TDLP PART 1 CHAPTER 5 - HOUSING, RETAIL, AND COMMUNITY SERVICES

RETAIL AND TOWN CENTRES

Retail Strategy

5.121 The Structure Plan provides a framework for shopping development. It guides new facilities to accessible locations and promotes the rôle of town centres as the focal points for local communities.

5.122-5.123 [No text]

5.124 The aims are to secure a range of retail and other services in all service centres and to ensure the retention of basic provision where essential to help maintain self-sufficiency. In order to address the retail issues, policies will need to do the following:

(a) To identify core and peripheral shopping areas in town centres as a means of limiting non-retail uses in a measured way
(b) To pursue the retention of village and neighbourhood shops
(c) To retain the opportunity for retail provision that meets community need in significant development schemes, avoiding prescriptive standards of provision
(d) To focus major retail development opportunities on town centre and edge of centre sites, applying the needs test and the sequential approach to retail development proposals.

The LPA will pursue the maintenance and improvement of shopping provision, including the development of new facilities in appropriate locations. It will seek to maintain and enhance the vitality and viability of town centres and will provide support and encouragement for maintaining the network of local and village shops.

5.124A The Government expects LPAs to conduct retail assessment that will determine the nature and extent of community need for retail provision. Where such assessment demonstrates a need for additional provision, the guidance obliges LPAs to apply certain tests to potential sites and advises that appropriate provision should be made in development plans on this basis only. The need for extra shopping provision in the town centres and the specific need for supermarket provision in the Bideford /Northam area has been considered. The community need for additional retail development is indicated by recent changes in retail floorspace (Figure 8).

Figure 8: Net Retail Floorspace Occupied 1991 – 1996

Source: DCC

5.124B The national retail policy requires proposals for additional retail development to be properly justified. In the retail assessment, the level of provision and the modes of access proposed need to be justified with reference to the key tests that it is obligatory to apply. Where need is demonstrated, a sequential approach must be applied to verify that the site proposed is the most appropriate to meet that need. Such an approach gives preference to town centre sites, including buildings suitable for conversion, followed by edge of centre sites and, only then, out of centre sites accessible by a choice of means of transport.

5.124C Retail policies must emphasise the rôle of existing centres and of local shops and must introduce tests for assessing new shopping development proposals outside centres.

Town Centre Strategy

5.125 Government guidance recognises the importance of successful town centres to the quality of urban life and for sustainable development. The Plan promotes town centre regeneration and mixed use development. The aim for town centres is to sustain and enhance the range and quality of shopping provision within an efficient, competitive and innovative retail sector and to ensure the availability of good quality shops and services to which residents and visitors have easy access by a choice of means of transport. The objectives are as follows:

• To maintain and enhance the vitality and viability of town centres
• To focus development, especially retail and leisure development, in locations where the proximity of facilities both encourages competition from which all consumers are able to benefit and maximises the opportunity to use means of transport other than the car.

The importance of shopping to maintain town centre vitality and viability is recognised.

5.126 A mix of uses to achieve vibrant economic centres also is recognised as important. The District Council believes that in its market towns there is considerable scope for bringing empty and underused floor space above shops back into use for housing. The LPA is keen to keep all upper floors of town centre premises in gainful use to maintain town centre vitality, particularly after working hours. A balanced mix of uses including housing will sustain variety and activity, enabling the provision of a wide range of attractions and amenities within an accessible and attractive environment.

5.126A There is positive support for town centre management, including through the car parking strategy.

Town Centres

5.127 The District's market towns of Bideford, Holsworthy and Great Torrington are the main convenience goods centres. They provide a range of retail and service outlets consistent with their rôle as Area Centres. Bideford, as the principal centre, provides the widest range of services. The geographical separation suggests that no one centre should be dominant, and each serves an established local catchment area. It is important that these town centres remain attractive to the retailer and to the consumer. This requires positive management to provide an attractive, safe, and accessible environment.

5.128 The principal policy objective is to secure development that will ensure the continuing vitality and viability of retail centres.

