Working Together Babergh and Mid Suffolk Joint Local Plan Regulation 18 Consultation Topic Paper – Settlement Hierarchy Review July 2019 1. Introduction 1.1 This Topic Paper accompanies the Settlement Hierarchy section of the Babergh and Mid Suffolk Joint Draft Local Plan (July 2019). 1.2 The purpose of this Topic Paper is to present additional detail and context behind the new Settlement Hierarchy as proposed by the Joint Local Plan. 1.3 As part of the preparation of the new Joint Local Plan for Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils, a review of the settlement hierarchy was carried out to reflect changes that have occurred over recent years and to ensure that the settlements are appropriately categorised in relation to the services and facilities they provide. 1.4 This study collates information on the services and facilities availability of villages in both districts. Comments received during the Joint Local Plan consultation (August – November 2017) have been considered in the production of this Topic Paper and the resulting Settlement Hierarchy in the Babergh and Mid Suffolk Joint Local Plan. 1.5 Babergh and Mid Suffolk currently have different settlement hierarchies as set out in the Babergh Core Strategy (2014) and Mid Suffolk Core Strategy (2008). The Joint Local Plan seeks to provide a single hierarchy across both Districts, and this Topic Paper classifies ‘Core Villages’, ‘Hinterland Villages’ and ‘Hamlets’. The classification is based on the availability of, or access to, facilities and services, to indicate their relative sustainability as locations for development. Settlements that do not have ten or more well related dwellings have not been identified in the settlement hierarchy. Such settlements are addressed in the Hamlets and Clusters of Development in the Countryside policy in the Joint Local Plan. 1.6 The identification of towns and urban areas (as per the Babergh Core Strategy 2014 and Mid Suffolk Core Strategy 2008) will remain unchanged. These are listed below: o Eye o Pinewood o Hadleigh o Stowmarket o Needham Market o Sudbury 1.7 Additionally, the identification of the Ipswich Fringe Area will remain unchanged. The Babergh and Mid Suffolk Ipswich fringe areas have historically been designated as growth areas in recognition of the cross-boundary sphere of influence from the county town of Ipswich as a regional service centre. 2. Methodology 2.1 An initial Services and Facilities Audit was carried out in June 2019. 2.2 A scoring system has been developed (detailed in Table 1) to rank each settlement. The aim is to use a simple points system, to provide a general understanding of the level of facilities and services available to each settlement. Points are awarded to settlements if the service/facility is within, adjoining to or well related to that settlement. The scoring is based on the relative importance of each facility available within a settlement, in that some services are more essential and used more frequently than others, such as a primary school or a convenience store. As these are important facilities that reduce the need to travel by car and support the vitality of the local community, they are given a score of 2 points. Other facilities such as a 1 village hall or a recreation ground add to diversity and help build communities. Such facilities score 1 point, as they do not contribute as significantly to people’s day to day needs. 2.3 This Topic Paper reviews services and facilities available to a settlement rather than a parish. As such a larger settlement may be classified as a ‘Core Village’ and a smaller settlement or cluster of dwellings may be classified as a ‘Hamlet’ within the same parish. Table 1: Settlement Hierarchy Methodology Banking / Post Office / Retail Convenience 2 points Provides an essential service to a community and reduces the Store need to travel. Post Office 1 point Provides an important local service, but is not generally used on a daily basis Food & Drink 1 point Food and drink outlets and public houses are often considered to Outlets and each be a hub of a community, especially in rural settlements. Public Houses A maximum of 5 points can be awarded per settlement. Other Retail 1 point Bakers / Butchers / Hairdressers & Salons / Newsagents / ATM / each Fuel Station. These are relatively important services that would be used regularly by the community. 