Reydon Neighbourhood Plan Final (Pre-Submission) Draft April 2019 CONTENTS Page Purpose and Vision 3 Context 4 Housing for Local People 7 Protecting the Countryside 10 Community Assets and Green Spaces 12 Flood risks and Erosion 14 Infrastructure 15 Design Principles 16 Policy Maps 17 Appendices (available separately) 19 2 1. PURPOSE OF OUR 2. VISION NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN Our vision is that: Reydon should be a village which: Our Neighbourhood Plan will allow the • Is attractive and sustainable community of Reydon to influence: • Enjoys its surroundings in outstanding • the shape and nature of future building countryside development in the village • Meets the needs of local people • the way the countryside around the village is protected • Contributes to the local economy, including tourism • how the character of the village is maintained and improved • Is prepared for risks from flooding, erosion, traffic and pollution. • planning to ensure the village can deal with issues such as flood risks We have created our Neighbourhood Plan to help realise this vision, based around six key • the provision of infrastructure (such as issues which we have tested in detail with our sewerage, drainage, roads, footpaths and community. We are confident that our residents parking) so that it meets the needs of the share our vision and agree with the key issues village for action. Once our Neighbourhood Plan is made, it Our Neighbourhood Plan covers an area slightly becomes part of the Development Plan and will larger than the Parish of Reydon so that it be a statutory consideration in determining includes the whole of two highly valued local planning applications in the Neighbourhood wildlife sites: Reydon Wood and the Hen Area. Reedbeds. The Reydon Neighbourhood Plan In addition, a Neighbourhood Plan allows the Area is set out on the attached Policy Map Parish Council to retain 25% of the Community (RNP Map 1). Infrastructure Levy charged to developers The Plan provides a summary of the context of instead of 15% allocated to parishes without a and key facts about the village and its needs. It Neighbourhood Plan. This will give the Parish then presents a short introduction to each key Council more funding to ensure that resources in issue and sets out either an action which will be the village are adequate to meet its needs. carried out as far as possible by the Parish Council in support of the Plan (Shown in Bold Italics and numbered RPC Action…) or a Planning Policy which will become part of the Planning rules for development in Reydon (Shown in Bold and numbered RNP Policy …) 3 been priced out. This problem is now 3. CONTEXT affecting Reydon. It is estimated that up to 25% (365) of homes in Reydon out of a total 3.1 HISTORY OF REYDON of 1460 are holiday lets or second homes (see below, Para 3.3). Reydon was probably given its name by the Danes. Literally it means ‘the uplands on The Reydon Neighbourhood Area includes which the rye grows’. It was mentioned in Easton Bavents. This was a small coastal Domesday as having a population of 300. It settlement to the North of Reydon. Coastal was principally a collection of farms with no erosion has destroyed all but a handful of obvious centre. This may explain why the dwellings and they have the benefit of a Church of St. Margaret of Antioch, which special policy in the Waveney Local Plan th dates from the 14 century, is geographically at the centre of the parish, but well apart from the modern settlement. 3.2 POPULATION PROFILE The Suffolk Directory of 1900 gives the The 2016 census estimates the population of population as 352. Since then the population Reydon at 2699. The male estimated has grown substantially. The first stage was population is 1,245, the female estimated prompted by the sale of Southwold Town population is 1,454. The age profile is shown farm which owned significant land in Reydon. in the following chart: The land was divided into plots and sold at auction on 19th August 1899. This led to development up the Halesworth, Wangford, and Covert roads. Gradually, development moved further West and consolidated in the 1960s and 70s when the large development associated with the Drive took place. The agricultural background is reflected by the fact that the whole of the village is within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). This has restricted development to within the existing settlement. Waveney District Council, as the Local Planning Authority (LPA), have resisted attempts to breach the boundaries, most recently in successfully defending part of Reydon Smere on appeal by a local chair This chart shows a significantly lower component manufacturer seeking to extend number in the age group 0-14 compared to the business park into open countryside. the Suffolk and National average and an even Reydon is only separated from Southwold greater difference in the age group 20 to 49. by Mights Bridge and so its development has In contrast the age group from 55-84, i.e the been influenced by its neighbour. Whilst the retirees, is increasingly much greater than population of Southwold has shrunk from the Suffolk and National averages. These about 3500 in the 1950s to about 800 in 2018, figures reflect the difficulty Reydon has in Reydon has grown consistently to its present retaining its young couples. 