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Decision details
Maidstone Borough Local Plan Draft Spatial Strategy
Decision Maker: Cabinet.
Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Is Key decision?: Yes
Is subject to call in?: Yes
Purpose:
To consider the borough's objectively assessed needs arising from the Strategic Housing Market Assessment. It will seek Member approval of the draft local plan spatial strategy for public consultation, including the targets for new dwellings and employment/retail floorspace.
Decision:
a)
That the borough’s objectively assessed
housing need of 19,600 dwellings for the local plan period 2011 to
2031 as the basis for determining the housing
provision for the borough be agreed;
b)
That the currently identified potential to make
provision for 17,100 dwellings, subject to full consideration of
proposed housing site allocations in February 2014 be
noted;
c)
That the borough’s objectively assessed need
of 37 hectares for office, industry and warehousing based sectors
and at the Maidstone medical campus for the plan period 2011 to
2031, and the draft provisions for employment floorspace (offices
39,830m2; industry 20,290m2; warehousing
49,911m2; medical 98,000m2) be
noted;
d)
That the key local issues, as amended, set out in
paragraph 1.3.46 of the report of the Head of Planning and
Development be noted; and
e)
That the spatial vision and objectives, as amended,
set out in paragraph 1.3.48 of the report of the Head of Planning
and Development be agreed, subject to the earlier decision of the
Cabinet to defer the decision on Policies SP3 and SP4 which impacts
on the designation of Coxheath and Yalding as Rural Service Centres
and the designation of Larger Settlements.
Reasons for the decision:
Introduction
Since
the Cabinet decision[1] to
prepare a single Maidstone Borough Local Plan, Cabinet has received
several reports on groups of local plan policies. Members have given consideration to spatial
policies for urban and rural areas together with more detailed
development management policies.
The
spatial strategy and development targets were initially set out in
the Core Strategy, which was subject to public consultation in
September/October 2011. However, new
government guidance, namely the National Planning Policy Framework
(NPPF) published in 2012 (and subsequent draft National Planning
Practice Guidance 2013), required the evidence base supporting the
spatial strategy to be updated.
Consequently, the Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA), the
Economic Sensitivity Testing and Employment Land Forecast report,
Strategic Housing and Economic Development Land Availability
Assessments (SHLAA and SEDLAA), and the Town Centre Assessment and
Retail Capacity Study have been prepared as part of the local plan
evidence base. In addition, a
consultation draft Green and Blue Infrastructure Strategy has been
produced.
In 2011
the council sought the public’s views on a housing target of
10,080 for the period 2006 to 2026, using a dispersed distribution
of development. The main issues raised
by respondents were reported to Cabinet on 25 July
2012. There were mixed responses to the
Council’s 10,080 dwelling target whereby some respondents
supported the target (22 respondents or 5%) while others believed
it was too high or too low (42 respondents or 9%). A proportion of the development industry proposed
a higher target, while residents sought a reduction.
There
was a consensus of support from both the development industry and
residents for a dispersed distribution pattern of development that
delivers housing at the urban fringe and at rural service centres,
although a minority of respondents did object in part or as a
whole.
There
was support for the principle of identifying a strategic housing
development location to the north west
of the urban area in the vicinity of Allington, although some
objections focused on reducing the amount of housing
proposed. A number of residents and the
adjoining local authority unconditionally objected to development
in this location (47 respondents or 10%) on the grounds of
increased traffic congestion, the impact on the landscape, and
maintenance of the strategic gap between conurbations.
There
was general support for the south east strategic housing
development location around Park Wood and Otham (6 respondents or 1%). In the main, objections were from a minority
section of the development industry who objected to a move away
from a strategic development area that would accommodate 3,000 or
5,000 dwellings supported by a strategic link road.
There
was a call for the inclusion of specific targets for rural service
centres, as opposed to a single target to be distributed amongst
the 5 villages[2] (27
respondents or 6%). Part of the
development industry wished to see detailed strategic development
site allocations, as opposed to the strategic development locations
identified on the key diagram of the consultation
document. Site allocations within
strategic development locations together with specific housing
targets for rural service centres were the subject of a further
public consultation in 2012: Core Strategy Strategic Site
Allocations. Representations on
strategic site allocations were considered when the allocations
were confirmed at the Cabinet meeting of 13 March 2013. Respondents to the 2012 consultation sought site
specific allocations at the rural service centres as opposed to
overall village targets. The move to
prepare a single local plan overcomes this objection.
