Ipswich Local Plan
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Ipswich Local Plan November, 1997 Sue Arnold BA MRTPI Local Plan Officer Ipswich Borough Council The Civic Centre Civic Drive Ipswich IP1 2EE BOROUGH Telephone (0473) 262933 COUNCIL Design and origination by Ipswich Borough Council’s Corporate Design Unit Printed at The Civic Centre Ipswich on environmentally friendly paper. 2 Ipswich Local Planl Foreword IPSWICH is an attractive historic town set within the fastest growing region of East Anglia. It is a major employment and shopping centre, accounting for one third of all jobs in Suffolk. As the County Town it serves both its resident population and a wider catchment area. As a result Ipswich requires a robust Local Plan capable of accommodating new growth in a sustainable way, whilst conserving the best of the environment for the benefit of existing and future generations. The Council adopted Ipswich Local Plan on 27th May 1997, which seeks to guide development up to the year 2006. The Plan sets out a vision aimed at enhancing the environment, improving the quality of life and creating economic opportunity. It is the first Local Plan embracing the whole of the Borough for over 30 years and has been the subject of widespread public consultation. COUNCILLOR PHILIP SMART The Plan’s vision will not be achieved instantly, indeed some of the CHAIR OF THE objectives will take several years to fulfil. The success of the Plan will require the PLANNING AND support and co-operation of the public sector, private companies, voluntary ECONOMIC organisations and members of the public. DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE By having a clear and positive Local Plan, Ipswich will be in a stronger IPSWICH BOROUGH position regionally, which will help it continue to succeed as a pleasant COUNCIL place to live and work in and to visit. Councillor Philip Smart Chair, Planning and Economic Development Committee Ipswich Borough Council 3 Ipswich Local Plan Contents Page Chapter 1 Introduction 5 Chapter 2 Strategy 13 Planning for the Environment ... Chapter 3 The Natural Environment 25 Chapter 4 The Built Environment 45 Planning for People ... Chapter 5 The Wet Dock Area 75 Chapter 6 Housing 89 Chapter 7 Recreation & Leisure 113 Chapter 8 Community Facilities 131 Planning for the Economy ... Chapter 9 Employment 141 Chapter 10 Shopping 157 Planning for Movement and Infrastructure ... Chapter 11 Transport 181 Chapter 12 Infrastructure 199 Achieving the Plan ... Chapter 13 Implementation and Monitoring 205 Schedule of Proposals 211 Appendix 1 Car parking standards 229 Appendix 2 Standards for Publicly Accessible Open Space 239 Glossary 242 Bibliography 246 4 Ipswich Local Planl Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Ipswich, the County Town of Suffolk, has a population of 117,000 and is one of the largest urban centres in East Anglia. Located on the main trunk road and rail network with a port close to the east coast, Ipswich has excellent communication links with London, the South East, the Midlands and Europe. 1.2 Ipswich is an attractive historic Town containing a wealth of listed buildings and conservation areas. Situated near to the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Ipswich is also surrounded by beautiful countryside. 1.3 The Town has a prosperous, broad based local economy with the majority of employees working in the service sector. Its shopping centre serves a wide catchment area extending into North Suffolk and Essex. 1.4 Ipswich provides a range of housing and a variety of recreation and leisure opportunities. Set within an attractive environment and benefiting from a rich heritage the people of Ipswich enjoy a high quality of life. 1.5 There is, however, a less attractive side to the picture. Economic growth including recent large scale development outside of the Borough’s tightly drawn boundaries has placed greater pressure on the Town’s transport network, producing side effects such as increased congestion, pollution and safety problems. 1.6 Lack of investment in some parts of Ipswich together with examples of unsympathetic development have detracted from the historic character and appearance of the Town. The economic recession has led to a significant increase in unemployment. 1.7 Some of the Town’s attractive green spaces and countryside are under threat from development pressure and the absence of a coordinated strategy has resulted in the loss of playing pitches for which there is a high demand. 1.8 National trends in retailing have also affected Ipswich as a number of food and bulky goods retailers have relocated outside of the Town Centre. In addition, the character and vitality of some of the neighbourhood shopping areas has been affected by changing shopping habits. 5 Ipswich Local Plan Chapter 1 Introduction 1.9 Despite recent reductions in house prices following the 1980s boom there remains a proportion of people who cannot afford to rent or buy private market housing on their current incomes. There is also an increasing demand for housing suitable for elderly people. 