City of Durham Parish Council Neighbourhood Plan Proposal 2 0 1 9
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CITY OF DURHAM PARISH COUNCIL NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN PROPOSAL 2 0 1 9 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Neighbourhood Plan has been produced by volunteers from the Neighbourhood Plan Working Party. The Working Party reports to the Planning Committee of the City of Durham Parish Council. John Ashby Pippa Bell Sue Childs Roger Cornwell Ann Evans Peter Jackson John Lowe David Miller John Pacey Matthew Phillips Angela Tracy CITY OF DURHAM PARISH COUNCIL NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN PROPOSAL 2019 The Neighbourhood Plan Proposal is available at: http://npf.durhamcity.org.uk/the-plan/ Contact Details Parish Clerk City of Durham Parish Council Office 3 D4.01d Clayport Library 8 Millennium Place Durham DH1 1WA Email: [email protected] Website: http://npf.durhamcity.org.uk/ CONTENTS Page No: FOREWORDS 1 Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION 3 Chapter 2: BACKGROUND 5 Chapter 3: VISION AND OBJECTIVES 15 Chapter 4: PLANNING POLICIES AND PROPOSALS FOR LAND USE 19 Theme 1: A City with a Sustainable Future 21 Policy S1: Sustainable Development Requirements of all 23 Development and Re-development Sites Including all New Building, Renovations and Extensions Policy S2: The Requirement for Master Plans 28 Theme 2a: A Beautiful and Historic City - Heritage 31 Policy H1: Protection and Enhancement of the World Heritage 35 Site Policy H2: The Conservation Areas 39 Policy H3: Our Neighbourhood Outside the Conservation Areas 44 Policy H4: Heritage Assets 45 Theme 2b: A Beautiful and Historic City - Green Infrastructure 49 Policy G1: Protecting and Enhancing Green Infrastructure 56 Policy G2: Designation of Local Green Spaces 59 Policy G3: Creation of the Emerald Network 67 Policy G4: Enhancing the Beneficial Use of the Green Belt 70 Theme 3: A City with a Diverse and Resilient Economy 75 Policy E1: The Aykley Heads Business Park 81 Policy E2: Other Employment Sites 82 Policy E3: Retail Development 86 Policy E4: Evening Economy 87 Policy E5: Visitor Attractions 92 Policy E6: Visitor Accommodation 92 Theme 4: A City with Attractive and Affordable Places to Live 95 Policy D1: Land for Residential Development 99 Policy D2: Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) 104 Policy D3: Student Accommodation in Houses in Multiple 109 Occupation (HMO) Policy D4: Housing for Older People and People with Disabilities 112 Policy D5: Affordable Housing 115 Policy D6: Building Housing to the Highest Standards 116 Theme 5: A City with a Modern and Sustainable Transport 121 Infrastructure Policy T1: Sustainable Transport Accessibility and Design 126 Policy T2: Residential Car Parking 129 Policy T3: Residential Storage for Cycles and Mobility Aids 132 Theme 6: A City with an Enriched Community Life 135 Policy C1: Provision for Arts and Culture 140 Policy C2: Provision of New Community Facilities 143 Policy C3: Protection of an Existing Community Facility 144 Policy C4: Health Care and Social Care Facilities 146 Chapter 5: MONITORING THE PLAN 149 PROPOSALS MAPS Proposals Map 1: Our Neighbourhood 7 Proposals Map 2: Local Green Spaces 65 Proposals Map 3: Emerald Network 69 Proposals Map 4: Green Belt - areas for improvement 71 Proposals Map 5: Economic Designated Sites 85 Proposals Map 6: City Centre Boundary and Frontages 88 Proposals Map 7: Housing Sites 100 Proposals Map 8: Purpose Built Student Accommodation Sites 108 MAPS FOR INFORMATION OR ILLUSTRATION Map 1: World Heritage Site Boundaries 37 Map 2: World Heritage Site Inner Setting 38 Map 3: The Conservation Areas 41 Map 4: Durham City Conservation Area with Character Areas Shown 42 Map 5: Green Belt in Our Neighbourhood 73 Map 6: Studentification 114 Map 7: Durham in the late medieval period: its boroughs, churches and 154 important buildings Map 8: Pedestrian issues 183 Map 9: Cycling issues 184 APPENDICES Appendix A: Description of the character areas in the Durham City 151 Conservation Area Appendix B: Heritage assets. List of notable unlisted buildings, and of 155 heritage assets at risk (both designated and non-designated) Appendix C: Population, households, housing and sites 161 Appendix D: Assets in Our Neighbourhood 171 REFERENCES TO EVIDENCE BASE 187 THE REST OF THIS PAGE IS DELIBERATELY LEFT BLANK City of Durham Parish Council. Neighbourhood Plan Proposal FOREWORDS Introduction from the Member of Parliament for the City of Durham I am delighted that after many years of hard work from the Durham City Neighbourhood Planning Forum, and latterly the City of Durham Parish Council, we now have a Neighbourhood Plan for Durham City. Durham represents a unique set of challenges for a Neighbourhood Plan, as it encompasses housing and commercial areas, as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. To