TDLP PART 1 CHAPTER 3 - DEVELOPMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE

ADVERTISEMENTS

3.155 The display of an advertisement or a sign requires Advertisement Consent under the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) Regulations. Where express consent is required by the regulations, control will be applied only in the interests of amenity and public safety. Amenity is taken to relate to the effect of an advertisement on the appearance of the building on which, or of the area within which, it is displayed. Considerations include the cumulative effect of advertisements and the brightness of illumination. All adverts will affect the amenity of places where they are displayed. Control needs to ensure that the appearance is not spoilt by a poorly designed, a badly lit, or an inappropriately placed advert or sign. Public safety is taken to relate to the impact of the advertisement on the safe use and operation of the highway by traffic, including pedestrians and cyclists.

3.155A The aim is to enable the display of advertisements and signs that contribute positively to the appearance and attractiveness of the District, its economy, and its environment.

3.156 The Highway Authority exercises control of highway signs. The Devon County Council has published a traffic management policy for the Provision of Traffic Signs to Tourist Destinations. This management policy applies to highways throughout the District.

3.157 [No text]

Policy DVT15: Adverts and Advance Directional Signs

(1) Consent to display advertisement(s) will be granted provided that:

(a) the siting and the design, including size, materials, colour, proportion, and illumination are in keeping with the character and appearance of the building or structure and the area where displayed; and

(b) highway safety is not affected adversely; and

(c) they relate to and are essential for the use of the site; and

(d) the display has special regard to the impact, including cumulative effect, on the visual amenity, character, and appearance of Conservation Areas, Listed Buildings, and /or the AONB as appropriate.

(2) Consent for advance directional signs will be granted where amenity is not harmed and public safety is not prejudiced.

(3) Where more than one premise requires signing at a particular site, composite signage will be required where necessary to limit clutter.

3.158 The policy sets out the criteria that must be met to obtain express consent. It is not intended as a restriction on commercial activity but as a positive encouragement to make the area more attractive for residents, visitors, and inward investors, and as a means of supporting the viability of local business. It will help to ensure that the places where adverts are displayed are well maintained.

3.159 All adverts should respect building design and local character. The objective is to use traditional features where in keeping and to avoid the imposition of corporate design and brand image where this would be insensitive or would weaken the character of distinctive areas or Historic Settlements. Such settlements are defined in the glossary of the Plan.

3.160 In accordance with Government guidance, the most strict advertisement control will prevail in relation to the AONB, Conservation Areas, and Listed Buildings. Internally illuminated signs and projecting box signs are not appropriate in Conservation Areas or on Listed Buildings. Outside Conservation Areas and the Historic Settlements some sites, while not as strictly controlled, will benefit greatly from improved and /or imaginatively designed signs, possibly including illumination. Where illumination is proposed, the potential for light pollution will be treated as a separate issue with reference to the pollution policy of the Plan.

3.161 The District Council has published a Shop Front Design Guide for the Bideford Conservation Area. The guiding principles for advertising that it contains apply throughout the District.

3.162 Traffic management policy controls proliferation of signs on the highway, and the District Council exercises comparable controls elsewhere. Adverts that are likely to distract or confuse highway users will be resisted. Even if the design of a sign is acceptable, it will be refused where it would add to clutter or create confusion likely to be hazardous to highway safety.

3.163 Improvements will be encouraged where appropriate. The District Council will seek to reduce advertisement clutter on commercial buildings. It encourages the Highway Authority to reduce the impact of highway signs, either through appropriate siting and design or through enhancement works within Conservation Areas.

3.164 [No text]

Advance Directional Signs

3.165 All parts of the policy relate to advance directional signs. The District Council has published Guidelines for the Display of Advance Direction Signs. These complement traffic management policy. The guidelines give advice on siting and acceptability. They explain aspects of the criteria that must be met to obtain consent. The guidelines are subject to review and will be made consistent with policy.

