THORNE & MOORENDS NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN ASSESSMENT OF SITES FOR ALLOCATION IN THE PLAN AND BACKGROUND REPORTS CONTENTS Page 1. Methodology For Housing Site Selection And List Of Housing Sites 3 2. Local Green Space Designation Criteria 6 3. Community Buildings 11 4. Thorne Town Centre Review – Report By URS 5. Thorne Parking Study – Report By JMP Consultants 2 1. METHODOLOGY FOR HOUSING SITE SELECTION AND LIST OF HOUSING SITES The decision to consider housing site allocations in The Neighbourhood Plan coincided with a “Call for Sites” exercise being carried out by DMBC for their Local Plan. Rather than run a duplicate exercise and potentially cause confusion, it was agreed to utilise the DMBC exercise, but undertake independent site appraisal. This approach was publicised on the Neighbourhood Plan and Town Council websites (copy of the notice is included in the documents file). The documentation from the DMBC on sites in Thorne and Moorends, provided by developers and landowners, was forwarded by DMBC for site appraisal. This was supplemented by a small number of sites which were known (either through applications or previous allocations) but had not been formally submitted. The issue of sites in Flood Zone 3 was being considered by the Working Group around the time that these submissions were received. Following discussions with DMBC and the environment Agency it was recognised that it was not possible for The Neighbourhood Plan to include any Flood Zone 3 sites as data was not available, and it was agreed that these should be considered through the Doncaster Local Plan. All Flood Zone 3 were therefore removed with only the non-Flood Zone sites being appraised for the Neighbourhood Plan. There was some overlap between sites in some cases, with sites merged for appraisal purposes. Sites were assessed using a pro-forma developed by consultant’s URS. A copy is included in the document file. Initial assessments were carried out by the Council’s Town Clerk, and were reviewed by the planning consultants. This generated a “long list” of potential sites which was then considered by the Working Group. The Working Group considered the appraisals on the basis of the following criteria: • Level of community support / opposition for development of each site • Fit with other emerging neighbourhood plan policies / proposals, e.g. conflict with proposed Local Green Space sites; conflict with preferred allocation already made for another use, such as housing vs employment • Weighting of original Site Assessment Suitability criteria in line with neighbourhood plan objectives, e.g. adding greater weight to ‘environmental’ as opposed to ‘heritage’ or ‘community service / facility’ criteria. 3 SITES TO BE ALLOCATED FOR HOUSING IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN Site Area Potential Number Our Site Ref Site Name Proposed Use(s) (ha) of Houses 396 North Eastern Road, Thorne Housing 2.50 ha 75 133 Land off St Nicholas Road, Thorne Housing 0.79 ha 24 Adjacent Peel Hill Motte, St Nicholas Road, Combination – housing and open 088 / 409 0.49 ha 72 Thorne space with former burial ground 472 Market Place, Thorne Housing / commercial 0.38 ha 10 409 Land adjacent Thorne South Station Housing / car parking 1.50 ha 45 321 Rear of the Victoria, South End, Thorne Housing 0.42 ha 13. 4 SITES ASSESSED BUT NOT SELECTED FOR ALLOCATION Our Site Ref Site Name Proposed Use(s) Recommendation / Comment 134 Land adjacent Darley Road, Thorne Retail Consent granted for retail so not available for housing Land off St Nicholas Road, Thorne 283 Housing Too much potential tree loss (adjacent Thorne House) 502 Rear of Wyke Well, Thorne Housing No access into the site 5 2. LOCAL GREEN SPACE DESIGNATION CRITERIA Paragraph 77 of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) sets out the criteria for the designation of local green space within Local Plans and Neighbourhood Plans. The NPPF makes clear the Local Green Space designation will not be appropriate for most green areas or open space and that the designation should only be used: • where the green space is in reasonably close proximity to the community it serves; • where the green area is demonstrably special to a local community and holds a particular local significance, for example because of its beauty, historic significance, recreational value (including as a playing field), tranquillity or richness of its wildlife; and • where the green area concerned is local in character and is not an extensive tract of land. The National Planning Policy Guidance provides further explanation on situations where it is appropriate to designate local green space. The guidance makes clear that large expanses of land, particularly on the edge of settlements, should not be designated and that it is unlikely to be appropriate to designate land which is covered by national or international designations. The guidance does, however, suggest it is appropriate to designate playing