Lovelace Neighbourhood Plan - 2019-2034 A PLAN FOR RIPLEY, OCKHAM AND WISLEY 6 September 2018 Page 1 of 142 CONTENTS 1. --------- INTRODUCTION 8 1.1. Neighbourhood Plans 8 1.2. Why Lovelace? 8 1.3. Legislative Backing 9 1.4. The Plan Document 9 1.5. The Future 9 2. --------- LOVELACE PROFILE 11 2.1. Housing 13 2.2. Environment 15 2.2.1 Rural Environment and Open Spaces 15 2.2.2 Natural Habitats 16 2.2.3 Flooding 16 2.2.4 Air Quality and Traffic 17 2.3. Infrastructure 19 2.3.1 Utilities 19 2.3.2 High Speed Broadband 19 2.3.3 Public Transport 19 2.3.4 Cycling and Walking 19 2.3.5 Parking 20 2.3.6 Community Facilities and Activities 20 2.3.7 Healthcare 22 2.3.8 Schools in Lovelace 22 2.4. Business and Employment 23 2.4.1 Local Employment Characteristics 23 2.4.2 Working from Home 24 3. --------- CONSTRAINTS AND CHALLENGES 25 3.1. Green Belt 25 3.2. Introduction - The Perfect Storm 25 3.2.1 Already Approved 25 3.2.2 Pending 25 3.2.3 In the Emerging GBC 2017 LP 26 3.3. RHS Wisley Expansion 27 3.4. The Drift Golf Club 27 Page 2 of 142 3.5. M25 / A3 – Junction 10 Improvements 29 3.6. Proposed Sites - GBC 2017 Emerging Local Plan 30 3.6.1 Three Farms Meadows (Site A35, GBC 2017 LP) 31 3.6.2 Garlicks Arch (Site 43, GBC 2017 LP) 33 3.6.3 Other Housing Sites 33 3.6.4 Burnt Common Slip Roads 34 3.7. Summary 34 4. --------- LOVELACE VISION AND OBJECTIVES 35 4.1. Housing 35 4.2. Environment 35 4.3. Infrastructure 35 4.4. Business and Employment 36 5. --------- LOVELACE OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES 37 6. --------- HOUSING POLICIES 40 96.1 Introduction 40 6.2 Housing Sites 42 6.3 Housing for All 44 6.4 Design and Density 47 7.1 Introduction 50 7.2 Protecting Local Green Spaces (LGS) 52 7.3 Biodiversity and Natural Habitats 55 7.4 Flooding 58 7.5 Light Pollution 60 7.6 Air Quality and Traffic 62 8. INFRASTRUCTURE 67 8.1 Introduction 67 8.3 Public Transport and Green Travel 70 8.4 Cycling and Walking 72 8.5 Parking 74 8.6 Community Facilities 78 8.7 Healthcare and Educational Provision 79 Page 3 of 142 9. BUSINESS AND EMPLOYMENT 81 9.1 Introduction 81 9.2 Preserve and Develop Business & Employment 83 9.3 Rural and Agricultural 86 APPENDIX 1. MAPS 87 APPENDIX 2 SUMMARIES OF SURVEYS 92 2.1 The 2015 Summer Survey Summary 92 2.1.1 What's Good, What's Bad? 92 2.1.2 What Is Missing? 92 2.1.3 What Else Is Needed? 93 2.1.4 What Sort of Place Should Ripley Be? 93 2.1.5 Other Issues 93 2.2 Summer 2015 Survey Analysis 95 2.3 The Lovelace Housing Development Survey 2016 97 2.4 Ockham Housing Survey 98 2.5 The 016 Summer Survey 98 2.6 The 2016 Facilities Survey 99 2.7 The 2016 Business and Employment Survey 100 2.8 The 2018 Summer Survey 101 3.1 Population Growth and Households - 2011 and 2016 103 3.2 Housing Stock 103 3.3 Lovelace Property Purchase and Rental Prices 104 3.4 Additions to Housing Stock in Ripley over Last 5 Years 105 3.5 Ripley Village Businesses Commercial Conversions 105 3.6 Three Farms Meadows/Wisley Airfield – Land and Building 107 APPENDIX 4. ENVIRONMENT 110 2.1 Air Quality 110 4.2 Lovelace Local Green Spaces 113 4.2.1 Ripley Local Green Spaces 113 4.2.2 Ockham Green Spaces 114 4.2.3 Wisley Green Spaces 115 4.3 Local Views 115 Page 4 of 142 4.4. Biodiversity – Ockham and Wisley Commons 123 APPENDIX 5 INFRASTRUCTURE 126 1.1 Public Transport – Three Farms Meadows 126 APPENDIX 6 GLOSSARY 127 REFERENCES 136 Page 5 of 142 Map 1 - Lovelace – Green Belt and Surrounding Conurbations Map 2 - Environmental Designated Areas Map 3 - Woodland and Grassland Map 4 - SSSI Impact Zones Map 5 - Local Green Spaces Map 6 - Flood Risk Map 7 - Bus Stops and Schools Map 8 - Public Rights of Way Map 9 - Footpaths Map 10 - Road Noise Page 6 of 142 Acronyms AONB Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty BOA Biodiversity Opportunity Area BOATs Byways Open to All Traffic CAA Conservation Area Appraisal CIL Community Infrastructure Levy CPRE Council for the Protection of Rural England DEFRA Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs GA Garlicks Arch GBC Guildford Borough Council GBC 2003 LP Guildford Borough Council 2003 Local Plan GBC 2017 LP Guildford Borough Council 2017 Local Plan HE Highways England LAA Land Availability Assessment LAQMA Local Air Quality Management Area LGS Local Green Spaces LNP Lovelace Neighbourhood Plan LNPG Lovelace Neighbourhood Plan Group LNR Local Nature Reserves LRN Local Roads Network NPPF National Planning Policy Framework REH Rural Exception Homes RHS Royal Horticultural Society RSPB Royal Society for the Protection of Birds SLGA (p33) L.H.5 ?????????? SCC Surrey County Council SCREF Surrey Countryside and Rural Enterprise