LOCAL DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK Development Plan Document Core Strategy Adopted 3 April 2007 S W Quartermain BA(Hons) Dip TP MRTPI Director of Planning and Environmental Services Hambleton District Council, Civic Centre, Stone Cross, Northallerton DL6 2UU Telephone: 0845 1211 555 Email: [email protected] Foreword The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 The Council has sought genuine participation in brought in major changes to the development plans planning for the future of Hambleton throughout system. The old system of Structure Plans and Local the preparation of this document, as it is doing for Plans is replaced by a Regional Spatial Strategy and all the other LDF documents. This document a Local Development Framework. This Council is should be read together with two other important required to prepare the Local Development documents: the Statement of Consultation, which Framework (or “LDF”) to replace the existing explains how participation has been undertaken, Local Plan. and how views have been taken into account, and the Sustainability Appraisal (including a Hambleton District Council welcomes the new Strategic Environmental Assessment), which system because it will result in quicker, more shows how the sustainability of the Core Strategy flexible and transparent plan preparation, and has been assessed at each stage in the process, because of the potential it offers to plan positively and how these findings have been taken into for the area. The Council is committed to providing account to ensure that the Core Strategy a high quality and responsive planning service that proposed here contributes to achieving a meets the needs of the community, and includes truly sustainable Hambleton. full community involvement and engagement. It recognises that an efficient and effective planning service is central to delivering the Community Plan for Hambleton and the Council’s vision and corporate priorities. Our aim is to produce a Local Development Framework that is distinctive to Hambleton, which is an effective response to local issues and priorities, and which contributes to our corporate vision of “Making Life Better”. This document concerns the strategy at the heart of the new Local Development Framework – the Core Strategy. i HAMBLETON LOCAL DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK CORE STRATEGY April 2007 Contents Foreword .......................................................................i. Contents.......................................................................ii. Schedule of Core Strategy Policies ..................iii. 1. Introduction and Context .......................................1 2. Strategic Vision and Objectives...........................4 3. Spatial Strategy........................................................15 4. Strategic Spatial Policies......................................22 4.1 Meeting local development needs sustainably ..........................................22 4.2 Developing a balanced housing market...............................................30 4.3 Supporting prosperous communities.....................................................40 4.4 Maintaining quality environments ....................................49 4.5 Creating healthy and safe communities...........................................53 Key Diagram..........................................................................56 ANNEXES ..............................................................................57 Annex 1: The New Planning System...........................59 Annex 2: Policies in the Hambleton District Wide Local Plan replaced by Core Strategy Policies..............................65 Annex 3: Community Views............................................67 Annex 4: Integration of Strategies and Conformity.................................................77 Annex 5: Monitoring..........................................................93 Annex 6: Service Centre Hinterlands..........................99 Annex 7: Glossary ............................................................103 ii HAMBLETON LOCAL DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK CORE STRATEGY April 2007 Schedule of Core Strategy Policies Section 4.1 – Meeting local Section 4.4 – Maintaining development needs sustainably quality environments CP1 Sustainable development.............................23 CP16 Protecting and enhancing natural and CP2 Access .................................................................24 man-made assets............................................50 CP3 Community assets...........................................25 CP17 Promoting high quality design...................52 CP4 Settlement hierarchy......................................26 CP18 Prudent use of natural resources .............52 Section 4.2 – Developing a Section 4.5 – Creating healthy balanced housing market and safe communities CP5 The scale of new housing............................30 CP19 Recreational facilities and amenity open space.......................................54 CP5A The scale of new housing by sub-area ..32 CP20 Design and the reduction of crime..........54 CP6 Distribution of housing .................................32 CP21 Safe response to natural CP7 Phasing of housing.........................................33 and other forces ..............................................55 CP8 Type, size and tenure of housing..............34 CP9 Affordable housing .........................................37 CP9A Affordable housing exceptions..................39 Section 4.3 – Supporting prosperous communities CP10 The scale of new employment development......................................................41 CP10A The scale of new employment development by sub-area ............................42 CP11 Distribution of new employment development............................44 CP12 Priorities for employment development..45 CP13 Market towns regeneration.........................46 CP14 Retail and town centre development ......46 CP15 Rural regeneration..........................................48 iii HAMBLETON LOCAL DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK CORE STRATEGY April 2007 iv HAMBLETON LOCAL DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK CORE STRATEGY April 2007 1. Introduction and Context 1.1 This report represents the first major stage in Consultation and Sustainability Appraisal Hambleton District Council’s work to replace 1.4 This report needs to be considered together the old-style Hambleton District Wide Local with two important documents which Plan with a new Local Development accompany it: the Core Strategy Pre- Framework or LDF. The requirement to Submission Consultation Statement and the produce an LDF was established by the Core Strategy Sustainability Appraisal Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, (including the Strategic Environmental which came into force in September 2004. Assessment), both of which can be found on The new LDF system is described in more the Council’s website www.hambleton.gov.uk detail in Annex 1 to this report, which – under the Environment heading and explains its objective of achieving sustainable Planning Policy – Local Development development through a spatial planning Framework. In addition, various technical approach. Annex 2 identifies the policies in supporting documents have been prepared the Hambleton District Wide Local Plan that and taken into account in preparing the are replaced by policies within this Core Core Strategy. These are referred to Strategy. A Glossary of terms is provided throughout the text and summarised in as Annex 7. Annex 1. They are also available from the Council and via the website. 1.2 This document concerns the strategy at the heart of the new Plan – the Core Strategy. 1.5 The Core Strategy Pre-Submission This sets out the long-term spatial vision and Consultation Statement explains how the spatial objectives and strategic policies to community involvement has been undertaken deliver that vision. and how views have been taken into account throughout the stages leading up to the 1.3 The Core Strategy was submitted to the present. This includes the “statement of Government on 17th February 2006 for compliance”, which indicates how this independent examination. 487 representations process has followed the Regulations and the were received by 31st March 2006 from 77 Council’s intentions set out in the Statement organisations and individuals. 111 indicated of Community Involvement (one of the other that the plan was sound and 376 said it was components of the LDF – see Annex 1). unsound. A public examination was held One of the key ingredients of the new LDF between 10th and 20th October 2006 and the system is the recognition of the need for the Inspector’s binding report was received on earliest and fullest public involvement in the 19th February 2007. preparation of the new Plan. The Consultation Statement explains the process which has been undertaken and how comments have influenced the form of the submission Core Strategy, commencing with consultation on key issues in March/April 2003, followed by topic papers in April/May 2005, and culminating in the “Preferred Options” for the Core Strategy which were published for discussion during July/August 2005. A brief summary of these stages and the important issues that were raised are given in Annex 3 of this report. 1 HAMBLETON LOCAL DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK CORE STRATEGY April 2007 1.6 The Core Strategy Sustainability Appraisal was submitted to the Government in December (including the Strategic Environmental 2005, and was subject of public examination at Assessment) or SA/SEA is a formal part of broadly