3.166 Many businesses and settlements lie off the principal traffic routes through the rural area. The authorities understand the pressure on businesses to erect advance signs in an attempt to attract casual passing trade. Demand could lead to a proliferation of signs and adverts at junctions and along the edge of principal routes, creating a cluttered appearance and distracting drivers on the highway in a potentially dangerous way. The right balances need to be struck between the legitimate needs of businesses to advertise their presence and product and the effects of such adverts on amenity and on public safety.

3.167 The District Council is prepared to discuss signing alternatives where acceptable display sites are identified. The desirability of combined local service signs to serve bypassed or rural communities will be considered and these will be preferable to individual signs. Signboards at information points and lay-bys, providing local advertisements, information, and guides, also may be acceptable. Directional signs to commercial establishments within a clearly signposted and easily accessible settlement will be resisted. In the rural area, the illumination of advance signs will be resisted unless there is a strong overriding need to advertise, either for essential community services or for highway safety purposes, which outweighs the need to protect the visual amenity of the area. In such cases, external illumination only will be acceptable.

3.168 Where established businesses are far from principal routes, it will be acceptable if necessary to allow advance signs at successive junctions for guidance only. This will avoid confusion and contribute to highway safety. Signs will be kept as few and as discreet as possible. The design must have special regard to the landscape priorities. Supplementary guidelines provide further guidance for advance signs in particular circumstances.

Areas of Special Control

3.169 The Government has advised that where an area is largely or wholly rural a Special Control Order may be appropriate to apply stricter advertisement controls. An Area of Special Control Order covers most of Torridge, except for the urban centres of Bideford, Northam, Holsworthy, Great Torrington, and two areas in the centre of Westward Ho! They are known as Exclusion Areas. The Area boundaries are shown in SPG.

3.170 The Control of Advertisements Regulations require the District Council to consider at least once every five years whether such Orders should be revoked or modified. The present boundaries of the Areas are appropriate. The District Council will review these Areas within the life of the Plan. The Secretary of State must approve a change to an existing Order.

INFRASTRUCTURE PROVISION

3.171 The Structure Plan aims to maintain and enhance services and facilities in the interest of self-sufficient communities. The term infrastructure is defined in the glossary of the Plan.

3.172 Where the infrastructure necessary to service development is not in place, the Structure Plan requires provision in phase with or as an integral part of development. Development may be required:

• to make good the identified need on site; or
• to make off-site provision in step with development; or
• to contribute as appropriate to the funding of remedial programmes.

Policies are needed to define the necessary infrastructure that will be sought in association with development in Torridge.

3.173 The aim of adequate infrastructure provision, promoting the self-sufficiency of local communities, implies the use of planning obligations on occasions. Applicants will be made aware of likely requirements in response to clear issues and the LPA will target established needs. Enquirers can be advised at an early stage of likely obligations, enabling these to be incorporated within their financial arrangements.

Policy DVT16: Infrastructure Provision

(1) Where development has a directly attributable and measurable impact on the infrastructure of Torridge, the local planning authority will seek to negotiate with developers for the provision of appropriate contributions towards infrastructure, provided that such infrastructure is necessary, relevant, directly related in terms of scale and kind to the proposed development, and reasonable in all other respects.

(2) Appropriate levels of any relevant provision and /or commuted payments for such provision having to be made indirectly will be determined by negotiation on the basis of likely needs and individual circumstances with due regard for the scale, type, location, and viability of development proposed.

(3) Any required provision will be secured as an integral part of or in phase with the development it serves.

(4) Relevant provision not meeting adoptable standards will be permissible only with adequate long-term arrangements for maintenance and after-care.

3.174 The policy applies to all proposals, whether on allocated sites or not, where the direct impact on infrastructure is measurable with reference to relevant impact assessments. New provision will not be sought where existing provision is adequate to serve the development.

3.174A The policy relates to likely measurable impact. The cumulative impact needs to be assessed, including that of other recently approved development not just that of the current scheme or phase.

3.175 Contributions will be sought with reference to advice on the proper use of planning obligations. The scale of contribution sought will have due regard to what is reasonable in terms of the viability of the project.

