Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council Local Development Plan Paper Paper 14 : Strategic Settlement Evaluation April 2017 PAPER 14: STRATEGIC SETTLEMENT EVALUATION CONTENTS PAGE(S) Purpose & Contents 3 Section 1: Introduction 4 Section 2: Regional Policy Context 4 Section 3: Existing Area Plans 11 Section 4: Settlement Evaluation Methodology 12 Section 5: Settlement Evaluation Conclusions 17 Section 6: Conclusion & Recommendation 21 Appendices 22 TABLES Table 1: ACBCBC Settlement Hierarchy Urban / Rural split (2011) Table 2: RDS 2035 Hierarchy of Settlements Related Infrastructure Wheel Table 3: Housing Evaluation Framework FIGURES Figure 1: RDS 2035 Spatial Framework for NI Figure 2: General Settlement Hierarchy APPENDICES Appendix 1: ACBCBC Settlement Appraisals Appendix 2: Existing Settlement Hierarchy Table for ACBCBC Borough Appendix 3: Proposed ACBCBC Settlement Hierarchy Table Appendix 4: ACBCBC Housing Land Availability Report 2014 Appendix 5: ACBCBC Borough Location Map Appendix 6: Suggested New Small Settlement / New Node Maps Appendix 7: Settlements without NIW WWTW Capacity Information 2 PURPOSE: To provide members with a strategic evaluation of all of the Borough’s existing settlements as identified in the Armagh Area Plan 2004, Armagh Area Plan 2004 (Alteration No 1: Armagh Countryside Proposals), Craigavon Area Plan 2010 the Banbridge, Newry and Mourne Area Plan 2015 and The Dungannon, South Tyrone Area Plan 2010, identify their role within a proposed new settlement hierarchy for the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Local Development Plan (LDP) and to identify any potential new settlements for consideration. CONTENTS: The paper provides: (i) The regional policy context for future physical development across a settlement hierarchy; (ii) An overview of the existing settlement hierarchies provided under the extant plans for the Borough; (iii) An evaluation of each settlement in the context of the Housing Evaluation Framework Table and the Hierarchy of Settlements and Related Infrastructure Wheel of the Regional Development Strategy 2035; (iv) An assessment of likely constraints for each settlement which may inform future land use decisions in relation to potential settlement expansion; and (v) A proposed settlement hierarchy for Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon taking account of the settlement evaluation. 3 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Settlements throughout the Council area perform important functions, be it at the regional level, as a service centre for a wider area, or as a local facility to meet the day to day needs of those in the local area. One of the functions of the new LDP is to determine the role of settlements across the Borough, taking account of regional guidance and local circumstances, and guide development proposals appropriate to a settlement’s role and function within the settlement hierarchy. 1.2 The Settlement Evaluation Report is one strand of the Countryside Assessment which also comprises identification of Environmental Assets, a Landscape Character Assessment and a Development Pressure Analysis. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the existing settlements within the Borough and provide a new settlement hierarchy which identifies settlements and their role within the hierarchy in accordance with the RDS 2035 Spatial Framework Guidance and the SPPS. 1.3 The first position paper, Population and Growth (presented to Council in July 2014) recommended that the settlement hierarchy for the new Council area be re-examined to identify if any settlements need to be re-classified based on their function and services. At a Settlements Workshop held in June 2015, members discussed the settlement hierarchy and suggested variations to the classification of a number of settlements. A number of locations were also suggested as new settlements in the new settlement hierarchy. A summary of those areas and the findings from that workshop is included in this paper. Further workshops for members were held in September and October 2016 to review these findings. The output from this workshop has been incorporated within this paper. 2.0 Regional Policy Context 2.1 The Regional Development Strategy (RDS) 2035, in guiding future physical development of the region, identifies a hierarchy of settlements based on main hubs, local hubs and a strong rural community living either in small towns, villages, small settlements or in the open countryside. 2.2 The RDS 2035 contains a Spatial Framework (See Figure 1 below) which is aimed at achieving sustainable development and promoting economic development opportunities and population growth in the hubs and clusters. 