Northern Area Plan 2016 Draft Plan VOLUME 1 Part 1: Introduction Part 2: Strategic Plan Framework Part 3: Strategic Countryside and the Coast May 2005 Northern Area Plan 2016 Draft Plan, Volume 1: General Policies 2005 VOLUME 1 Contents Page Preamble 1 PART 1 - INTRODUCTION 1.0 Plan Area 7 2.0 Policy Context 8 3.0 Plan Aim 9 4.0 Plan Objectives 9 5.0 Plan Strategy 10 PART 2 - STRATEGIC PLAN FRAMEWORK 1.0 Settlements 13 2.0 Housing 21 3.0 Industry, Business and Distribution 34 4.0 Retail, Services and Offices 37 5.0 Tourism 43 6.0 Environment and Conservation 51 7.0 Education, Health, Community and Cultural Facilities 63 8.0 Open Space, Sport and Outdoor Recreation 65 9.0 Public Services and Utilities 67 10.0 Minerals 70 11.0 Transportation 74 PART 3 – STRATEGIC: COUNTRYSIDE AND COAST 1.0 Introduction 87 2.0 Regional Policy Context 87 3.0 Green Belt 87 4.0 Countryside Policy Areas 91 5.0 Rathlin Island 95 6.0 Giant’s Causeway World Heritage Site 96 7.0 Lignite & Minerals 99 8.0 Historic Parks, Gardens and Demesnes 100 9.0 Agriculture 101 10.0 Forestry 101 11.0 Fishing 101 Northern Area Plan 2016 Draft Plan, Volume 1: General Policies 2005 Appendices 1 Index of Plan Proposals contained in Volumes 1 & 2 103 2 Policy Context 124 3 Planning Policy Statements (PPSs) 125 4 Development Control Advice Notes (DCANs) 126 5 Urban Housing Appeals Granted Since July 2004 127 6 Supplementary Historic Parks, Gardens and Demesnes 128 7 Acronyms and Northern Ireland Government Departments 129 8 The Planning Team and Acknowledgements 130 Maps accompanying this Document This document is accompanied by an Overview map and District maps for each Council area. Northern Area Plan 2016 Draft Plan, Volume 1: General Policies 2005 1.0 PREAMBLE 1.1 The Northern Area Plan 2016 is the development plan for the four Council Areas of Ballymoney, Coleraine, Limavady and Moyle, being prepared under the provisions of Part 111 of the Planning (Northern Ireland) Order 1991, by Planning Service, an Agency of the Department of the Environment. The purpose of the Plan is to guide development in the period up to the year 2016. The Plan is intended to be in general conformity with the Regional Development Strategy as required by the Planning (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order 2003. 1.2 In March 2001 the Department published its intention to prepare the Northern Area Plan. The four Councils were notified and preliminary comments were invited from the public. 1.3 Following discussions with the four Councils, consideration of the initial comments received, and consultation with a wide range of public bodies, the Department published an Issues Paper on 30th April 2002. This document identified relevant matters of strategic and local interest at that time to which the Northern Area Plan would seek to respond. 1.4 In May 2002 Planning Service consulted the four Councils with regard to the matters raised by the Issues Paper. In addition to comments made by members during the meetings, detailed and helpful written corporate submissions were subsequently received from all four Councils. 1.5 In May and June 2002, there was a period of extensive public consultation on the Issues Paper. This included 16 public meetings and community workshops organised and facilitated by Community Technical Aid (CTA) attended by almost 500 members of the public. CTA published a report in July 2002 summarising the wide range of opinions that were expressed. Approximately 4,000 copies of Issues Paper were circulated to the public and the document was available on the Internet after its launch. 1.6 As a result of the two stages of public consultation over 1,100 representations have been received. These have been of great value in assisting the Department in its consideration of the wide range of issues relevant to the Draft Plan. 1.7 The Department has now published the Northern Area Plan 2016 Draft Plan. This consists of a Written Statement and related Maps. The Plan comprises two volumes: Volume 1: Part 1 – Introduction. This sets out the background to the preparation of the Plan Part 2 – Strategic Plan Framework. This provides the overarching Plan framework, comprising allocations, designations, policies and proposals relating to the Plan 1 Northern Area Plan 2016 Draft Plan, Volume 1: General Policies 2005 Area as a whole. These complement, and with reference to, the Regional Policy Context. Part 3 – Countryside and the Coast. This sets out designations and policies relating to the Plan Area as a whole and outside of Settlement Development Limits. Many of these designations transcend Council area boundaries. Volume 2: Part 4 – Ballymoney Borough Part 5 – Coleraine Borough Part 6 – Limavady Borough Part 7 – Moyle District These parts translate the broad allocations, policies and proposals of Part 2 into site specific designations, policies, proposals and zonings for the individual Council areas. A list of these Plan Proposals for both volumes of the Plan is set out in Appendix 1. 