Charmouth Parish Draft Neighbourhood Plan 2021 – 2035 May 2021 Submission Draft Prepared by the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group on behalf of Charmouth Parish Council Executive Summary What this Plan does… This Neighbourhood Plan sets out planning policies for Charmouth Parish. It will be used by Dorset Council when making decisions on planning applications. It doesn’t cover every issue that could occur as a planning consideration, but it does strengthen the approach taken in the Local Plan by providing more detail of specific issues in some key areas that will make the planning system work better for Charmouth. This Plan reflects the responses received from consultation which we have used to develop and shape the policies. We thought it would be useful to summarise, very briefly, what some of the main policies are and where we expect our Neighbourhood Plan to make a real difference… VISION AND OBJECTIVES The Vision and Objectives for the Plan, on which the policies have been developed, include the development of small scale housing; protecting the village’s unique characteristics; supporting local businesses and amenities; continuing to attract tourists and visitors and enhancing, where possible, the quality of life for residents. In short, the Plan reflects a balance between encouraging moderate growth and development whilst protecting the uniqueness of our village and its natural environment. See Table 2.1 for more information We have also identified a range of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. See Table 2.2 for more information HERITAGE AND HISTORY The Parish has many historical buildings many of which are Listed, and there is a sizeable Conservation Area. There are however a number of structures/assets that are valuable, either as historic value or local heritage that do not have planning protection in their own right. These structures/assets have been identified and a policy included for their protection. See Policy HH1 for more information. ASSETS AND AMENITIES Feedback from residents and businesses reflect how well served the Parish is regarding facilities, amenities and community activities and how much these are valued. It is considered that this is a significant factor in making Charmouth so special, providing essential social fabric and cohesion. Important Community assets and amenities have been identified that contribute to the well-being of the village and a policy protecting them has been included. See Policy AA1 for more information. NATURAL ENVIRONMENT The Plan details specific areas where protection of the environment is required if and when development is carried out, and the measures to be taken to avoid adverse impact. Our overall aim is to protect and maintain the special nature of these areas including their geological, palaeontological and environmental assets. This includes habitats regulations assessment for European wild life sites. This chapter includes policies on the Habitats Regulations, landscape, views and vistas, biodiversity and natural habitats, local green spaces, lighting and pollution, land instability and geology. See Policies HRA1, NE1-NE7 for more information. LOCAL ECONOMY The local economy is heavily dependent on tourism and residents. Residents value the local shops, businesses and services and these facilities provide social cohesion, an essential part of which help makes Charmouth such a great place to live. The Plan looks to protect, wherever possible, commercial properties in the ‘retail hub’ and also encourage small-scale growth for new businesses including re-use of rural buildings. The opportunities are limited but considered worthwhile. See Policies BET1-BET3 for more information. HOUSING This Plan increases the potential for moderate housing growth but only in ways that we believe are supported by the local community. The Plan supports the development of small scale housing sites but does not identify specific building plots for development. It does however set out the design parameters for high quality housing at suitable sites. New housing development includes the provision of rural exception sites for affordable housing. The make-up of affordable housing is specified. The stock of smaller housing in Charmouth is considered low and there remains a need to have for new 1-3 bed homes that would help first time buyers to get onto the property ladder and others to downsize to a smaller property. A provision has been included to protect the stock of new small houses (on rural exception sites) or affordable homes within the Development Boundary by limiting the size of future extensions. Also included in the Plan is a policy on principal residency for new homes which requires residents to occupy their home the majority of the time. This has been included to restrict the growth of second homes to maintain a balance in the community. See Policies H1 – H5 for more information. The Plan recognises the benefit of the existing pedestrian routes and the need to protect them along with the creation of new routes from new housing developments; encouraging people to walk, enjoying the surrounding countryside and giving good access to local facilities. Parking has been a particular concern of local residents. The Plan tries to make sure that the problems are not made worse, by protecting existing parking spaces due to future development. See Policy GA1 and GA2 for more information. ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND COASTAL CHANGE This Plan recognises the impact climate change will have on rising sea levels, coastal change and flooding. The impact of failing coastal defences as anticipated in the medium to long term presents a significant risk. The Plan encourages engineering developments to improve existing defences, prioritising these works over the relocation of premises or services. Such changes will have an impact on the future economy, buildings and homes of the village. Climate change alleviation through energy efficiency proposals are included. See Policies CC1 and CC2 for more information. VILLAGE IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS In response to issues and ideas that have arisen from the Village Survey, a number of possible Village Improvement Projects (VIP) has been identified. See Appendix G of the Plan. These projects do not form part of the Plan itself but are additional actions, which if implemented, could make a real difference to the village. However it will require the community to take these forward as the NP Steering Group will no longer function when and if the Plan is ‘made’ i.e. approved. The above is a summary only so please read the full document! Contents List Executive Summary Page No. 1. Foreword……How this Plan came to be …………………………………………………………………………..1 2. What a Neighbourhood Plan does and why it’s important for Charmouth ……………………6 Its Purpose ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….6 Reading the Plan ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………7 The Vision and Objectives for our Neighbourhood Plan …………………………………………………..8 SWOT Analysis …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………10 Village Improvement Projects ………………………………………………………………………………………….12 3. Overview …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………13 Location and description of Charmouth Parish and Neighbourhood Plan area ………………..13 Summary of key environment, social and economic characteristics ………………………………..15 Historical background, evolution of the village and Conservation area ……………………………17 Communications ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………19 Conservation Area ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………19 AONB and the Jurassic Coast ……………………………………………………………………………………………20 4. Protecting Our Heritage and History ………………………………………………………………………………22 Context …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….22 Listed Buildings …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………25 Conservation Area ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………26 Non-Designated Heritage Assets ………………………………………………………………………………………26 Consideration of development with respect to the above ……………………………………………….29 POLICY HH1: Designated and Non-Designated Heritage Assets ……………………………………..29 5. Protecting Our Assets and Amenities ……………………………………………………………………………..30 Context …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….30 Important Community Assets and Amenities ……………………………………………………………………30 POLICY AA1: Important Community Assets and Amenities ………………………………………….…35 6. Protecting Our Natural Environment ………………………………………………………………………………36 Context …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….36 Landscape …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………37 Habitats Regulations Assessment ……………………………………………………………………………………..40 Page No. POLICY HRA1: Habitats Regulations ……………………………………………………………………………….40 Landscape characteristics ………………………………………………………………………………………………..41 POLICY NE1: Landscape …………………………………………………………………………………………………..42 Views and Vistas ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………43 POLICY NE2: Views and Vistas …………………………………………………………………………………………50 Natural Habitats, Wildlife Corridors and Biodiversity ……………………………………………………….51 The Importance of Biodiversity ………………………………………………………………………………………..51 Green corridors and ecological networks …………………………………………………………………………51 Species biodiversity ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….53 And specifically with regard to development ……………………………………………………………………54 POLICY NE3: Biodiversity and Natural Habitats ………………………………………………………………57 Local Green Spaces …………………………………………………………………………………………………………..58 POLICY NE4: Local Green Spaces ……………………………………………………………………………………..61 Lighting and Pollution ……………………………………………………………………………………………………...61