Design for the Future
Replacing East Northamptonshire’s Local Plan
Have your say…
Issues Report July 2001 Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 What is the Local Plan? 4 1.2 Why does the Plan need to be replaced? 5 1.3 What is an Issues Report? 5 1.4 Has anything already been decided? 6 1.5 The Council’s Values and Objectives 7 1.6 Design for the Future – have your say 7 1.7 Stages Leading to the Adoption of the Replacement Local Plan 8
2. CREATING SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES 9 2.1 Vision 9 2.2 How can we achieve sustainable development? 9 2.3 Greenfield or brownfield? 10 2.4 Travel 11 2.5 Energy use and efficiency 12 2.6 Water resources and flooding 13
3. ENVIRONMENT 15 3.1 Vision 15 3.2 Why protect the environment? 15 3.3 Protecting the Environment 15 3.4 East Northamptonshire’s Landscape 16 3.5 The River Nene 17 3.6 The Built Environment 17 3.7 Design 18 3.8 Telecommunications 20
4. HOUSING 22 4.1 Vision 22 4.2 What is the role of the Local Plan? 22 4.3 Accommodating housing growth 24 4.4 Urban Capacity 24 4.5 Previously Developed Land and Buildings 24 4.6 Raising Densities 25 4.7 Parking 25 4.8 Greenfield Sites 26 4.9 Phasing 26 4.10 Windfall Sites 26 4.11 What sort of Housing is needed? 27 4.12 Designing for quality 28 4.13 Sustainability 28 4.14 Community Safety 29 4.15 Recreation and Open Space 29 4.16 Amenity Open Space 29 4.17 Movement 30
5. ECONOMY 31 5.1 Vision 31 5.2 What is the role of the Local Plan? 31 5.3 Industry and Commerce 31 5.4 Supply 32 5.5 Location 32 5.6 The form of industrial and commercial development 33 5.7 Knowledge driven companies 34 5.8 Non-employment uses in employment areas 34 5.9 Sequential approach to office development 35 5.10 Working from home 35 5.11 Town Centres 36 5.12 Town Centre Policy Areas 36 5.13 Sequential approach to retail development 36 5.14 Car parking standards 37 5.15 Leisure and the evening economy 37 5.16 Design 38 5.17 Tourism 38
6. SUPPORTING RURAL LIFE 40 6.1 Vision 40 6.2 The Amount of Rural Housing Development 40 6.3 Location of Development 42 6.4 Village Envelopes and Infilling 43 6.5 Affordable Housing 43 6.6 Rural Employment 44 6.7 Farm Diversification 45
7. TRAVEL AND TRANSPORT 46 7.1 Vision 46 7.2 The Transport Challenge 46 7.3 Transport Priorities and Objectives 47 7.4 Transport and the Environment 47 7.5 Integrated transport 49 7.6 Public Transport 49 7.7 Voluntary transport 50 7.8 Pedestrian, cycle and powered two wheel vehicle movements 50 7.9 Freight Transport 51 7.10 Car Parking 51 7.11 Roads 52 7.12 Air Transport 52
8. LEISURE AND COMMUNITY FACILITIES 53 8.1 Vision 53 8.2 Leisure 53 8.3 Playing Fields and Play Areas 54 8.4 Recreation Space in Villages 56 8.5 Parks, Amenity Open Space and Allotments 57 8.6 The Nene Valley 58 8.7 Access to the Countryside 58 8.8 Community Facilities 59 8.9 Requirements arising from new development 59 8.10 Retention of existing facilities 60 8.11 Assessing needs 60 8.12 Dual Use of Facilities 61
9. GETTING THINGS DONE 62 9.1 Measuring Performance 63
References 64 1. Introduction
The district of East Northamptonshire has seen many changes in recent years. Depending on your view, some of these have been for the better and some for the worse. East Northamptonshire Council has faced an equal number of challenges, as it has to balance promoting the district and encouraging job creation with conservation of our environment and heritage.
Land uses are often the most obvious changes because they can be seen, especially where they affect the character and quality of our environment. Social and economic changes are not so easy to detect but they may lead to visible changes through their impact upon land uses.
1.1 What is the Local Plan?
The planning system is concerned with regulating the development and use of land in the interests of the community as a whole. This is done through Government legislation and guidance, regional guidance and the Development Plan – made up of the County Structure Plan, County Minerals and Waste Local Plans and the District Local Plan. The Council uses these documents when it has to make decisions on land use changes, most commonly through permitting or refusing planning applications for new development.
The District Local Plan is prepared by the Council to ensure all of the Government, regional and county-wide policies are applied in a way that reflects local needs and circumstances. Not surprisingly then, it is the District Local Plan that will direct most of the land-use decisions made by the Council on a day-to-day basis. It provides guidance and confidence for developers and individuals, by setting out a consistent basis for planning decisions.
East Northamptonshire Council adopted its first district-wide Local Plan in November 1996, although work first began on its preparation in 1990. The long and complicated process of preparing a Local Plan is set out at the end of this section. The first Local Plan sets out a land-use policy framework for the period up to 2006. It contains proposals aimed at meeting social and economic needs in East Northamptonshire, while limiting harm to the environment. 1.2 Why does the Plan need to be replaced?
The Local Plan has to be in line with Government, regional and county policies. Since the Plan was adopted, many of these policies have changed. There have been several shifts in the way the Government wants local councils to plan for land use change. The most important of these are the emphasis on using brownfield sites, reducing the need to travel by private car and concentrating more development in cities and towns. At the same time, the Government recognises that rural jobs, homes and services need to be planned carefully to support village communities.
The Regional Planning Guidance for the East Midlands and the Northamptonshire County Structure Plan have both been revised recently to take account of Government policies. The County Council has also prepared a Local Transport Plan that will affect travel in the District and have an impact on land uses. As a result of all these changes, the Local Plan now has to be revised and extended to cover the period up to 2016. In January 2001, the Council published a Monitoring Report that looked at how the Local Plan has been used, giving a picture of which policies have worked and which have not, and setting out all of the various changes that are required to keep the Plan up to date. This Issues Report is the first stage in the preparation of a replacement Local Plan.
1.3 What is an Issues Report?
Government guidance requires the District Council to consult a wide range of organisations, businesses and the local communities on key land-use planning issues, before writing a replacement Local Plan. This Issues Report therefore sets out the main areas that the Council will have to make decisions on, so that all the competing needs of the district can be tackled in a creative and balanced way. Each main section contains many questions about the issues, to help get you thinking so that you can express your views. A summary leaflet and questionnaire has also been produced to make it easy to reply, if you do not wish to write separately. The Council will use the results of consultation on this report and the summary leaflet to pull together ideas for land-use proposals and help with writing new policies. This document is intended to cover as many issues as is necessary to inform the replacement Local Plan but it is not an exhaustive list, so please raise any other issues you think might be relevant. 1.4 Has anything already been decided?
The Local Plan cannot stray too far from Government policies or the strategy of the County Structure Plan, so some things have already been decided for us. The County Structure Plan sets out a strategy of “compact urban growth and transport choice”, which means that development should be concentrated on brownfield sites in the towns, wherever possible within walking and cycling distance of jobs, shops and services. In the rural area the strategy is to restrict development to meeting local housing needs, providing employment and supporting services for village communities. The opportunities for further market or “commuter” housing are very restricted.
The County Structure Plan requires the Council to find sites for 8,000 new homes between 1996 and 2016. At least 7,000 of these are to be in the urban areas – the six towns of Higham Ferrers, Irthlingborough, Oundle, Raunds, Rushden and Thrapston. This figure is based on national population projections and the long-term trend towards smaller households. A total of 140 hectares (346 acres) of employment land will also need to be identified in or on the edge of the urban areas.
As the last County Structure Plan and the Local Plan overlap with the new County Structure Plan, a lot of this development has already taken place or has planning permission. Between July 1996 and March 2001, 2518 homes have been built (“completed”) in the six towns. At March 2001, there were another 2334 homes in the towns with planning permission or under construction. Similarly, 46.3 hectares of land have been developed for business, industrial and warehousing uses, 59.6 hectares has planning permission and the Council has resolved to grant permission on a further 11.75 hectares. So the Local Plan will be required to identify enough land in the urban areas for the remaining 2148 homes and 22.3 hectares for employment.
In the rural areas, 631 homes were built between 1996 and 2001, a further 309 have planning permission, leaving only 60 to find sites for in the next 15 years. There is no specific amount of employment land to be identified but proposals should be based on local needs and be in scale with village communities.
Land uses such as shopping, leisure and offices, which all attract a lot of travelling by customers and employees, are to be located in the town centres wherever possible. They should only use out of town sites if no suitable land is available within the towns.
All of these issues are dealt with in more detail in the following sections of this report. 1.5 The Council’s Values and Objectives
Preparation of the Local Plan will reflect the Council’s vision and values. Our aims are to provide services that are high quality and effective, responsive to local people’s wishes and needs, accessible to all and use resources efficiently.
The Council has a range of responsibilities, of which land-use planning is only one. In autumn 2000 local people were asked what their priorities were and the responses were used to review the Council’s overall objectives. These are:
• To provide value for money • To promote a safer community and reduce crime • To protect and improve the environment and the health of local people • To attract new business and jobs and encourage local business to be successful • To involve young people and provide facilities for them • To support rural life and sustainable rural communities, as well as improve the urban environment • To support the provision of affordable homes, fit for the 21st century • To consult local people and encourage them to have a greater say in their community and the decisions and priorities of the Council
The Local Government Act 2000 gives Councils the duty of promoting and improving the environmental, social and economic well being of their areas and their communities. In future the Council will need to prepare a Community Strategy, working with local people, businesses and other organisations as part of an integrated strategic partnership. The content of the replacement Local Plan will need to embody the land-use implications of the Council’s current priorities and objectives, along with any further objectives arising from preparation of the Community Strategy.
1.6 Design for the Future – have your say
The Council hopes that this Issues Report and the summary questionnaire will help to stimulate debate and encourage people to air their views. Planning decisions can affect all our lives so it is important that you have your say at the earliest opportunity. You can do this in writing or by sending back the Freepost questionnaire. You can also complete the questionnaire online at www.east-northamptonshire.gov.uk or e-mail us at localplan@east- northamptonshire.gov.uk Please contact us if you need more information, either online or by telephoning 01832 742134. The Officers dealing with the Local Plan review and replacement are:
Karen Horner – Senior Planning Officer (Policy) Bruce Gibbs – Senior Planning Officer (Local Plan) Mark White – Assistant Planning Officer (Policy and Conservation)
1.7 Stages Leading to the Adoption of the Replacement Local Plan
Stage 1 • Preliminary Consultation with Parish and Town Councils S Issues Report Consultation • Report on the Main Findings of the Issues Consultation
Stage 2 • Initial Draft of Replacement Local Plan • Sustainability Appraisal of Replacement Local Plan • Obtain Statement of Conformity with the County Structure Plan • Place the Plan on First Deposit • Consider Formal Objections on First Deposit Plan • Undertake Negotiations with Objectors • Revise Plan
Stage 3 • Place Revised Plan on Deposit • Consider Formal Objections to the Revised Plan • Prepare for Public Local Inquiry
Stage 4 • Local Plan Inquiry Takes Place • Inquiry Inspector’s Report Received by the Council • Publish Proposed Modifications • Modifications Inquiry (if necessary) • Publish Further Proposed Modifications (if necessary) Stage 5 • Adoption of Plan • Implementation, Monitoring and Review
The closing date for comments and suggestions on the issues is 16 November 2001. 2. Creating Sustainable Communities
2.1 Vision
Land-use planning decisions will meet our current needs whilst ensuring future generations inherit a better environment and enjoy an improved quality of life.
“Sustainable development” will be the guiding principle behind the new Local Plan. Put simply, this means we should aim for a better quality of life for everyone now, and for generations to come. The UK Sustainable Development Strategy, published by the Government in May 1999, sets out four objectives to be met in the UK and in the world as a whole:
• social progress which recognises the needs of everyone • effective protection of the environment • sensible use of natural resources • continuing high and stable levels of economic growth and employment
Planning for sustainable development means taking a long-term view about how all these objectives can be met at the same time. It is not enough to focus on environmental, social or economic concerns in isolation. At the heart of sustainability is the principle that everyone now and in the future is entitled to a healthy and productive life, equal access to basic services and natural resources, and to a high quality environment.
