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Introduction This technical paper is one of a series, prepared by the Council, to support preparation of its Local Development Framework (LDF). The technical papers in the series currently comprise: 1. Defining the Coastal Change Management Area 2. Local Green Spaces 3. A Review of Built Up Area Boundaries 4. Influences on the Settlement Strategy 5. Calculating a Windfall Allowance 6. Interim Review of Local Landscape Designations and Important Local Countryside Gaps The purpose of this topic paper is to set out the influences upon the Council’s settlement strategy as set out in Chapter 4 of the draft Local Plan. These include:

Section 1. national Policy and evidence; Section 2. the Local Plan Vision and Strategy; Section 3. distances to services and facilities; Section 4. the capacity of settlements for change (inc. service provision); and Section 5. how places function.

Section 1. National Policy and Evidence

1) The National Planning Policy Framework 2012 expects Councils to consider the role and character of their towns and villages and the intrinsic value and beauty of the countryside within which they sit 1. Local Plans also need to manage patterns of growth so that they make the fullest possible use of sustainable transport and put the most significant levels of growth in locations which are or can be made sustainable 2.

2) The 2011 travel to work data reveals that some 54% of total employees in Swale travel outside it to work, mostly to Canterbury, The Medway Towns, and . This has not significantly worsened since the 2001 Census, but Swale shows one of the greatest rises of all the Kent Districts. In terms of mode of travel, some 65% of journeys to work are made by car, whilst only 10% use public transport, some of the poorest levels of usage in Kent.

3) A significant part of the Borough falls within a national priority area for regeneration - the Thames Gateway (Figure 1). It comprises the Sittingbourne and Isle of Sheppey areas of the Borough. The Gateway is supported as a strategy priority by the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (it being one of its four strategic objectives) and financially by £442M from the Single Regional Growth and EU Structural and Investment Funds. The Thames Gateway Kent Partnership is chaired by an Under Secretary of State and promotes the creation of jobs, infrastructure and new homes across North Kent and South Essex. Its presence and the major regeneration emphasis that underpins it is a continued and strong influence upon Local Plans.

1 National Planning Policy Framework 2012. CLG. Para. 17. 2 National Planning Policy Framework 2012. CLG. Paras. 17, 30, 34. 1 Technical Paper 4: Influences on the Settlement Strategy

Figure 1 The Thames Gateway

4) Outside the Gateway, the eastern and southern parts of the Borough reflect a more rural profile, characterised by the small market town of , its rural hinterland, and the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). In these areas, national policies relating to heritage assets and for the AONB indicate conservation and enhancement.

5) For future retail and leisure needs, national policy expects Councils to define a network and hierarchy of centres that is resilient to anticipated future economic changes 3. Swale has three principal towns: Sittingbourne (the main shopping and administrative centre) and two smaller towns, Faversham (a market town serving a rural hinterland); and Sheerness (the main town on the Isle of Sheppey). There are a series of smaller local centres within the main urban areas and villages of the Borough that serve purely local needs.

6) Retail and Town Centre Study December 2010 identified a retail hierarchy for Swale that is shown in table 1. Following such a hierarchy would mean that the greatest scales of retail and leisure growth would be steered toward Sittingbourne, followed by Faversham and Sheerness, with modest scales of growth at the local centres.

Table 1 Retail Hierarchy from Swale Retail and Town Centre Study 2010.

Ty pe of centre and location Town Centre Sittingbourne (principal town), Faversham, Sheerness Local Centre & , Halfway, Minster, , Boughton, , Iwade, Leysdown, Newington, Teynham Conclusions 7) For Swale, both national policy and data strong indicates the need for a strong and local relationship between scales of population, the availability of services, facilities and a choice of transport options and infrastructure. This will both facilitate shorter journeys for the things existing and future residents need as well as limiting wider impacts on the transport network.

3 National Planning Policy Framework 2012. CLG. Para. 23. 2 Technical Paper 4: Influences on the Settlement Strategy 8) For the settlement strategy, the presence of the Thames Gateway likewise indicates the need for added emphasis, both in terms of scales of growth, but also in recognition of the potential for the area to create sustainable communities in accordance with National Planning Policy. Section 2. The Local Plan Vision and Strategy 9) Our Local Plan Vision and Strategy aligns closely with national policy and implies varying levels of growth between parts of the Borough:

• greater scales of growth at the urban areas within the Thames Gateway – Sittingbourne transformed and the urban coast of west Sheppey rejuvenated; • at Faversham, growth is described as organic, in other words gradual and unforced; and • successful rural communities, whilst dependent upon development, growth is not at the same scale as the urban areas and larger villages so as to protect the countryside.

10) Our Local Plan settlement strategy indicates five foci for growth that, in broad terms, descend in the scale and type of growth that is to be directed at them:

1. the principal town of Sittingbourne; 2. the other Borough urban centres of Faversham and Sheerness (and its nearby centres of Queenborough, Rushenden and Minster/Halfway); 3. Rural Local Service Centres – Iwade, Newington, Eastchurch, Leysdown, Teynham and Boughton; 4. the villages with built-up area boundaries; and 5. the open countryside.

11) The national emphasis toward the Thames Gateway towns in this settlement strategy, as well as reflecting the role and character of settlements and the intrinsic value and beauty of the countryside, also provides the basis for the creation of two planning areas:

1. Swale Thames Gateway (comprising the Isle of Sheppey, Sittingbourne from the coast to the M2 and including Teynham in the east); and beyond the Gateway the 2. Faversham and the rest of Swale (inc. the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty).

12) These planning areas continue the approach of the adopted Swale Borough Local Plan 2008.

The sub-area implications of development targets

13) Recognising the social, economic and environmental differences between the two planning areas – Thames Gateway (Sittingbourne, the Isle of Sheppey) and Faversham – is fundamental to the strategy of the Local Plan and the Council’s ability to make planned provision for the Borough.

14) The spatial approach over the last 25 years has largely reflected the growth area/lower growth area split with physical growth at the east end of the Borough significantly lower. Through three successive Local and Structure Plans and a Regional Plan, housing targets were in the non-growth area part of the Borough were between 8-14% of the Borough’s total 4. From the 1980 Kent Structure Plan, Faversham was treated as a separate planning area and its policy provided for a ‘conservation primacy’. This meant that in the event of a tension between this objective and meeting development needs, the preservation and enhancement of the historic environment prevailed. A notable example of its effects were the twice dismissal in 2001 and 2004 by an Inspector and Secretary of State of a planning application for a large business park - despite its allocation in adopted Structure and Local Plans. This abandonment prevailed against other large-scale business park propositions promoted via the final Structure Plan, the Regional Spatial Strategy for the South East and the 2008 adopted Local Plan; the latter producing the following example from its Inspector’s report:

“I consider that the overriding objection to proposals for major development on greenfield land at the town’s periphery is that they would not accord with the strategic priorities and objectives aimed at conserving the town’s historic environment and containing peripheral growth.” (para. 2.18.8)

4 Kent Structure Plan 1996 (14%), Swale Borough Local Plan 2000 (14%), Kent and Medway Structure Plan 2006 (12%), Swale Borough Local Plan 2008 (12%), The SE Plan 2010 (8%). 3 Technical Paper 4: Influences on the Settlement Strategy 15) Thus, over time, the conservation primacy has both reasserted itself, and has been notably further consolidated for the 2008 Local Plan by its extension into the protection of the natural environment of the countryside around the town.

16) In considering development needs for the town the 2013 SHMA updates highlights the need for some 20,000 sq m of industrial floorspace for the town. For housing, table 2 shows how the objectively assessed need for housing identified in the Council’s Strategic Housing Market Assessment Update 2013 would translate for each of these locations if one were to assume that levels of objectively assessed need were split on the basis of their shares of population, employment and past levels of housing completions.

Table 2 Illustrative split of housing provision in objective assessment of need across the Borough. Source NLP analysis

Share of New Residential Development Requirement Low (c600 p.a.) Middle (c750 p.a.) Upper (c900 p.a.) Areas Pop split Emp split Hsg split Pop split Emp split Hsg split Pop split Emp split Hsg split

Faversham 2,911 2,488 2,090 3,572 3,053 2,564 4,275 3,654 3,069 Isle of Sheppey 3,636 2,875 2,815 4,461 3,527 3,453 5,340 4,222 4,133 Sittingbourne 5,533 6,716 7,176 6,788 8,240 8,803 8,125 9,863 10,538 Borough Total 12,080 14,820 17,740

17) Based on this same approach, table 3 shows how the Council’s agreed housing target of 10,800 would be distributed as per the two planning areas set out in para. 11., together with the sub-area target applied by the Council based on its planning strategy.

