Peak District National Park Core Strategy. Refined Options Consultation Peak District National Park Core Strategy. Refined Options Consultation Peak District Peak District National Park Core Strategy. Refined Options Consultation 1 Introduction 6 2 Summary Document 14 Core Strategy Themes 3 Landscape 49 4 Settlements 67 5 Climate Change and Natural Resources 88 6 Housing 132 7 Economy 160 8 Transport 192 9 Minerals 236 10 Abbreviations 251 11 Glossary 255 Appendices A Theme Evidence List 268 B Strategic Context 289 Peak District Peak District National Park Core Strategy. Refined Options Consultation C Developing Spatial Objectives 307 D Core Strategy Delivery Plan 321 Peak District Peak District National Park Core Strategy. Refined Options Consultation Introduction Peak District 5 Peak District National Park Core Strategy. Refined Options Consultation 1 Introduction Seeking your views on planning until 2026 Local Development Framework The Local Development Framework will be the master plan against which all planning applications in the National Park will be judged from 2011 to 2026. This important legal document will affect everyone who makes a planning application, whether they want to alter their property, build a new home, add an extension or create a business. This consultation gives you the opportunity to influence the direction of future development across the Peak District National Park for the next generation. So it is important that your voice is heard. The Local Development Framework will replace the 1994 Structure Plan and the 2001 Local Plan which the Peak District National Park Authority currently uses to judge planning decisions against. You are being asked to comment on the draft Core Strategy, which will be the Local Development Framework’s main policy document. It is written in seven themes. They are: 1. landscape 2. settlements 3. climate change and natural resources 4. housing 5. economy 6. transport 7. minerals Each theme has several different options for you to consider. These are followed by an explanation of the evidence used to come up with each option. All the options have been examined against a set of criteria that measures how sustainable or practical an option it is. Examples of the criteria used include the impact on the economy and the impact on air quality. When making comments you will see that in some cases you need to pick one option or the other. However, there are also some options that could happen alongside others. When making comments you can discuss all, some or even parts of options. Please explain why you are in favour of them or against them. 6 Peak District Peak District National Park Core Strategy. Refined Options Consultation As well as the seven themes you will also find a number of appendices describing the area and explaining the methodology of the research. There are also sections describing other information which has been used in preparing this consultation document. What has happened so far? The process began in 2005 with a document called ‘Help Shape The Future’, which looked at the general issues and options. In 2006 the National Park Management Plan was completed, which sets the overall context for the Local Development Framework. A public consultation period was held between March and May 2007 to look at some initial options. Following feedback it was decided that more detailed evidence was needed to help produce a firmer set of options. These options are the basis of this consultation. What happens next? This consultation runs until 10th April 2009. All responses will be looked at, preferred options selected, and community organisations consulted again. The authority will finalise the draft by the end of 2009. The document will then go to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to approve. If all goes to plan the new Local Development Framework is due to come into force in March 2011. Setting the context for planning policy – key facts about the Peak District National Park The Peak District became Britain’s first national park in 1951.It covers 555 square miles (1,438 ha2) This includes areas of gritstone moorland and edges, limestone upland and dales. The area has many attractive villages. The landscape is nationally and internationally important. Many areas are designated to give extra protection for geological, biological and historical features and sites. Peak District 7 Peak District National Park Core Strategy. Refined Options Consultation Picture 1.1 Settlements in and around the Peak District National Park Although the whole national park has the highest landscape protection in the UK, planning policy has to respond to different challenges for land use in each area. To do this the policy will look at a range of factors. These are: 1. Valued Characteristics The Peak District National Park Management Plan sets out the key factors that make the area so special for residents and visitors alike. They are the: Outstanding natural beauty and character of the landscape Significant geological features Sense of wildness and remoteness Clean earth, air and water Importance of wildlife and the area’s unique biodiversity Thousands of years of human influence which can be traced through the landscape Distinctive character of hamlets, villages and towns Wealth of historic buildings, gardens and parks Opportunities for quiet enjoyment Opportunities for outdoor recreation and adventure Easy accessibility for visitors from surrounding urban areas Vibrancy and sense of community Customs, legends, traditions and arts Environmentally friendly methods of farming and working the land Craft and cottage industries Special value attached to the national park by surrounding urban communities 8 Peak District Peak District National Park Core Strategy. Refined Options Consultation 2. A living and working place The Peak District National Park is a place where people live and work. The population is currently around 38,400. By 2026 it is thought the population will have fallen, although this partly depends on the number of new houses built. By 2026 the average age of the population is also expected to increase, with the area likely to see a significant increase in people aged 60 and above but a fall in the working age population. Most jobs in the National Park are in the service sector, particularly tourism – 19% of businesses are hotels and restaurants. Agriculture accounts for 19% of businesses in the National Park. Businesses in the National Park tend to have fewer employees and wages are often lower than regional and national averages. Half the people of working age travel to jobs outside the National Park. Four out of ten jobs in the National Park are done by workers who live outside the area. 3. Landscape In 2008 a Landscape Character Assessment (LCA) was produced for the Peak District National Park. This contains maps, photos and written descriptions of different land types and uses in the National Park. The LCA is available on our website The assessment provides planners with more detail about the types of landscape that make up the Dark Peak, White Peak and South West Peak areas of the National Park. Combined with all the other information listed above it gives planners more knowledge about the challenges and opportunities facing the area. All this information has been used to help draw up the options that are in this consultation document. Planning Policy in the Peak District National Park Planning rules in national parks are different than in other areas of the UK. This is because of Government laws introduced to protect national parks for the benefit of current and future generations. National Park authorities have two key purposes that guide all their work, including planning matters. These are:· To conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the area and To promote opportunities for understanding and enjoying the special qualities of these areas by the public. Peak District 9 Peak District National Park Core Strategy. Refined Options Consultation At the same time authorities also have a duty to ‘seek to foster the economic and social well-being of local communities within the national park'. Working to the National Park Management Plan To ensure the two purposes and the duty are being met the Peak District National Park Authority adopted a National Park Management Plan in 2006. That document sets out how the authority, working with a wide range of partners, will deliver an overall vision for the Peak District National Park area, as set out in Appendix B of this document. Planning policy is a crucial part of this process so the Local Development Framework options have been written to help deliver the aims of the National Park Management Plan. Regional and Local Plans No planning policy can be considered in isolation of what is happening around it. So as well as the national obligations described above we have also taken into account regional and local factors. Regional Level The Peak District National Park is unique because it covers four different Government regions. They are the: 1. East Midlands 2. Yorkshire and Humber 3. North West 4. West Midlands To avoid any confusion that this could cause, all planning policy matters in the whole Peak District National Park fall under the East Midlands region. See map below. 10 Peak District Peak District National Park Core Strategy. Refined Options Consultation Picture 1.2 Peak Sub Area in the context of the East Midlands region As a result, planning policy in the National Park must also comply with a regional planning document known as the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS). Local Level The Peak District National Park covers part of 12 different local council areas. All of these councils, and other organisations that operate in the National Park, have a legal duty to take into account the national park purposes and duty described earlier.