Issues and Options Paper June 2017 · 1.17 The process of preparing and adopting the RASA DPD is...

Herefordshire Local Plan

Issues and Options Paper

Rural Areas Site Allocations Development Plan Document

June 2017

Contents Page No.

1 Introduction 1 • WhatistheRuralAreaSiteAllocationDPD? 1 • Relationshipwithotherdocuments 2 • Howwillitbeprepared? 2

2 The Rural Area of Herefordshire 4

3 Key strategic issues 6 • Strategicpoliciesfortheruralarea 6 • RoleofNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlansintheruralarea 9 • WhichissuescouldbeaddressedwithintheRASADPD? 11

4 WhataretherangeofalternativeoptionsfortheRASADPD 12 • OptionsforthescopeoftheDPD 12 • Option1 12 • Option2 14 • Option3 17 • Option4 21 • Option5 23 • Option6 26 • Option7 27 • Option8 28

5 Optionsregardingtherangeofpolicies 32 • Settlementboundariesand/orsettlementdefinition 32 • Housing 33 • Sizeofsiteallocations 33 • Selfandcustombuildhousing 34 • Affordablehousing 35 • StarterHomes 37 • Employment 38 • LocalGreenSpace/amenityspace 38 • Otherareas 39

6 SustainabilityAppraisal(SA),StrategicEnvironmentalAssessment(SEA) 40andHabitatsRegulationsAssessment(HRA)

7 Nextsteps 41 • Howtocomment 41

8 Summaryofquestions 42

Appendix1 ListofCoreStartegyfigure4.14and4.15settlements 44

Appendix2 RuralStrategicCoreStrategypolicies 46

Introduction

1.1Itisrecognisedthattherearemanychallengesinsecuringthelongtermsustainablefutureforruralareas.Thisincludesthepresenceofemployment,marketandaffordablehousing,facilitiesandservices,accesstotransportandwellassocialfactorsofcommunitycohesionandinterdependence.ThereforetheaimofthisdocumentistohelpachieveastronglivingandworkingruralHerefordshireandenablingthegovernmentobjectivetoidentifyopportunitiesforvillagestothrive.Thecouncil’slanduseplanningstrategyfortheruralareasisoutlinedwithintheadoptedCoreStrategyandthisreflectsthecouncil’sprioritytosupportthegrowthofoureconomy.

1.2TheruralpolicieswithintheCoreStrategyseektoenhancetherolethatthecounty’sruralareashavetraditionallyplayedasaccessibleandsustainablecentresfortheirruralcatchment.ThepositiveproportionalgrowthofsettlementsthroughappropriateadditionalruralhousingandemploymentopportunitiesisencouragedwithintheCoreStrategy.

1.3However,thesestrategicpoliciesneedtobesupportedbydetailedlocalpolicyandguidancetoenableadeliverymechanismoverthenextfifteenyearsandbeyond.Withthisinmind,theLocalDevelopmentSchemeindicatesthatanadditionaldevelopmentplandocumentwillbeproduced.

WhatistheRuralAreaSiteAllocationdevelopmentplandocument(RASADPD)?

1.4HerefordshireLocalPlan-CoreStrategywasadoptedinOctober2015andsetsouttheoverallvision,objectivesandspatialstrategyforthecounty.ItisintendedthattheRASADPDwillcontainthemoredetailedproposalstoensurethefulldeliveryoftheruralgrowthtargetswithintheCoreStrategy.

1.5ItisnotintendedtoreplaceanyNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlanwhichisadopted/madeormakingsignificantprogresstowardsadoption.However,theplanwillincludepoliciesandproposalsforgrowthinanymarkettownsorCoreStrategyPolicyRA2settlementwhichisnotincludedwithinaNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlan.

1.6ThisDPDdoesnotgiveanopportunitytorevisittheruralhousingstrategywithintheCoreStrategy,thisincludestheprincipleofproportionalgrowth,itsmethodofcalculationorthelistofsettlementshighlightedwithinthestrategy(figure4.14and4.15).TheseweresubjecttotheCoreStrategyexaminationinFebruary2015.

1.7TheRASADPDwillbeastatutoryelementofthecounty’sLocalPlan,andwillbeoneofanumberofDPDswhichwillprovidedetailedplanningpoliciesforspecificlocationsorissues.Figure1setsouttherelationshipofthedocumentswithintheLocalPlan.

Figure1–TherelationshipbetweentheplanswithintheLocalPlan

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Relationshipwithotherstrategiesandemergingprojects

NeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlans

1.8AproactiveapproachhasbeentakentoneighbourhoodplanningwithinthecountyandtheseplansformtheprincipaldocumentstosupporttheCoreStrategywithinthemarkettownsandruralareas.

1.9AsatMay2017,108neighbourhoodareashavebeendesignated.TheroleoftheNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlansistomakeprovisionofruralhousingand/oremploymentallocationstomeettheproportionalgrowthtargetssetoutwithintheCoreStrategy.ThishasbeenreiteratedbytheWhitePaper‘Fixingthebrokenhousingmarket’issuedinFebruary2017.Thishighlightstheopportunitiesneighbourhoodplanningpresentsforidentifyingandallocatingsitesthataresuitableforhousing,drawingontheknowledgeofthelocalcommunity.NeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlanswillcoveraplanperioduntil2031andformpartofthestatutorydevelopmentplanforHerefordshire.

1.10TheRASADPDisnotintendedtoreplaceanyNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlanwhichhasbeenadoptedorcurrentlybeingactivelyproduced.However,itwillprovideadditionalpolicieswithinthoseareaswhereplansarenotbeingprovidedlocallybytheparish/towncouncilandthelocalcommunity.

Economicvision

1.11Herefordshire’seconomicvisionwillprovideakeycontexttoregenerationandinvestmentworkinthecounty.Thevisionidentifiespriorityprojectsthatwillsupporteconomicgrowthorgenerateahighervalueeconomy.TheRASADPDprovidesanopportunitytoprovidealandusepolicyframeworktoenabletheprojectsintheeconomicvisiontobedeliveredwithinthewiderruralarea.

LocalTransportPlanandHerefordTransportPackage 1.12Herefordshire’sLocalTransportPlan(LTP)coverstheperiod2016-2031.ItwasadoptedbythecouncilinMay2016.TheLTPincludesarangeofpoliciesandproposalsforalltransportmodes.TheLTPsetsoutthecouncil’sstrategyforsupportingeconomicgrowth,improvinghealthandwellbeingandreducingtheenvironmentalimpactsoftransport.

Travellers’SitesDPD

1.13AHerefordshireTravellers’SitesDPDiscurrentlybeingproduced,thiswillsetoutallocationsandplanningpolicyrelatingtotheprovisionofsitesfortravellersinthecountytocovertheplanperiodto2031.ThismaycontainsomeparishareasincludedwithintheRASADPD.

MineralsandWasteDPD

1.14MineralsandwastepolicieswillbedealtwiththroughaseparateMineralsandWasteLocalPlanDPD.ItwillestablishtargetsandplanningpolicyrelatingtomineralsandwasteactivitiesandassociateddevelopmentinHerefordshireandcovertheplanperiodto2031.ThismaycontainsomeparishareasincludedwithintheRASADPD.

Hereford Area Plan

1.15TheHerefordAreaPlaniscurrentlybeingproducedtoprovideadditionalplanningpoliciestosupportthestrategicgrowthinHereford.TheRASADPDwillnotcoverthoseareaswithintheHerefordAreaPlanboundary.TogetherwiththeRASADPDandNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlans,theHerefordAreaPlanwillensurefullcoverageofmoredetailedpoliciestosupportthedeliveryoftheCoreStrategy.

HowwilltheRASADPDbeprepared?

1.16UnlikeNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlanswhichareproducedbythelocalcommunity,theRASADPDwillbeproducedbyHerefordshireCouncil.

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Figure2 –Stagesofadevelopmentplandocument

1.17TheprocessofpreparingandadoptingtheRASADPDisanticipatedtotakearoundtwoyears.Duringthistimeanumberofconsultationeventswillbeundertakenandengagementwithstatutorybodies,stakeholders,thelocalcommunityandparishcouncilswillbeinlinewiththeStatementofCommunityInvolvement(SCI)whichwasadoptedin2016.

1.18ThisIssuesandOptionsPaperisthefirstopportunitytocommentupontheemergingoptionsandareastobeincludedwithintheplan.Furtherconsultationwillbeundertakenaspreferredoptionsand,also,thedraftplanpoliciesandproposalsareprepared.TherewillalsobeanopportunitytocommentupontheplanpriortoitsfinalsubmissiontotheSecretaryofState.

1.19FollowingsubmissiontotheSecretaryofState,thePlanwillbesubjecttoanExaminationinPublicbyanindependentinspectorbeforeitcanbeadoptedaspartoftheLocalPlanbyHerefordshireCouncil.

1.20Forclarity,theRASADPDwillnotbesubjecttoareferendum,unliketheNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlansbeingpreparedwithinthecounty.

Whereareweintheprocess?

1.21ThisdocumentformstheIssuesandOptionsConsultationstage.Howeverinadditiontothis,workisbeingundertakenontheupdateoftheruralStrategicHousingLandAvailabilityAssessment(SHLAA).Thiswillhelptoinformlaterstagesoftheplan.

1.22ContinuingsupportisbeinggiventoanyparishwhowishestoproducetheirownplanningpolicywithinaNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlanandtheprogressofthoseplanswillbemonitored.ItisanticipatedthatthecoverageofparishesproducingtheirownplansandthatoftheRASADPDwillevolvebetweentheIssuesandOptionsStageandthefinalpreferredoptions.Therefore,thoseparisheshighlightedintheoptionswithinthispaperreflectthepositionasatApril2017.

1.23Followingtheinitialconsultation,commentsreceivedwillbeconsideredandfurtherevidencegatheredtohelpprovideadraftplanorseriesofpreferredoptionswhichwillalsobesubjecttoconsultationbeforethepublicationofthefinalplan.ThesewillbesubmittedtotheSecretaryofStateforIndependentExaminationintothesoundnessoftheplan.TheprocesswilltakeintheorderoftwoyearsfromthisIssuesandOptionsstagetofinalplanadoption.

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The Rural Area of Herefordshire

2.1Herefordshireisapredominantlyruralcountycoveringanareaof217,973hectaressituatedinthesouth-westcorneroftheWestMidlandsregionborderingWales.TheRiverWyeanditsvalleylandscapeisthecounty’sprincipalgeographicalfeaturewiththeMalvernHillsandBlackMountainssurroundingthecountyonthebordersofWorcestershireandWalesrespectively.

2.2Herefordshirehasapopulationof183,600(Mid2011estimatebasedon2011Census)andadensityof0.8personsperhectare.Therehasonlybeena5%growthinthedecadesince2001howeveritisestimatedthatthepopulationwillincreaseby12%duringtheperiodupto2031.Herefordshirehasanageingpopulationwith1in5ofitsinhabitantsbeingaged65orover.94%arewhiteBritishandonly6%areofanethnicgroup.

Figure3–MapshowingHerefordshireinitswidercontext

2.3Withasparsepopulation,HerefordshirehasthefourthlowestoverallpopulationdensityinEngland,andunderathirdofHerefordshireresidentsliveinHereford.Aroundafifthliveinthesurroundingfivemarkettowns(Leominster,Bromyard,Ledbury,Ross-on-WyeandKington)andnearlyhalfliveinthesurroundingruralareas.Almosttwothirdsofthecountylivinginrurallocationsareinamongstthe25%mostdeprivedareasinEnglandintermsofaccesstoservicesandgeographicalbarrierstoservices.ThereareareasofseveredeprivationinareasofHerefordandLeominstermostnotably.

2.4RuralHerefordshire,althoughbeautifulandidyllic,presentsmanychallengesfortheresidentswholivethere.Accesstopublictransportisextremelylimited,meaningaheavyrelianceontheprivatecar,coupledwithanageingpopulation,thiscanleadtosubstantialsocialisolation.Thecountyalsosuffersfromawiderlimited

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strategichighwaynetwork,whichisamajorissueasHerefordshireplaysastrategicroleinfacilitatingcrossboundarylinksbetweenEnglandandWales.