3.176-3.177 [No text]

3.178 Contribution will not be sought toward infrastructure needed solely to resolve existing deficiencies. The District Council will lead negotiation based upon appropriate service provider /authority programmes.

3.178A Where practicable, the LPA will expect necessary infrastructure to be provided on-site in step with the development. The District Council will negotiate for such provision off-site where on-site provision is not practicable.

3.179 Where direct provision is not practicable but in the local circumstances the development would create or worsen an infrastructure deficiency, an appropriate contribution toward separate provision to serve the development may be negotiated to enable development to take place, subject to an undertaking that necessary measures shall be committed within an appropriate timescale, usually of two to five years.

3.179A Supplementary guidance is set out in the SPD for Infrastructure Provision in New Development. Procedures may be set out in service Codes of Practice associated with the SPD. The SPD includes a protocol for managing planning obligations.

3.180 Where indirect provision is necessary in order for the development to proceed, a commuted sum payment toward the infrastructure must be negotiated directly with the District Council. Calculation of commuted payments will be on the basis of need and cost.

3.181 Service providers /agents are encouraged to review existing service capacities and improvement programmes, to identify those facilities under most pressure from proposed development, and to assess likely service impacts. Where provision is sought, such providers will need to refer to costed programmes or define unit costs as appropriate. Any provisional calculations made on the basis of an outline scheme will be subject to recalculation on the basis of reserved matters details. Scales of payment will be advised by the District Council, in conjunction with the agency that may determine the actual cost, before commencement.

3.181A Commuted payments will be made, and any unused payments remunerated, in accordance with the protocol for managing planning obligations.

3.182 Impact assessment will be required in respect of all extant consents that become time lapsed. Where appropriate, a reduced contribution will be negotiable on a one off basis for the first renewal only, to help phase in the provisions of the Plan.

3.183 The LPA intends to monitor the nature of development proposals, the pace of development and the delivery of necessary infrastructure in relation to the capacity of provision.

3.184 [No text]

TRANSPORTATION

3.185 [No text]

Transportation Strategy

3.186 Transportation issues affect Torridge. The Government aims to reduce the growth in car travel and guidance looks to development plans to reduce the reliance on the private car. In dealing with development proposals, the predominantly rural nature of the District and its high reliance on the car need to be borne in mind. The lack of alternative public transport facilities is a major constraint.

3.187 The highway authority is responsible for transportation strategy, which for planning purposes is contained in the Structure Plan and the Local Transport Plan (LTP). The strategy is to promote greater integration of land use policies and transport programmes in order to reduce the distance, frequency, and share of road journeys. It encourages the development of alternative modes of travel that have less environmental impact. The aim is to deliver, in conjunction with the land use strategy, an integrated and balanced transportation system that meets the economic, environmental, and social needs of the County.

3.187A The LTP for Devon is the Devon Local Transport Plan 2001-2006 (DLTP). LTPs are prepared in consultation with District Councils.

3.188 The County Council classifies transport routes by function into a hierarchy known as the Devon Road Network (DRN). The DRN is defined in the Structure Plan. The DLTP sets out the priorities for the improvement and maintenance of the network and the provision of new routes. Highway schemes identified within the DLTP are required to support the economy of the region, to restore the environment, to regenerate urban areas, to reduce congestion, and to improve road safety.

3.189 The Structure Plan introduces the strategic principle of modal shift. All development proposals are required to demonstrate access provision in the form of an access strategy that must be consistent with the principle of encouraging the highest possible modal split in favour of walking, cycling, and public transport in that order.

3.190 The Plan helps to implement the strategy by encouraging development patterns that give people the choice of using more environmentally friendly alternatives to the car.

Transport Routes and Programmes

3.190A Strategic routes are indicated in Figure 1 . A few miles of the Exeter-Barnstaple railway run through the District. Within the High Quality Road Network (HQRN) for Devon in 2011, the Structure Plan defines a hierarchy of strategic routes. It identifies three routes in Torridge as National Primary Routes:

• The A39 Barnstaple-Cornwall via Bideford /Northam
• The A30 (T) Exeter-Penzance
• The A386 Bideford /Northam-Plymouth.