Policy HSC16: Development in Town Centres

Proposals for development in the town centres defined on the Proposals Map for Bideford, Holsworthy, and Great Torrington will be permissible provided that:

(a) the vitality and viability of the town centre are not harmed, having regard to the cumulative impact of other proposals; and

(b) non-operational parking demand is minimised by sustainable alternatives to private car transport; and

(c) the effective use of upper floors is maintained or secured.

5.129 The policy facilitates retail development and investment within town centres. Town centres are defined on the Proposals Map for each of the Area Centres.

5.130 The defined town centres provide a focus for retailers and other traders to attract custom directly. The concentration of retail and other uses within these areas will be sustained. In pursuit of a buoyant town centre, the policy facilitates diversification of use while seeking to maintain and enhance the concentration of retail activity. A mix of service, leisure, and residential uses will be acceptable provided that the viability of commercial activities is not undermined.

5.131 Within and on the edge of the town centres, there are opportunities for comprehensive development and redevelopment of relatively significant areas of vacant and underused land. Where opportunities are identified in Part 2 of the Plan, piecemeal development that would undermine the scope for a more comprehensive approach will not be permitted. There may be unidentified potential also for development which could extend the range and quality of shops, improve the environment, and diffuse edge of town development pressures.

5.132 The presence of non-retail uses including for commercial and for housing purposes in the upper floors of premises can increase activity, add to vitality, and secure more responsible building maintenance. Such proposals will be encouraged where the operation of ground floor retailing is not prejudiced and the amenities of occupiers are not likely to be affected detrimentally. The policy for impact of development on amenity will apply.

Primary and Secondary Shopping Frontages

5.133 Government guidance recognises the need to have a diversity of uses in town centres. Vitality and viability are dependent on the presence of a wide range of attractions and amenities. The objective is to prevent the dilution of retail character without discouraging the reinvestment a vibrant centre needs.

5.134 The character of the main or primary shopping areas needs to be maintained and enhanced. The emphasis outside the primary shopping areas will be to maintain the conditions for flexibility, permitting changes of use to new uses as demand changes.

Policy HSC17: Primary and Secondary Shopping Frontages

(1) In the shopping frontages defined on the Proposals Map, planning permission for non-shop use, being use within the financial and professional services (A2), food and drink (A3), non-residential institutions (D1), or assembly and leisure (D2) use classes or appropriate sui generis use, will be granted provided that non-shop uses do not exceed the following limits at street level:

(a) Within the defined primary shopping frontages:

(i) 25% as a total proportion of non-shop units, including outstanding planning consents; and

(ii) two non-shop units together or a run of about 10 metres of non-shop uses in any single defined frontage.

(b) Within the defined secondary shopping frontages:

(i) 50% as a total proportion of non-shop units, including outstanding planning consents; and

(ii) three non-shop units together or a run of about 15 metres of non-shop uses in any single defined frontage.

(2) Proposals to introduce non-shop use which would result in the loss of a key shopping opportunity, being an important corner location or a link position, or which would isolate a shop unit from the remainder of the defined shopping frontage, will not be permitted.

(3) Where planning permission is granted, a window display of visual interest shall be maintained wherever practicable.

5.135 The policy identifies uses appropriate to town centre shopping areas. Shopping frontages where there is a predominance of retail activity are defined on the Proposals Map. To prevent the erosion of prime retail locations to the point that the benefits of concentration would be lost and difficult to reinstate, the proliferation of non-retail frontages will be resisted. There is more flexibility in the secondary shopping areas, allowing for greater diversity. The LPA recognises that the quality and attraction of town centres is enhanced where a range and appropriate mix of uses are grouped conveniently close to the primary shopping area.

5.136 The proportion of non-retail uses permissible may be relaxed where a proposal is necessary to ensure the preservation of a building of architectural or historic interest, or where there is no prospect of vacant retail premises being reused for that purpose.

5.137 Appropriate sui generis uses include laundrettes and amusement centres provided that the impact is not unacceptable in respect of visual amenity, noise nuisance, or disturbance. Amusement centres will not be acceptable in primary shop frontages or close to sensitive uses such as housing or schools. Open-fronted amusement arcades will not be appropriate in Conservation Areas. Such uses are most appropriately sited within secondary shopping frontages or in areas of mixed commercial development.