2.5Theruraleconomyreliesmainlyonself-employmentandhomebasedbusiness.Howevertherearecurrentinfrastructureissuesincludinglimitedbroadband,poormobilesignalandrestrictedaccesstoservices.Thecounty’sruralassetsarehoweveradvantageous,withHerefordboastinganationallyacclaimedlandscape.Thisincludestwolandscapeareasofnationalsignificance;theWyeValleyAreaofOutstandingNaturalBeautyinthesouthandtheMalvernHillsAreaofOutstandingNaturalBeautyintheeast.Inadditiontothis,therearemanysitesofarchaeologicalimportanceandarichhistoricenvironment.AlloftheseassetsmeanthattourismhasbecomeanimportantpartofHerefordshire’slocaleconomy,with5.1millionvisitorsin2011.

Figure4–Herefordandthemarkettowns

2.6Accesstofurtherandhighereducationremainsakeyissueforsucharuralcounty,withmanyyoungpeopleleavingthecountyaltogethertoundertakeformalhighereducation.

2.7Intermsofhousing,increasedhouseholdcostsforresidentsandlimitedprovisionofaffordablehousingarealsokeyissueswithintheruralhinterlandsofHerefordshire.WithhousepricesbeingabovethenationalaveragecomparedtoEnglandandWales,(mainlyduetohighervolumeofsalesofdetachedhomes,andhousepricesrisinghigherthanearningsoverthelastdecade),thereisalegacyofaffordabilityissues.

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Key strategic issues

3.1TheCoreStrategysetsoutanoverallvisionfortheruralareatogetherwithasetofstrategicproposalstohelpdeliverthevision.

3.2Thestrategyfortheruralareaintermsofsocialissuesinclude:

•Promotionofbalancedandintegratedcommunities;•Ensuringtheprovisionoftherightmixofhousing,includingaffordablehousingtomaximisecommunitybenefits;•Improvingtransportinfrastructure;•Ensuringtheprovisionofandenhancedaccesstoservices,facilities,educationandbroadbandinarural,sparselypopulatedcounty.

Economicchallengesinclude:

•Diversificationoftheeconomy,creatingmoreskilledjobs;•Raisingwagelevels;•PromotingHerefordshire’stourismpotential.

Identifiedenvironmentalissuesinclude:

•Protection,conservationandwherepossibleenhancementofnaturalandhistoricassets;•Theneedtoplanforthepotentialimpactofclimatechangeinnewdevelopments;•Ensuringnewdevelopmentsareofhighqualitydesignandconstruction;•Efficientuseofresources;•Improvingairandwaterquality.

Strategicpoliciesfortheruralarea

3.3ThestrategicpoliciesspecifictotheruralareasaresetoutwithintheplaceshapingsectionoftheCoreStrategy.

Housing

3.4Thehousingstrategyfortheruralareaisbaseduponthedeliveryofproportionatehousinggrowthwithinsevenhousingmarketareas.Eachmarketareahasdifferenthousingneedsandrequirements.Para4.8.12oftheCoreStrategyindicatesthathousingdevelopmentwithintheruralareawillbedeliveredthroughhousingallocationswithinNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlansandtheRASADPDandacombinationofexistingcommitmentsandwindfalldevelopment.

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3.5Aminimumof5,300newdwellingsareexpectedtobeprovidedwithintheruralareasbetween2011and2031tomeetthecounty’shousingneed.MinimumruralHMAhousingtargetsareincludedwithinPolicyRA1,highlightedbelow.

Rural HMA Approxnumberofdwellings2011-2031

Indicativehousinggrowthtarget(%)

Bromyard 364 15GoldenValley 304 12Hereford 1870 18Kington 317 12Ledbury 565 14Leominster 730 14RossonWye 1150 14

Total 5300

Figure6-PolicyRA1–Ruralhousingdistributiontable

Figure5–HerefordshireHousingMarketAreas(HMA)

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Figure7-mapshowinglocationsofRA2villages

3.6OnehundredandnineteenruralsettlementshavebeenidentifiedwithinPolicyRA2fig4.14and4.15asthemainfocusforproportionatehousinggrowthwithintheruralarea(fulllistcanbeseeninAppendix1).Residentialdevelopmentisdirected‘withinandadjacenttothebuiltupareas’ofthesesettlements,howevernosettlementboundariesormappingisprovidedwithintheCoreStrategytodefinethesesettlementsorindicatewherefuturedevelopmentshouldbelocated.Figure7showsthedistributionofthesesettlements across the rural area.

3.7Para4.8.23oftheCoreStrategyhighlightsthatsettlementboundaries(whereappropriate)willbedefinedwithinNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlansortheRASADPD.AreasoutsidethosehighlightedwithinPolicyRA2areconsideredtobewithinopencountrysidewhereonlyspecificlimitedgrowth(inlinewithinPoliciesRA3,RA4andRA5)willbesupported.

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RuralEnterprise

3.8TherearenospecificemploymentallocationsortargetsindicatedwithintheCoreStrategyoutsideofHerefordandthemarkettowns.HoweverPolicyRA6recognisestheimportantroletheruralareashaveinprovidingasustainableeconomyforthecounty.Thissupportsarangeofruraldiversification,environmentaltechnologies,homeworkingandruralservicesandfacilities.

Towncentres

3.9PolicyE5oftheCoreStrategyseekstoencourageappropriateinvestmentwithinHerefordshire’sfivemarkettowns.ThetowncentreboundariesforeachtownhavebeendefinedwithintheplaceshapingsectionoftheCoreStrategy,howeverthesewere‘saved’fromthepreviousUnitaryDevelopmentPlanandarehighlightedforreviewaspartofaNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlanortheRASADPD.

3.10SimilarlyprimaryandsecondaryshopfrontagesarecontainedwithinPolicyE6oftheCoreStrategy.Thesetoowere‘saved’fromtheUnitaryDevelopmentPlanandpara5.2.35indicatesthatprimaryandsecondaryfrontagesforthetownsofLeominster,Ross-on-WyeandLedburywillbereviewedaspartofaNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlanortheRASADPD.ItwasnotproposedtodefinefrontagesforthetownsofBromyardandKingtongiventheirsize.Heretheprimaryfocusforretailwillbewithintheprimaryshoppingareas.

3.11ThefullstrategicpoliciesrelatedtotheruralareaintheHerefordshireLocalPlan–CoreStrategyareincludedinappendix2.

RoleofNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlansintheruralarea

3.12TherearereferenceswithintheCoreStrategytoavarietyofissuesbeingaddressedandfurtherpolicybeingprovidedineitheraNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlanortheRASADPD.

3.13Therearecurrently108individualneighbourhoodareasdesignatedacrosstheruralareawhereNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlanscouldbeproduced.Thiscouldequateto88%ofthecommunitieswithintheruralarea,whichareanticipatedtoprovidelocallyproducedpolicieswithintheirownNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlans.

3.14AsatendofApril2017,18NeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlanshavebeenadopted/made,6areawaitingreferendumand12areatexamination.Atotalof52planshadprogressedtoatleastdraftplanstageunderRegulation14.Figure8showstheprogressbeingmadeacrossthecounty.

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Figure8–NeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlansinHerefordshire(at27April2017)

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3.15However,therewillbeparishesandsettlementshighlightedforgrowthwithintheCoreStrategywhicharenotproposedtobeincludedwithinaneighbourhoodareaandthesewillneedtobecoveredwithintheRASADPD.

3.16TheCoreStrategyindicatesanumberofissueswithinmarkettownswhichshouldbeaddressedineitheraNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlanortheRASADPD.AllfivemarkettownshavedesignatedaneighbourhoodareaandareatvariousstagesofproductionoftheirNDPs.

MarketTown CurrentStatus DateofnextstageBromyard noprogress-requestwithdrawal NotapplicableKington Progressingtodraftplan(Reg14) May2017Ledbury Progressingtodraftplan(Reg14) June2017

Leominster progressingtowardsarevisedsubmissionplan(Reg16) September2017

RossonWye Progressingtodraftplan(Reg14) September2017

Figure9-StatusofmarkettownNDPsasofApril2017

3.17Therefore,withtheexceptionofBromyard,alladditionalpoliciesrequirementsforthemarkettownsareanticipatedtobecoveredbytheirNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlan.

3.18Positivepromotionhasbeengiventoneighbourhoodplanningwithinthecounty,andtheRASADPDisnotintendedtounderminetheworkofthosewhohavecommittedtopreparingtheirownlocallydistinctivepolicies.

3.19Withthisinmind,theRASADPDisnotseekingtoprovidepoliciesinthoseparisheswithNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlansorthosepositivelyworkingtowardproducingone.Itisalsonotintendedtobeadevelopmentmanagementpolicydocumentcontainingawiderangeofcriteriapolicies.InsteadthedocumentwillonlyconcentrateonthekeyrequirementstodelivertheCoreStrategy.

3.20TheemphasisforprovidingawiderangeofcriteriabasedpoliciesremainswiththeindividualNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlans.

Question:IstheapproachtowardthescopeoftheDPDappropriategiventhepositivesupportforneighbourhoodplanningwithinthecounty?

WhichissuescouldbeaddressedwithintheRASADPD?

3.21TheCoreStrategyhasindicatedthatthefollowingissuesshouldbeaddressedbymoredetailedplanningpolicydocumenteitherwithintheRASADPDorindividualNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlans.

Rural area•Settlementboundaries;•Housingallocations;•Employmentallocations.

Markettowns•Theboundariesoftheprimaryshoppingareasandtheprimaryandsecondaryfrontages;•Needforfurtherretailfloorspace.

Question:ArethereanyotherissueswhichtheRASADPDcouldlooktoaddress?

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WhataretherangeofalternativeoptionsfortheRASADPD?

4.1TheRuralAreasSiteAllocationDPDisnotanopportunityforreopeningthedebateregardingtheinclusionofsettlementswithinfig4.14and4.15oftheCoreStrategyortheproportionalgrowthfigureswithintheCoreStrategyitself.ThesewerethesubjectoftheCoreStrategyexaminationinFebruary2015andtheCoreStrategyisadoptedplanningpolicy.

4.2TheprincipalaimoftheRASADPDistosupportthedeliveryofPoliciesRA1andRA2inthoseareaslistedwithinfig4.14and4.15thatarenotproducingaNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlan.TheremayalsobearequirementtoupdatethedesignatedareasforPolicyE5andE6inthosemarkettownsnotproducingaNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlan.

4.3Therefore,theoptionspresentedbelowhighlightthealternativesforthescopeofthosesettlementstobeincludedwithinthedocument.ThesehavebeenbasedontheprogressofaNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlanwithinthatspecificparishatApril2017.ItisacknowledgedthatthestatusofNDPswillevolveduringtheconsultationonthisreportandthiswillbetakenintoaccountwhenthefinalpreferredoptionischosen.InclusionwithinanoptionatthisstagedoesnotprecludeaparishfromproducingaNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlan.Ashighlightedearlierwithinthisdocument,aNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlanistheprincipalmechanismfortheprovisionoflocalpolicieswithintheruralarea.

OptionsforthescopeoftheDPD

4.4TherearearangeofoptionsbeingconsideredforthescopeoftheDevelopmentPlanDocument.Eachoftheseisoutlinedbelow.

HMA No. of RA2 Settlements

No.withinaneighbourhoodarea Percentagecoverage

Bromyard 20 17 85%GoldenValley 18 18 100%Hereford 49 47 96%Kington 17 14 82%Ledbury 17 13 76%Leominster 40 34 85%RossonWye 55 49 89%

Table1-%ofRA2settlementscoveredbyaNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlanperHousingMarketArea(April2017)

4.5Thisoptionisessentiallytoremainwiththestatusquo.ThepoliciescoveringgrowthwithintheruralareasofHerefordshirearecontainedwithintheplaceshapingsectionoftheCoreStrategyandaremainlypoliciesRA1 to RA6.

4.6Para4.8.21oftheCoreStrategystatesthatNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlansand/orDevelopmentPlanDocumentswillbethemaindeliverymechanismforruralgrowthwithinthecounty.Thereforewithoption1,anyadditionallocallydetailedpolicieswillonlybecontainedwithintheNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlansbeingproducedacrosstheruralarea.Therearecurrently108designatedneighbourhoodareas,thismeansthat90%ofallRA2listedsettlementsarewithinadesignatedneighbourhoodarea.ThetablebelowshowstheirdistributionbyHousingMarketArea.

Option1-DonothingandrelyonNDPsandpolicyRA2

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Figure10–Mapshowingcurrentneighbourhoodareacoverage

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4.7Thereforethemajorityofruralsettlementswillbecoveredbylocallyproducedpolicieswhichmayincludeadefinedsettlementboundary,allocationofhousing,employment,openspaceandlocalgreenspacestogetherwithanumberofdevelopmentmanagementstylecriteriapolicies.TheprogressiontoadoptionofNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlansiscurrentlyhighandthetrendappearstobecontinuingwithoverhalfofallNDPsbeingproducedalreadyreachingatleastdraftplanstage.IndividualparishesandlocalcommunitieshaveinvestedsignificanttimeandeffortproducingtheirNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlan.Thisoptionwouldseeadditionalpolicyguidanceonlybeingprovidedinthoseareaswhohavemadethisinvestment.AllotherareaswouldrelyontheexistingruralpoliciescontainedwithintheCoreStrategy.