1.10 The policies and proposals contained in the Local Plan have been formulated to help tackle the issues mentioned above and to accommodate new growth in ways which will enhance the environment, improve the quality of life and create economic opportunity. IPSWICH LOCAL PLAN 1.11 The Local Plan sets out detailed policies and specific proposals for the development and use of land and indicates areas of planned growth and restraint. The Plan will guide most day to day planning decisions and will cover the period up to 2006 from its base date of mid 1988. The Plan’s performance in tackling the issues will be monitored on a regular basis and the whole Plan will be reviewed at least every five years. 1.12 Under the provisions of the Planning & Compensation Act 1991 the Council is obliged to prepare a Borough-wide Local Plan which upon adoption is a statutory document. The main stages of the Plan preparation process are outlined opposite. 1.13 The full title of this document is the ‘Ipswich Local Plan ’ which is referred to throughout as ‘the Plan’. The Plan has been prepared under Section 36 of the Town & Country Planning Act and will contain statutory policies for the whole of Ipswich. Reference is also made to related planning and transport matters affecting the Town which are outside of the administrative boundaries. The Development Plan for Ipswich will consist of a combination of the Ipswich Local Plan and the County Structure Plan. The Ipswich Local Plan will therefore complement the County Structure Plan incorporating Alterations 1, 2 and 3 (1995). 1.14 The Council has been responsible for the following documents which have been taken into account: The Corporate Aims and Actions (1993), The Environment Strategy (1993), The Ipswich Wildlife Study (1993), The Ipswich Housing Needs Study (1993), The Housing Strategy (1993), The Suffolk Design Guide for Residential Areas (1993), The Sports Strategy (1993), The Playing Pitch Study (1993), The Play Strategy for Ipswich (1994), Ipswich Museums and Galleries to 2001 - A Strategy For The Future (1992), The Economic Development Strategy (1993), The Retail Study (1993) and The Traffic Study (1991). 6 Ipswich Local Planl Chapter 1 Introduction Ipswich Local Plan Consultation Draft Public Consultation Period August-October 1993 Representations Considered and Revisions Made October 1993 - Spring 1994 Ipswich Local Plan Deposit Draft Produced May 1994 Deposit Period for Formal Objections and Representations May - July 1994 Public Local Inquiry January-July 1995 Inquiry Inspector’s Report Received April 1996 Schedule of Proposed Modifications Produced August 1996 Deposit Period for Formal Objections and Representations August- September 1996 Further Proposed Modification Produced February 1997 Ipswich Local Plan Adopted May 1997 7 Ipswich Local Plan Chapter 1 Introduction OTHER DOCUMENTS 1.15 The Plan supersedes the statutory County Borough of Ipswich Development Town Map approved in 1954 and amended in 1963 and the Ipswich Central Area Plan (1981). The Deposit Draft version of the Plan superseded the following non statutory policy documents: the Ipswich Eastern Fringe Draft Local Plan (1985), the Ipswich Central Area Policy Guidelines (1990), the Shopping Sub-Centre Guidelines (1990), the Large New Stores Outside the Central Area Policy Guidelines (1990) and the Wet Dock Policy Guidelines (1990). The Development Control Policy and Design Guidelines (Revised 1992) will be superseded when supplementary planning guidance referred to in this document has been prepared and adopted by the Council. 1.16 Supplementary planning guidance has been and will continue to be prepared to supplement the policies in the Plan. This guidance may be taken into account in decision making as a material consideration. Supplementary Planning Guidance has been prepared for Children’s Play, Out of Town Centre Shopping, Accessible General Housing and a Cycle Strategy. More guidance is planned to cover household extensions, shop fronts and advertisements, conservation areas and listed buildings and open space standards. Supplementary planning guidance is also an appropriate means of providing design guidance for specific areas. Guidance has been prepared for some of the Plan’s larger proposed development sites such as the Nacton Road Airfield site, Hayhill Road Allotments/Woodbridge Road site, Bramford Road and a Central Area site. NEIGHBOURING 1.17 The Suffolk Coastal District Council Local Plan (1994) puts forward an LOCAL AUTHORITIES’ urban fringe management proposal for a large area east of Ipswich together LOCAL PLAN with a proposed extension to Ransomes Europark for employment PROPOSALS development. 1.18 The Babergh District Council Local Plan - Alteration 1, 1995, proposes urban fringe management initiatives for the Belstead Brook Park area including recreation facilities and two parking sites for park and ride purposes on the southern outskirts. 1.19 Mid Suffolk District Council Deposit Draft Local Plan (1995) has no proposals affecting the western and north west fringes of Ipswich.