Wiltshire Local Development Framework Working towards a Core Strategy for Wiltshire Topic paper 3: Settlement strategy Appendices Wiltshire Core Strategy Consultation January 2012 Wiltshire Council Information about Wiltshire Council services can be made available on request in other languages including BSL and formats such as large print and audio. Please contact the council on 0300 456 0100, by textphone on 01225 712500 or by email on [email protected]. Appendix A – Role and Function Study of Local Service Centres Planning Policy Statement 12 (PPS12, 2008) recognises that a settlement strategy is key to ensuring sustainable patterns of development are delivered in appropriate locations at an appropriate scale. The Settlement Strategy Topic Paper provides the detailed background explaining how the settlement strategy for Wiltshire has been identified. Categorising the role and function of settlements is an important first step that will help to understand appropriate levels of growth that should be planned for within settlements. The 2011 Settlement Strategy seeks to provide a framework within which the ambitions of Wiltshire‟s rural communities can be realised. As part of this framework a number of settlements, which are considered to have a pronounced role in the rural area and in most cases act as local services centres serving the wider rural hinterland are identified. There were 5 settlements that have been identified as potentially having a service centre role. These settlements are; Cricklade, Lyneham, Market Lavington, Pewsey & Purton. In very general terms a Local Service Centre will have some or all of the following characteristics. Large population (over 2,000) Significant employment base; A very good range of services; A secondary school; Excellent transport connections; Potential to support development in the rural area; The largest settlement within the community. The table below demonstrates these characteristics. More detail statistics can be found in Appendix B for Lyneham and Purton and Appendix C for Cricklade, Market Lavington and Pewsey. Settlement Pop. 1 Jobs.2 Range of Secon Transport Potential to Commun services3 dary Connectio support rural ity Area School ns area Cricklade 4,100 750 4 Basic No A419 – Possibly limited Wootton Facilities + Strategic (near Swindon & Bassett & Others Highway4 Wootton Bassett Cricklade Lyneham 4,240 4,200 4 Basic No A3102 & Possibly limited Wootton Facilities + Train (near Bassett & Others Station Chippenham & Cricklade Wootton Bassett Market 2,140 435 4 Basic Yes A360 Remote from Devizes Lavington Facilities + Devizes and other Others Market Towns Pewsey 3,400 1,210 4 Basic Yes A345 Only large Pewsey Facilities + settlement in Vale Others of Pewsey Purton 3,370 780 4 Basic Yes None – B Possibly limited Wootton Facilities + Roads (near Swindon & Bassett & Others Wootton Bassett Cricklade 1 Data Source - Wiltshire Small Area estimates 2009 2 Data Source - 2001 Census 3 Data Source - Wiltshire GIS Database 4 Strategic Highway as defined by the Highways Agency Three of these settlements were in the Wootton Bassett and Cricklade Area and as such this area is considered as a whole. The interrelationship and dynamics of this area, which includes Wootton Bassett and is adjacent to Swindon, is a key part of the analysis of these settlements. Wotton Bassett & Cricklade Community Area The Wootton Bassett and Cricklade community area is located in the north-east of Wiltshire and within this community area there are numerous settlements of varying size, providing a range of services and facilities. The principal settlement within the community area is the Market Town of Wootton Bassett, the settlement of Cricklade is identified as a Local Service Centre (See Core Policy 20). This section provides an overview of the issues considered when identifying the status of settlements within the community area as part of the wider Settlement Strategy. Within the Wootton Bassett & Cricklade Community the settlements of Cricklade, Lyneham and Purton have a pronounced role within the area and could potentially be categorised as Local Service Centres. The first important observation to make is that the largest settlement within the community area is Wootton Bassett and this is identified as a Market Town for the purposes of the Core Strategy Settlement Strategy. The smaller settlements of Cricklade, Lyneham and Purton are important settlements within the community area and rightly considered for Local Service Centre status. There are however specific issues, constraints and challenges associated with these settlements that have informed the final judgement on the appropriate classification. It is considered that Cricklade should be taken forward as a Local Service Centre and a detailed analysis of the role and function of this town is provided below. It is very difficult to undertake a comprehensive analysis of settlements smaller than Cricklade due to the lack of data. Nonetheless this section outlines the main considerations in the assessment of Lyneham and Purton which the support the conclusion