Forum SNCI Site of Nature Conservation Interest SPA Special Protection Area SRN Strategic Roads Network SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest SWT Surrey Wildlife Trust THBSPA Thames Heath Basin Special Protection Area (also referred t as SPA) TFM Three Farms Meadows (former Wisley airfield) Page 7 of 142 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1. Neighbourhood Plans Lovelace comprises the villages of Ripley, Ockham and Wisley. To understand why Lovelace have chosen to have a Neighbourhood Plan, it is helpful to know a little of the process of deciding planning applications and land use in England. The highest level is the countrywide Town and Country Planning Act 1990, from which Councils prepare a Development Plan for their county. In Surrey, Local boroughs, e.g. Guildford Borough Council (GBC), then prepare a Local Plan (LP) for their district. All plans cover housing needs and infrastructure requirements and Local Plans allocate sustainable sites in the borough for housing, both strategic and non-strategic. The Localism Act 2011 introduced a further planning level, the Neighbourhood Plan (NP), designed to help Councils, e.g. Guildford Borough Council, to make planning decisions informed by more local level policies shaped by the communities most likely to be affected by them. The Lovelace Neighbourhood Plan (LNP) must be in general conformity with the strategic policies of the adopted GBC 2003 Local Plan (GBC 2003 LP), but it is sensible also to give regard to the GBC Emerging 2017 Local Plan (GBC 2017 LP) which was submitted for examination in December 2017. All Plans must conform to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) guidelines, which offer guidance on suitability of locations, and other matters. 1.2. Why Lovelace? In 2014 Ripley Parish Council resolved to take advantage of this new opportunity by preparing a Neighbourhood Plan for the area. After consultation with adjacent parishes, it was decided that the most appropriate area for such a plan would be the Lovelace Ward of Guildford Borough, which includes the villages and civil parishes of Ripley, Ockham and Wisley. As all three civil parishes will be similarly affected by major development proposals, major road network changes and other factors over the next decade or so, it is sensible for the Lovelace Neighbourhood Plan to cover the whole Ward. The first step was Guildford Borough Council designating Lovelace as a Neighbourhood Plan Area in February 2015. Ripley and Ockham Parish Councils agreed to a working party of volunteers setting up the Lovelace Neighbourhood Plan Group (LNPG) with the aim of providing a draft neighbourhood plan for consideration by the people of Lovelace Ward. The makeup of the LNPG is defined in the LNPG Constitution, which is available on our website at http://lovelaceplan.co.uk/get-involved/the-constitution-of-the-group. Page 8 of 142 1.3. Legislative Backing The Lovelace Neighbourhood Plan (LNP) has been drawn up in accordance with the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), the Planning Policy Guidance, (PPG), the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, the Localism Act 2011 and the Neighbourhood Planning Regulations 2012 (amended 2016). It is in general conformity with the strategic policies in the adopted Guildford Borough Council 2003 Local Plan and has regard to the Emerging GBC 2017 Local Plan. Once accepted, the LNP will be in force for 15 years, i.e. between 2019-2034, unless superseded by a later version, and will inform all planning decisions in the area. The regulations emphasise the importance of the policies contained within it accurately reflecting the views of the stakeholders in the area, including the residents, local businesses, community groups and frequent visitors. The LNPG has carried out public and targeted surveys which have formed the objectives and policies of this plan. (Appendix 2). 1.4. The Plan Document The purpose of the LNP is to: 1. Define how and where development takes place during the next fifteen years, whilst accepting that it cannot interfere with the selection process of major strategic local sites. 2. Provide guidance for developers and planning authorities as to the character, density and other parameters which all future developments must meet. The most important part of our plan is the list of policies contained in Section 6 and set out in detail in the following pages. Each of these covers a different aspect of the development framework for the area. It is these policies, and their supporting documents, against which planning applications will be assessed.