Appendix 1 Birmingham Core Strategy 28 October 2010 Final Draft Foreword I am very pleased to be endorsing this emerging Core Strategy. It will play a key role in helping to shape the future direction of this great city. Birmingham is a diverse, dynamic and forward thinking city of over a million people. It is the regional capital of the Midlands and is strategically located at the heart of the United Kingdom. The city has seen constant and progressive change throughout its history, embracing new cultures and the challenges of shifting global economies and more recently climate change. Over recent years there has been a transformation of the city centre, including the rebuilding of the Bullring, development of concert/conferencing and sporting facilities and the creation of attractive public squares and spaces all to the highest international standards. The city will continue to adapt to and embrace change, in order to enhance its position as a key economic and cultural centre regionally, nationally and internationally. Further expansion will see development of a state of the art ‘Library for Birmingham' the new central library, the redevelopment of New Street railway station and expansion of Birmingham International Airport. The draft policies set out in this Core Strategy have been produced after initial extensive consultation on an 'Issues and Options' report and reflect the city’s aspirations for its growth, economic development and approach for tackling the key issues for the next 20 years. Many of these issues - such as the need to create more affordable housing and sustainable employment and continue tackling climate change - will be challenging and will require innovative solutions within increasingly limited resources. All future development and investment in Birmingham will be considered against the approach and policies in the Core Strategy. Once finalised it will be the principal strategic planning policy document within The Birmingham Plan, the city’s Local Development Framework. It will provide the statutory foundation for other initiatives such as the Big City Plan – the City Centre Masterplan. The Core Strategy also outlines and seeks to assist the City Council to meet its vision and key themes and objectives as set out in the City Council’s Sustainable Community Strategy. The City Council is seeking your views on this document. Your views are important and all responses will be very carefully considered. They will help us finalise the Core Strategy and I would urge everyone to grasp this opportunity to comment and help shape Birmingham’s future growth and prosperity. Councillor Timothy Huxtable Cabinet Member for Transport and Regeneration Contents Page List of Policies 4 1. Introduction and Context 7 2. Vision 24 3. Objectives 27 4. Strategic Approach 31 5. City Wide Policies and Proposals 37 6. The Big City Plan – City Centre 131 7. North and West Birmingham 157 8. East Birmingham 179 9. South Birmingham 209 10. Implementation 231 11. Monitoring 235 Glossary 237 List of Policies Policy City Wide Policies Page SP1 Birmingham as a Global City 37 SP2 Overall Levels of Growth 38 SP3 Quality of Life 39 SP4 Sustainable Urban Neighbourhoods 41 SP5 Reducing the City’s Carbon Footprint 44 SP6 Adapting to Climate Change 45 SP7 Sustainable Construction 46 SP8 Low Carbon Energy Generation 48 SP9 A Low Carbon Economy 49 SP10 Managing Flood Risk 50 SP11 Green Infrastructure Network 52 SP12 Core Employment Areas 56 SP13 Regional Investment Sites (RIS) 58 SP14 Central Technology Belt (CTB) 59 SP15 Portfolio of Employment Land and Premises 60 SP16 Protection of Employment Land 61 SP17 The Network and Hierarchy of Centres 62 SP18 The Growth, Scale and Function of Centres 66 SP19 Convenience Retail Provision 68 SP20 Small Shops and Independent Retailing 71 SP21 Promoting a Diversity of Uses within Centres 72 SP22 Tourism and Tourist Facilities 73 SP23 The Housing Trajectory 74 SP24 The Distribution of New Housing Provision 76 SP25 The Location of New Housing 77 SP26 The Type and Size of New Housing 78 SP27 Affordable Housing 80 SP28 Student Accommodation 81 SP29 Provision for Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople 83 SP30 The Design and Quality of New Housing and the Residential 84 Environment SP31 Housing Density 85 SP32 The Existing Housing Stock 86 SP33 The Transport Network 88 SP34 Transport Development Corridors 93 SP35 Sustainable Transport Systems 94 SP36 Accessibility Standards for New Development 95 SP37 Digital Connections 97 SP38 Car Parking 99 SP39 Traffic and Congestion Management 100 SP40 Freight 102 SP41 Pedestrians 104 SP42 Sustainable Management of the City’s Waste 106 SP43 New and Existing Waste Facilities 107 SP44 Location of Waste Management Facilities 109 SP45 Open Space, Playing Fields and Allotments 110 4 Policy City Wide Policies Page SP46 Sports