Forward Plan reference number: FP/781/03/17 Report title: Chelmsford Local Plan – Preferred Options Consultation Document (Regulation 18), March 2017 Report to: Cllr David Finch, Leader of the Council Report author: Dominic Collins, Director Economic Growth and Localities Date: 11th May 2017 For: Decision Enquiries to: Kevin Fraser, Principal Spatial Planner [email protected] , Ph: 0333 01 30558 County Divisions affected: All Divisions within Chelmsford City Council area 1. Purpose of Report 1.1 To approve the proposed Essex County Council (ECC) formal response to the Chelmsford Local Plan – Preferred Options Consultation Document, March 2017 (the Draft Plan). 2. Recommendations 2.1 To agree to send to Chelmsford City Council (CCC) the response in Appendix 1 regarding the Draft Plan. 2.2. To agree that ECC will continue to work with CCC through the duty to cooperate as CCC prepares its Pre-Submission Local Plan to ensure ECC is able to assist with the delivery of its key services and the provision of new funded infrastructure arising from the planned growth and towards the improvement and refinement of the emerging new Local Plan. 3. Summary of issue 3.1 The current Chelmsford Local Development Framework (LDF) covers the period from 2001 to 2021, and comprises a suite of documents (Core Strategy; Site Allocations and Development Management; Town Centre Area Action Plan (AAP); and North Chelmsford AAP), which were adopted between 2008 and 2012. CCC is now preparing a new Local Plan and once adopted, will replace the suite of LDF documents. 3.2 The preparation of the new Local Plan commenced with the publication of the ‘Issues and Options’ consultation (Winter 2015/16). It focused on the issues facing Chelmsford and a number of options on how these could be addressed, including potential levels of new development with possible locations and areas of search for growth. The consultation considered three Spatial Options for how 14,000 new homes and 13,000 new jobs could be distributed based on a set of nine Spatial Principles including protecting the Green Belt and ensuring new development is deliverable and served by necessary infrastructure. A Sustainability Appraisal (SA) assessed these issues against a range of social, environmental and economic indicators to help identify all the likely significant effects. The three Spatial Options presented were: 1 1: Urban Focus 2: Urban Focus + Growth on Key Transport Corridors 3: Urban Focus + Growth in Key Villages. 3.3 The ECC response to the earlier Issues and Options document can be viewed via the link. 3.4 ECC has continued to work with CCC as it prepares its Preferred Options Local Plan to ensure the full range of infrastructure requirements arising from growth and development options are appropriate and adequately assessed; and consideration has been given to ensuring that ECC is able to assist in the delivery of its key services and functions potentially arising from the planned growth. ECC continues to assess implications of growth on the transport and highway network and has identified requirements for how the additional primary, secondary school and early years and childcare places will need to be accommodated, the economy and economic growth is to be encouraged, appropriate provision is made for minerals and waste, and consideration given to surface water management issues, historic and natural environment issues. 3.5 Since the Issues and Options consultation, CCC has reviewed consultation comments, commissioned new evidence and held discussions with landowners and developers regarding their emerging plans and key issues. CCC has also considered the implications of the Housing White Paper (February 2017), and assessed that most of the proposals are reflected in the Draft Plan, but will continue to monitor its progress alongside preparation of the Pre Submission Plan to determine if further changes are required. ECC has assisted CCC throughout this time by undertaking transport modelling, assessing minerals impacts on emerging Local Plan site allocations, providing detailed assessment of education requirements arising from growth proposals for inclusion in site policies, provided informal feedback on emerging draft policies, supporting text and identified emerging infrastructure requirements as reflected in their Draft Infrastructure Delivery Plan. CCC Preferred Options Local Plan (this consultation) 3.6 CCC has prepared a Preferred Option Local Plan and is undertaking consultation for 6 weeks from 30th March to 11th May 2017. The Draft Plan covers the period up to 2036. The aim of this consultation is to ensure that CCC is aware of all possible policy options and their implications before they proceed to the next and final stage of plan preparation and consultation (known as the Pre-Submission Plan). The Draft Plan is supported by a SA report with the purpose of providing a detailed assessment of the Draft Plan’s likely effects across the three dimensions of sustainable development (environmental, social and economic considerations) together with a range of topic based evidence reports. 