West Midlands Regional Spatial Strategy Phase Two Revision Report of the Panel: Volume 1 - Report September 2009 Examination in Public 28th April – 24th June 2009 West Midlands Regional Spatial Strategy Phase Two Revision Report of the Panel: September 2009 CONTENTS Page Number Preface Overview 1 Chapter 1 The Context for the Phase Two Revision 8 Introduction 8 The Role of Government 9 The Phased Revision Programme 10 Inter-regional Issues 14 Sustainability Appraisal and Habitat Regulations 14 Assessment Recommendations 18 Chapter 2 Principles, Objectives and Spatial Strategy 23 Introduction 23 Climate Change – Policy SR1 23 Creating Sustainable Communities – Policy SR2 26 Sustainable Design and Construction – Policy SR3 31 Spatial Strategy Principles 33 Spatial Strategy Objectives 37 Role and Status of the Spatial Strategy 39 Settlements of Significant Development (SSDs) 40 New Settlements 43 Rural Renaissance 45 Recommendations 45 Chapter 3 The Regional Housing Provision 55 Approach to the Regional Housing Provision 55 The Preferred Option Housing Provision 56 Household Projections 58 Vacancies and Second Homes 63 Affordability and the NHPAU Advice 64 Assessments of Need and Demand 65 Unmet Need and Backlog 67 Environmental Issues and the Sustainability 69 Appraisal The Theoretical Housing Requirement 72 Deliverability and Trajectory 73 Spatial Distribution 79 Conclusions on the Regional Housing Total and its 82 Distribution Recommendations 87 Chapter 4 Delivering Homes and Communities 90 Introduction 90 Phasing of Housing Land 90 Land for Housing 93 West Midlands Regional Spatial Strategy Phase Two Revision Report of the Panel: September 2009 Previously Developed Land 97 Efficient Use of Land 98 Affordable Housing 98 Mixed Communities 105 Recommendations 107 Chapter 5 Prosperity for All - Employment and Economic 113 Development Policies General Policies and Employment Land Provision 113 Regional Investment Sites (RIS) - Policy PA7 118 Major Investment Sites (MIS) - Policy PA8 120 Regional Logistics Sites (RLS) - Policy PA9 121 Town and City Centres – Policies PA11, PA12A and 125 PA12B Out of Centre Retail Development - Policy PA13 130 Office Development – Policies PA13A and PA13B 130 Recommendations 132 Chapter 6 Waste Policies 138 Introduction 138 Regional Waste Strategy 138 Targets for Waste Management 138 Facilities for Waste Management 139 Broad Locations for Waste Management Facilities 141 Other Issues 143 Recommendations 143 Chapter 7 Transport and Accessibility 146 General Issues – The Strategic Context for 146 Transport Park & Ride and Car Parking – Policies T6 and T7 147 Airports – Policy T11 149 Priorities for Investment – Policy T12 153 Recommendations 155 Chapter 8 Sub-regional Strategy 164 Preliminary Matters 164 Sub-regional Structure 165 (a) The Central Core of the West Midlands 168 Conurbation – Birmingham, Solihull and the Black Country (b) Coventry and Warwickshire 176 (c) The remaining surrounds of the West 191 Midlands Conurbation – Worcestershire, Southern & Eastern Staffordshire and Telford & Wrekin (d) North Staffordshire 213 (e) The Rural West – Shropshire and 214 Herefordshire Summary 218 Recommendations 219 West Midlands Regional Spatial Strategy Phase Two Revision Report of the Panel: September 2009 Chapter 9 Implementation and Monitoring 231 Introduction 231 Monitoring 231 Implementation 235 Recommendations 237 Abbreviations 239 West Midlands Regional Spatial Strategy Phase Two Revision Report of the Panel: September 2009 West Midlands Regional Spatial Strategy Phase Two Revision Report of the Panel: September 2009 Preface This is the report of the Examination in Public (EiP) that we were appointed to hold into the Draft Phase 2 Revision to the Regional Spatial Strategy (the RSS) for the West Midlands. The Phase 1 revision is already incorporated into the existing RSS dated January 2008. The West Midlands Regional Assembly submitted the Phase 2 Preferred Option to the Secretary of State in December 2007. The consultation period, which was extended to allow respondents to take account of the Government’s study Development of Options for the West Midlands RSS in Response to the NHPAU Report (the “NLP study”), finally closed on 8 December 2008. There were a total of 692 respondents to the submission consultation making approximately 4,150 points of response. Thereafter we set about arranging, conducting and reporting on the Examination in Public as expeditiously as possible. The key stages were: Publication of draft Matters and Participants: 20 January 2009 First Preliminary Meeting 27 January 2009 Technical Seminar Session on Housing Issues 28 January 2009 Final list of Matters and Participants issued 13 March 2009 Second Preliminary Meeting 18 March 2009 Technical Seminar Session on Habitat