Impactsofthisoption

4.8ThisoptionwillallowforcontinuingsupporttothoseparisheswhohaveinvestedresourcesinproducingtheirownNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlan.OnlyCoreStrategypolicieswillapplyintheremainingpartsofthecounty.Thishoweverwillresultinnofurtherclarificationprovidedforatleast25settlementsidentifiedwithintheCoreStrategy.TheimplementationofPolicyRA2isoftenconcernedwithintheextentofthebuiltforminsomeofthemoredispersedsettlements,thisoptionwillnotassistinresolvingthisissue.Theprovisionoffutureproportionategrowthwillalsobereactionarytoplanningapplicationsratherthanplanledintheselocationswhichcouldresultinuncertaintyinhousingprovisionintheseareas.

Question:ShouldNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlansbethesolemechanismformorelocalplanningpolicyintheruralareaorshouldaRuralAreasSiteAllocationDPDbeproducedforthoseareasnotcoveredbyaNDP?1)OnlyNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlansor;2)NeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlansandRuralAreaSiteAllocationDPD

4.9AllparisheswithinHerefordshirehavebeengiventheopportunityoverthepastfiveyearstoproducetheirownNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlan.However,foravarietyofreasons,someparisheshavedecidednottotakeupthisoption.

4.10AsatApril2017,thereareatotalof17parishareascontaininganRA2listedsettlementwhicharenotwithinadesignatedneighbourhoodareaandhavenotshownanyindicationofdoingsointhefuture.Thisisatotalof25settlements.

4.11TheproductionofaNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlanhasalwaysbeenoptionalandnotcompulsoryforparishcouncilsandcommunities.Inaddition,therehasbeenanunderstandingthataDevelopmentPlanDocumentwouldbeproducedtocoverthosewhoarenotproducingaNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlansotherewouldbenopressuretoproduceaplaniftheparishdidnotfeelitwasappropriate.

4.12Table2indicatesthoseparisheswhowouldbeconsideredforinclusionwithinthisoption.Theconcentrationontheseparisheswouldhavethepotentialtoresultin100%coverageofallRA2listedsettlements(whencombinedwiththosewithadesignatedneighbourhoodarea).Figure11showsthegeographicaldistributionofthesettlements/parishesconsideredforinclusionunderoption2.

Table2–ParishestobeincludedwithintheDPDunderoption2

AstonIngham BirleywithUpperHill

BrockhamptonGroup Coddington Eastnorand

DonningtonKinnersleyandDistrict

Linton Marstow Mathon MonklandandStretford

MuchCowarneGroup

MuchDewchurch

PipeandLyde StapletonGroup StokeEdith StokeLacy ThornburyGroup

Option2-DPDcoveragetoincludeallparisheswithanRA2settlementbutnotwithinadesignatedneighbourhoodarea.

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Figure11–Mapshowingtheparishestobeincludedwithinoption2

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4.13PolicyRA2specifiesthatproportionalhousinggrowthshouldbedeliveredwithinthesesettlements.Table3showstheindicativeproportionalgrowthfiguresfortheseparishestoassistinachievingthegrowthrequirementsfortheirrespectiveHousingMarketAreas.FiguresaregiventoeachParishCouncilwhenpreparingtheirNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlanandareusedtodeterminethehousingallocationsandproportionofwindfalls(sitesnotallocatedbutsupportedbypolicycriteria).ThesefigureswillbeusedasabasetodeterminepotentialallocationswithintheRASADPD.FiguresshowninthistablerepresentthepositionasatApril2016,thesewillbeupdatedastheRASADPDpreferredoptionsaredeveloped.

Table3–indicativeproportionalgrowthwithinoption2parishes

Parish SettlementCS

figureno

IndicativeProportional

Growth

Built2011-2016

CommitmentsatApril2016

Residual GrowthApril

2016BromyardHousingMarketArea

BrockhamptonGroup

Brockhampton 4.1430 3 0 27

Bringsty 4.14

StokeLacy StokeCross/StokeLacy 4.14 24 1 4 19

ThornburyGroup EdwynRalph 4.15 13 1 0 12KingtonHousingMarketArea

Kinnersley & DistrictGroup

NortonCanon 4.1427 2 7 18Kinnersley 4.15

Letton 4.15LedburyHousingMarketArea

Eastnor&Donnington

GroupEastnor 4.14 15 0 0 15

Bosbury&Coddington

GroupCoddingtononly 4.15 9 3 0 6

Mathon Mathon 4.15 19 4 1 14MuchCowarne

Group MuchCowarne 4.15 27 0 3 24

LeominsterHousingMarketArea

BirleywithUpperHill

BushBank 4.1420 2 1 17

UpperHill 4.15Monkland&Stretford Monkland 4.14 12 3 6 13

StapletonGroupCombeMoor 4.15

16 2 1 13Kinsham 4.15Stapleton 4.15

HerefordHousingMarketAreaPipeandLyde PipeandLyde 4.15 25 1 1 23StokeEdith StokeEdith 4.15 8 0 0 8

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Parish SettlementCS

figureno


Growth

Built2011-2016



2016RossonWyeHousingMarketArea

LintonBromsash 4.14

61 28 15 18Gorsley 4.14Linton 4.14

MuchDewchurch MuchDewchurch 4.14 40 8 6 26AstonIngham AstonIngham 4.15 25 2 1 22

Marstow Glewstone 4.15 24 7 0 17

Impactsofthisoption

4.14ThisoptionwouldensurethatallsettlementshighlightedwithintheCoreStrategywillbecoveredbyadditionalplanningpolicyeitherintheformoftheRASADPDoraNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlan.TheseparisheshaveshownnoindicationoverthepastfouryearsofexpectingtopreparetheirownNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlan,thereforetherewouldbenoissuesofundermininganyfuturelocallyproduceddocument.FulldevelopmentplancoverageofallRA2settlementswouldenableadditionalsiteallocationstodelivertheCoreStrategygrowthandhelpmaintaina5yearlandsupplywithintheCounty.

4.15ThereareafewparisheswhooriginallywerekeentoproduceaNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlanandasaresultdesignatedaneighbourhoodarea.However,overtimeithasbecomeapparentthatthoseparishesareunlikelytoproceedandhaveexpressedaninterestinwithdrawingfromtheneighbourhoodplanningprocessandtobeincludedwithintheRASADPD. 4.16Belowhighlightsthoseparisheswhohaveexpressedaninterestinwithdrawingtheirneighbourhoodarea.

• Avenbury Neighbourhoodareadesignatedon21March2014,howeverlittleprogresshasbeenmadesince.TheParishexpressedawishtowithdrawtheirneighbourhoodareaon22February2017.

• BredenburyandDistrictGroupNeighbourhoodareawasdesignatedon5November2013andtodatenoprogresshasbeenmadeonproducingaNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlan.Theparishcouncilindicatedattheirmeetingonthe16January2017,thattheywouldnotbecontinuingwiththeneighbourhoodplanandwishedtowithdraw.

• BromyardandWinslow BromyardandWinslowTownCouncildesignatedaneighbourhoodareaon23November2015,howeveradecisionwastakenintheirMarch2017meetingthattheywishtowithdrawfromtheneighbourhoodplanningprocess.

• DormingtonandMordifordGroupNeighbourhoodareadesignatedon13May2014.Howeverlittleifanyprogresshasbeenmadesince.Theparishcouncilindicatedwithintheirminutesofthe16November2016thattheywereunlikelytocontinuewiththeirplanandwouldprefertobeincludedwithintheDPD.

• FoxleyGroupNeighbourhoodareadesignatedon7January2014andagainlittleifanyprogresshasbeenmadeonthisplan.Theparishcouncilexpressedwithintheirminutesofthe19October2016thattheywereunlikelytocontinueandwouldprefertobeincludedwithintheDPD.

Option3-DPDcoveragetoincludeallparisheswithoutadesignatedneighbourhoodarea(asoption2)andparisheswhohaveformallyrequestedtowithdrawfromtheNDPprocess.

17

•HatfieldandDistrictGroupNeighbourhoodareadesignatedon17September2013,howeverafterinitialquestionnairesandscopingwork,theparishcouncilceasedworkontheirneighbourhoodplan.Onthe10January2017theyexpressedaninteresttowithdrawandbecomepartoftheDPD.

•LlanwarneandDistrictGroup Neighbourhoodareadesignatedon23October2013.Againafterinitialquestionnairesandscopingwork,theparishcouncilceasedworkontheirneighbourhoodplan.Onthe3October2016theyexpressedaninteresttowithdrawandbecomepartoftheDPD.

•Moreton on Lugg Neighbourhoodareadesignatedon14October2013,howeverhavemadelittleifanyprogresssince.Theparishcouncilexpressedwithintheirminutesofthe7February2017thattheywereunlikelytocontinueandwouldprefertobeincludedwithintheDPD.

4.17Table4indicatesthefulllistofparisheswhichwouldbeconsideredtobeincludedwithinoption3andFigure12showstheirgeographicaldistribution.AnydesignatedneighbourhoodareaswithintheseparisheswillbeformallywithdrawniftheyareincludedwithintheRASADPD.

Table4–ParishestobeincludedwithintheDPDunderoption2

AstonIngham Avenbury BirleywithUpperHill

BredenburyandDistrictGroup

BrockhamptonGroup

BromyardandWinslow

Coddington DormingtonandMordifordGroup

EastnorandDonnington FoxleyGroup Hatfieldand

DistrictGroupKinnersleyandDistrictGroup

Linton LlanwarneandDistrictGroup Marstow Mathon Monklandand

Streford MoretononLugg

MuchCowarneGroup MuchDewchurch PipeandLyde StapletonGroup StokeEdith StokeLacy

ThornburyGroup

18

Figure12–maptoshowtheparishestobeincludedwithinoption3

19

4.18PolicyRA2specifiesthatproportionalhousinggrowthshouldbedeliveredwithinthesesettlements.Thetablebelowhighlightstheindicativeproportionalgrowthfiguresfortheadditionalparisheswithinthisoption.Thisistoassistinachievingthegrowthrequirementsfortheirrespectivehousingmarketareas.ThesefiguresaregiventoeachparishcouncilwhenpreparingtheirNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlanandareusedtodeterminethehousingallocationsandproportionofwindfalls(sitesnotallocatedbutsupportedbypolicycriteria).ThesewillbeusedasabasetodeterminepotentialallocationswithintheRASADPD.FigureswithinthistablerepresentthepositionasatApril2016.Thesewillbeupdatedwhentherevisedpositionispublishedpriortothepreferredoptionsbeingformulated.

4.19Aswellastheprovisionofsettlementboundariesandhousingallocationswithintheruralsettlements,thisoptionwouldneedtoaddresstheoutstandingCoreStrategyissueswithinBromyard,mainlytheallocationof5hectaresofemploymentlandandpoliciesregardingthetowncentreandprimaryshoppingareas.Itisnotproposedwithinthisoptiontoincludeadditionalcriteriabaseddevelopmentmanagementstylepoliciesforthetown.

Table5-indicativeproportionalgrowthwithinoption3parishes

Parish SettlementCS

figureno


Growth

Built2011-2016




Avenbury Munderfield 4.15 15 1 0 14Bredenbury&DistrictGroup Bredenbury 4.14 24 1 1 22

Bromyard&Winslow Bromyard BY1 500 34 344 122

Hatfield&DistrictGroup

Hatfield 4.1533 4 2 27Docklow 4.15

Pudlestone 4.15HerefordHousingMarketArea

DormingtonandMordifordGroup

Dormington 4.1557 21 5 31Mordiford 4.14

PriorsFrome 4.15Moreton on Lugg MoretononLugg 4.14 63 2 2 59

FoxleyGroupMansellLacy 4.15

22 0 0 22Moorhampton 4.15Yazor 4.15

RossonWyeHousingMarketArea

Llanwarne&DistrictGroup

Llanwarne 4.1522 1 2 19

HarewoodEnd 4.15

Impactsofthisoption

4.20Similartothepreviousoption,thiswouldenableallsettlementshighlightedwithintheCoreStrategytobecoveredbyadditionalplanningpolicyeitherintheformoftheRASADPDoraNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlan.TheeightadditionalparishesincludedwithinthisoptionhaveexploredtheopportunitytoprepareaNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlan,howeverforavarietyofreasonsthiswasnotsuccessfulwithintheirparish.Aspreviouslyhighlighted,thefullcoverageofRA2settlementsprovidedinthisoptionwouldenableadditionalsiteallocationstodelivertheCoreStrategygrowthandhelpmaintaina5yearlandsupplywithintheCounty.