3.7 Following this round of consultation, the Draft Plan will be revised by CCC to reflect a) comments received during consultation, b) updated evidence and c) any other required changes, such as national policy updates. The final revised document (the Pre-Submission Plan) is intended to be published in Autumn 2017, followed by a further period of public consultation and planned submission to the Government in Spring 2018, for public examination in Summer 2018 and subsequent adoption in Winter 2018. 2 Content / Structure of the Preferred Options 3.8 The Draft Plan contains ten sections comprising:- an Introduction; About Chelmsford – which provides the context for identifying the drivers for the Draft Plan for Chelmsford City; What are our Strategic Priorities – sets out the key issues to be addressed through the Local Plan including the development needed; Our Vision and Spatial Principles setting out the long term vision and principles for managing and accommodating growth; Creating Sustainable Development – sets out the approach that underpins the aim of securing sustainable development; How will future development growth be accommodated – which sets out the how much development is needed and the Spatial Strategy; Where will future Development Growth be Focused? – sets out the three Growth Areas and the proposed development sites; Protecting and Securing Important Assets – providing the policies which protect the countryside, heritage and natural assets; Making High Quality Places – which provides detail on design objectives; and Monitoring and Implementation section. The Proposals Maps provides the spatial representation for site allocations and notations on an Ordinance Survey base. 3.9 Vision and Spatial Strategy: The Draft Plan sets out the type of place Chelmsford will become in 2036. The Vision highlights Chelmsford’s existing strengths and how new development growth will further strengthen Chelmsford’s role as England’s newest city and the Capital of Essex. Development opportunities in the city centre will be maximised but supported by new sustainable neighbourhoods. The Vision is informed by the Strategic Priorities, which are set out in Section 3. These priorities are closely aligned with those of Chelmsford’s partner local authorities in North of Essex: Braintree, Colchester and Tendring. 3.10 Strategic Priorities: In turn the Vision and Strategic Priorities have been translated into 11 Spatial Principles to shape the Preferred Options Spatial Strategy. These are set out in Strategic Policy S1 and include: maximising the use of brownfield land for development; locating proposed new development at well-connected sustainable locations (utilising garden community principles); protecting the Green Belt and ensuring development is served by necessary infrastructure; and protecting the character of valued landscapes, heritage and biodiversity. 3.11 The Draft Plan contains 15 Strategic Policies (Sections 4 – 6) regarding Spatial Principles; Securing Sustainable Development; Addressing Climate Change and Flood Risk; Promoting Community Inclusion; Conserving and Enhancing the Historic Environment; Conserving and Enhancing the Natural Environment; Protecting and Enhancing Community Assets; Development Requirements; The Spatial Strategy; Delivering Housing Growth; Delivering Economic Growth; Infrastructure Requirements; Securing Infrastructure; The Role of the Countryside; and The Role of City, Town and Neighbourhood Centres. 3.12 Housing: Strategic Policy S8 identifies a housing requirement of 805 homes per year which totals 18,515 by 2036. In order to ensure flexibility in supply and significantly boost housing supply 20% has been added to this figure to total 22,162 new homes by 2036. Over 2,000 homes have already been built (2013 – 2016) and nearly 9,400 new homes have planning permission or are committed. This leaves the need for 10,875 new homes to be allocated on sites in the new Local Plan. 3 3.13 Employment: Strategic Policy S8 identifies a jobs requirement for the period up to 2036 of 725 new jobs per year (11,000 in total). Job growth will arise from both the intensification and diversification of existing businesses and from new employment allocations. To accommodate this growth, 55,000 sqm of employment floorspace and 13,400 sqm floorspace of additional convenience retail will be allocated at locations identified in the table on page 5. 3.14 Spatial Strategy: growth