TDLP PART 1 CHAPTER 2 - DISTRICT STRATEGY

2.1-2.3 [No text]

BACKGROUND

2.4 Torridge District covers about 996 sq kilometres (384 sq miles) of northwest Devon. The area is largely rural. At April 2001, the population of the District was 58,949 in the following age groups:

Source: ONS Census 2001.

2.5 About half of the total population of the District lives in the parishes of Bideford and Northam. These are located on the northern edge of the plan area and comprise the settlements of Bideford (including East-the-Water), Northam, Appledore, and Westward Ho! The only other parishes with over one thousand residents are Great Torrington, Holsworthy, Hartland, Winkleigh, Woolfardisworthy, and Bradworthy. The remaining residents live in the 100 or so villages and hamlets in the countryside.

2.6 The area has an extensive rural road network, but many locations are some distance from local services, including employment, social, community, and commercial services. Services such as district and regional hospitals, major shopping centres, and significant leisure complexes are located outside of the plan area.

2.7 The Atlantic Highway (A39) provides a modern link to the North Devon Link Road (A361) and the motorway (M5) at Tiverton. It passes through the northern part of the District and into North Cornwall. Elsewhere, the main elements of the principal highway network provide mainly north-south links. The southern part of the District lies close to the dual carriageway route into Cornwall (A30 (T)).

2.8 The national rail network does not extend into the District. The nearest inter city connections are at Tiverton Parkway and Exeter. The Tarka Line, of regional significance for residents and tourists, borders the eastern side of the District.

2.9 The mixed employment base of the area has a strong dependence on the service industry, especially tourism related, and on manufacturing activity. Although the number of people employed in agriculture has declined, it remains very significant, especially for its contribution to the appearance of the countryside and for use of rural services.

2.10 Employment is concentrated in the main towns, although some villages have industrial estates or individual firms that make a significant contribution to local employment. Against the national average, wage levels in the District are low and unemployment levels high. In the Bideford area, unemployment has remained about 50% above the regional average.

2.11 The northern portion of the District is part of the North Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the coastline includes extensive stretches of Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Hartland and Lundy are Heritage Coasts. Other protected areas occur throughout the District, especially on the Culm grassland. The natural landscape varies between intimate wooded valleys and extensive open moorlands. It heavily influences the dispersed settlement pattern and is highly valued by local residents and tourists.

2.12 A range of social and economic priority designations apply in the District, as a result of local circumstances. These provide the opportunity for financial assistance to help redress the identified problems. The availability of such assistance is subject to regular review.

PLANNING FRAMEWORK

2.13 Chapter 1 describes how the Plan relates to the planning framework. The UK Strategy, the South West Regional Guidance, and the Devon Structure Plan were of particular importance in influencing the Plan.

The UK Strategy

2.13A The Plan is based on the four main national strategy objectives:

• social progress which recognises the needs of everyone;
• effective protection of the environment;
• prudent use of natural resources; and
• maintenance of high and stable levels of economic growth and employment.

Its key aims reflect these objectives and relate to planning issues in the District.

Regional Planning Guidance for the South West (RPG10)

2.14 [No text]

2.15 The Plan has regard to RPG10, in its provisions for the development of land and its criteria for the control of development. Several provisions of the guidance are directly relevant to the Plan, as they are reflected in the Devon Structure Plan. The overall strategy is to achieve sustainable development. The following aspects are significant:

• Environmental quality and diversity should not be put at risk;
• Regeneration and enhancement of urban and rural areas should be promoted;
• New development in the countryside should be strictly controlled;
• Development that reinforces a scattered pattern of small rural settlements is unlikely to be consistent with the aim of achieving sustainable development;
• In rural areas, housing should be provided at locations that are within or well related to settlements that have or can provide an adequate range of employment opportunities and community services.

Particular attention needs to be given to balanced development, the urban and rural development strategies, and environmental resource conservation.

Devon Structure Plan

2.16 The Plan is in general conformity with the Devon Structure Plan First Review and its end date is reflected by that plan period. The First Review included a countywide development strategy, comprising:

• The main areas of growth
• The rural areas of development constraint
• The rural areas requiring economic diversification.

The District contains parts of all three broad areas. The bulk of the District was identified as a rural area requiring economic diversification, with the coastal area being one of development constraint. Bideford /Northam was identified as a growth area. The challenge is to achieve this in a sustainable way that takes account of the environment, the economy, the need for social progress, and the natural resources of the area.

2.16A The First Review focused on the protection of important environmental resources and on the development of more self-sufficient communities. Its policies were informed by the principles of sustainable development. It identified a settlement hierarchy and requirements for the identification of development land that it expected the Plan to define.

2.16B The hierarchy comprises principal urban areas (regional centres), sub-regional centres, Area Centres, and Local Centres strategically located in relation to transport, infrastructure, and the rural populations that they serve. There are no regional or sub-regional centres in Torridge.