1.8 The Plan is accompanied by a series of maps. These comprise: Overview Map – this map shows the coverage of strategic Plan designations and proposals throughout the Plan Area. District/Borough Maps – these maps illustrate Draft Plan designations, zoning and proposals within each District or Borough along with other existing designations and landuses which are shown for information only. Any use of a symbol for illustration is cross- referenced to a detailed map within the Settlement or Countryside sections of the map booklet. Plan Proposals are not shown within Settlement Development Limits on these maps. Settlement Maps – each Settlement Map illustrates Plan designations, zonings and proposals within the Settlement Development Limit and within the extent of the map frame. Existing designations and land uses may be shown for information only. Where a Plan Proposal cannot be viewed in its entirety the reader is directed to a Clarification Map. Environmental Designations District/Borough Maps – these maps illustrate by use of symbols the location of existing and proposed environmental designations within the Plan Area. The boundaries of these are contained within the Countryside sections of the map booklet. Clarification Maps – where a Plan Proposal is difficult to distinguish by virtue of scale or overlapping a Clarification Map is provided to assist the reader, either as an Inset Map or as a separate Clarification Map. Clarification Maps, where provided, prevail in matters of Plan designations, zonings and proposals. Appendix Maps – these maps show the boundaries of Country Parks and those Historic Parks, Gardens and Demesnes that will appear as 2 Northern Area Plan 2016 Draft Plan, Volume 1: General Policies 2005 supplementary entries in a register of parks, gardens and demesnes of special historic interest in Northern Ireland as being prepared by the Department’s Environment and Heritage Service. 1.9 All maps are reproduced by permission of the Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland on behalf of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, Crown Copyright Reserved 2005. 1.10 The Plan should be read as a whole. It is necessary to refer to both Volumes 1 and 2 to understand the totality of the Plan proposals for each Council area, or when considering development proposals. 2.0 PLAN PROPOSALS – Allocations, Designations, Policies, Proposals and Zonings 2.1 The allocations, designations, policies, proposals and zonings contained in the Plan, hereafter collectively referred to as the Plan Proposals constitute considerations that the Department will take into account in the determination of planning applications. The contents of the Plan must be read as a whole, as often a combination of proposals may be relevant to a particular development proposal. 2.2 The Plan Proposals are not the only tests of acceptability for development proposals. In making its decisions the Department will also assess proposals against all planning policies and other material considerations that are relevant to it. The contents of the Plan must be read in conjunction with the relevant contents of regional policy documents and supplementary planning guidance documents. 2.3 To ensure there is no public misunderstanding of the allocations, designations, policies, proposals and zonings, it must be recognised there may be occasions when other material considerations outweigh one or more of these. Each case will be considered on its merits to assess whether or not an exception is justified, but the provisions of the Plan will prevail, unless there are over-riding policy or other material considerations which outweigh them and justify a contrary decision. 2.4 If there is any discrepancy between the Written Statement and a Map, it is the former which prevails. The Draft Plan can be accessed via the Internet at the Planning Service website: www.planningni.gov.uk. 3.0 REPRESENTATIONS 3.1 Representations in support of, or objections to any of the Plan’s proposals contained in the Draft Plan should be submitted in writing on the comments sheets available from the Coleraine Divisional Planning Office and must be received not later than 5 P.M. ON WEDNESDAY 6TH JULY 2005. Representations and objections should where appropriate be accompanied by an up to 3 Northern Area Plan 2016 Draft Plan, Volume 1: General Policies 2005 date map clearly indicating any lands to which they relate. Late representations cannot be considered. Representations and objections should be addressed to: Mr A A Meenagh The Manager Northern Area Plan Team Divisional Planning Office County Hall Castlerock Road Coleraine BT 51 1HS Tel: 028 7034 1300 Fax: 028 7034 1434 E-Mail: [email protected] 3.2 The Department will consider any objections it may receive relating to the Draft Plan.