5.138 The District Council will monitor outstanding consents and the change of use from and to retail, within the defined frontages. If it becomes apparent that the number of outstanding consents is causing uncertainty, the LPA will consider reducing the standard five-year period for commencement of development in respect of further permissions.

Shop Front Design

5.139 Shop fronts have a vital rôle in contributing to the character of town centres. They can provide an attractive shopping environment that encourages activity and use. Retailers will need to have regard to the character of the locality and of the street frontage in the design of shop fronts. Access to upper floors will need to be maintained.

Policy HSC18: Shop Fronts

(1) Proposals for new or replacement shop fronts, blinds, canopies, and security shutters will be permitted provided that:

(a) they are designed to form an integral part of the whole building; and

(b) materials, form, and proportions relate well to adjoining shop fronts and to the street scene; and

(c) important architectural or historic features are retained; and

(d) advertisement panels, protruding signs, hanging signs, and external illumination where necessary are well related.

(2) Security features shall permit internal views of shop displays from the street.

5.140 The policy provides that a high standard of design will be required in all proposals for new or replacement shop fronts. It is recognised that for security reasons it may be necessary to install shutters to shop fronts. To satisfy the terms of the policy, security shutters should allow window-shopping to continue in the evenings and at weekends. External metal shutters that present dead frontages will not be acceptable in the defined shopping frontages.

5.141 The District Council will encourage the removal of inappropriate shop fronts and their reinstatement with well-designed shop fronts in traditional materials. Proposals to create or alter a shop front within a Conservation Area will be considered in relation to SPG on shop fronts and to conservation policies where appropriate.

5.142 Detailed supplementary guidance on the appropriate design and use of integrated signs, blinds, and security shutters and the need to ensure accessibility for all members of the community is provided in the Shop Front Design Guide for the Bideford Conservation Area. The scope of the SPG will be extended, and until revised its general principles will be applied, to all Conservation Areas in the District in a SPD.

Major Retail Development

5.143 The national trend has been toward larger stores on edge of centre or out of centre locations, usually taking the form of superstores selling mainly convenience goods or retail warehouses selling bulky goods such as DIY products, carpets, and furniture. The requirements for easy access and for large areas for car parking are recognised.

5.144 Until recently, there has been a marked absence of significant retail development in out of town locations across Torridge. A factory outlet centre was opened in 2000 at Clovelly Road, Bideford. Retailer demand for such sites has emerged only recently in Bideford, in contrast to the proliferation of out of town stores in Barnstaple in the early 1990s.

5.145 Strategic guidance permits the development of major convenience goods stores in Area Centres. The District Council wants major retail development where needed to locate as close to town centres as practicable. Such locations can reinforce town centre activity, encouraging linked trips to other town centre services, being accessible to people without cars, and enabling car borne shoppers to walk around the centre. To ensure the best possible choice of shopping facilities, a balance must be struck between consolidating and reinforcing the viability of existing centres and accommodating the trend toward larger retail units.

5.146 Major is taken to include both development of over 1,000 square metres gross retail floorspace and smaller development where likely to have a large impact on a service centre. It will depend upon the relative size and nature of such development in relation to the centre. Impact will need to be assessed in relation to viability and vitality. Such assessment is termed retail impact assessment. Vitality is reflected in how busy a centre is at different times and in different parts, whilst viability refers to the ability of the centre to attract continuing investment. Vitality and viability should be assessed against the range of indicators defined in the Government policy guidance.

Policy HSC19: Major Retail Development

(1) Major retail development, including retail warehousing and discount trading outlets, outside the defined town centres or a site allocated for retail use will be permissible only where:

(a) there is evidence of community need and /or capacity in the area to support additional retail provision of the type proposed; and

(b) all potential options in the town centre, on the edge of the centre, or more accessible to the centre have been assessed and are unsuitable or demonstrably unavailable; and

(c) the vitality and viability of existing town centres and /or necessary local shopping facilities are not harmed, having regard to the cumulative impact of other retail developments and proposals; and

(d) convenient access by pedestrians, cyclists, and public transport will be secured; and

(e) non-operational parking demand will be minimised by sustainable alternatives to private car transport; and

(f) the access routes can accommodate the additional traffic.