Although de-trunked in 2002 by the Government, the A39 Atlantic Highway in Torridge and the North Devon Link Road (A39/A361 route) will remain a part of the HQRN. The North Devon Link Road is also a national primary route. These strategic routes connect North Devon and North Cornwall to the M5 and the A30 (T). Only a small length of the A30 (T) lies within the District, south of Roadford Lake.

3.190B The Plan needs to accommodate relevant programmes, comprising the Regional Programme (including trunk road proposals) and the County Highway Programme (including the countywide programmes of transport service improvements and partnership schemes etc, Zone Programmes, Local Area Programmes, and major county road schemes). There are no schemes for Torridge in the National Road Programme.

Policy DVT17: Transport Routes

(1) The routes of proposed new and improved roads shown on the Proposals Map will be safeguarded.

(2) The design of road proposals will be expected to incorporate pedestrian, cycling, and public transport provision where appropriate.

(3) The former railway and canal routes shown on the Proposals Map, whether developed or undeveloped will be safeguarded from development that prevents acceptable alternative transport routes or recreational routes.

3.190C The following road improvement schemes in Torridge may be started in the period up to 2011:

(1) A39 Fairy Cross - Horns Cross
(2) A39 Buck's Cross - Hobby Lodge
(3) A39 Greenfields - Welsford
(4) A39 Deptford - Welcome Cross.

The Highway Authority protects these schemes pending the completion of a route corridor study to permit consultation. The District Council supports their early completion and may seek their inclusion in an appropriate county road improvement programme.

3.190D New roads should include public transport facilities, such as lay-bys, that can promote sustainable choices. Provision for pedestrians and cyclists should also be included where improvements can be achieved to links between, and accessibility of, town centres and other service, employment, and housing areas.

3.190E The countywide programmes of schemes of strategic importance relate to the improvement of inter-urban routes and the facilitation of economic development. No major road schemes are expected in the District before 2006.

3.190F Following appropriate examination and review there are no proposals to bypass Great Torrington or Monkleigh.

3.190G The greatest possible use of rail for passengers and freight is encouraged, in view of the service provided to the District and the potential for reducing road traffic. The reinstatement of former railways or canal routes for their original use, or their redevelopment for other transport uses will be permissible. Redevelopment for more sustainable and environmentally acceptable modes of transport should be considered first, in accord with the hierarchy of modes set out in the Local Transport Strategy, in preference to the use of such routes for new roads . In some areas, former routes have already been redeveloped.

3.190H A Strategic Study of the Bude Canal route has established broad principles for its reuse. Proposals for reuse of the Torridge sections for nature conservation, recreation, and environmental education purposes have been agreed in principle, including the following:

• Re-water sections of the Bude Aqueduct from Tamar Lakes to the Holsworthy branch
• Complete the Tamar Trail along the canal route from Launceston, North Cornwall to Tamar Lakes
• Create a circular walk from Bude, North Cornwall via Tamar Lakes
• Create short walks on the Holsworthy branch
• Restore, enhance, and interpret surviving isolated features, with public access to the Merrifield Incline wheel pit.

All surviving features on that part of the route within the District will be safeguarded by the policy.

3.190 I In principle, the creation of new transport routes will be supported where beneficial to the inhabitants of the parish or community, particularly where additional access to the footpath and cycleway network will be provided, supporting and promoting use as an alternative to the car.

Local Transport Strategy

3.190J The District Council does not have direct responsibility for transport matters other than off street public car park provision and the regulation of taxis. It has a partnership with the County Council for area based traffic management and transport schemes and, as the LPA, it determines the vast majority of planning applications involving highway issues.

3.191 A series of strategy packages will be developed, in the DLTP, to combine a range of transportation schemes that will access Central Government funding for sustainable transport measures. The DLTP defines Zones and Local Areas. It includes a zone programme for the North Devon Zone, which includes the Torridge and North Devon Districts, and Local Area Programmes for Bideford /Northam, Great Torrington, and Holsworthy. These programmes will continue to be developed and area objectives will be developed for Bideford /Northam and Great Torrington.

