Neighbourhood Plan for the Parishes of Ottery St Mary And
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NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN FOR THE PARISHES OF OTTERY ST MARY AND WEST HILL 2017 - 2031 NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN FOR THE PARISHES OF OTTERY ST MARY AND WEST HILL 1 FOREWORD Foreword to Neighbourhood Plan for the Parishes of Ottery St Mary and West Hill. The Ottery St Mary and West Hill Neighbourhood Plan is part of the Government’s approach to planning, which aims to give local communities more say about what goes on in their area. East Devon District Council (EDDC) approved the designation of the Ottery St Mary Parish as a Neighbourhood Plan area in January 2015. Since that date West Hill has gained independence from Ottery St Mary Town Council and has formed its own parish, but it remains part of the designated Neighbourhood plan area. Now called ‘The Neighbourhood Plan for the Parishes of Ottery St Mary and West Hill’. The Neighbourhood Plan provides a vision for the future of the community and sets out clear polices as required by the Localism Act which came into force in April 2012. The policies and actions of the NP will be combined with the East Devon Local Plan which was approved in January 2016. The parish of Ottery St Mary has had at least a 25% increase in housing over a very short timeframe and the plan has been mindful of this and the community views on how this affects them. The countryside around the parish is its crowning glory and the plan has made it clear that this should be protected for future generations. The plan has made every attempt to identify issues that are important to the community and has created the opportunity whilst doing this for a project to investigate the regeneration of the historic town centre of Ottery St Mary. The Town Council would like to thank the Neighbourhood Plan Working Group, as well as residents, local groups, stakeholders and organisations and our consultants, LDA for their hard work and input during the development of this plan. Cllr. Jo Talbot (Chairman of the Neighbourhood Plan Working Group) Mayor Glyn Dobson, Ottery St Mary Town Council 2 CONTENTS 1.0 Introduction 08 2.0 A Portrait of the Parishes 10 3.0 Parish Key Issues 12 4.0 The Vision and Objectives for the Plan 20 5.0 Delivering the Vision - Policies and Projects 22 6.0 Environment 24 Protecting the Countryside 25 Sensitive, High Quality Design 26 Infill Backland and Residential Garden Development 28 Settlement Containment 30 Local Green Spaces 32 Valued Views 34 Flood Risk and Drainage 35 Flood Defences 36 Protection of Wildlife Sites and Features of Ecological Value 37 Accessibility, Congestion and Road Safety - The Big Challenge 38 Feniton to Sidmouth Cycle Link 42 Minerals__________________________________________________44 Renewable Energy_________________________________________44 7.0 Community 46 Housing Requirement 46 Neighbourhood Plan Approach 47 Starter Homes 49 Appropriate Housing Mix 50 Accessible and Adaptable Homes and Care/Extra Care Homes 51 Infrastructure of the Parish 51 Supporting and Protecting Health and Social Care Infrastructure 55 Supporting Schools 56 Community Facilities of Value 57 Protection and Enhancement of Sports and Play Facilities 58 Youth Facilities 59 3 8.0 Economy 60 Supporting Ottery St Mary as the Economic Focus for the Parish 60 Finnimore Industrial Estate 62 Tourist Facilities 63 Supporting Agriculture and Farm Diversification 64 Home Working 65 9.0 Ottery St Mary Town 66 Enhance Ottery St Mary Conservation Area _ 66 Public Realm Enhancements and Highways Improvements 70 Car Parking in Ottery St Mary Town Centre 72 Land Identified For Education Uses in Ottery St Mary 73 10.0 West Hill 74 West Hill Design 75 Accessible West Hill 76 West Hill Open Space Recreation & Playing Fields 77 West Hill Trees 77 11.0 The Smaller Villages and Countryside 78 Residential Development 78 Allocation of Exception Sites for Development 78 12.0 Monitoring and Review 81 Appendices 82 Appendix 1 Neighbourhood Plan Proposals Maps List of Locally Valued Views for Protection Appendix 2 County and Undesignated Wildlife Sites Appendix 3 The Road Network Issues Plans Appendix 4 Community - Facilities of Value 4 LIST OF POLICIES & PROJECTS POLICIES CHAPTER 6: ENVIRONMENT Policy NP1: Development in the Countryside - pg. 25 Policy NP2: Sensitive, High Quality Design - pg. 26 Policy NP3: Infill, Backland and Residential Garden Development - pg. 29 Policy NP4: Settlement Containment - pg. 30 Policy NP5: Local Green Spaces - pg. 32 Policy NP6: Valued Views - pg. 34 Policy NP7: Flood Defences - pg. 36 Policy NP8: Protection of Local Wildlife Sites and Features of Ecological Value - pg. 37 Policy NP9: Accessible Developments - pg. 40 Policy NP10: Feniton to Sidmouth Cycle Link - pg. 43 Policy NP11: Small Scale Low-carbon Energy Projects - pg. 45 CHAPTER 7: COMMUNITY Policy NP12: Appropriate Housing Mix - pg. 50 Policy NP13: Accessible and Adaptable Homes - pg. 51 Policy NP14: Demonstrating Infrastructure Capacity - pg. 54 Policy NP15: Supporting