(2) Where necessary to limit impact on the vitality and viability of existing facilities, the range of goods sold and /or the nature of the operation will be restricted by a planning condition or obligation.

5.147 The policy provides that an out of centre site will be appropriate for major development only where no suitable centrally located sites can be used and where there will be an overall net gain in shopping facilities. The onus is on the applicant to demonstrate that all town centre options have been assessed. As a matter of national policy, the sequential approach will need to be applied to all major retail development proposals. Smaller scale proposals will be considered first on the basis of the policy for local shops.

5.148 Major development will be assessed in relation to the town centre to which it relates. Where such development is likely to have a significant impact on retail turnover or on shopping /traffic patterns, it will need to be assessed against all the relevant criteria.

5.149 In assessing proposals, the LPA will have regard to the quantitative and /or qualitative need for additional floor space. To assist its consideration, the LPA will require the following:

• A retail needs assessment
• A retail impact assessment
• A transport assessment including traffic impact and parking assessments
• An assessment demonstrating the sequential approach to site identification with regard to the availability of other more accessible sites in town centre and edge of centre locations.

The retail needs assessment must establish need adequately in accordance with national policy guidance. The proposal must be accompanied by retail impact assessment to enable the LPA to consider the potential impact on existing centres, including important neighbourhood and village shops. Transport policy requires transport assessment to ensure that development can be made acceptable in terms of accessibility by a choice of means of transport. Implicit in the site requirement is the need for a location that is either central or at a transport node well served by public transport and accessible on foot and by cycle.

5.150 The composition of out of centre shopping developments can change over time. Where there is a need to restrict subsequent changes that would impact on the vitality and viability of the town centre, a planning condition or an obligation will be used to control the type of product sold. Where necessary, a planning obligation will be used to secure new or improved public transport and pedestrian access related to the development.

5.151 [No text]

Retail Warehousing

5.152 Retail warehouses are large, usually single level stores specialising in the sale of household goods (such as furniture, carpets, and electrical goods), bulky DIY items, and specialist clearance sales. They have catered mainly for car borne customers. The site requirements for such sites, including extensive adjacent parking provision, can make their location within town centres inappropriate. Major retail warehouse proposals will be considered first on the basis of the major retail development policy. A sequential preference for town centre, edge of centre, edge of town, and out of town location will be applied.

Discount Trading

5.153 A recent trend has been the growth of discount retailers in both food and non-food sectors. Three types of discount shopping operation have emerged: warehouse clubs; discount operators; and factory outlets. Stores selling discounted goods can have a significant impact on the vitality of town centre shopping. Major proposals for discount stores of all types will be considered first on the basis of the major retail development policy. The proposal will be assessed against its likely impact on town centre vitality and viability, the availability of a choice of means of transport, and the effect on patterns of movement.

Local Shops

5.154 Town centre shops are supplemented by a range of local shops in small groups and by individual units within villages and in residential neighbourhoods. Village and neighbourhood shops are particularly important and convenient for those who are less mobile. Also, the need for car-borne shopping trips is reduced. Additionally, local shops can have an important social rôle by providing a focal point for the community.

Policy HSC20: Local Shops

(1) Within the defined development boundary, the development of individual shops or small groups of shops to serve demonstrable neighbourhood needs will be permissible provided that:

(a) the access routes can accommodate the additional traffic; and

(b) the operation is unlikely to be detrimental to the amenity of neighbouring residents.

(2) In Villages, retail development will be permitted provided that:

(a) it is of a scale and location appropriate to serve the shopping needs of the local community; and

(b) the access routes can accommodate the additional traffic; and

(c) the operation is unlikely to be detrimental to the amenity of neighbouring residents.

(3) Planning permission for the change of use of local shops will be granted in the following circumstances only:

(a) either there is suitable alternative or replacement provision in the locality

(b) or it is demonstrated that the business is no longer viable and cannot reasonably be made so.