2.17 The relationship of the defined hierarchy to Torridge is shown in Figure 1. The First Review identified the development implications that follow from the requirements. The District Council was required to define levels in the settlement hierarchy, including and below Area Centres. Bideford /Northam has a particular rôle, as it was identified as an area where the bulk of new development should be accommodated. The Plan needs to implement such requirements in a sustainable way. Westward Ho! Is mentioned separately as a coastal resort.

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Figure 1 - Development Strategy

2.18 [No text]

2.18A The strategy provides that new development in Torridge will be concentrated in the main population centres. The bulk of development will be accommodated in Bideford /Northam and the remainder is directed to other centres. Development in the rural area will be limited and development in the open countryside will be strictly controlled. Westward Ho! will be maintained as a coastal resort. These strategic objectives will need to be achieved over the life of the Plan.

2.18B Area and Local Centres and Villages are identified in the Plan, so completing a cohesive network of urban and rural centres.

2.18C The First Review provided that urban regeneration and revitalisation will be a strategic priority in areas that have experienced a relative decline in their general vitality and viability or that have been affected adversely by the decline in the traditional tourism industry.

2.19-2.20 [No text]

DISTRICT STRATEGY

2.21 The District Strategy sets out the broad approach in a non-technical manner, against which issues not specifically covered by the policy framework can be judged. The Plan seeks to move toward a more environmentally sustainable pattern of development. It is the result of an integrated approach to issues relating to the needs of local residents, the environment, transport, and the economy.

2.21A The principles of sustainable development set out in the national strategy and the regional spatial strategy underpin the Plan. The Plan sets goals that respect these principles, recognise local issues, and reflect local priorities.

2.22 The goals of the Plan are as follows:

• Adequate provision for sustainable development and economic prosperity
• Effective conservation and enhancement of the local environment and distinctive environmental qualities of the District
• Integrated infrastructure (services and facilities) to meet community needs
• A high quality of life for local residents.

Aims of the Local Plan and the Strategy

2.22A Key aims have been generated in order to indicate how the goals may be achieved. They inform all later topic objectives. They take account of the options that have been considered and will give effect to the policy direction in which the District Council wishes to move.

2.22B The Aims of the Plan are as follows:

(1) Economic Prosperity

(a) To provide for development and promote economic prosperity in an environmentally acceptable way.

(b) To prioritise economic regeneration, including rural diversification and the maintenance of important sectoral economies.

(2) Community Identity and Social Inclusion

(a) To provide for community needs and help sustain local communities.

(b) To safeguard townscape and amenity, promoting good design and improving the quality of development.

(c) To help protect cultural heritage and strengthen local distinctiveness.

(3) Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions

(a) To reduce the overall need to travel by car, ensuring that the distribution of development reflects the settlement strategy.

(b) To secure a shift toward more sustainable forms of transport.

(c) To help increase woodland cover that can fix carbon dioxide, especially managed broadleaved woodland.

(4) Energy Conservation

(a) To promote the development of renewable energies and help to achieve renewable energy targets.

(b) To promote the incorporation of energy efficiency measures in development.

(5) Resource Conservation

(a) To help maintain clean air and water supplies, managing the effects of contamination.

(b) To help ensure the prudent use of resources, including land and soil.

(c) To avoid additional risk, including from flood.

(6) Landscape Conservation and Enhancement

(a) To protect and enhance the landscape, mitigating the adverse effects of development.

(b) To protect and enhance important nature conservation interests, including the wider countryside.

(c) To protect and enhance open space.

In the strategy, each of these aims is focussed on the priorities, with reference to sustainable objectives.

2.22C Progress against the Aims of the Plan will be monitored. The environmental objectives are set out and the performance indicators and targets are summarised in the monitoring and appraisal chapter of the Plan.

2.23 The strategy put forward by the District Council for the District is based upon the above aims. It comprises the following elements:

(1) Concentrate new housing and employment development in the Bideford area where the widest range of services and demand exists, and where the existing or proposed infrastructure has the greatest capacity to meet the needs of existing and future residents and businesses.

(2) Make a level of provision for new housing and employment development in Great Torrington, Holsworthy and the rural service centres appropriate to community needs and the areas served.

(3) Sustain and enhance the rôle and environment of the town centres of Bideford, Great Torrington, and Holsworthy, recognising their importance beyond the immediate locality.

(4) Strengthen and diversify the economies of Great Torrington and Holsworthy to help meet their own needs and to serve the wider rural area, including the provision of additional land for employment and housing.

(5) Foster the development of self-sufficient communities wherever possible, while recognising that the availability of services is likely to limit rural development to those villages in the District able to provide affordable housing and workshops for local business to prosper.

(6) Conserve and enhance the countryside and coast, limiting further development to that essential to such a location.

(7) Try to ensure the provision of necessary social, community and travel services, including the provision of more sustainable transport, in step with new development and, where possible, secure such provision as an integral part of the development.

(8) Promote the use and enjoyment of natural resources for tourism and recreation and facilitate development that will help to protect environmental assets.

(9) In all cases, have regard to economic, social, resource, and environmental objectives, protect the best of the District's built and natural environment, improve that which needs it and ensure that new development is of a high standard.