and Protecting Health and Social Care Infrastructure - pg. 55 Policy NP16: Supporting Schools - pg. 56 Policy NP17: Community Facilities of Value - pg. 57 CHAPTER 8: ECONOMY Policy NP18: Supporting Ottery St Mary as the Economic Focus for the Parish - pg. 61 Policy NP19: Employment uses Finnimore Industrial Estate - pg. 62 Policy NP20: Small-scale Farm Based Tourism - pg. 64 Policy NP21: Working from Home - pg. 65 5 CHAPTER 9: OTTERY ST MARY TOWN Policy NP22: Ottery St Mary Conservation Area - pg. 68 Policy NP23: Ottery St Mary Town Centre Public Realm Enhancements and Highways Improvements - pg. 71 Policy NP24: Car parking in Ottery St Mary Town Centre - pg. 72 Policy NP25: Land Identified for Education uses in Ottery St Mary - pg. 73 CHAPTER 10: WEST HILL Policy NP26: West Hill Design - pg. 75 CHAPTER 11: THE SMALLER VILLAGES Policy NP27: Exception Site for housing development in Alfington - pg. 79 PROJECTS Project 1: Enhancing Road Safety - pg. 39 Project 2: Local Green Infrastructure Network - pg. 40 Project 3: Supporting Public Transport - pg. 40 Project 4: Feniton to Sidmouth Cycle Link Delivery - pg. 43 Project 5: Developing Sports and Play Facilities - pg. 59 Project 6: Supporting Youth Facilities - pg. 59 Project 7: Enhancing the Western Gateway to Ottery St Mary - pg. 62 Project 8: Promoting Tourism in the Neighbourhood Plan Area - pg. 63 Project 9: Ottery St Mary Heritage Action - pg. 68 Project 10: Town Centre Action Group - pg. 71 Project 11: Parking Solutions - pg. 72 Project 12: West Hill Green Network - pg. 76 Project 13: West Hill Open Space, Recreation and Playing Fields - pg. 77 Project 14: West Hill Trees - pg.77 6 ABBREVIATIONS AONB Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty BUA Built Up Area BUAB Built Up Area Boundary CWS County Wildlife Sites DCA Devon Character Area DCC Devon County Council EA Environment Agency EDDC East Devon District Council HGV Heavy Goods Vehicle IDP Infrastructure Delivery Plan LGS Local Green Space NPPF National Planning Policy Framework SAC Special Area of Conservation SPA Special Protection Area SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest UWS Unconfirmed Wildlife Sites 7 CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION THE ROLE OF THE NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN 1.1 Neighbourhood planning was introduced by the Localism Act 2011 as a new approach in this document must therefore be taken into to planning, giving communities direct account in the determination of any planning power to develop a shared vision for their applications for the Parishes. neighbourhood and shape the development and growth of their local area. 1.5 The Neighbourhood Plan contains policies and projects that will apply over the period 2017 1.2 Like many communities in East Devon, – 2031. As required by the Neighbourhood Ottery St Mary Town Council took the Planning Regulations 2012, the Plan has been decision in mid-2014 that a developed to be in conformity with national Neighbourhood Plan for the whole parish planning policy, contained in the National was important to provide the community Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) as well as with opportunity for greater influence the strategic policies of the East Devon Local over locally focused planning policies in a Plan. period of Local Plan policy flux and substantial development pressure. The 1.6 The Neighbourhood Plan process has Neighbourhood Plan Area designation helped to clarify and confirm the priorities was approved by East Devon District of the community of the Parishes. The Council (EDDC) in January 2015 (see map Neighbourhood Plan is a catalyst for action overleaf). rather than being the ‘end goal’. A number of the policies and projects in the Plan identify 1.3 The Neighbourhood Plan Area was action which will rely on the Parish Councils’ originally defined as the Parish of Ottery ongoing commitment and partnership- St Mary which included the village of working with stakeholders and/or investment West Hill as well as a number of smaller from public, private and voluntary sources. settlements including Tipton St John, Alfington, Wiggaton, Fenny Bridges, and Preparation of the Neighbourhood Plan Higher Metcombe. In July 2016, West Hill was granted its own independent Parish 1.7 The Neighbourhood Plan has been status which will come into effect on 1 April prepared on behalf of Ottery St Mary Town 2017. The communities of both Parishes Council and West Hill Parish Council by have been fully engaged in preparing this the Neighbourhood Plan Working Group Neighbourhood Plan and this change in with support from consultants. The Working Parish boundaries has no bearing on the Group comprised of a mixture of councillors content of the Neighbourhood Plan, which and volunteers from the local community. should be equally applied to both Parishes. Other members of the community have also Chapters 6, 7 and 8 and the neighbourhood provided useful support and assistance plan policies therein apply to all areas particularly with gathering evidence and within the Neighbourhood Plan Area.