Local Plan for Sefton April 2017 FOREWORD TO THE SEFTON LOCAL PLAN Sefton is a diverse borough that contains towns and villages with distinct identities and communities. Sefton is also home to areas of open countryside and a coastal area that helps make Sefton an attractive location where people choose to live, work and visit. Whilst Sefton’s varied character and landscape is its strength, it also provides challenges in planning for its future growth. The Council has worked to address these during the preparation of the Sefton Local Plan. The key challenge we have faced is how we best meet our economic and social needs whilst protecting our natural and built environment, much of which is nationally and internationally protected and is highly valued by residents and visitors. The Local Plan sets out how we will meet our future housing and employment needs to 2030. Sites have been identified through a thorough and rigorous process, with an emphasis on identifying sites within the urban area as far as possible. We have also sought to meet needs as close as possible to where they are arise, taking account of the many constraints that affect where development can take place. This approach was endorsed by the Inspector who examined the Local Plan. Some of the decisions we have had to make have not been easy and getting to this stage has been long and sometimes contentious. However, the Council believes the Local Plan for Sefton provides a framework for the Borough to grow in a positive and balanced way so that everyone will have the opportunity to live a successful, active and valued life. I would like to thank the many thousands of residents who have taken time to make comments at various stage of the Local Plan process, Community Groups, Council officers, Organisations, fellow Councillors and others who have been involved in preparing the Local Plan. Councillor Daren Veidman, Cabinet Member: Planning and Building Control. Contents Page Number Chapter 1 Introduction and Duty to cooperate 1 Chapter 2 Profile of Sefton 7 Chapter 3 Key issues and challenges, vision and objectives 19 Chapter 4 Priorities, policy principles and spatial strategy 24 Chapter 5 Sustainable Development 34 o SD1 Presumption in favour of sustainable development o SD2 Principles of sustainable development Chapter 6 Meeting Sefton’s needs 37 o MN1 Housing and employment requirement o MN2 Housing, employment and mixed use allocations o MN3 Land east of Maghull o MN4 Land north of Formby Industrial Estate o MN5 Land at Moss Lane, Churchtown o MN6 Land North of Brackenway, Formby o MN7 The Green Belt o MN8 Safeguarded Land Chapter 7 Economic development and regeneration 60 o ED1 The Port and Maritime Zone o ED2 Retail, leisure and other town centre uses o ED3 Existing Employment Areas o ED4 Mixed Use Areas o ED5 Tourism o ED6 Regeneration Areas o ED7 Southport Central area o ED8 Southport Seafront o ED9 Marine Park o ED10 Aintree Racecourse o ED11Crosby Centre Chapter 8 Housing and communities 84 o HC1 Affordable and special needs housing o HC2 Housing type, mix and choice o HC3 Primarily Residential Areas o HC4 House extensions, Houses in Multiple Occupation and Flats o HC5 Gypsies and Travellers o HC6 Assets of community value o HC7 Education and care institutions Chapter 9 Infrastructure 101 o IN1 Infrastructure and developer contributions o IN2 Transport o IN3 Waste Chapter 10 Design and environmental quality 110 o EQ1 Healthy Sefton o EQ2 Design o EQ3 Accessibility o EQ4 Pollution and hazards o EQ5 Air quality o EQ6 Contaminated Land o EQ7 Energy efficient and low carbon design o EQ8 Flood risk and surface water o EQ9 Provision of public open space, strategic paths and trees o EQ10 Food and drink o EQ11 Advertisements Chapter 11 Natural and heritage assets 133 o NH1 Natural assets o NH2 Nature o NH3 Nature Improvement Areas o NH4 The Sefton coast o NH5 Protection of open space and Countryside Recreation Areas o NH6 Golf Courses o NH7 Rural Landscape Character o NH8 Minerals o NH9 Heritage assets o NH10 Demolition or substantial harm to designated Heritage Assets o NH11 Works affecting Listed buildings o NH12 Conservation Areas o NH13 Registered Parks and Gardens o NH14 Scheduled Monuments and non-designated archaeology o NH15 Non-designated Heritage Assets Chapter 12 Implementation and monitoring 168 o PIM1 Planning enforcement Glossary 170 Appendices 1 Site specific requirements 182 2 Nature sites and related information 187 3 Monitoring Framework 191 4 List of SPDs 206 5 Superseded Unitary Development Plan policies 207 List of Figures 2.1 Sefton in its sub-regional context 7 2.2 Key commuter flows into and out of Sefton 10 2.3 Areas in Sefton classed as within the 20% most and 20% least deprived in England 11 2.4 Sefton’s projected population aged 65+ [2012-36] 15 2.5 Map of Sefton showing north, central and south areas 