Proposed Aberdeen Local Development Plan 2020 1 2 Aberdeen Local Development Plan - Proposed Plan Section Content Page Forewords 1. A Sustainable Vision for Aberdeen 2. How to use this Plan National Planning Framework for Scotland Aberdeen City and Shire Strategic Development Plan Aberdeen Local Development Plan – Working Towards the Vision 3. The Spatial Strategy Overview Brownfield Sites Greenfield Development Land Release Delivery of Mixed Communities Directions for Growth Bridge of Don/ Grandhome, Dyce, Bucksburn and Woodside Kingswells and Greenferns, Countesswells Deeside, Loirston and Cove 4. Monitoring and Review – Infrastructure Planning and Delivery 1. Infrastructure Requirements for Masterplan Zones 2. Monitoring Infrastructure and Development Delivery Policy Areas 5. Health and Wellbeing 6. Protecting and Enhancing the Natural Environment 7. Quality Placemaking by Design 8. Using Resources Sustainably 9. Meeting Housing and Community Needs 10. The Vibrant City 11. Delivering Infrastructure, Transport and Accessibility 12. Supporting Business and Industrial Development 13. Glossary 14. Appendices 1. Brownfield Sites 2. Opportunity Sites 3. Masterplan Zones 4. Supplementary Guidance (SG) and Aberdeen Planning Guidance (APG) 5. Schedule of Land Owned by Local Authority 3 Policy Areas Section Policy Page 3. The Spatial Strategy LR1 Land Release Policy LR2 Delivery of Mixed Use Communities 5. Health and Wellbeing WB1 Healthy Developments WB2 Air Quality WB3 Noise WB4 Specialist Care Facilities WB5 Changing Place Toilets 6. Protecting and Enhancing the Natural Environment NE1 Green Belt NE2 Green and Blue Infrastructure NE3 Our Natural Heritage NE4 Our Water Environment NE5 Trees and Woodland 7. Quality Placemaking by Design D1 Quality Placemaking D2 Amenity D3 Big Buildings D4 Landscape D5 Landscape Design D6 Historic Environment D7 Our Granite Heritage D8 Windows and Doors D9 Shopfronts 8. Sustainable use of Resources R1 Minerals R2 Degraded and Contaminated Land R3 New Waste Management Facilities R4 Energy from Waste R5 Waste Management Requirements for New Development R6 Low and Zero Carbon Buildings, and Water Efficiency 4 R7 Renewable and Low Carbon Energy Developments R8 Heat Networks 9. Meeting Housing and Community Needs H1 Residential Areas H2 Mixed Use Areas H3 Density H4 Housing Mix and Need H5 Affordable Housing H6 Gypsy and Traveller Caravan Sites H7 Student Accommodation Developments H8 Houses in Multiple Occupation and Overprovision CF1 Existing Community Sites and Facilities CF2 New Community Facilities 10. The Vibrant City VC1 Vibrant City VC2 Tourism and Culture VC3 Network of Centres VC4 City Centre and Retail Core VC5 City Centre Living VC6 West End Area VC7 West End Shops and Cafes VC8 Town, District, Neighbourhood and Commercial Centres VC9 Out of Centre Proposals VC10 Local Shop Units VC11 Beach and Leisure VC12 Retail Development Serving New Development Areas 11. Delivering Infrastructure, Transport and Accessibility I1 Infrastructure Delivery and Planning Obligations T1 Land for Transport T2 Sustainable Transport T3 Parking CI1 Digital Infrastructure 5 CI2 Telecommunications Infrastructure 12. Supporting Business and Industrial Development B1 Business and Industrial Land B2 Business Zones B3 Aberdeen International Airport and Perwinnes Radar B4 Aberdeen Harbour B5 Energy Transition Zones B6 Pipelines, Major Hazards and Explosive Storage Sites 6 Forewords (Final Wording to be Agreed with Convenors) Foreword from the Convenor of Strategic Place Planning Health and well-being are key components of creating successful, sustainable places. National Planning Framework 3, Scottish Planning Policy and the Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Strategic Development Plan all highlight the relationship between well- planned places, a healthy lifestyle, well-being and social inclusion. Planning and health and well-being have historic connections. Planning by public authorities was initially used as a mechanism for improving the health of the working population in the Victorian era. More recently, good health and well-being are intrinsically linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals in particular Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. Ensuring physical and mental health and well-being goes beyond providing healthcare services, development should create a healthy environment whilst not contributing to negative health outcomes. This relies on creating environments that foster better health, have reduced inequalities in well-being and which allow people to live active, engaged, independent and healthy lifestyles. The Aberdeen Community Planning Partnership’s Local Outcome Improvement Plan 2016-2026 (LOIP) notes there are wide divisions in health and life