Table 3 Area split based on Council’s housing target of 10,800 dwellings

Based on Based on proportion Based on past level of Draft Local Plan Area proportion of of employment housing completions provision population Faversham and rest of 2,592 2,268 1,868 1,450 Swale Swale Thames Gateway (Isle of Sheppey and 8,208 8,532 8,932 9,350 Sittingbourne) TOTAL 10,800 10,800 10,800 10,800

18) However, current population and employment shares and recent trends in housing completions are simply indicators and the not the basis upon which to distribute growth. To these must be added regeneration opportunities, environmental capacity and the specific issues needing to be addressed in each area.

19) Taking such matters into account, growth at Faversham is not set at one of the ‘share’ indicators from table 3, but at a level that limits the use of land sensitive for heritage, landscape or biodiversity and maintains the ability of the town to keep its small market town character and role in meeting more locally based needs. As an indication as to the effect of this strategic decision, using the ‘share’ indicators table 3 shows that growth in the Gateway increases by between 418 and 1,142 dwellings. The approach:

(1) avoids significant adverse impacts on heritage assets and high quality agricultural land at Faversham, whilst limiting upward pressures on out-commuting;

4 Technical Paper 4: Influences on the Settlement Strategy (2) enables housing levels at Faversham to be boosted from 2006 levels, although there is no compelling economic need or evidence of housing market failure to indicate that a boost of housing is necessary;

(3) limits pressure upon the Kent Downs AONB;

(4) accords with the strategic status of the Thames Gateway as an already established growth area by:

a. providing a greater range of less constrained sites is available, especially brownfield sites in its two principle regeneration areas at central Sittingbourne and Queenborough and Rushenden;

b. supporting significantly greater levels of committed and proposed employment land with the largest proportion (75%) of the Borough's economically active residents;

c. helping to compensate for forecast declines in the working age population; and

d. assisting in the stimulation of demand for improved retail/leisure facilities at Sittingbourne.

20) In the case of job creation, the variances between the Swale Thames Gateway and Faversham is as the result of creating a flexible portfolio of sites that meets wider identified needs for the Gateway and more local needs at Faversham. This and the growth area status of the Swale Thames Gateway support the overwhelming majority of provision being made there. 21) Despite successive policies of self-containment, for the latest draft Local Plan the Council is faced with difficult decisions around the inevitability of breaching one or more of the town’s well defined boundaries to meet housing and employment needs. The choice of how to achieve this is documented by the Council’s Sustainability Appraisal (and elsewhere), but whilst a breach of boundaries may be necessary, this does not point to the demise of the conservation primacy or a need to put development levels on an equal footing with the growth area. This is despite that the levels of housing proposed for the draft Local Plan having risen markedly on those from the Regional Spatial Strategy.

Further supporting evidence for the planning policy stance on Faversham

Environment

22) Consultations on the Faversham 2020 Town Action Plan 5 demonstrate that the town’s two overall attractions are its human scale and layout and its strong sense of place - a ‘proper town’ (pg. 13). It confirms that despite its expansion, the town remains relatively compact where, for example, from its centre it is possible to reach open countryside by foot in any direction within 10 to 15 minutes. Likewise, this compact nature provides a good proportion of its public, leisure, commercial and retail services and facilities at its heart and easily accessible to residents. Adherence to its established boundaries has enabled the town to avoid the ugly and shapeless urban sprawl that has affected English towns and contributed to their traffic and sustainability problems.

23) Influencing Faversham’s urban form and any future growth is the character and quality of the surrounding countryside. Arching across the north of the town is the Swale Special Protection Area (an area protected in EEC law for birds) that is also a Ramsar site and a Site of Special Scientific Interest. This marshland landscape is designated by the draft Local Plan as an Area of High Landscape Value – Kent Level (The North Kent Marshes), which is also subject to the highest risk of tidal flooding which extends into the northern areas of the town. A second Area of High Landscape Value – Kent Level (The Kent Downs) forms a dry valley and dip slope, extends from the south in the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, northward and adjoins the boundary to the town to the west. To the south, west and east of the town is a belt of high quality agricultural land.

24) The 2020 Action Plan consultations highlight the town’s unique heritage as being a central factor to Faversham’s attractiveness. The Council’s Faversham Conservation Area appraisal similarly highlights

5 Faversham Town Council December 2012. http://www.faversham.org/upload/docs/TAP_22_feb_FINAL.pdf 5 Technical Paper 4: Influences on the Settlement Strategy this feature (para. 1.6) 6. The town’s development north of the A2 Roman road is unique in terms of settlements in Kent on the A2 that, together with its compact form and its rural approaches, are part of the defining character of the place. Construction of the M2 lies close to the south and southeast of the town, leaving its urban edge at the A2 unaffected by the motorway, but close enough to leave it vulnerable to change.

25) The setting of the town is relevant in most decisions about its future, but notably in the south of the town where it is influenced by the Ospringe Conservation area and the Syndale historic park in the southwest and within the land between the A2 and M2. English Heritage consider this area as forming part of the setting of the town as a heritage asset7:

“English Heritage recommends that in determining this application your Council should take into account its likely effects on those aspects of Faversham’s urban form that contribute to its heritage significance as one of Kent’s foremost historic towns.

Faversham’s urban form derives some heritage significance from its coherent illustration of how geographical and political factors have shaped its development. The major Roman road linking London, Canterbury and Dover, formerly known as and now the A2, was the lifeblood of most of north Kent’s other historic settlements and in most cases their raison d’etre, but Faversham instead grew up around its navigable creek to the north of the road. King Stephen’s decision to found an abbey close to the south-eastern bank of the creek in 1147 reflects the importance of the creek for trade and movement, and had the effect of reinforcing the town’s centre away from the road. It was not until the mid-nineteenth century that the introduction of the railway to Faversham led to the town expanding up to the northern edge of the A2, and but for the ribbons of development along arterial routes to the south, there remains a strong sense that the A2 bypasses the town.

We think that some weight may be given when considering this application to the desirability of preserving those aspects of Faversham’s morphology that contribute to its significance. Such undeveloped sites outside the existing town envelope play a role in understanding the town’s evolution because they define its edges, and for this reason we think it would be appropriate to treat this application site as being within the setting of Faversham conservation area, which covers a large part of the town.

The NPPF describes setting as the ‘surroundings in which a heritage asset is experienced’ (p.56). English Heritage’s 2011 guidance on the subject… explains that the way in which a setting is experienced is not solely about views, but may also be influenced by other factors such as spatial associations and the historic relationships between places (p. 5). The historic relationships between the existing settlement boundaries of Faversham, the A2 and agricultural land beyond all contribute to how the town and its conservation area are experienced and in our view justify considering this application in relation to the significance that Faversham’s conservation area derives from its setting.”

26) Bordering and beyond the M2 to the south is the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). As a nationally important landscape environmental resource its special qualities are described as the dramatic south-facing scarp, secluded dry valleys, the network of tiny lanes, isolated farmsteads, churches and oasts, orchards, dramatic cliffs, the ancient woodlands and delicate chalk grassland along with ancient, remote and tranquil qualities 8. The AONB itself in Swale extends across the southern part of the Borough from its boarders with Medway and Maidstone in the west, across to those with Ashford and Canterbury Councils in the east.

Commuting

27) Another factor with a bearing upon the amount of future development is out-commuting. According to the 2011 Census, of its total resident workforce, 35% work within Swale and 24% in the Faversham area itself. Commuting out of the Borough is the worst of the three towns, the most popular location

6 http://www.swale.gov.uk/assets/Planning-Forms-and-Leaflets/Planning-General/Planning-Conservation/Faversham- conservation-area-character-appraisal.pdf 7 English Heritage letter to SBC 20 February 2014 in respect of planning application between the A2 and M2. 8 http://www.kentdowns.org.uk 6 Technical Paper 4: Influences on the Settlement Strategy being Canterbury. In total the town is a net exporter of labour. Many of these exported jobs are in sectors not well represented in Swale, such as office, professional and science based jobs.This is probably not untypical of a market town with high quality transport links close to a range of employment markets, but underscores the efforts needed to improve local job opportunities whilst damping down housing demand.

