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MAIDSTONE BOROUGH COUNCIL
RECORD OF DECISION OF THE Cabinet
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Decision Made: |
08 June 2011 |
LOCAL DEVELOPMENT SCHEME PRIORITY DOCUMENTS
Issue for Decision
To consider and approve the development plan documents (DPD), area action plans (AAP) and supplementary planning documents (SPD) prioritised in the report of the Director of Change, Planning and the Environment as the basis for preparing an amended Local Development Scheme.
Decision Made
1. That it be agreed that the Core Strategy DPD, Development Delivery DPD and Central Maidstone AAP comprise the key documents in a review of the Local Development Scheme.
2. That it be agreed that priority be given to preparing a Parking Standards SPD, a Landscape Character Assessment Guidelines SPD and an Affordable Housing SPD to provide the detail necessary for the implementation of Core Strategy policies.
Reasons for Decision
The Council is required to produce a Local Development
Scheme (LDS) that sets out the range of DPDs it is proposing to prepare
together with a work programme over a minimum three year period. Although
there is no duty to include a programme for the production of SPDs, the
identification of key SPDs that are a priority to deliver Core Strategy
policies provides clarity for the public.
The government has stressed the importance of keeping local
development schemes up-to-date. The LDS must be agreed and submitted to the
Secretary of State, and the scheme will come into effect when the Council
receives notification from the Secretary of State. There is no longer a
requirement to submit the LDS to GOSE for comment or suggested revisions.
The report of the Director of Change, Planning and the
Environment recommends changes to the local development documents programmed in
the adopted LDS (2009) that will form the basis for a review.
Maidstone’s LDS was first adopted in 2005, and was amended
in 2007 and 2009. There have been a number of events since 2009 that have
resulted in delays to the LDS programme and led to the need for a review of the
scheme:
· A deferment of the Core Strategy DPD timetable to enable the Council to set a locally derived housing target;
· A delay to the Gypsy and Traveller Pitch Allocations DPD programme as a result of the need to set a locally derived pitch target;
· Amendments to national planning policy statements; and
· Proposed changes to the plan making system emerging through the Localism Bill and the government’s Plan for Growth.
The 2009 LDS[1] incorporates the following development plan documents (DPD) and area action plans (AAP):
· Core Strategy DPD
· Gypsy & Traveller Pitch Allocations DPD
· Town Centre Regeneration AAP
· Maidstone Urban Extension AAP
·
Land Allocations DPD.
The 2009 LDS also confirms that the Council will give consideration to prioritising a number of supplementary planning documents (SPD) including:
· Planning Tariff SPD
· Parking Strategy SPD
· Landscape Character Area Assessment SPDs
· Character Area Assessment SPDs
· Air Quality SPD.
Core Strategy DPD
The Core Strategy DPD, which sets the Council’s
spatial vision and objectives for future development in the borough, is the
lynchpin of Maidstone’s local development framework (LDF) and its adoption is a
priority for the Council.
Gypsy and Traveller Pitch Allocations DPD
The purpose of the Gypsy and Traveller Pitch Allocations DPD
was to allocate land to meet the pitch target that was due to be determined
through the South East Plan Partial Review. The supply of gypsy and traveller
pitches has long been a local issue for the Council, so an independent DPD
prepared in advance of the Core Strategy was intended to address the urgent
need as identified in the Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment (GTAA).
Future need for pitches beyond 2016 would be addressed in the Land Allocations
DPD.
Alongside the government’s announcement that it intended to
revoke regional strategies, it was also confirmed that the South East Plan
Partial Review would not be completed. It will be the responsibility of local
authorities to set their own pitch targets in DPDs based on evidence. The
Council has already given consideration to a local pitch target, and the draft
Core Strategy sets a target of 71 pitches to be provided between 2006 and 2016
as well as setting the criteria for determining planning applications for
pitches on previously unidentified sites.
Due to the time that has elapsed since work on the DPD
commenced, a number of private pitches have been provided through the grant of
planning permission or by appeal, and it is possible that the numerical target
of 71 pitches by 2016 will be met through the granting of planning
permissions. However, securing a suitable site(s) for public pitch provision
is a challenge and the subject of ongoing work (as discussed elsewhere on this
agenda).
Furthermore, as the Core Strategy will confirm the pitch
target to 2016, any DPD that allocates land for gypsy and traveller pitches
cannot be produced in advance of the adoption of the Core Strategy. Work on
the DPD can commence at an earlier stage but Public Participation consultation cannot
be undertaken before the Core Strategy is adopted.