Facilities 115 SP47 Recreational Uses within the Green Belt 116 SP48 Urban Design 117 SP49 Biodiversity and Geology 119 SP50 Archaeology and the Historic Environment 121 SP51 Health 126 SP52 Education 126 SP53 Impact of New Development on Air Quality 127 SP54 Impact of New Development on Noise 129 Big City Plan CC1 Spatial Strategy for the City Centre 133 CC2 Structure of the City Centre 136 CC3 City Centre – Overall Level of Development 137 CC4 Expanding the City Core – Strategic Allocations 140 CC5 Connectivity 144 CC6 Network of Walking Routes 148 CC7 Network of Open Spaces 150 CC8 The Quarters 152 North and West NW1 North and West – Overall Level of Development 159 NW2 Aston, Newtown and Lozells Area Action Plan 160 NW3 Aston Regional Investment Site 163 NW4 Greater Icknield SUN 165 NW5 Perry Barr/Birchfield Centre 167 NW6 Sutton Coldfield Town Centre 169 NW7 A34 (North) Corridor 171 NW8 A41 (North) Corridor 172 NW9 A38(M) Aston Expressway Corridor 174 NW10 A5127 Lichfield Road (Dartmouth Circus to Spaghetti Junction) 175 NW11 Mere Green Centre 176 East E1 East – Overall Level of Development 182 E2 Tyseley 183 E3 A34/A41 (South) Corridor 185 E4 Acocks Green 186 E5 A45 Coventry Road 188 E6 Bordesley Park SUN 190 E7 Small Heath Centre 192 E8 Alum Rock Centre 193 E9 Stechford SUN 194 E10 Shard End SUN 195 E11 Yardley Sewage Works 196 E12 Meadway SUN 198 E13 Meadway Centre 200 E14 Heartlands Industrial Area 201 5 Policy East Page E15 Bromford Housing Estate 203 E16 A38 (North) Corridor 204 E17 Erdington Centre 205 E18 Lyndhurst 206 South S1 South Birmingham – Overall Level of Development 211 S2 A456 Hagley Road Corridor including Edgbaston Centre 213 S3 A38 Bristol Road Corridor 214 S4 Edgbaston Mill/WCCC (Warwickshire County Cricket Club) 215 S5 Selly Oak and South Edgbaston 216 S6 Northfield 219 S7 Longbridge SUN 220 S8 North Worcestershire Golf Course 222 S9 A441 Pershore Road Corridor 222 S10 Stirchley Centre and Adjoining Area 224 S11 Kings Norton Three Estates SUN 225 S12 A435 Alcester Road Corridor 226 S13 Druids Heath SUN and Maypole 228 Implementation I1 Implementation 231 6 1. Introduction and Context The Role and Purpose of the Core Strategy 1.1 The purpose of the Core Strategy is to set out a clear spatial framework for the growth of Birmingham up to 2026. As such the strategy will set out how much new housing should be provided in the city, and it will identify the general locations for the construction of new housing and flats. It will also identify the key locations for employment provision, and for other key activities, such as shopping, waste management, leisure and sport, education and health in order to support the city’s growing population. The strategy will also consider how transport and other infrastructure can be provided to Fenable this new development to take place in a sustainable way. 1.2 In promoting this agenda for growth, the strategy will need to reflect Birmingham’s ambitious targets for reducing CO2 emissions and to contribute to the Council’s wider agenda of improving the quality of life and thereby the health of all Birmingham residents. 1.3 There is a statutory requirement for the City Council to prepare a Core Strategy – and once the strategy is adopted it will form the central part of the city’s Development Plan. Amongst other things this means that it will be the starting point for decisions on all major new development proposals in the city. 1.4 The preparation of core strategies must take place in line with a statutory process. Initial consultation on the scope of the Core Strategy took place in early 2007, and the first formal stage in the process was consultation on Issues and Options in autumn 2008. The key messages from these consultations are summarised below. 1.5 This Emerging Core Strategy document has also been produced for consultation purposes – but in terms of its scope, structure and content it reflects what the Council currently considers should be included in the final Strategy. In effect it is a draft version of that final Strategy. 1.6 The Council welcomes comments on this draft. 1.7 The next stage in the process will be for the Council to consider the reaction to this draft and to modify the strategy as necessary in the light of the comments received. A revised version of the strategy will then be produced. There will be an opportunity for formal comments to be made on this version of the strategy, and then it will be submitted to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. Following this the ‘soundness’ of the strategy will be examined by an independent inspector, who will consider all the comments received in making his or her recommendations. These recommendations will be binding on the City Council. The Core Strategy and the Big City Plan 1.8 The Core Strategy will provide a city-wide framework for change in Birmingham.