Regulations and Water Issues 18 March 2009 Examination in Public – opening 28 April 2009 Examination in Public – close (day 23) 24 June 2009 Three additional days were spent on Panel tours to various localities in the region. A total of over 180 organisations and individuals participated at the EiP (in addition to the Section 4(4) authorities and other local planning authorities). The Section 4(4) authorities had the opportunity to contribute to every session and every local planning authority in the region was given the opportunity to participate in the relevant sub- regional sessions. The Preliminary Meetings, seminar sessions and the Examination itself were held at the Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton. Following the close of the EiP we completed and submitted this report via the Planning Inspectorate by mid-September 2009. During this process new announcements and items of information continued to appear. Information that came out after submission of the Draft Phase 2 Revision but before the close of the EiP was able to be taken into account by the Panel and participants. The relevant documents were included in the EiP Library List, and we refer to them as necessary in this report. An important announcement was the publication by CLG in March 2009 of new 2006-based Household Projections. In order that these could Preface West Midlands Regional Spatial Strategy Phase Two Revision Report of the Panel: September 2009 be properly considered we devoted the first session of Matter 3A on 6 May 2009 to a technical discussion of the new projections. After the close of the EiP certain other announcements emerged, including the final PPS on Eco-towns, updated NHPAU advice and new mid-year population estimates. We have not specifically taken any account of these or other material emerging after the close of the EiP. We do not believe, however, that there is anything in publications issued prior to submission of our report that would have caused us to reach materially different conclusions or recommendations. This report is not intended to give a full account of the Matters discussed in the EiP, although it generally follows the same order, with the main Chapter numbers corresponding to the numbers of the EiP Matters. We draw upon points made in discussion and in various submitted documents in order to show how we arrive at our conclusions. The order of the report also for the most part follows the order in which the relevant policies occur in the RSS document. Where we depart from the structure of the RSS is in Chapter 8 which contains our conclusions and recommendations arising from the sub-regional matters, which relate to the spatial strategy, housing and other policies. Where we recommend changes to RSS policies our recommendations give specific wording. In relation to the supporting text the recommendations set out points which we consider should be covered, but do not give detailed wording except where this is the best way to convey what is required. The recommendations themselves are brought together at the end of each Chapter, with each one referenced at the appropriate point in the text. We have not generally sought to give a summary of our reasoning and conclusions alongside the recommendations. Extensive though some of the Chapters are we consider they are the minimum necessary to give the supporting arguments for our recommendations. However, in the Overview below we have picked out key points and lessons, some of which go wider than the specific recommendations. Acknowledgements We would like to record our thanks to all who participated in the EiP for their contributions and for the co-operation of all involved in responding to the Panel’s requirements and requests. We are particularly grateful to the West Midlands Regional Assembly’s team, led by John Pattinson, for the helpful way in which they responded to the demands of the EiP and to the Panel’s requests for information. We acknowledge also the helpful contribution of Ian Smith and colleagues at the Government Office for the West Midlands. We would like especially to thank all concerned at Wolverhampton Wanderers for providing a welcoming and efficient venue at the Molineux Stadium, and Venue Services Ltd for the sound system and recording. Our thanks are due to our Planning Officers Chris White and Mike Harris of the Planning Inspectorate for their support in preparing for and conducting the EiP and in the production of the report, and to our Panel Assistant David Teasdale. Finally we would like to express our deep gratitude to our Panel Secretary Pam Perceval-Maxwell, whose dedication and tireless effort ensured a successful Examination. Preface West Midlands Regional Spatial Strategy Phase Two Revision Report of the Panel: September 2009 Overview