2.2 How can we achieve sustainable development?
Sustainability can be achieved by taking a fresh look at the way we plan for the future. This may mean a closer relationship between home and work, reviewing the way we travel or reconsidering our approach to the use of natural resources.
The Local Plan can help to create “sustainable communities” by:
• Making sure that the location, scale and design of development does not harm the environment in terms of wildlife, heritage value or visual character, and wherever possible improves it • Identifying sites for new business and jobs, and supporting the expansion needs of existing businesses • Ensuring that housing development meets a range of needs, particularly for local affordable homes of high quality • Increasing the use of brownfield land for development, unless it has wildlife, heritage, community or recreation value • Improving the urban environment and the quality of urban living, particularly the viability and vitality of town centres • Supporting rural communities by providing for homes and jobs, and helping to maintain rural services • Making sure new development is located and designed to reduce the need to travel • Making sure the health and safety of residents is protected and, wherever possible, improved through new development • Ensuring that community facilities are provided as part of new development to meet the needs of all, especially young people
Reflecting these objectives in the Local Plan will affect the location, type and design of new development. The Plan will help to balance the creation of new jobs and the provision of homes and services for all, with the need for environmental protection and improved quality of life for residents.
Q. What influences your quality of life and how could the Plan help to improve it?
Q. What are the main features that would make communities sustainable?
Land-use decisions can have an effect beyond the district, both immediately and in the future. These impacts may take some time to be felt and it is only now that people are realising how changes in our lifestyle have affected the environment and the choices open to future generations. The location, type and design of new development can affect travel choices, the way we use energy to heat and light buildings, and the amount of flooding.
Sustainability is the underlying theme behind all of the issues we must consider when the new Local Plan is being drawn up. Arising from this, there are certain principles that affect all of the subject areas dealt with later in this report. They are covered here to provide background information.
2.3 Greenfield or brownfield?
New development on the edges of towns and villages nearly always uses “greenfield” land. There has been a lot of greenfield development in East Northamptonshire over the last twenty years and there are still several big sites, for housing and for employment, that have planning permission but where development has not yet started. So some greenfield land will continue to be developed between now and 2016.
A lot of development in this district – particularly for housing – has also taken place on land within towns and villages. Usually this involves previously developed, or “brownfield”, sites like old factories or parts of large gardens. The Government says we should put the development of brownfield sites first in the future, provided they are close to facilities and can be reached by ways other than the car. As a national target the Government is aiming for 60% of new homes to be built on brownfield land by 2008. The new County Structure Plan favours a target of 35%, which recognises that Northamptonshire is a mainly rural county with a limited supply of brownfield sites. Between 1996 and 2000, 29% of homes completed in East Northamptonshire were on brownfield sites.
Q. Do you think increasing the use of brownfield sites and limiting development on edge of town greenfield sites will help in achieving sustainable communities?
The current Local Plan does not have a brownfield target. It does have general policies encouraging the use of infill sites in towns; re-development of sites no longer needed for their current use; conversion and re-use of buildings, and using the upper floors of shops and other buildings in town centres.
The Council is required to carry out an Urban Capacity Study, for all six towns, which will look in detail at the location of brownfield sites and the development potential of greenfield sites within the town boundaries. Sites that are felt to be important for wildlife, heritage, community or recreation uses will then be identified for protection from development. Each site will need to be considered in terms of the contribution it could make towards creating a sustainable community. The results of this survey will be published later in the year and used to find the most sustainable sites to be proposed for development in the Local Plan.
Q. Would there be any disadvantages to concentrating development within towns and on brownfield sites?
2.4 Travel
Where we choose to develop can influence the amount we need to travel to reach jobs, shops, schools and leisure facilities. If new development is on the edges of towns, and land uses are kept separate, this can increase the distance we need to travel. If a lot of our travel is by car, this creates more pollution and brings health, safety, noise and environmental problems.
Travel has a global impact because the carbon dioxide released from burning fuel has been linked to “climate change” (which used to be called “global warming”). Although buses and trains produce carbon dioxide as well, because they move more people about at once they do not have the same impact as lots of individual cars. The most energy efficient and non-polluting ways of getting about are walking and cycling. Q. When deciding the location of new development, how much emphasis should be given to whether there is good access by foot, bicycle and public transport?
The Government says that when we are deciding where to put new development, we need to think about access by foot, bicycle and public transport. We should also think about how land uses relate to each other and plan them in a way that reduces people’s need to travel. Overall, we need to create more choice for people so they do not always have to use a car. This policy of locating development in accessible places and using brownfield land first is referred to as the “sequential approach”.
The current Local Plan does not refer to the sequential approach. It is based on an overall strategy of “urban concentration and rural restraint”, which means that most of the development has been directed toward the towns. As mentioned above, however, this has not positively favoured brownfield over greenfield sites. A lot of development has been on the edges of towns in areas without many facilities, public transport or good walking and cycling links. The replacement Plan needs to propose ways of improving travel choice, making facilities more accessible and requiring developers to provide or pay towards new or improved services and facilities.
Q. If developers had to pay to put in foot and cycle links and improve public transport, would this make their schemes more sustainable?
Travel issues are considered in more detail in a separate section on Travel and Transport.
2.5 Energy use and efficiency
Transport is not the only user of energy resources or producer of pollution. Heating and lighting homes, and powering industrial processes also contribute to climate change. The best way to slow down the rate of climate change is to cut energy consumption by using it more efficiently. This can be done by designing buildings to make the most of natural sunlight (“passive solar gain”); including better insulation measures; and using direct heat rather than electricity.
Q. Do you think the Local Plan should influence the design of buildings so that they make more use of natural light and heat from the sun? Renewable energy sources that could be used in East Northamptonshire include biomass (i.e. wood, straw, animal waste), wind and solar power. Large-scale biomass power stations or wind farms are unlikely to be located in the district and would have costs as well as benefits, especially in terms of visual intrusion and lorry movements. A more sustainable way of considering the use of renewable energy might be to build it in on a small scale as part of new development. Energy for homes and workplaces could then be produced “on-site” and used more efficiently in the form of direct heat rather than electricity. Any surplus could be sold to the National Grid, which could also make up shortfalls when necessary. This idea has been used in other countries, particularly Scandinavia, but is not yet common in the UK.
Q. Would development be more acceptable if it was designed to meet its own energy needs, for example by including a small wind turbine or burning waste products to produce heat and electricity?
The current Local Plan does not have policies on energy efficiency or the use of renewable energy sources. This is a gap that will need to be filled in the replacement Plan.
2.6 Water resources and flooding
Climate change seems to be resulting in more extreme weather patterns. Most recently the weather has been wetter and we have seen an increase in flooding. Despite this water is still a precious resource, necessary for all life, and must be used wisely. In the summer months, water levels in the River Nene can be very low, as so much water is taken out by water companies and piped to purification plants for supply to our homes and businesses. This can mean that sewage effluent and runoff from agricultural land is less diluted. Lower water levels and more concentrated pollution have an effect on wildlife and, in some cases, human health.
New development could be required to make a contribution to water conservation through water efficient design. New homes could be provided with water butts, to encourage less use of costly purified tap water in gardens or for car and window washing. Toilets could be designed to use less purified or “grey” water for flushing. There is a range of design improvements that could be made, in the same way that building insulation standards have made energy efficiency improvements to new homes.
Q. Should the Local Plan promote design for efficient water use, for example by requiring water butts to be provided for all new homes?
How and where we develop land in the future can reduce the risk of exposing life and property to flooding. This is not just a matter of making sure we don’t develop on land which floods. We also have to make sure that development on other land is drained in a way that doesn’t make flooding worse elsewhere. The current Local Plan includes a range of policies aimed at protecting floodplains and limiting the harmful effects of new development. When considering planning applications, the Council relies on advice from the Environment Agency. It is now recognised that there cannot always be a “technical fix” to reduce the impact of new development, as it often simply pushes the problem elsewhere downstream. The replacement Plan will need to include stronger policies and promote the use of “sustainable urban drainage” measures.
Sustainable urban drainage systems use a number of methods to manage the run-off from development and treat the water in natural ways, reducing pollution in groundwater and rivers. One method is to use permeable surfaces for drives and car parks, allowing rainfall to soak through slowly into the ground, rather than running straight off into drains – which can quickly become overloaded. This also has benefits for pollution control, as waste from such areas can be filtered out or dealt with in natural ways rather than being pumped around and receiving costly purification treatment.
Ponds and wetland areas can be planned into new developments to help with water storage. Wetlands can improve water quality, by naturally filtering out pollution, and may have wildlife value.
Q. Should sustainable drainage be a requirement for all new developments? 3. Environment
3.1 Vision
Maintain and create a high quality, safe and sustainable environment throughout the district.
Replacing East Northamptonshire’s Local Plan will mean having to make important decisions about the environment. When we talk about the environment, we are talking not only about the natural features but also the man made, not only the land, but also the air above, and the water running through it.
3.2 Why protect the environment?
East Northamptonshire’s environment makes it an attractive place for people to live, work and visit and forms habitats for plants and animals. The conservation and enhancement of the district’s environment is a key priority for the Local Plan, contributing as it does to the principles of sustainable development through the protection of biodiversity. Biodiversity is an ecological term that has now come into common usage. It represents the whole variety of living things, including the habitats that support them, different collections of species and the genetic variation within species. Biodiversity has an economic value through the provision of food, clothing and medicines. The Government has declared that it is in society’s interests to maintain this diversity and that society can and should work in harmony with nature.
3.3 Protecting the Environment
At present the Local Plan has a number of policies relating to the district’s natural environment. Many of these refer to specific areas or sites within the district that are of special importance: sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs), national nature reserves through to local nature reserves and county wildlife sites. There are also policies relating to protected species, ancient woodlands and tree preservation orders (TPOs). Whilst these areas, sites and species will continue to receive protection, there is now an opportunity to consider whether policies should be devised for areas and sites currently without special designation. The district’s woodlands, trees, hedgerows, grassland, wetland and water features contribute to both the protection of biodiversity and the attractive character of the district and should therefore be preserved.
Q. How should we ensure that biodiversity within the district outside specially protected areas is maintained? New development will have implications for the quality of land, air and water resources in and outside the district. Protection of good quality agricultural land could be secured through inclusion in a general policy which takes into account the landscape quality and habitat importance of land. Such a policy should be linked to those relating to the development of previously developed land, so that the replacement Local Plan contains criteria based policies relating to land quality. Given the emphasis on utilising previously developed land, the safe reuse of contaminated land is an important issue for the replacement Local Plan to address. Policy will have regard to the Council’s emerging Contaminated Land Strategy.
Q. Should the protection of good quality agricultural land remain as a separate policy in the Local Plan?
Improvements in air quality can be achieved not only by sustainable policies with regard to transport and location of development but also through liaison with the Environment Agency and through protecting and planting trees and hedgerows within the district. As a resource, water can be conserved through ensuring that new development incorporates water-recycling measures.
3.4 East Northamptonshire’s Landscape
Taken together, the district’s woodlands, trees, hedgerows, grassland, wetland and water features form the East Northamptonshire landscape and this is the setting for the towns and villages of the district. Currently, a large part of the north of the district is designated as a Special Landscape Area and the existing Local Plan contains a number of policies relating to this area. The County Structure Plan allows for a review of this designation, and for the adoption of what is called the countryside character approach. With this method, all of England’s countryside has been identified as belonging to distinct areas. The approach aims to protect the everyday and commonplace characteristics, which define areas of countryside, not just rare or special characteristics. East Northamptonshire includes parts of four such areas.
The Local Plan replacement can include policies to identify, protect and enhance the special characteristics of these distinct areas of the East Northamptonshire landscape. The countryside character approach can also provide a basis for the development of design strategies such as the recently adopted Rockingham Forest Countryside Design Summary or Village Design Statements prepared by local communities.
Q. How can policies in the Local Plan identify, protect and enhance local landscape characteristics? When assessing the characteristics of the East Northamptonshire landscape, there is also a need to take account of evidence of its historic development. This is apparent not only through the gardens and parkland associated with large stately homes, but also through more modest features such as remnants of ridge and furrow farming systems. Whilst these features are visible and sometimes prominent in the landscape, evidence of historical development will not always be so; archaeological remains can contain irreplaceable information about the past and have the potential for an increase in future knowledge. Government guidance is that local plans are an essential tool for the protection, enhancement and preservation of areas of archaeological interest and their settings.
