Rye Neighbourhood Plan : Strategic Gap Review - March 2021 Rye Neighbourhood Plan 2016 - 2028 The Strategic Gap By the RNP Coordinator: Colonel Anthony Kimber References: Rother Strategic Gaps: https://www.rother.gov.uk/wp- content/uploads/2020/01/Strategic_Gaps_Background_Paper_Mar16.pdf DaSA: https://www.rother.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/planning- policy/development-and-site-allocations-dasa-local-plan/dasa-examination/ Rye Neighbourhood Plan: https://www.rother.gov.uk/planning-and- building-control/planning-policy/neighbourhood-plans/rye-neighbourhood- plan/ This short paper summarises the position in planning terms of the strategic gap between Rye and Rye Harbour Extract from the Rye Neighbourhood Plan: The Development Boundary and Strategic Gaps 4.74 Development boundaries around settlements are a well-established planning policy tool in East Sussex. Rother DC Core Strategy Policy OSS2 states that development boundaries around settlements will continue to differentiate between areas where most forms of new development would be acceptable and where they would not. The emerging Development and Site Allocations document 1 proposes a policy DIM2 which says that new development shall be focused within defined settlement development boundaries, principally on already committed and allocated sites, together with other sites where proposals accord with relevant policies. In the countryside (that is, outside of defined settlement development boundaries), development shall be normally limited to that which accords with specific policies or that for which a countryside location is demonstrated to be necessary. 4.75 However, in order to meet the targets set by the Core Strategy and to include historical development, there are four locations where change to the 1 http://www.rother.gov.uk/dasa 1 Rye Neighbourhood Plan : Strategic Gap Review - March 2021 Development Boundary has been agreed. These amendments are shown on the Policies Map (Appendix B) that accompanies this Plan. a. The former Freda Gardham Site (H7) is allocated for development and requires a boundary change to enable that. b. The Winchelsea Road West (H6) allocation has been extended. c. The earlier building of Rye Primary School is now included in the development boundary. d. Gibbet Marsh, which is part car park (on tarmac) and part green space (including some overflow parking) is also included. 4.76 The Core Strategy designates one strategic gap (Policy RY1 iix)2 where development is to be strongly resisted: the gap between Rye’s Rock Channel and the industrial estate at Rye Harbour Road.3 This is proposed to be extended in the emerging Development and Site Allocation (Note 51) document and remains to protect the unique character and setting of Rye from further development and the coalescence of settlements. In addition, to further protect the profile of Rye, it is important to retain green areas as gaps between Rye and adjacent Parishes, particularly Icklesham, Udimore, East Guldeford, Playden and Rye Foreign. For these reasons, the policy below sets criteria that should be applied to the countryside, within the Parish of Rye and outside the Rye NP Development Boundary, which surrounds and adjoins the town in order to preserve the unique setting and special character of historic Rye. This policy when applied in conjunction with Core Strategy Policy OSS2 – Use of Development Boundaries, will assist in safeguarding the open countryside4 and marsh and preserve the unique setting and special character of historic Rye. 2 http://www.rother.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=22426&p=0 3 Rye Strategic Gap: Core Strategy; Proposed to be extended in the DaSA http://www.rother.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=30793&p=0 Page 77 4 Coalescence of settlements and urban sprawl have been acknowledged as problems in England since the 1950s. Strategic gaps and their policies are meant to be only concerned with the strategic pattern of settlements and settlement identity. Open countryside is defined as undeveloped land beyond the settlement boundary 2 Rye Neighbourhood Plan : Strategic Gap Review - March 2021 Policy E1 Development Boundary, Strategic Gap and the Setting of Rye New development in Rye will be focused within the Town’s Development Boundary as defined on the Policies Map. Outside the Development Boundary, development will be restricted to that for which a countryside location is necessary or which accords with other specific Development Plan Policies To preserve Rye’s unique setting, particular control over development will be applied to conserve and enhance the open landscape on the edges of the Town including the Strategic Gap between Rock Channel and Rye Harbour as shown in the DaSA. (Note 51) The RNP policy above reflects the exchanges between the Neighbourhood Planners and the Independent Examiner at the time of the final preparation of the Rye Neighbourhood Plan prior to Referendum and also the final agreement between the Neighbourhood Planners and the Rother Planners. 13.Policy E1 refers to a strategic gap being maintained between Rock Channel and Rye Harbour. I would be grateful if the extent of that gap could be shown on a plan so that decision makers can know when and where the policy is applicable? Rye included a map in the Reg 14 version of the Plan, but subsequently Rother proposed to increase the gap (please see the Map 6 below) in its Development and Sites Allocations (DaSA) Local Plan , that has yet to be adopted, therefore, to avoid potential conflict, we dropped the plan from the Reg 16 version. Rye supports either the reinstatement of a map or stronger links to the DaSA, in the form of a footnote to Policy E1, or both. (The subsequent decision, agreed by Rother Planning and the Examiner, was to strengthen the links between RNP and DASA) Map 6: Rye Strategic Gap (hatched) showing DaSA proposed extensions 3 Rye Neighbourhood Plan : Strategic Gap Review - March 2021 Maps drawn from the Rye Neighbourhood Plan which relate to the Strategic Gap: Protected Biodiversity; Access; Boundaries Please note that there is no formal pedestrian access, but significant biodiversity protection and the land is outside the development boundary. 4 Rye Neighbourhood Plan : Strategic Gap Review - March 2021 Figure 27: Development Boundary 5 Rye Neighbourhood Plan : Strategic Gap Review - March 2021 6 Rye Neighbourhood Plan : Strategic Gap Review - March 2021 7 .