expectancy between the richest and the poorest communities in our City, with a 14 year life expectancy gap reported between some areas. The LOIP aims to help individuals and communities look after their health, particularly through the choices they make and lifestyles they adopt. Consideration also has to be given to future need, changing demographics, an ageing population and dementia friendly design. Evidence has shown well planned local environments and good quality housing can have a substantial impact on the quality of life of someone living with dementia, and more widely to the general population. As outlined by the World Health Organisation: ‘Preventing disease through healthy environments’ (2016), city planning and management are of particular importance for reducing the burden of unhealthy environments. The creation of places which foster physical and mental health and well-being is dependent on policies being considered holistically. Local development plan policies on open space, natural environment, sustainable and active travel, housing, food growing, energy, heating, and quality placemaking by design all facilitate health and well-being implicitly, whereas policies on air quality, noise, and specialist care facilities are more direct in their link to health and well-being. As such; 7 • Safe, convenient active travel and good neighbourhood design promotes physical activity, enhances social connections and strengthens mental health. • Compact neighbourhood design with walkable local facilities and public transport accessibility allows car free access to services, amenities and employment which increase health benefits and reduces the impact of poverty • Increased access to natural and planned open space with varied and safe opportunities to play and meet has a positive impact on physical activity levels and mental health. • A mix of good quality affordable homes of all types and sizes to meet differing needs increase health benefits and reduces the impact of poverty. • Protection from environmental hazards; increasing air and water quality, reducing noise pollution, and reducing carbon emissions has a positive impact on physical and mental health. The Planning Scotland Act 2019 brings health to the forefront of planning once more. Health Impact Assessments will ensure the health and well-being needs of Aberdeen’s population, and the likely effects of development and use of land on those health needs are assessed This is the first Local Development Plan to be produced since the formation of the Aberdeen Integration Authority. As a result of the Joint Working (Public Bodies) legislation, the local authority now has a vested interest and responsibility to improve the health and wellbeing of all citizens of Aberdeen and is able to bring its planning levers to bear. We now have the opportunity to use our spatial planning for the next 10 years, to focus on improving the health and wellbeing of citizens. But we also have to use our spatial planning in order to support the energy transition of the city to enable the achievement of (+SG target) whilst also ensuring the continued economic success of the city. So a triple aim of this local development plan is • to improve the health and well being of our citizens, • To support the energy transition of the city to zero emissions • To support the continued economic vibrancy of the city through the facilitation of expansion in all the infrastructure required to enable economic growth 8 To achieve this triple aim, we need to use the full development management cycle and the decision making within this cycle, to support the realisation of the triple aim. Opportunities to influence outcomes of planning decisions include: • Masterplanning processes • Pre-application conversations • Consultation on planning applications • Delivery and implementation of development I would like to thank all those who have contributed to the development of the local development plan and I look forward to supporting the triple aim objectives through the development management cycle. Cllr Marie Boulton, Convenor, Strategic Place Planning Committee 9 Foreword from the Convenor, Integrated Children Services There is growing evidence that the first 1000 days of a child’s life are crucial in their overall lifespan, with the rate of brain development especially important within this timeframe. Indeed the rate of brain development prior to birth, and the physical and environmental conditions in which the foetus develops are critical factors in establishing the likelihood of positive life outcomes for us all. The optimal rate of development cannot be repeated and poor brain development can lead to a number of infectious and non communicable diseases such as obesity, diabetes and psychiatric illness developing