3.5 The River Nene
One particularly prominent feature of the East Northamptonshire landscape is the River Nene. Entering at Ditchford, the Nene flows through the heart of East Northamptonshire, before leaving the district near Wansford. The Nene’s course takes it through or close to all of the district’s towns and many of its villages. The County Structure Plan promotes the idea of a River Nene Regional Park Policy Area. Whilst the existing Local Plan contains policies on the River Nene, the replacement allows us to develop policies to improve the riverside environment. This can be through protecting and enhancing natural habitats, improving the quality of riverside development and where appropriate, encouraging new development, particularly in relation to recreation.
Q. What type of development would you like to see in the River Nene Regional Park Policy Area?
3.6 The Built Environment
When looking at the district’s environment it is important to consider not only the countryside but also land within and around built up areas. Protected open space in and around towns and villages enhances their special qualities and can protect biodiversity within them. This biodiversity could be increased through identifying and protecting habitats in urban areas and creating new ones. Such habitats are often referred to as “wildlife corridors”. Many areas of protected open space are already included in the Local Plan, within and around towns and villages, but there may be scope for new designations in its replacement. Such areas contribute to the character of these settlements and include not only parks and playing fields but also allotments and wildlife habitats. New development should respect its landscape and ecological setting - open space will have to be incorporated into new developments, as will existing habitats, including trees and hedgerows. When accompanied by appropriate landscaping, these features can soften the visual impact of developments, particularly at the edge of settlements, as well as absorbing gases contributing to climate change. Where it is not possible to retain habitats in new development, a requirement to replace those that have been lost could be imposed.
Q. What areas within and around towns do you think should be protected?
Q. Is there a particular site which you would like to see protected in the replacement Local Plan?
3.7 Design
The distinctive character of the towns and villages of the district is an environmental asset not only for residents, but also to visitors for both business and pleasure. Pleasant streets, attractive open spaces and buildings contribute to the quality of life and to civic pride.
However, as elsewhere in the country, some recent development, through an often standardised design and layout, has detracted from this character. The Government is committed to good design stating that it should be the aim of all those involved in the development process and should be encouraged everywhere. Local Plan policies are seen as one of the ways to achieve good design.
Q. Do you think Local Plan policies have helped to achieve good design? Do the policies need to be strengthened in the replacement Plan?
Good design should fulfil a number of objectives, producing places that have their own identity, have clearly distinguished and attractive private and public space and are easy to get to and move through and around. Places should have a mix of uses and be able to change over time.
Government guidance is that Local Planning authorities should be looking to secure residential developments at higher density and to promote and retain mixed-use areas in order to promote sustainable development. Without design guidance, such development could result in poor quality environments.
Q. Do we need to identify the key design principles that should be applied to all new development? What types of design should be encouraged or avoided?
Good design can contribute to other environmental objectives through reducing the need to travel and the use of energy resources. This issue is covered in more detail in the Sustainability section. Good design can also contribute to achieving an environment that is not only more attractive, but is safer, through design measures contributing to crime reduction. Since the existing plan was produced, police and planners have developed ways to “plan out crime” and “plan in community safety” and the Government has stated that a lack of crime prevention measures can be a material consideration when dealing with planning applications. Policy on this matter could therefore be included in the replacement Local Plan to help address this key objective in line with the Council’s Crime and Disorder Strategy.
The existing Local Plan includes a number of policies relating to design and areas and buildings of recognised quality such as Conservation Areas and Listed Buildings, though there is a need for the replacement Local Plan to address the issue of enhancing, as well as protecting such areas. There may also be scope for additional designations and the expansion of existing areas.
Q. Are there any areas you would like to see designated as conservation areas? Are there any conservation areas you would like to see expanded?
During the plan period supplementary planning guidance has been produced, for example the Rockingham Forest Countryside Design Summary which covers the mainly rural, northern part of the district. Whilst this is a good start, the majority of the housing to be built in the replacement Local Plan period will be located in the urban areas.
Therefore, as with policy relating to the natural environment, the Local Plan replacement offers an opportunity to devise policy to improve the quality of all built up areas, not just those with special designations or particular characteristics. Design guidance relating to the district’s six towns is currently in production. Good design should recognise and respect the different character of each of these places and of the areas within them. Whilst they have similarities, each town is different, and their special characteristics will be identified as part of the forthcoming guidance. Some general features are outlined below:
Rushden: The largest of the district’s six towns, with a traditional High Street at its centre. Adjacent are streets of brick terraced housing interspersed with existing and former boot and shoe factories. Modern suburban estate development lies beyond.
Higham Ferrers: Though merging with Rushden to the south, this small town’s historic core provides it with a distinct identity and character.
Irthlingborough: Linear in form, standing above the River Nene, with major industrial sites at the eastern and western ends of the town and a variety of residential areas in between. Raunds: Like many of the district’s towns, a town with a long history and historic growth associated with the boot and shoe industry. Recent residential development has been located to the south west of the town, with commercial development to the north west.
Oundle: Standing in a loop of the River Nene, this historic market town is characterised by the stone buildings at its heart. The pattern of development in the town has been strongly influenced by the buildings and playing fields of the public school.
Thrapston: A traditional rural market town, adjacent to the A14, which has seen recent residential and commercial expansion to the east and south east.
Design policies in the new Local Plan will encourage good design and co ordinate existing and future guidance. These could include preparing a list of buildings that are of historic or townscape interest at the local level, to complement the existing national list, or asking developers to submit design statements with planning applications. Such statements would set out the design principles that are being applied in relation to the site and its wider context and help the Council to evaluate the proposal in relation to local and national policy.
Q. Are there any buildings that you would like to see protected?
Q. Should a policy require all applicants for planning permission to demonstrate how they have taken account of the need for good layout and design?
3.8 Telecommunications
Good design can be achieved not only through district, area or site wide policies but also by topic specific policies. One topic that is covered in the existing Local Plan, but requires modification in the replacement is the siting and design of telecommunications masts. Since the existing Local Plan was produced there has been a massive expansion in the use and ownership of mobile phones. As a result, there has been an accompanying expansion in the numbers of telecommunications masts in the district. Developments in telecommunications technology mean that this trend is likely to continue into the replacement plan period.
However, during this period there has been increased concern over the environmental impacts and possible public health implications arising from the siting of telecommunications masts. There is a need for the replacement Plan to expand on existing policy by outlining criteria for the location and design of such development to ensure that masts do not detract from the environment. New Government guidance on telecommunications is forthcoming, following the publication of the Stewart Report into mobile phones and health. Policy in the replacement Local Plan will be in line with this guidance. Q. Are there areas or sites in the district that would be inappropriate locations for telecommunications development? 4. Housing
4.1 Vision
To ensure that new housing development takes place in the most sustainable locations, is of a high quality and provides everyone with a home that satisfies their basic needs.
The Government intends there should be a greater choice of housing that does not reinforce social distinctions, giving everyone the opportunity to a decent home. New housing should make better use of previously developed land and buildings to protect our environment and create sustainable communities. Improving the quality of development will help to make our towns better places to live.
4.2 What is the role of the Local Plan?
The Local Plan is uniquely placed to make a substantial contribution to securing these aims. The replacement Local Plan will determine where new housing should be built, the type of housing that is needed and design issues. More precisely the Government sets out the issues which must be considered:- • The housing requirements of the whole community (including special needs and affordable housing; • Wider housing opportunity, choice and mix; • Sufficient land for housing in the most sustainable locations; • Sustainable patterns of development; • Efficient use of land; • Placing the needs of people before traffic movement; • Reducing car dependency; • Quality of design.
Some of these considerations coincide with the Council’s corporate vision and values reflecting the stated priorities of local people, which include improving the urban environment and supporting the provision of affordable homes.
This section deals only with housing in urban areas, as there is a number of issues surrounding rural housing that are best dealt with in a more integrated way. Therefore rural housing issues are considered in a later topic paper dealing specifically with rural and countryside issues. The overall level of housing growth proposed The replacement Northamptonshire County Structure Plan sets an overall requirement of 8,000 new homes in East Northamptonshire during the period 1996-2016. The County Structure Plan does not direct where in the district these new homes should go, but it does require 7,000 homes should be within the urban areas. The six towns of Higham Ferrers, Irthlingborough, Oundle, Raunds, Rushden and Thrapston constitute the urban area.
Of the 8,000 new homes needed, 3151 have already been completed since 1996 and there is planning permission for a further 2643. This leaves a balance of approximately 2206 to find; almost all of this residual figure will be located within the towns. All allocations that do not have planning permission will be reviewed and subjected to a full sustainability appraisal. A full breakdown of these figures is presented in table 1.
Table 1: Housing Units for East Northamptonshire 1996 - 2016
Settlement Comple Outstanding Local Plan Total Balance of tions planning Allocations replacement 1996 permissions remaining County 2001 March 2001 Structure Plan requirement
Higham Ferrers 285 422 100 807 Irthlingborough 343 339 100 782 Oundle 243 25 0 268 Raunds 211 92 0 303 Rushden 977 1192 100 2269 Thrapston 462 264 370 1096
Urban Areas 2521 2334 670 5525 Rural Areas 630 309 60 999
District Total 3151 2643 730 6524 1476
When identifying land for development, the replacement County Structure Plan promotes a strategy of “compact urban growth and transport choice”. This will involve using a search sequence to identify sites for new homes, starting with previously developed land and buildings within urban areas and in proximity to public transport, employment, services and other facilities.
This strategy, in line with Government policy, is intended to identify the most sustainable locations for development. If vacant or underused land and buildings are developed efficiently, less greenfield sites on the edge of towns will be required to fulfil our housing target and will help to limit urban sprawl. It can also help to quickly regenerate those areas within towns that have suffered from a lack of investment, bringing new residents closer to jobs, services and facilities. This will help to reduce the number and length of journeys, so that more are possible on foot, bicycle and by bus. 4.3 Accommodating housing growth
When the current Local Plan was formulated, the Council was expected to demonstrate there was enough housing land to cover the plan period and at least a 5-year supply of land immediately available to developers. This emphasis has changed so that there is still a requirement to show the first 5 year supply but now to periodically review that provision. This reflects the Government’s “Plan, Monitor and Manage” approach, which places greater emphasis on continually reviewing provision and closely responding to change.
The emphasis on directing most housing growth to the towns is a feature of the current Local Plan, which has a strategy of “urban concentration and rural restraint”. This strategy has been reasonably successful in creating a more sustainable pattern of development within the district. To meet with the requirements of the replacement County Structure Plan, the ratio of urban growth to rural growth must be increased in the replacement Local Plan.
4.4 Urban Capacity
The residual housing figure of 2206 new homes is fairly modest and it is possible that much of this figure could be accommodated on previously developed land within the urban areas. In order to test this assumption an Urban Capacity Study is currently being undertaken and the results will be published later this year.
The study focuses on identifying and assessing a number of sources that could be utilised to accommodate housing growth to 2016. These sources of capacity include derelict sites, vacant and redundant buildings, underused land and buildings, and empty property. The study will be analysed by market consultants to ensure that any assumptions made regarding the release and viability of identified sites are realistic.
4.5 Previously Developed Land and Buildings
The Government has set a national target of 60% new housing to be provided on previously developed land and buildings by the year 2008. The character of Northamptonshire is such that a more realistic figure of 35% is favoured in the replacement County Structure Plan. This is due mainly to the predominantly rural nature of the county, with many small and medium sized towns, and the fairly small nature of industrial dereliction.
Over the past few years approximately 29% of all new homes in East Northamptonshire have been formed on previously developed sites. This figure is slightly higher on those sites that have planning permission and which are yet to be developed, but is still below the 35% target figure. If the residual housing figure can be accommodated on previously developed land and buildings identified through the urban capacity study the target of 35% should be easily achieved. Q. Do you think the national target for 60% of new homes to be built on brownfield sites can be achieved in East Northamptonshire? Is a target of 35% more realistic given local characteristics?
4.6 Raising Densities
By increasing the proportion of homes built on each site, land within our towns can be used more efficiently. In the past, the combined average density of new build and conversions within the towns has typically been about 40 homes per hectare (16 per acre). However, densities have been as low as 20 homes per hectare on some sites, giving rise to greater demand for more greenfield development.