2.24 The development strategy is established in the Structure Plan.

Development and Area Priorities

2.25 In preparing the Plan, the District Council has given priority to sustainable economic growth, the improvement of community self-sufficiency, the conservation of resources, and the maintenance of environmental quality. In allocating land for development, the Plan seeks to give priority to the redevelopment of previously developed land over the release of greenfield sites.

2.26 The Structure Plan establishes the priorities for urban regeneration and enhancement. On this basis, the area priorities for environmental regeneration and economic revitalisation in Torridge in order of priority are as follows:

(1) Bideford Town Centre, including the quay and waterfront

(2) The market towns of Bideford, Great Torrington, and Holsworthy

(3) The coastal resort of Westward Ho!

2.27 In respect of services, service development will be a priority in the Area and Local Centres. There will be a high degree of priority to the provision of educational, social, health, and other local services, to the development of facilities, and to the provision of local employment opportunities at an appropriate scale. In Villages, the priority will be development to meet local community needs. Elsewhere, the level and range of services is considered incapable of sustaining growth, and the priority will be to protect the countryside.

Development Boundaries

2.28 Development boundaries can guide the location of new development relative to settlements. The aim is to implement the development strategy. The District Council has reviewed the use of development boundaries for planning purposes in the context of:

(1) the spatial strategy and priorities set out above;

(2) the need to identify settlements that are capable of accommodating sustainable growth; and

(3) the limited opportunities in villages for development that can contribute to the provision of basic services and facilities without increasing the need to travel by car.

2.29 The Plan makes explicit provision for development within and around the Strategic Centres. Strategic development requirements can be accommodated within such Centres subject to the environmental constraints. Development boundaries are not necessary in villages that are not subject to planned expansion. The Plan allows development in villages where there is a local social or economic need. In such circumstances, a settlement boundary is not essential.

Development Land

2.30 Requirements for new employment and housing development land supply are established in the Structure Plan. The development boundaries and plan proposals provide development opportunities that can address requirements up to the end of the plan period. The scale is indicated in Figure 1A , based upon the data available. It aims to demonstrate that the bulk of new development can be accommodated in Bideford /Northam.

Figure 1A: Development Land 1995 - 2011 ¹

Notes:

1. Data relates to the Devon Structure Plan First Review period.
2. The employment land take-up is estimated from midyear 1995-midyear 2011: it comprises take-up midyear 1995-31 March 2001, commitments at 1 April 2001, and employment site allocations provided by the Plan [see Chapter 4 and Schedule 1 ].
3. The housing land take-up is estimated from 1 Apr 1995-31 Mar 2011: it comprises estimates for 1995-2001 and for the small sites commitment at 31 Mar 200, derived from land availability accounts, and estimates for 2001-2011, derived from the data in the housing section of the Plan [see Chapter 5 and Schedule 2] .
4. Totals may appear different due to rounding. Figures are rounded to one decimal point. Housing figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.

Sources:

Torridge Development Land Analysis 1995-2000, TDC (unpublished)
Housing Land Availability Accounts, TDC, annual
Employment Land Availability Accounts, TDC, annual (unpublished).

2.31 It is estimated that about 45% of such new development can be accommodated on available sites in and around Bideford /Northam. The remainder can be accommodated in the Area Centres of Great Torrington and Holsworthy, in the Local Centres and on allocated sites in Villages, providing over the plan period for a pace of rural development comparable with that provided for in the past. It is anticipated that some development will be located elsewhere, but will not form a significant part of the total.

2.32 The District Council will continue to monitor the take-up and distribution of development land. The Government has set a national target of 60% for housing development on previously developed land. Such terms are defined in the glossary of the Plan. Regional guidance has set a target of 50% for the southwest, and there is a provisional county target of 40%. The Council has established a recycling target of 45% for residential development on previously developed land in Torridge District 1995-2011. The LPA monitors the take-up of greenfield and previously developed sites in a way that enables performance to be monitored against this target. The District Council will prioritise urban regeneration and infrastructure provision. The Plan will ensure that urban land is used to best effect, in accord with Structure Plan policy and Plan priorities.

2.33 Previous plan allocations and commitments have been reviewed. In circumstances where there is no realistic prospect of development in accordance with an existing permission, or of renewal of planning permission for development in the form previously granted, the Plan makes alternative provisions and /or proposals. A number of site proposals have emerged from pre-consultation representations.

2.34 A consideration of development potential has been carried out as part of the settlement appraisal process. This has involved assumptions about the capacity of sites. The outward expansion of settlements onto greenfield sites has been kept to a minimum by the site selection process. Where expansion is considered necessary, the District Council has selected suitable sites from those identified in settlement appraisals, in accordance with site selection criteria defined in the relevant chapter for the type of development involved. Planning policies seek to reflect the sequential approach to land release where relevant.

Planning Obligations

2.35 Obligations which may be negotiated with an applicant include arrangements in respect of mixed use development, comprehensive development in partnership with others, phased development, tied use, infrastructure provision, and other offered benefits.

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