Fremington and Yelland Area Study Core Strategy Evidence October 2011 North Devon and Torridge Core Strategy – Fremington Village Study Contents Page 1 Introduction 4 2 Overview 4 2.3 Population 4 2.4 Income 6 2.5 Benefits 7 2.6 Employment 7 2.7 Unemployment 9 2.8 House Prices 9 2.9 Housing Supply 10 2.10 Deprivation 11 2.11 Health 12 2.12 Primary and Secondary Schools 12 2.13 Environment 13 2.14 Open Space 14 2.15 Heritage 14 2.16 Landscape 15 2.17 Community Facilities 16 2.18 Transport 16 2.19 Tourism 17 2.20 Summary of Issues 17 3 Major Planning Applications 18 4 Size, Land Use and Character 18 5 Constraints 18 5.1 Flooding 18 5.2 Topography 19 5.3 Landscape 19 5.4 Biodiversity 19 6 Relationship to Other Centres 19 7 Community 20 7.1 Fremington Parish Plan – 2005 20 7.2 North Devon & Torridge Local Strategic Partnership 23 (January 2010) -1- North Devon and Torridge Core Strategy – Fremington Village Study 8 Vision 23 8.1 Joint North Devon & Torridge Core Strategy 23 8.2 Fremington Parish Plan 23 9 Key Land Uses 24 9.1 Housing 24 9.2 Employment 25 9.3 Retail 26 9.4 Community 26 9.5 Physical Infrastructure 26 9.6 Transport 27 10 Potential for Growth 27 10.1 South east of Fremington – Option 1 28 10.2 South of Allenstyle, Yelland – Option 2 29 10.3 West of Lagoon View, Yelland – Option 3 29 10.4 North of B3233, Yelland – Option 4 29 10.5 West of Former Army Camp – Option 5 30 10.6 Land within the Village – Option 6 30 11 Key Issues 30 12.2 Regeneration of Key Sites 31 12.3 Diversifying Employment Opportunities 31 12.4 Enhancing Community Identity and Delivering Social 32 Infrastructure to Meet Community Needs 12.5 Delivering Opportunities for Sustainable Travel 32 12 Conclusion 33 13 What Happens Next? 33 Tables Table 1: Population 6 Table 2: Average Incomes 6 Table 3: Benefits 7 Table 4: Employment Sectors 8 Table 5: Unemployment Claimants 9 Table 6: Average House Prices by Type 9 Table 7: Housing Supply 11 Table 8: Life Expectancy 12 -2- North Devon and Torridge Core Strategy – Fremington Village Study Table 9: School Numbers 13 Table 10: Open Space 14 Table 11: Landscape Character Types 15 Table 12: Community Facilities 16 Table 13: Tourist Accommodation 17 Table 14: Summary of Issues 17 Table 15: Major Planning Permissions 18 Table 16: Commuting Patterns 20 Table 17: Summary of the Fremington Strategic Plan 20 Table 18: Summary of Local Strategic Partnership Event 23 Table 19: Housing Requirements 2006 – 2026 24 Table 20: Fremington Employment Land Provision 25 Figures Figure 1: Annual Housing Completions in Fremington 10 and Yelland Figure 2: Cumulative constraints around Fremington 28 and Yelland Appendices Map 1: Existing Land Uses Map 2: Constraints and Growth Options -3- North Devon and Torridge Core Strategy – Fremington Village Study 1. Introduction 1.1 This Village Study brings together a wide range of existing information, evidence and statistics relevant to Fremington and Yelland in order to identify the issues and opportunities facing the villages over the next 20 years. It will help to inform the vision, strategy and proposals for the village that will be incorporated within the Joint North Devon and Torridge Core Strategy being prepared for the period up to 2031. 1.2 The purpose of this document is to provide an overview of the key characteristics of the settlements of Fremington and Yelland, whilst at the same time analysing key issues, opportunities and constraints, informing the growth strategy for these settlements and creating an understanding of what needs further investigation. This information will also be used for further community engagement, as part of the Joint North Devon and Torridge Core Strategy. 1.3 Where available, information has been obtained for the Fremington ward rather than the whole of Fremington parish. Information relating to any alternative boundaries is identified in the text. The Bickington and Roundswell ward within Fremington parish is considered within the Barnstaple town study. 2. Overview 2.1 Fremington and Yelland form a long linear settlement about 3.5 kilometres (2.2 miles) in length along the B3233 between Barnstaple and Bideford to the south of the Taw estuary. The eastern edge of Fremington is located only 0.5 kilometres (0.3 miles) east of Bickington and about 4 kilometres (2.5 miles) east of Barnstaple town centre. The western edge of Yelland is about 1.5 kilometres (1 mile) north east of Instow and about 6.5 kilometres (4 miles) north east of Bideford town centre. 2.2 Fremington and Yelland are predominantly sub-urban in character, both have expanded over recent years. Fremington has a range of community facilities although relatively few are available in Yelland. However, a wide range of services, facilities and employment opportunities are available in Barnstaple and Bideford accessible by regular public transport links. 