Raising densities does not necessarily lead to town cramming. With good design solutions it is possible to overcome some of the negative aspects of higher density development such as loss of amenity and lack of privacy. In most cases we will require higher densities of at least 35 homes per hectare in new build developments in line with national and county planning policy.
Q. Do you agree with the policy of raising housing densities in order to make more efficient use of land within our towns?
4.7 Parking
Generous provision of off-street parking in new housing developments is not always needed and can significantly reduce the amount of land available to develop. Off-street parking could be reduced in locations close to town centres and other service centres, which are within walking and cycling distance or which are, or potentially, accessible by public transport.
The Government believes that an average of 1.5 off-street parking spaces per dwelling is sufficient. This is much less than has been the case locally in recent years, but could be a significant contributory factor to reducing the need for additional sites for housing developments.
However, providing a garage and driveway equal 2 spaces, it could mean that some that some new housing will have no off-street parking. This may be appropriate near the town centres but may cause problems elsewhere.
Q. Do you agree that off-street parking should be reduced in new developments? Could such a reduction be realistically achieved in an area like East Northamptonshire? 4.8 Greenfield Sites
If the Urban Capacity Study concludes that the residual housing figure cannot be accommodated on previously developed land and buildings then greenfield sites may have to be considered. Greenfield sites will be subjected to a rigorous sustainability appraisal that will consider factors such as location and accessibility; infrastructures; ability to build and sustain communities; and physical and environmental constraints.
Q. Do you agree that greenfield sites should be developed only when all other sources have been exhausted?
4.9 Phasing
To enable the managed release of sites to favour previously developed land and buildings over greenfield sites, new policies will be required to control housing development in a priority order. Developers have in the past often favoured greenfield sites, as they are usually easier and more certain to develop. Any greenfield development will be phased to ensure that brownfield development takes precedence. In order to operate a phasing policy we will need to monitor development under the Government’s “Plan, Monitor and Manage” approach to maintain a supply of housing. Furthermore, we are encouraged to ‘manage the release of sites over the plan period in order to control the speed of urban growth.’ This will give us the opportunity to review brownfield take-up and alter the replacement Plan as necessary.
4.10 Windfall Sites
Windfall sites are defined as developments that are not allocated within the Plan. Such development is normally infilling, redevelopment and conversions, which is acceptable under general Plan policies. There have been a total of 1196 windfall completions since July 1996, an average of 239 per annum. The Council’s Monitoring Report has concluded that if this rate of windfall development continues to 2006 it will lead to a large over provision of housing to the figure set in the current Local Plan. In order that we can more effectively manage development, a windfall allowance could be set to enable us to more accurately calculate how much additional land is needed for development.
Q. Do you think a windfall allowance should be set in the replacement Local Plan? 4.11 What sort of Housing is needed?
The Council must take full account of changes in housing needs and widen the range of housing opportunities to allow these to be met. The Government also wants us to help create mixed, balanced and inclusive communities by discouraging developments that create large areas of housing with similar characteristics. It is important to ensure that new housing developments match the needs of local people and are not simply a reflection of what developers can easily sell.
Large 4 and 5 bedroom freehold houses have dominated some recent developments, which is contrary to the aim of creating mixed communities. Therefore we need to encourage a variety of sizes and types of homes to ensure that all sections of the community are provided for. We should ensure a mix of age groups and household sizes are catered for along with people on low incomes and those with special needs.
Q. Do you think that a good balance and mix of housing has been achieved in recent housing developments?
Q. Is there a reasonable choice of new housing in your area?
In 1999 the Council commissioned and adopted the recommendations of a housing needs survey. This provided detailed analysis on a variety of issues such as the suitability of current housing, household income and affordability as well as covering tenure, area, household type and special needs. From this information, supplementary planning guidance was prepared and adopted which seeks a proportion of 30% affordable housing on all new housing developments over a certain size. In the six towns of Higham Ferrers, Irthlingborough, Oundle, Raunds, Rushden and Thrapston, in housing developments of 25 dwellings or more or residential sites of 1 hectare or more, irrespective of the number of dwellings. In all other settlements, in housing developments of more than 10 dwellings or residential sites of more than 0.40 hectares, irrespective of the number of dwellings.
The housing needs survey will need to be updated to cover the period 2006 2016, the end-date of the replacement Local Plan, but it is probable that a similar level of need will be identified.
Q. Do you think there is enough affordable housing in your area? 4.12 Designing for quality
The Government gives great weight to raising the standard of design in new developments in order to create attractive, high quality living environments where people will choose to live. This should be done by creating places and spaces with the needs of people in mind, which are attractive and have their own identity but still respect and enhance local character. We have steadily raised the standard of design in East Northamptonshire through supplementing policies in the current Local Plan with design guides by which planning applications can be assessed.
The Rockingham Forest Countryside Design Summary is one example of how design can be effectively improved through the planning system. The guide covers most of the district north of Thrapston and gives consideration to design issues based on local landscape and settlement character. A further general design guide for residential development is currently in preparation and will give complete coverage to the district (design issues are covered in more detail in the Environment section).
Q. Do you feel more could be done to raise the standard of design in your area?
4.13 Sustainability
Achieving better design does not only refer to the aesthetic appearance of development in relation to the surrounding area, it also refers to issues generally associated with conserving energy and natural resources covered in the Sustainability section of this paper.
Promoting mixed-use development is one way of achieving more sustainable urban communities and can also contribute to regenerating those areas of our towns that are in need of investment. This type of development can make effective use of land within the urban areas and is in proximity to a variety of jobs, shops, services and facilities, thereby reducing the need to travel. The Government is particularly keen for us to identify sites in town centres and believes mixed-use development can be facilitated by identifying appropriate sites in the Local Plan and where necessary preparing development briefs, assembling sites and applying planning standards more flexibly.
Q. Do you agree the Council should take a more proactive role in promoting town centre sites for mixed-use development? 4.14 Community Safety
Through consultation with the local community, it is clear that crime and safety is a top priority. The Local Plan can contribute to creating safer communities through ensuring new housing developments consider the safety of residents. Initiatives such as designing out crime can play a major part in contributing to creating safer communities. Factors that should be considered will include the security of new houses, areas around new houses (such as landscaping areas and private gardens), and the layout of new developments including recreation areas and amenity open spaces.
Q. Do you think that community safety should be given a higher priority in the replacement Local Plan?
4.15 Recreation and Open Space
The Council has successfully implemented policies in the current Local Plan that require recreation facilities and open space in all new housing developments of 15 or more dwellings. With a greater emphasis on developing (often smaller) previously developed land within the towns, the current threshold is unlikely to ensure the current standards for new residents are maintained. Should this threshold be lowered to ensure that increased demand does not lead to shortfalls or exacerbate existing shortfalls? Where this is the case, a financial contribution could be sought to increase the capacity of nearby parks and facilities. This could be applied to every new house, as is the case with education contributions in some towns. The Leisure and Community Facilities section of this paper provides more information on this topic.
4.16 Amenity Open Space
Recreational open space has often been confused with amenity open space in new development. Current Local Plan standards refer only to open space that is used for recreation such as a sport or leisure activity. There are no standards for open space performing a more visual and informal function. Examples might include open space which contributes to the setting of a building or a group of buildings or which contributes to a layout in a visual way.
Q. Should we have policies that clearly distinguish between different types of open space? Should we set standards for each? 4.17 Movement
Government planning guidance urges local authorities to place the needs of people before ease of traffic movement in designing new residential developments. Many new developments are characterised by car-dominated layouts with housing and amenity design secondary to the road layout and parking considerations.
Q. Should considerations other than the car be given greater emphasis in the design of new developments?
In future, pedestrian and cyclist movement should be given higher priority, with greater emphasis on traffic calming. Much greater consideration should be given to human scale, creating a safe and more varied environment by reducing the impact of the car.
We also need to consider ways of reducing car dependency by facilitating more walking and cycling and locating new housing development near to, or where there is potential for, public transport. Consideration must be given to the arrangement of housing to other activities such as jobs, shopping, services and recreation. This may involve concentrating development and raising densities where it will lessen the need to travel or encourage other means of transport to the private car.
Q. Should consideration of the need to travel be a deciding factor in locating new development? 5. Economy
5.1 Vision
To attract new businesses and jobs, encourage the success of local businesses, whilst protecting and improving the built and natural environment.
For the purposes of consultation this topic area includes 3 elements of our local economy: industry and commerce; town centres; and tourism. The issue of the rural economy is dealt with in the next section, which deals specifically with rural and countryside issues.
5.2 What is the role of the Local Plan?
The Local Plan is essential in safeguarding and developing the local economy in a sustainable way. The plan proposes development sites for new businesses and for existing firms that need to expand or find alternative premises. It also provides the policies to guide day-to-day planning decisions.
The Local Plan also plays a part in enabling town centres to develop and thrive through policies and proposals that increase vitality and viability. Government planning guidance encourages more homes, offices and retail into town centres to make more efficient use of land and reduce the need to travel.
The Plan sets out the criteria by which proposals for tourism are assessed, balancing the council’s commitment to developing the district as a tourism destination whilst protecting our most important asset, the environment.
5.3 Industry and Commerce
East Northamptonshire has a long tradition of manufacturing industry, especially in the leather and shoe trades. There has also been a history of small independent firms relating back to the earlier strength of manufacturing and agriculture.
These traditional industries have declined significantly over the last 20 years and there has been a consequent growth in light industry, other forms of manufacturing and especially distribution. The economic structure of the district is now relatively diverse and is still dominated by small firms.
The rapid rise in population in the district over the last 20 years has not been matched by job provision. This has resulted in a high instance of commuting which the council is committed to reducing, through enabling development and promoting East Northamptonshire as a place for business to locate. 5.4 Supply
The replacement Northamptonshire County Structure Plan identifies a figure of 140 hectares of industrial and commercial development for East Northamptonshire during the period 1996-2016. Land take between 1996 2001 was 46.3 hectares, 59.6 hectares of land has permission and 11.75 hectares has planning permission subject to the completion of an archaeological evaluation. A further 6.46 hectares is allocated in the current Plan. The balance of 15.9 hectares is further reduced by a recent permission in Rushden on 8.9 hectares.
Allocations, which are not subject to a planning permission, will be reassessed as part of the Plan review to evaluate suitability on sustainability grounds. If some sites are de-allocated, this will increase the replacement County Structure Plan residual figure.
Therefore we will not need to identify much additional industrial and commercial land within the lifetime of the replacement Local Plan. The take- up and completion of sites will be monitored closely under the “Plan, Monitor and Manage” approach recommended for housing in PPG3.
5.5 Location
All the choices we make must take account of sustainable development meeting our current needs whilst ensuring future generations inherit an environment which is no worse, and with commitment, a lot better than our present surroundings.
A ‘sequential’ approach must be used when locating development such as light industry, warehousing and distribution. This means making sure brownfield sites and existing buildings are used before greenfield sites, making better use of existing infrastructure. Sites should be well located in relation to homes, shops and other facilities but must be planned carefully to make sure they do not lower our quality of life through noise, traffic movements and other disturbances.
As most industrial and commercial land is committed within or adjacent to the urban area, we must ensure that public transport, cycling and walking are considered to ensure that the local workforce is not dependent on the car. We can do this by ensuring future applications for planning permission are supported by a Travel Plan. The Government wants to raise awareness of the impacts of travel decisions by encouraging an emphasis on businesses and other organisations producing travel plans. The planning system will be expected to contribute to the delivery of transport objectives such as: reducing car usage and increasing public transport, walking and cycling; reduced traffic speeds and improved road safety; and more sustainable delivery and freight movements – including more home delivery services. Q. Do you agree that businesses must support applications for planning permission with a travel plan, even if this might render some developments unviable or affect location decisions?
Q. What size of development should be subject to a travel plan?
5.6 The form of industrial and commercial development
Land-take since 1996 has varied considerably from 15.67ha in 1998 to 2.79 ha in 1999 and an annual average of 9.26 ha over the five year period. Approximately 70% of the land take has gone to warehousing and distribution uses. Whilst the district has been very successful in attracting this type of investment, the return in creating local employment is more modest.
Estimates of jobs per hectare (jph) are difficult to define, although the County Council used a figure of 50 jph to calculate land use ratios in the proposed strategic development areas. This figure does not compare favourably with the A1M1 Thrapston Business Park which has generated approximately 27 jph or the ‘Hotpoint’ development at London Road, Raunds which is expected to achieve just 17 jph. It may therefore be prudent, in designating industrial and commercial land, to limit uses in order that warehousing and distribution do not take the majority of land and limit the scope of other uses on large sites.