3.192 The District Council will support the development of measures that implement the relevant Zone and Local Area Programme objectives of the DLTP and will continue to promote the development of a local transport strategy. The Highway Authority will develop the Local Transport Strategy in partnership with the District Council. The strategy will contain a review of the local transport objectives.

3.193 The District Council will support new measures that:

• improve the strategic routes, in a way which benefits the economy of the area and relieves towns and villages of through traffic;
• reduce congestion and improve the environment within Torridge towns and villages;
• support, promote, or improve alternative public and community transport services and facilities as a viable alternative to car use; and
• provide a safer environment, particularly for vulnerable road users.

3.193A The local transport objectives in the DLTP are as follows:

• To integrate all forms of transport with the development plan
• To ensure that travel can be undertaken safely
• To improve accessibility to work, facilities, and services for all, especially for those without access to a car
• To maximise the contribution of sustainable transport networks to an efficient economy
• To protect the natural environment and historic heritage of Devon
• To promote walking and cycling
• To improve and enhance access by sustainable transport to schools, colleges, and cultural destinations
• To meet the transport needs of all social groups and contribute to community needs
• To integrate tourism and public transport.

Local transport objectives for the Northern Devon Zone and the Holsworthy Local Area are included in the DLTP. Objectives for the Bideford /Northam and Great Torrington Local Areas are included in the supporting Topic Paper 7 to the DLTP.

3.193B The Local Transport Strategy will be adopted as SPG, and its recommendations will be incorporated into future reviews of the Plan as appropriate. The strategy will:

(a) Determine appropriate ways of encouraging movement, together with transport operators and other agencies, in accord with the hierarchy of modes - walking, cycling, public transport, and private vehicles

(b) Define the necessary provision of more sustainable alternative transport for Torridge towns, businesses, and rural communities, in liaison with the Freight Quality Partnership, the business community, and community organisations

(c) Review provisions for pedestrians, cyclists, and mobility impaired people more comprehensively, identifying those routes and locations (including between transport interchanges, schools, and town centres) where improved measures are a priority

(d) Promote measures to extend the network of cycle routes to include all of the Area Centres

(e) Identify important public transport routes and links, including key routes and interchanges where priority measures are needed, with the cooperation of the Public Transport Authority

(f) Review the adequacy of provisions for coach, lorry, and overnight parking, including for camper vans, following appropriate discussions with coach operators, the Freight Quality Partnership, and the local Tourism Workshops

(g) Indicate how the potential of Bideford as a commercial port will be realised, in co-operation with the Port Authority

(h) Explore the potential for improving rail travel, possibly by establishing after 2009, in partnership with the Strategic Rail Authority and the North Devon District Council, a high quality, safe, secure, and reliable public transport link along the route of the former rail link from Bideford to Barnstaple, with good interchanges that would meet the demand and maximise the potential usage

(i) Develop an integrated car parking strategy for Torridge towns and villages, and standards that reflect the review being undertaken by the County Council in cooperation with the Devon District Councils.

The strategy will achieve the objectives, which may be revised in the SPD. Some elements of the strategy will require additional studies and the District Council is anxious to see such studies progressed.

3.194 The highway authority is investigating and promoting local safety schemes for settlements and town centres within the District. Schemes will be included in the Local Transport Strategy and some will form part of alternative transport networks to be introduced in the Area Centres. The materials, surface finishes, street furniture, signing, and equipment designs for Historic Settlements and Conservation Area enhancement schemes will be expected to respect and enhance local character and distinctiveness.

3.195 Public car parking provision, management, and charging /tariff schemes have a major part to play in traffic management in town centres. The management of public car parks is not a matter for the Plan, though its policies ensure that the use and management of public car parks are not prejudiced and that efficient use is reinforced and promoted.

3.196-203 [No text]

Traffic Management

3.204 Traffic is a key issue for the Plan, and the management of traffic is a relevant criterion where considering development proposals. The aim is to target the need both to reduce unnecessary travel and to encourage alternatives to private car transport. The District Council will expect new development to provide alternatives to the car where it is likely to have a major impact on transport patterns or traffic levels. Facilities such as bus stops, shelters, and termini, cycleways, and footpath links may be negotiated as part of development schemes that generate significant volumes of traffic.

