Transformation and Sustainability SHEFFIELD DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK CITY POLICIES AND SITES DOCUMENT CHARACTER AND HERITAGE BACKGROUND REPORT Development Services Sheffield City Council Howden House 1 Union Street SHEFFIELD S1 2SH June 2013 CONTENTS Chapter Page 1. Introduction 1 2. G5 Development and Area Character 5 3. G6A Development in Countryside Areas including the Green 17 Belt 4. G6B Landscape Character 39 5. G7 Development and Heritage Assets 49 6. Policy Areas: 61 - Countryside Areas (Green Belt) - Countryside Areas (Non-Green Belt) 7. Other Options not Taken Forward 67 Appendices 1. Villages and Substantially Developed Road Frontages in the 69 Green Belt – Extent of Development 2 Schedule of Proposed Changes to the Green Belt Boundary 81 1 INTRODUCTION The Context 1.1 This report provides evidence to support the published policies for the City Policies and Sites document of the Sheffield Local Plan. 1.2 The Sheffield Local Plan is the new name, as used by the Government, for what was known as the Sheffield Development Framework. It is Sheffield’s statutory development plan, which the local planning authority is required by law to produce. 1.3 The Local Plan includes the Core Strategy, which has already been adopted, having been subject to formal public examination. It sets out the vision and objectives for the Local Plan and establishes its broad spatial strategy. 1.4 The City Policies and Sites document now supplements this, containing: - Criteria-based policies to inform development management and design guidance - Policy on land uses appropriate to a range of area types across the city - Allocations of particular sites for specific uses 1.5 The document was originally proposed to be two, City Policies and City Sites. Both of these have already been subject to two stages of consultation: - Emerging Options - Preferred Options 1.6 The Emerging Options comprised the broad choices, which were drawn up to enable the Council to consider and consult on all the possibilities early in the process of drawing up the document1. Having consulted on these options the Council decided which to take forward as Preferred Options. 1.7 The Preferred Options were published and consulted on as the ones that the Council was minded to take forward to submission2. However, the choice of option and the way it was expressed remained subject to public comment. The Preferred Options document outlined how the Council had arrived at them and the justification for choosing them. It also indicated which Emerging Options had been rejected and why. 1 Emerging Options for City Policies, Sheffield City Council (February 2006) and Emerging Options for City Sites, Sheffield City Council (February 2006) – see Sheffield City Council - Emerging Options 2006 2 Preferred Options for City Policies, Sheffield City Council (April 2007) and Preferred Options for City Sites, Sheffield City Council (April 2007) – see Sheffield City Council - Preferred Options 2007 -1- 1.8 Work following the Preferred Options was delayed whilst priority was given to the public examination of the Core Strategy. In the subsequent version, the Consultation Draft3, the section on policies was much shorter than in the Preferred Options report, reflecting the transfer of some issues to the Core Strategy, the condensing of many policy options and the proposed transfer of other matters to Supplementary Planning Documents. 1.9 The present version of the City Policies and Sites document has been published as the Council’s final version, for final representations by stakeholders and other members of the public followed by submission to the Government and public examination. A schedule of changes may be produced following representations and a final chapter will be added to each Background Report to explain why the changes have been proposed. 1.10 The Background Reports set out the Council’s evidence for considering that the policies are sound. That is the issue on which representations are invited, in line with national policy. The policy document itself has space only to summarise the reasons for the chosen policies. So, the more detailed evidence and analysis is found in the Background Reports. 1.11 The Background Reports are not part of the Sheffield Local Plan but they contribute to the process of preparing it. So they are not published as the subject for representations though comments on the soundness of the policies may well take up evidence or conclusions set out in the Reports. 1.12 This report supports the published policies in the chapter titled Character and Heritage. The chapters in this report are based on each of the policies: G5 Development and Area Character G6A Development in Countryside Areas including the Green Belt G6B Landscape Character G7 Development and Heritage Assets 1.13 The chapters deal with each of the soundness considerations in turn: - Consistency with national and other strategic policy - Justification - Effectiveness - Conclusions on Soundness – drawing together the strands under the four criteria for soundness set out in the National Planning Policy Framework. 