Transport

28) Although the town enjoys excellent rail and road connections, junction 7 of the M2 with the A2 (T) and A229 at Brenley Corner has capacity issues. Whilst the growth proposed by the draft Local Plan will only trigger minor improvements on the approaches from the non-trunk A2, there is also a major longer term need for re-configuration at the junction to improve flows between the M2 and A2 (T). These will be matters for the national roads programme to address, but in the meantime, there is a need to limit growth that would feed onto this junction.

Conclusions

29) The 2014 Sustainability Appraisal of the draft Local Plan considered this split between Faversham and the growth area and tested the potential to increase the levels of growth at the town. It noted (page 36) that for such an approach (option 2): “The appraisal shows that there is the greatest potential to differentiate between the alternatives in terms of environmental issues. In particular, it is possible to conclude that Option 2 (higher growth distributed as per the current population split) would likely lead to significant negative effects in terms of ‘biodiversity’ and ‘heritage’ considerations. In terms of biodiversity, the primary issue relates to higher levels of growth in sensitive coastal locations; whilst the sensitive nature of Faversham (and the service villages that could also see additional growth under Option 2) is the key heritage issue. Option 2 also performs worse in terms of loss of best and most versatile agricultural land; and it is suggested that the spatial approach to growth would encourage commuting (with implications for climate change and air quality objectives) relative to Option 1.” Section 3: Distances to services and facilities

30) A statistical digest of rural in 2013 9 confirmed, unsurprisingly, that access to services was lower in rural areas than elsewhere, with small, sparse rural areas having still lower accessibility. Although the willingness to walk or use public transport for services varies depending upon the service in question, again the same evidence shows rural populations less likely to use more sustainable transport options than their urban counterparts. The distances communities may have to travel to access services and facilities are though important in considering whether settlements are or can be made sustainable.

31) By using 2011 average travel distances to services for the South East, the Council generated the indicative map shown as Figure 2. Although not without its limitations, it nevertheless provides a reasonable illustration of relative accessibility across the Borough to a range of services 10 . Although starting from a different measure of accessibility and at a different scale of resolution, a very similar distribution of relative accessibility is also broadly confirmed by Defra's composite measure of accessibility.

32) Included on Figure 2 are the locations (flagged) of the settlements included within the draft Local Plan settlement strategy so that their location as relatively sustainable places can be verified. Better quality bus and rail routes are also shown so as to underscore where there may be transport choices.

9 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statistical-digest-of-rural-england-2013-february-2013 10 E.g. the areas between the extremes of accessibility should be treated with caution, whilst its use of ‘as the crow flies’ measures inevitably creates anomalies for areas around the Swale and Medway. 7 Technical Paper 4: Influences on the Settlement Strategy

Figure 2 Indicative map of accessibility to services in Swale

33) Figure 2 serves to demonstrate that the five foci for growth listed in para. 10, broadly accord with a descending order of accessibility illustrated by the map flags and confirms that the distribution of growth in Policy ST3 accords with the most sustainable (accessible) locations.

34) It is not appropriate to use Figure 2 to create a blanket approach to decision making as real life situations are likely to require more complex judgements - public transport may not be the most practical option in rural areas, people are prepared to travel further for some services than they are others and new technology will continue to change travel patterns, where and how people work and the way services are accessed. As such within the broad settlement strategy of the Local Plan, there is flexibility to enable some of these detailed matters to be considered

35) A further more complex judgement is the approach to development relative to the position of some settlements in less sustainable locations. The NPPF (para.17) allows development to be focused in locations that can be made sustainable. This is considered further by the next section. Conclusions 36) This section demonstrates the close correlation between population and levels of services with the currently most accessible locations for services being the main towns and urban areas, together with the larger villages on the main transport routes. Section 4: The capacity of settlements for change (inc. services)

37) This section examines the influences upon any settlement’s capacity for change.

The built up area boundaries

38) Within the wider countryside, the Swale Rural Sustainability Study (2011) examined the character of a range of settlements. Based upon those settlements with more significant concentrations of existing development, many have had built up area boundaries defined on the Proposals Maps of successive Swale Local Plans. Not all settlements have built up area boundaries defined, usually because their loose-knit, sporadic, historic or landscape character and because a defined boundary could lead to infill development harmful to their intrinsic value and that of the countryside. The built up area boundaries are the primary determiner of the capacity of a settlement to change. 8 Technical Paper 4: Influences on the Settlement Strategy 39) The ability to define a built up area boundary is an important dimension to the settlement strategy because its definition informs judgements about where development can and cannot take place. The boundaries help determine the change in character between built development and the open and undeveloped character of the wider countryside (not the social, economic or administrative boundaries to a village). Updates to the boundaries have been undertaken to reflect changes on the ground since 2008 and this review is contained in the Council’s technical paper entitled ‘ Built-up area boundary review ’.

40) The built up area boundaries are drawn by reference to:

• identifiable physical features, such as roads, hedges or tree belts and existing property lines, avoiding, where possible, open undeveloped or environmentally sensitive land; • sites on the edge of settlements which have planning permission, or are allocated for development in the Local Plan; and • excluding predominantly open land uses on the edge of settlements, such as playing fields, large gardens and utilities.

41) The line between consolidated areas of built development and open countryside may not always be clear cut, but beyond the defined built up area boundaries, land and other settlements are regarded as being within the open countryside where development opportunities are likely to be for very specific needs as set out by the Local Plan and/or national policy.

The historic form of settlements

42) For some towns and villages it is their high quality built-environment that has strongly influenced the definition of a built up area boundary (or absence of a boundary). Badlesmere, Boughton Street, Doddington, Dargate*, Newnham, , Goodnestone, *, Lewson Street, Lynsted, *, Ospringe, Selling, , Staplestreet*, *, Forstal* and Tunstall* either have extensive conservation areas and/or a loose-knit character which have determined either a limited built up area boundary or no boundary at all (marked *).

43) At Faversham and Sheerness, their compact historic urban forms, contained by well-defined boundaries and important environmental constraints, whilst not entirely precluding any ability to grow, are important factors in determining how they are to prosper. For Faversham, these constraints are described earlier in this document. Here, the alternatives for extending the town were explored through the 2012 and 2013 draft Core Strategy and Local Plan and the approach of extending the town eastward was judged to be the most appropriate and supported by the Core Strategy/Local Plan Sustainability Appraisals. Landscapes

44) Some villages are within the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty where the national planning policy is to conserve and enhance the landscape and scenic beauty of the designation. The character of Badlesmere, Doddington, Newnham, Eastling, Milstead*, Selling, Sheldwich, Stalisfield Green* and Throwley Forstal* are strongly influenced by their surrounding landscape and as explained in para. 38), a number (marked *) have no defined built up area boundary.

45) Areas of High Landscape Value, designated by the draft Local Plan, influence the character of other settlements including , and Oare where the open exposed North Kent Marshes coastal landscapes are special features. Elsewhere, Boughton Street, Dargate, Dunkirk, Hernhill and Staplestreet are within the setting of The Blean Area of High Landscape Value woodland complex whose canopy and pastures and remaining orchards are interwoven with these settlements. A number of these settlements fall within the s second Area of High Landscape Value intended to capture the interest of the woodland foreground and undulating orchard landscape.

46) The Council has also defined a series of countryside gaps to protect the amenity of the countryside between settlements and to safeguard their integrity from coalescence. These manifest themselves primarily with Sittingbourne and the satellite villages of Iwade, , Rodmersham Green, Tunstall, Borden, Chestnut Street and Bobbing. On Sheppey a gap separates Sheerness, Minster-Halfway and Queenborough-Rushenden. A further technical paper on landscape and countryside gaps has been produced. 9 Technical Paper 4: Influences on the Settlement Strategy 47) Although these local designations are unlikely to act as a major constraint to development in principle, they highlight the most sensitive locations, where change within the most critical parts of them would be difficult to accommodate without the loss of character and identify of the relevant settlement.

48) The Swale Urban Extension Landscape Capacity Study (2010) was commissioned to consider the capacity of local landscapes around the urban areas to accommodate change. Figure 3 shows that large areas around southern Sittingbourne, east of Minster and to the north of Faversham had a low capacity for change, whilst areas having high or moderate potential for change were identified to the east and north west of Sittingbourne, at Iwade, to the west of Minster/Halfway and to the south and east of Faversham.

Figure 3 Landscape Capacity to accommodate change

Biodiversity

49) The internationally important wildlife sites on the Medway, Swale, Queendown Warren and at The Blean require assessment to ensure that increased populations do not lead to conflicts with biodiversity. Work to assess recreational impacts on the North Kent Marshes established that growth within a 6 km point of access could potentially adversely birds. Applied to all Special Protection Areas and Special Areas of Conservation would potentially impact most of the settlements in the Borough, except those in the far south east of the Borough.