Policy DVT18: Impact of Development on Traffic

(1) All development must take into account its impact on the highway network in terms of traffic generated, highway safety, access, servicing, and the need to reduce travel and to encourage alternatives to the private car, incorporating appropriate facilities on-site or off-site where necessary.

(2) Where a transport assessment indicates that significant travel and transport implications are likely, alternative transport measures shall be provided as an integral part of the scheme and such development will be permissible only where it will be accessible to a choice of alternative transport modes.

(3) Traffic management measures will be expected to enhance the environment with regard for all local transport objectives.

3.205 All development that generates traffic is expected to provide for necessary transport infrastructure. The siting and design of buildings and open space should be laid out accordingly. Designs that incorporate traffic calming measures, such as speed ramps, pinch points, chicanes, and changes in surfacing materials, may be appropriate. Other measures such as reduced traffic speed limits along access routes and estate roads may be required to reduce the dominant influence of the car and to promote road safety.

3.205A The second part of the policy ensures that development will support the provision of new or improved alternative transport infrastructure where appropriate, in accord with the hierarchy of modes set out in the Local Transport Strategy. Alternative transport in this context means walking, cycling, and public transport. It implements the Structure Plan provisions for alternative transport.

3.206 Significant levels of traffic will arise in large-scale new residential, industrial, and commercial developments. Such developments are expected to link into alternative transport networks and obligations may be sought in support of necessary infrastructure provision. The alternative transport facilities sought may include the following:

• Footpaths along desire lines
• Cycleway network links and facilities
• Public transport facilities and service connections.

An assessment of the need for alternative facilities may be requested for large-scale development. Adequate arrangements are expected as an integral part of permissible proposals.

3.206A High traffic generators will need to contribute toward measures that will encourage reduced travel by car. Contribution will not be sought toward measures not directly related to the development.

3.206B The third part of the policy promotes environmental enhancement as required by Structure Plan policy. Measures are set out in the DLTP. Where there are land use implications, proposals are included in Part 2 of the Plan. The local transport objectives are set out in the Local Transport Strategy subsection of the Plan, as may be varied in the SPD on the Local Transport Strategy. The LPA also will take account of strategic objectives in the DLTP.

Access and Parking

3.207 The location of new development and the accessibility and availability of vehicle parking are important regulators of traffic generation and growth. Management arrangements such as pricing structures and time restraints are outside the scope of the Plan.

3.207A The adopted local parking standards are contained in the SPG for Parking Provision for Motor Vehicles in New Development. The standards are under review and will be revised in due course. The County Council is preparing both a countywide parking strategy and new model standards for Devon. The outcome may inform the local review being carried out by the LPA.

3.207B Local parking standards have been applied too rigidly in the past. The publication of PPG13 needs to be taken into account and, pending the review, the application of local standards will need to have regard both to PPG3 in respect of housing and to the interim standards in RPG10. New standards will allow for significantly lower levels of off-street provision.

3.207C Policy is needed to secure operational efficiency and to help restrain traffic growth, taking into account relevant constraints.

Policy DVT19: Access and Parking

(1) Development shall provide appropriate access and servicing and an amount of vehicle parking having regard to:

(a) the local transport objectives; and
(b) its location; and
(c) the type and scale of development and, where large scale, the national maximum parking standards; and
(d) the availability and accessibility of public car parking; and
(e) the potential for and availability of public transport services and /or alternative transport facilities; and
(f) the potential for and availability of on-street parking and servicing within the principal centre and the town centres.

(2) Where it would have an adverse impact on the character and appearance of a Listed Building or Conservation Area, the requirement for parking and servicing may be reduced.

3.207D A Vehicle Parking Assessment is expected in association with development proposals, as the basis for determining necessary provision. The total requirement may be calculated as:

(a) The operational minimum for the development to function; plus
(b) Any additional provision needed for use by non-operational traffic, to be set within an acceptable range as determined with reference to the criteria of this policy.

