Dover District Land Allocations Local Plan Adopted January 2015 Dover District Council Land Allocations Local Plan Adopted 2015 1 Introduction 3 2 Sustainable Development 7 3 Development Sites 17 3.1 Dover 22 3.1.1 Areas of Change 48 3.2 Deal 57 3.3 Sandwich 68 3.4 Rural Area 78 3.5 Local Centres 82 3.5.1 Ash 82 3.5.2 Capel-le-Ferne 89 3.5.3 Eastry 95 3.5.4 Shepherdswell 104 3.5.5 Wingham 106 3.6 Villages 108 3.6.1 East Langdon 108 3.6.2 East Studdal 110 3.6.3 Elvington & Eythorne 112 3.6.4 Great Mongeham 115 3.6.5 Kingsdown and Ringwould 116 3.6.6 Lydden 121 3.6.7 Nonington 124 3.6.8 Preston 126 3.6.9 St Margaret's at Cliffe 127 3.6.10 Staple 130 3.6.11 Woodnesborough 132 4 Phasing, Delivery and Monitoring 137 Annex 1 Development Management Guidance and Policy 139 Glossary 156 Dover District Council Land Allocations Local Plan Adopted 2015 Dover District Council Land Allocations Local Plan Adopted 2015 3 1 Introduction What is the Land Allocations Local Plan? 1.1 The Land Allocations Local Plan is a planning policy document that forms part of the statutory Development Plan for Dover District. Its primary purpose is to allocate land for development and to set out any issues or criteria that subsequent planning applications will need to address. It should be read in conjunction with the other parts of the Development Plan which, at the time of preparation, consists of the Dover District Core Strategy 2010 and some policies from the Dover District Local Plan 2002 that have been saved (see Annex 1). 1.2 The Core Strategy is the overarching planning policy document for the District. It sets out the strategy for the future of the District as a place to live, work, relax and visit over the period to 2026. The Core Strategy identifies the overall economic, social and environmental objectives for the District and the amount, type and broad location of development that is needed to fulfil those objectives. The Land Allocations Local Plan (the Plan) identifies and allocates specific sites that are suitable for development in order to meet the Core Strategy's requirements and in so doing makes a major contribution to delivering the Strategy. It covers the same plan period as the Core Strategy. 1.3 In setting out what type of development is promoted where, the Plan will provide local communities, landowners, developers and infrastructure providers a large degree of certainty about the future pattern of development in the District. Specific development proposals for the sites identified in the Plan will, however, need to gain planning permission before development can take place. 1.4 This Plan has also been prepared against a background of increasing concern to ensure that its proposals are economically, socially and environmentally sustainable and that it is responsive to the likely impacts of climate change. Together with the Sustainability Appraisal (SA), the Council has drawn on the process of Habitat Regulations Assessment to help ensure that the Strategy is robust in these respects. National Planning Policy 1.5 National planning policy is set out in the National Planning Policy Framework (the Framework or NPPF) and the Planning Practice Guidance (PPG). Local Plans must be prepared within the context set by the Framework. The Framework embodies a 'presumption in favour of sustainable development' (defined as 'meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs') (1). There are three dimensions to sustainable development that give rise for the need of the planning system to perform a number of roles: an economic role, a social role and an environmental role. 1.6 The Framework states that all plans should be based upon and reflect the presumption in favour of sustainable development, with clear policies that will guide how the presumption should be applied locally. The Core Strategy sets out the Council's overall approach towards the local application of sustainable development through its objectives and core policies. Further guidance is contained in Chapter 2. 1 Resolution 24/187 of the United Nations General Assembly Dover District Council 4 Land Allocations Local Plan Adopted 2015 1.7 When considering development proposals the Council will take a positive approach that reflects the presumption in favour of sustainable development. It will work pro-actively with applicants to find solutions that, wherever possible, enable proposals to be approved, and to secure development that improves the economic, social and environmental conditions in the area. 1.8 In accordance with the Framework, planning applications that accord with the policies in the Development Plan will be approved without delay, unless material considerations indicate otherwise. 