1.14 A further chapter deals with related policy areas and the final chapter covers options not followed through to the current draft version. 3 City Policies and Sites: Consultation Draft (May 2010) – see Sheffield City Council - City Policies and Sites -2- 1.15 The policies dealt with in this background report directly support the Core Strategy aim that says Sheffield will prize, protect and enhance its natural environment and distinctive heritage and promote high quality buildings and spaces. 1.16 This Background Report does not deal with matters that have already been covered in the Core Strategy and the background reports associated with that document4. The chapter on Prizing, Protecting and Enhancing Sheffield’s Natural Environment and in the Core Strategy contains a number of strategic policies which are relevant to the issues coved in this background report. Those policies are: CS71 Protecting the Green Belt CS72 Protecting Countryside not in the Green Belt CS74 Design Principles 1.17 Issues relating to design are covered in the Design Background Report. Some features which can affect the character of the city (water in the landscape, trees, woodland and wildlife) are dealt with in the Green Environment Background Report. 4 Available at http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/planning-and-city-development/planning-documents/sdf/sdf- background-reports/core-strategy-background-reports -3- 2 DEVELOPMENT AND AREA CHARACTER Introduction 2.1 Policy G5 establishes a number of key design principles for design and character that are required to deliver the Core Strategy vision for prizing, protecting and enhancing its natural environment and distinctive heritage and promoting high- quality buildings and spaces. It does not cover more generic design matters, which are dealt with in other policies in the Core Strategy and Local Plan documents. 2.2 The Core Strategy includes a number of policies on design, in particular on overall design principles (CS74), on Improvements to Gateway Routes (CS75) and Tall Buildings (CS76). Character is also an issue for the density of housing (see policy CS26) 2.3 Policy G5 identifies the detailed aspects of character in relation to design quality within Sheffield. 2.4 This policy is closely associated with policy G10, Design Quality, which sets out a series of design criteria to ensure a high standard of development throughout the city. In addition, it is also related to policy B1, which sets out the character and design intentions for the various city centre Quarters. Other policies within the current document dealing with aspects of design are G11, Tall Buildings, G13, Shopfront Design and G14, Advertisements. Policy G5 Development and Area Character Development should respond to, take advantage of and where appropriate, conserve the architectural, historic and landscape character of the site, its surroundings and the wider neighbourhood. In particular, it should address: a. the city’s distinctive topography and landforms; and b. the prevailing townscape character, including the street width, enclosure and boundary characteristics, garden size, and the pattern and arrangement of surrounding streets and spaces; and c. significant features such as corner buildings, open spaces, street trees and boundary walls; and d. important views into and out of the development; and -5- e. the scale, height, massing and form of neighbouring buildings; and f. the particular building styles, proportions, materials and details; and g. the characteristic parking arrangements. Consistency with National Policy and Other Strategies Relationship with National Policy 2.5 The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) paragraph 7 highlights the environmental role of the planning system, which includes contributing to protecting and enhancing our natural, built and historic environment. Local character is an important aspect of this and policy G5 assists by identifying the elements of character within Sheffield that should inform the delivery of quality development. 2.6 Paragraph 57 highlights the importance of achieving high quality design for all development, including individual buildings, public and private spaces and wider area development schemes. Policy G5 outlines the elements of character that need to be considered in developing proposals across the city, in relation to the broad context and landscape (e.g. in its criteria a, b, c, d, e and g) and the design of buildings (e.g. in criteria f). 2.7 Paragraph 58 states that local plans should set out the quality of development that will be expected for the area, based on an understanding and evaluation of its defining characteristics, and ensure that developments, amongst other things, establish a strong sense of place; respond to local character and history and reflect the identity of local surroundings and materials. Policy G5 sets out the characteristics that help to define ‘sense of place’ within Sheffield, relating to the arrangement of streets and spaces (e.g. criteria b, c and g) and the design quality of buildings and landscaping (e.g.