In
December 2012, Kent County Council issued revised demographic and
labour supply forecasts for Maidstone borough, which took account
of the latest CLG household projections. The forecasts were based on the new local plan
period 2011 to 2031 and revealed an interim housing provision of
14,800 dwellings[3]. Consideration was given to the
findings of the forecasts at the Cabinet meeting of 13 March
2013. This interim figure was never
tested through public consultation but superseded the 10,080
dwelling target for the former plan period (2006/26). The new SHMA, which has been prepared in
accordance with national guidance using the latest data from CLG
and the Office for National Statistics, will supersede all former
demographic forecasts for housing provisions.
The
report of the Head of Planning and Development focused on the
outputs from updated evidence documents for housing and economic
development and, also taking into account previous consultation
representations together with changes to national planning policy,
sets out the consequential revisions to the local plan spatial
vision and objectives and the implications for the borough’s
development targets.
A
further report bringing together all of the policies of the draft
Maidstone Borough Local Plan, including the spatial strategy,
development targets and site allocations, will be presented to
Cabinet on 24 February 2014. At the
same meeting, Members will receive supporting reports on the
Infrastructure Delivery Plan and the Community Infrastructure
Levy.
Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA)
A
Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA) for the borough has been
undertaken as a further piece of evidence to support the
preparation of the local plan. The SHMA
has been prepared in partnership with Ashford and Tonbridge &
Malling Borough Councils which were at a similar plan making stage
to Maidstone. Medway Council, Tunbridge
Wells Borough Council and Swale Borough Council were invited to
take part in the exercise but declined due the stage their local
plans had reached. GL Hearn, a firm of
expert consultants in this field, has undertaken the work for the
three authorities.
A number of briefings and training sessions that included time for questions have been held, to assist Members in understanding the complexities of the SHMA. These sessions were well attended by Members.
· 28 August 2013 – Presentation on the methodologies validating the SHMA (and SHLAA/SEDLAA)
· 4 & 11 November 2013 – Presentations/Workshops on the NPPF/NPPG and the importance of objectively assessed needs
· 22 November 2013 – Presentation/Q&A by Planning Advisory Service representative (Jo Lee of Peter Brett Associates) on Meeting Objectively Assessed Need: The SHMA – context and practice examples
·
9 December 2013 – Presentation/Q&A by GL
Hearn (Nick Ireland and Justin Gardner) on the findings of the SHMA
and housing provisions.
A
principal purpose of the SHMA is to assess the overall need for
additional housing in the borough for the plan period
(2011-31). The NPPF directs that Local
Plans should meet “the full, objectively assessed
needs” for both market and affordable housing within housing
market areas as far as this is consistent with other policies in
the NPPF (NPPF paragraph 47).
The housing market area reflects key functional
linkages between places where people live and work.
The
draft National Planning Practice Guidance 2013 (NPPG) sets out how
a SHMA should be undertaken[4]. The guidance specifies that the
basis for calculating the future overall need for housing must be
the latest national household projections published by
CLG. The SHMA has used the interim 2011
based household projections released by CLG in 2013. These are trend based projections that are an
indication of the number of households that would form if recent
demographic trends continued. They are
interim projections, rather than official statistics, because they
are based on the 2011 interim sub-national population projections
(SNPP) which only project population growth to 2021. These population projections are based on the 2011
mid-year population estimates rolled forward from the Census 2011
data and applying the demographic trends used for the previous
2010-based SNPP. New SNPP data is
expected in spring 2014, and updated CLG household projections are
expected towards the end of 2014. This
base information has then been further refined in the SHMA by
examining the key local inputs that fed into the SNPP, and
undertaking a critical assessment of more recent migration data,
household formation rates and housing vacancy rates.
The
conclusion of this analysis is that the SHMA predicts that some
19,600 new homes would need to be built over the 20 year plan
period (2011-2031) for the full objective need for housing in
Maidstone borough to be met, i.e. 980 dwellings per
annum.
Importantly the methodology and key assumptions which underpin
the assessment are common to the reports for each of the three
authorities. This helps add to the rigour of the reports and means
that there has been a consistent approach to the assessment of
housing needs across the whole of the Maidstone housing market area
which encompasses parts of Tonbridge & Malling Borough, namely
Aylesford, East & West Malling, Larkfield and Snodland. The housing
market areas have been based on CLG research of 2010 (The Geography
of Housing Market Areas in England – CURDS). The administrative boundary of Maidstone falls
within two housing market areas: Maidstone and Ashford (Harrietsham
& Lenham and Headcorn wards), although the objectively assessed
needs have been disaggregated by district.
