West Lancashire LOCAL PLAN REVIEW PREFERRED OPTIONS August 2018 www.westlancs.gov.uk/LPR Local Plan Review: Preferred Options ii West Lancashire Borough Council CONTENTS Foreword 3 How to comment on the Preferred Options 4 Chapter 1: Introduction 5 Local Plan Review: Preferred Options Consultation 5 Preparation of a new Local Plan 6 The National and Sub-Regional Planning context 7 Key Issues Facing West Lancashire 9 Chapter 2: Vision for West Lancashire 13 Draft Vision 13 Objectives 14 Chapter 3: Strategic Policies 17 Policy SP1: Delivering Sustainable Development 17 Policy SP2: Strategic Development Requirements 20 Policy SP3: Settlement Boundaries 25 Policy SP4: Development in the Green Belt 28 Policy SP5: Skelmersdale Town Centre 32 Policy SP6: Yew Tree Farm, Burscough 34 Policy SP7: The Creation of Garden Villages and Employment Areas to the west 38 and south-west of Skelmersdale Policy SP8: Land to the south-east of Ormskirk and Aughton 42 Chapter 4: Economic Policies 47 Policy EC1: Delivering New Employment Developments 47 Policy EC2: Managing Development on Existing Employment land 50 Policy EC3: The Rural and Visitor Economy 53 Policy EC4: Vibrant Centres 57 Policy EC5: Ormskirk Town Centre 65 Policy EC6: Edge Hill University 71 Policy EC7: Demonstrating Viability 74 Chapter 5: Housing Policies 79 Policy H1: General Housing Policy 79 Policy H2: Housing Site Allocations 87 Policy H3: Affordable Housing 94 Policy H4: Housing for Older People 99 Policy H5: Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMOs) and Student Accommodation 105 Policy H6: Gypsy and Traveller Sites 112 Local Plan Review: Preferred Options 1 CONTENTS Policy H7: Accomodation for Temporary Agricultural / Horticultural Workers 125 Policy H8: Viability Appraisals on Residential Developments 128 Chapter 6: Infrastructure and Services Policies 133 Policy IF1: Strategic Transport Infrastructure 133 Policy IF2: Community Facilities 142 Policy IF3: Communications Development 145 Policy IF4: Low Carbon and Renewable Energy Development 148 Chapter 7: Green Infrastructure Policies 155 Policy GI1: Provision of Green Infrastructure 155 Policy GI2: Open Space and Outdoor Sports / Recreation Facilities 158 Policy GI3: Nature Conservation and Ecological Networks 161 Policy GI4: Trees, Woodland and Hedgerows 167 Policy GI5: Landscape Character and Land Resources 171 Policy GI6: Coastal Zone 173 Chapter 8: Sustainable Development and Design Policies 177 Policy SD1: Designing Sustainable Layouts 177 Policy SD2: Sustainable Design 179 Policy SD3: Preservation of Heritage Assets 182 Policy SD4: Managing Flood Risk 185 Policy SD5: Managing Contamination and Pollution 189 Chapter 9: Next Steps 193 Glossary 195 Appendix A: Area Maps 205 Appendix B: Parking Standards 217 2 West Lancashire Borough Council FOREWORD Foreword The Council is ambitious for West Lancashire - our economy, the environment and for the health and wellbeing of residents. These Local Plan Preferred Options propose a new Local Plan that refl ects those ambitions, seeking to ensure that West Lancashire improves as an attractive place that people will want to live, work and visit, and does so in a sustainable, planned manner over the next 30 years in a way that provides a degree of certainty for all. West Lancashire has a wonderful mix of vibrant towns and picturesque villages, and boasts some of the most beautiful and productive countryside in the UK. It is also placed strategically within the emerging City Regions, particularly Liverpool City region with Liverpool Superport being one of the largest International Ports in close proximity (less than 10 miles) which is now home to the North’s only Deep Sea terminal Liverpool 2. This new Northern Gateway has already proven to be a catalyst for multiple aligned investments across the region. It is therefore vital that we manage, guide and encourage development within the Borough to improve the economic and social prospects within our towns with a view to the wider picture, but do so while protecting and improving our environment for future generations and maintaining the communities we already have. This document proposes the way that the Council considers this is best achieved. The Local Plan Preferred Options have been developed by considering all the information provided by the Council’s evidence base thus far and the results of previous public consultation on the Scope, Issues and Options for a new Local Plan, and takes into account the latest guidance issued by the Government on preparing local planning policy, most notably the recently revised National Planning Policy Framework. Ultimately, the Local Plan is extremely important for the future of the Borough and will directly or indirectly affect all residents and communities within the Borough and so I strongly encourage you to engage with the public consultation on this document. Let the Council know your views on the Local Plan, so that we can prepare the best possible Local Plan for West Lancashire. Councillor John Hodson Portfolio Holder for Planning and Development West Lancashire Borough Council August 2018 Local