2699. The explanation is tourism and the popularity of the area for retirement. Southwold’s housing stock has been taken over by holiday lets and second homes – estimated to be 60%, and young families have 4 st 3.3 HOUSING STOCK housing register. A snapshot taken on 21 February 2018 revealed 37 applicants who In 2018 there were 1460 dwellings of which were either living in Reydon or who stated 1432 were chargeable for council tax as they had a local connection to the area. follows: Further evidence of the need and demand for affordable housing is the significant Band oversubscription of the new 20 units of A B C D E F G H affordable housing at Duncan’s Yard in 83 353 300 467 163 45 18 3 Southwold by people with a local connection. Houses for sale are expensive. In the 9 th months to 14 September 2018, 40 Of these 151 have been identified by the properties were sold at an average of LPA as second homes/holiday lets. However, £352.619. Of these only five were sold for it is not possible to easily obtain figures for under £200,000. In the five year period, the numbers of homes used as second January 2014 to December 2018, the average homes, since there is no longer an incentive house sale price in Reydon rose from to declare this to £255,622 to £343,203, an gain a Council Tax increase of 34.26%, discount. In 2012, compared with an the Southwold and increase from £258,000 Reydon Society used to £339,000 or 31.30% for a Freedom of the East of England Information request region. Reydon prices are to obtain the therefore increasing numbers of faster than in our region dwellings where this and are now above the discount was region average. Both claimed as well as Reydon and the East of those dwellings England average house registered for prices are above the UK business rates as average which was holiday lets. This showed that 159 houses around £315,000 in 2018. were paying reduced Council Tax as second homes and 29 were classified as self-catering holiday lets paying business rates. This total 3.4 WORKING PROFILE of 188 dwellings represented 14% of the 60% of the population are retired. housing stock in Reydon and had risen from Approximately 20% are of school age. The 8% when the same calculation was made in remaining 20% are of working age. 2002. It is clear that this trend has continued The places for work within Reydon include in the six years since and a reasonable The Business Park, Adnams Distribution estimate for the proportion of second homes Centre, the two Care Homes, Barbrooks and and holiday lets in Reydon in 2019 is up to Boydens Stores, the Reydon Pharmacy, the 25%. Randolph Public House, the Health Centre 92 homes are owned by the Council. and Reydon Primary and St. Felix Schools. In Additional homes owned and rented at practice Reydon exports its labour force, affordable rents (up to 80% of market rent) by especially to Southwold. Southwold has to Housing Associations (Registered Providers, import its labour from a wide hinterland RP) bring this total to 110. including Lowestoft, Ipswich, Halesworth and The need and demand for affordable rented Framlingham, as well as Reydon. housing is informed by the numbers on the 5 3.5 COMMUNITY ASSETS retirement destination has put pressure on Reydon is well endowed with community Reydon. Southwold, because of its location assets. It has a thriving primary school, a and geography, cannot expand. But the large modern surgery, a dentist, a large pub/ proximity of Reydon to Southwold hotel, two general stores, Barbrooks and encourages tourists and retirees to look to Boydens and a Pharmacy. It also has a Reydon to satisfy their need for holiday lets modern village hall, owned by the Parish and second homes. This is pricing local Council, and a new Sports Pavilion on its residents out of the market and putting at recently extended playing fields. risk the current vibrant community. A neighbourhood plan is needed to control 3.6 THE NEED FOR A NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN these pressures and to plan for sustainable The popularity of Southwold as a holiday and growth.