that these settlements should be categorised as larger villages. The process of categorising settlements within the Wootton Bassett and Cricklade Community Area is considered to be reasonable for the purposes of informing the Settlement Strategy for Wiltshire. Cricklade Housing & Employment Outside of Wootton Bassett, Cricklade is a large settlement to the north of the Community Area. Cricklade is a historical market town and as a result more data is available at the level of the town. The town is located towards the northern border of Wiltshire located at the southern gateway to the Cotswold Water park.The town has seen an average of 13 dwellings per year provide over the period 2001-2010. The average housing price in the town is £182,075 and there remains an need to provide for 74 affordable homes each year to address current housing need. The employment structure of the town is centred around manufacturing, construction - Professional, Scientific & Technical and Education sectors with the key employment locations of Chelworth and Thor industrial estates. Cricklade is a small town which has historically had a limited employment role whilst it is not envisaged that this will change significant, the location of the town in close proximity to the A419 does mean that accessibility to the town is strong which in turn can have positive consequences for future employment growth. Cricklade has a very low self-containment with just 25% of residents working within the town. There is clearly scope for development that encourages greater self-containment. Facilities, Retail & Leisure The retail offer at Cricklade is concentrated along the High Street where a range of retailers and services uses are interspersed with residential uses. There are 16 retail units located along the High Street, ranging from national chains to local independently owned stores. There is a good mix of convenience and services uses in the town although the number of comparison units is below the national average. The number of vacant units in the town is below the national average. Cricklade caters for day to day needs of local residents and due to the accessible nature of the town, the services and facilities on offer are able cater for residents within the wider hinterland. Within Cricklade there are also a number of service uses (approximately 24 units), this includes public houses, cafés, hairdressers and estate agents, the town is also home to a number of primary schools, GP facilities. The town lacks a major leisure use although the natural and historical environment within the town is an attraction in its own right. Transport & Infrastructure Road access to Cricklade can be achieved via the A419. The town does not have its own railway stations but main line services can be accessed at Swindon. Local public transport is available regularly connecting the town to Swindon and other settlements within the community area. Environment & Developable Land The Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) has identified three available sites in Cricklade, one of which is previously developed land. In total these sites amount to around seven hectares of land. Cricklade has a considerable number of historic buildings afforded protection and the historic market place reflects its role as a traditional market town. There are large areas of flood risk to the north of Cricklade. An SSSI is also located to the north of the town, and there are various County Wildlife Sites within and around the town. There are a number of environmental constraints around Cricklade particularly to the north. Previous local plan designations (now removed from policy) in the Local Plan looked to inhibit convergence with Swindon, to the east of the town there has been significant development pressure. Given the constraints around the town and the lack of PDL sites it is considered that development is relatively constrained. Overview It is considered that Cricklade, by virtue of its location and range of services and facilities on offer, should be taken forward as a Local Service Centre. There is real opportunity within the town to provide for the day to day needs of the wider hinterland and offer an alternative to travel into Swindon. The location of the town near to the A419 ensures regular public transport services are provided within the town and also provide opportunities in the future for an expansion of the existing employment base. Lyneham Lyneham is a relatively large village which in normal circumstances would have potential to be considered as a Local Service Centre. However the village is dominated by the large RAF base. Current provision within the settlement is geared up to support the MoD. With the exception of the RAF the employment uses are small scale and commensurate with the settlement of its size. The location of Lyneham, 6 miles north of Calne and some 3 miles south of Wootton Bassett undermines the potential for the settlement to have a pronounced role for the wider rural area, with the exception of perhaps providing some provision for the village of Bradenstoke.