The need for new services

50) One of the NPPFs Core Planning Principles (para. 17) is that the planning system should actively manage patterns of growth to make the fullest possible use of public transport, walking and cycling, and focus significant development in locations which are or can be made sustainable. This requires complex judgements and in the absence of a specific allocation intended to achieve this, the Council takes the view that the most appropriate way of examining this in detail is at the planning application level rather than by attempting to prescribe it via policy. However, in broad terms, whilst locations with few existing services could be supported by very modest scales of development, they are only likely only to be made more sustainable by the addition of new services brought about by considerable scales of development. These situations are most likely to be in the smallest of settlements and/or those of sensitive character or location where there may be issues affecting their capacity to change.

51) The correlation between the scales of development and enhancements in settlement sustainability can only be informed by a more detailed understanding of the particular dynamics of the settlements, 10 Technical Paper 4: Influences on the Settlement Strategy particularly relationships between settlements. The Council’s main experience in this respect has been at Iwade where a small village possessing few services in 1990 was expanded by over 1,200 dwellings which secured a local centre (after closure of an existing smaller centre), an extension to an existing primary school, enhancements to the existing village hall, new open space and a medical centre. If this is a template for the scale of growth likely to make a settlement more sustainable with new services, then it is clear that to identify settlements to meet the approach set out in para. 17 of the NPPF would require a settlement surrounded by relatively unconstrained land in a location that was very accessible. There are no other villages within the Borough able to offer that combination to enable that same scale of growth, neither is there any guarantee – as has been shown at Iwade – that there would be significant enhancements to public transport or any modal shift to reduce travel by private car.

52) A limited exception could be the village of Dunkirk; its lack of services, but closeness to the A2 and Canterbury, offering some potential for new services to be encouraged as a result of new development. In this situation, the presence of sensitive landscapes, historic assets and European protected landscapes are important considerations that will be considered by a proposed Neighbourhood Plan. 53) The Council acknowledges however, that existing services could be maintained and enhanced by very much smaller scales of growth than the levels seen at Iwade to achieve brand new provision. 54) Considering only those settlements with built up area boundaries, the Rural Sustainability Study 2011 examined the capacity of the settlements for change. Table 2 supplements this analysis to indicate the barriers/opportunities to improved levels of sustainability facing those settlements with defined built up areas.

Table 2 Settlements with poorer sustainability characteristics and their scope for change.

Settlement Summary of services as at 2011 as recorded by Barriers to improved levels of the Council’s Sustainability of Rural Settlements sustainability Paper Bapchild Moderate sized village with c hurch, hall, public Scale of outward growth likely to be house, service station, primary school. Variety of limited by the Tonge Mill conservation bus services offering differing levels of frequency, area to the north and the high quality but good level of bus services overall. Located on agricultural land surrounding the rest of A2. the village. The ability to attract new services may be limited by the proximity to Sittingbourne and Teynham. Bayview Small settlement with p ublic house, some Surrounding open and generally commercial uses, and reasonable bus services exposed landscape, but critically its between Sheerness and Leysdown and school isolated location >12km from main based bus services. Primary school and services services and employment. The ability nearby in Leysdown 1-1.5km away. Located on of new services to be attracted may be B2231 via A2500. influenced by the proximity to Leysdown. Impacts upon European wildlife habitats will also need to be considered. Boughton Large village, with c hurch, health, primary school, Further growth is potentially limited by shop, post office and other facilities. Three bus the wooded outcrop, pastures and services giving good connections to Faversham, orchards of the Blean Area of High Canterbury and Maidstone. On former A2. Landscape Value, conservation area and part linear built form, a historic landscape and the Blean Woods European protected habitat. Mode rate sized village with c hurch, primary Significant levels of development school, shop, post office, garage, limited bus necessary to improve sustainability are service to Sittingbourne and Kent Science Park. potentially limited by high quality Located on rural lanes. agricultural land and open landscapes forming part of the Kent Downs AONB. Conyer Small village with p ublic house, allotments, some Insufficient existing critical mass of boat related employment. Daily bus service for population and services, whilst school children, one other service to exposed marshland Area of High 11 Technical Paper 4: Influences on the Settlement Strategy

Settlement Summary of services as at 2011 as recorded by Barriers to improved levels of the Council’s Sustainability of Rural Settlements sustainability Paper Sittingbourne, via Teyn ham, with 5 return Landscape Value, historic landscape, journeys per day, 6 days a week. Located on European protected habitats, and high rural lanes. flood risk all potentially limit the opportunities to expand at the scales necessary to bring new services. Doddington Small to moderate sized village with p ublic house, Insufficient existing critical mass of butchers, hall, GP (in village hall), open space, population and services, although there playground, football pitch, garage and filling may be elements of a wider catchment station, mobile library, garden nursery, B&B, with other nearby villages. Loose-knit, Church. Three bus services - Sittingbourne to generally linear character, Kent Downs Newnham with six return journeys per day, the AONB, historic character (part), historic second Sittingbourne to Faversham with one parkland, dry valley potentially limit the return journey from Sittingbourne or two on school opportunities to expand at the scales days. Located on rural lanes. necessary to bring new services. Dunkirk Small to moderate sized village with c hurch, Insufficient existing critical mass of village hall, garden nursery, farm shop, car sales, population and services, although agricultural services, mobile library. Three bus consideration of this issue, alongside services giving connections to Faversham, nearby Boughton Street could present Canterbury and Maidstone. Located on former opportunities to be considered by a A2. Neighbourhood Plan. Significant levels of development necessary to improve sustainability are potentially limited by the wooded outcrop, pastures and orchards of the Blean Area of High Landscape Value, a historic landscape (inc. a variety of scheduled monuments) and the Blean Woods European protected habitat. Eastchurch Moderate sized village with c hurch, village hall, Less accessible location >10 km from shops, primary school, health services, and principal services. Some heritage garage, reasonable bus services between constraints close to centre and Sheerness and Leysdown and school based bus attractive pasture/parkland to SE of services. Located on A2500. village. Exposed landscapes to the north and east of the village potentially limit growth to improve sustainability. Impacts upon European wildlife habitats will also need to be considered. Eastling Small village with p ublic house (B&B), Church, Insufficient existing critical mass of hall, primary school. Bus service operates population and services, although the between Faversham and Stalisfield Green with presence of the school indicates wider five return journeys per day provided by this catchment of support for services e.g. service or six on a school day. Located on rural school. Loose-knit, generally linear lanes. character, Kent Downs AONB, historic character potentially limits the opportunities to expand at the scales necessary to bring new services. Faversham Small market town with full and varied range of The town already has a healthy town local services and good standards of rail and bus centre and a full range of services and options. Located adjacent A2 and close to A251, development in its own right is unlikely A299, A2 (T) and M2. to increase its relative sustainability, although housing need, local jobs and managing out-commuting are issues. Influencing Faversham’s urban form and any future growth is the character and quality of the surrounding countryside that includes (to the north) the Swale Special Protection Area, Ramsar site and SSSI which is also a 12 Technical Paper 4: Influences on the Settlement Strategy

Settlement Summary of services as at 2011 as recorded by Barriers to improved levels of the Council’s Sustainability of Rural Settlements sustainability Paper designated landscape and subject to tidal flooding which extends into the northern areas of the town. Impacts upon European wildlife habitats will also need to be considered. To the west land is also designated for its landscape value, whilst further to the south is the AONB. To the south, west and east of the town is a belt of high quality agricultural land. The town’s unique heritage is a central factor to its attractiveness. The setting of the town is relevant in most decisions about its future, but notably in the south of the town. The town’s development north of the A2 Roman road is unique in terms of settlements in Kent on the A2 that, together with its compact form and its rural approaches, are part of the defining character of the place. English Heritage considers this area as forming part of the setting of the town as a heritage asset. Small to moderate sized village with c hurch, hall, Insufficient existing critical mass of public house, children’s play area, allotments, population and services, although the mobile library, primary school, nursery/play group. range of services indicate wider No regular bus service. Located on rural lanes. catchment of support for services e.g. school. Loose-knit, generally linear character, high quality agricultural land, European protected habitat, historic character (part) potentially limit the opportunities to expand at the scales necessary to bring new services. Iwade Moderate to larg e village with c hurch, health Sustainability has been already facilities, primary school, hall, local centre, enhanced by some 1,200 dwellings moderate range of bus services. Level of since 1990’s. When considering the services may be limited by its proximity to accumulative impact of the expansion Sittingbourne. Located on B2005. of nearby Sittingbourne, the impact of growth at Iwade would be to provide serious detriment to settlement separation. Impacts upon European wildlife habitats will also need to be considered. Leysdown Moderate sized village with Church, hall, post Insu fficient existing critical mass of office, shops, health services, primary school and population and services, although the holiday park activity. Bus services between range of services indicate wider Sheerness and Leysdown and school based bus catchment of support for services e.g. services. Located on B2231 via A2500. school and from holiday based population. International biodiversity designation, coastal processes and open landscapes potentially limit the opportunities to expand at the scales necessary to bring new services. Critical is its isolated location >12km from main services and employment. Lewson Street Small village with p ublic house, Church, Insufficient existing critical mass of recreation ground, cricket/football pitch with small population and services, whilst the pavilion and changing rooms. No buses, but loose-knit, generally linear character, routes on A2 900 metres to the north. Located on high quality agricultural land potentially 13 Technical Paper 4: Influences on the Settlement Strategy