20

4.21InthecaseofBromyard,thisoptionwouldonlyprovidetheadditionalpolicyrequirementsindicatedwithintheCoreStrategy.OpportunitiesforawiderrangeofpoliciesandproposalsexistinthedraftingofalocallyproducedNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlanorinlateroptionsoutlinedwithinthisreport.TheinclusionofBromyardwithinthisoptionwouldresultinadifferentlevelofpolicythantheotherfourmarkettowns(allofwhomareproducingNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlans).However,thisoptiondoesrespectthatwithintheotherfourmarkettownssignificantinputhasbeenprovidedbyboththetowncouncilsandthelocalcommunitiestoproducetheirownwiderrangeoflocallydistinctivepoliciesandtoensureproportionalgrowthismetwhilstrespectinglocalcharacteristics.

4.22TheinclusionofBromyardandWinslowwithinthisoptionwouldnotprecludetheTownCouncilfromproducingaNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlantocovertheadditionaldevelopmentmanagementcriteriapolicyareasnotcoveredwithintheRASADPD.

4.23ThereareanumberofparisheswhohavemadelittleornoprogressonproducingtheirNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlanbuthaveyettoformallyexpressaninterestinwithdrawingfromtheprocess.ThereisariskthattheseareaswillhavenoadditionalplanningpolicyastheirinclusionwithinneithertheNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlanortheRASADPDcouldresult.

4.24Thetablebelowindicatesthefulllistofparisheswhichcouldbeincludedwithinthisoptionandfigure13indicatesthegeographicaldistributionoftheseparishes.

Table6–parishestobeincludedwithinoption4

AstonIngram Avenbury BirleywithUpperHill


BrockhamptonGroup

BromyardandWinslow

Coddington DormingtonandMordiford

EastnorandDonnington FoxleyGroup Hatfieldand

DistrictGroupKinnersleyandDistrictGroup

Linton LlanwarneandDistrictGroup Marstow Mathon Monklandand

StretfordMoretononLugg

MuchCowarneGroup

MuchDewchurch Orcop PipeandLyde StWeonards Stapleton

Group

StokeEdith StokeLacy ThornburyGroup

4.25BelowoutlinestheprogressmadetodatewithintheadditionalparishesincludedwithinthisoptionandgivenanindicationofwhyconsiderationisbeinggiventotheirinclusionwithintheRASADPD. • OrcopNeighbourhoodareawasdesignatedon18July2013.Noprogressontheplanhasbeenmadesincethisdesignation.DespiteindicatingtheyareunlikelytoproducetheirNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlan,theparishcouncilhavenotformallyrequestedtowithdrawtheirneighbourhoodarea.

• StWeonardsTheneighbourhoodareawasdesignatedon1June2014.Noprogresshasbeenmadeondevelopingaplansincethisdesignation.AparishmeetingwasundertakeninFebruary2017tooutlinetheprocessofproducingaNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlanandtheparishintendedtodiscussthisattheirmeetingonthe13March2017.Howevertodatenoconfirmationhasbeengivenbytheparishcouncilastotheirfutureintention.

Option4-DPDcoverageofthoseparisheswithinoption3plusthosewhohavemadenoprogresssincetheneighbourhoodareadesignation

21


22

4.26ThetablebelowhighlightstheindicativeproportionalgrowthfiguresfortheseparishestoassistinachievingthegrowthrequirementsfortheirrespectivehousingmarketareasinlinewiththestrategicruralpolicieswithintheCoreStrategy.ThesefigureshavebeensuppliedtotheparishcouncilsundertakingaNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlanandwillbeusedtodeterminethepotentiallevelofallocationswithintheRASADPD.ThesefiguresareasatApril2016andwillbeupdatedtothelatestpositionpriortothepreferredoptions.

Table7–indicativeproportionalgrowthwithinoption4parishes

Parish SettlementCS

figureno


Growth

Built2011-2016



2016RossonWyeHousingMarketArea

OrcopOrcop 4.15

26 0 1 25OrcopHill 4.14

StWeonards StWeonards 4.15 22 5 3 14

Impactsofthisoption

4.27ThetwoadditionalruralparishesincludedwithinthisoptionhadinitiallyindicatedthattheywouldbeproducingaNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlan,howeverthereremainsuncertaintyastowhetheranyworkonplanswillcommence.Astheseparisheshaveyettowithdrawfromtheprocess,theoptionhasthepotentialtoundermineanyfutureworkbeingproducedlocally.HerefordshireCouncilremainscommittedtosupportinglocalcommunitiesproducingtheirownplans.However,equallytheCouncildonotwishtoseethoseareaswhoarefindingitdifficulttocompletetheirneighbourhoodplan,withoutsufficientlocalplanningpolicy.

4.28Aswiththepreviousoption,thiswillallowforfullcoverageofRA2settlementstobeprovided,enablingadditionalsiteallocationstodelivertheCoreStrategygrowthandhelpmaintaina5yearlandsupplywithintheCounty.

4.29Thisoptionincludesanadditional5parisheswhoarecurrentlyundertakingaNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlan.Theseareparisheswhichhavenotcommunicatedtheirprogressorthereislittleevidenceofactivityduringthelast12months. 4.30ItisappreciatedthattherearetimeswhentheproductionoftheNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlanmayslowdowneitherduetocapacityofthe parishcouncilortheavailabilityoffunds.Therefore,thisoptionisnotseekingtoremovetheabilityoftheseparishestopursuetheirNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlanbutpresentsanalternativerouteiftheparish/communityconsiderthatcontinuingtheirplanisnotadvantageous.

4.31Belowoutlinestheprogressbeenmadetodatewithinthefiveadditionalparishesproposedforinclusionwithinthisoption

• CredenhillTheneighbourhoodareawasdesignatedon30July2014followingavotewithintheparish.However,thereisnostandingitemontheparishcouncilagendaregardingtheneighbourhoodplanandnofurtherupdatehasbeenprovided.

Option5-DPDcoveragetoincludeallwithinOption4plusthoseparisheswhohavemadelittleprogressorlittleactivityduringthepast12months

23

Table8–parishestobeincludedwithinoption5.

AstonIngram Avenbury BirleywithUpperHill


BromyardandWinslow

BrockhamptonGroup

Clehonger Coddington Credenhill DormingtonandMordiford

EastnorandDonnington FoxleyGroup

Garway HatfieldandDistrictGroup HolmeLacy Kinnersleyand

DistrictGroup Linton LlanwarneandDistrictGroup

Marstow Mathon MonklandandStretford

MoretononLugg

MuchCowarneGroup

MuchDewchurch

Orcop PipeandLyde StWeonards StapletonGroup StokeEdith StokeLacy

StrettonSugwas ThornburyGroup

• ClehongerTheneighbourhoodareawasdesignatedon21November2014.TheneighbourhoodareanotonlyincludestheparishofClehongerbutalsoasmallportionoftheneighbouringparishofAllensmore.Arecentupdatehasbeenreceivedregardingtheprogressionofthisneighbourhoodplanindicatingthataresidents’surveyhasbeencirculated.However,thisistheonlyindicationofactivitywithinthepast12months.

• HolmeLacyThisneighbourhoodareawasdesignatedon23October2013,howeverlittleprogresshasbeenmadetodate.TheNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlanremainsasaregulardiscussionitemontheparishcouncilmeetingagendahowevertherehasbeennotresolutiontowithdrawfromtheprocess.RequestshavebeenrecentlymadetoprovideadditionalpresentationsregardingtheNDPprocesstotheparishcouncilandlocalcommunity.

• GarwayTheneighbourhoodareawasdesignatedon22November2012.Thelatestparishcouncilminutesavailable(October2016)areindicatingthataninitialinceptionmeetingwasbeingarranged.Howevernofurtherupdateshavebeenreceivedregardingprogress.

• StrettonSugwasThisneighbourhoodareawasdesignatedon25November2013.Theparishhaveproducedadraftneighbourhoodplanwhichwasconsulteduponunderregulation14oftheNeighbourhoodPlanningRegulationsbetween14Septemberand26October2015.Howeverlittleprogresshasbeenmadetomovethisplantosubmission.AsdraftNDPscarrynomaterialweightintermsofplanningpolicy,thereisconcernthatifthisplanisnotprogressedpastthedraftplanstage,thisparishwillnothaveadditionalplanningpolicy.

4.32Thetablebelowindicatesthefulllistofparisheswhichcouldbeincludedwithinthisoptionandfigure14highlightsthegeographicaldistributionoftheseparishesacrossthecounty.

24


25

4.33Thetable9belowhighlightstheindicativeproportionalgrowthfiguresfortheseparishestoassistinachievingthegrowthrequirementsfortheirrespectivehousingmarketareas.ThesefigureshavebeensuppliedtotheparishcouncilsundertakingaNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlanandwillbeusedtodeterminethepotentiallevelofallocationswithintheRASADPD.FiguresareasatApril2016,thesewillbeupdatedpriortothepreferredoptionstotheApril2017position.

Table9-Indicativeproportionalgrowthwithintheoption5parishes

Parish SettlementCS

figureno


Growth

Built2011-2016



2016HerefordHousingMarketArea

Credenhill Credenhill 4.14 149 8 11 130

Clehonger Clehonger 4.14 109 2 89 18

HolmeLacy HolmeLacy 4.14 38 0 10 28

StrettonSugwasStrettonSugwas 4.14

31 0 5 26Swainshill 4.14

RossonWyeHousingMarketArea

GarwayGarway 4.14

25 3 6 16BroadOak 4.15

Impactsofthisoption

4.34ThefiveadditionalruralparishesincludedwithinthisoptionhadinitiallyindicatedthattheywouldbeproducingaNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlan,howeverthereremainsuncertaintyastowhetheranyworkonplanswillcommence.Astheseparisheshaveyettowithdrawfromtheprocess,theoptionhasthepotentialtoundermineanyfutureworkbeingproducedlocally.HerefordshireCouncilremainscommittedtosupportinglocalcommunitiesproducingtheirownplans,howeverdonotwishtoseethosewhoarefindingisdifficulttocompletetheirplanwithoutsufficientenablingplanningpolicy.

4.35Aswiththepreviousoption,thiswillallowforfullcoverageofRA2settlementstobeprovided,enablingadditionalsiteallocationstodelivertheCoreStrategygrowthandhelpmaintaina5yearlandsupplywithintheCounty.

4.36TherewasconcernexpressedduringtheCoreStrategyexaminationthattherelianceonneighbourhoodplanningtoprovidefurtherlocalplanningpolicywasinsecureandtherewasnoguaranteethatindividualNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlanswouldprogresstoadoption.

4.37Withthisinmind,thisoptionhasbeenincludedtoensurethatallpotentialscenarioshavebeeninvestigated.

4.38TheprogressofNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlansisregularlymonitoredbytheNeighbourhoodPlanningteamatHerefordshireCouncilandcontinuingsupportistargetedtoensurethatallparishesseekingtoproducetheirownplanshavetheadviceandtechnicalsupporttodosoinatimelyfashion.

4.39SignificantprogressonNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlanshavebeenmadesincetheCoreStrategyexamination.ThishasnotonlyresultedinHerefordshirehavingthemostdesignatedneighbourhoodareasin

Option6-DPDcoveragetoincludeallwithinoption5plusthosewhohavenotreacheddraftplan(Reg14)stagebythepreferredoptionsstageoftheRASADPD

26

4.43TheRASADPDisintendedtoprovideadditionalpolicytoensurethedeliveryoftheruralplaceshapingsectionoftheCoreStrategyandnottoincludeawiderrangeofdevelopmentmanagementcriteriapolicies.

4.44However,itisacknowledgedthatifBromyardtownisnotproducingitsownNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlanthentheremaybesomeissueswiderthanthoseintendedtobecoveredinthisDPDthatitwouldbedesirabletoaddress.

4.45BromyardandWinslowTownCouncildesignatedaneighbourhoodareaon25November2015,howeveradecisionwastakenattheTownCouncilmeetinginApril2017towithdrawfromtheneighbourhoodplanningprocess.Thisisduetoconcernsthattherequired5hectaresofemploymentlandhighlightedwithintheCoreStrategycannotbefoundwithintheneighbourhoodareathusatriskoftheNDPbeingnotinconformitywiththestrategicpolicies.