The option to prepare an independent DPD for gypsy and traveller accommodation remains, although there is now an opportunity to consider a more efficient and cost effective approach to meeting need. Proposals to update the LDS include bringing forward the production of the Land Allocations DPD (under a new title of Development Delivery DPD) so it would now be timely to allocate pitches in the Development Delivery DPD. An updated evidence base to assess accommodation needs to 2026 will be prepared prior to the preparation of the DPD. The identification and development of a public site(s) can be pursued outside of the DPD process, so the merging of DPDs would not result in a delay to public pitch provision in the period to 2016.
This approach would result in staff resource and cost
savings. The process for a DPD requires staffing resources and budget to fund
at least three consultation stages and an independent examination. Not all
time/costs involved can be avoided but there would be significant reductions,
particularly for administration, consultation events and examination costs.
The primary risk to incorporating pitch allocations in the Development Delivery
DPD is if there is a delay to preparing this DPD given its wide remit but,
balancing the benefits and risks of combining DPDs, this approach is thought
appropriate and an independent Gypsy and Traveller Pitch Allocations DPD is not
proposed to be included in the review of the LDS.
Town Centre Regeneration AAP
Priority will be given to the production of the Town Centre
Regeneration AAP following the adoption of the Core Strategy. However, it is
recommended that this document is renamed the Central Maidstone AAP to
allow some flexibility to incorporate pertinent sites adjacent to the town
centre boundary.
Maidstone Urban Extension AAP
The Core Strategy no longer proposes an urban extension or
strategic development area as part of its strategy for the distribution of
development. Consequently, the Maidstone Urban Extension will not be included
in the revised LDS.
Land Allocations DPD
In the 2009 LDS, the Land Allocations DPD is programmed to
commence in 2013. The recommended removal of other DPDs from the updated LDS
presents an opportunity to bring this DPD forward, which will capitalise on the
vast amount of work undertaken for the Core Strategy. The Land Allocations DPD
will contain site specific allocations for all land uses, as well as designated
areas of protection.
There is a further option to include development management
policies in this document, which were outside the scope of the 2009 LDS.
However, the saved Maidstone Borough Wide Local Plan policies, which form part
of the development plan, are increasingly becoming outdated as further
government guidance and planning policy statements are published. In addition
to the Spatial Policy team, staff resources from other departments have been
identified to assist in this task. This approach will provide an up-to-date
policy framework for development management processes. Given the wide scope of
this document, it is thought appropriate that it be renamed the Development
Delivery DPD.
Supplementary Planning Documents
The Core Strategy is the key LDF document, but it is a broad
policy framework document. Subsequent DPDs and AAPs will strengthen the policy
framework, but a suite of SPDs will also be required to add detail to Core
Strategy policies as well as other DPDs. There are a number of options for SPD
production, but it is crucial to prioritise those SPDs that will be required to
deliver the Core Strategy.
The Planning Tariff SPD will no longer be required due to
the introduction of the community infrastructure levy. The Council has
prepared an Infrastructure Delivery Plan and will develop a charging schedule
to set its community infrastructure levy.
A Parking Standards SPD and the Landscape
Character Assessment Guidelines SPD will need to be prepared as soon as
practical after the adoption of the Core Strategy to add detail to policy.
Similarly, an Affordable Housing SPD will be required to expand on the
detail of the Core Strategy affordable housing policy, which will supersede the
currently adopted Affordable Housing DPD.
The adopted LDS (2009) refers to a Parking Strategy
SPD but the parking strategy is a document that will underpin the Sustainable
Transport Strategy. The Parking Standards SPD will set out local
parking standards for both new residential and commercial development,
acknowledging national guidance but informed by local demand, accessibility
levels and smarter transport choices identified in the Sustainable Transport
Strategy.
Further Character Area SPDs and an Air Quality SPD are
desirable but are not critical to Core Strategy delivery. Priority can be
given to the production of these SPDs and others once key documents are
adopted.
LDS Programme
Consequently, it is thought appropriate that the revised LDS programme prioritises the production of the following documents:
· Core Strategy DPD
· Development Delivery DPD
· Central Maidstone AAP
· Parking Standards SPD
· Landscape Character Assessment Guidelines SPD
·
Affordable Housing SPD.
A subsequent report will recommend adoption of a revised LDS, and seek approval to submit the LDS to the Secretary of State.
Alternatives considered and why rejected
The LDF must contain a Core Strategy DPD and a Proposals Map, and the Council has a duty to maintain an up-to-date LDS. The Council could confine its LDS programme to the production of a Core Strategy only but this approach is not recommended. Although the Core Strategy will set a policy framework, it will not deliver the level of detail necessary to implement all of its policies and strategies. The alternative approach would exacerbate a growing policy framework vacuum for development management processes, and would impact on the Council’s ability to plan for its growth in a sustainable manner.
Background Papers
None
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Should you be concerned about this decision and wish to call it in, please submit a call in form signed by any two Non-Executive Members to the Head of Change and Scrutiny by: 15 June 2011 |