Settlement Summary of services as at 2011 as recorded by Barriers to improved levels of the Council’s Sustainability of Rural Settlements sustainability Paper rural lanes. limit the opportunities to expand at the scales necessary to bring new services. Lower Halstow Small to moderate sized village with church, hall, Insufficient existing critical mass of public house, primary school, reasonable bus population and services, although the service between Medway and Sittingbourne. range of services indicate wider Located on rural lanes. catchment of support for services e.g. school. Loose-knit, historic character north of village bordering coastal international biodiversity designations and high quality agricultural land potentially limit the opportunities to expand at the scales necessary to bring new services. Lynsted Small village with c hurch, public house, Insufficient existing critical mass of allotments, mobile library, pre-school. Restricted population and services, although the bus services, operating to and from Sittingbourne, range of services indicate wider visiting other villages - generally operating hourly catchment of support for services e.g. weekdays and Saturdays. Other services are school. Loose-knit, generally linear school day centred to Sittingbourne, Teynham character, high quality agricultural land, and Faversham. Located on rural lanes. historic character (part) potentially limits the opportunities to expand at the scales necessary to bring new services. Minster (inc. Halfway) Large suburban settlement with a local centre and Larger scales of growth could bring shopping parades containing smaller shops, additional services on agricultural land schools, medical services and reasonable bus unlikely to be of high quality. Main services (mostly Island based). Located on constraints to growth are land subject A2500, A250 and B2008. to tidal flooding and coastal erosion to the north of the settlement and highly visible land in the landscape to the south with low capacity to accommodate change. Impacts upon European wildlife habitats will also need to be considered. Main barrier to improved sustainability are the local availability of jobs and the level of out- commuting off the Island. Neames Forstal Small village with p ublic house, open space, other Insufficient existing critical mass of facilities in Selling 1.8 km away. Rail station and population and services, whilst the high services with 27 trains a day during the week to quality agricultural land, Kent Downs London or Dover via Canterbury. High speed AONB potentially limits the services are available from Faversham. One bus opportunities to expand at the scales route running between Selling and Faversham. necessary to bring new services. Located on rural lanes. Newnham Small to moderate sized village with church, hall, Insufficient existing critical mass of public house, playing field, mobile library. Three population and services, although there bus services, including to Faversham. Located may be elements of a wider catchment on rural lanes. with other nearby villages. Loose-knit, generally linear character, Kent Downs AONB, historic character (part), dry valley potentially limits the opportunities to expand at the scales necessary to bring new services. Newington Large village with church, hall, public house, Local landscape designation to north of shop, post office, primary school, reasonable village, high quality agricultural and levels of rail and bus services between Medway AQMA in centre of village on A2 Towns and Sittingbourne. Located on A2. potentially limit the opportunities to expand at the scales necessary to 14 Technical Paper 4: Influences on the Settlement Strategy

Settlement Summary of services as at 2011 as recorded by Barriers to improved levels of the Council’s Sustainability of Rural Settlements sustainability Paper bring new services. Oare Small village with church, hall, public house, post Insufficient existing critical mass of office, primary school, reasonable bus service into population and services, although the Faversham. Located on rural lanes. range of services indicate wider catchment of support for services e.g. school. Borders coastal international biodiversity designations and high quality agricultural land that potentially limit the opportunities to expand at the scales necessary to bring new services. The ability to secure these may also be limited by the close proximity of Faversham. Painter’s Forstal Small village with p ublic house, Church, hall, Insufficient existing critical mass of open space, mobile library, private preparatory population and services, whilst the school. One bus service linking to Faversham loose-knit, high quality agricultural with 6 return journeys per day. Located on rural land, Kent Downs AONB potentially lanes. limits the opportunities to expand at the scales necessary to bring new services. Queenboro ugh (inc. Small local centre with range of local shops, Larger scales of growth could bring Rushenden) primary school, health facilities with reasonable additional services on previously rail and bus services (mostly Island based). developed land, although there are Located on B2007. constraints to outward expansion from flood risk and important biodiversity and designated landscape. Main barrier to improved sustainability is the local availability of jobs and the level of out-commuting off the Island. Impacts upon European wildlife habitats will also need to be considered. Rodmersham Green Small to moderate sized village with p ublic house, Insufficient existing critical mass of store, primary school, hall, cricket and hockey population and services, although there ground pavilion and clubhouse, squash and may be elements of a wider catchment fitness club. Three bus services, variable with Sittingbourne that support the depending on school days. Located on rural range of services. Loose-knit, lanes. generally linear character, high quality agricultural land, exposed landscape, valley location (part) potentially limit the opportunities to expand at the scales necessary to bring new services. Selling Small to moderate sized village with h all, public Insufficient existing critical mass of house, cricket club, playground, Church, primary population and services, although the school. One bus route between Faversham and range of services indicate wider Selling (Friday only). catchment of support for services e.g. school. Loose-knit, generally linear character, high quality agricultural land, Kent Downs AONB, historic character (part) potentially limit the opportunities to expand at the scales necessary to bring new services. Sheldwich Lees Small to moderate sized village with hall, Church, Insufficient existing critical mass of green, cricket pitch, spa, primary school. One population and services, although there bus operating between Faversham and Ashford. may be elements of a wider catchment with Faversham and other villages that support the range of services. Loose- knit, generally linear character, Kent Downs AONB, historic character potentially limits the opportunities to 15 Technical Paper 4: Influences on the Settlement Strategy

Settlement Summary of services as at 2011 as recorded by Barriers to improved levels of the Council’s Sustainability of Rural Settlements sustainability Paper expand at the scales necessary to bring new services. Sheerness Small town with a reasonable and varied range of An increase in population is likely to local services and reasonable standards of rail support the sustainability of the town, and bus options. Located on A249 (T), A250. however, there are limited opportunities to improve the level of services there and even fewer opportunities to expand its population. The town is surrounded by land at risk from coastal flooding and biodiversity/landscape designations. Impacts upon European wildlife habitats will also need to be considered. Sittingbourne Medium to large town with full and reasonably Increased levels of development would varied range of services with good standards of support an enhanced range of services rail and bus services. Also has local and in central Sittingbourne. Here the neighbourhood centres. Located on A2, B2005. balance needs to be struck with the need to minimise the significant loss of high quality agricultural land, designated landscapes and the degree of separation with surrounding nearby villages. Impacts upon European wildlife habitats will also need to be considered. Teynham Large village with Primary school, post office, Other than on sites well related to the health services, pharmacy, range of other shops, existing form of the settlement, high reasonable levels of rail and bus services. Range quality agricultural land, linear of services enhanced by A2 location and character of settlement south of A2 and proximity of other settlements. open landscapes potentially limit the opportunities to expand at the scales necessary to bring new services. Impacts upon European wildlife habitats will also need to be considered. Moderate sized village with p rimary school, post Insufficient existing critical mass of office, Church, hall, shop, health facilities. Limited population and services, although the level and range of bus services between range of services indicate wider Sittingbourne and Medway Towns. Located on catchment/support from other rural lanes. settlements, notably perhaps the Medway Towns. Village form punctuated by green spaces, high quality agricultural land and (from significant growth) settlement separation, potentially limit the opportunities to expand at the scales necessary to bring new services. Impacts upon European wildlife habitats will also need to be considered. Warden Moderate sized village with s ome commercial Insufficient existing critical mass of premises and holiday park activity. population and services, although the range of services indicate wider catchment of support for services e.g. school and from holiday based population. International biodiversity designation, coastal processes and open landscapes potentially limit the opportunities to expand at the scales 16 Technical Paper 4: Influences on the Settlement Strategy