4.46ThisoptionisgivingconsiderationtoproducingaspecificBromyardTownDPD.SuchaDPDcouldcovertheadministrativeareaofBromyardandWinslowandbeproducedbyHerefordshireCouncil.ThiswouldenablemoredetailedpoliciestobepreparedforBromyardTown.

4.47TheproductionofaseparateDevelopmentPlanDocumentforthisareaiscurrentlynotwithintheLocalDevelopmentSchemeandnotimetablehasbeensetatthepresenttimeforitsproduction.However,itisanticipatedthatanyadditionaldocumentwouldbeproducedafterthecompletionoftheRASADPD.

4.48Ashighlightedpreviously,thisoptionwouldresultinBromyardandWinslowbeingtheonlymarkettowntonothavealocallyproducedNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlanandgiventhecurrentresourceimplicationsapotentialdelayintheprovisionofadditionalpolicyframeworkwithinthearea.ThecontinuationoftheNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlan(withorwithouttheemploymentallocation)ortheinclusionofthetownwithintheRASADPDwouldaddressthisissue.

4.49Table10indicatestheindicativeproportionalgrowthfiguresforBromyardandWinslowtoassistinachievingthegrowthrequirementsinlinewiththestrategicpolicieswithintheCoreStrategy.

thecountrybutalsothemostadoptedNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlans.ThistrendlookslikelytocontinuewithoverhalfoftheNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlansinproductionalreadyreachingatleastdraftplanstage(Reg14).

4.40ThisoptionisconsideringtheinclusionofthoseparisheswhohavenotreacheddraftplanstagebytheRASADPDreachingitspreferredoptions.Thisstageislikelytobereachedthebeginningof2018.

4.41AtthisstageitisnotpossibletoindicateapotentialfulllistofthoseparisheswhowouldbeincludedwithinthisoptiongiventheprogressofindividualactiveNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlans.Previousoptionshavehighlightedwhereprogressisrelativelyslow,howeverthisoptionwouldincludeanyparishwhohavenotreacheddraftplanstagebytheendof2017despitehavingadesignedneighbourhoodareaforover2years.Thoseactivelydemonstratingthattheyareworkingtowardsdraftplanstageinatimelyfashionwouldnotbeincludediftheywerenearingdraftplanstage.TheintentionisnottoundermineanyparishorcommunitythatareactivelyseekingtoproduceaNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlan.TheemphasisremainsonNDPsbeingtheprimarydeliverymechanismforruralpolicieswithinthecounty. 4.42Thefollowingtwooptions(7and8)outlinespecificoptionsofthenorth-eastpartofthecounty.AsthereisconcernregardingthelikelyprogressoftheBromyardNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlan,thereisthepotentialtocontemplatealternativesfortheseparishes.

Option7-ProduceaseparateBromyardDevelopmentPlanDocument

27

Fig15–maptoshowBromyardParishwithinoption7

4.50Giventhattherearealso6otherparishessurroundingBromyardtownwhoarealsonotproducingaNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlan,thereistheoptionoftheprovisionofaseparateDevelopmentPlanDocumentwhichcoversthisspecificpartoftheruralarea.

4.51SuchaDPDwouldbeaspecificpolicydocumentfortheBromyardHousingMarketAreabutonlycoveringthoseparishesnotproducingaNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlan.Table11indicatesthepotentiallistofparishestobeincluded.

Table10-indicativeproportionalgrowthforBromyardwithinoption7

Parish SettlementCS

figureno


Growth

Built2011-2016




BromyardandWinslow Bromyard BY1 500 34 344 122

Option8-ProduceaseparateBromyardHMADPDtocoverthetownofBromyardandthoseparisheswithintheHMAhighlightedwithinoption5

28


Impactofthisoption

4.54FortheparisheswithintheBromyardHMAhighlightedintable11andfigure16above,therearethreeorfouroptionstoconsider:•ProduceaNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlan•BeincludedwithintheRASADPD•BeincludedwithintheBromyardHMADPD•ForBromyardtownonlytobeincludedwithinaBromyardDPD

Table11–listofparisheswhocouldbeincludedwithinOption8

Avenbury BredenburyandDistrictGroup BrockhamptonGroup BromyardandWinslow

HatfieldandDistrictGroup StokeLacy ThornburyGroup

4.52ThisseparateDPDwouldenablemoredetailedpoliciestobeprovidedforBromyardtownandtheissuesofthesurroundingparishestobereviewholistically.ThiswouldalsoprovideanopportunitytolookattheemploymentlandprovisionbeyondtheadministrativeboundaryofBromyardtown.

4.53TheproductionofanyadditionalDevelopmentPlanDocumentforthisareaiscurrentlynotwithintheLocalDevelopmentSchemeandnotimetablehasbeensetatthepresenttime,howeveritislikelythatanyadditionaldocumentwouldbeproducedafterthecompletionoftheRASADPD.

29

QuestionsregardingtheoptionsforthescopeoftheRASADPD

4.56Belowareasetofquestionsrelatingtothepotentialoptionsoutlinedabove.TheseformthebasisoftheconsultationresponsesthatweareinterestedinhearingduringthisIssuesandOptionsconsultationperiod.

Question:Whichoftheoptions1to6isthemostappropriatefortheruralareaswhilstmaintainingsupportforNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlans?Option1Option2Option3Option4Option5Option6

4.55Theoptionchosenwillhavedifferentimplicationsofthetimingandscopeofplanningpolicyforthatareawhichareoutlinedbelow:

Documentandrelatedoption Producedby Scope Anticipatedtiming

IndividualNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlans

Option1

Parish/towncouncilswiththelocalcommunity

Siteallocations(housing/employment)

Settlementboundaries

Openspace/localgreenspace

Design Communityfacilities Developmentmanagementcriteriapolicies

Dependentonindividualparishcouncils.

Fundingisavailableuntil2020

Adviceandsupportavailable

RuralAreaSiteAllocationDPD

Option3

HerefordshireCouncilinaccordancewithintheStatementofCommunityInvolvement(SCI)



Primaryshoppingarea(Bromyard)

Commenced–adoptionthreeyears

BromyardHMADPDOption8

Or

BromyardDPDOption7

HerefordshireCouncilinaccordancewiththeStatementofCommunityInvolvement(SCI)



Openspace/localgreenspace

Design

Communityfacilities

Developmentmanagementcriteriapolicies

TimescalenotdeterminedbutnotcommenceduntilaftertheRASADPD

30

Question:WhichisthemostappropriateoptionforBromyardtown?Option1–produceaNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlanOption3–beincludedwithintheRASADPDOption7–beincludedwithinaBromyardDPDOption8–beincludedwithinaBromyardHMADPD

Question:WhichisthemostappropriateforthesettlementswithintheBromyardHMA?Option1–produceaNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlanOption3–beincludedwithintheRASADPDOption8–beincludedwithintheBromyardHMADPD

Question:Arethereanyalternativeoptionsnotoutlinedinthisdocumentwhichshouldbeconsidered?

Question:ShouldanyoftheparishesberemovedfromanyoftheoptionsoutlinedbecausetheyareactivityprogressingaNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlan?

31

Optionsregardingtherangeofpolicies

5.1OncethescopeofthesettlementstobeincludedwithintheRASADPDhasbeenestablished,thereareanumberofoptionsregardingthepotentialpoliciesareasandsiteallocationstobeconsidered.

5.2Thepolicyareaswhichareconsideredtoberelevantarediscussedbelow:•Settlementboundary;•Housingallocations;•Employmentallocations;•LocalGreenSpace;• other.

Settlementboundariesand/orsettlementdefinition

5.3TheUnitaryDevelopmentPlanidentifiedsettlementswithdesignatedsettlementboundaries,howevertheCoreStrategyonlynamedsettlementsforproportionalgrowthbutdoesnotincludeanymapsorboundariesforthosehighlightedwithinfigure4.14and4.15.Para4.8.23oftheCoreStrategyhighlightsthatsettlementboundaries(whereappropriate)willbedefinedwithineitheraNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlanortheRASADPD.

5.4ThereisalsotheargumentthatadditionalclarityisrequiredregardingthelocationofsomesettlementslistedwithinRA2oftheCoreStrategy.

5.5Asettlementboundaryisalinethatisdrawnonamaparoundavillage,whichreflectsthebuiltform.Thesehavealsohistoricallybeenreferredtoas‘villageenvelopes’.Itshouldbenotedthattheboundarydoesnotnecessarilyhavetocoverthefullextentoftheareathelocalcommunityconsidertobe‘thevillage’.Theyareusedasapolicytoolreflectingtheareawhereasetofplanpoliciesaretobeapplied.

5.6Ingeneral,thereisapresumptioninfavourofdevelopmentwithinasettlementboundary.Anylandorbuildingoutsideoftheboundarylineisusuallyconsideredtobeopencountrysidewheredevelopmentwouldberegulatedwithstricterplanningpolicy.However,itshouldbenotedthatnotalllandincludedwithinasettlementboundaryisguaranteedtobegrantedplanningpermission,astheremaybeotherplanningpolicieswhichwillneedtobeadheredtoalso.

5.7Somesettlements,particularlythosewithin figure4.15oftheCoreStrategyareofacharacterandformwhichmaymakethedesignationofasettlementboundarymoreproblematic.Judgementswillneedtobemadeinthesecasestoassesswhetheramoreappropriatealternativeshouldbesuggestedinordertodefinethesettlementandindicatetheappropriateareaforgrowth.

5.8EncouragementhasalsobeengivenwithintheWhitePaper(February2017)toincludepolicieswithindevelopmentplanstosupportthedevelopmentofsmallwindfallsites(iesitesnotallocatedbutenabledbyacriteriapolicy).Thedefiningofsettlementboundarieswillallowforwindfallsitestobemadeavailable.

Advantagesofsettlementboundaries

5.9Theadvantagesofdefiningasettlementboundarywillinvariablydifferbetweencommunitiesandindividuals,howeverthesearethepotentialadvantages:•Certainty–definesthesettlementfromtheopencountrysideinplanningterms.•Clarity–settlementboundariesareacceptedandrecognisedplanningtool,usedformanyyearsinHerefordshireplanmaking.•Plan-led–ensuresamoreplan-ledandcontrolledapproachtofuturedevelopment,allowingallocatedsiteswithintheboundaryratherthanreactingtoacriteriabasedpolicy.•Protectsopencountryside–preventribbondevelopmentanddefinesareasconsideredasopencountryside.ThisisrelevanttotheCoreStrategypolicyparticularlyinareawherethesettlementnameandparishnamearesimilar.•Consistentapproach–providesafirmbasisfordecisionmaking.

32

•Acceptablewindfalldevelopment–aboundaryprovidestheopportunitytoprovidesmallscalewindfalldevelopmentwithinthesettlementwhichhavenotbeenallocated.

Disadvantagesofsettlementboundaries

5.10Belowarealistofsomeofthedisadvantagesofsettlementboundaries:•Landvalues–theseincreaseforlandinsideofasettlementboundary.•Hopevalue–similartoabove,thiswillincreaseforthoseareaswithinandadjacenttothesettlementboundary.•Cramming–seekingtoprovidegrowthwithinthesettlementboundarycanhaveanimpactonthecharacteristicsofthearea,particularlyifthecharacterisopenorlargeplots/gardens.•Inflexible–boundariesarefixedfortheplanperiod.

Criteriausedtodefinetheextentofthesettlementboundaries 5.11AsetofcriteriaisproposedtobeusedtodefineanysettlementboundarieswithintheRASADPDandthisisoutlinedbelow:•Linesofcommunication–theboundarieswilltracetheedgeofthebuiltform,thereforeexcluderoad,paths,railwaysandotherlinesofcommunications.•Physicalfeatures–whereverpossibletheboundarieswillfollowphysicalfeaturessuchasfieldboundariesorcurtilageofproperties.Howevertheycouldexcludelargegardens,orchardsorotherlargeareasinordertopreservethecharacterofthesettlement.•Planninghistory–boundarieswillincluderecentlybuiltorplanningcommitmentsiftheyareseenascontributingtotheproportionalgrowthrequirementsofthesettlement.Regardwillalsobehadtohistoricsettlementboundariesfrompreviouslocalplans,planningrefusals,anyappealdecisionsandexaminersreports.•Importantamenityareas–considerationwillbegiventotheinclusionofimportantamenityspacewhichcontributetothecharacterofthearea.•Newsiteallocations–anysiteallocationsproposedwithintheRASADPDwillbeincludedwithinthesettlementboundary.•Proportionalgrowthrequirements–boundarieswillbedrawntofacilitateanappropriatelevelofproportionategrowthintheabsenceofaspecificsiteallocation.

