Helping Shape the District

(6) The role of the local plan and its draft objectives

The main role of the local plan is to guide future development to deal with the important issues by:

• establishing the right level of growth in the district;
• finding the best location for new development, and working out how that development should be designed;
• working out how we will use the new development and the money generated from it to improve infrastructure and services, such as schools and roads; and,
• setting a framework for neighbourhood planning in the future

Based on the information we have gathered so far, and the important issues set out above, we have set out the following draft objectives for the new local plan under three themes.

A. Providing sustainable levels of growth in the district

The local plan will aim to do the following:

1. (1) Provide a sustainable level of economic growth (and balance this with housing growth) to maintain high levels of employment, and to deal with pockets of unemployment in deprived areas. It will:
1. identify and maintain a flexible and varied supply of accommodation and land for business that is the right type and in the right location;
2. support the growth of knowledge-intensive industries and energy industries; and
3. improve the rates of business growth in the district to support the ‘organic’ growth of the local economy.
2. Provide a sustainable level of housing growth (and balance this with economic growth) to reduce the number of people who currently need housing, to meet future housing needs, and to help deal with the issues of need for affordable housing. It will:
1. identify and maintain a flexible supply of land for housing that is the right type, has the right tenure, and is in the right location;
2. make sure that the district can accommodate university students without harming the balance of existing communities;
3. allow providers to meet the special housing needs of the growing number of older people; and
4. make provision for gypsies and travellers in order to deal with local need and historic demand.
3. Provide a sustainable level of retail and leisure growth that will meet people’s existing and future needs, and will maintain and improve the vitality and viability of existing town and local centres as attractive and safe places to visit both by day and night. It will:
1. identify the role of each of the town centres, and a plan for their future management and growth that will provide sustainable levels of retail and leisure growth.

B. Providing well-designed new developments that are in the right location

4. (1) Make sure that new developments are in places that will reduce the need for people to use their cars, and will improve air quality in the district by reducing road congestion and carbon emissions, and encouraging people to live more healthy lifestyles by walking and cycling more.
5. Make sure new developments are designed and built so they use water and energy efficiently and reduce the overall demand for natural resources (specifically by increasing the use of renewable and low-carbon sources of energy to reduce carbon emissions).
6. Make sure that new developments are located, designed and built so that they can deal with the expected effects of climate change, particularly flooding.
7. Make sure new developments are designed and located to maintain and improve the quality of built and natural environments, particularly historic areas and buildings, sensitive wildlife habitats and areas of high landscape value.
8. Make sure new developments are built to a high standard in terms of design, and provide inclusive, lively and attractive places where people feel safe and want to live, work or visit.
9. Make sure new developments provide public and private open spaces where there is a choice of areas of shade, shelter and recreation which will benefit people, wildlife, flood storage and carbon management.
10. Make sure that if buildings and spaces, particularly in historic areas, need to be adapted to meet the changing needs of the economy and to deal with environmental issues, they will be adapted in a sensitive way (for example, energy-efficiency measures will be retrofitted).

(1) C. Enabling the district’s infrastructure to improve and support growth

11. (1) To enable organisations that provide community infrastructure, such as schools and health facilities, to provide and maintain improved facilities and services in locations people can get to and that can meet people’s current and future needs, and support sustainable economic growth and deprived areas.
12. To enable energy, communications, water and waste organisations to improve their infrastructure and services so they can meet people’s current and future needs, protect the environment, and contribute towards dealing with the causes of climate change.
13. (1) To enable transport providers to provide improvements, particularly better and more integrated public transport, cycling and pedestrian facilities, to meet people’s current and future needs, improve the safety and efficiency of the transport network, and support sustainable economic growth.
14. To enable improvements to be made to the built and natural environments which will help maintain and improve historic assets, improve habitats and their connectivity, help the public access and enjoy open spaces such as allotments, reduce the risk of flooding, keep the effects of climate change (including the effects on habitats and wildlife) to a minimum, and support healthy lifestyles.
15. (1) To enable improvements to be made to maintain and improve the quality of cultural, sporting and leisure opportunities. This will include maintaining a flexible supply of land and buildings for sport and recreation that is the right quality and in the right location, and can meet people’s current and future needs and support healthy lifestyles.

How important do you consider these draft objectives for the new local plan to be?

Are there any other objectives that you think we should include?

We have checked each of these draft objectives against a number of sustainability objectives and we have reported on this separately in the background technical paper.

Please give us your views by completing the questionnaire online or by paper as this will help us to draft the local plan. By providing your details, we will also be able to keep you informed of the next stages in its preparation.