Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council Local Development Framework Annual Monitoring Report 2007/2008 www.welhat.gov.uk Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council Local Development Framework Annual Monitoring Report 2007/2008 Published December 2008 C.J. Conway Chief Planning & Environmental Health Officer Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council Council Offices The Campus Welwyn Garden City Hertfordshire AL8 6AE Tel. 01707 357532 Fax. 01707 357285 Email: [email protected] If you would like to receive this document in a different language or format please call 01707 357000 or email [email protected] Contents Executive Summary................................................................................................. iv Glossary ................................................................................................................... vi Introduction............................................................................................................... 1 Progress of the Welwyn Hatfield Local Development Framework ....................... 7 Monitoring and Implementation of Saved Policies .............................................. 12 The Environment .................................................................................................... 16 Safe, Healthy and Strong Communities................................................................ 23 Work and Jobs ........................................................................................................ 28 Town Centres, Shopping and Leisure facilities ................................................... 35 Travel ....................................................................................................................... 41 New Homes ............................................................................................................. 44 Homes for All .......................................................................................................... 53 Appendix A – National Core Output Indicators Summary Tables ...................... 57 Appendix B – Local Output Indicators Summary Tables .................................... 60 Appendix C – Trajectory Housing Sites................................................................ 62 Appendix D – Trajectory Summary Table............................................................. 72 Appendix E - Status of allocated housing sites ................................................... 73 Appendix F - Use Classes Order ........................................................................... 75 iii Annual Monitoring Report 2007/8 Executive Summary This is the fourth Annual Monitoring Report (AMR) produced by Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council. The Annual Monitoring Report is one of the key components of the Local Development Framework (LDF). Its main purpose is to assess the implementation of the Local Development Scheme (LDS); report on key milestones and the extent to which policies in the Local Development Documents (LDDs) are being successfully implemented. This AMR reports on the period 1st April 2007 to 31st March 2008, which is known as the reporting year. Local Development Framework • A number of key pieces of technical work were completed this year, including the Retail and Town Centre Needs Assessment, the Welwyn Garden City Conservation Area Appraisal and the Northern and Eastern Hertfordshire Gypsy and Traveller Identification of Potential Areas to Accommodate Gypsy and Traveller Pitches Study. • Work is well underway on the Core Strategy Issues and Options paper which is due to be published early 2009. General • The East of England Plan was adopted in May 2008, confirming a housing requirement of 10,000 additional dwellings in Welwyn Hatfield between 2001 and 2021. • A new set of National Core Output Indicators were published in July 2008. The majority of the old national indicators which were deleted have now become Local Indicators for Welwyn Hatfield. • The population of Welwyn Hatfield in 2007 was estimated to be 106,700, an increase of 1,200 from the estimated 2006 figure. New Homes • In the reporting year, 747 net additional dwellings were completed in Welwyn Hatfield. • 99.7% of all completed dwellings were on previously developed land. • Approximately 75% of new dwellings were built at a density of 50 dwellings per hectare or higher. • Of the 10,000 dwellings required in Welwyn Hatfield by the East of England Plan between 2001 and 2021, 4,155 have now been completed. This leaves 5,845 to build by 2021. • We were 445 dwellings above the cumulative requirement at the 31st March 2008 (5 years at 550 dwellings + 2 years at 480 dwellings = 3,710 dwellings) • Welwyn Hatfield currently has a 5 year housing land supply. Executive Summary │iv Annual Monitoring Report 2007/8 Work and Jobs • Average weekly earnings are above regional and national averages in Welwyn Hatfield. • Unemployment levels were below regional and national averages in Welwyn Hatfield. • There has been an overall loss of employment floorspace (B use class) of -18,404m² during the reporting year, although the majority of this is the part demolition and change of use of a B2 (general industry) site in Welwyn Garden City, which is due to be replaced as B1a (offices) next year. • According to NOMIS, the proportion of residents with no qualifications has increased from 11.0% in 2006 to 15.9% in 2007, which means it is now higher than the county, regional and national averages. The Environment • There has been no change in any areas of biodiversity importance during the reporting year. • Hertfordshire’s first eco-school has opened in Hatfield, with a wind turbine, solar panels and a heatstore located under its playground. Quality of Life • Life expectancy is above the national average in Welwyn Hatfield at 78.3 years for males and 82.8 years for females. • Crime in Welwyn Hatfield is below the national average and equal to the Hertfordshire average (based on British Crime Survey [BSC] offences per 1,000 population) • Welwyn Hatfield is in the least deprived half of all local authorities in England; however one small area of Hatfield Central ward is in the most deprived 20% in the country. Town Centres, Shopping and Leisure facilities • There has a net increase of 2,611m² of A1 (retail) floorspace and 584m² of A2 (financial and professional services) completed in the reporting year. The majority of this has been at Parkhouse Court (The District Centre) on the former Aerodrome site. • Shop front vacancy rates have stayed broadly similar in both Welwyn Garden City and Hatfield Town Centres between April 2007 and April 2008. Welwyn Garden only had 3% of retail frontage vacant at the time of survey whereas Hatfield had 11% vacant. v │Executive Summary Annual Monitoring Report 2007/8 Glossary Annual Monitoring Report (AMR): A report submitted to the Government by local planning authorities or regional planning bodies assessing progress with, and the effectiveness of a Local Development Framework. Affordable Housing (including intermediate or sub-market housing): Includes social rented and intermediate housing provided to specified eligible households whose needs are not met by the market. Affordable housing should: • meet the needs of eligible households including availability at a cost low enough for them to afford, determined with regard to local incomes and local house prices; and • include provisions for: (i) the home to be retained for future eligible households; or (ii) if these restrictions are lifted, for any subsidy to be recycled for alternative affordable housing provision (CLG, 2006, Delivering Affordable Housing). Amenity Green Space: Village greens, landscaped green space in and around housing and informal recreation spaces. Given their size and nature they tend to have local catchments, providing opportunities for passive recreation (e.g. reading) and informal children’s play for residents in close proximity. Amenity green spaces do not always need to be used for informal recreation purposes; they can also enhance the character or appearance of an area. Best Value: The way an authority measures, manages and improves its performance in line with Government targets. Bio-diversity: The whole variety of life encompassing all genetics, species and ecosystem variations, including plants and animals Community Strategy: Prepared by the Local Strategic Partnership it co-ordinates the actions of local public, private, voluntary and community sectors with the aim of improving the social, environmental and economic well-being of its area. Core Strategy: A Development Plan Document, forming part of the Local Development Framework for an area, which sets out the long-term spatial vision, and strategic policies and proposals to deliver the vision. A key diagram may be used to indicate broad locations for strategic developments. Chelmer Model: The Chelmer Population and Housing Model is a demographic regional housing model developed by the Population and Housing Research Group as part of a research project supported by the Housing Research Foundation. It is based on projections of population, households, dwellings and labour supply over the period 2001-2021. The projections examine a number of variants, relating to assumptions about levels of net migration, net additions of dwellings and economic activity rates (Anglia Ruskin University). Comparison shopping: Comparison retailing is the provision of items not obtained on a frequent basis. These include clothing, footwear, household and recreational goods. Glossary