5.155 The policy enables local shopping facilities to be provided and maintained to serve the needs of communities and in new housing development where need is identified. A distinction will be made between small scale proposals intended to serve a local catchment, larger scale proposals aiming to divert trade from nearby shopping areas, and sporadic proposals which would capture trade over a wide area.

5.155A In principle, the LPA will support the provision of shops on a small scale outside town centres, where within settlement limits and intended to serve the local community. Development that would detract from the function of town centres or be detrimental to the amenity of neighbouring uses will not be permitted. Sporadic development is not acceptable.

5.156 Proposals for new shopping facilities in villages will be supported provided that they are of a size and nature that is related to the needs of the local community. The LPA will resist shopping proposals intended to attract shoppers from beyond the village and its natural catchment area. Generally, housing will be the predominant neighbour. There should be sufficient parking, safe access, and no unacceptable impact on the amenity of neighbouring uses. Where necessary to restrict hours of opening in order to protect neighbourhood amenity, a planning condition will be imposed.

5.157 [No text]

5.158 Although the provision of local shops is a commercial decision, the second part of the policy mitigates against the loss of retail use where necessary to maintain a basic local service. In determining proposals that would result in the loss of a local shop, the LPA will have regard to the need for the facility and the support of the local community. Applicants will need to demonstrate that the existing facility is no longer required or that adequate alternatives are available within the locality to meet the shopping needs of the area.

Retail Outlets in the Countryside

5.159 Retail development in the countryside needs to be strictly controlled. Restricted ancillary sales may be permitted in special circumstances provided that there is no significant impact on shopping patterns and that the development is not intrusive or harmful in respect of environmental and traffic impact. The LPA recognises the need to encourage diversification and facilitate rural enterprise.

Policy HSC21: Retail Outlets in the Countryside

(1) In the countryside away from the Rural Centres, the following types of retail development will be permissible:

(i) Sales ancillary to a roadside service area

(ii) Shops located expressly for the use of occupants of a tourist caravan /chalet site, or of visitors to a tourist attraction /leisure facility

(iii) Factory shops, or direct factory sales, genuinely ancillary to manufacturing activity and restricted principally to goods made on the premises.

(2) Planning permission for the types of development set out in (1) above will be granted provided that:

(a) there would be community benefit and the scale of the proposal is limited to the proven commercial need; and

(b) there would be no significant impact on shopping patterns or on the viability of nearby local shops; and

(c) an existing building(s) would be utilised wherever available and suitability located; and

(d) the scheme is designed in an environmentally acceptable way.

5.160 The policy provides for limited ancillary sales, restricted to the main function of the enterprise. Small-scale retail provision may be appropriate within proposals, or as an additional element of a tourism or recreational enterprise. Retail outlets may form a part of schemes for employment development.

5.161 Petrol filling stations increasingly sell a limited range of convenience goods. They can provide an important service, particularly for relatively remote areas. The LPA will allow limited expansion of existing facilities at rural petrol filling stations, provided that they are of a scale appropriate to the character and needs of the locality.

Farm Shops

5.161A Farm shops can serve an important function, by contributing to farm diversification and by extending economic activity to provide employment and services in the rural area. Where a farmer sells the farm's unprocessed produce from an existing building, planning permission is not required. Permission is required if the shop sells a significant amount of produce sourced from or processed elsewhere. In some circumstances, it is required also for new development, even if the produce to be sold is entirely from the farm.

Policy HSC21A: Farm Shops

(1) The introduction of a retail use on a farm will be permitted only if:

(a) the scale and scope of the retailing proposed will not harm the viability of retail facilities in any neighbouring town or village; and

(b) the scale and nature of the development will be in keeping with the character and appearance of the site and its surroundings; and

(c) there will be no significant adverse impact on traffic and highway safety or harm to the amenities of nearby residents.

(2) Any planning permission for such a use may limit the range and /or source of the goods to be sold.

