Awsworth Parish Council SUBMISSION DRAFT OCTOBER 2019 Cover Photo – Aerial View of Awsworth and Erewash Valley – By courtesy of Harworth Estates Artwork by Sue Campbell – Photos by Michael Smith (unless otherwise attributed) Page | 1 Awsworth Neighbourhood Plan Submission Draft 2019 OUR VISION ‘By 2030, Awsworth Parish will be a safer and more attractive area. It will value the local community and their aspirations and provide people with a sense of pride and belonging. It will be a thriving and vibrant place, where everyone can be involved and contribute.’ Page | 2 Awsworth Neighbourhood Plan Submission Draft 2019 CONTENTS PAGE List of Policies 4 Foreword 6 1.0 Introduction 7 2.0 Awsworth – Place, Past & Present 11 3.0 Issues & Opportunities 30 4.0 Community Vision & Objectives 33 5.0 ‘Awsworth Future’ – Neighbourhood Plan Policies 34 6.0 Housing 35 7.0 Built Environment & Design 48 8.0 Green & Blue Infrastructure 61 9.0 Community Facilities & Shops 83 10.0 Employment & Economy 91 11.0 Traffic & Transport 96 12.0 Bennerley Viaduct & Nottingham Canal 106 13.0 Former Bennerley Coal Disposal Point 115 14.0 Developer Contributions 118 15.0 Delivering the Plan 119 APPENDICES Appendix 1 - Awsworth Parish Projects 120 Appendix 2 - Awsworth Housing Numbers & Type Street by Street 127 Appendix 3 - Building for Life (BfL) 12 Criteria 128 NOTE – a separate POLICIES MAP accompanies this Plan & its Policies 130 NOTE – an accompanying BACKGROUND DOCUMENT contains the following reports Background Report 1 - Assessment of Housing Needs & Characteristics Background Report 2 - Local Green Spaces Background Report 3 - Local Heritage Assets Page | 3 Awsworth Neighbourhood Plan Submission Draft 2019 LIST OF POLICIES PAGE Housing H 1 New Homes on ‘Land West of Awsworth (inside the bypass)’ 39 H 2 Housing Mix 43 H 3 Affordable Housing & Local Needs 44 H 4 New Homes from Unallocated (or Windfall) Development 44 Built Environment & Design BED 1 Awsworth Character Buildings & Structures of Local Heritage Interest 50 BED 2 Local Areas of Special Character 58 BED 3 Design Principles 60 Green & Blue Infrastructure GI 1 Green & Blue Infrastructure Network 64 GI 2 Local Landscape Character Areas 67 GI 3 Biodiversity 74 GI 4 Designated Local Green Spaces 75 GI 5 Local Woodlands, Tree Belts & Hedgerows 80 Community Facilities & Shops CFS 1 Protection of Community Facilities 85 CFS 2 New or Enhanced Community Facilities 86 CFS 3 Protection & Enhancement of Local Shops 88 CFS 4 Support for Additional Shops 89 Employment & Economy E 1 Existing Employment Use 94 E 2 Encouraging Small Businesses 95 Traffic & Transport TT 1 Traffic Management 98 Page | 4 Awsworth Neighbourhood Plan Submission Draft 2019 TT 2 Car Parking 101 TT 3 Sustainable Transport 104 Bennerley Viaduct & Nottingham Canal BV 1 Bennerley Viaduct 110 BV 2 Bennerley Viaduct Visual Setting 111 NC 1 Nottingham Canal 114 Former Bennerley Coal Disposal Point BCDP 1 Former Bennerley Coal Disposal Point Land 116 Developer Contributions DC 1 Developer Contributions from New Development in Awsworth 118 Page | 5 Awsworth Neighbourhood Plan Submission Draft 2019 FOREWORD ’Awsworth Future’ – Our Neighbourhood Plan Change is inevitable. Awsworth Parish has changed and grown over many centuries and will continue to evolve. Moving forward we want good outcomes for our village and the wider parish area. We want to keep and protect the best of what there is in the parish in terms of the built and natural environment. Good planning looks to make sure that when new development is needed it is of the right type, located in the right place and delivered at the right time. Our Neighbourhood Plan aims to ensure that where new development must take place in our small parish, it benefits the place and the local community. To do that, all new proposals for building on or making use of land must be carefully located and well designed. In particular, we expect new buildings to respect and reflect the built form of the village and the existing buildings and green spaces within it. Any new development outside the main built area should also have regard to protecting and where possible enhancing the open countryside and environment within the parish and beyond. We want all new development to be sustainable into the future. We want to respond positively to change. Through our Neighbourhood Plan we want the local community to have more control and influence in shaping Awsworth’s future. By 2030 the parish’s current population of about 2,250 is likely to grow by at least 600. This figure will be even higher when new homes in neighbouring parishes are included. The overall population of the ‘Awsworth Key Settlement’ is expected to be around 3,000 by 2030. The Steering Group would like to thank all the organisations and individuals who have helped to prepare and shape this plan (including those who responded to the Questionnaire and Consultation Draft Plan). In particular: Andrew Towlerton & Rachel Robson from consultants Yourlocale who have guided and supported us; Awsworth Parish Council for providing initial ‘seedcorn’ funding & the Clerk, Hayley, for her support; ‘Locality’ and ‘Awards for All’ for giving us essential grant funding; Kim and Steve at The Gate Inn and also the ABC Youth Club for providing meeting venues; Awsworth Primary and Nursery School for helping to involve the village children; Sue Campbell for her artwork; Tom Genway, Steffan Saunders & Amanda Vernon from Broxtowe Borough Council for guidance and advice; Kieran Lee (Friends of Bennerley Viaduct) & Bill Tomson (Sustrans / Railway Paths Limited) for their help and loan of the Bennerley Viaduct exhibition; Stuart Ashton (& Guy Longley) from Harworth Estates (& Pegasus Planning) in connection with their land at Bennerley and their scheme at Newtons Lane; local firm Real Edge for their kind donation; Patrick at Moorleys Printers for all our printing needs; and finally, the Awsworth local community. We hope our Plan will help make a real difference to Awsworth. Awsworth Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group Core Steering Group Members: Michael Smith (Chair); Stuart Lee (Vice Chair); Lydia Ball; David Bamford; Don Foster; John Mortimer; Richard Paxton; Carol Sanderson; Dawn Savage; Graham Spencer; James Woodward Page | 6 Awsworth Neighbourhood Plan Submission Draft 2019 1.0 INTRODUCTION What is the Awsworth Parish Neighbourhood Plan? 1.1 Awsworth Parish Neighbourhood Plan (the Plan) is a community led planning document for guiding the sustainable future development of the Parish. It is part of the Government’s new approach to planning, which gives communities the power to better shape the place where they live and work, to inform where development takes place and help influence the type and quality of that development, ensuring that change brings with it local benefit. 1.2 Awsworth Parish Council as the ‘responsible body’ applied to Broxtowe Borough Council in September 2015 to prepare a neighbourhood plan for Awsworth Parish. The Parish was designated as a Neighbourhood Plan Area in December 2015. However, the Plan is not the Parish Council’s plan. It is the local community’s plan and as such has to be endorsed by a local Referendum which requires a ‘yes’ vote of 50% or more of those who vote. 1.3 Before any Referendum is held the draft plan has to be consulted on, amended as necessary, the submitted plan scrutinised by an Independent Examiner and any recommended changes made. A ‘yes’ vote means the Plan can then be formally ‘made’ (finalised) by Broxtowe Borough Council, who will be required to have regard to it when making decisions on planning applications that affect our Parish. 1.4 The designated Neighbourhood Plan Area is defined by the Awsworth Parish boundary, as outlined in Figure 1. 1.5 The Plan has been prepared through a volunteer Steering Group (and smaller Working Group) made up of Parish Councillors and local residents. They have been helped by neighbourhood plan consultants Yourlocale. Broxtowe Borough Council provided support and information. Initial ‘seedcorn’ funding was provided by the Parish Council. Grant funding was obtained from both Locality and the Lottery Awards for All which has been crucial to enable the project. 1.6 The Plan covers the period 2015 to 2030. This is to generally accord with Broxtowe’s Local Plan which will run until 2028. 1.7 The Plan is informed by extensive research and influenced by robust community engagement and provides a Vision for the future of Awsworth1 and Objectives as to how we might achieve this. We want to keep and protect the best of what there is in Awsworth in terms of the built and natural environment. We want to ensure the best outcome for Awsworth and its people and that any new development properly respects and reflects local character and distinctiveness. 1 References to ‘Awsworth’ and ‘The Parish’ in this document denote the Parish of Awsworth. Page | 7 Awsworth Neighbourhood Plan Submission Draft 2019 1.8 The Plan includes appropriate Planning Policies to help guide new development. It also includes other Parish Projects which the Parish Council will need to consider for action. Figure 1 – Neighbourhood Plan Area Why do we want a Neighbourhood Plan? 1.9 A neighbourhood plan enables local communities like ours to have more control over development in their own area by preparing a planning framework against which proposals can be judged. While we are not against growth we want to ensure that Awsworth gets the right type of development in the right place. Rather than having development imposed from above and/or having to react to speculative proposals by developers the Parish Council decided it was preferable to be pro-active. 1.10 The Broxtowe Aligned Core Strategy (Policy 2: ‘The Spatial Strategy’) sets a requirement of up to 350 homes to be built in or adjoining the Key Settlement of Awsworth between 2011 and 2028.