Settlement Summary of services as at 2011 as recorded by Barriers to improved levels of the Council’s Sustainability of Rural Settlements sustainability Paper necessary to bring new services. Critical is its isolated location >12 km from main services and employment. 55) In broad terms, larger villages and those on main routes are already likely to have reasonable or good levels of services, although only one – Teynham – had any significant development opportunities on less constrained land. The Rural Sustainability Study 2011 also identified Iwade and Bapchild as having scope, but the draft Local Plan has not allocated sites in these locations due to cumulative concerns over high quality agricultural land and settlement separation. 56) It is also possible from table 2 to discern villages with better levels of sustainability and those less sustainable characteristics: 1) Medium to smaller sized settlements currently displaying less sustainable characteristics stemming from their relative remoteness from the nearest town and/or their generally poorer levels of public transport provision or local facilities. These settlements include Bayview, Conyer, Dunkirk, Lewson Street, Neames Forstal, Painter's Forstal and Selling; and 2) Settlements currently displaying more sustainable characteristics, usually as a result of better levels of public transport provision and/or local facilities and/or their closeness to urban or larger village populations. These settlements include Bapchild, Borden, Bredgar, Doddington, Eastling, Hartlip, Lower Halstow, Lynsted, Newnham, Oare, Rodmersham Green, Sheldwich Lees, Upchurch and Warden. 57) In the case of the second category, whilst development at some locations could help meet local needs, improve the viability of existing services or enable new provision to be made, but other than through infill and modest redevelopment, opportunities are likely to be limited both within and, exceptionally, when required, at the edges of built-up area boundaries. Where larger scales of growth relative to the village are proposed as the means to meet local needs that cannot be met elsewhere and/or support services, it is not currently possible without further detailed evidence, to demonstrate the social, economic and environmental benefits to the settlement and how they will support more sustainable outcomes. Conclusions 58) Via a broad analysis of constraints and services present at the main settlements in the Borough, this section indicates that most villages lack the critical mass or scale of development opportunities necessary to support and/or bring forward levels of new services. The Council however acknowledges that these are complex judgements that the Local Plan is not able to examine for each and every settlement. There may therefore be instances where detailed consideration at a planning application stage would yield sufficient evidence to determine the justification of a scheme intended to support the development of existing/new services at a settlement.

Section 5: How places function

59) History, growth, social and economic make-up and character all help to define the function and diversity of the places in Swale. The roles of towns and some villages are established through their historic development, often as a result of the influence of communications. This leads to a range of facilities, services and employment that both shape and are shaped by their communities. The services of some villages may have reduced or changed over time, leaving their roles as more as homes for their populations with specific and longer journeys to access services made or combined with other activities. Life in these areas is forever changing; businesses are being conducted from home, different ways of providing services adopted, or some village services supported by populations outside the immediate community. New services can also spring up creatively in unexpected locations, often serving catchments over a wider area than the immediate locality.

60) The Council’s Swale Rural Sustainability Study (2011) provided a general record of the services, facilities and transport options in a range of settlements and was able to group these places into a 17 Technical Paper 4: Influences on the Settlement Strategy number of categories of settlement, reflecting their role and character. Whilst the convenient location of people, services and transport relative to each other is important, the roles performed by the settlements themselves are not always clear cut. The role of a settlement that is well connected with a good range of services may be clearer, but it is more difficult to identify the sometimes complex social and economic connections between nearby communities with few services individually, but are capable of performing a role where acting together.

61) However, whilst acknowledging such limitations, using table 2 and the 2011 study, six categories/tiers of settlement in Swale:

1. Main Borough Urban Centre; 2. Other Borough Urban Centres 3. Other Urban Local Centres 4. Rural Local Service Centres 5. Villages with built-up area boundaries 6. All other smaller settlements and areas within in the open countryside. 62) Table 3 examines the likely services that would be expected at these categories and the roles that they could perform. Table 3 Settlement categories and roles.

Settlement Possible services present Role of settlement category Main Borough All services and job opportunities. Good quality transport Primary focus for housing, ret ail, employment and other Urban Centre options. developments and for the concentration of principal public services and facilities. Likely to attract population from widest area. Other Borough Most services and job opportunities. Fair to good quality Smaller towns with a secondary focus for housing, retail, Urban Centres transport options. employment and other developments and concentration of principal or satellite public services and facilities. Likely to be acting as centres for their home and surrounding populations and close to other nearby urban centres. Other Urban Limited/variable range of local services at each , but in - Clusters of larger urban areas close to other Borough Local Centres combination providing a reasonable range. Variable Centres. Likely to be the focus of developments seeking to quality transport options. meet the needs of their own and wider needs. Rural Local Provides most or all of the following: primary health care, Usually on main transport corridors and main focus of Service Centres education, organised sport and recreational facilities, services and facilities for the immediate surrounding rural food and other shopping, pub, post office and place of area. Likely to be serving passing, home and surrounding worship. Mostly, accessible by frequent (hourly) bus rural populations for day to day services, with some sharing and/or train services. of services with nearby smaller settlements. Populations will travel to other centres for more major shopping, leisure and employment needs. Other v illag es A variety of settlements. The more sustainable provide: Single or occasional clusters of villages may provide limited with built up area primary education; recreation area; a shop; and day to day services for their home communities, whilst others boundaries accessible by bus or train (of reasonable frequency). lack these services or are only able to improve them with Less sustainable villages will be without one or more of new investment. Populations will travel to other centres for these services, with little or no public transport or more major shopping, leisure and employment needs, whilst relatively remote from their nearest urban centre or main less sustainable locations will need to travel to meet even transport corridor. day to day needs. The op en A variety of settlements, hamlets, ribbon development, Usually well away from transport corridors or of small and countryside clusters of buildings and isolated houses. Dependent on sporadic form. Some locations able to meet a very limited outside the built- location, services limited or non-existent. range of day to day services for their home communities, but up area many with no immediate access to these or a wider range of boundaries services. 63) Using this template, it is possible to identify those settlements that fall into each category.

18 Technical Paper 4: Influences on the Settlement Strategy Main and Other Borough Urban Centres

64) The broad locational split of the population, share of employment and the level of housing completions can be helpful in making judgements about the roles of specific areas now and in the future. This is easiest for the urban areas that dominate the socio-economic makeup of the Borough. This share between Sittingbourne, Isle of Sheppey and Faversham (and their component wards) reveals, in general terms, that the 11 :

• Sittingbourne area has the highest concentrations of population (46%) and employment (55%) and has provided the greatest proportion of new housing over the past ten years (59% of dwelling completions), reinforcing the conclusion that it is the Borough's main town;

• Isle of Sheppey accommodates just under a third of the Borough’s population (30%), but proportionately less (23-24%) of both its employment and new housing. This clearly indicates a secondary role to Sittingbourne. However, Sheerness is its main commercial centre for the Island’s population, not Sittingbourne; and

• Faversham area has 24% of the Borough’s population, but has much less employment (20.6%) and proportionately less residential development (17%). There are similarities with Sheerness, in that it performs a town centre role for a wider rural hinterland, although more as a traditional small market town. Unlike Sheerness though, it is not reliant upon close by other urban areas to meet the need for services and housing need.

65) As the largest centres in all respects, the position of these three towns in the top two tiers is self- evident. Relative to the surrounding development constraints (see table 2) It is also self-evident that Sittingbourne is justified as the main centre for further development as the means to consolidate and expand its role, with an enhanced town centre, whilst exploiting its good levels of services and excellent transport links.

66) At Sittingbourne, there are two ‘micro’ housing markets at work, with the south of the town generally regarded as offering high quality housing and achieving high house prices 12 . The dominance of the town’s primary and secondary schools in this area is no doubt a factor in this division, whilst social and environmental disparities add to the perceptions of the housing market in these areas. Growth at the town should additionally be aimed at reducing these disparities.

67) For Sheerness and Faversham, their roles as centres serving local populations, allied with the constraints that surround them (see table 2) dictate a smaller scale of growth, although in the case of Faversham, it needs to act the primary focus for growth at the eastern end of the Borough. This will support the facilities of the market town, whilst providing for additional local employment growth. There are two ‘micro’ housing markets at Faversham, with higher values being achieved within the historic areas of the town than at its periphery 13 . At Sheerness, constraints (see table 2) completely curtail its outward expansion that it cannot act in the same fashion in terms of future development needs as Faversham (see below). However, this presents a challenge for Sheerness which contains neighbourhoods comprising some of the most deprived in England 14 and where development is currently unviable 15 . This poses questions as to the role of other nearby centres relative to Sheerness (see below).

