GREENSPACE & ARTS, CULTURE ENVIRONMENT & HERITAGE LOCAL ECONOMY COMMUNITY PLYMOUTH & SOUTH WEST DEVON JOINT LOCAL PLAN 2014-2034 EDUCATION HEALTH & & LEARNING WELLBEING GETTING LIVING & AROUND HOUSING PRE-SUBMISSION produced by West Devon Borough Council, South MARCH 2017 Hams District Council and Plymouth City Council Contents Plymouth and South West Devon Joint Local Plan 1 Introduction 3 2 Vision 8 3 Spatial Strategy 12 4 Strategy for Plymouth Policy Area 52 a. Plymouth's strategic role 52 b. Plymouth's Growth Areas 60 i. The City Centre and Waterfront Growth Area 61 ii. The Derriford and Northern Corridor Growth Area 107 iii. The Eastern Corridor Growth Area 132 c. Other areas and sites 150 5 Strategy for Thriving Towns and Villages Policy Area 167 a. Strategic policies 167 b. Main Towns 173 i. Dartmouth 175 ii. Ivybridge 179 iii. Kingsbridge 186 iv. Okehampton 191 v. Tavistock 197 vi. Totnes 203 c. Smaller towns and key villages 209 d. Sustainable villages 223 e. Countryside 226 6 Development policies 230 a. Healthy Communities 231 b. Housing 236 c. Economy 246 d. Place shaping and heritage 255 e. Natural Environment 260 f. Transport and infrastructure 268 g. Climate change, flooding and coastal change 272 1 Contents 7 Delivery and monitoring 281 8 Annex 1 290 9 Annex 2 296 10 Annex 3 299 11 Annex 4 303 12 Glossary 308 2 1 1 Introduction Introduction What is the Plymouth and South West Devon Joint Local Plan? 1.1 The Joint Local Plan (JLP) is part of a ground-breaking strategic planning process for Plymouth and South West Devon which looks ahead to 2034. It sets a shared direction of travel for the long term future of the area, within the context of wider integrated strategic plans. In this respect it integrates with and completes work that was previously being undertaken separately on the 'Plymouth Plan' (Plymouth City Council and its strategic partners), 'West Devon: Our Plan' (West Devon Borough Council) and 'South Hams: Our Plan' (South Hams District Council). 1.2 The key purpose of the JLP is to establish an over-arching strategic framework for sustainable growth and the management of change, providing the statutory development plan for Plymouth, South Hams and West Devon. 1.3 The JLP excludes policies for Dartmoor National Park Authority. This is because the National Park Authority is preparing a separate local plan. However both plans will be based on joint evidence. Why a joint local plan? 1.4 The Localism Act requires local planning authorities (LPAs) to cooperate closely with neighbouring authorities to identify cross boundary issues and identify solutions to those issues in their plans. This requirement is known as the 'duty to cooperate'. The LPAs of Plymouth, South Hams and West Devon see this 'duty' as an opportunity to produce a plan which for the first time sets out a strategy and key policies for the city and the wider area, bringing together the vision for the growth and transformation of Plymouth with the approach of fostering sustainable, thriving towns and villages in the surrounding rural areas. The aspirations for each area are complementary but need to be planned together in order to ensure that growth takes place in a sustainable manner. 1.5 The government supports the use of joint local plans because they enable a coherent and mutually agreed planning approach to be delivered to a wider area which bears more of a resemblance to the way people live their lives. The JLP is able to look at the requirements for homes and jobs across the whole of the Plymouth Housing Market Area and its Functional Economic Market Area, showing how the full objectively assessed need for housing and employment development can be met. 1.6 The three councils formally agreed to work together on a joint local plan through a series of council resolutions between December 2015 and February 2016. What documents have informed the preparation of the Joint Local Plan? 1.7 Plymouth: Prior to the joint plan process being agreed, Plymouth City Council was at an advanced stage in the production of the Plymouth Plan. Plymouth Plan Part One was approved by the City Council in September 2015 following an extensive period of community engagement, setting out an overarching strategy for future change and growth in the city. Plymouth Plan Part Two was then to set out detailed 3 1 policies for different areas of Plymouth and site-specific policies for the development, Introduction improvement or conservation of land in the city. Once completed the Part Two work was to be integrated into the approved Part One Plymouth Plan and the single plan submitted to for public examination. 