WIGANLOCALPLAN Wigan Allocations and Development Management Local Plan: Initial Draft Plan, October 2015 Wigan Council Contents ONE Introduction 2 TWO Key evidence 5 THREE Integrated assessment 9 FOUR Key issues and objectives 10 FIVE Open space, sport and recreation 13 SIX Education and learning 21 SEVEN Economy and employment 23 EIGHT Housing 36 NINE Gypsies and travellers and travelling showpeople 45 TEN Retail and centres 49 ELEVEN Regeneration priority areas 67 TWELVE Major sites 73 THIRTEEN Accessibility 87 FOURTEEN Green Belt and safeguarded land 96 FIFTEEN Environment 101 SIXTEEN Next steps 110 Appendix A Replacement of remaining saved UDP policies 111 Appendix B Housing sites 114 Appendix C Parking standards 125 Appendix D Environment designations 130 WIGANLOCALPLAN Wigan Allocations and Development Management Local Plan: Initial Draft Plan, October 2015 Wigan Council ONE Introduction Click on the 'Add comment' tab above if you would like to make a comment on this chapter. 1.1 This Allocations and Development Management Local Plan: Initial Draft Plan (Allocations Plan for short) proposes detailed planning policies, area designations and site allocations for specific types of development to meet the borough’s needs for new homes and jobs through to 2026. It provides the details needed to deliver the spatial vision, strategic objectives and scale of growth established in the Wigan Local Plan Core Strategy. It accords with the Core Strategy except where a different approach is required in response to more up-to-date evidence. 1.2 The Allocations Plan will show, amongst other things: The areas of land allocated for development The boundaries of sites within broad locations for new development Sites for new housing development Proposals for new transport infrastructure Designations of employment areas and new employment sites Town, local and neighbourhood centre boundaries, and primary shopping areas Conservation Area boundaries and other heritage assets Natural environment assets and green infrastructure The extent of the Green Belt and remaining areas of safeguarded land Areas of protected open space. 1.3 Once adopted the Allocations Plan will form part of the Wigan Local Plan and will supersede the Remaining Policies in the Replacement Unitary Development Plan, as shown in Appendix A. 1.4 In addition to the Wigan Local Plan Core Strategy and the Remaining Policies in the Unitary Development Plan, the Wigan Local Plan also comprises: 2 WIGANLOCALPLAN Wigan Allocations and Development Management Local Plan: Initial Draft Plan, October 2015 Wigan Council Greater Manchester Waste Plan Greater Manchester Minerals Plan. 1.5 The Draft Plan has taken into account the comments received as part of the launch and issues consultation in late 2013, when we asked for views on what this plan ought to contain and what issues it needs to address. Our responses to the comments received during this initial consultation are set out in our Consultation Report (February 2014) which is available on the council’s website. The key issues that we face in the borough, and the objectives to help address them through this plan, are set out in section 4. 1.6 This Initial Draft Plan is the first of two key consultation stages in the preparation of the emerging Allocations Plan. It provides an opportunity for the local community and other stakeholders to comment on the sites that have been proposed for allocation or protection and the detailed planning policies that are proposed. This consultation stage is very important because it will help determine what changes need to be made before we firm up the plan. How to get involved 1.7 If you would like to get involved, please submit your comments online at: www.wigan.gov.uk/allocationsplan by following the links. If you have not done so before you will need to register your contact details but this is straightforward. 1.8 If you do not have access to the internet at home, you can gain access at all libraries in the borough. Library opening times are available at: https://www.wigan.gov.uk/Resident/Libraries/Find-a-library.aspx or by phoning 01942 244991. 1.9 Alternatively, you can email us at [email protected]. 1.10 All comments on the Draft Plan will need to be submitted by 5pm on Tuesday 15 December 2015. 1.11 If you submit your comments online or by email we pledge to keep you informed of progress on a regular basis. 3 WIGANLOCALPLAN Wigan Allocations and Development Management Local Plan: Initial Draft Plan, October 2015 Wigan Council 1.12 If you have no reasonable alternative, you can write to us at Planning Policy and Projects, Places Directorate, Wigan Council, PO Box 100, Wigan WN1 3DS. However, if you submit comments in this way we cannot provide progress updates due to the costs and time involved. 4 WIGANLOCALPLAN Wigan Allocations and Development Management Local Plan: Initial Draft Plan, October 2015 Wigan Council TWO Key evidence Click on the 'Add comment' tab above if you would like to make a comment on this chapter. 