16 4.1 The extent of Green Belt in Sefton and adjacent areas 27 4.2 No. of homes completed in the last 30 years [1984-2014] by area 30 4.3 Total amount of development proposed in each area 2012-2030 32 4.4 Key diagram 33 6.1 Broad location of Business Park within Land East of Maghull 50 8.1 Affordable Housing Need in Sefton 87 8.2 Traveller accommodation need in Sefton 97 11.1 Nature conservation sites in Sefton 139 11.2 Sefton’s Coastal Change Management Area 145 11.3 Development Types that do not require a Minerals Assessment 153 11.4 Heritage assets in Sefton 156 SEFTON LOCAL PLAN CHAPTER ONE - INTRODUCTION AND DUTY TO CO-OPERATE CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION AND DUTY TO CO-OPERATE 1.1 The Sefton Local Plan will help us to shape Sefton over the next 15 years – our towns and villages, coast and countryside, homes, jobs, services and leisure opportunities. It provides a positive approach to planning for Sefton which combines the desire to be aspirational with a challenging national economic context. 1.2 The Local Plan sets out: How development will be provided in order to meet the needs of Sefton’s communities The policy framework for making decisions on planning applications The strategic policy framework for Neighbourhood Plans, and Priorities for investment in employment, housing and infrastructure, including site allocations. 1.3 The Local Plan has a start date of 2012 as this is the date of the latest population projections which must be taken into account in preparing the Plan. KEY INFLUENCES ON THE LOCAL PLAN 1.4 The key elements which have influenced the shape of the Local Plan are: The National Planning Policy Framework (‘the NPPF’), especially its emphasis on: The need to boost significantly the supply of housing Facilitating sustainable development. The NPPF notes that “Sustainable development is about positive growth – making economic, environmental and social progress” (Ministerial Foreword), and has at its heart “a presumption in favour of sustainable development, which should be seen as a golden thread running through both plan-making and decision- taking” (paragraph 14). Sefton’s role within the sub-region: With the abolition of the Regional Spatial Strategy in May 2013, the main regional/ sub- regional influences on the Plan are Sefton’s role within the Liverpool City Region. The ‘Combined Authority’ has added a formal dimension to working in partnership and provides a strategic framework to bid for government funding for City Region-wide priorities. The Local Enterprise Partnership identifies ‘transformational actions’ which reflect the key economic aspirations for the City Region. ‘Nature Connected’ (the Local Nature Partnership) is a partnership focusing on a City Region-wide approach to environmental matters. Sefton’s role in these initiatives is covered later in this chapter: ‘Duty to Co-operate’. Evidence: The Local Plan takes account of a range of evidence and studies that have been undertaken either by Sefton or in partnership with the Liverpool City Region authorities. Many of these documents can be viewed online at www.sefton.gov.uk/planningstudies. The Local Plan is supported by a Sustainability Appraisal Report (including a Strategic Environmental Assessment). The Report includes a detailed assessment of options considered and how each policy has been assessed against a range of social, economic and environmental criteria. The Local Plan also incorporates the findings of the Habitats Regulations Assessment which is required under the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010 as amended. 1 SEFTON LOCAL PLAN CHAPTER ONE - INTRODUCTION AND DUTY TO CO-OPERATE Early consultation: There has been extensive consultation with a wide range of partners, organisations and the wider community The comments received have helped to shape the content of the Plan although these must be considered in the context of what the Government requires local authorities to do through the NPPF. PREPARING A LOCAL PLAN FOR SEFTON 1.5 The Local Plan has been prepared over a number of years. The key stages are as follows: Issues stage - 2009: o consultation on a range of issues facing Sefton o the possible need to use Green Belt land to meet housing needs was not considered at that stage, as this was before the regional layer of Government was abolished – at that time it was expected the Green Belt would be reviewed at a sub-regional level before a Plan was prepared for Sefton Options stage - 2011: o three options consulted on – ‘urban containment’ / ‘meeting identified needs’ / ‘optimistic household growth’ Preferred Option stage – 2013: based on the strategy of meeting identified needs Publication Draft Plan – 2015: this is closely based on meeting identified needs, adjusted to take account of the then latest (2012-based) population projections.