1.8 West Devon: Prior to the joint plan process being agreed, West Devon Borough Council was preparing its development plan separately in a document called 'West Devon: Our Plan'. The plan went through its initial engagement in May-June 2014, which sought to establish the overall content and priorities. This was followed by consultation on detailed proposals under the formal Regulation 19 stage in February 2015. This included a proposed land use strategy, housing numbers, distribution and strategic allocations. During 2015 the Borough Council reviewed the preferred way of moving forward and agreed to pursue 'West Devon: Our Plan' as a corporate document setting out community focused priorities for the area along with a delivery plan shared with South Hams District Council. 1.9 South Hams: Prior to the joint plan process being agreed, South Hams District Council was preparing its development plan separately in a document called 'South Hams: Our Plan'. The plan went through its initial engagement in May-June 2014. As with West Devon, this sought to establish the overall content and priorities for the plan. During 2015 the District Council reviewed the preferred way of moving forward and alongside West Devon agreed to adopt 'South Hams: Our Plan' as a corporate document setting out community focused priorities for the area along with a delivery plan shared with West Devon Borough Council. 1.10 Clearly all three councils have undertaken a considerable amount of work in the preparation of their respective planning documents. All of this work has been taken forward into the JLP process, and helped to inform the development of its strategy and policies. In particular, comments received during previous engagements and consultations on any of the three pre-existing plan processes have helped with the development of the JLP. What statutory planning status will the Joint Local Plan have? 1.11 Once formally adopted through the planning process, the JLP will become the statutory development plan documents for the three LPAs. It will replace the following Local Development Plan Documents: 1.12 In Plymouth: Plymouth Core Strategy, Adopted 2007. North Plymstock Area Action Plan & Minerals Development Plan Document, Adopted 2007. Devonport Area Action Plan, Adopted 2007. Millbay & Stonehouse Area Action Plan, Adopted 2007. Waste Development Plan Document, Adopted 2008. Sutton Harbour Area Action Plan, Adopted 2008. Central Park Area Action Plan, Adopted 2008. City Centre & University Area Action Plan, Adopted 2010. 4 1 1.13 In West Devon: Introduction West Devon Local Plan Review, Adopted 2005. West Devon Core Strategy, Adopted 2011. 1.14 In South Hams: South Hams Local Plan, Adopted 1996 – Saved Policies. South Hams Core Strategy, Adopted 2006. Sherford New Community Area Action Plan, Adopted 2007. Affordable Housing Development Plan Document, Adopted 2008. Development Policies Development Plan Document, Adopted 2010. Dartmouth Site Allocations Development Plan Document, Adopted 2011. Ivybridge Site Allocations Development Plan Document, Adopted 2011. Kingsbridge Site Allocations Development Plan Document, Adopted 2011. Totnes Site Allocations Development Plan Document, Adopted 2011. Rural Areas Site Allocations Development Plan Document, Adopted 2011. 1.15 Prior to adoption of the JLP, all of the above documents will remain in place as the statutory development plan for their respective LPA areas. The emerging development plan policies contained in the JLP will however be a material consideration for planning purposes. Increasing weight will be given to the draft policies as they go through the stages towards formal adoption. How the Joint Local Plan is structured? 1.16 The JLP has seven sections: Section 1 introduces the JLP. Section 2 describes the vision for the Plan Area. Section 3 sets out the high level spatial strategy for growth, including the overall housing and employment need that the plan needs to meet and how this is to be distributed. Section 4 sets out the Strategy for the Plymouth Policy Area (which includes Plymouth's administrative area and the urban fringe within South Hams), considering Plymouth's strategic role, area-specific strategies for the city's three growth areas, as well as site allocations. Section 5 sets out the Strategy for Thriving Towns and Villages Policy Area (which includes all of South Hams and West Devon, excluding Plymouth's urban fringe and Dartmoor National Park) - explaining how the vision will be implemented, including identifying site allocations. Section 6 sets out shared development policies that relate to the entire Plan Area. Section 7 sets out how the plan will be delivered and how its implementation will be monitored and kept on track. 1.17 The JLP also uses the following structure to explain what we are seeking to achieve (outcomes and objectives), how we will achieve it (the policies), and how we will know if the plan is succeeding (measures of success). 5 1 Strategic Outcomes identify the headline changes that the JLP seeks to achieve Introduction in order to make the plan's vision a reality. Strategic Objectives set out in greater detail what the JLP is seeking to deliver and how.