The
extent of the Maidstone housing market area is an important
consideration and the degree of integration with the Medway Towns
to the north has been assessed. The labour market and migration
move in both directions between Maidstone and Medway. However, the SHMA has analysed other factors, in
particular the housing “offer” (house type, size and
tenure), the London influence and housing costs, and concluded that
there is justification to distinguish Maidstone from Medway in
market terms.
The
objectively assessed housing need for Maidstone has also been
benchmarked against five and ten year migration trend
projections. These provide a useful
sensitivity test, but they do not take account of the impact of
population age profile on migration (both in Maidstone borough and
other areas from which people typically move to
Maidstone). Further sensitivity testing
of the objectively assessed housing need was undertaken through the
modelling of two economic scenarios.
This confirms that the scale of household growth necessary to
generate sufficient working age people to support the expected
growth in the economy over the same period (2011 to
2031)[5] will
not exceed the objectively housing assessed need of 19,600
dwellings.
The
SHMA also considers the need for affordable housing over the plan
period. The methodology draws together
analysis of the number of households currently in housing need with
estimates of how many additional households will require affordable
housing in future years to 2031. The supply of affordable housing
from existing stock re-lets, vacancies and developments in the
pipeline is then derived to establish what the net requirement for
new affordable housing will be. The
SHMA concludes that of the total annual requirement of 980
dwellings needed over the local plan period (2011 to 2031), 324 new
affordable homes will be needed annually between 2013 and
2031. This finding assumes that
households will spend up to 30% of income on housing costs
although, in fact, some households will be willing to spend a
greater proportion than this. The private rented sector will also
continue to have some role in providing affordable
accommodation.
The
SHMA is a technical document and is a pivotal piece of the local
plan evidence base. Hence an independent demographer was appointed
to review Maidstone’s objectively assessed need. The demographer has concluded that the objectively
assessed need of 19,600 dwellings set out in the SHMA is the best
scenario of the alternatives tested, and that the results for
population, households and new homes are robust.
Representatives from local authorities, house-builders, planning agents, estate agents and registered providers attended a stakeholder presentation and workshop for the SHMA, which was held on 26 July 2013. The workshop covered the three local authority areas but also drew comparisons with wider trends in Kent and other parts of the country.
The key points arising from the event were:
· Some recovery from the bottom of the market in 2007.
·
Recovery has been variable across different segments
of the market and in different areas:
- Recovery in demand for family homes stronger (particularly small
family homes) whilst flats remain muted
- More established, affluent buyers returned to the market more
quickly, first time buyer activity less so
- Higher value rural locations and areas traditionally linked with
the London market recovering more strongly.
· Future recovery is likely to be gradual, but in higher value areas demand and pricing pressures could return to the market more rapidly.
· Improving access to mortgage availability will be critical to the market recovery. Help-to-Buy is greatly assisting with this, but what happens after will be important. More certainty in the employment market and increases in earnings will also be needed to sustain recovery.
· Greater choice in the supply of sites (particularly more small sites) would help to improve housing delivery and provide an alternative to large scale allocations.
·
The private rented sector continues to grow apace,
but there is a need to ensure it is aligned with need and that
standards are maintained. Demand for
older persons housing and retirement accommodation is also
strong.
Following the Members’ presentation on 9 December 2013,
the draft SHMA was published on 9 January 2014 and is available to
view or download from the local plan webpage. At this point in time the SHMA should remain in
draft because new national data on household projections is
expected to be released in 2014.
Officers will monitor the implications that may arise from new
releases and will report resultant actions needed to
Members.
Meanwhile, subject to Cabinet decisions in February when land
allocations will be recommended, there is currently potential
capacity to make provision for up to 17,100 dwellings over the plan
period 2011-2031. This figure includes
a yield of 8,210 dwellings from potential new SHLAA sites (in
addition to the approved strategic housing sites), based on the
dispersed distribution strategy formerly approved by
Cabinet[6] and
the borough’s environmental and infrastructure
constraints.
The
NPPF directs local authorities to identify deliverable housing
sites for the first 5 years (it is implied this starts from the
date of adoption of a local plan).