Some of the main recent employment gains have been in distribution and warehousing. Advances in information technology and ‘just in time’ stock management techniques have led to growing demand for well-located distribution facilities. The recent success of the Thrapston Business Park underlines the district’s advantage in this respect. However, we must encourage a range of economic activity and more employment choice, including some high quality manufacturing, office uses and tourism.
Q. What measures could be included in the replacement Local Plan to encourage a wider range of industry and commerce? 5.7 Knowledge driven companies
To help broaden and strengthen our local economy we could identify sustainable sites to create clusters of ‘knowledge driven’ companies, similar to high technology centres or science parks at Silverstone and Cambridge. This idea is forwarded by both the deposit draft Spatial Guidance for the East Midlands and the replacement County Structure Plan. The latter requires that suitable sites are included within the overall supply of industrial and commercial land in the replacement Local Plan. The proximity of East Northamptonshire to major road networks and clusters of knowledge driven companies could enable this to happen, although it may depend largely on the quality of development sites available.
Q. Should we try to encourage’ knowledge driven’ companies to locate in East Northamptonshire?
Q. Where should they be located?
5.8 Non-employment uses in employment areas
PPG3 ‘Housing’ recommends all non-residential allocations should be re examined in reviewing development plans in order to consider whether land might be better used for housing or mixed-use developments. Although there is not currently an over-provision of industrial and commercial development sites, it may be appropriate to examine the suitability of some sites for housing or mixed use development.
Q. Would you like to see more homes developed alongside employment areas?
The Government wants more housing built on previously developed land and buildings to reduce the amount of greenfield land needed. Some of these brownfield sites will be former industrial and commercial sites such as redundant factories. By allowing housing development on these sites, they will be lost to employment related use. This may not be very sustainable in the long run, as new employment sites will continue to be taken up on the edge of the towns.
Q. Do you think that all previously developed land within our towns should be developed for housing or do you think there should be a presumption in favour of trying to find alternative employment uses? 5.9 Sequential approach to office development
Due to the large number of industrial and commercial land commitments, most new development will occur within, or on the edge of, the towns. This is already identified in the current Local Plan. Whilst these sites are adequate for heavier and intrusive uses, most are unlikely to be suitable for general office development. The replacement County Structure Plan requires us to find the most sustainable sites for office development by means of a sequential approach. The most sustainable locations within our area are town centres, which by their proximity to other uses, reduce the need to travel and offer alternative means of transport other than the car.
The small, compact nature of our town centres reduces the likelihood of many opportunity sites, which fit the requirements of modern companies, becoming available. In order to effect office development within, or adjacent to, town centres, the Council would have to take a proactive stance in identifying and actively working in partnership with the private sector to implement new schemes.
Appropriate schemes might be mixed-use including homes, facilities and services likely to be compatible with offices. This approach to the location of office development has the potential to contribute to the vitality of our town centres, bringing increased investment and levels of business. There will of course be other issues to consider, such as transport and parking, which are dealt with below.
5.10 Working from home
Nationally, the number of people working from home has grown in recent years. This has been largely due to innovation and the increasing availability of information and communications technology. Such advances are enabling rapid changes to be made in the size, requirements and location of development. We have no clear information at present to suggest how extensive home working is, or is likely to be, in East Northamptonshire. There are clear implications for reducing the need to travel and reducing the high instance of out-commuting in our area. As long as certain criteria are met, many forms of home working will not require planning permission. However, it is a concept we may wish to encourage and promote.
Q. Should we include a policy in the replacement Local Plan that encourages home working by clearly defining under what circumstances it is acceptable? 5.11 Town Centres
Retailing in East Northamptonshire is not a self-contained activity. Peterborough, Stamford, Northampton, Kettering, Wellingborough, Corby and Bedford all have an influence over where we shop. The six towns in the district have less of a retail ‘pull’ but provide a valuable mix of shops, facilities and services to local communities within a retailing hierarchy.
Information we have collected about the number of shops on our high streets shows that Oundle, Rushden and Thrapston have improved over the last few years, whilst Raunds and Higham Ferrers have stayed much the same. Irthlingborough has seen a rise in the overall number of vacant shop units during this period.
5.12 Town Centre Policy Areas
The current Local Plan defines the shopping frontage for all the towns with the overall aim of protecting or limiting the loss of shops at ground floor level, except where alternative uses may add to the vitality and viability of the centre. The replacement County Structure Plan requires that town centres be considered in a wider context and town centre boundaries will be marked on proposals maps in future. This has implications for parking policies in particular (see below). The positioning of town centre boundaries could have a significant effect on town centre planning policy.
Q. Do you have any specific comments to make on where or how town centre boundaries should be drawn?
Q. What additional measures would you like to see to improve the vitality and viability of town centres?
5.13 Sequential approach to retail development
The District Council’s policy has been to maintain and increase the vitality and viability of town and local centres. We want to ensure that investment in shopping and services is directed towards town centres which are accessible by walking, cycling, and increasingly, by public transport. Policies in the replacement Local Plan will also seek to promote the vitality and viability of all six town centres. In order that the town centres are successful and able to compete with nearby towns, they must accommodate a full range of shops, services and facilities in an attractive environment. The sequential approach is aimed at planning sustainably and supporting the role of town centres. When selecting sites for development, first preference should be given to the town centre, then edge of town centre, local shopping centres and finally out of town. There is also an emphasis on checking the potential of other town centres should there be a dearth of town centre or edge of centre sites.
5.14 Car parking standards
At present most of the town centres are well served with off-street spaces, but some are used all day by people working in the town centres, rather than by shoppers or visitors. There is government concern that too much space encourages the use of the private car, and the new County Structure Plan introduces parking zones for town centres, which seeks to limit the amount of off street spaces when development takes place.
Due to the small nature of the six towns in East Northamptonshire, implementing such a policy may be very difficult. Walking is an option for most people who live in the towns and cycling infrastructure could be developed in the future to provide a realistic, if limited, alternative. Public transport, where it is available, is not a viable alternative to the car as there is no critical mass to support comprehensive services. All the towns have rural hinterlands which are reliant on local, urban services, but to which there are no realistic alternatives at the moment.
Q. How can the Local Plan balance the need to encourage economic viability through the provision of adequate car parking in town centres, with adopted strategic policies which seek to limit town centre parking?
5.15 Leisure and the evening economy
Town centres should not just concentrate on developing shopping and a few key high street services. The Government wants us to encourage more leisure and other facilities and persuade more people into town centres to live, work and spend their leisure time. Leisure uses tend to have longer opening hours and attract people outside of normal working hours. Such a location will offer alternative transport choices to the car and could even lead to an increase in the viability of some out-of-hours bus services.
The ‘evening economy’, could provide more entertainment, eating out and associated activities in the evenings. Adopting new Local Plan policies to encourage such activity might not be viable or desirable in some of our smaller towns but might be possible in a larger town such as Rushden. Q. Should most new leisure facilities only be allowed in our town centres?
Q. What should happen if there are no suitable sites available for larger leisure developments?
Q. Would you like to see more done to encourage an evening economy in our town centres?
Q. Which town centres do you think might be appropriate to develop this type of economy?
5.16 Design
To encourage more people to live, work, shop and spend leisure time within town centres we need to consider ways in which we can maintain or improve our urban environment to ensure that it is safe and attractive. Measures might include insisting on better design of new buildings and schemes and more green spaces with places where people can meet. The council, in partnership with other organisations, could implement environmental improvement schemes. Schemes in the past have included traffic calming, providing street furniture and creating public open spaces.
Q. Would you like to see more environmental improvements and a higher standard of urban design in our town centres to make them more attractive places to live, work and visit?
Q. What sort of design standards or improvements would you like to see and where?
5.17 Tourism
The district has many qualities that attract visitors, such as its historic market towns, villages and landscape or range of countryside pursuits and water based activities. The rural areas provide an attractive environment for residents and visitors alike. Tourism in this district relies heavily on the high quality of our heritage, culture and countryside. Therefore, we have a long- term interest in ensuring that tourism activity and development respects and enhances the environment.
Tourism is one of the country’s fastest growing industries and is an essential driver of the national economy. Locally, tourism expenditure supports hundreds of jobs in various sectors of the economy. An estimated 1.5 million people visited East Northamptonshire in 1997, contributing £25 million to the local economy. Tourism can also help to promote the image of an area, engendering benefits for other industries. A high quality visitor destination with attractive landscapes and quality facilities can boost civic pride, help attract business, change perceptions and promote the whole area.
The Local Plan can help to enable rural tourism to take place and ensure it is also sustainable. This means providing for the needs of visitors, rural communities and the tourism industry whilst minimising the impact on the environment.
Q. How can we ensure that tourism is developed in a sustainable way: offering alternative means of transport to the car? Should proposals be rejected if they are in unsustainable locations?
Q. How can we ensure that tourism development preserves and enhances the high quality of our environment?
Q. What type of tourism should we encourage in the open countryside and villages? 6. Supporting Rural Life
6.1 Vision
Ensure a vibrant and diverse economy that will enable our rural communities to thrive, whilst the special character of villages and the open countryside is protected and enhanced.
One of the Council’s main objectives is to support rural life and sustainable rural communities. East Northamptonshire has a large rural area including 56 villages, which vary in size from around 40 residents to over 1700. There are also several hamlets and large areas of open countryside with scattered buildings linked to agriculture and forestry. The villages have increasingly been seen as an attractive place to live by those who work in surrounding towns. The building of new homes in the rural area has been at quite a high rate and does not show any sign of slowing down at the moment.
Village services have continued to be lost, even with some increases in population, as many of those moving in commute to work and do their shopping elsewhere. Some have public transport links and these have been improved with the aid of additional Government funding over the past few years. Both rural transport and village services are dealt with in more detail elsewhere in this report.
Government guidance and the County Structure Plan are both clear that most housing developments should take place in or on the edge of towns. Development in rural areas should normally be limited to infilling within villages. Significant additional housing in or on the edge of villages will only be acceptable where it can be shown that it would support local services; where it would provide affordable local needs housing and retain a balanced and mixed community; and where it is designed in a way that is in keeping with village character.
6.2 The Amount of Rural Housing Development
The County Structure Plan sets a requirement for no more than 1000 homes in the rural area, between 1996 and 2016. Since 1996, 631 homes have already been built and a further 309 have planning permission or are under construction. This leaves a maximum of 60 homes to find land for over the next 15 years in the replacement Local Plan. As new permissions are being granted on a fairly regular basis, the County Structure Plan provision is likely to be exceeded within the next two to three years. The average number of new homes built in the rural area each year is 140. The Council now faces a major issue in deciding what to do about further housing development in the rural areas of East Northamptonshire. The Local Plan could include a policy that no further homes will receive planning permission in the rural area. This would be based on the County Structure Plan provision and Government planning guidance. (PPG3). It must be borne in mind that artificially restricting development in this way will almost certainly push up land prices, because sites will be in very short supply but there is still a high demand from people wanting to move to rural areas. A very restrictive policy could be waived where the proposal was for affordable houses to meet a proven local need from the village, or group of villages. Another exception could be for individual homes for agricultural, forestry or other countryside workers, again where it can be proven that this is necessary for the viable running and continued existence of a business. This policy could be linked to the housing phasing policy and kept under review while the rate of development is monitored for a few years. If there were proposals to review the County Structure Plan and increase the rural housing provision, the Local Plan could be altered to take account of this and the policy restrictions relaxed.
Alternatively, the Council could continue to grant permissions for new homes, on a more limited basis than in the past. This will mean that the County Structure Plan limit will be exceeded and is likely to result in the Local Plan receiving a “statement of non-conformity with the County Structure Plan”. In practice this means that there will be an automatic County Council objection to the Plan, which will need to be considered by a Government Inspector at a Local Plan Inquiry later on in the process. The inspector will then need to decide whether local circumstances justify the Local Plan providing for more homes than the adopted County Structure Plan allows.
Q. Should the Local Plan provide for enough rural housing sites to continue recent building rates in the villages? Alternatively, should new development be reduced, or even stopped altogether in many villages?
Q. What exceptions should be made if there is a policy restricting further permissions for new housing in the rural areas?
Q. If many villages receive no further housing development, will this eventually reduce demand for new homes or will it simply push up the cost of housing in the rural area?
