Report to Councillor David Finch, Forward Plan reference number: Leader of the Council FP/360/01/16 Date of report: 15 March 2016 County Divisions affected by the decision: All divisions in Basildon Borough and divisions adjoining Basildon Borough Title of report: ECC response to the Basildon Borough Draft New Local Plan Consultation Document, January 2016 Report by Andrew Cook, Director of Operations: Environment and Economy Enquiries to Lesley Stenhouse Principal Planner, [email protected] Phone: 03330 136 826 1. Purpose of report 1.1. The purpose of this Cabinet Member Action is to approve the proposed Essex County Council (ECC) formal response to the public consultation of the Basildon Borough Draft New Local Plan Consultation Document (January 2016), as set out in Annex 1. 2. Recommendations 2.1. Agree to send the response in Annex 1 concerning the Basildon Borough Draft New Local Plan Consultation Document. 2.2. Agree that ECC will continue to work with Basildon Borough Council (BBC) as it prepares its Local Plan to ensure the full range of infrastructure requirements arising from growth and development options are appropriate and adequately assessed. ECC will work in partnership with BBC to ensure the delivery of its key services potentially arising from the planned growth. 3. Background and proposal Background and planning policy context 3.1 The Draft New Local Plan is the document that will guide all development, infrastructure and future planning priorities for BBC between now and 2034. The Local Plan will support the delivery of BBC’s overall vision and its priorities for regeneration, housing and economic growth. The Government requires local authorities to put in place Local Plans which provide certainty for the supply of housing land for a period up to 10 years and ideally up to 15 years, together with proposals for economic growth, infrastructure development and other specific requirements outlined in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). 1 3.2 The importance of having an up to date Local Plan for the future development and growth of a local authority’s area was emphasised by the Minister for Housing and Planning (Brandon Lewis M.P.) in July 2015, who stated that the Government will intervene in Local Plan preparation where a local authority has not produced a Local Plan by 2017. The form of this intervention has yet to be determined but the preparation of a new Local Plan by BBC has been prioritised in order to meet the deadline. 3.3 The Basildon Local Plan was adopted in 1999 and the policies were “saved” in September 2007. The Basildon Local Plan Saved Policies (2007) form the interim planning policy framework. The plan was not prepared under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2005 and is not compliant with the NPPF, which came into force in March 2012. As a consequence, BBC has reviewed and updated its emerging draft Local Plan to ensure compliance with national policy with a 20 year plan period of 2014 to 2034. This is now subject to a six week public consultation period from the 28 January to 24 March 2016. 3.4 The preparation of a new Basildon Local Plan has undertaken several iterations and the most recent consultation was the ‘Basildon Local Plan Core Strategy Revised Preferred Options’ in January 2014. ECC was generally supportive of the emerging proposals and resolved to continue to work with BBC to ensure: a. education needs are appropriate and adequately assessed; b. mitigation required at junctions and links where highway capacity has been exceeded is identified; and c. specific and general amendments were recommended to improve consistency with the NPPF and to ensure ECC is able to assist in the delivery of its key services arising from the planned growth. 3.5 Following this consultation, BBC has taken the opportunity to review the suite of Local Plans they had programmed in their Local Development Framework and has now prepared a consolidated Draft New Local Plan. This builds upon the earlier iterations of the Core Strategy (as above) and now includes site allocations, development management policies, and allocations and policies for Gypsy and Traveller provision. The Draft New Local Plan also includes a land allocation which was BBC’s element of the Dunton Garden Suburb Concept Consultation (January 2015) for which ECC withheld support until the evidence was in place. 3.6 The Draft New Local Plan is effectively a “Preferred Options” plan and in accordance with planning policy it includes details of the alternative options considered. It has been prepared and informed by the evidence base, much of which informed the Core Strategy and remains valid, as well as new and “refreshed” evidence to inform the wider scope of the plan. Key evidence and studies include: Employment Land and Premises Study, Landscape Character and Landscape Sensitivity Study; Green Belt Study; Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople Local Needs Accommodation Assessment; population projection studies; transport modelling (in consultation with ECC); a South Essex Strategic Housing Market Assessment; and an Infrastructure Baseline Assessment. 