5.161B In the interest of rural diversification, the policy permits shops on farms. The general policy criteria will be applied flexibly to individual retail use proposals. The LPA will seek to limit the scale of the retail activity to ensure it remains ancillary to the main function of the farming enterprise. In determining proposals for farm shops, the LPA will have regard to the potential impact on nearby shops, which may result in restriction, through planning condition, on the range of the goods to be sold.

COMMUNITY SERVICES

Community Services Strategy

5.162 The Government aims for self-sufficient communities and encourages the retention of local facilities and services. The RSS provides a strategic framework for community infrastructure provision. It facilitates investment in social, cultural, and educational infrastructure, enables needs to be met locally in the interest of community self-sufficiency, and encourages as full a range of services and facilities as possible under local circumstances.

5.163 The aim is to help sustain communities by protecting community service resources and facilitating essential provision in locations that are accessible to all sections of the community.

5.164 Policies are needed to achieve the following objectives:

• The protection and regeneration of essential services in the District's market towns
• The maintenance and enhancement of attractive town centre environments
• The maintenance and development of rural community facilities on an appropriate scale to meet identified rural need
• The sustainable provision and retention of essential local service facilities.

Community Service Development and Local Service

Provision

5.165 The Plan aims to safeguard access to essential services and to secure improved access to local services that meet sectoral and community needs in step with development. Villages and neighbourhoods should, where feasible, contain a sustainable range and level of services that minimise the need for travel by car. Service providers need to secure and maintain appropriate standards of provision, and the Plan needs to assist by encouraging service retention and safeguarding service development opportunities where necessary.

5.166 The retention of valuable services in accessible locations needs to be sought wherever these are considered essential.

Policy HSC22: Community Service Development and Local Services

(1) Development of new or improved community services, being uses within the residential institutions (C2), non-residential institutions (D1), or assembly and leisure (D2) use classes, or theatres, will be permissible within or adjoining the defined development boundaries and at Villages provided that the site is located in the best available place with regard to the community to be served and the scheme would not be unreasonably detrimental to the amenity of neighbouring residents.

(2) Planning permission will be granted for the change of use, piecemeal development, or development for other purposes of land and /or premises needed to provide or maintain local services, only where adequate alternative arrangements for the service have been made.

5.167 The policy does not apply to the settlements that are not classified as Strategic Centres or as Villages. The first part of the policy enables community service development where it is most needed. The LPA expects service providers to seek to develop and maintain sites that are well related to the communities they are intended to serve. The LPA will accept that a site is best placed where it is at a settlement and reasonably accessible to the population to be served with regard to the local transport objectives.

5.168 The second part of the policy seeks to maintain local services consistent with the function of settlements. As a matter of principle, the LPA will seek to maintain those services that are essential to maintain and support the rôle of settlements within the settlement hierarchy. Agencies responsible for the delivery of such services locally are encouraged to develop costed capital programmes in line with likely future requirements, so that prospective applicants may be made aware of community needs at an early stage.

5.168A Responsible service planning will enable the incorporation of appropriate provision in schemes, and fore knowledge of likely costs will assist financial planning. Land and premises will be safeguarded for the provision of community infrastructure where the need is identified, and land required for programmed development will not be released for other purposes.

5.169 In determining development proposals, adequate provision for the development and maintenance of supporting services made necessary by those proposals will be secured in step with development. It is expected that such infrastructure will be accommodated within the development where feasible, and it is anticipated that in many cases this will not be appropriate. The infrastructure provision policy of the Plan ensures that necessary provision may be made and that obligations may be entered into to secure commuted payments where others must make provision.

5.170 Local services for the purposes of this policy are defined exclusively as the following:

(a) A parish or local primary school with a permanent capacity that does not exceed the forecast capacity
(b) A local, village, or community meeting hall accessible on a daily basis
(c) A general store or local food shop
(d) A post office facility, being either a branch or a sub post office
(e) A public house
(f) Essential community services.

It is not appropriate for the Plan to determine the nature of provision of all such infrastructure.

5.171 Statutory service providers will identify essential community services. Essential services may include emergency services, healthcare services, social services, transport services, utility services, and any other local service essential to sustain the local community. Parish Councils may seek to identify additional local services essential to sustain community life (eg village green, car park, bus shelter, community hall). The replacement or enhancement of a local hall may be seen as essential where it is necessary to provide a community hall with additional services such as static library services, indoor sports facilities, or day care provision at the same site.