11 SHMA Update and Development Needs Assessment 2013. NLP for SBC. Para. 8.67 12 Average price paid (all transactions, Land Registry 2010-2013). Source PBA Local Plan Viability Testing Economic Viability Study August 2014. 13 Average price paid (all transactions, Land Registry 2010-2013). Source PBA Local Plan Viability Testing Economic Viability Study August 2014. 14 Neighbourhoods on the Isle of Sheppey fall within the most deprived quintile as identified by the 2010 Index of Multiple Deprivation. 15 PBA Local Plan Viability Testing Economic Viability Study August 2014. 19 Technical Paper 4: Influences on the Settlement Strategy Other Urban Local Centres

68) Although not included within this category, there is a functional relationship between Sheerness and the other urban areas on West Sheppey, although each has its own distinct characters and issues. The 2012 estimated population of Sheerness is 12,001, less the combined populations of nearby (1-2km away) Minster-Halfway and Queenborough-Rushenden at 25,390. Sheerness is not able to meet all of its own needs and those of the Island's residents and visitors from within its own confines. This is because there are not the sites available for new housing and larger shopping facilities within the town, whilst outward expansion is limited by the sea and low lying land at high risk of flooding. Queenborough-Rushenden and Minster-Halfway act as local centres, but in turn lack the range of facilities of the main town.

69) This situation at Sheerness has led already to provision being made beyond the town, with a new focus on land at Queenborough to meet the retail needs of the Island, whilst both Queenborough and Minster (especially) have provided for wider housing needs. Minster also functions as a ‘micro’ local housing market distinct from Sheerness and Queenborough-Rushenden; housing here generally being regarded as a ‘step-up’ from these locations with higher house prices paid 16 . Minster offers little local employment provision outside of education and health services, with the bulk of local Island jobs being at Queenborough-Rushenden and Sheerness. Like Sheerness, neighbourhoods at Queenborough- Rushenden are amongst the most deprived in England, although, unlike Sheerness, there are development opportunities available that could assist if it could be made viable.

70) These settlements are also joined by their transport relationship with the A249 (T) that these, together with their close proximity make this geographical ‘triangle’ of settlements more sustainable location than other parts of the Island.

71) This functional relationship is likely to manifest itself with Minster (ahead of any progress with regeneration at Queenborough-Rushenden) continuing to offer better quality housing for Sheerness and wider needs. Queenborough-Rushenden is likely to represent the main job focus, presenting the opportunity to provide for limited retail needs that cannot be met within or adjacent Sheerness town centre and wider industrial needs that need immediate access to the national road network. Queenborough-Rushenden has generous levels of previously developed land not available at the other settlements which can both serve to meet wider Island needs, but also as the means to change a housing market at Queenborough-Rushenden that is currently dominated by social housing stock. This may be achieved with an influx of higher quality housing that removes areas of dilapidated industry and act as a means to bring currently separated communities together.

Rural local service centres

72) Table 4 indicates that the next group of largest settlements in terms of population size presents a further group that potentially perform a different role within wider hinterland. These settlements generally have a larger range of services, reflecting their population size and, often their location on a main transport route. These settlements often play a role in providing services for surrounding villages, notably for schools and health services. These are recommended as rural local service centres.

73) A further group of settlements were also considered for their role as Rural Service Centres. These were not considered to possess the necessary characteristics. These are included at the end of the table.

Table 4 Settlements displaying characteristics of a rural local service centre.

Service Centre 2011 Parish Population Commentary

Settlements recommended as Rural Local Service Centre Teynham 2,913 Teynham has shopping (cash point) , pubs, post office, primary school,

16 Average price paid (all transactions, Land Registry 2010-2013). Source PBA Local Plan Viability Testing Economic Viability Study August 2014. 20 Technical Paper 4: Influences on the Settlement Strategy

Service Centre 2011 Parish Population Commentary recreation ground/sports pitches, and library and health provision with road, bus and rail links. Facilities enhanced by position on A2. Within a 2km radius there is Conyer, Lewson Street and Lynsted with much reduced facilities. Boughton Street 1,917 Boughton has some shopping, pubs, post office, a primary school, Church, hall, recreation/sports ground, library and health provision with road and bus links. Within a 2km radius there is Dunkirk, Hernhill, Dargate, and Staplestreet with limited to no facilities. Newington 2,551 Newington has some shopping, post office, allotments, pub, recreation grounds, a primary school, Church and hall with road, bus and rail links. Facilities enhanced by position on A2. Within a 2-3 km radius there is Hartlip, Lower Halstow and Upchurch with variable services, although Upchurch itself has a good range of services. Eastchurch 1,784 Eastchurch has some shopping, pub, post office, a primary school, and Church, hall and health provision with road and bus links. Unlike other settlements in this category, its role as a centre comes from the nearby prison cluster and the seasonal increases in population from holiday parks on north Sheppey. Iwade 3,087 Iwade has some shopping, a post office, pub, primary school, health provision, hall, park, recreation ground and a primary school, alongside road and bus links. Facilities primarily serve its home population and those of its sparsely populated rural area. Unlike other centres, Iwade does not have a surrounding pool of smaller communities. It is notable due to its proximity to Sittingbourne which in turn may have been an influence upon its role and the fact that it does not appear to function the same as other centres. Leysdown 1,256 Leysdown has shopping facilities, a post office, a primary school, pub, hall, recreation ground/sports provision and health services. Services are enhanced (seasonally) by those available on nearby holiday parks. There is a bus service and whilst its remote location has probably increased its range of services so that it can support existing and holiday populations, it is hampered by its poor connections and accessibility to main services and employment. It supports the adjacent settlements of Bay View and Warden Bay, although the whole cluster functions differently from other 21 Technical Paper 4: Influences on the Settlement Strategy

Service Centre 2011 Parish Population Commentary rural service centres. Settlements not recommended as Rural Local Service Centres Bapchild 1,141 Although possessing a primary school, Church and hall, the village does not function as a service function for a wider area due to its very close proximity to Sittingbourne. The presence of the primary school is likely to be as much a product of the closeness to Sittingbourne as it is to serving the population of the surrounding rural area, whilst its limited retail functions only exist because of the passing trade offered by the A2. Its capacity for change is influenced by high quality agricultural land to the south and east of the village, the Tonge Mill conservation area to the north and its narrow separation with Sittingbourne. Bredgar 659 Contains a reasonable range of services – post office, shop, hall, primary school, Church, allotments and recreation ground, with a modest bus service, but has no health services. Its poorer road and public transport links and relative closeness to Sittingbourne limit its overall influence on the wider rural area, whilst its location within the Kent Downs AONB and surrounded by high quality agricultural land, also limit its capacity for change as a means to bring in additional services. Dunkirk 1,187 Contains a Church, pub hall and recreation ground with assorted business uses and a fairly regular bus service between Canterbury and Faversham. However, it has seen the closure of the school and a contraction of services. Its proximity to Boughton and easy access to Canterbury currently limits its role as a service centre, unless major growth is contemplated. In this situation, the presence of sensitive landscapes, historic assets and European protected landscapes are important considerations that will be considered by a proposed Neighbourhood Plan. Upchurch 2,484 Superficially a candidate as a Rural Service Centre with a reasonable range of services – post office, shop (with cash point), hall, GP surgery, allotments, primary school, Church and recreation/sports ground. However, it has limited public transport and main road links and its function is not considered to be that of a settlement drawing in populations from a wider area, rather because of its location 22 Technical Paper 4: Influences on the Settlement Strategy

Service Centre 2011 Parish Population Commentary close to the Medway Towns it has a resident population able to live a rural lifestyle close to the conurbation and this in turn has enabled services to establish that would otherwise not be present. Its capacity for change is limited by its character, the closeness of international wildlife sites to the north of the village and high quality agricultural land. 74) The role of the rural local service centres in the Local Plan development strategy is to act as the main focus for development growth in the rural areas. However, the degree of growth at each is variable as shown by table 5 below. Table 5 Variable approach to development at Rural Local Service Centres