4 Figure 1: RDS 2035 Spatial Framework for NI 2.3 For the rural area outside of the main and local hubs, the Spatial Framework guidance is to improve accessibility and sustain the rural communities living in smaller settlements (small towns and villages and small rural settlements) and the open countryside and to improve accessibility for rural communities. The RDS recognises that a strong network of smaller towns supported by villages helps to sustain and service the rural community. A sustainable approach to further development is important to ensure that growth does not exceed the capacity of the essential infrastructure expected for modern living. 2.4 The RDS identifies Armagh City, Banbridge Town and Craigavon Urban Area as main hubs and highlights the potential to cluster and to capitalise on their strategic position on the Belfast/Dublin and Belfast/Enniskillen/Sligo transport corridors (See Figure 1 above). Craigavon is the third largest centre of population in Northern Ireland and performs a strong sub-regional function offering a wide range of services and facilities including an acute hospital. It also benefits from its drive time to Belfast of around 30 minutes and a stop on the Belfast to Dublin Railway line. Banbridge benefits from its strategic location on the Belfast Dublin transport corridor and will continue to have a key role as an important retail and commercial centre within the cluster. Armagh City has a unique sense of place in Ireland and has been the spiritual capital of Ireland since around 445AD. Armagh is a rich heritage and a tourism destination with an abundance of cultural product. Armagh’s potential in tourism terms relies largely upon strategic improvements to the transport 5 corridor around the city. The combined ABC Cluster has the second largest population within the 11 Councils. 2.5 The ABC settlements vary greatly in size, form, function and capacity to accommodate growth. Some of the larger settlements currently designated as villages are urban in character, accommodating important local businesses and a range of shops and services whilst others act more so as ‘dormitory settlements’ adjacent to the hubs and lack facilities and services. A number of settlements have declined and lost basic services which were present when designated whilst some have grown significantly since they were designated. 2.6 The approach to designating ABC settlements varied between the four extant area plans (Armagh Area Plan 2004 & Alteration No 1:Armagh Countryside Proposals, Banbridge, Newry & Mourne Area Plan 2015, Craigavon Area Plan 2010 & The Craigavon Town Centre Boundaries and Retail Designations Plan 2010 and the Dungannon, South Tyrone Area Plan 2010). Some of our existing settlements have been designated outside the context of the RDS 2035 Housing Growth Indicators (HGIs) and therefore currently have very generous settlement development limits. In a number of instances, these generous limits have afforded significant opportunities for growth which would be beyond what you may reasonably expect within settlements of that size. We should consider this different approach to settlement designation in considering new settlements and attempt to bring a level of consistency in the new LDP. Table 1: The ACBCBC Settlement Hierarchy urban / rural household split at 2011 Settlement Category 2011 H/hold (No) 2011 H/hold (%)* Hubs (Armagh City, Banbridge 38279 51 Town & Craigavon Urban Area) Local Towns 7519 10 Villages 8812 11 Total Urban * 54610 72 Rural Remainder (Small 20896 28 Settlements & C’side) Total ACBCBC Borough 75,506 100 Source: - NISRA Census 2011. .*Total Urban is the sum of city, urban area, towns & villages. Rural Remainder relates to remainder not urban. Hierarchy of Settlements and Related Infrastructure Wheel 2.7 The RDS provides a Hierarchy of Settlements and Related Infrastructure Wheel (See Table 2) outlines the patterns of service provision that are likely to be appropriate at different spatial levels including villages, urban centres / smaller towns, regional towns/clusters and principal cities. The model 6 recognises the strong relationship between settlement size and the levels of service that can be supported. 2.8 The RDS and the wheel also recognises that: • Settlements often provide either a greater or lesser range of services and facilities than the core population may dictate. It is not appropriate therefore to consider settlement or urban population alone in classifying service settlements within any district – the population of rural hinterlands can also support services in urban centres; • Service centres tend to be hierarchical, with a large number of centres providing a smaller range of services and facilities, and a smaller number of centres providing a wider range. Each class of settlement provides services lower down in the hierarchy; and • Access to services and facilities is important.