5.172 Individual development proposals will be assessed on the basis of likely impact on essential provision, with reference to existing capacity. Where the impact might not be acceptable, the applicant will be expected to demonstrate how essential service cover may be maintained.

5.173 Equivalent provisions are made for the retention of necessary open space, employment, and sport and recreation facilities, in Chapter 3, Chapter 4, and the recreation section of this chapter respectively.

5.174 The LPA will seek to sustain local services in neighbourhoods and in Villages and to provide for community service development by:

(1) Refusing planning permission for the change of use, piecemeal development, or redevelopment for other purposes of buildings and /or land required to establish or maintain essential local services or required to sustain the self-sufficiency of the community

(2) Refusing planning permission for proposals that would result in the loss of buildings and /or land safeguarded for essential community use unless adequate alternative arrangements are made.

5.175 The policy cannot militate against business failure or service closure, and it is not intended to protect every service against change. Its provisions will apply only where a service is not over provided and appropriate provision can be made viable.

Community Halls

5.176 In the Area Centres and in some villages, a community hall may be a part of a community /sports centre offering a wider range of facilities. The capacity for halls to provide recreation facilities is recognised in the DRS. Many halls will be available for indoor games. The dual use of school or church halls for community purposes is encouraged and is facilitated by the recreation development policy of the Plan. It is recognised that such provision alone may be insufficient to meet community needs. The District Council believes that village halls are a key component of village life. As part of the development of community halls for wider community use, static library services may be incorporated.

Policy HSC23: Community Hall Development

(1) The essential provision or necessary improvement of a community hall in each Area Centre neighbourhood, Local Centre, and Village will be supported.

(2) In other settlements, additional provision will be acceptable provided that it would not detract from the maintenance of essential facilities in the Strategic Centres and Villages.

5.177 For the purposes of this policy, a community hall means an adequate indoor space, within walking distance of most households, and available for dedicated community use on a daily basis. The District Council will continue to support the provision and retention of accessible meeting halls that meet basic community requirements. It will also facilitate their development for a wider range of community services. Such provision will help communities to become more self-sufficient, and the District Council will enable appropriate provision by:

(1) Supporting the levels of recreational provision needed, as recommended in the DRS (see Appendix 5)

(2) Facilitating additional community service development by others

(3) Enabling additional basic provision in villages where this would not prejudice key provision in the neighbouring areas.

All proposals will be expected to include appropriate arrangements for a continued upkeep and sustainable use of the buildings and any associated site curtilage.

Public Art

5.178 The District Council encourages inspirational design. Public art involves the creation of works by artists and /or craftspeople within the context of the built and natural environment in which they will be displayed. It can play a strong rôle in development by:

• Contribution to area regeneration, helping to attract investment and stimulating economic development
• Improvement of quality of life, raising the quality of the environment
• Enhancement of sense of place and identity in public buildings, commercial developments, streets, and open spaces.

The aim is to encourage artistic expression and to enliven development that changes the character of the area. Where public artwork may be included in development, the objective is to create opportunities for scheme designs that go beyond functional and operational need and enhance good design, by creating places that reflect the life and aspirations of local people and inspire future users and visitors.

Policy HSC24: Public Art

The LPA will negotiate for the inclusion of public art work in major developments where the inclusion of such art work would benefit the general public by permanently enhancing the function, character, or appearance of the area.

5.179 Applicants may choose to enhance good design through incorporated art work in schemes at all scales. The LPA will seek to secure through negotiation appropriate public art associated with major developments that will permanently enhance the character and appearance of the area.

5.180 [No text]

5.181 The District Council anticipates that as a result of this approach the type of development will suggest an appropriate theme for work to be commissioned. Permanent art works might include murals, water features, or commissioned design features in walls, paving, or signage. Sculpture trails, statuary, and premises for artist studios, workshops, and exhibitions also may be suitable. As public art is designed to enhance public /civic space, it is vital that projects have community involvement and public support.

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