Transformation and Sustainability SHEFFIELD LOCAL PLAN (formerly Sheffield Development Framework) CITY POLICIES AND SITES DOCUMENT EAST COMMUNITY ASSEMBLY AREA AREAS AND SITES BACKGROUND REPORT Development Services Sheffield City Council Howden House 1 Union Street SHEFFIELD S1 2SH June 2013 CONTENTS Chapter Page 1. Introduction 1 Part 1: Lower Don Valley Core Strategy Sub area Covers: Darnall Ward (excluding Handsworth) 2. Lower Don Valley Policy Areas 19 3. Lower Don Valley Allocated Sites 83 Part 2: South East Urban Core Strategy Sub area Covers: Manor Castle Ward, Arbourthorne Ward, Richmond Ward, and part of Darnall Ward (at Handsworth). A small part lies within the South East Community Assembly Area report ) 4. South East Urban Policy Areas 173 5. South East Urban Area Allocated Sites 227 1 INTRODUCTION The Context 1.1 This report provides evidence to support the published policies for the City Policies and Sites document of the Sheffield Local Plan. 1.2 The Sheffield Local Plan is the new name, as used by the Government, for what was known as the Sheffield Development Framework. It is Sheffield’s statutory development plan, which the local planning authority is required by law to produce. 1.3 The Local Plan includes the Core Strategy, which has already been adopted, having been subject to formal public examination. It sets out the vision and objectives for the Local Plan and establishes its broad spatial strategy. 1.4 The City Policies and Sites document now supplements this, containing: - Criteria-based policies to inform development management and design guidance - Policy on land uses appropriate to a range of area types across the city - Allocations of particular sites for specific uses 1.5 The document was originally proposed to be two, City Policies and City Sites. Both of these have already been subject to two stages of consultation: - Emerging Options - Preferred Options 1.6 The Emerging Options comprised the broad choices, which were drawn up to enable the Council to consider and consult on all the possibilities early in the process of drawing up the document1. Having consulted on these options the Council decided which to take forward as Preferred Options. 1.7 The Preferred Options were published and consulted on as the ones that the Council was minded to take forward to submission2. However, the choice of option and the way it was expressed remained subject to public comment. The Preferred Options document outlined how the Council had arrived at them and the justification for choosing them. It also indicated which Emerging Options had been rejected and why. 1 Emerging Options for City Policies, Sheffield City Council (February 2006) and Emerging Options for City Sites, Sheffield City Council (February 2006) – see Sheffield City Council - Emerging Options 2006 2 Preferred Options for City Policies, Sheffield City Council (April 2007) and Preferred Options for City Sites, Sheffield City Council (April 2007) – see Sheffield City Council - Preferred Options 2007 - 1 - 1.8 Work following the Preferred Options was delayed whilst priority was given to the public examination of the Core Strategy. In the subsequent version, the Consultation Draft3, the policy areas and allocations were updated to reflect changing circumstances. A further consultation was carried out on additional sites for allocation. 1.9 The present version of the City Policies and Sites document has been published as the Council’s final version, including additional allocations. This is for final representations by stakeholders and other members of the public, followed by submission to the Government and public examination. A schedule of changes may be produced following representations and a final chapter will be added to each Background Report to explain why the changes have been proposed. 1.10 The Background Reports set out the Council’s evidence for considering that the policies are sound. That is the issue on which representations are invited, in line with national policy. The policy document itself has space only to summarise the reasons for the chosen policies and allocations. So, the more detailed evidence and analysis is found in the Background Reports. 1.11 The Background Reports are not actually part of the Sheffield Local Plan but contribute to the statutory process of preparing it. So they are not published as the subject for representations though comments on the soundness of the area designations and site allocations may well take up evidence or conclusions set out in the Reports. 1.12 This Report supports the published policy areas and site allocations for the East Community Assembly Area. Different Core Strategy Areas are dealt with in distinct parts of the report, reflecting the underlying common factors for each component of the spatial strategy. 