now be at the point of having a plan for the City is testament to the time and effort of everyone involved in the process of gathering evidence, speaking to the public, businesses and other stakeholders, and putting together policies for the future for the City. This plan seeks to provide local, detailed planning policies to enable the right development in the right places; to protect the City’s wonderful heritage, as well as protecting vital green spaces, and making sure that the City is accessible and welcoming to residents, visitors and businesses. There has been a significant level of support from residents and groups in the City towards this Plan, and I hope that everyone who lives, works and spends their leisure time in the City will see the benefits of having a robust Neighbourhood Plan for the whole Parish. Roberta Blackman-Woods Member of Parliament for the City of Durham Introduction from the Chair of the Parish Council Durham is a unique, beautiful, historic City and the challenges involved in devising a Neighbourhood Plan to preserve and enhance those qualities for future generations have been considerable, but I am now pleased to be able to commend and present the City of Durham Neighbourhood Plan. The idea that the City of Durham should have a Neighbourhood Plan was first floated more than eight years ago, even before the Localism Act which made it possible was passed. It has been a long journey, one with two essential aims. The first of these is that this is a Plan shaped by the residents of what is now the City of Durham Parish, meeting your hopes and aspirations for the next fifteen years. This has involved extensive consultations, ranging from primary school children to older members of the community, using face-to-face meetings, exhibitions, and an extensive web site. There have now been two formal consultation exercises and the comments made in both have been carefully considered and the Plan now being submitted to the County Council is much improved because of them. © City of Durham Parish Council, 2019 1 City of Durham Parish Council. Neighbourhood Plan Proposal The second is the theme of sustainability that runs like a golden thread through the Plan, to be read alongside every other policy. All new development will contribute to a long-term sustainable future for Durham City by ensuring a balanced relationship among environmental, social and economic outcomes. When the Parish assumed responsibility for the Neighbourhood Plan in April 2018 it was able to build on the work of a team of dedicated volunteers who had formed the Neighbourhood Planning Forum. Most of these were pleased to join the Parish Working Party set up to complete their work. Their names are listed inside the front cover, and we owe them a debt of gratitude. Councillor Elizabeth Scott Chair of the City of Durham Parish Council © City of Durham Parish Council, 2019 2 City of Durham Parish Council. Neighbourhood Plan Proposal CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 The most important feature of a neighbourhood plan is that it is prepared and agreed by local people. The work is normally carried out by a parish or town council on behalf of its local community. However, until April 2018 Durham City was ‘non-parished’. In order for the local community’s wish in 2012 for a neighbourhood plan to be prepared, the County Council enabled the setting up of the Durham City Neighbourhood Planning Forum. 1.2 The Forum adopted the name ‘Our Neighbourhood’ for the area covered by the Plan, which is shown on Proposals Map 1. Work on the Plan began in 2014 and provided the opportunity for continuous consultation throughout. These consultations enabled the Forum to find out what people who live and work in the area, and those who visit, think of the policies and proposals as the Plan developed (see para. 2.17 to 2.19). The City of Durham Parish Council now (since May 2018) has responsibility for the Plan. 1.3 There are four matters to be borne in mind when reading and using this Plan: Its policies, when adopted, will have statutory force, i.e. they will be relevant in the consideration of planning applications by the County Council, and they will need to be in general conformity with the strategic policies of the current adopted development plan, which at the time of writing (September 2019) is the set of 'Saved Policies' of the City of Durham Local Plan 2004 as assessed by the County Council in 2015 for consistency with the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF); Quite early in the lifetime of the Durham City Neighbourhood Plan a new Statutory Local Plan - the County Durham Plan - will be adopted. The Neighbourhood Plan policies will then need to be reviewed, and if necessary changed, to bring them into general conformity with the strategic policies of this new County Durham Plan. It has been possible to seek to future-proof the Neighbourhood Plan