Strategic Site Principles

Strategic Site Principles Policies within this section contribute to achieving the following Strategic Objectives: SO1. Providing infrastructure in the right place at the right time SO2. Delivering homes that meet the needs of all our communities SO3. Developing opportunities for jobs and growing the economy SO4. Making effective use of land and natural resources SO6. Creating attractive places and spaces SO7. Protecting and enhancing our heritage and cultural assets SO8. Improving the quality of life of our communities SO9. Connecting people to places SO10. Conserving and enhancing our environmental assets and working towards environmental net gain 2.6.1 The Strategic Growth Locations are identified in Policy DS.2 above. To ensure their timely delivery and a cohesive and comprehensive approach to community creation, Policy DS.4 sets out the key principles that these sites will comply with. Policy DS.4 Strategic Site Principles The bulk of new development across South Warwickshire to 2050 will be provided at New Settlements and Strategic Growth Locations (SGLs) to meet our development needs in accordance with Policies DS.2 and DS.3. The housing numbers expressed in Policies DS.3, DS.6 and DS.7 and the relevant Site Proposals are minimum figures and may be exceeded if good planning outcomes can be secured, including for example through the application of increased densities. A. Overarching Principles All New Settlements and Strategic Growth Locations are required to adhere to the following overarching principles: 1. Respond positively to their existing setting, ensuring that development is landscape-led and informed by a thorough assessment of existing constraints and opportunities. Proposals must demonstrate how the development relates to the existing urban form (where applicable) and must be of high quality in terms of design, through consideration of key views, landscape setting and heritage assets. 2. Achieve appropriate residential densities that make efficient use of land while respecting local character. Development layouts must prioritise pedestrian and cycle connectivity both within the site and to existing settlements and key destinations beyond the site boundary. 3. Make provision for pitches, plots or moorings to accommodate the needs of Gypsies & Travellers, Travelling Showpeople and Boat Dwellers. B. Infrastructure All New Settlements and Strategic Growth Locations must be delivered with regard to the Infrastructure Delivery Plan (IDP), providing an appropriate mix of uses, infrastructure and community facilities that are well located to support walkable twenty-minute neighbourhoods7. The timing and phasing of mixed- use components in development proposals, and of key infrastructure, must ensure that new communities are supported by facilities as development progresses. To facilitate this, New Settlements and SGLs are expected to: 1. Prepare an agreed masterplan with the LPA prior to the submission of any planning application. The masterplan will be expected to be agreed between all promoters, landowners and developers as applicable and should be informed by engagement with residents and relevant consultees. These masterplans will set out a clear timetable for phasing and the delivery of infrastructure and community facilities. 2. Ensure the early delivery of infrastructure, including roads, healthcare facilities, utilities and schools prior to, or alongside, occupation by future residents. Development proposals must identify clear trigger points for the delivery of key infrastructure in any overall phasing plan. The use of temporary facilities should be considered to help meet the needs of early occupants of the development. 3. Ensure that clear mechanisms are in place regarding developer contributions towards site wide infrastructure as identified in the IDP . Planning applications must be accompanied by viability assessments demonstrating deliverability of required infrastructure. Contributions must be secured through S106 agreements or other appropriate legal mechanisms. 4. Create twenty-minute neighbourhoods through the prioritisation of public transport alongside active travel infrastructure, enabling connection to the surrounding area. This also means ensuring that development is served by a range of services and facilities, sufficient to meet the day-to-day needs of residents within reasonable walking distance. C. Affordable Housing Provision Affordable housing will be provided on the housing-led strategic sites in accordance with Policy HO.3. Acknowledging the current mixed viability picture, consideration will be given to a range of mechanisms to assist with maximising the delivery of affordable housing on these sites. 7 20-minute neighbourhoods is a planning concept that seeks to ensure that daily facilities are within a 10-minute walk from every home. D. Accommodation for the Traveller Community New settlements and Strategic Growth Locations will be required to deliver Gypsy and Traveller sites and Travelling Showpeople yards in accordance with the Site Proposals set out in Chapter 8. In doing so, the following criteria will apply: 1. The provision of pitches and plots on strategic growth locations must be agreed from the outset as part of the masterplanning process and must only be provided in parts of the site which would be suitable for any other form of housing. The concept masterplan prepared for each of these locations includes a broad location that is considered as suitable for the provision of pitches/plots. 2. The pitches/plots will be provided by the developer themselves or where the land is transferred for a nominal value, by an agreed third-party Registered Provider or other agreed private provider, for the sole purpose of occupation by Gypsy’s and Travellers and Travelling Showpeople. 3. The pitches/plots must be provided and made available for occupation before the occupation of a specified proportion of the provision of on-site open market dwellings. 