Any proposal can be assessed on this basis with regard to any alternative transport measures proposed as an integral part of the development.

3.208 The Parking Strategy and model standards for new development being developed for Devon by the County Council may introduce Parking Provision Assessment (PPA), which may be adopted as SPG in due course. PPA is a standard methodology intended to help determine the non-operational parking requirement based on the policy criteria.

3.209 As an interim measure, the standards contained in the old SPG will no longer be applied as minimum standards. The old SPG standards for housing development are no longer appropriate in the light of new guidance in PPG3. In the urban area of Bideford /Northam, as an interim measure, the old SPG standards may be regarded as maxima. In Bideford town centre they may be viewed as excessive. In individual cases, they may be used as guidelines to inform determination in accordance with the policy criteria. Elsewhere, they will be treated as guidelines only.

3.209A The new regional parking standards are treated as interim guidance pending further local testing. They are reproduced at Annex 7 to the Plan for ease of reference.

3.210 Standards will be applied flexibly, in accord with the local transport objectives. The initial local transport objectives are set out in the Local Transport Strategy subsection of the Plan, as may be revised in SPD. The LPA will take account of the objectives in the DLTP.

3.211 [No text]

3.212 The policy provides for discretion in relation to car dependency in the District. Where evident, the differences in levels of car ownership and accessibility to alternative transport between urban and rural areas will be recognised. In the absence of convenient public transport services or taxi services, and in view of the distance between centres and the fragmented nature of existing cycleways, there is a greater need for car parking for rural development than would be expected for urban development. This difference will be acknowledged by a rurality factor within the parking standards review.

3.213 Development in the town centres is expected to provide on-site for the operational minimum only. The replacement standards will reflect this policy approach.

3.213A In respect of single person housing and some types of housing for the elderly, standards will be reduced where the generated traffic is likely to be lower.

3.213B The policy enables particular conservation interests to be accommodated. Where parking cannot successfully be designed into a scheme, reductions may be applied in respect of otherwise permissible development affecting Listed Buildings and in Conservation Areas, provided that the benefits outweigh the difficulties. Should such development be likely to worsen on-street parking or traffic congestion severely, the proposal will be refused unless accessible public car parking is made available on a site nearby. An equivalent commuted payment may be agreed toward appropriate provision to be secured on such sites.

3.213C The LPA will determine whether space is designed suitably, with reference to good design principles and to technical design specifications where applicable. The County Council has published a Design Guide for Highways in Residential and Commercial Estates. The District Council will expect these specifications to be relaxed where necessary in the interest of the conservation of Historic Settlements, Conservation Areas, and Listed Buildings.

3.213D To enable development to take place, additional public car parking provision will be sought where directly needed to serve the development. Good quality cycle parking with changing facilities may be sought in appropriate cases.

3.213E The District Council will provide the necessary replacement SPG for the maximum levels of parking permissible for different classes and types of development, with reference to operational and non-operational elements and to the accessibility and restraint factors that may be applied. Such factors will be included in the proposed SPD for Vehicle Parking Provision.

Car Parks

3.214 Car parks have been provided to meet demands. Adequate parking will remain essential to ensure the commercial viability of town centres and to meet the needs of tourists and visitors to the area. The District Council considers it important to ensure public car parking is available for visitors and it intends to avoid excessive space being reserved for commuter parking or contract parking schemes.

3.214A The aim is to retain necessary parking but enable the redevelopment of underused and poorly located car parks where alternative parking is provided elsewhere. Car park surveys can help to assess proposals that may have an impact on public parking requirements. The District Council periodically publishes the results of its Torridge Car Parks Survey. Surveys identify the type of usage, highlighting those public car parks most important to the economic life of the towns. They also may identify those car parks with excess capacity. Management policies are reviewed periodically on the basis of such surveys. Shared parking will be encouraged where appropriate. Policy is needed to guide possible car park redevelopment.