fields, allotments or urban spaces. Through consultation and discussions an initial list of sites was identified for potential designation. The list was then considered in light of the criteria of Paragraph 77 in order to identify whether the sites initially identified were appropriate for designation. A number of sites have not been carried forward for designation because they were considered to be either too big, or else they were not locally significant either in terms of use or historic significance. The table below sets out the full list and the assessment, which resulted in the final list included under Policy GD7 of this Plan. 6 SITES TO BE DESIGNATED LOCAL GREEN SPACE Extensive in Proximity to Community Local Community Value / No Name / Location size / approx. Reason (NPPF 77i) Local Significance (NPPF 77ii) ha (NPPF 77iii) The main sports and recreation Immediately adjacent to Recreational and historic facility in Moorends. The historic Moorends Welfare Moorends housing, 1 significance to Thorne and 11.9 ha miner’s link is locally important. Recreation Ground accessed via Grange Moorends residents The only facilities for cricket, Road and Park Road rugby league and bowls. Immediately adjacent to Moorends Leisure and historic significance Well used and important local 2 Moorends housing, 12.1 ha Allotments to the residents of Moorends amenity. Historic link with miners accessed via Park Road Immediately adjacent to Locally significant informal Darlington Grove, Moorends housing, The only recreation space to the 3 recreation and play space for 1.2 ha Moorends accessed via Darlington west of Moorends the west of Moorends. Grove Well used for football and Coulman Road Accessible from most Strong sports use and historic 4 informal recreation. Historical 3.5 ha Recreation Ground parts of Thorne significance link as gifted to the town Main recreational space Well used space with a range of Important recreational space 7 Wyke Gate Park for the South Common facilities. The only skate park in 4.6 ha with a variety of facilities area Thorne Popular and well used Glebe Road Consistency with Moorends 8 Central Thorne location allotments. Land originally 1.2 ha Allotments Allotments acquired for the cemetery Close to town centre. Important greenspace and Thorne Memorial Main area of formal parkland in 15 Easily accessible from recreation area. Historic 3.0 ha Park Thorne housing areas significance as WW1 memorial 7 SITES TO BE DESIGNATED LOCAL GREEN SPACE Extensive in Proximity to Community Local Community Value / No Name / Location size / approx. Reason (NPPF 77i) Local Significance (NPPF 77ii) ha (NPPF 77iii) Part of a Local Wildlife site On the edge of housing Reasonably well used area identified by DMBC. Part of the 16 Toll Bar Ground areas and fairly close to including a football pitch and 5.1 ha canal-side setting in the centre the town centre informal areas of Thorne Managed as fishing ponds, but On the western edge of is also a well maintained area of Seen locally as an important 17 Delves Thorne, easily accessible amenity space. Prominent 4.3 ha area of recreation and amenity from housing areas location at the entrance to the space town Of significant importance to the Close to town centre and Seen as an important historic 18 Peel Hill Motte 0.6 ha town. Potential to extend into housing areas feature in the town adjacent land Potentially an important historic Quaker Burial Close to town centre and feature in the town, though 19 0.04 ha An extension to the Motte site Ground housing areas currently overgrown and difficult to access 22 Hawthorne Road / In the middle of a large Large area of open space 0.99 ha Important space in area lacking Cherry Tree Drive area of housing open space and play facilities 8 SITES NOT SELECTED FOR LOCAL GREEN SPACE DESIGNATION Extensive in Proximity to Community Local Community Value / No Name / Location size / approx. Reason (NPPF 77i) Local Significance (NPPF 77ii) ha (NPPF 77iii) Thornensians, Accessible from most Solely used as formal sports Specialist use with no broader 5 2.4 ha Coulman Road parts of Thorne grounds community benefit Grounds associated with Adjacent Coulman Accessible from most 6 “Bungalow”. Some amenity 0.2 ha Not special or significant Bungalow parts of Thorne value Smallholdings, Small plots used for grazing and Can be considered through the 9 Adjacent to Moorends 5.2 ha Moorends other semi agricultural activity Countryside Policy Area Linear field and footpath Can be considered through the One of two accesses to the which runs from a housing Countryside Policy Area. Some 10 Jones Cable Moors from Thorne and 4.7 ha area between Thorne and protection from the SPA and as Moorends Moorends and the Moors a public footpath Its designation as an SPA gives Access via Grange Road Significant and rare environment it much greater protection that 11 Thorne Moors or Jones Cable – some seen as very significant by local 1232 ha available through the way from housing communities neighbourhood plan.