Question:InlinewiththeCoreStrategy,isthedefiningofsettlementboundarieswithintheRASADPDappropriate?

Arethereanyadditionalcriteriawhichshouldbeusedtodefinesettlementboundaries,whereappropriate?

IsthereanalternativetosettlementboundarieswhichwoulddefinethesettlementwithintheRA2listforthepurposesofdevelopmentmanagement?

Housing

Sizeofsiteallocations

5.12TheprimarypurposeoftheRASADPDistoenablethestrategicobjectivesoftheCoreStrategy,essentiallytheproportionalgrowthrequirements.

5.13ProportionalgrowthfigureshavebeenprovidedearlyinthisdocumentforallthepotentialareastobeincludedwithintheRASADPD.Thisgrowthconsistsofdwellingsthathavebeenbuiltsince2011,planningcommitments,siteallocationsandwindfalls.Therefore,laterstagesoftheRASADPDwillincludepotentialsiteallocationstosupportthedeliveryofhousingwithintheruralarea.

5.14TheNationalPlanningPolicyFramework(NPPF)indicatesthatlocalplanningauthoritiesshouldidentifysufficientdeliverablesitestosupportafiveyearlandsupply(para47).Consequently,theoptionhereisnot

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whethertheRASADPDshouldincludesiteallocationsbuttherangeandmixofthesitesconsidered.

5.15TheWhitePaperspecifiesthatconsiderationshouldbegiventousingsmallerundevelopedsiteswithinsettlementsandthataround10%ofsitesallocatedwithindevelopmentplansshouldbeforsitesofhalfahectareorless.Thisistowidentherangeofavailablesitestomeetthehousingdemandandrequirementsandenablesmallerdevelopersandindividualstobuild.

5.16EvidencefromtheNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlansacrosstheCountydemonstratethatcommunitiesoftenseekawiderangeofsiteallocationsizes,thiscanbefromlargersitesforover30tositesof1to2dwellings.AnincreasingnumberofNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlansareincludingsiteallocationswithintheirdocumentinordertoplanpositivelyanddemonstratetheirabilitytomeettheproportionalgrowthrequirement.Therefore,thereisnoparticularconcernthattherequirementtoallocatearound10%ofsitesunderhalfahectarecannotbemetinHerefordshire.However,theRASADPDalsoprovidesanopportunitytogiveconsiderationtothisrequirement.

5.17TheStrategicHousingLandAvailabilityAssessment(SHLAA)isanevidencebaseddocumentwhichidentifiesandassessessiteswithpotentialforhousingthroughoutthecounty.TheSHLAAhasevolvedsince2009withadditionalsitesbeingaddedfollowinganumberof‘callforsites’beingundertaken.ThisdocumentiscurrentlybeingreviewedaspartoftheevidencebasefortheRASADPD.The2016SHLAAincludesareaswhichhavebeensurveyedinpreviousyearsandsettlementswhichhavethepotentialtobeincludedwithintheRASADPD.Thisassessmentcontainsawidevarietyofsitesacrossthecounty.Figure16indicatestherangeofsiteswithintheSHLAAandanysitesofover0.25hectareshastheabilitytobeincludedwithinthe SHLAA.

Figure17–SHLAASitessummary

Potentialdwellings Numberofsites %ofsites5-9 58 19%10-24 119 40%25-49 70 23%50-74 23 8%75-99 17 6%100+ 13 4%

5.18TheRASADPDwillconsistofavarietyofsettlementsintermsofsizeandcharacteristicsandthismayultimatelydeterminetheappropriatenessofsiteallocations.SiteswillberequiredtoberesponsivetotheindividualenvironmentsofthesettlementconcernedasindicatedwithinthecriteriaofPolicyRA2.However,insomecircumstancestheremaybechoicesbetweenanumberofsmallersitesorone larger site.

5.19TheprovisionofarangeofsiteswithintheRASADPDwillassistinensuringthattheprovisionofboththeNPPFandtheWhitePaperaremet.Largersiteswillhaveaddedbenefitsofbeingabletoprovideaffordablehousing,openspaceandothercommunitybenefitseitheronsite,viaSection106orpotentiallyaspartofanyfutureCommunityInfrastructureLevy(oritsreplacement).

Selfandcustombuildhousing

5.20TherecentWhitePapershowedthatsupportshouldbegiventopromoteselfandcustombuildhomesasanopportunitytomeethousingrequirementsandencouragesmallerdevelopers.The‘RighttoBuild’requireslocalauthoritiestofindlandforthoseseekingacustombuilthome.Thereforearangeofsiteswillprovidesupportforcustomorself-buildhomesandsmallerdevelopersandprovideawiderchoicewithinthecommunity.

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5.21Self-buildprojectsarewhereanindividualorgroupofpeopledirectlyorganisethedesignandconstructionoftheirnewhomeseitherbybuildingitthemselvesorcommissioningotherstodoso.Custombuildiswhenanindividualorgroupofpeopleworkcloselywithadevelopertobuildnewhomes.Thiscouldincludefullycommissionedhomesorfittingoutapreviouslyconstructedshell.

5.22AselfandcustombuildregisterisheldbyHerefordshireCouncilwhereinterestscanberegistered.Between1stApriland31stOctober2016approximately150individualsand1associationhaveenteredtheirdetailsontheregisterasbeinginterestedinselfandcustombuildinthecounty.Althoughsomeofthesehaveexpressedaninterestinself-buildinmorethanonecounty,thereisneverthelessademandtobemetforself-buildinHerefordshire.TheCoreStrategyrecognisesthatself-buildwillcontributetohousingsupplyovertheplanperiodandtheRASADPDprovidesanopportunitytoencouragethistypeofdevelopmentindifferentways.

Affordablehousing

5.23ItisacknowledgedthatthereissignificantneedforaffordablehousinginHerefordshire.TherecentWhitePaperisseekingtoprovidenewwaysofsupportingtheprovisionoftherightkindofaffordablehousing.Itisalsorecognisedthattheprovisionofaffordablehousingismoredifficultinruralareaswhereoftenthescaleandlocationofnewdevelopmentismorerestrictive.

5.24Affordablehousingfallsintothreemaincategories:•Socialrented,forwhichguidelinetargetrentsaredeterminedthroughthenationalrentregime;•Affordablerentedhousingsubjecttorentcontrolsthatrequirenomorethan80%ofthelocalmarketrent;and•Intermediatehomesforsaleandrent,providedatacostabovesocialrentbutbelowmarketlevels.

5.25PolicyH1oftheCoreStrategyhighlightsthetargetsforaffordablehousingwithintheruralareaonsitesofmorethan10dwellingswhichhasamaximumcombinedgrossfloorspaceofmorethan1000m2.ThesehavebeeninformedbytheStrategicHousingMarketAssessment(2008),theLocalHousingMarketAssessment(updated2013)andtheEconomicViabilityAssessment(2014).

5.26Figure18showstheaffordablehousingtargetacrosstheruralareabyhousingvaluearea(HVA).

Figure18–Affordablehousingtargetsacrossthecounty

HousingValueArea Affordablehousingtarget

HerefordNorthernandSouthernHinterland 35%

KingtonandWestHerefordshire 35%

Ledbury,RossandRuralHinterland 40%

NorthernRural 40%

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Figure19–HousingValueAreas

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5.27NationalPlanningPolicyFrameworkindicatesthatconsiderationshouldbegiventowhetherallowingsomemarkethousingonexceptionsiteswouldfacilitatetheprovisionofsignificantadditionalaffordablehousingtomeetlocalneeds.TheCoreStrategyhighlightsthatthepreparationofadevelopmentplanalsoprovidestheopportunitytoidentifysitesforaffordablehousing.

5.28ItisproposedwithintheCoreStrategy(para5.1.12)thatasupplementaryplanningdocumentwillprovideadditionalguidanceandsetouthowtheaffordablehousingpolicieswillbeimplementedacrossthecounty.

5.29ThiswillprovideadditionalguidancetoassistbothdevelopersandthepublicinunderstandinghowPolicyH1willbeimplemented.Itwillcovertopicssuchas:•adviceontheneedforaffordablehousing;•affordablehouseprices;•thenegotiationprocess;•securingaffordablehousingandcontrollingoccupancy;and•contributionstooff-siteprovisions.

5.30However,thereisanopportunitywithintheRASADPDtoidentifyspecificruralexceptionsitesforaffordablehousing.Thisislandthatwouldnotnormallybeallocatedformarkethousingbutcouldassistinmeetingaprovenlocalneedforaffordablehousing.ItshouldbenotedthatthispotentialopportunitywillonlybeapplicablewithintheparishesincludedwithintheRASADPD.Continuingencouragementwillbegiventoneighbourhoodplanninggroupstoconsiderarangeandmixofhousingwithintheirplans.

5.31Ruralexceptionsiteswillneedtotakefullaccountoftheenvironmentalconsiderationofthelocationsandnotplaceadditionalfinancialburdenuponthehouseholdsoccupyingtheschemesduetoisolatedlocations.WorkwillbeundertakenwiththeStrategicHousingteamatHerefordshireCounciltoidentifyanypotentialsitesforaffordablehousingifappropriate.

StarterHomes

5.32Starterhomesaretargetedatfirsttimebuyerswhoareotherwisepricedoutofthehousingmarket.Governmentareseekinglocalauthoritiestodeliverstarterhomesaspartofamixedpackageofaffordablehousingtorespondtolocalneedsandmarkets.

5.33Thereisanindicationthatbrownfieldlandcouldbereleasedfordevelopmentswithahigherproportionofstarterhomes.Thiswouldincludevacant,unviableandunderusedemploymentlandwhichhasbeensoforaperiodof5yearsandisnotconsideredastrategicemploymentsite.TheWhitePaperalsoclarifiesthatstarterhomescanbeacceptableonruralexceptionsites.

5.34ThereisthepotentialfortheRASADPDtoidentifysuchopportunitiesifconsideredappropriate.

Preferredsiteallocationoptions

5.35Forclarity,therearenositeallocationsbeingproposedwithinthisIssuesandOptionsPaper,howeverlaterconsultationswillconsistofoptionsregardingpotentialsiteallocationsforthoseareasincludedwithintheRASADPD.

Question:ShouldtheRASADPDcontainarangeofsitesizesforhousingallocations?

Shouldonlysmallsitesbeallocatedtocontributetothegovernmentobjectivesofprovidinghousingunderhalfahectare(around10to15dwellings)?

Shouldlargersitesbeallocatedtocontributetoprovidingarangeandmixofhousingincludingaffordablehousing?

ShouldtheRASADPDincludeallocatedsitesspecificallyforaffordablehousingand/orstarterhomes?

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Employment

5.36Theruralareashaveconsistentlyplayedastrongroleinlocal,regionalandnationalfoodanddrinkproduction,particularlyintheareassuchasagriculturalandfarming.Otheruseswithintheruraleconomyconsistoflocalbusinessesandservices,villageshops,publichouses,tourismactivity,homeworkingandfarmdiversificationenterprises.Thestrengtheningoftheruraleconomyisalsoimportantinretainingaskilledlabourforce.PolicyRA6oftheCoreStrategyseekstoprovideaflexibleframeworkforstart-upandthecontinuationofruralbusinesses,diversificationandworkingfromhome.

5.37TheHerefordshireEconomicVision(2016)isseekingtobuildonanumberofcurrentstrengthensincludingHerefordshirebecomingnationallyknownforitsoutdoorsportingandleisureopportunitiesandexperiences,atourismdestinationandenablingmarkettownsandruralcommunitiestomaximisetheirroleinbuildingthrivingservicecentres.TheRASADPDprovidesanopportunitytosupporttheseobjectivesinlanduseterms.

5.38TheRASADPDSustainableAppraisalScopingReport(2016)highlightedthattheRASADPDalsoprovidesanopportunitytoallocateemploymentlandwithintheruralareaifappropriate.ConsiderationshouldthereforebegiventothepotentialfortheRASADPDtoallocatelandforworkspacebusinesscentresandemploymentopportunities.

5.39Itshouldbenotedthatthescopeofthisopportunitywillonlybewithintheparishes/settlementsincludedwithintheRASADPD.ContinuingencouragementwillbegiventoneighbourhoodplanninggroupstoincludetheseelementswithintheirindividualNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlans.