Policy DVT19A: Car Park Redevelopment

Redevelopment of off-street private and public car parks will be permitted where they are poorly sited, under used, and their loss will not exacerbate on-street parking problems or congestion or where any necessary replacement public car parking can be provided in a more suitable location and at an appropriate level.

3.214B The policy complements the policy for access and parking. It enables the redevelopment of car parks for alternative uses where this would maintain and not displace valuable parking space. Where not needed, they can be redeveloped. Any necessary replacement provision may be provided in locations more appropriate to meet anticipated parking needs. The LPA intends to take a long-term view of needs. Underused car parks may be able to provide for future car parking needs, particularly in locations where the parking standards for development are reduced.

3.215 The availability of car parking is a particular issue in the Historic Settlements, where high-density layouts limit the potential for off-street parking provision. High car ownership levels in the Rural Area, allied to sparsity of alternative public transport services, means that the retention and provision of public car parking in villages is important.

3.216 [No text]

Cycleways and Footpaths

3.217 The National Cycling Strategy launched by the Government in 1996 aims to quadruple the number of cycle trips by 2012. The District Council, in consultation with the County Council, is committed to ensuring that the needs of cyclists are considered in new development proposals. To encourage use of cycle routes, cycle parking standards may be introduced and there is a need to provide facilities such as shower and changing rooms, secure storage, and adequate street lighting.

3.218 Many County schemes have been developed in association with the District Council under the County Disused Railways and Canals Initiatives. The District Council would like to see a local transport strategy reflected in the Local Areas Programme of the LTP. The Tarka Trail, an established cycle route that runs through the District, and its extensions are part of the National Cycle Network set up and developed by Sustrans. New cycling schemes included in the DLTP reflect the national and county cycling strategies. It is proposed to develop cycleways between the main centres of traffic generation. Proposals to be secured in association with development are shown on the Proposals Map. The integrity of such routes needs to be protected.

3.219 The Highway Authority maintains definitive rights of way (ROWs). The network of ROWs can provide alternative access to facilities for work or leisure. It provides access to the countryside and coast for tourists and visitors, upon which the Devon County Council has established a recreational route network . As such, it constitutes a valuable resource that needs to be conserved. Increased use is encouraged. The objective is to ensure that development maintains or enhances the network.

3.219A The needs of pedestrians and cyclists are taken into account within highway improvement, environmental enhancement, and traffic calming schemes in the interest of road safety. The District Council is incorporating cycle parking facilities within public car parks, with priority in urban centres. Walking and cycling are promoted as part of the District Health Strategy.

Policy DVT20: Cycle and Pedestrian Routes

Planning permission will not be granted for development adversely affecting any public right of way and the network of existing, proposed, and potential cycle routes shown on the Proposals Map unless the proposal includes alternatives that are no less attractive, safe, and convenient for public use.

3.220 The policy protects cycle and pedestrian routes that are affected directly by proposed development. Improved links related directly to development can be sought as part of the required infrastructure. The absence of facilities and network links will act as deterrent factors and the need for provision will be assessed in all new development.

3.221 Traffic calming measures that reduce cycling, pedestrian, and vehicle conflict, such as 20 mph zones and pedestrian /cycle priority routes, may be introduced. As part of work on the local transport strategy, the District Council will consider the need to introduce cycle parking standards.

3.222 Where new development affects an existing ROW or creates an extension to the network, the LPA will expect the routes accommodated to be well integrated, with appropriate arrangements for the re-establishment of any diverted routes where necessary. Diversion may be acceptable in the interest of efficient land use. Otherwise, diversion will be acceptable only where the alternative to be provided may be made safe and secure as well as shorter or more commodious for use.

3.223 In built-up areas, the needs of all footpath users should be accommodated as appropriate by measures such as:

• Dropped kerb crossings
• Barrier free routes
• Improved access arrangements
• Tactile paving and audible signal control
• Ease of access to public transport facilities.

The provision of footway links with existing routes will be expected as an integral part of all new development. New pedestrian routes to link popular centres of activity such as shopping centres, residential areas, schools, employment, and leisure facilities will be sought in association with relevant development.

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