Plan Review: Preferred Options 3 FOREWORD How to Comment on the Preferred Options If you would like to comment on any part of the preferred options, then you can do so through the Local Plan Review Preferred Options consultation. The consultation is open for six weeks from 11 October until 23 November 2018. How to submit your comments: We strongly encourage people to make representations online as this is the easiest and quickest method of submitting your views. This can be done at: www.westlancs.gov.uk/lpr As well as the comments form, and an electronic copy of the preferred document paper, the website also has full details of our evidence base documents should you wish to learn more. However, you can still email or write in with your comments using the details below. Paper copies of the preferred option paper can be found at all libraries in West Lancashire, at the Council Offi ces at 52 Derby St, Ormskirk and the Customer Service Point, Unit 142, fi rst fl oor of the Concourse, Skelmersdale. Web: www.westlancs.gov.uk/lpr Email: [email protected] Post: Strategic Planning West Lancashire Borough Council 52 Derby Street Ormskirk Lancashire L39 2DF Any questions or queries? If you have any queries about the Local Plan Review, you can contact the Local Plan Team by phoning 01695 585194 or by attending one of our events. Details of our events can be found online at www.westlancs.gov.uk/lpr 4 West Lancashire Borough Council CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Chapter 1: Introduction Local Plan Review: Preferred Options Consultation 1.1 West Lancashire Borough Council is committed to ensuring sustainable development is delivered in West Lancashire and so has undertaken to review the current West Lancashire Local Plan 2012-2027, which was adopted in October 2013. 1.2 The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) talks about the three dimensions to sustainable development: economic, social and environmental. These dimensions give rise to the need for the planning system to perform a number of roles: • an economic role – contributing to building a strong, responsive and competitive economy, by ensuring that suffi cient land of the right type is available in the right places and at the right time to support growth and innovation; and by identifying and coordinating development requirements, including the provision of infrastructure; • an environmental role – contributing to protecting and enhancing our natural, built and historic environment; and, as part of this, helping to improve biodiversity, use natural resources prudently, minimise waste and pollution, and mitigate and adapt to climate change including moving to a low carbon economy. • a social role – supporting strong, vibrant and healthy communities, by providing the supply of housing required to meet the needs of present and future generations; and by creating a high quality built environment, with accessible local services that refl ect the community’s needs and support its health, social and cultural well-being. 1.3 While the current Local Plan does support the principle of sustainable development that is championed by the NPPF, it is now fi ve years old and the context surrounding planning and development is constantly changing and national planning policy is evolving with it. This means that local planning policy, such as Local Plans, can quickly become out of date if they are not reviewed and updated accordingly, which, aside from not delivering the sustainable development we aspire to, can have two main negative consequences. 1.4 First, an out-of-date Local Plan can constrain growth, both economically and in terms of providing the right kind of development in the right place in a timely fashion. Secondly, if local planning policy is out of date it can be ineffective in managing and guiding where appropriate development should take place and can lead to a situation where Local Plan Review: Preferred Options 5 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION the Council has less control or choice in its decisions. 1.5 Therefore, while the West Lancashire Local Plan 2012-2027 is not out of date at this point in time, it is considered prudent to prepare a new Local Plan, and this Preferred Options document is a key step in doing that. Preparation of a new Local Plan 1.6 The Local Plan Review (and therefore the preparation of a new Local Plan) began in earnest in September 2016, when Council’s Cabinet approved a new Local Development Scheme (a project plan and timetable for the preparation of a new Local Plan) and authorised an initial “scoping” consultation with key stakeholder organisations. This scoping consultation took place in October 2016 and several organisations provided feedback on what topics the new Local Plan should cover and how long a period it should cover. 1.7 In February and March 2017, the Council consulted publicly on the Scope of a Local Plan Review and a series of Issues & Options papers which set out the planning- related issues facing West Lancashire and proposed options for how those matters could be dealt with through a new Local Plan.