Service Centre Commentary Teynham Significant development opportunities are available at sites well -contained by existing development and/or landform. The south side of the village is characterised by a more linear character of development with open fields of high quality agricultural land. Along with Newington, the village has good levels of transport provision. Boughton Street Limited development opportun ities that would not otherwise impact upon the historic linear form of the village and its landscape setting. Opportunities limited to rounding off. Newington Although possessing many of facilities and transport options as Teynham, the village does not have the development opportunities at the same scale and in a fashion that contains them in landscape and visual terms. The local highway network at Newington is severely constrained, whilst the A2 through the village is subject to an Air Quality Management Plan that could be compromised by the scales of growth steered at Teynham. Eastchurch Although having some local services, the village is some 9km from Sheerness on local roads. Visual/landscape impacts are potentially high around the village, although minor opportunities are available. Iwade The SHLAA identified scope for development, in addition to the considerable levels of growth seen since the 1990’s. Growth here would enable the use of lower quality agricultural land; however, the in-combination impacts with growth at Sittingbourne would have a critical adverse impact on the settlement separation between the village and Sittingbourne. Leysdown Located at the end of a cul -de -sac extreme eastern tip of Sheppey, growth here of any significant scale is not appropriate because of its remoteness, very poor access and limited public transport availability. There are some services available to support the local and summer communities, but not sufficient to serve major scales of development. Outside the seasonal holiday industry, the nearest employment centre is 11km distance and main shopping facilities 14km in Sheerness town. 75) It is not the sole role of the Rural Local Service Centres to simply accommodate housing allocations, but policy also needs to support the retention and development of existing services and to encourage the development of employment opportunities. It is not possible to make allocations to address these issues; however, Policy ST3 of the draft Local Plan provides flexibility to consider new developments at the edges of these centres to meet local needs. Other villages with built-up area boundaries 76) Given that built up area boundaries continue to be applied to those settlements that have a sufficient consolidation of built development, no changes have been made to the principle of which settlements should have them defined (although a separate technical paper has reviewed the actual boundaries). The settlements with built-up area boundaries continue to be: Bapchild, Bayview, Borden, Bredgar,

23 Technical Paper 4: Influences on the Settlement Strategy Conyer, Doddington, Dunkirk, Eastling, Hartlip, Lewson Street, Lower Halstow, Lynsted, Neames Forstal, Newnham, Oare, Painter's Forstal, Rodmersham Green, Selling, Sheldwich Lees, Upchurch and Warden Bay. 77) It is considered that the draft Local Plan should make distinction between the medium to smaller sized settlements that currently display less sustainable characteristics and those who display more sustainable characteristics. It therefore reflects those settlements set out in para. 56 of this paper. 78) No allocations are made at these settlements, however it is acknowledged that development at some locations could help meet local needs, improve the viability of existing services or enable new provision to be made. This paper shows that other than through infill and modest redevelopment, opportunities are likely to be limited both within and, exceptionally, when required, at the edges of built-up area boundaries. In the event of larger scales of growth relative to the village being proposed, it will be necessary for planning applications to submit detailed evidence to demonstrate the social, economic and environmental benefits to the settlement and how they will support more sustainable outcomes. The open countryside outside the built-up area boundaries 79) All other settlements and sporadic buildings are considered to sit within the open countryside where the primary objective will be to protect it from isolated and/or large scales of development. Some minor development may though be essential for the social, economic or environmental health of a community. In so doing, evidence from this paper indicates that development should be required to protect and, where required, enhance, the intrinsic value, character, beauty, wildlife value, tranquillity and undeveloped nature of the countryside and its communities and buildings. Policy ST3 sets out the circumstances where development may be permitted, alongside para. 55 of the NPPF. 80) As well as decisions about development, maintaining the settlement role is reliant to a significant degree on the decisions of infrastructure providers, in particular health, education, the Post Office and transport. A reduction in services could mean that a settlement no longer performs its defined role, with resultant implications for planning policy. Policy ST3 should therefore be used to help inform both planning decisions and the decisions of service providers in prioritising investment and will, additionally, guide planning decisions about new service provision or the change of use of existing services. Other categories of villages

81) Para. 55 of the NPPF indicates that so as to promote sustainable development in rural areas, housing should be located where it will enhance or maintain the vitality of rural communities. It gives the example of where there are groups of smaller settlements where development in one village may support services in a village nearby. Identifying these relationships is not easy and is best judged through analysis with a detailed planning application.

Conclusions

82) This section has enabled clear tiers of settlements to be established reflecting the accessibility, level of services, constraints and, importantly, the role of settlements. They strongly indicate a settlement strategy that reinforces the existing centres of population and services in the Borough.

Overall Conclusions of Technical Paper

83) This paper has attempted to set out the approach to the draft Local Plan settlement strategy. Each section has reinforced the view that for Swale there is a strong correlation between population and services and the roles of the settlements concerned. These point to a need to focus the greatest scales of growth to those centres of population, having regard to environmental constraints and the Government’s commitment to the Thames Gateway Growth Area. Justification is given to the categorisation of rural settlements as follows:

• the principal town; • other Borough urban centres; • Rural Local Service Centres; • the villages with built-up area boundaries; and • the open countryside.

24 Technical Paper 4: Influences on the Settlement Strategy 84) Together, these judgements have informed draft Local Plan Policy ST3.

85) Having undertaken this analysis, the question of whether the approach is the most sustainable should be addressed. The draft Local Plan December 2014 has been subject to a Sustainability Appraisal. Paras. 15.15.1-5 concludes that the chosen settlement strategy strongly supports sustainability objectives (SBC emphasis in bold):

“The scale of growth proposed has negative implications for the achievement of environmental objectives given the sensitivities that exist locally; however, other than with respect to ‘high quality agricultural land’ (c. 134 ha of which is set to be lost, despite the plan seeking to maximise redevelopment opportunities on brownfield land as part of Thames Gateway regeneration schemes ) it is not thought that effects will be ‘significant’. The spatial strategy goes some way to avoiding negative effects, given a focus on main towns and a weighting of growth towards the Thames Gateway , and a detailed policy framework is in place to guide planning applications (albeit some policy requirements, most notably around sustainable design and construction, have been softened due to ‘viability’ concerns). With regards to ‘heritage’, significant positive effects are predicted given that A) the decision has been taken to follow a relatively low growth approach at Faversham , which is particularly sensitive; and B) the policy framework in-place should ensure that historic assets are protected and enhanced as part of development schemes.

The potential for the plan to support reduced car dependency and longer journeys by car is obviously a key environmental issue, given the need to address poor air quality locally as well as reduce CO 2 emissions. The spatial strategy directs development towards existing larger settlements, where there will be the greatest potential to walk / cycle / use public transport, as opposed to relying on the private car, which is a positive ; however, another factor is the quantum of housing growth proposed relative to quantum (and nature) of employment growth, as this has a bearing on levels of commuting by car. As a result of decision to avoid delivering housing in advance of jobs, the effect of the plan will be to avoid a worsening of the current out-commuting trend, and whilst in-commuting could potentially become a problem in the future these concerns are negated by the fact that a mechanism is in place to trigger an early plan review should it transpire that additional housing can and should be delivered to achieve a balance of labour supply and employment opportunities locally.

Finally, in terms of environmental considerations, it is important to consider flood risk. Areas of risk have been avoided wherever possible (e.g. with Sheerness allocated less land than its position in the settlement hierarchy would suggest should be the case, with growth instead directed elsewhere within The West Sheppey Triangle), although it has not been possible to avoid such areas entirely given the need to focus growth at certain areas in order to achieve wider socio-economic and environmental objectives. Policy measures are in place to ensure that flood risk is mitigated through masterplanning and design measures as far as possible.

In terms of socio-economic objectives, the first point to note is that the draft plan establishes a low housing growth strategy, i.e. one that will not meet objectively assessed needs. In addition, relatively low requirements for affordable housing delivery are set to be imposed on developers. It is recognised, however, that there may not be an alternative approach that could feasibly be pursued, given viability / deliverability issues. It is also noted that a clear mechanism is in place to trigger an early review of the plan, should monitoring demonstrate the potential to increase housing supply locally.

A fairly ambitious employment growth strategy is set to be followed, and it is difficult to conclude that the decision to follow a low housing growth strategy will constrain economic growth significantly, given the potential for an early plan review (which could allocate additional land for housing and hence increase the local labour supply). The decision to focus growth within the Thames Gateway is a positive, given the established opportunities that exist in key sectors. Employment led regeneration in the Thames Gateway is expected to support an up-skilling of the population in the long-term, and should also contribute to the achievement of wider health and regeneration objectives. Support for employment growth and town centre vitality in these locations should mean that new communities can develop that are ‘sustainable’ in the sense that there is good potential to access services, facilities and employment locally; however, it is noted that viability issues may mean that delivery of community infrastructure is a challenge.”

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