Transformation and Sustainability SHEFFIELD DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK PREFERRED OPTIONS FOR CITY POLICIES For consideration by Cabinet – 11 April 2007 Development Services Sheffield City Council Howden House 1 Union Street Sheffield S1 2SH April 2007 Availability of this document See Chapter 2 ‘How to Comment’ If you would like a copy of this document in large print, audio format, Braille, on computer disk, or in a language other than English, please contact us for this to be arranged: telephone (0114) 273 4212, or e-mail [email protected], or write to: SDF Team Development Services Howden House 1 Union Street Sheffield S1 2SH CONTENTS Page 1. Introduction to Preferred Options 1 2. How to Comment on the Options 7 Development and Land Use 3. Conditions on Development (PC) 9 4. Business and Industry (PB) 11 5. Shopping and Built Leisure (PS) 29 6. Community Facilities, Services and Institutions (PCF) 47 7. Housing (PH) 55 8. Flexible Use Areas (PF) 85 9. Waste Management (PW) 87 10. Open Space and Sports Facilities (POS) 93 11. Countryside and Green Belt (PGB) 105 Design and Environment 12. Urban Design (PUD) 115 13. Historic Environment (PHE) 139 14. Green Environment (PGE) 155 15. Natural Resources (PR) 173 Transport 16. Transport (PT) 191 Implementation 17. Planning Obligations (PPO) 209 APPENDICES A Emerging and Preferred Options 213 B Acceptable Uses – Summary Tables 227 1. INTRODUCTION TO THE PREFERRED OPTIONS What is the Sheffield Development Framework? 1.1 The Sheffield Development Framework is the City Council’s Local Development Framework, prepared in accordance with the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. It consists of a series of planning documents, including several statutory Development Plan Documents to replace the existing Unitary Development Plan. 1.2 The Development Plan Documents take a long-term (10-15 year) view of: how the city develops spatially its physical form and the location of different land uses the protection and enhancement of the environment the design of areas and buildings the connecting up of the city through the location of development and transport systems. What are the City Policies? 1.3 The SDF City Policies document sets out the policy guidance for all future development proposals in the City (excluding areas in the Peak District National Park). It will contain all the policies that will: help decide whether planning permissions should be granted inform the preparation of planning briefs and design guidance. It is intended to be a ‘one-stop’ document, containing everything needed to answer the question ‘what will I need to do to get planning permission for my proposed development?’ 1.4 But it is closely related to two other documents: The Core Strategy, which includes the overall vision, aims and objectives of the Sheffield Development Framework, which set the overall direction for the City Policies, and the Framework’s spatial policies The City Sites document, containing details of all sites allocated for specific land uses. The City Policies need to be read alongside the Proposals Map of the Sheffield Development Framework. The map shows how the policies apply to specific areas of the city. 1.5 The criteria and other policy guidance have to be consistent with the Core Strategy -1- but also have to: generally conform with relevant policies in the Regional Spatial Strategy be consistent with national planning policy. 1.6 The specific role of the City Policies is to: set out the preferred, acceptable and unacceptable uses in each of the policy areas provide the generic criteria needed to guide planning advice and decisions indicate additional specific policies to guide the preparation of masterplans, planning briefs etc., to determine planning applications and identify where developer contributions may be appropriate help to ensure that all future proposals contribute to achieving sustainable development. 1.7 The document has three main sections. The first deals with Land Use and Development and contains sections for the main land uses: - Conditions on Development - Business and Industry - Shopping and Built Leisure - Community Facilities and Institutions - Housing - Flexible Use Areas - Waste Management - Open Space and Sports Facilities - Countryside and Green Belt 1.8 The first section includes the preferred options that relate to certain Policy Areas. These areas would be shown as different colours on the Proposals Map. They include: Business and Industrial Areas - purple/ grey Shopping Areas - blue Institution Areas - pink or orange Housing Areas - light brown Flexible Use Areas - yellow Open Space Areas - green Green Belt - pale green Waste Management Areas - dark brown 1.9 In all areas, except for the Green Belt and Open Space Areas, various mixes of land uses would be possible. For example, in the Housing Areas, housing is the -2- main use but other uses would also be allowed. The first section includes all the preferred options that tell you which uses would be acceptable in the Areas on the Proposals Map and which are unacceptable. This does not mean that they would be applied inflexibly. They are statements of principle and planning applications would still need to be considered on their merits. Where there are other material considerations, these must be weighed in reaching a decision. Appendix B contains a summary, in table form, of acceptable and unacceptable uses for each area. 1.10 Each section includes: the ‘menus’ of uses that are, in principle, preferred, acceptable and unacceptable in the related policy areas – the strategic rationale for this is set out in the Core Strategy and the precise boundaries are shown on the Proposals Map any regulatory policies needed in those areas to meet the distinctive requirements of the policy areas and their preferred land uses specific planning obligations relating to certain types of development and circumstance. 1.11 The second major section deals with the Design and Environment and its policies will apply to all forms of development and land use. The sections within it are devoted to: Urban Design Historic Environment Green Environment Natural Resources 1.12 These policies will have a critical part to play in delivering the transformation and sustainability to which the City aspires and the sustainable development to which the policies are required by law to contribute. They will take up Core Strategy objectives relating to, for example, acceptable environments for living and for business, high quality of design of buildings and their wider settings, safeguarding existing built and natural features of value, promoting biodiversity and using the city’s natural resources wisely. 1.13 The third section relates to transport. The overall provision of transport is covered in the Core Strategy but this section takes up the transport-related issues that must be taken into account with specific developments, for example, preparation of Travel Plans and provision of parking. These policies will have a crucial role in putting the transport strategy into practice. 1.14 Finally, a chapter brings together the possible implications for negotiating planning obligations and the range of gains that might be sought. In due course, this will reflect the Government’s proposed new arrangements including the Planning Gain -3- Supplement. 1.15 Many of the eventual policies will have to be carefully worded to make sure that they provide a clear enough framework for future decisions. So, the City Policies document may read as a more technical document than others in the Sheffield Development Framework. What about the issues not covered by the City Policies? 1.16 As a citywide policy document, City Policies provides the overall policy framework and this will eventually have statutory status. As such, it cannot provide detail for every eventuality. A large body of more detailed guidance will be covered in Supplementary Planning Documents. The first of these will be adopted at the same time as the City Policies. 1.17 There is also a large body of planning policy in the Government’s Planning Policy Statements and Regional Spatial Strategy. The City Policies document sometimes restates policies of particular relevance in the city for the convenience of users but users should be aware of the parent policies, which are cross referenced. What about issues dealt with in national and regional planning policy? 1.18 In principle, the present document should avoid duplicating policies in national and regional planning policy. This has the advantage of helping to reduce its length. However, strictly following this principle may make it harder for some users to understand what is required because the criteria would need to be traced in several documents, some of which may not be readily to hand for those without access to the Internet. Even if it makes the document longer, it is more user- friendly to have all the required policy criteria in one place and in an understandable sequence. This supports the original aim of the City Policies document to be a ‘one-stop’ source on policies that deal with what is required to get planning permission for a development proposal. In some cases policy has been restated here to show in the supporting text how it relates specifically to Sheffield. How do the Preferred Options fit in to the process? 1.19 National planning policy requires the Council to involve communities in the development of options for its Local Development Framework. We are using four defined stages for this involvement: Emerging