1.9 Where there are no policies relevant to the application or relevant policies are out of date at the time of making the decision then the Council will grant permission unless material considerations indicate otherwise – taking into account whether: Any adverse impacts of granting permission would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits, when assessed against the policies in the Framework taken as a whole; or Specific policies in that Framework indicate that development should be restricted. Neighbourhood Plans 1.10 Neighbourhood Planning is a new element of the planning system introduced in 2012. A fundamental principle of neighbourhood planning is that it is community-led, with the community establishing local (non-strategic) planning policies for development and use of land within its neighbourhood. Neighbourhood Development Plans enable local people to play a leading role in responding to the needs and priorities of the local community. 1.11 In Dover District the appropriate bodies for producing Neighbourhood Plans are the Town and Parish Councils. Production of a Plan is at the discretion of those Councils. A Neighbourhood Plan must generally conform with the District Local Plan and can promote more but not less development than the Local Plan or undermine its strategic policies. Once a Neighbourhood Development Plan is adopted it will become part of the Development Plan for the District. 1.12 The first Neighbourhood Plan in the District covers part of the Parish of Worth. Under the national front runners scheme this has enabled the work to be undertaken in parallel with the Land Allocations Local Plan. In order to allow the local community the widest opportunity to determine local policies for their area the District Council is not proposing any land allocations or new local planning policies in the Worth Neighbourhood Plan area. (2) Structure of the Local Plan 1.13 The sustainable development context for preparing the Plan is set out in Chapter 2. This is based upon the Core Strategy and subsequent monitoring and evidence base studies that have been undertaken since the adoption of the Core Strategy. 1.14 Chapter 3 is the main body of the Plan. It identifies the site allocations for development on a settlement basis starting with Dover, as the major focus for development, followed by Deal and then Sandwich, as the main focus for development in the rural areas (the strategic 2 In addition to Worth other Parish Councils have come forward proposing neighbourhood plans, details of which can be found on the Council's website Dover District Council Land Allocations Local Plan Adopted 2015 5 expansion of Aylesham remains promoted through saved Local Plan policies) before considering Local Centres and Villages. Each settlement contains a summary of its characteristics, with particular reference to housing, employment and retail and how development in that location will meet the aims and objectives set out in the Core Strategy. For each settlement where allocations have been made there is a description of the settlement. A policy setting out criteria that subsequent planning applications need to address is provided and where necessary, a policy to summarise residential allocations identifies amendments to settlement confines which are likely to result in developments too small (under 5 dwellings) to warrant a site allocation. 1.15 Table 1.1 below identifies a list of settlements in the District with changes to the urban boundary and settlement confines: Town/Village Total Number of Page Number Dwellings (1) Dover 1,010 22 Deal 800 57 Sandwich 180 68 Local Centres Ash 200 82 Capel-le-Ferne 90 89 Eastry 155 95 Shepherdswell 10 104 Wingham 0 (2) 106 Villages East Langdon 10 108 East Studdal 30 110 Elvington and Eythorne 75 112 Great Mongeham 10 115 Kingsdown and Ringwould 7 116 Lydden 40 121 Nonington 35 124 St. Margaret's at Cliffe 7 127 Staple 0(1) 130 Woodnesborough 43 132 Dover District Council 6 Land Allocations Local Plan Adopted 2015 Town/Village Total Number of Page Number Dwellings (1) Total 2,702 Table 1.1 List of settlements in the District with changes to the urban boundary and settlement confines 1. Excludes changes to the settlement confines which may result in additional dwellings 2. Assumed to be less than 5 dwellings in total arising from change to the settlement confines 1.16 The remainder of the Plan consists of delivery and monitoring arrangements (Chapter 4), and an Annex containing development management policies and guidance that adds to the Annex in the Core Strategy. Delivery and Monitoring 1.17 It is important to ensure there is a reasonable prospect that the Plan's proposals can be implemented over the Plan period and that a sufficient amount of land is readily available to meet short term needs. The Council has contacted the owners of allocated sites in order to obtain an indication of the time frame within which sites could be made available for development.