When the last Local Plan was being prepared, some village communities wanted new housing sites to be identified, over and above infill development. This was because they felt that their village services and the community overall were more likely to be viable with a higher population. Small housing “allocations” were therefore identified in a few restricted infill villages and most of them have now been developed. At the moment it is not clear whether this additional development has helped to support local services or achieved more balanced and mixed communities. Q. Do you think that additional housing development will help to support services and retain balanced communities?
Q. What scale of development might be necessary to achieve this?
Q. Is this an option you would favour for your village?
6.3 Location of Development
Most of what has been built in the district’s villages recently has been large executive style housing, on small infill sites. The last County Structure Plan and the current Local Plan contain general policies promoting the development of infill sites within most villages. Ten of the villages are termed “restraint” settlements, where even infill is not acceptable and development is limited to the conversion of other buildings, such as barns, and individual countryside workers’ homes. Another six villages are termed “limited development” settlements, where there are a reasonable number of local services and facilities and it was thought acceptable to allow more than infill. No village envelopes are marked on the Local Plan Proposals Map. The Council instead uses a written definition of “confines of the village” to decide which sites are infill and which are open countryside.
Changes introduced by the new County Structure Plan are the removal of the limited development village category and a requirement for this Council to draw village envelopes in the replacement Local Plan. Villages can still be classified as Restraint settlements if they are of a special character and quality, although infilling within the village envelope would now be allowed. The Local Plan can also identify whether some villages have a role to play as rural service centres, if they have a number of services and facilities. The Plan could also have a strategy of grouping villages together and looking at improved transport links between them, so that local services can be shared where they exist and people do not need to travel further afield to the nearest town.
Q. Which villages should be classified as Restraint settlements?
Q. Are there any villages that function as rural service centres and should this be identified in the Local Plan?
Q. Is the idea of grouping villages to share and support services a workable one? If so, which villages might benefit from this approach? 6.4 Village Envelopes and Infilling
Village envelopes can be drawn tightly around the built up area or loosely, to include adjoining land with development potential. The Council must bear in mind that loosely drawn envelopes around 56 villages would generate a high number of potential sites for development. This needs to be put in the context of the very low County Structure Plan rural provision, mentioned above.
Q. Should village envelopes be drawn to prevent, limit or encourage further development?
The infilling policy has been used for many years but its unpopularity has been growing. Communities often feel that important spaces in the villages are being lost and the new homes being built are not of a locally distinctive design. Even small infill plots are used for large executive style detached homes that appear crammed in to the space. Gradual erosion of individual village character has resulted.
The Council has adopted design guidance for the Rockingham Forest area, to try and influence the quality of new building. Some villages are preparing “village design statements”, which look in detail at the elements that make up village character so that these can be incorporated in new development. The current Local Plan protects areas of “important open land” that contribute to the form and character of villages (and towns) from infill development. These measures can all help to limit infill development and reduce its negative effects.
Q. Should the infill policy be continued in the replacement Local Plan?
Q. Would design policies and further protection for important spaces and features in villages help to lessen the effect of continuing with an infill policy?
6.5 Affordable Housing
The high demand for housing in the rural areas, and the limited supply, have led to increases in house and land prices. This has meant that local people have often been priced out of the housing market. The housing need is usually made up of both young and old people wanting one and two bedroom homes and young couples/families needing three and four bedroom homes. The need can be from within one village alone, or from a group of villages. The Housing section of this Issues report mentions the results of the housing need survey. This has led to the Council adopting supplementary planning guidance with a target of 30% affordable homes to meet local needs, on rural sites of more than 10 units (or more than 0.4 hectares). In reality, there are unlikely to be many sites of this size in the rural area, especially in the context of the County Structure Plan housing provision mentioned above.
Land that would not normally be identified for housing development may, on the basis of clear evidence of local need, be granted permission for affordable housing as an exception to normal planning policies. The current Local Plan has a policy (H16) relating to such “exceptions” sites. The number of new homes provided under this policy has been fairly small however, since it relies on the landowner being willing to sell land at a much lower value than would normally be the case for housing land. There have been instances where a need can be proven for affordable housing but a site cannot be found.
It would appear that neither source of rural affordable housing would be able to meet the level of need that has already been established by the Council’s survey. This will become even more of an issue over the period of the replacement Local Plan.
Q. Can the Local Plan do anything more to achieve the provision of affordable housing to meet local needs?
6.6 Rural Employment
Government guidance and County Structure Plan policy direct most employment development to the towns, while supporting small-scale developments in the rural area to help retain village communities. There is no specific rural employment land requirement in the County Structure Plan. Development is to be limited to sites within village envelopes, conversions of existing buildings in the countryside and schemes essential for agriculture, forestry, mineral development or waste management.
Traditional rural industries and agriculture in particular have undergone major changes in recent years, resulting in less employment for rural areas. There is a need to bring in a range of new employment opportunities to help create sustainable rural communities.
Q. What should be done to encourage more jobs in rural areas? What types of employment are needed as an alternative to agriculture?
Policies in the County Structure Plan and the current Local Plan (AG4) restrict conversions of existing buildings outside villages to business, recreation and tourism uses. This is aimed at supporting the local economy and limiting speculative housing development in the open countryside. Government guidance now says that housing use may be acceptable if it can be shown that all reasonable steps have been taken to market the building for employment use, without success. Q. Should there continue to be an emphasis on re-using countryside buildings for business, recreation and tourism? Would housing be acceptable if there was evidence that such uses were not viable, or should the buildings remain empty?
Working from home is increasing with the progress being made in communication technology. Elsewhere in the country, schemes are being put forward for “live-work” housing. This may be homes with office space provided, or homes with outbuildings for workshop use. Developments may share a central information and communications technology resource, or other facilities that make the scheme more self contained.
Q. Do you think there would be any demand for “live-work” units in the rural area? Would they be acceptable in the open countryside or only within village envelopes?
6.7 Farm Diversification
The range of problems suffered in farming over the past twenty years has led to farmers seeking to protect their incomes by diversifying into other activities. Enterprises such as bed and breakfast, farm shops, tourist attractions and small workshops can provide new facilities and employment in rural areas.
Government planning guidance promotes flexibility and a positive approach to farm diversification. The current Local Plan supports this through policies EMP5 (strengthening the economy and providing employment; AG4 (re-use of agricultural buildings for economic purposes); AG5 (stables, riding schools and horticultural activities); S10 (farm shops); and TO6 (farm tourism). The replacement plan could consider all these activities as part of one comprehensive farm diversification policy. This might make the Council’s approach clearer and send a more positive message.
There is also scope to consider other activities such as food processing on the farm, which could limit the transport of raw materials and provide local jobs. Another land use issue might be the location of business support centres for farmers, providing training or a central resource for skills like accounting or information and communications technology.
Q. Is there more that the Local Plan can do to support farm diversification?
Q. What types of related development are suitable to locate on farms? Are there any uses that are not acceptable, and why?
Q. Should there be a comprehensive policy or section dealing with farm diversification, or are the different activities best considered separately within other sections of the Plan? 7. Travel and Transport
7.1 Vision
To provide for the travel and transport needs of residents, businesses and visitors in a way which stimulates the economy, respects the environment and allows choices to be made about how to travel.
Modern society depends very much on transport, and the ability to travel and to move goods is fundamental to everyday life. Everyone depends on transport to some extent. People need to travel for such things as work, leisure, education and shopping. For some, travel itself has become a leisure activity, while businesses depend on a modern and efficient transport system to operate effectively and to distribute goods and to provide services. Investment decisions from choosing where to live to the provision of major new businesses are heavily influenced by the travel and transport infrastructure.
The private car has become the key to most of our transport needs, and has revolutionised people’s lifestyles and increased their freedom and independence. It is becoming increasingly recognised however that there is a cost attached to this, both socially and environmentally. This can be through the physical impact of new road building, pollution, accidents and noise, while those without access to a car cannot enjoy the same benefits and may become isolated, especially if they live in more remote areas.
7.2 The Transport Challenge
At the national level, the Government wants to discourage the use of private cars and encourage other means of transport, including public transport walking and cycling. In an area like East Northamptonshire, it might be possible to encourage alternatives to the car in towns, but it will not be so easy in the rural area, where many people depend on the car for their everyday needs.
Elsewhere in this report, the need to travel is discussed in relation to the location of new development. Travelling on foot or bicycle are the most energy efficient and healthy options. While locating new development near to existing or proposed services will help to promote this, the existing structure of society in East Northamptonshire will not always allow walking or cycling to be realistic options. Sometimes, the need to travel is unavoidable. In these circumstances, it is important that people are able to make a real choice about when and how they travel. Q. How can the transport needs of a large and diverse area like East Northamptonshire be tackled?
Q. How can the particular needs of people living in rural areas be catered for? Is there a viable alternative to the private car? How can problems of isolation be solved for those without a car?
7.3 Transport Priorities and Objectives
County wide transport issues are now considered within a Local Transport Plan. Work done in connection with this revealed a number of priorities for transport users in East Northamptonshire. These were traffic speed, the effect of heavy vehicles in towns, road maintenance problems and the lack of public transport and innovative solutions to deal with this. In addition to these concerns, transport users identified a number of objectives considered most appropriate for this district. These were to achieve a reduction in road traffic accidents, to improve access to work and facilities for specific groups, such as the young, elderly or people on low income and to minimise the impact of traffic on the environment.
Q. Are the priorities and objectives identified by transport users the most appropriate for East Northamptonshire, and should others be considered in the Local Plan?
7.4 Transport and the Environment
Transport has a major impact on the environment. Indeed, heavy lorries in urban areas and safety have been identified as key problems facing East Northamptonshire. The way traffic is managed is fundamental to the efficient and safe use of roads. It will also allow the environmental impact of traffic movement and car parking to be minimised, while enhancing safety and improving the appearance of towns and villages, and will aid the consideration of those with special transport needs.
Q. What should be included in the Local Plan to help reduce accidents, cut traffic speed and reduce the effect that traffic has on the environment of the towns and rural parts of East Northamptonshire?
Q. How should the Local Plan assist in providing for the travel needs of people with mobility problems? The County Structure Plan makes it clear that the majority of new development is to be concentrated within the existing urban areas, and this will allow a comprehensive approach to transport needs to be considered. It will also contribute towards the objective of reducing journeys by the private car, and by providing mixed use developments, or developments close to existing services, reduce the overall need to travel.
We have already asked you in the Sustainability section of this report about the location of new developments and whether developers might contribute towards more sustainable transport options. When development does take place however, we need to consider how the land will be used to ensure that transport objectives are met. An efficient transport system is essential, but so is the need to minimise the impact of traffic in terms of community safety, pollution and visually. On-street car parking may have the effect of reducing traffic speeds and can be an effective management tool. Equally however, it can be unsightly and create dangers in residential areas. Dangers also occur from traffic travelling too fast in residential and other areas.
All new developments require transport-related infrastructure, but new developments, or even existing areas, especially business areas, can assist in reducing traffic impact by considering the introduction of ‘Travel Plans’. These plans are prepared by taking a comprehensive look at how people travel, how goods and services are provided and distributed, and then introducing a comprehensive plan which encourages new and innovative approaches to the relationship between transport and the environment. This might include car sharing, promoting the use of public transport, providing facilities for cyclists and other measures.
Q. Should developers of new commercial activities be required to produce ‘travel plans’ in association with their planning applications?
The Government is now promoting the concept of ‘Quiet Lanes’ in rural areas, where a programme of enhancements and management, including speed reduction strategies is aimed at enhancing the safe and pleasant use of minor roads. An area like East Northamptonshire might benefit from such an approach
Q. Should there be a strategy that introduces a management system for minor roads, which will also aim to reduce traffic speeds? 7.5 Integrated transport
The Government’s approach to reducing reliance on the car is to promote the principles of integrated transport, that is, ensuring that timetables are co ordinated, and that interchange facilities between different types of transport are provided. As well as a reduction in the use of cars, the concept is intended to promote economic and social welfare and improve health and efficiency. This solution may be achievable in large urban areas, but a measure of integrated transport for an area like East Northamptonshire may only be possible in locating and designing significant new areas, or in the town centres. For example, this might include secure cycle parking facilities might be provided at bus stops, or timetabling could be organised to ensure that rural bus services are co-ordinated with inter-urban services which give access to larger towns near by.