3.7 The consultation also seeks views on a draft New Local Plan Sustainability Appraisal (SA), which assesses the new Local Plan against a range of social, 2 environmental and economic indicators and helps to identify all the likely significant effects. This helps to ensure the emerging policies, plans and allocations in the new Local Plan are promoting sustainable development. A Habitat Regulations Assessment (HRA) also accompanies the consultation, and considers whether the Local Plan would adversely affect a European habitat site. 3.8 ECC has worked with BBC to support the preparation of the Draft New Local Plan through regular dialogue, including highway liaison and duty to co-operate meetings; establishment of a new South Essex Transport Board; and the development of highway modelling, mitigation and high level costings to inform and shape the preferred spatial options and allocations. This engagement has focused on the following ECC functions - highways; infrastructure planning; education and early years and child care; independent living; flood and water management; minerals and waste, as well as other service requirements. That said, this is the first opportunity for ECC to review, in context, all proposals in their entirety in a single draft Local Plan together with the specific site allocations and the accompanying evidence base. Summary of the Basildon Draft New Local Plan Consultation Document A. Format 3.9 The consultation document format follows that of the NPPF, starting with the vision & objectives; achieving sustainable development (growth requirements and spatial distribution); economic growth; ensuring vitality and regeneration of town centres; sustainable transport; quality communications infrastructure; high quality homes; good design; healthy communities; green belt protections; meeting the challenges for climate change and flooding; conserving and enhancing both the natural and historic environment; and finally, implementation. 3.10 The format starts with the overarching strategy; then more detailed site allocations, and development management policies. Within each chapter the preferred and alternative options are presented, with the opportunity to identify any further matters that are not addressed within the document. B. Headlines 3.11 The proposed strategy seeks to meet in full, the objectively assessed need for housing (15,260 new homes) and employment (49ha of land) supported by sufficient infrastructure. The spatial growth is broadly a proportionate distribution of development to the main towns of Basildon, Billericay and Wickford, based on their population size, and the release of land from the Green Belt for housing and employment uses. 3.12 The strategy proposes the release of 300 ha of land beyond the existing urban area around Basildon, 80 ha around Billericay and 83 ha around Wickford, with the emphasis on significant extensions to the east and west of Basildon. The distribution of future growth is outlined in the table below. 3 Table 1 Distribution of Growth Settlement Settlement New New % of % of type Dwelling Employment New Homes Current Provision Provision Population Main Basildon (including 8,835 48ha 59.3 60.6 settlement Laindon, Pitsea, Noak area Bridge, steeple View and Dunton) Towns Billericay 1,860 0.3ha 12.5 19.9 Wickford 3,300 0.7ha 22.1 17.3 Serviced Crays Hill 45 0.3 0.4 Settlement Ramsden Bellhouse 45 0.3 0.4 Bowers Gifford 600 4.0 0.5 Un-serviced 13 Plotland 218 1.5 0.9 settlements Settlements Total 14,903* 49ha 100 100 *This exceeds the 14,582 target to be identified once the 2014 housing completions are excluded. 3.13 To deliver the 15,260 new homes, a sequential approach is proposed, to optimise the use of previously developed land in the urban areas for development to deliver 6,500 to 7,000 new homes and 38 ha of industrial land; with the remaining 8,000 to 8,500 new homes and 11 to 14 ha of employment land accommodated by the release of land in the Green Belt. 3.14 The West Basildon Urban Extension allocation, continues to be promoted as originally set out in the Core Strategy (2014), it is not proposed to take this forward as part of a joint Dunton Garden suburb with Brentwood Borough Council. BBC reports that it has not been possible for either Council to resolve the Dunton Garden suburb proposal in isolation to their Local Plans. BBC felt Brentwood BC has not provided sufficient information at this time to show this is the best location for new housing provision in the borough of Brentwood. Accordingly, BBC has stated that it cannot support a joint approach in their draft Plan. C. Housing 3.15 Provision is made for 15,260 new residential dwellings (net) to be built over the plan period 2014 to 2034, at an annual average rate of 763 dwellings per annum (dpa) (or 615 dpa in the first 5 years and 822 dpa in the latter 15 years).