4. Gypsy and traveller pitches and travelling showpersons plots must be provided at the locations specified above unless it can be demonstrated that an alternative off- site provision will achieve an equitable or better living environment at a sustainable location. Any off -site provision must ensure that at least the same number of pitches/plots are provided and within an agreed timescale in accordance with criterion 3. E. Delivery and Stewardship All New Settlements and Strategic Growth Locations must: 1. Be accompanied by a Development Strategy submitted as part of the initial application that demonstrates how development will come forward in a co- ordinated manner, consistent with the principles of the master developer approach. 2. Delivery will be co-ordinated by a Site Delivery Officer and overseen by a Delivery Board, supported by a Community Champion to facilitate community development on site and provide a point of contact for residents. 3. Promote effective long-term stewardship of community assets and green infrastructure through the establishment of appropriate management agreements with parish or town councils, community trusts, resident’s associations or the relevant Local Planning Authority. Details of provision are to be agreed during the masterplanning process ahead of any initial planning permission. DS.4 ~ Development Management Considerations In relation to Part B ~ Given the length of time over which these sites will be developed, a vision-led, key objectives and masterplan approach is encouraged. Agreeing and committing to the vision and key principles from the outset provides flexibility to amend the masterplan should circumstances change such as changes to policy, building regulations, technology or markets, for example. In relation to Part C ~ measures to maximise affordable housing provision may include: • Working with site promoters to help secure infrastructure/affordable housing grants and/or loans • Backloading or reprofiling of affordable housing requirements • Clawback mechanism where a lower affordable housing requirement is agreed • LPA providing forward-funding of infrastructure provision • Alterations to the housing size and tenure mix • Partial off-site commuted sum provision Consideration of the above is dependent upon submission of a robust viability appraisal that will be assessed and verified by independent viability expert consultants. In relation to Part D ~ A clear mechanism to ensure that pitches and plots are delivered in such a way as to achieve a good living environment at a sustainable location must be identified. This will be through a s106 agreement requiring the developer to identify and obtain planning permission for the required number and standard of pitches/plots. Conditions will also be imposed regulating the occupancy of the plots to ensure that the occupants meet the definition of Gypsy and Travellers and Travelling Showpeople within PPTS. The marketing arrangements and cost of pitches will be addressed via conditions and /or a s.106 agreement. Policy Justification 2.6.2 New strategic-scale allocations, through either New Settlements or Strategic Growth Locations (SGLs), will play a key role in delivering the spatial growth strategy of the South Warwickshire Local Plan. Strategic allocations are located within the Priority Areas, which emphasises the sustainable use of land, including the use of Brownfield Land for Development. 2.6.3 Given the length of the plan period, due consideration should also be given to the latest version of the NPPF or its successor when preparing planning applications. To ensure development responds to its specific location, each New Settlement and SGL is supported by a site-specific policy. These individual policies set detailed requirements for design principles and infrastructure provision that are directly applicable to the local context and the needs of both new and existing residents. 2.6.4 New Settlements, which are larger and intended to provide the foundation for growth beyond 2050, are the focal point for the delivery of housing growth in the South Warwickshire Local Plan. Given their scale, New Settlements are required to deliver comprehensive on-site infrastructure to serve the needs of residents, including education, healthcare, employment, retail and community facilities. New Settlements must be landscape-led in terms of their approach to design, establishing a distinct identity while integrating sensitively with the landscape, taking into account its existing character and form. SGLs are typically smaller in scale, and act as extensions to existing settlements in South Warwickshire. This proximity means that they are required to enhance existing infrastructure and services, ensuring that development is designed to integrate effectively for both new and existing residents. 2.6.5 New Settlements and SGLs in the SWLP are defined by a red-line boundary, which identifies the policy allocation area where development is acceptable in principle. These strategic scale developments are intended to be large enough to provide key on-site infrastructure to mitigate adverse effects and meet the needs of both new and existing residents as they arise. New Settlements will deliver at least 4,000 homes, though it is accepted that some of this will come forward outside of the plan period. SGLs typically exceed 1,000 dwellings or 25ha of employment land. 2.6.6 The infrastructure required for each site is identified within the relevant Site Proposals set out in Chapter 8 and listed in the Infrastructure Delivery Plan (IDP), which is critical in ensuring that the plan is sound. The IDP sets out the type, scale and timing of infrastructure needed to support each New Settlement and SGLs. This includes transport improvements, education facilities, healthcare provision, utilities and community facilities. Development proposals must have regard to the infrastructure requirements identified in the IDP and demonstrate how these will be delivered in a timely manner to support new residents. 