Q. How can an integrated transport system be developed which would contribute towards the objectives of providing a better transport system and help to reduce dependence on the private car?
7.6 Public Transport
For many, public transport is still the only choice of travel, and the national philosophy is to make this choice a realistic option for many more. The District Council has no direct control over how public transport services are provided, although it can influence decisions through lobbying and through the provision of subsidies. The District Council works closely with the County Council to ensure that their subsidies are directed to the most needy areas. In much of the District the dispersed nature of the area makes the provision of services by private companies unviable without support, mainly from the County Council and through more recent Government initiatives such as the Rural Bus Challenge scheme. There are no railway stations within the District, but improved access to nearby stations may contribute towards the objective of reducing the use of the private car. When new development takes place it may be possible to seek improvements to the present level of public transport, by ensuring that facilities are provided in association with the new development. The Local Plan will have a role to play in ensuring not only the provision of new services necessary, but also how circulation within developments is provided.
Q. Should applicants for significant new developments be required to finance the cost of public transport services related to that development?
Q. Do you consider that any of the towns have a bus service adequate to offer an alternative to the private car at the moment? 7.7 Voluntary transport
Many people in the District and in the rural area in particular benefit from the existing voluntary transport schemes run from volunteer organisations. There is a growing interest in this sector by public bodies. The voluntary sector may also be a key to the successful implementation of new Government schemes, such as the ‘Rural Transport Partnerships’ which provides for new and innovative solutions to meet rural transport needs. Taxis also provide an important transport service and partnership initiatives which recognise this will ensure a choice of transport facilities are available to meet needs.
Q. Should the Local Plan promote partnership concepts with the voluntary sector and other transport providers to identify new and innovative solutions to transport needs?
7.8 Pedestrian, cycle and powered two wheel vehicle movements
Environmental improvements already undertaken by the Council have improved pedestrian areas in some towns. Further enhancements could achieve other improvements which might include vehicle exclusion areas, wider footways or better street furniture. Some improvements, such as dropped kerbs and the provision of specific parking facilities would also assist people with mobility problems. Environmental enhancement may also improve economic prosperity by encouraging more visits to town centres.
Cycling has considerable benefits in terms of reducing congestion and improving health. One way of encouraging greater use of cycles would be to provide new routes within developments, but also to provide safe routes that link areas, such as homes and leisure facilities or work places.
Parents demand safe journeys for their children travelling to school and feel happier if they take them, usually by car. The County Council is implementing a ‘Safer Routes to Schools’ strategy through the Local Transport Plan which is taking a comprehensive approach to how children travel to school and what could be done to encourage more walking and cycling
Q. Should the Local Plan be putting forward measures to encourage more journeys to be made on foot or by bicycle?
The use of motorcycles is now being actively promoted by user groups as a more sustainable way of providing for transport needs. The District Council is examining the potential for a ‘Wheels to Work’ scheme which, will provide young people with the loan of a small powered two wheel vehicle for access to work or education. Safety, of course, is a key consideration. Safe and convenient facilities for both powered two wheelers and cycles is an important issue in town centres and places of employment and education.
Q. Should the Local Plan require facilities to be provided for bicycles and powered two wheel vehicles when new development takes place? Q. Is there adequate cycling infrastructure in any of the towns? Do you have any specific ideas on how cycle networks might be developed in the replacement Local Plan?
7.9 Freight Transport
With improved communications and economic investment comes increasing amounts of heavy lorry movements, and this is an area where concern has already been highlighted. Options for dealing with this are limited because of the absence of any rail network in the District. Travel Plans, already referred to above may be able to suggest ways of managing freight movements to minimise impact. Parking areas for cross country movements may also help to limit the effect of overnight parking in residential areas and the countryside.
Q. What action could be taken to reduce the impact of heavy lorry movements and random overnight parking?
The District has a navigable river running along its entire length and although this may be an important resource on recreation terms it may have scope for some forms of commuting or freight movements.
Q. Should measures to encourage a greater use of the River Nene by freight and other forms of traffic be encouraged through the Local Plan?
7.10 Car Parking
The Government wants to discourage additional parking provision for new (non-residential) development within town centres. Furthermore, only a limited amount of additional parking should be permitted for development on the edge of town centres. Developers will instead be asked to make financial contributions towards buses, cycle and pedestrian facilities, or public car parks.
It is often argued that the economic viability of small towns depends to some extent on the amount of car parking available, while adequate garage space and other off street facilities are important factors when considering house purchase.
Q. Do you think it is possible to have less parking in new town centre developments to encourage more people to walk, cycle, use available or improved public transport, or travel by taxi? 7.11 Roads
There are many important roads within East Northamptonshire, notably the A14 which forms part of the Trans-European network. Central Government is proposing junction and other improvements along the length of this road as part of a medium term programme.
The District Council has campaigned for some time for improvements to be made to the A605 between Thrapston and the County boundary, and to the A45 between Stanwick and Thrapston. Some work has been carried out on the A605, and more is proposed. While there is local support for Improving the A45 to dual carriageway status there is concern that when this road becomes a Trunk Road in the near future, it will not feature highly in the Government’s programme. Both roads are notorious accident black spots.
Other than these schemes, the District Council is not at present promoting any other major highway works within the area, and none is included in the County Council’s Local Transport Plan
Q. Are there major Road schemes, other than improvements to the A605 and A45, which should be promoted through the Local Plan?
7.12 Air Transport
There are a number of former airfields in the district, some are used for business activity and a limited amount of flying takes place from some sites. With a growing demand for movement by air, and for recreation flying, there is potential for demand to increase, with possible environmental consequences in terms of traffic movement and noise. Additional use of airfields or the provision of new facilities may enhance economic opportunities and provide an enhanced recreational resource
Q. Should the Local Plan contain policies aimed at encouraging the expansion of aviation related development? 8. Leisure and Community Facilities
8.1 Vision
All residents will have access to improved community facilities and leisure opportunities that make the most of the special qualities of the district’s environment.
Creating sustainable communities means making sure that the health, leisure and education needs of all are met, as well as providing for homes and jobs, without compromising the quality and special character of the environment. People often see their quality of life in terms of the amount of leisure time they have and what recreational opportunities are available. Access to recreational facilities is important for the health and well being of local people, whether it be a sports centre or just an attractive place in which to walk. Good education and medical services, feeling safe and belonging to a community are also important aspects of quality of life.
Government guidance recommends concentrating new leisure development and community facilities in towns and larger villages that already have a range of existing services. This way, existing provision can be built upon and more people in these areas can have easy access to the new facilities without needing to travel long distances. Support for services and facilities in smaller villages can be given through non land-use means, such as grant aid and rate relief.
8.2 Leisure
Proposals for large-scale leisure development can be judged against Government guidance on reducing the need to travel. A large commercial leisure facility such as a cinema, bowling alley or nightclub is likely to be visited by people from a wide area, often travelling by car. Developers will be required to show how their scheme might encourage access by different methods of travel. The current Local Plan policy (RL1) does not require the provision of access by means other than the car, and does not promote particular types of location for leisure development. Planning permission has now been granted for a six-screen cinema, nightclub, gymnasium and associated food outlets on land next to the Diamond Centre, Irthlingborough. The application was subject to a long inquiry process prompted by the Government, on the basis that it was not a town centre location and the choice of travel to the facilities was limited to the private car. The District Council, Town Council and local people all supported the development and pointed out that it would in fact reduce the distance travelled to reach such facilities, as people currently need to travel to Northampton, Milton Keynes or Kettering. The Government Inspector eventually agreed, provided that the developers increase access opportunities by foot, cycle and bus, and decrease the amount of car parking space on site. This goes to show that issues are never completely cut and dried and Government policy can be interpreted in a variety of ways. The approach that suits big cities and towns is not necessarily the most appropriate for small towns and rural areas.
The new County Structure Plan directs leisure development towards town centres or other places that are or could be well served by public transport, and easy to reach by walking and cycling. Town centre locations offer the opportunity for multi-purpose visits – for example combining leisure, shopping, eating out, and using banking facilities in one trip. The Urban Capacity Study, being carried out by the Council at the moment (see Housing Issues), will identify potential development sites within the towns, some of which may be suitable for leisure based schemes. Sites will then be identified in the Local Plan, if a need can be demonstrated for further new leisure development.
Q. Are there major leisure needs that are not being catered for at the moment? Where are the best locations for development to meet those needs?
Q. Should developers of major leisure schemes be required to produce a Travel Plan? (see Transport and Travel Issues)
8.3 Playing Fields and Play Areas
There is national guidance that recommends how much playing field and playground space should be provided to meet recreation needs (2.43 hectares or 6 acres per 1000 people – often called the “six acre standard”). The current Local Plan has policies requiring new housing development to meet this standard, either within the site or through financial contributions to other new or improved facilities. Further “supplementary planning guidance” has also been prepared to help translate the general policies into more detailed advice. It is recognised that using a national standard does not always take account of local circumstances. Neither does the standard consider more informal types of recreation, such as walking, nature study, and picnicking. Government guidance now makes it clear that Local Plan policies should be based on a proper assessment of local needs and shortages. A survey of recreation needs and opportunities in the district will therefore be carried out, to ensure that new provision contributes to the creation of sustainable communities.
Q. What are the sport and recreation needs in your area?
At the moment, developers of schemes for more than 15 homes are required to provide recreational open space, including children’s play areas, to meet the national standards. This means that lots of smaller developments could take place without contributing to recreation facilities. Some other Councils ask for a financial contribution from every new home provided, which is then used to improve and add to facilities. (The Council already does this with contributions towards new school places because much more evidence about education needs is available from the county Education Authority.)
Q. Should the Council have a formula for contributions towards sport and recreation that can be applied to all new houses in areas where a need has been identified?
When the Council asked local people what their priorities were, nearly half (46%) wanted more or better facilities for young people. The Council’s corporate objectives reflect this desire. The Local Plan policies will need to contribute towards achieving improved facilities, whether through Council initiatives; partnership working with providers and other organisations; or through developer contributions as a result of housing schemes. Developers of large housing schemes could be required to include meeting places for young people in areas of public open space. These are generally enclosed areas with seating and some games equipment, such as a basketball net. One problem with providing “youth” facilities however is that local residents often raise concerns about security and public safety when this type of facility is suggested close to their homes.
Q. Should meeting places be provided for young people within new developments (or elsewhere with the help of developer contributions) and what sort of facilities could they include?
Q. How can a balance be struck between meeting the recreation needs of young people, ensuring their safety and protecting the local community from disturbance or anti-social behaviour?
It is important to provide for the recreation needs of all in the community. The Local Plan will also need to consider issues relating to the accessibility of facilities, for example for elderly or disabled people. Q. What can the Local Plan do to ensure that equal recreation opportunities are available to all members of the community?
The current Local Plan (policy RL12) protects existing recreational open space from development, unless it can be shown that it is no longer needed. In circumstances where it is proposed to re-locate a facility, there is a requirement for the new site to be provided and laid out before use of the existing site ceases.
Q. Should the Local Plan allow for the redevelopment of existing open space and sports facilities if the developer is made to provide an improved or similar facility on a nearby, accessible site?
8.4 Recreation Space in Villages
While some of the larger villages in the district have playing fields and children’s play areas, in general many village residents have no local access to recreation facilities. The widely spread population in the rural area inevitably means that it is difficult to support lots of small individual facilities.
In some areas, dual use of school facilities or village halls could help to increase the recreational opportunities available. Grants and sports development programmes are other, non land-use planning ways of promoting rural recreation facilities. Policies in the Local Plan will need to support such initiatives and ensure that, where necessary, suitable sites are available for facilities.
The scale of housing development in the villages will be too small, in most cases, to achieve children’s play areas and other facilities through developer contributions. If new recreation spaces and facilities are achieved through housing development, the Parish Council will normally have to take on responsibility for maintenance of the site and any equipment. The developer is usually required to pay a sum of money covering ten years’ maintenance costs. It can be difficult however, in small communities to find someone who carry out the maintenance work, whether it is cutting the grass, repairing fences or checking the safety of play equipment. If Local Plan policies are used to gain new recreation facilities, these practicalities must be borne in mind at an early stage.
Q. What can the Local Plan do to improve access to recreation facilities for rural communities?
Q. Are there any issues or needs that have not been recognised in your area? Q. Would maintaining new recreation facilities be a major problem for your community?