1.13 For each subarea, there are chapters on: • Strategic Context • Policy Areas • Allocated Sites 1.14 Each section within these chapters deals with principal themes from the soundness criteria: • Consistency with national and other strategic policy • Justification • Effectiveness • Conclusions – drawing together the strands under the four criteria for soundness set out in the National Planning Policy Framework. 3 City Policies and Sites: Consultation Draft (May 2010) – see Sheffield City Council - City Policies and Sites - 2 - 1.15 There are many references in the report to policy areas. These are explained in Part 2 of the City Policies and Sites document (chapter 11), which includes policy H1. More detailed justification on the policy area types and their menus of land uses is contained in the relevant Policy Background Reports as follows. This applies across all areas of the city and is not repeated in each area report. Policy Area Policy Background Report Business Areas Economy and City Region Business and Industrial Areas Economy and City Region Industrial Areas Economy and City Region General Employment Areas Economy and City Region Meadowhall Shopping Centre Economy and City Region University and College Areas Economy and City Region Housing Areas Neighbourhoods Central Housing Areas Neighbourhoods Flexible Use Areas Neighbourhoods District Centres Neighbourhoods Neighbourhood Centres Neighbourhoods Open Space Areas Opportunities and Well-being Waste Management Areas Global Environment and Natural Resources Countryside Areas: Green Belt Character and Heritage The Area 1.16 The East Area is split geographically into two main parts, and the structure of this report reflects this split. - 3 - 1.17 The northern part is identified in the Core Strategy as the Lower Don Valley4. This is dealt with in Part 1. The Core Strategy identifies the Lower Don Valley as a strategic location for economic activity, acting as a focus for employment, leisure, recreation and sporting activities, and these will be the main users of land. These land uses benefit the whole city, but to support the Local Plan objective of economic transformation in this area, investment in transport will be very important. It will be a challenge to ensure that the Lower Don Valley is well connected by all modes of transport to different parts of the city and city region to enable people and goods to move about, whilst meeting objectives for reducing impacts on the environment. 1.18 The southern part of the East Area forms part of the area identified in the Core Strategy as the South East Urban Area. This is dealt with in Part 2. The area consists primarily of several distinct residential areas where housing is the main use of land. It includes some priority areas where land has been released for new housing to encourage the revival of the housing market. The emphasis in this area will be on supporting successful neighbourhoods, encouraging new housing and a range of other uses to make these areas more sustainable places in which to live. 1.19 There is a very small part of the East Community Assembly Area, (south of Linley Lane and Normanton Spring Road) that falls within the Mosborough/Woodhouse Core Strategy Area and this is covered by the South East Area Background Report. Also a small industrial area at Olive Grove Road that falls within the Sheaf Valley and Neighbouring Areas Core Strategy Area and this will be covered by the South Area Background Report. 1.20 The Core Strategy spatial vision describes the outcome for the Lower Don Valley as follows: ‘The Lower and Upper Don Valleys will complement the City Centre, as primary locations for employment supported by a mix of related uses and providing for developments not appropriate in the City Centre’5. 1.21 The policy area designations and allocation of sites in the Lower Don Valley follow on directly from the area policies in the Core Strategy. The areas have different characters and roles within the various parts of the valley and are described as sub areas below. The Core Strategy policies have been developed to meet the needs of each particular area of the Lower Don in the context of the citywide spatial vision. The policy area designation and sites allocation proposed within each sub-area are intended to help deliver the related Core Strategy policy. 1.22 The policy area designations and allocation of sites in the South East Urban Area reflect the extensive priority areas for the release of new housing land, and an 4 Core Strategy Figure 5.1, page 30 5 Core Strategy, paragraph 4.2 - 4 - emphasis on area regeneration. This aims to encourage the revival of the housing market in parts of Sheffield where markets have been poor or non- existent, and the improvement of neighbourhoods to create successful attractive places to live. This is set out in the Core Strategy as the spatial vision for the South East Urban Area6 . SUB AREAS Lower Don Valley 1.23 In the Lower Don Valley five sub areas are identified. The areas are Meadowhall (CS77), Tinsley Park (CS88), Attercliffe/Newhall, Parkway/Kettlebridge (both CS99), and Attercliffe/Darnall (CS21, CS28, and CS3510).