2.1 The Allocations Plan is informed by an extensive evidence base. Evidence is gathered from a wide range of sources including existing publications and research, monitoring and our own studies. There are a number of key requirements for the borough arising from this evidence: Our Draft Open Space, Sport and Recreation Needs and Provision Assessment (2015) has assessed the need for, and provision of, open space and sport and recreation facilities across the borough across a range of different categories and types. This has informed the standards for open space, sport and recreation that have been proposed and identifies surpluses and shortfalls in provision. Shortfalls were identified in children's play space and allotment provision across the borough, and park provision in the north and easternmost parts of the borough. Strategic priorities have been identified and recommendations made on a settlement and borough-wide basis to improve the quantity, quality and accessibility of open space, sport and recreation through to 2026. Our Draft Employment Land Review 2015 has confirmed the requirement established in the Local Plan Core Strategy for 200 hectares of employment land from 2011 to 2026. Only 4.35 hectares have been built out in the intervening, economically difficult period, leaving around 195 hectares to be provided. The current condition of the borough's employment land portfolio has been assessed and some sites discounted. Additional land has been identified to address the shortfall. Further work will be undertaken to complete the review. The objectively assessed housing need for the borough is 14,921 homes for the period 2012-2026. This equates to 1,066 homes per year. In accordance with national planning policy, the government household projections provide the starting point for 5 WIGANLOCALPLAN Wigan Allocations and Development Management Local Plan: Initial Draft Plan, October 2015 Wigan Council calculating the objectively assessed housing need which are then adjusted to reflect local circumstances. The calculation of our objectively assessed housing need is set out in Section 5 of our Draft Strategic Housing Market Assessment. Our Draft Strategic Housing Market Assessment has identified a particular need to develop smaller homes and more specialist extra-care accommodation to meet future requirements. It also identifies a net annual shortfall of around 330 affordable homes to meet local need. Our Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment has identified a sufficient supply of developable housing sites in the borough to meet our objectively assessed housing needs to 2026. Our Greater Manchester Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment identifies a need for 8 additional pitches for gypsy and travellers to meet needs in the borough to 2019, and a further 10 pitches to meet needs to 2034. It also identifies a need for 19 additional plots for travelling showpeople to meet needs to 2019, and a further 10 plots to meet needs to 2034. This did not take into account the planning permission at Seaman Way, Ince. The Greater Manchester Town Centres Study 2013 found that Wigan town centre has remained stable in its position as the 104th retail centre in the country with the lowest spending leakage rate in Greater Manchester. However, to maintain and improve the town centre's sub-regional role, we will need to further improve the retail offer and the range of evening economy uses; provide better access into the town centre including improving public transport facilities; and promote edge of centre sites. Our Retail and Leisure Study 2014 provides up to date evidence on shopping patterns; retail need and capacity; potential threats to existing centres; and analysis of leisure provision in the borough. There is capacity for additional retail floor space in Wigan, Leigh and Ashton-in-Makerfield town centres. 91% of the borough’s residents shop locally for convenience goods and 66% shop locally for comparison goods. There is potential for a new cinema and leisure uses in Wigan town centre. 6 WIGANLOCALPLAN Wigan Allocations and Development Management Local Plan: Initial Draft Plan, October 2015 Wigan Council We completed face to face ‘In Street Surveys’ across eight town centres during May 2014. These surveys help to provide a broad understanding of retail and leisure patterns, perceptions and aspirations. We completed annual health check surveys of the borough’s town, local and neighbourhood centres in 2015. These provide up-to-date information on vacancy levels, diversity of usage and an understanding of the physical condition of these centres. Viability Assessments have been undertaken in support of the Local Plan Core Strategy, and various planning applications for sites such as North Leigh Park and South of Hindley, including as part of the preparation for the community infrastructure levy. Viability is challenging at some sites in the east-west core but will be addressed through an uplift in values as the property market continues to recover.