1 point is awarded per service type (i.e. two butchers would only score a settlement one point) Education Pre-school 1 point Local provision of pre-school places will reduce the need to travel for families with young children. Primary School 2 points Primary schools also provide an important local provision to families. Additionally, they can act as a local community hub. Secondary 1 point Secondary schools, sixth form campuses and further education School, Sixth institutions often serve a wider community and are therefore Form or Further attributed with 1 point. Education Employment – Distance measured as travelled by road or footpaths Employment 1 or 2 Employment opportunities close to where people live can reduce opportunities points the need to travel or the distance travelled. 2 points are awarded within 5km for proximity to strategic employment sites (as defined by the Joint Local Plan1), and 1 point for proximity to smaller scale employment sites. Community Centres Village Hall 1 point Village or community halls are a valuable facility and contribute towards the vitality of communities. They are not considered to be an essential day to day facility and are scored 1 point. Place of Worship 1 point As with village halls, places of worship can act as a hub for the community. A maximum of 1 point per settlement is awarded for places of worship. Library 1 point Permanent libraries contribute to the vitality of a community. ‘Mobile libraries’ are excluded from this assessment. 1 Includes sites in Acton, Eye, Great Blakenham, Hadleigh, Needham Market, Sproughton, Stowmarket, Sudbury, Wherstead and Woolpit (Draft Local Plan Policy SP05). 2 Medical Doctors Surgery 2 points Provides a vital service to many communities, particularly with an ageing demographic. Pharmacy 2 points The provision of a chemist/pharmacy plays an integral role in maintaining the health of the community and can provide valuable health care advice and services. Dentist 1 point Dentists are generally used less frequently than doctors, and as such score 1 point. Public Transport Bus Service 2 points Bus service providing access to daily peak-time services (Monday to Friday – 7:00-9:00; 16:00-18:00) to and from a higher order settlement, provide a sustainable transport option by reducing the need to travel by car. Rail Service 2 points Rail service providing access to daily peak-time services (Monday to Friday – 7:00-9:00; 16:00-18:00) to and from a higher order settlement, provide a sustainable transport option by reducing the need to travel by car. Recreation Recreation 1 point Recreation grounds and play areas offer important recreational Grounds / Play opportunities, allowing communities a safe place to play in and Area enjoy the outdoors. Sport / Leisure 1 point Sports and leisure centres often provide a range of activities and Centre classes. Similarly, more formalised recreational such as golf clubs/courses provide an opportunity for employment. Allotment 1 point Allotments can play an important hub within the community, and can contribute towards a sense of community and mental/physical health. Internet Connectivity Super-Fast 2 points Internet connectivity and the availability and speed of Broadband Broadband is an important issue for many rural communities, particularly (Up to 76Mb) given the rise in online shopping and opportunities for working from home. Speeds were assessed using the Better Broadband Standard Speed 1 point Suffolk website (www.betterbroadbandsuffolk.com/). If any part of Broadband the settlement has access to “super-fast speed” then it shall score (Up to 17Mb) 2 points. 1 point is awarded for standard speed broadband. Proximity to Other Settlements – Distance measured as travelled by road or footpaths Proximity to a 2 points Larger settlements are more likely to provide a greater level of Town/Urban services and facilities, with smaller neighbouring settlements often Centre looking to compliment this offering. Being within close proximity to (within 5km) a town/urban centre can reduce the need to travel long distances to access employment opportunities and/or services and facilities. Includes towns/urban areas outside of the Districts. Proximity to a 1 point As above Core Villages provide a good level of services and Core Village facilities and being with close proximity to a Core Village can (within 2km) reduce the need to travel long distances. Core Villages tend to have a lower service provision that towns/urban centres, and therefore are scored 1 point. 3 3. Results and Conclusions 3.1 Appendix 1 provides a full breakdown of the scoring for each settlement. 3.2 Tables 2 & 3 below provides the settlement hierarchy for Babergh and Mid Suffolk based on the evidence collected. Settlements scoring a total of 18 points and over are categorised as Core Villages, settlements scoring 9 to 17 points are categorised as Hinterland Villages, and settlements scoring 0 to 8 points are classified as Hamlet Villages. Table 2: Babergh Settlement Hierarchy Classification Settlement Babergh Ipswich Belstead Sproughton Fringe Copdock and Washbrook Wherstead – Bourne Hill Pinewood Wherstead Park Babergh Market Hadleigh Sudbury