8.5 Parks, Amenity Open Space and Allotments
As mentioned above, not all recreation needs are covered by the national standards. Informal activities such as walking and nature study are enjoyed by many people but are not normally catered for in new developments. Public parks, undeveloped spaces and even previously developed land within towns and villages may all be used for recreation or community events and be valued by local people as an amenity. A lot of these areas will also have some wildlife value, as they may have been untouched for a number of years. They may be part of a green network of spaces that contributes to the individual character of a place. Whilst there is not usually much direct evidence of actual need for such facilities, most people would agree that they are an essential part of creating and maintaining sustainable communities.
Q. What land should remain undeveloped and be used for recreation in your town or village?
As mentioned elsewhere in this document, the Government is keen for planners to find more “urban capacity” for development within our towns. This could have an undesirable effect if it is not balanced by strong policies to protect and enhance open space.
Q. Should we identify all green spaces and amenity areas in our towns to make sure they are protected from development?
Allotments provide an opportunity for residents to grow their own food while at the same time providing green areas that contribute to amenity and wildlife interest. Use of allotments has been declining over recent decades and many have been developed for housing. Current interest in healthy eating and organic produce may start to reverse this decline. At the moment however, some allotments appear to be well used and organised, others appear to be abandoned. It is difficult to know whether this is simply down to changing lifestyles or some other, more practical reason such as poor location.
Q. Should the Local Plan continue to protect all allotments from development, or are there some that are no longer necessary?
Q. Do you think there is likely to be an increase in the demand for allotments? 8.6 The Nene Valley
The River Nene flows through the heart of East Northamptonshire and all six towns are located on the edge of the valley. This offers opportunities for countryside recreation and access to the river for most of the district’s residents. The County Structure Plan has a special policy identifying a River Nene Regional Park, where conservation and recreation are both to be promoted and the quality of development improved. The type of recreation activities will vary in different parts of the valley, with more visitor intensive uses in the south, around the main towns, and quieter activities in the rural north. Use of the river for recreational boating could also be increased, although there will be a need for related facilities for visitors and boat manufacturers.
Sand and Gravel extraction has altered the character of the valley over the past 50 years and works are still continuing. The County Structure Plan policy is now to shift further extraction away from the river valleys, so the major changes to the valley’s character and wildlife habitats should lessen.
Q. How much recreation and leisure use is appropriate in your part of the Nene Valley?
Q. Should there be more river related and boating facilities and where would these be best located?
In the south of the district the Nene forms a green wedge between the towns of Rushden, Higham Ferrers and Irthlingborough. Looking at this area comprehensively, particularly through improved access, could enhance leisure opportunities for all three communities – a total of 40,000 people.
Q. Should the Nene Valley between Rushden, Higham Ferrers and Irthlingborough be planned comprehensively as a countryside facility?
8.7 Access to the Countryside
Walking is one of the most popular forms of recreation, and is often combined with other activities such as birdwatching and picnicking. Although there is a lot of potential for walking in the countryside, access is often limited to the existing public rights of way. Establishing links between routes can create new recreational opportunities and promote walking as an alternative to the car. This is particularly important in the countryside surrounding towns. There are also disused railway lines that could be developed as walking, cycling and horse riding routes between towns and villages. The Nene Way is a long distance footpath stretching 70 miles through Northamptonshire. The footpath was created by using a combination of existing public rights of way and other routes where landowners have given permission for the public to cross. A number of shorter circular routes are linked to the Nene Way, providing recreational opportunities on a smaller scale. This means that families can use them on short visits to the countryside, whereas the long distance route is more likely to attract dedicated walkers.
New routes can be identified in the Local Plan and safeguarded from development that might block them or compromise their use. The Council could also draw up a strategy and supplementary guidance dealing with the issues in more detail.
Q. Do you know of any opportunities to create new routes for walking, cycling and horse riding in the countryside?
8.8 Community Facilities
Land-use planning policies help to guide the decisions of other organisations, such as the education authority and health authority. Where a need can be demonstrated for new community facilities, the Local Plan will identify acceptable sites that are easy to reach by a choice of transport means.
Q. What new community facilities are needed in your area? What else may be needed if more new homes are built?
8.9 Requirements arising from new development
If it can be shown that facilities need to be added to or upgraded as a result of new development, the Council will seek contributions from developers. Normally no single development will create a need for totally new facilities and it will be a case of the Council collecting money from a variety of different developers. Funds will then be transferred to the service provider (for example the county education authority in the case of school places) to be used within an agreed timescale. This method is already being used to provide new school places in Stanwick, Oundle, Rushden, Higham Ferrers and Thrapston. The Council will collect more information on needs for other community facilities, for example libraries and health care. This information can then be included in the Local Plan and linked to the provision of new homes.
Q. Would it be helpful if the Local Plan set out the requirements for new or improved facilities as part of new housing developments, on a site by site basis? 8.10 Retention of existing facilities
The current Local Plan policy (CF8) is aimed at protecting existing uses that provide a service to the community, like shops and pubs. Proposals to change such buildings into homes can be resisted if the owner cannot provide proof that the service is no longer needed by the community. If a planning application is received for a change of use, the Council requires evidence that the building has been marketed for its current use for at least six months, with no business interest being shown.
Loss of facilities is a particular problem in the rural areas, where communities can be too small to support viable businesses like shops, pubs and petrol stations. There may be merit in grouping villages through improved transport links, to try and expand the customer base for existing facilities.
Q. Is there anything further the Local Plan can do to resist the loss of community facilities?
8.11 Assessing needs
The Council will carry out in-depth consultation with the County Council (who have responsibility for schools, libraries and social services) and with the health authority and primary care groups (for medical facilities). Guidance will be requested on the potential level of needs over the Plan period, based on the amount of growth referred to in the introduction to this report. The information will be used to judge the need for new sites, what contributions are required from developers, and whether any existing sites are likely to become redundant and available for redevelopment.
Parish and Town Councils are responsible for maintaining facilities like village halls and cemeteries, and are being consulted on community needs and aspirations. Some communities are carrying out surveys and preparing Village Appraisals, looking at needs and opportunities for the future. The Council is keen to use the results of this work where possible to inform land- use policies and proposals for the replacement Local Plan.
Q. Do you know of any specific needs for community facilities in your area and do you think the Council and other relevant organisations are properly aware of them? 8.12 Dual Use of Facilities
As many services and facilities are becoming less viable on an individual basis, there may be merit in exploring the potential for dual use, so that the user base is expanded. Use of school halls and playing fields by other organisations outside school hours would make more efficient and effective use of existing space. The county Education Authority will be consulted on this matter, so that opportunities can be created, while at the same time ensuring that the security of the school and safety of its pupils is protected.
In rural areas, pubs, shops and other buildings could be used to accommodate more facilities, including Post Offices. This does place an extra workload on the owners of businesses, although grant assistance and rate relief can be available to assist with providing additional services. Dual use of village halls is another option that could be explored.
Q. Which facilities are suitable for dual use? How best could the Local Plan encourage the development of dual use facilities? 9. Getting Things Done
The Council has several different roles to play in making sure the proposals of the replacement Plan are put into practice as planned.
The main day to day role is regulation, through decision-making on planning applications. Development that clearly does not meet the Plan’s objectives and is at odds with the policies can be refused planning permission. The Council can often negotiate with developers to improve their schemes and can grant permission on condition that development is carried out in a certain way. Permission might also depend on the developer making financial payments towards things like school places, public transport, and community and recreation facilities. In these cases, a legal agreement needs to be completed before the permission is issued.
The current Plan has a general policy requiring that services and facilities made necessary by development will need to be provided or paid towards by developers. It would be clearer to all involved if the Plan could include lists of facilities which should be provided in association with each site. This also means that the cost of such requirements can be taken into account when developers have sites valued before agreeing a land price.
Q. In your area, what types of facilities might developers need to provide or pay towards as part of new development?
The Council also has powers to assemble land, through agreement or compulsory purchase, in order to enable development to take place in the way envisaged in the Plan. This means that if there is an important site with several landowners who cannot agree on a price, or who are in some way blocking progress, the Council could assemble all of the land and transfer it to a developer. An example might be where a local centre (with shopping and community facilities) is needed to help create a sustainable community in a new housing area, but the landowner will not co-operate. The Council would not normally use its compulsory purchase powers unless the new developer agreed to meet its costs.
Q. Do you think the Council should use its powers of land assembly if this would help to achieve much needed facilities or aid regeneration of an area?
In working towards creating sustainable communities, the Council can also co-ordinate the plans of other organisations, developers, businesses and individuals to make sure that the most efficient and effective use is made of money, time and people. Even where it does not directly provide a service, the Council has a role as a facilitator - bringing people together, providing advice, giving grants towards environmental or community improvements or carrying out research into needs and opportunities. Finally, the Council can promote the district, or individual sites for development, in order to bring in new businesses or regenerate areas. 9.1 Measuring Performance
The Government says that we should have a “plan, monitor and manage” approach to land-use planning. Clear objectives and policies should be linked to targets that will help to check whether they are working or not. The Plan should be kept under constant review and altered as soon as it can be shown that there is a problem.
The Council will need to demonstrate how the Local Plan proposals are helping to achieve sustainable communities across the district. Regular checking of how those proposals are put into practice will show whether they are effective. If there are problems, the Council will need to consider whether a different approach is required.
Changes in environmental, social and economic factors can be measured through the use of “indicators”. The Local Plan will need to set targets for all these indicators and say how information will be collected to show whether they are being met.
An example indicator is the number and percentage of new homes built on brownfield land. The Northamptonshire target is 35% by 2008. To measure this, the Council will need to check house completions each year, along with detailed information on the type of site, and then overall totals can be translated into percentages on brownfield/greenfield sites. If this monitoring showed that the target was unlikely to be reached, the Council may need to change the Local Plan proposals, for instance by introducing a policy of refusing any further planning applications on greenfield sites until more of the brownfield sites had been completed.
Q. What are the key indicators of movement towards achieving sustainable communities?
Q. What targets should be set to help measure progress? References
1. East Northamptonshire Council, East Northamptonshire District Local Plan, Adopted Nov. 1996, ENC.
2. Department of the Environment East Midlands Region, Regional Planning Guidance Note 8: Regional Planning Guidance for the East Midlands Region, March 1994, HMSO.
3. Northamptonshire County Council, Northamptonshire County Structure Plan (1996-2016), adopted March 2001, NCC.
4. Northamptonshire County Council, Minerals Local Plan 1991-2006, adopted 1996, NCC.
5. Northamptonshire County Council, Waste Local Plan 1995-2011, Consultation Draft Oct. 1995, NCC.
6. Northamptonshire County Council, Northamptonshire Local Transport Plan 2001/ 02 – 2005/ 06, July 2000, NCC et al.
7. East Northamptonshire Council, East Northamptonshire District Local Plan Monitoring Report 2001, Feb. 2001, ENC.
8. Department of Environment Transport & Regions Planning Policy Guidance Note 12: Development Plans, DETR, revised December 1999, HMSO.
9. East Northamptonshire Council, Best Value Performance Plan 2001/ 2002, Feb. 2001, ENC.
10. Department of the Environment, Sustainable Development: The UK Strategy, 1994, HMSO.
11. East Northamptonshire Council, Urban Capacity Study, (to be published Dec, 2001), ENC.
12. East Northamptonshire Council et al,, The Rockingham Forest Countryside Design Summary, July 2000, ENC et al.
13. East Northamptonshire Council, Crime & Disorder Strategy 1999-2002, April 1999, ENC.
14. Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, Planning Policy Guidance Note 3: Housing, March 2000, HMSO.
15. Fordham Research Limited, Housing Needs Assessment, December 1999, ENC. 16. Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, Places, Streets & Movement – Companion Guide, September 1998, HMSO.
17. Department of Environment Transport & Regions, Planning Policy Guidance Note 6: Town Centres & Retail Development, DETR, revised June 1996, HMSO.
18. Department of Environment Transport & Regions, Planning Policy Guidance Note 13: Transport, DETR, revised March 2001, HMSO.
19. Department of Environment Transport & Regions, Planning Policy Guidance Note 7: The Countryside – Environmental Quality and Economic and Social Development, Feb. 1997, HMSO.
20. Department of Environment Transport & Regions, Our Countryside: The Future, a fair deal for rural England, Nov. 2000, HMSO.
21. Countryside Agency, Rural Transport Partnership Scheme, 1998, Countryside Agency Publications.