Item 6 North York Moors National Park Authority Planning Committee 10 December 2015 Scarborough Borough Local Plan 1. Purpose of the Report 1.1 To inform Members of the content of the consultation on the Proposed Submission version of the Scarborough Borough Local Plan and to agree the Authority’s response. 2. Introduction 2.1 Scarborough’s present Local Plan was intended to guide development of the borough up to 2006. Prior to the Government’s changes to the national planning system in 2012, the Council had been committed to producing a set of Development Plan Documents under the overall branding of the Local Development Framework. Using this existing evidence base work and consultation as part of the LDF process, the Council is currently preparing a draft Local Plan document to accord with the requirements of the NPPF. 2.2 The policy and allocations contained within the Local Plan will be used to guide development proposals and planning applications. The Local Plan will be the main delivery mechanism for the borough’s aspirations and the various elements of the Sustainable Community Strategy. It will be the main steer in how the council and the borough will develop up to 2032. 2.3 The Local Plan will allocate sites for housing, employment, retail and other forms of development. It will set the criteria for the determination of planning applications and set out how other plans and strategies will be implemented. 2.4 The Proposed Submission Local Plan is attached as Appendix 1 and the Policies Map is attached at Appendix 2. All other associated documentation is available on the Council’s website; http://www.scarborough.gov.uk/home/planning/planning-policy/local- plan/new-local-plan. 2.5 This version of the plan is the Proposed Submission document and allows for further engagement with the public and statutory bodies before it is formally submitted to the Secretary of State where it will be subject of an Independent Examination (anticipated to be summer 2016). At this stage of the process the Council is seeking comments relating to matters of legal compliance, soundness, and meeting the Duty to Cooperate. Soundness 2.6 To be ‘sound’ a plan should be positively prepared, justified, effective and consistent with national policy which means that it must be founded on a robust and credible evidence base and be the most appropriate strategy when considered against the reasonable alternatives. For a plan to be effective, it must be deliverable, flexible and able to be monitored. 2.7 The requirement for plans to be ‘positively prepared’ requires a plan to be prepared on a strategy which seeks to meet objectively assessed development and infrastructure requirements, including unmet requirements from neighbouring authorities where it is reasonable to do so and consistent with achieving sustainable development. Duty to Cooperate 2.8 Public bodies also have to meet the ‘Duty to Cooperate’ test and address cross boundary administrative and planning issues, particularly strategic priorities. The Government expects joint working on areas of common interest to be diligently undertaken for the mutual benefit of neighbouring authorities. 3. Key Points from the Scarborough Local Plan relevant to the National Park 3.1 The Scarborough Local Plan begins by setting out the context in which the Plan is written and highlights the following key messages: • The Borough has a higher proportion of people over the age of 60 and conversely a lower proportion of people aged between 20 and 30 years when compared with regional and national averages. • There is a need to diversify the economic base to complement the historic reputation of the area as a tourist destination and make the economy more resilient to long-term change. • Overall, levels of education attainment are lower than the regional and national averages however the development of a University Technical College will assist young people with skills relevant to manufacturing and other industries. • Accessibility and transport links with the wider region remains an issue due to the relative remoteness and peripheral location of the Borough. • An ongoing challenge in seeking the preservation or enhancement of heritage assets is presented with the proposed levels of growth within the Plan. • The Borough is adjoined by areas of landscape protection of the North York Moors, the extensive archaeological landscape along the length of the Vale of Pickering and also Water Source Protection Zones. To the south of the plan area there are constraints in terms of flood risk, drainage and waste water treatment capacity. • The availability of land is limited by topography, the coast and the national designation of the North York Moors. 3.2 The Plan sets out a Vision for Scarborough Borough in 2032 which references the important visual interaction with the North York Moors National Park. The recognition of the tourism opportunities by having easy access to the National Park and the need to protect the local built, natural and historic environment of the adjoining Park are also recognised. Settlement Hierarchy 3.3 The Plan identifies the need to make clear spatial choices for the distribution of development and sets out a Settlement Hierarchy. This focusses development around the Scarborough Urban Area to enhance Scarborough’s role as the “principal town”, followed by Whitby and Filey. Small-scale development opportunities will also be supported in the “service villages” which includes East & West Ayton and Sleights and for “rural villages”, new development will be limited to the sustainable use of existing buildings and infill opportunities. On the edge of rural villages, housing development is to be permitted to meet local needs, recognising that an element of open market housing may be required to deliver essential affordable units. The planned distribution of housing is as follows: • Scarborough Urban Area 76% • Whitby 11% • Filey 5% • Service Villages 6.5% • Smaller Villages 1.5% The housing allocations can be viewed in the Policies Map document attached as Appendix 2 and a summary of each site is found in Appendix A – Housing Site Allocation Statements - of the Local Plan document. Implications for the National Park 3.4 The overall strategy for the Borough and the designation of places in the settlement hierarchy is considered to offer a sustainable pattern of development, building on the existing roles of settlements and the services they have to offer. However within these policies no mention is made of those villages which are split by the National Park boundary where it is likely that a more considered approach may need to be taken in terms of scale and location of development. Officers therefore consider that the supporting text should make better reference to villages split by the National Park boundary in order to ensure a co-ordinated policy approach is adopted which recognises that part of the settlement lies within a nationally protected area. 3.5 While in principle the concentration of development in and around Scarborough is considered a sensible approach, local concern has been raised in particular to the traffic using the Forge Valley as a ‘rat run’ which links the A170 and A171 without having to pass through Scarborough itself. While this issue is acknowledged, it is the responsibility of the Highways Authority to regulate traffic and their comments will have been sought as part of this consultation process. The Forge Valley itself falls within the National Park and therefore further discussions can be held when the Authority starts its new Local Plan process in 2016. North Yorkshire County Council are also consulting on their Local Transport Plan 4 which will set out the council's priorities, plans and strategies for all aspects of the local transport system for the next 30 years, and the Authority has raised these concerns as part of this consultation. 3.6 Scalby primarily falls within the Scarborough Plan area however the National Park boundary abuts the development fringes of the settlement. It is identified as part of the Scarborough Urban Area which is a focus for growth and where the majority of new development is to take place which deviates from its role as a service village in the Authority’s Local Development Framework. Officers do however feel that some recognition needs to be made of the proximity of the National Park boundary. 3.7 Whitby (including Ruswarp) has been identified as the principle settlement in the northern part of the Borough recognising its role as a service and employment centre for both its own population and that of the wider Esk Valley and beyond. The supporting text does however make reference to Whitby’s interaction with the North York Moors and the development constraints this brings, and the need to maintain Whitby’s unique character. 3.8 The designation of East & West Ayton and Sleights as service villages is consistent with the Authority’s LDF in that they are recognised locations where small scale development opportunities may be acceptable. Several schemes are designated for developments (Policies Map 17) which are considered acceptable in relation to the setting of the National Park. 3.9 While the smaller villages of Sawdon, Sandsend and Ruston have been identified as rural villages in line with the Authority’s LDF, the Plan identifies that on edge of settlement locations (exception sites) open market housing may be required to deliver essential affordable units. This approach differs significantly from the Authority’s current exception site policy where developments in these locations are to provide 100% affordable units. This approach is consistent with national policy in the NPPF and clearly helps deliver affordable housing by increasing site viability. It does however, undermine the concept of “exception sites” which by definition are sites where general housing development would not be appropriate.