2.6.7 All New Settlements and SGLs must be informed by a comprehensive strategic masterplan agreed by the Local Planning Authority, which should be prepared and approved prior to the submission of any planning application. Such masterplans may be formally adopted as Supplementary Plans. These masterplans should be based on the concept masterplans contained within the SWLP which establish the key principles that need to be met and form the spatial basis for the site proposal itself. Significant departure from the concept masterplan will need to be fully justified. Mindful of the need to delivery communities at pace, the intention is not to sow-down the delivery process. As such, the LPA will work proactively with site promoters to assist in delivery of the masterplans. Indeed, the purpose of the masterplan is not to agree every detail – this would be impractical for sites that will be built out over a number of decades - but to establish a framework that provides a robust mechanism to ensure (a) a comprehensive approach to development and (b) that the community and the LPA has the certainty that infrastructure that is required will be delivered. 2.6.8 This masterplanning process is the primary vehicle for demonstrating how the development will meet the policy's specific design requirements, including a landscape-led approach that integrates new green and blue infrastructure from the outset. The masterplan must provide a clear framework for a permeable network that prioritises walking, cycling and public transport to support the creation of a walkable 20-minute neighbourhood. Subsequent planning applications must comply with these agreed documents, ensuring that the hierarchy of public spaces, efficient densities and low-carbon design standards are secured through conditions and legal agreements. 2.6.9 The masterplan must set out a comprehensive strategy for how infrastructure will be delivered on site, with phasing agreed that clearly identifies trigger points over the period of expected delivery. Infrastructure must be delivered prior to or in line with the residential occupation and must not be delivered after need arises. Any phasing strategy should also demonstrate how different land uses will be integrated between different land parcels to create mixed-use sustainable communities rather than. 2.6.10 Travelling is an integral part of the cultural identity for Gypsy and Traveller and Travelling Showpeople households. It is legally accepted that nomadism, and living in a caravan, reflects the cultural heritage of such families, not simply a lifestyle choice. Gypsies and Travellers are recognised ethnic groups and are entitled to the same access to housing as the settled community. Often in a cycle of ‘enforced’ nomadism, being continually moved on by the authorities because of the shortage of authorised sites, means they are often more disadvantaged than any other ethnic group in terms of access to healthcare and education. 2.6.11 The cultural practice of Travelling Showpeople is to live on a plot in a yard in static caravans or mobile homes, along with smaller caravans used for travelling or inhabited by other family members. Their equipment (including rides, kiosks and stalls) is usually kept on the same plot. Clearly, such large storage and maintenance areas have implications in terms the design of plots. Residential amenity and landscape impact will require very careful consideration when devising site layouts. 2.6.12 Due to the particular lifestyle and accommodation requirements of travelling showpeople it is important to ensure that they are provided safe, well designed and appropriately sized accommodation. To enable the necessary storage and circulation of associated equipment the policy has identified Strategic growth locations where large- scale employment development is intended as the most appropriate location for new travelling showpeople yards. It will be necessary to ensure that the Travelling Showpeople families are provided with well-designed accommodation that will meet their particular needs whilst also ensuring a good standard of residential amenity. 2.6.13 Strategic employment locations will have good access to the main highway network which will enable the safe circulation and transportation of infrastructure associated with Travelling Showpeople. 2.6.14 The provision of pitches within strategic development locations is considered to be an effective and sustainable mechanism as part of this Plan’s overall strategy for providing new traveller accommodation. It will ensure that the occupants have good access to facilities and be able to integrate with the settled community. 2.6.15 In some cases, the Councils may accept evidence that a particular use is not viable until a certain level of occupancy is achieved. However, this must be demonstrated through the viability assessment that is agreed with by all parties through the masterplan process, with updates made to any phasing strategy. The introduction of a site wide master developer may be beneficial in ensuring effective and co-ordinated delivery across complex multi-ownership sites. Where it is considered that the required level of infrastructure has changed following the adoption of the Local Plan, the Councils expect to receive a full submission of technical evidence, including a viability statement setting out the reasons for these change 2.6.16 Developer contributions towards site wide infrastructure will be secured through section 106 agreements or other appropriate legal mechanisms. All planning applications must be accompanied by a viability assessment that demonstrates the deliverability of required infrastructure identified in the IDP . The councils will work with developers to ensure that contribution mechanisms are clear, fair, and enforceable. 2.6.17 Experience of delivering large-scale developments under the previous Local Plans has confirmed that a co-ordinated approach to delivery is required and that new communities require assistance to help establish and bed them in. Delivery Boards will ensure democratic oversight and in addition to representatives from the Local Planning Authority, would include representatives of the site promoters. 2.6.18 Long term stewardship and management of community assets such as public open space and areas of biodiversity is essential to maintaining the quality and functionality of new developments for future generations. Applicants must establish appropriate mechanisms for management arrangements as part of the masterplanni