2.3 Population – ‘increasing more quickly than other North Devon towns’ 2.3.1 Fremington and Yelland have grown over the last ten years. The population has increased by about 4.7% over the period 2001 to 2010, providing an annualised increase of approximately 20 people per year. Prior to 2001, Fremington and Yelland did not form a separate ward so only Parish wide population figures are available for the period between 1991 and 2001. Whilst there was substantial growth (29%) over this period within Fremington parish, most of it occurred in Roundswell. -4- North Devon and Torridge Core Strategy – Fremington Village Study 2.3.2 From 2001 to 2010 the population of Fremington and Yelland increased by 183 people. The 4.7% rate of population increase in the settlement was lower than that experienced across other North Devon towns (Barnstaple, Braunton, Ilfracombe, South Molton), but higher than across the district as a whole and across Devon. The variance in population growth across the geographic areas is shown in Table 1. 2.3.3 Age distribution within the Fremington and Yelland population is substantially older than across the wider area (see Table 1). The overall proportion of the village’s population aged 0-59 years is generally lower than for the District and Devon, with a much higher proportion of the population aged over 60 years. The high proportion of the population in the older age brackets is likely to have implications for care and service delivery during the Plan period. 2.3.4 The Strategic Housing Market Assessment for the Northern Peninsula (2008) indicated net in-migration of 4,400 people to North Devon between 2001 and 2006, with the largest gains for the 45 to 64 years age bracket. Other large gains aged 25 to 44 years and 0 to 15 years are indicative of inward movement of families. Overall in-migration indicates equity- cushioned older pre-pensioner households and households with dependent children, especially from London, the South East and the West Midlands. In the reverse direction, there is a steady loss of younger and more independent households, the reasons for which remain largely speculative, but which will include a. combination of movement for education, employment and access to affordable housing. 2.3.5 The increasing age of the area’s population is reflective of a national trend. In 2008, 16% of the population of England was estimated to be aged 65 and over, with the South West region estimated to have the highest percentage of older persons (19%). By 20331, over a quarter of the population of the South West is projected to be aged 65 and over, a level already reached in Fremington and Yelland and being approached across North Devon. 1 Sub national Population Projections, ONS (May 2010): http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/pproj0510.pdf -5- North Devon and Torridge Core Strategy – Fremington Village Study Table 1: Population Total Fremington Other North North Devon Devon Population & Yelland Devon District2 (including Towns Plymouth & Torbay) 2001 3,909 52,169 89,097 1,136,500 2010 4,092 54,705 92,894 1,179,354 Change 183 2,536 3,797 42,854 % change 4.7% 4.9% 4.3% 3.7% 2010 age group proportions 0 -19 18.6% 23.6% 22.6% 21.5% 20-39 14.7% 21.2% 19.4% 23.9% 40-59 26.3% 26.9% 27.6% 27.2% 60-79 31.0% 21.9% 24.0% 21.4% 80+ 9.3% 6.3% 6.4% 6.0% Source: 2001 Census, FSHA data and Devon County Town Profiles3 2.4 Income – ‘comparable to the average for North Devon’ 2.4.1 Median household income in North Devon of £24,970 (2008) is the second lowest for any district in Devon (after Torridge district). The North Devon median household income is £1,142 (7.5%) below the Devon average. Fremington ward average household income is £24,204, approximately 3% below the district average figure (Table 2). Table 2: Average Incomes Total Household households income average (median) North Devon 42,770 £24,970 Devon 331,804 £26,112 County (excluding Plymouth and Torbay) Fremington 1,791 £24,204 & Yelland Source: CACI and Paycheck data provided by CACI (2008) 2 Including the parts of North Devon within Exmoor National Park 3 Devon County Council Devon Facts and Figures: http://www.devon.gov.uk/index/councildemocracy/improving_our_services/facts_figures_and_statist ics.htm -6- North Devon and Torridge Core Strategy – Fremington Village Study 2.5 Benefits – ‘a low level of dependency on benefits’ 2.5.1 The types and levels of benefits identified in Table 3 indicate a very low dependency on benefits for Fremington parish as a whole compared to North Devon, Devon and national figures.