NORTH CORNWALL LOCAL DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK Site Specific Allocations & Policies Preferred Options October 2007 © The content of this publication is copyright, but may be freely reproduced, disseminated and distributed provided that the original source is acknowledged in full. 1 Foreword The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 introduced major changes to the development plan system. Regional Spatial Strategies and Local Development Frameworks have replaced the old system of Structure and Local Plans. North Cornwall District Council welcomes the new system, which is intended to deliver quicker, more flexible and transparent plan preparation. The Council is committed to providing a high quality and responsive planning service that meets the needs of the community, and includes full community involvement and engagement. Our aim is to enable delivery of a Local Development Framework that is distinctive to North Cornwall, which can contribute to delivering the Community Strategy and the Council’s vision and corporate priorities. The Council has prepared a Site Specific Allocations and Policies Development Plan Document for public consultation and debate. It is published with the Generic Development Management Policies and Core Strategy Development Plan Documents. Together the documents present the Council’s preferred approach as to how, where and when development should occur in North Cornwall for the period to 2026. The consultation responses received to the preferred options Development Plan Documents will enable the Council to review and where appropriate revise its draft policies. As a consequence of Local Government Review it is unlikely that this document will be adopted as part of the North Cornwall Local Development Framework. Nevertheless the Council is committed to advance its preparation towards submission to provide a valuable platform for the process of plan making that will be undertaken by the new unitary Council of Cornwall. The Council seeks to enable genuine participation in planning for the future of North Cornwall throughout the preparation of this document, as it is doing for all Local Development Documents. It is hoped that all residents, businesses, interest groups and local communities, will take the opportunity to be involved in this consultation process. Comment provided will help to shape the future of North Cornwall. If you would like to comment on the Site Specific Allocations and Policies Development Plan Document, please use the response form provided, and forward it to: Director of Community Services North Cornwall District Council FREEPOST (PY 1684) 3-5 Barn Lane Bodmin Cornwall PL31 1LZ All comments must be received by 4.30pm on Friday 14th December 2007. Site Specific Allocations & Policies - Preferred Options - October 2007 Alternatively comments can be made on line: http://www.ncdc.gov.uk by fax: 01208 265687 or email [email protected]. Site Specific Allocations & Policies - Preferred Options - October 2007 Contents A Introduction 1 A.1 The Local Development Framework 1 A.2 The Site Specific Allocations and Policies Development Plan Document 1 A.3 Implemenation and Monitoring 2 A.4 Consultation 2 A.5 Sustainability Appraisal 3 A.6 Next Steps 3 B Context for Site Specific Allocation and Policies 5 B.1 Regional Spatial Strategy 5 B.2 Core Stratgey 5 B.3 Strategy for development in North Cornwall 6 C Site Allocations and Development Boundaries 9 C.1 Site Allocations 9 C.2 Development Boundaries 10 D Development in the six towns 13 D.1 Bodmin 13 D.2 Launceston 26 D.3 Bude-Stratton 35 D.4 Wadebridge 40 D.5 Camelford 49 D.6 Padstow 54 E Development in the district's major, major coastal and other villages 59 F Implementation and monitoring 63 G Sustainability Appraisal 71 Site Specific Allocations & Policies - Preferred Options - October 2007 H Appendix 73 H.1 Appendicies 73 I Glossary 81 Site Specific Allocations & Policies - Preferred Options - October 2007 A Introduction A.1 The Local Development Framework A.1.1 The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 (2004 Planning Act) requires the preparation of Development Plan Documents, provided as elements of a Local Development Framework to deliver the spatial planning strategy for the future of the district. A.1.2 The Development Plan Documents contained within the North Cornwall Local Development Framework include: Core Strategy Development Plan Document – is the overarching document in the Local Development Framework. It establishes the context for future growth and development in the district and sets the framework for all other Development Plan Documents. The Core Strategy sets out the spatial vision for the district, strategic objectives and core policies. It also identifies the general location of significant growth areas which will be the focus for delivering housing and other strategic development requirements. Site Specific Allocations and Policies Development Plan Document - contains site-based proposals and policies for specific types of development. It also establishes development boundaries, to define the general scope of permitted development in the district’s towns and villages, where additional development is considered appropriate. Generic Development Management Policies Development Plan Document - contains policies that set out criteria against which planning applications will be assessed. A.1.3 Appendix 1 of the Core Strategy provides further details on the new planning system and on the components of the North Cornwall Local Development Framework. A.1.4 The preferred options version of the above Development Plan Documents have been prepared in parallel to provided clarity as to how development will be delivered and managed in North Cornwall over the plan period to 2026. A.2 The Site Specific Allocations and Policies Development Plan Document A.2.1 This Site Specific Allocations and Policies Development Plan Document has been prepared in accordance with the vision, strategic objectives and policies of the Core Strategy. It is one of the main delivery tools to achieve sustainable development. The document identifies specific areas of land for development and explains how the “preferred” sites have been assessed to determine sustainability credentials and development potential. A.2.2 Specific policies for allocated sites are provided in this document. The contained polices set out the critical requirements of the identified sites together with any broad design and landscape requirements. In some cases there may be need for greater policy 1 Site Specific Allocations & Policies - Preferred Options - October 2007 detail, for example to ensure comprehensive site delivery relating to large or complex proposals. Development briefs will be required for such sites, which will be separately prepared and in consultation with the local community. The policies contained within the Generic Development Management Policies Development Plan Document will also be applied to all sites subject to detailed proposals. A.2.3 The sites allocated for development are identified on the Proposals Map, which covers the whole district and includes Inset Maps, prepared at a larger scale to clearly show certain areas in more detail. The distribution and number of settlements for which Inset Maps have been prepared is diagrammatically referenced in the Development Management Development Plan Document. A.3 Implemenation and Monitoring A.3.1 Preparation of the Local Development Framework is not a once and for all activity. It is essential to check that the plan is being implemented correctly, assess the outcomes and check that the policies remain up to date and accord with the Council’s priorities. To do this in a transparent way, policy indicators and targets are proposed. These will be used in the Annual Monitoring Report, which will have a major role in tracking performance in each policy area. A.4 Consultation A.4.1 This Development Plan Document presents the Council’s preferred option for site-specific allocations to meet identified needs and guide development proposals; it also defines development boundaries for the district’s towns and classified villages. It is the Council’s recommended approach for the delivery of spatial planning in accordance with the Core Strategy. It also identifies where choices are available and which options have been discarded. If choices have been made to determine the favoured approach, the discarded options are identified and the reasons for their rejection stated. A.4.2 This document has been prepared following widespread consultation undertaken by the Council with statutory bodies, the local community, local organisations and representative groups. In November 2003 the Council published an Issues and Options Report (i) to initiate community and stakeholder engagement in the local development framework process. The Report aimed to progress the debate on matters that would be addressed by the three Development Plan Documents. Comment was sought on board and detailed policy areas and general and specific locations for future development. A.4.3 A report (ii) on the consultation responses was subsequently published in November 2004. The outcomes of the consultation exercise have been taken into account in the preparation of this preferred options document. The report also identified key research projects such as retail and employment land assessments, which have been undertaken i North Cornwall Local Development Framework Issues & Options Report (NCDC November 2003) ii North Cornwall Local Development Framework,