC) London Borough of Bromley Planning Division September 2015 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction p.4 1. Policy Background p.4 1.1 National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) p.4 1.2 London Plan p.4 2. Boundary Definition Rationale p.5 3. Criteria Assessment of the Proposed Crystal Palace p.7 Strategic Outer London Development Centre 4. Conclusion/Summary p.11 Background Documents p.13 Key Relevant Planning Policies p.14 Appendix 1 - Bromley’s Draft Policies and Designations p.15 Document (February 2014) Emerging Renewal Area policies Appendix 2 – Crystal Palace Ward Boundary p. 19 Appendix 3 - Croydon Local Plan Strategic Policies (CLP1) p. 20 Adopted April 2013- Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood Appendix 4 - Crystal Palace’s changing PTAL levels 2007- p.22 2012 Appendix 5 - OO Joining the Dots Study Crystal Palace Area p.23 Commission Boundary This Crystal Palace Strategic Outer London Development Background Paper has been produced by the Council to support the preparation of the September 2015 Draft Site Allocations, Further Policies & Designations Consultation Document. The B ackground Paper may be updated or amended during the Local Plan process. 3 Introduction The adopted London Plan (2015) identifies Crystal Palace as a potential Strategic Outer London Development Centre (SOLDC). This paper sets out the approach to assessing the potential of Crystal Palace as a SOLDC and to the identification of a draft boundary for consultation purposes. 1. Policy Background 1.1 National Planning Policy Framework The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF, 2012) identifies the need for Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) to set out a clear economic vision and strategy for their area which positively and proactively encourages sustainable economic growth. LPAs should identify strategic sites for local and inward investment to match the strategy and meet anticipated development needs over the plan period, support existing business sectors and identify priority areas for economic regeneration, infrastructure provision and environmental enhancement. The NPPF also recognises the importance of promoting competitive town centre environments. The Framework provides strict and strong levels of protection to the GreenBelt. The London Plan provides Metropolitan Open Land with the same level of protection as the GreenBelt through Policy 7.17. It also puts strong emphasis on the protection, conservation and enhancement of the natural and historic environment and sets out that Local Plans should include policies to deliver strategic priorities within the area, including for the provision of leisure development, cultural facilities and other local development. 1.2 London Plan The Strategic Outer London Development Centre (SOLDC) designation was introduced in the 2011 version of the London Plan. Crystal Palace was proposed as a potential SOLDC as part of the Further Alterations of the London Plan (January 2014), and the area is in the London Plan (2015). SOLDCs are economic locations of various scales with specialist functions/strengths which already function or can potentially function at a more than subregional level and generate significant, specialist growth considerably above existing Outer London trends. SOLDC’s identified specialist functions/strengths should be able to be strengthened, mostly through specialist development, without undermining the role of other business locations and of town centres and should also help realize the Mayor’s wider objectives for Outer London. The potential of SOLDCs is meant to be realized through partnership working involving the Mayor, Local Authorities and other 4 relevant stakeholders. These should define together the “adequate development capacity” of the SOLDC. It needs to be noted that the Mayor recognizes the potential for the SOLDC concept to be refined in cooperation with relevant stakeholders. Existing and potential specialist “functions of greater than sub-regional importance” are identified for the proposed Crystal Palace SOLDC in table 2.1 of the 2015 London Plan as falling under the following broad categories: Leisure, tourism, arts, culture, and sports Potential Strategic Outer London Development Centres 2015 London Plan Table 2.1 (extract) Strategic function(s) of greater Potential Outer London than sub-regional importance development centres Leisure/tourism/arts/ culture/ sports Wembley, parts of Greenwich, Richmond/ Kingston, Stratford, Royal Docks, the Lower Lee Valley and the Upper Lee Valley, Hillingdon and the Wandle Valley, Crystal Palace The GLA’s 2014 Town Centres Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) provides additional guidance which identifies “potential criteria” for identifying SOLDCs. It is stated that these helped inform the locations identified in the London Plan (2011). The criteria may be subject to change as the SOLDC concept gets refined. The proposed SOLDC boundary and designation is being assessed against the emerging criteria in the next section of this paper. 2. Boundary Definition Rationale Consideration has been given to the sensible definition of a potential Crystal Palace Strategic Outer London Development Centre boundary. This was informed by discussions held by Bromley with the Greater London Authority and with neighbouring boroughs in late 2014 and early 2015. Whilst the extent of the Crystal Palace area is not defined on any map, Crystal Palace Ward (Appendix 2) forms Bromley’s north-western section and shares boundaries with the four boroughs of Southwark, Lewisham, Lambeth and Croydon which the Council works with on a range of cross boundary issues. The Council has also defined the broad extent of a proposed Crystal Palace Renewal Area (see Appendix 3) which includes Crystal Palace ward as well as parts of Penge and Cator and Clock House wards. Development proposals in the Renewal Area will be expected to maximise “opportunities presented by the enhancement of and 5 development within, Crystal Palace Park for the benefit of the wider area”. The purpose of the designation however is for development to contribute to the area’s wider social economic and environmental renewal rather than generate significant growth. Crystal Palace Park and the National Sports Centre are widely recognised as being of more than borough importance and were the starting point for considering the boundary of a potential SOLDC. Drawing a draft extent for the proposed SOLDC involved consideration as to whether areas within the wider Crystal Palace area serve one or more of the strategic functions as defined in Table 2.1 of the London Plan shown earlier. The “Joining the Dots in Crystal Palace” OO study commissioned and published by the GLA in 2015 outlined broad strategies to build consensus and coordinate actions across a cross-borough Crystal Palace area together with neighbourhood proposals in key areas in the vicinity of the Park. The OO study thus recognized the local identity of the distinct neighborhoods which form the Crystal Palace area. It did not identify areas which would meet the test of sub-regional importance for sports, leisure, culture and tourism or strategic sites which could sustain the growth of these functions. The area considered by the study, as shown in Appendix 4, included a Core Study Area which comprised Croydon’s Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood District Centre, Anerley, parts of Penge and Anerley to the East of the railway and Penge District Centre in Bromley. A wider area of influence included the Park’s residential hinterlands in Anerley, Upper Norwood, Gipsy Hill, Sydenham Hill, Sydenham and Penge. Other town centres within the Park’s hinterlands include Local Centres on Anerley Hill (Bromley) and around Gipsy Hill Station (Lambeth). These serve a more localized catchment and include local parades and small clusters of shops, mostly for convenience goods and other useful services. Sydenham (Lewisham) and South Norwood (Croydon) District Centres are also considered part of the Park’s wider area of influence. The position of these town centres within the Hierarchy is defined and was confirmed in Table A2.1 of the London Plan (2015) according to their existing role and function in light of data provided by Local Authorities. Neither District nor Local Centres are meant to provide functions at a more than local level. The OO study did not identify capacity for development with the potential to generate growth subregionally in those centres through either development sites or other projects. Similarly, no significant potential for residential or employment growth was identified within the Core or Wider area of influence. There are no known heritage, leisure, sports or cultural assets of subregional significance with the 6 potential to either encourage or sustain growth of that level beyond the Park’s boundaries in the wider Crystal Palace area as defined in the OO Study. The Crystal Palace, Penge and Anerley Renewal Area, which comprises Penge District, Maple Road and Anerley Local Centres, and Oakfield Road Business Areas as well as residential areas peppered with green spaces, conservation areas and listed assets significantly overlaps with the OO area of study and does not comprise any leisure, tourism, sports, arts or cultural functions of more than subregional importance or assets with the potential to generate that level of growth. The potential of Crystal Palace’s hinterlands to benefit from existing and future proposals to improve Crystal Palace