Question:ShouldtheRASADPDincludeallocatedsitesspecificallyforemploymentgrowth?

ArethereelementsoftheEconomicVisionwhichcouldbeincludedinlandusetermswithintheRASADPD?

LocalGreenSpace/amenityspace

5.40TheNationalPlanningPolicyFramework(para76/77)highlightsthatDevelopmentPlanDocumentsshouldidentifygreenareasforspecialprotectionwhichareofparticularlyimportance.Asaconsequenceofthedesignationofsettlementboundaries,thelandwithinanyboundarymaybesuitableforeitherallocationorwindfalldevelopment.However,newdevelopmentmayberuledoutinveryspecialcircumstancesifthelandhasbeendesignatedasaLocalGreenSpace.

5.41LocalGreenSpacesshouldonlybedesignatediftheyarecapableofenduringbeyondtheplanperiod.Theymustalsobeacomplementtoinvestmentinsufficientlandfordevelopment.

5.42Foranareatobedesignateditmustbe:•Agreenspaceinreasonablycloseproximitytothecommunity;•Agreenspacewhichisdemonstrablyspecialtothelocalcommunityandholdalocalsignificance,recreationvalue,tranquillityorrichnessofitswildlife;and•Agreenspacewhichislocalincharacterandnotanextensivetractofland.

5.43Therefore,therewouldbetheopportunitywithintheRASADPDtodesignateLocalGreenSpacewhereappropriate.

Question:ShouldtheRASADPDdesignateLocalGreenSpacewhereappropriate?

Ifso,arethereanysettlementswhereLocalGreenSpacecouldbedesignated?

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Other areas

5.44Asindicatedearlier,theRASADPDisnotintendedtobeadevelopmentmanagementpolicydocumentcontainingawiderangeofcriteriapolicies.InsteadthedocumentisonlyconcentratingonthekeyrequirementstodelivertheCoreStrategy.Thesehavebeenoutlinedwithinthispaper.

5.45Atthisstage,itisproposedthatsupplementaryplanningdocumentswillbepreparedtocoverthewholeruralareaonthefollowingissues:•DesignCode;•OpenSpacesstandardrequirements.

5.46Withthisinmind,itisnotproposedtoincludeanyadditionalpolicieswithregardstotheseissueswithintheRASADPD.

5.47ItshouldalsobeborneinmindthatthepoliciescontainedwithintheRASADPDwillonlyapplytothoseparishescoveredandnotthewiderruralarea.

Question:ArethereanyotherpolicyareaswhichshouldbeincludedwithintheRASADPD?

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SustainabilityAppraisal(SA),StrategicEnvironmentalAssessment(SEA)andHabitatRegulationAssessment(HRA)

6.1SustainabilityAppraisalisarequirementforallDevelopmentPlanDocuments.Sustainabilityisaboutensuringthelongtermmaintenanceofwell-beingandtheenvironmentforourpresentandfuturecommunities.TheprocesswillassesstheimpactoftheRASADPDontheenvironment,peopleandtheeconomy.ItwillincorporatetherequirementsoftheEuropeanDirectiveonStrategicEnvironmentalAssessment.

6.2AScopingReportwaspreparedandconsulteduponinNovember2016andthisIssuesandOptionsPaperisaccompaniedbyadraftSA.

6.3TheRASAwillalsobesubjecttoaHabitatsRegulationsAssessmentwhichwillscreenwhethertherewillbeanylikelysignificanteffectsonsitesofInternationalimportanceforwildlife(Europeandesignatedsites).Wherealanduseplanislikelytohaveasignificanteffectonsuchsites,anappropriateassessmentmustbeundertaken.ThisIssuesandOptionsReportisaccompaniedbyascreeningexercisetoconsiderthattheimpactsoftheoptionsontheconservationobjectives.

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NextSteps

7.1ThenextstageoftheRASADPDwillbetoconsideralloftherepresentationswhicharereceivedduringtheIssuesandOptionsconsultationperiodtoassistinformulatingthefinalscopeoftheplanandthelevelofpoliciestobeincluded.

7.2Thiswillinclude:•WorkingwithparishandtowncouncilstodeterminethepredictedprogressofanyNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlanscurrentlyinproduction.•Continuingsupportandtechnicaladvicewillbeprovidedtoanyparishcouncilandcommunitypreparingtheirownplans.•ListingthoseparishestobeincludedwithintheRASADPD,basedonconsultationresponsesandtheprogressofindividualNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlans.•Confirminginclusiontothoseparishcouncilswheretheiradministrativeareaisproposedtobewithinthepreferredoptionsdocument.

7.3ForthosesettlementsincludedwithintheRASADPD,workwillbeundertakentoassessanddefinethesettlementsforthepurposesofRA2andsuggesteddelineationofanysettlementboundaries.Intandem,workwithcontinuetoupdatetheSHLAAtoprovideevidencetoselectpotentialsitesforhousingallocations.

7.3AnupdatetotheHerefordshireStrategicFloodRiskAssessment(SFRA)isbeingundertakenandthiswillalsoassisttoinformpotentialallocations.

7.4Asetofpreferredoptionsandpotentialsiteallocationswillbeconsulteduponaspartofthenextstageoftheplan’sdevelopment.

Howtocomment:

Yourviewsareimportanttoustohelptoshapethefutureoftheruralareas.Eachsectionofthispaperhasanumberofquestionsandaquestionnaireisavailableonline.

ThecommentsyouprovidewillhelpinformthenextstageoftheRASADPD,whichisthepreferredoptionsstage.

Pleasecompleteandreturnthequestionnaireby28July2017tooneofthefollowingaddresses:

byemail [email protected]

inwriting: RuralAreasSiteAllocationDPD NeighbourhoodPlanningTeam HerefordshireCouncil PloughLane Hereford HR4 0XH

Ifyouneedmoreinformation,orrequirethisdocumentinadifferentformatorlanguage,pleasecontactusattheaddressesaboveorbyphoning01432260386.

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Summaryofquestions

Section3Questions:

1.IstheapproachtowardthescopeoftheDPDappropriategiventhepositivesupportforneighbourhoodplanningwithinthecounty?

2.ArethereanyotherissueswhichtheRASADPDcouldlooktoaddress?

Section4Questions:

3.ShouldNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlansbethesolemechanismformorelocalplanningpolicyintheruralareaorshouldaRASADPDbeproducedforthoseareasnotcoveredbyanNDP?• OnlyNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlans• NeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlansandRASADPD

4. Whichoftheoptions1to6isthemostappropriatefortheruralareaswhilstmaintainingsupportforneighbourhoodplans?• Option1• Option2• Option3• Option4• Option5• Option6

5.WhichisthemostappropriateoptionforBromyardtown?• Option1• Option3• Option7• Option8

6.WhichisthemostappropriateforthesettlementswithintheBromyardHMA?• Option1• Option3• Option8

7.Arethereanyalternativeoptionsnotoutlinedabovewhichshouldbeconsidered?

8.ShouldanyoftheparishesberemovedfromanyoftheoptionsoutlinedbecausetheyareactivelyprogressingaNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlan?

Section5Questions:

9.InlinewiththeCoreStrategy,isthedefiningofsettlementboundarieswithintheRASADPDappropriate?

10.Arethereanyadditionalcriteriawhichshouldbeusedtodefinesettlementboundaries,whereappropriate?

11.IsthereanalternativetosettlementboundarieswhichwoulddefinethesettlementwithintheRA2listforthepurposesofdevelopmentmanagement?

12.ShouldtheRASADPDcontainarangeofsitesizesforhousingallocations?

13.Shouldonlysmallsitesbeallocatedtocontributetothegovernmentobjectivesofprovidinghousingunderhalfanhectare?(around10-15dwellings)

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Section5Questionscontinued:

14.Shouldlargersitesbeallocatedtocontributetoprovidingarangeandmixofhousingincludingaffordablehousing?

15.ShouldtheRASADPDincludeallocatedsitesspecificallyforaffordablehousingand/orstarterhomes?

16.ShouldtheRASADPDincludeallocatedsitesspecificallyforemploymentgrowth?

17.ArethereelementsoftheEconomicVisionwhichcouldbeincludedinlandusetermswithintheRASADPD?

18.ShouldtheRASADPDdesignateLocalGreenSpacewhereappropriate?

19.Ifso,arethereanysettlementswhereLocalGreenSpacecouldbedesignated?

20.ArethereanyotherpolicyareaswhichshouldbeincludedwithintheRASADPD?

21.Arethereanyadditionalcommentsyouhaveuponthecontentofthedocument?

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Appendix1

ListofCoreStrategyfigure4.14and4.15settlements

Figure4.14:Thesettlementswhichwillbethemainfocusofproportionatehousingdevelopment

HMABromyard Golden Valley Kington Ledbury

BodenhamBodenhamMoorBredenburyBringstyBurleyGateHopeunderDinmoreLintonPencombeRisburyStokeCross/StokeLacyStokePriorWhitbourne

BredwardineCliffordCusopDorstoneEwyasHaroldLongtownMichaelchurchEscleyMoccasPeterchurchPrestononWyeVowchurch

AlmeleyBrilleyEardisleyLyonshallNortonCanonPembridgeStauntononWyeShobdonTitleyWhitneyonWyeWinforton

AshpertonBishopsFromeBosburyColwallCradleyEastnorFromesHillLowerEggleton/NewtownPutleyWellingtonHeath

Leominster Hereford Ross-on-Wye

AdfortonBircherBramptonBryanBrimfieldBushBankDilwynEardislandKimboltonKingslandLeintwardineLeystersLingenLuctonLustonMonklandOrletonRichardsCastleShirlheathWeobleyWigmoreYarpole

Bartestree/LugwardineBishopstoneBurghillCanonPyonClehongerCredenhillEatonBishopFownhopeHamptonBishopHolmeLacyLittleDewchurchMadleyMardenMordifordMoretononLuggStrettonSugwasSuttonStNicholasSwainshillTarringtonTillingtonWellingtonWesthopeWithington

BromsashBramptonAbbotsBridstowCrowHillGarwayGoodrichGorsleyHoarwithyKingstoneKingsthorneKingsCapleLeaLintonLittleBirchLlangroveMuchBirchMuchDewchurchMuchMarcleOrcopHillPeterstowPontrilasPontshillStWeonardsWeston-under-Penyard

Walford(Coughton)WhitchurchWiltonWinnalWoolhopeWormbridgeWormelow

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Figure4.15:Othersettlementswhereproportionatehousingisappropriate.

HMABromyard Golden Valley Kington Ledbury

DocklowEdwynRalphHatfieldMunderfieldOclePychardPudlestonSteensbridgeUllingswick

AbbeydoreBactonBlakemereLowerMaes-coedPrioryWoodRowlestoneTyberton

HergestHolmeMarshKinnersleyLettonStauntononArrowWoonton

CanonFromeCoddingtonEggletonMathonMonkhideMuchCowarneStrettonGrandison

Leominster Hereford Ross-on-Wye

AshtonAymestreyBrierleyCobnashCombeMoorEytonIvingtonKinshamLeinthallEarlsLeinthallStarkesLittleHerefordMoretonMortimersCrossMiddletonontheHillStapletonUpperHillWalfordWhartonYatton

BurmarshBreintonByfordDinedorDormingtonGraftonKingsPyonLedgemoorLittleTarringtonLitmarshManselLacyMoorhamptonMunstonePipeandLydePrestonWynnePriorsFromeRuckhallShelwickShucknallStokeEdithTwyfordCommonVauldWesthideWestonBeggardWithingtonMarshYazor

AconburyAllensmoreAstonInghamBishopswoodBroadOakBrockhamptonCobhallCommonDidleyGlewstoneHarewoodEndHowleHillKilpeckLlancloudyLlangarronLlanwarneMuchBirch/TheAxeandCleaverOrcopRushallStOwensCrossSymondsYat(West)

Three AshesThruxtonUptonCrewsWelshNewtonCommon

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Appendix2

RuralstrategicCoreStrategyPolicies

PolicyRA1–Ruralhousingdistribution

InHerefordshire’sruralareasaminimumof5,300newdwellingswillbeprovidedbetween2011and2031tocontributetothecounty’shousingneeds.Thedevelopmentofruralhousingwillcontributetowardsthewiderregenerationoftheruraleconomy.

Newdwellingswillbebroadlydistributedacrossthecounty’sruralareasonthebasisofsevenHousingMarketsAreas(HMA)asillustratedinFigure4.13.ThisacknowledgesthatdifferentareasofHerefordshirehavedifferenthousingneedsandrequirements.

