Northumberland Local Plan Core Strategy Preferred Options for Housing, Employment and Green Belt Consultation Document: October 2013 Contents Foreword 3 1 Introduction 4 2 A spatial portrait of Northumberland 12 3 The economy of Northumberland 24 4 The population of Northumberland 29 5 The preferred strategic development option for Northumberland – planning for economic growth 34 6 Economy and employment 38 7 Housing 46 8 Green Belt 58 9 Delivery of the preferred strategy 69 Appendices A Explanation of the Baseline Population and Household Data 115 B Equality Impact 117 C Habitats Regulations Assessment 120 D Employment land tables 121 Glossary 125 Photograph credits 135 Northumberland Core Strategy Preferred Options 2 - October 2013 Foreword Foreword As Policy Board Member for Planning, Housing and Regeneration in this new Council, I am pleased and privileged to have been given responsibility for taking forward the Council's main strategic plan – the Core Strategy. Following two earlier consultations with Northumberland people, the plan has now reached a critical stage. You have made it clear that you want to keep your communities viable and thriving but you also attach great value to Northumberland's unique environment. Our population forecasting work has left the Council in no doubt that we need a considerable amount of growth. This is the only way to keep working-age families in the County and provide housing that is affordable along with a choice of quality jobs. With all of this in mind, we have set out in this document how new homes and workplaces can be accommodated without negatively impacting on Northumberland's distinctive environment. This stage of the Core Strategy begins to set out quite a lot of the detail about how our towns and larger villages should grow. We have had to make some difficult decisions about the scope for places to absorb housing and how the Green Belt may need to be rethought in places. We want as many people as possible to participate at this stage of the Core Strategy. We need growth but we need to grow in the right way and this is why we need your local knowledge and opinions on the plans I therefore urge you to take part in this consultation process and look forward to receiving your views. Councillor Alan Hepple Policy Board Member for Planning, Housing and Regeneration Northumberland Core Strategy Preferred Options 2 - October 2013 3 1. Introduction 1. Introduction What is a Local Plan? 1.1 All local planning authorities are required to have an up to date Local Plan(1). Local Plans should: set out a vision for growth and identify the quantity, broad location and key sites for new housing, employment, shops and community facilities; identify how through the planning process the environment will be protected and enhanced; be in line with national planning policy principles as set out in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF); reflect the needs and priorities of local communities. 1.2 Policies within the Local Plan are the starting point for the assessment of all planning applications. 1.3 A Local Plan can be made up of a number of different documents, see Figure 1.1. 1.4 Neighbourhood Plans, prepared by Town and Parish Councils, will also form part of the Development Plan once they are adopted. Figure 1.1 The Local Plan 1 'Local Plan' is a clear term that people understand. We have previously called it the 'Local Development Plan' or the 'Local Development Framework' 4 Northumberland Core Strategy Preferred Options 2 - October 2013 1. Introduction What is the Northumberland Local Plan? 1.5 In Northumberland, the Local Plan is currently the adopted Core Strategies and saved policies of the Local Plans of the former local planning authorities that made up Northumberland prior to Local Government reorganisation in 2009. 1.6 The Council is currently preparing a Core Strategy and a Delivery Document that will replace the adopted and saved policies. 1.7 The Northumberland Core Strategy will: Set out the strategic planning policies of the Council; Provide the planning principles to guide future development and planning decisions in Northumberland(2) to 2031; Set out the general scale and distribution of new development which is required to meet Northumberland’s needs to 2031; and Include strategic allocations for housing and employment. 1.8 The Core Strategy will supersede: All strategic policies in the Core Strategies adopted in 2007 for the former Alnwick, Blyth Valley and Tynedale Districts, and some policies in the former Blyth Valley Development Control Development Plan Document (2007); Some saved policies from the Local Plans of former planning authorities; and Policy S5 of the Northumberland County and National Park Joint Structure Plan (2005). 1.9 The Northumberland Delivery Document will include: Detailed land allocations and designations, as well as site-specific proposals for the necessary infrastructure, buildings and services to deliver the proposals in the Core Strategy; Detailed development management policies; and A proposals map identifying land allocations and designations. What is the relationship with neighbourhood plans? 1.10 A number of communities in the County are preparing Neighbourhood Plans. Provided they conform generally to the Core Strategy's strategic policies, pass independent examination and are agreed by their host community following a referendum, these plans will become part of the Development Plan. 1.11 The scope of Neighbourhood Plans will be determined by the Town and Parish Councils in consultation with their communities. 2 Excluding Northumberland National Park ,which is a separate Local Planning Authority and has separate adopted planning policies Northumberland Core Strategy Preferred Options 2 - October 2013 5 1. Introduction Core Strategy - what have we done so far? Issues and Options This was the first significant period of public engagement on the Core Strategy; Consultation took place between May and August 2012 over a 12 week period; There were substantial levels of participation and response during the consultation period; All of the responses received are available on the Council's website at http://northumberland-consult.limehouse.co.uk/portal/planning/core_strategy/csio. Preferred Options – Stage 1 Responses to the Issues and Options consultation highlighted that there was a requirement for a significant amount of work on the housing and employment evidence base before housing numbers and employment land requirements could be accurately defined; Consultation took place during February and March 2013; This document proposed 57 draft policies covering: Affordable housing, rural exception sites, housing for older and vulnerable people; Approach to windfall employment development, rural economy and tourism; Town Centres and retailing; Minerals and waste; Renewable energy and sustainable construction; Transport and ICT; Community facilities; and Natural and historic environment; As additional detailed work was still being undertaken, it did not include draft policies covering: Proposed level and location of housing land; Proposed level and location of employment land; or Approach to Green Belt. All of the responses received are available on the Council’s website at http://northumberland-consult.limehouse.co.uk/portal/planning/core_strategy/cspo. What is the purpose and scope of this consultation document? 1.12 This document is Stage 2 of the Preferred Options consultation. It sets out the Council’s preferred policy approach to housing, employment and Green Belt. 1.13 This consultation document: Defines the preferred level of housing and economic growth; Defines the preferred broad distribution of development to deliver the strategy for Northumberland; Proposes the preferred policy approach to Green Belt: 6 Northumberland Core Strategy Preferred Options 2 - October 2013 1. Introduction identifies the locations where land will be required to be deleted from the Green Belt, in order to deliver the preferred strategy; defines the Council’s preferred detailed boundary for the Green Belt extension around Morpeth; and Sets out the reasonable alternatives that the Council has considered as part of developing the preferred policy approach and the potential impact of alternative options. What is the relationship between this document and the Stage 1 Preferred Options document? 1.14 Stage 1 of the Core Strategy Preferred Options (February 2013) defined the emerging overarching spatial vision and objectives for the Local Plan. It proposed 57 draft policies for comment. 1.15 This Stage 2 consultation document sets out the detailed policy approach for housing, employment and Green Belt that were not included in the Stage 1 document. It should be read alongside the Stage 1 document as together the documents form the Council’s Core Strategy Preferred Options. 1.16 A full draft Core Strategy will be published early in 2014. If as a result of the proposals within this current consultation document you wish to make further comments on the Stage 1 (February 2013) document the Council will also accept these comments. The Council will respond to all comments received at both Preferred Options stages in advance of the publication of the full draft Core Strategy document in 2014(3)the Council will also accept these comments. The Council will respond to all comments received at both Preferred Options stages in advance of the publication of the full draft Core Strategy document in 2014. How has the document been prepared? 1.17 In order to strengthen the existing