Development Strategy for Central Bedfordshire Revised Pre-Submission version (May 2014) (Draft version for Executive 27 May 2014) 1 1.0 INTRODUCTION....................................................................................5 2.0 PROFILE, ISSUES AND CHALLENGES ..............................................8 3.0 VISION AND OBJECTIVES ................................................................15 4.0 PRESUMPTION IN FAVOUR OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT..19 Policy 1: Presumption in Favour of Sustainable Development ...............19 5.0 A STRATEGY FOR GROWTH ............................................................20 Policy 2: Growth Strategy ...........................................................................23 Policy 3: Green Belt.....................................................................................24 Policy 4: Settlement Hierarchy ...................................................................25 Policy 5: Neighbourhood Planning ............................................................28 6.0 EMPLOYMENT AND ECONOMY........................................................29 Policy 6: Employment Land ........................................................................36 Policy 7: Employment Sites and Uses .......................................................38 Policy 8: Change of Use ..............................................................................39 Policy 9: Employment proposals outside Settlement Envelopes............40 Policy 10: Rural Economy and Tourism – .................................................42 7.0 TOWN CENTRES AND RETAILING.......................................................43 Policy 11: Town Centre Uses......................................................................46 Policy 12: Retail for Neighbourhood Centres and the Rural Area ...........47 Policy 13: Town Centre Development ........................................................51 8.0 INFRASTRUCTURE.........................................................................52 Policy 19: Planning Obligations and the Community Infrastructure Levy ...................................................................................................................54 Policy 20: Next Generation Broadband......................................................57 Policy 21: Provision for Social and Community Infrastructure ...............60 Policy 22: Leisure and open space provision ...........................................63 Policy 23 : Public Rights of Way.................................................................64 9.0 TRANSPORT.......................................................................................65 Policy 24: Accessibility and Connectivity..................................................69 Policy 25: Functioning of the Network.......................................................71 Policy 26: Travel Plans ................................................................................72 Policy 27: Parking........................................................................................73 Policy 28: Transport Assessments ............................................................74 10.0 HOUSING PROVISION ....................................................................75 Policy 29: Housing Provision......................................................................77 Policy 29a: Market-Led Sustainable Development....................................78 Policy 30: Housing Mix................................................................................80 Policy 31: Supporting an Ageing Population ............................................81 Policy 32: Lifetime Homes...........................................................................84 2 Policy 33: Gypsy and Traveller and Travelling Showpeople Provision –85 Policy 34: Affordable Housing....................................................................87 Policy 35: Exception Sites...........................................................................90 11.0 SETTLEMENTS, GREEN BELT AND SUSTAINABILITY ...............91 Policy 36: Development in the Green Belt .................................................93 Policy 37: Development within Green Belt Infill Boundaries ...................94 Policy 38: Within and Beyond Settlement Boundaries.............................96 Policy 39: Formally Designated Important Open Space...........................97 Policy 40: Other Areas of Open Space within Settlements ......................97 Policy 41: Local Green Space.....................................................................98 Policy 42: Local Green Space Aspley Guise .............................................99 Policy 43: High Quality Development.......................................................101 Policy 44: Protection from Environmental Pollution ..............................103 Policy 45: The Historic Environment........................................................108 Policy 46: Renewable and low carbon energy development..................111 Policy 47 : Resource Efficiency................................................................115 Policy 48: Adaptation ................................................................................117 Policy 49: Mitigating Flood Risk...............................................................121 12.0 COUNTRYSIDE AND THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT ...............122 Policy 50: Development in the Countryside ............................................123 Policy 51: Significant facilities in the Countryside and Green Belt.......124 Policy 52: Re-Use and replacement of buildings in the Countryside....126 Policy 53: Horticultural and Redundant Agricultural Sites outside the Green Belt and AONB.............................................................................127 Policy 54: Rural Workers’ Dwellings –.....................................................128 Policy 55: Equestrian Development And Development Related To The Keeping And Breeding Of Livestock.....................................................129 Policy 56: Green Infrastructure.................................................................133 Policy 57: Biodiversity and Geodiversity.................................................136 Policy 58: Landscape ................................................................................139 Policy 59: Woodlands, Trees and Hedgerows.........................................141 13.0 SITE SPECIFIC POLICIES.............................................................144 Policy 60: Houghton Regis North Strategic Allocation ..........................149 Policy 61: North of Luton Strategic Allocation........................................156 Policy 62: East of Leighton-Linslade .......................................................162 Policy 63: Wixams Southern Extension...................................................165 Policy 63a: Land at Vehicle Storage Depot, Chaul End, Caddington ....168 Policy 64: Sundon Rail Freight Interchange............................................172 Policy 65: North East of Flitwick Strategic Allocation ............................174 Policy 66: Stratton Farm Strategic Allocation .........................................176 3 Appendix 1: List of acronyms and technical terms ................................177 Appendix 2: List of superseded policies .................................................182 Appendix 3: Development Strategy Monitoring Framework ..................188 Appendix 4: Key Diagram .........................................................................199 Appendix 5: Strategic Allocation Maps....................................................206 Appendix 6: Leisure Standards and Requirements ................................207 Appendix 7: Thresholds for Transport Assessments and Travel Plans229 Appendix 8: Parking Standards................................................................232 Appendix 9: Guidance on the Sequential and Exception Tests.............233 4 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 A good planning system is essential for the economy, environment and society. The development plans that local authorities draw up, in consultation with local people, developers, investors and statutory bodies, set a vision for what an area should look like in the future and help decide who can build what, where and how, and make sure that buildings and structures get built in the right place and to the right standards. 1.2 In accordance with the National Planning Policy Framework and the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, this document is the Local Plan for Central Bedfordshire and is titled the “Development Strategy for Central Bedfordshire”. The Development Strategy sets out the vision, objectives, spatial strategy and overarching policies to guide development in Central Bedfordshire to 2031. The Development Management policies provide the policy framework against which all planning applications will be assessed. 1.3 The Development Strategy replaces the north Core Strategy and Development Management Policies Document (2009) and the majority of the remaining policies within the South Bedfordshire Local Plan (2004),the Mid Bedfordshire Local Plan (2005) and the remaining saved policies of the Bedfordshire and Luton Minerals and Waste Local Plan (2005) so far as they affect Central Bedfordshire. The greater part of the north Site Allocations Document (2011) remains in addition to the Minerals and Waste Local Plan – Strategic Sites and Policies (2014) which sits alongside the Development