The5,300dwellingswillbedeliveredthroughouttheruralHMAsassetoutinthetablebelow.TheindicativehousinggrowthtargetsineachoftheruralHMAswillbeusedasabasisfortheproductionofNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlansinthecounty.Localevidenceandenvironmentalfactorswilldeterminetheappropriatescaleofdevelopment.

Rural HMA Approximatenumberofdwellings2011-2031

Indicativehousinggrowthtarget(%)

Bromyard 364 15

GoldenValley 304 12

Hereford 1870 18

Kington 317 12

Ledbury 565 14

Leominster 730 14

Ross-on-Wye 1150 14

Total 5300

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PolicyRA2–HousinginsettlementsoutsideHerefordandthemarkettowns.

TomaintainandstrengthenlocallysustainablecommunitiesacrosstheruralpartsofHerefordshire,sustainablehousinggrowthwillbesupportedinoradjacenttothosesettlementsidentifiedinFigures4.14and4.15.Thiswillenabledevelopmentthathastheabilitytobolsterexistingserviceprovision,improvefacilitiesandinfrastructureandmeettheneedsofthecommunitiesconcerned.

TheminimumgrowthtargetineachruralHousingMarketAreawillbeusedtoinformthelevelofhousingdevelopmenttobedeliveredinthevarioussettlementssetoutinFigures4.14and4.15.NeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlanswillallocatelandfornewhousingorotherwisedemonstratedeliverytoprovidelevelsofhousingtomeetthevarioustargets,byindicatinglevelsofsuitableandavailablecapacity.

Housingproposalswillbepermittedwherethefollowingcriteriaaremet:

1. Theirdesignandlayoutshouldreflectthesize,roleandfunctionofeachsettlementandbelocated withinoradjacenttothemainbuiltuparea.Inrelationtosmallersettlementsidentifiedinfig4.15 proposalswillbeexpectedtodemonstrateparticularattentiontotheform,layout,characterandsetting ofthesiteanditslocationinthatsettlementand/ortheyresultindevelopmentthatcontributestooris essentialtothesocialwell-beingofthesettlementconcerned;2. Theirlocationsmakebestandfulluseofsuitablebrownfieldsiteswhereverpossible;3. Theyresultinthedevelopmentofhighquality,sustainableschemeswhichareappropriatetotheir contextandmakeapositivecontributiontothesurroundingenvironmentanditslandscapesetting;and4. Theyresultinthedeliveryofschemesthatgeneratethesize,type,tenureandrangeofhousingthatis requiredinparticularsettlements,reflectinglocaldemand.

Specificproposalsforthedeliveryoflocalneedhousingwillbeparticularlysupportedwheretheymeetanidentifiedneedandtheirlong-termretentionaslocalneedshousingissecuredassuch.

PolicyRA3–Herefordshire’scountryside

Inrurallocationsoutsideofsettlements,astobedefinedineitherNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlansortheRuralAreasSitesAllocationsDPD,residentialdevelopmentwillbelimitedtoproposalswhichsatisfyoneormoreofthefollowingcriteria:

1. meetsanagriculturalorforestryneedorotherfarmdiversificationenterpriseforaworkertolive permanentlyatorneartheirplaceofworkandcomplieswithPolicyRA4;or2. accompaniesandisnecessarytotheestablishmentorgrowthofaruralenterprise,andcomplieswith PolicyRA4;or3. involvesthereplacementofanexistingdwelling(withalawfulresidentialuse)thatiscomparableinsize andscalewith,andislocatedinthelawfuldomesticcurtilage,oftheexistingdwelling;or4. wouldresultinthesustainablere-useofaredundantordisusedbuilding(s)whereitcomplieswithPolicy RA5andleadstoanenhancementofitsimmediatesetting;or5. isruralexceptionhousinginaccordancewithPolicyH2;or6. isofexceptionalqualityandinnovativedesignsatisfyingthedesigncriteriasetoutinParagraph55of theNationalPlanningPolicyFrameworkandachievessustainablestandardsofdesignandconstruction; or7. isasiteprovidingfortheneedsofgypsiesorothertravellersinaccordancewithPolicyH4.

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PolicyRA4–Agricultural,forestryandruralenterprisedwellings

Proposalsfordwellingsassociatedwithagriculture,forestryandruralenterpriseswillbepermittedwhereitcanbedemonstratedthatthereisasustainedessentialfunctionalneedforthedwellinganditformsanessentialpartofafinanciallysustainablebusiness,andthatsuchneedcannotbemetinexistingaccommodation.Suchdwellingsshould: 1. demonstratethattheaccommodationcouldnotbeprovidedinanexistingbuilding(s);2. besitedsoastomeettheidentifiedfunctionalneedwithintheunitorinrelationtootherdwellings;and3. beofahighquality,sustainabledesignwhichisappropriatetothecontextandmakesapositive contributiontothesurroundingenvironmentandrurallandscape.

Whereevidenceoftheeconomicsustainabilityoftheruralenterpriseisnotprovenorwhereanenterpriseisnotyetestablished,planningpermissionfortemporaryaccommodationmaybegrantedforamaximumperiodofthreeyearstoenablethesustainabilityoftheenterprisetobeassessed.Successiveextensionswillnotnormallybegranted.Temporaryaccommodationshouldbecarefullysitedwithintheunitorinrelationtootherdwellings.

DwellingspermittedinaccordancewiththispolicywillbesubjecttooccupancycontrolssecuredthroughaSection106Agreement.Insomesituationsitwillbeappropriatetouselegalagreementstotieotherdwellingstotheunitand/orrestricttheoccupancyofotherdwellingswithinthefarm/businessunit.Applicationsfortheremovalofoccupancyconditions(orsection106Agreements)willonlybepermittedwhereitcanbedemonstratedthedwellingissurplustothecurrentandsustainedoriginalbusinessneeds,aswellasotherruralenterprisesinthelocalityandtherehasbeenagenuineandunsuccessfulattempttomarketthepropertyatarealisticprice(forrentorsale)whichhasbeenindependentlyverified.

PolicyRA5–Re-useofruralbuildings

Thesustainablere-useofindividualandgroupsofredundantordisusedbuildings,includingfarmsteadsinruralareas,whichwillmakeapositivecontributiontoruralbusinessesandenterpriseandsupportthelocaleconomy(includingliveworkunits)orwhichotherwisecontributestoresidentialdevelopment,orisessentialtothesocialwell-beingofthecountryside,willbepermittedwhere:

1. designproposalsrespectthecharacterandsignificanceofanyredundantordisusedbuildingand demonstratethatitrepresentsthemostviableoptionforthelongtermconservationandenhancement ofanyheritageassetaffected,togetherwithitssetting;2. designproposalsmakeadequateprovisionforprotectedandpriorityspeciesandassociatedhabitats;3. theproposaliscompatiblewithneighbouringuses,includinganycontinuedagriculturaloperationsand doesnotcauseundueenvironmentalimpactsand;4. thebuildingsareofpermanentandsubstantialconstructioncapableofconversionwithoutmajoror completereconstruction;and5. thebuildingiscapableofaccommodatingtheproposednewusewithouttheneedforsubstantial alterationorextension,ancillarybuildings,areasofhardstandingordevelopmentwhichindividuallyor takentogetherwouldadverselyaffectthecharacterorappearanceofthebuildingorhaveadetrimental impactonitssurroundingsandlandscapesetting.

Anyplanningpermissionsgrantedpursuanttothispolicywillbesubjecttoaconditionremovingpermitteddevelopmentrightsforfuturealterations,extensionsandotherdevelopments.

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PolicyRA6-Ruraleconomy

Employmentgeneratingproposalswhichhelpdiversifytheruraleconomysuchasknowledgebasedcreativeindustries,environmentaltechnologies,businessdiversificationprojectsandhomeworkingwillbesupported.Arangeofeconomicactivitieswillbesupported,includingproposalswhich:

• supportandstrengthenlocalfoodanddrinkproduction;• supportand/orprotectthevitalityandviabilityofcommercialfacilitiesofanappropriatetypeandscale inruralareas,suchasvillageshops,petrolfillingstations,gardencentresandpublichouses;• involvethesmallscaleextensionofexistingbusinesses;• promotesustainabletourismproposalsofanappropriatescaleinaccordancewithPolicyE4-Tourism;• promotethesustainableuseofthenaturalandhistoricenvironmentasanassetwhichisvalued,con servedandenhanced;• supporttheretentionofexistingmilitarysites;• supporttheretentionand/ordiversificationofexistingagriculturalbusinesses;

Planningapplicationswhicharesubmittedinordertodiversifytheruraleconomywillbepermittedwherethey:

• ensurethatthedevelopmentisofascalewhichwouldbecommensuratewithitslocationandsetting;• donotcauseunacceptableadverseimpactstotheamenityofnearbyresidentsbyvirtueofdesignand mass,noise,dust,lightingandsmell;• donotgeneratetrafficmovementsthatcannotsafelybeaccommodatedwithinthelocalroadnetwork; and• donotunderminetheachievementofwaterqualitytargetsinaccordancewithPoliciesSD3andSD4.

PolicyE5–Towncentres

Towncentreswillbethefocusforretail,commercial,leisure,culturalandtourismuses.ProposalsforsuchuseswhichcontributetothevitalityandviabilityofthetowncentresofHerefordandthemarkettownswillbesupportedprovidedthatthey:

1. donotadverselyaffecttheprimaryfunctionofthetowncentresasshoppingdestinations;and2. areofascaleanddesignappropriatetothesize,role,characterandheritageofthecentre.

Proposalsfordevelopmentoutsidethetowncentreswillonlybepermittedifitcanbedemonstratedthattherequirementsofthesequentialtest,assetoutinparagraph24oftheNPPF,havebeenmetandthattheproposalwouldnothaveasignificantadverseimpactonthevitalityandviabilityofthecentres.Anapplicationwillberefusedifitfailsthesequentialtestoranimpactassessment.

Thesequentialtestrequirestheabovementionedusestobelocatedwithintowncentres.Whereitisproventherearenoavailableandsuitabletowncentresites,preferencewillbegiventoedgeofcentresitesbeforeanyoutofcentresiteisconsidered.Whereasequentialtestadequatelydemonstratesthattheonlysuitableandavailablesiteisanedgeofcentreoranoutofcentrelocation,preferencewillbegiventositesthatarewellconnectedtothetowncentreandareeasilyaccessiblebysustainabletransportmodes.

Animpactassessmentforretail,leisureandcommercialproposalsoutsideofthetowncentrestoassesstheirimpactoninvestmentintheareaandonvitalityandviabilityofthetowncentremayberequireddependingonthescaleandlocationoftheproposal,asspecifiedinthepoliciesinthePlaceShapingsection.

Theuseofupperfloorswithintowncentresforresidentialandofficeuseswillbesupported.

Withintowncentres,retailuseswillbeconcentratedwithintheprimaryshoppingareas(PolicyE6).

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PolicyE6-Primaryshoppingareasandprimaryandsecondaryshoppingfrontages

Theretailtradingcharacteroftheprimaryshoppingareasandprimaryandsecondaryshoppingfrontageswillbeprotectedandenhanced.Primaryshoppingfrontageswillcontinuetobedominatedbyretailshops(ClassA1)whilstsecondaryfrontagesmayincludeagreatermixofuses.

ProposalsforuseswithinClassesA2-A5(non-retail)ingroundfloorpremisesinprimaryandsecondaryshoppingfrontageswillbepermittedwheretheproposedusewillnotresultin:

1. acontinuousfrontageofmorethantwonon-retailunits;andtheoverallproportionofnon-retailuses exceeding25%inprimaryshoppingfrontagesand50%insecondaryshoppingfrontages.

Exceptionstotheabovethresholdsmaybeconsideredwhere: • inprimaryandsecondaryfrontagestheproposalwouldleadtotheappropriateuseofvacantor underusedpremiseswhereitcanbedemonstratedthatthepremisesareunlikelytobeusedforretailing andthatabusinesscasecanbedemonstratedforrequiringsuchalocation;or • insecondaryfrontages,theproposalresultsfromanexpansionofanexistingnon-retailuseorwouldfall withinClassD1-D2;or • itisdemonstratedintheHerefordAreaPlanand/orNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlansthatan alternativethresholdwouldbeappropriate.

2. detractionfromthecharacteroftheshoppingfrontageconcerned,forreasonsoflocation,unitsizeor frontagewidth.Thereinstatementofhistoricfrontageswillbeencouraged.

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Issues and Options Paper June 2017 · 1.17 The process of preparing and adopting the RASA DPD is...

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