Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment February 2017 1 Disclaimer Cheshire In relation to the information contained within this report (and any other report relating to the findings of the Cheshire West and Chester Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (HELAA)), the W est council makes the following disclaimer without prejudice: and The HELAA methodology follows the key stages set out in the Planning Practice Guidance (PPG) Chester to provide a robust assessment of land availability. It will identify a broad range of sites to provide an audit of available land for both housing and economic development. Council The inclusion of a site, building or area of land in the completed HELAA does not imply that the Council will allocate the site(s) for development in the Local Plan (Part Two) Land Allocations and Housing Detailed Policies. Further assessment of sites will be undertaken, taking account of relevant plans/programmes, evidence base studies and technical reports, informed by outcomes of the Habitats Regulations Assessment and Sustainability Appraisal (incorporating the requirements of and the Strategic Environmental Assessment) process. Economic The identification of potential sites within the final report of the HELAA, does not imply that the Council would necessarily grant planning permission for development on those sites. Sites are not Land assessed in terms of Local Plan policies and all planning applications for development will continue A to be assessed on their merits against the appropriate development plan and material planning vailability considerations. Assessment The inclusion of potential sites for a specific use type within the HELAA does not preclude them from being developed for other purposes, subject to relevant development plan policies and material considerations. (2017) The boundaries that will be attached to sites, buildings and areas are based on the information available at the time/provided during consultation. The HELAA will not limit an extension or contraction of these boundaries for the purposes of a planning application. The exclusion of a site from the study (either because it was not identified or has been discounted in line with the methodology) does not preclude the possibility of planning permission for development being granted. The assessment of delivery time frames; short (1 to 5 years), medium (6 to 10 years) or long term (11 years +), is based on the Council's assessment at the time of the study, and on information provided throughout the process of preparing the HELAA. Circumstances or assumptions may change which may mean that sites could come forward sooner or later than originally envisaged. Each site assessment is based on information that was available/provided at the time of the study. There may be some omissions and/or factual inaccuracies which the Council does not take liability for, therefore users of the HELAA findings will need to appreciate that there may be additional constraints on some sites that were not identified at the time of the survey and that planning applications will continue to be treated on their own merits, rather than on the information Disclaimer 2 Cheshire contained within the assessment. Likewise, some of the identified constraints may have been removed since the information was compiled. Issues may arise during the course of a detailed planning application that could not / were not foreseen at the time of the study. Applicants are W therefore advised to carry out their own analysis of sites to identify any constraints or other est information for the purposes of submitting a planning application and not rely solely on the findings and of the HELAA. Chester The site capacity identified relates to the number of dwellings/hectares/floorspace granted planning permission (where applicable) or is an estimate based on an appropriate density for the specific Council site. The capacities are only estimates and do not preclude densities being increased or decreased on sites, subject to site specific considerations on a case by case basis. Housing The study has a base date of 1 April 2016, incorporating the latest monitoring data. The findings are only a ‘snap-shot’ of information held at that time. Some of the information held on the HELAA and database will be subject to change, for example, sites that are identified as not having planning Economic permission may have secured permission since the information was compiled, whilst planning permissions may have lapsed on other sites. Land A vailability Assessment (2017) 3 3 Cheshire Part A - Introduction and methodology West 1 Introduction 7 2 Methodology 10 and Chester Stage One: Site Identification 10 Stage Two: Assessment of Sites 16 Council Stage Three: Assessment of windfall sites 28 Stage Four: Review of the Assessment 29 Housing Stage Five: Assessment Results 29 and Economic Part B - Assessment and Findings Land 3 Site identification and survey 33 Availability 4 Residential Land Supply Assessment 34 5 Employment land potential 40 Assessment 6 Other economic/commercial uses 45 Appendices (2017) Appendix A - Housing and Economic Partnership Group 49 Appendix B - Methodology flow chart 52 Appendix C - Housing land assessment 53 Appendix D - Employment land assessment 113 Appendix E - Other commercial uses 131 Contents 4 Cheshire West and Chester Council Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (2017) 5 Cheshire West and Chester Council Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (2017) methodology and Introduction - A Part 1 Introduction 7 Cheshire 1 Introduction 1.1 The Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (HELAA) is an evidence base document West to inform the preparation of Local Plans. Local Planning Authorities are required under the National (i) Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to demonstrate a sufficient supply of land for residential and and economic development to meet Local Plan housing and employment land requirements. In addition Chester the NPPF identifies the advantages of carrying out land assessments for housing and economic development as part of the same exercise, in order that sites may be allocated for the most appropriate Council use. 1.2 Planning Practice Guidance (ii) (PPG) recommends the preparation of joint land availability Housing assessments, supported by the publication of practice guidance entitled "Housing and economic land availability assessment " (as revised 06/03/2014). This replaces the previous Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment : Practice Guidance (CLG, 2007) and the Employment land reviews: guidance and (ODPM, December 2004). Economic 1.3 The aims of a joint land availability assessment are to: Land Identify sites with potential for development; Availability Assess their development potential; Assess their deliverability (suitability, availability and achievability) Assessment 1.4 A joint approach to a land availability assessment (the HELAA for the purpose of this report) ensures that all land is assessed together to provide a robust evidence base as part of the plan making (2017) process. The final report will identify which sites are the most suitable and deliverable for a specific use. 1.5 This assessment will update the information contained in the Council's Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (2013) and part of the Employment Land Study Update (2013). Any undeveloped sites that have already been submitted to the Council as part of these studies are automatically carried forward into the new assessment. 1.6 The base date of the study is 1 April 2016 for monitoring residential and employment land completions, and 1 October 2016 for residential and employment land planning permissions. Local Development Plan 1.7 The Local Plan (Part One) Strategic Policies document was adopted by Cheshire West and Chester Council on 29th January 2015. This sets out the spatial strategy for the sustainable development of the Borough to 2030, including the level and location of new development. Key components of the strategy are meeting objectively assessed future housing needs and supporting economic growth in i https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-planning-policy-framework--2 ii http://planningguidance.planningportal.gov.uk/ 8 the borough. Policy STRAT 2 Strategic Development, identifies a requirement for at least 22,000 (net) Cheshire new dwellings and 365 hectares of employment land (to meet a range of types and sizes of business borough wide) for the period 2010-2030. West 1.8 Policies STRAT 2 to STRAT 8 of the Local Plan (Part One) ensure that new development in the Borough is brought forward in line with the settlement hierarchy focusing the majority of new development and within or on the edge of the main urban centres of Chester, Ellesmere Port, Northwich and Winsford to Chester maximise the use of previously developed land, existing infrastructure and resources. The plan also makes provision for a specific levels of development to be brought forward in identified Key Service Centres and the rural area. Some limited new development will also be accommodated in Local Service Council Centres which reflects the scale and character of the settlement and the services, facilities and public transport available. These centres are identified in the Local Plan (Part Two.) Housing 1.9 The HELAA is an important evidence base document which informs the preparation of the Council's Local Plan (Part Two). It identifies sites and broad locations as an audit of available land and is not and constrained