Deliverable sites, including integral infrastructure, must be
available, offer a suitable location, be achievable (with a
realistic prospect of being delivered within those 5 years), and be
viable. For years 6 to 10 and, where
possible, years 11 to 15 following adoption (i.e. the last 10 years
of the Maidstone Borough Local Plan period), sites should be
developable. Developable sites must be
suitably located, and available and viable at the point of
release. The greater the number of
dwellings on sites that are specifically identified as
deliverable/developable, the more robust the local plan will
be. However, the NPPF also allows for
the identification of broad locations for housing in this latter
period. Three broad development
locations yielding a potential 3,000 dwellings will be presented to
Members in February.
This appraisal would currently result in an unmet need of 2,500 dwellings which represents 13% of the objectively assessed need. The council will need to be in a position to robustly defend any constraints to development, and to demonstrate what measures have been taken to fully meet the objectively assessed need. These measures will be discussed in more detail in the February reports when development targets are considered, but are likely to include a further call for sites as part of the public consultation process, a reappraisal of the reasons why sites previously submitted have been rejected, and ultimately whether (under the duty to cooperate) unmet need can be satisfied by neighbouring authorities.
Objectively Assessed Need and Housing Land Supply |
Dwellings |
Totals |
Objectively assessed housing need |
|
19,600 |
|
|
|
Completed dwellings 2011/12 and 2012/13 |
1,503 |
|
Planning permissions at 1 April 2013 |
1,850 |
|
Planning permissions 1 April to 1 October 2013 |
246 |
|
Planning permissions – outstanding Section106 Agreements at 1 October 2013 |
107 |
|
Land allocations – approved strategic sites |
2,140 |
|
Land allocations – potential SHLAA sites |
8,210 |
|
Total potential housing land supply (approx.) |
|
14,100 |
|
|
|
Potential broad locations for housing development |
3,000 |
|
Total potential housing land supply including broad locations |
|
17,100 |
|
|
|
Unmet housing need (19,600 less 17,100) |
|
(2,500) |
Constraints to Development
The
NPPF makes distinctions between the hierarchy of international,
national and locally designated sites, so that protection is
commensurate with their status. Whilst
the NPPF gives weight to the protection of international and
national designations, this does not downgrade local designations
for landscape or wildlife sites in plan making, and such sites are
not suitable for development but a strong case for their protection
must be made. Another important and
common theme that runs through the NPPF is the need for viable
infrastructure to support new development. The local plan must ensure that new and expanded
infrastructure requirements generated by land allocations can be
met.
Of
international importance in Maidstone is the North Downs Woodlands
Special Area of Conservation (SAC). The
borough includes 23 nationally important Sites of Special
Scientific Interest (SSSI); and 63 Local Wildlife Sites (LWS) and 2
Local Nature Reserves (LNR) which are locally
important. A large area of the borough
lies within the Kent Downs AONB, a nationally important landscape
designation where a strong level of protection is
given. A strong level of protection is
also given to the small section of the Metropolitan Green Belt that
lies to the west of the borough. These
areas are protected but they are not sacrosanct.
All
landscapes have some value, but they cannot all be protected, so at
the local level the focus must be on protecting the borough’s
best landscapes. Of particular local
significance are the borough’s river valleys (the Medway,
Loose and Len) and the scarp face of the Greensand
Ridge. Local plan policies identify and
safeguard such areas, although there are currently no major
pressures for housing development in these locations.
In
other parts of the borough where sites have been submitted for
consideration through the call for sites, local constraints have
been examined through the site assessment pro forma[7].
The pro forma has been used to assess each potential development
site submitted through the SHLAA call for sites (and the SEDLAA) in
order to achieve a consistent and transparent approach. The mitigation of constraints - local landscape,
ecology, highways, services, flooding
and so on - has formed part of the assessments. In accordance with the requirements of the NPPF,
the availability, locational suitability, deliverability and
viability of each potential development site has been examined, and
the results will be available to assist Member decision making in
February.
There
are often solutions to overcoming infrastructure
constraints. A new school or community
centre can be built; open space or play equipment can be provided;
and increased traffic congestion can be addressed through new
public transport schemes and highway improvements.
So if the council cannot fully meet its objectively assessed housing need, it must establish a strong case of constraint to development within the borough, and demonstrate that neighbouring authorities have fewer constraints.
Sustainability Appraisal and Testing of Development
Options
Consultants URS have been commissioned to prepare the
sustainability appraisal (SA) for the local plan. The production of an SA is required under EU
regulations and planning law, and it is an appraisal of the
economic, environmental, and social effects of a plan (and its
policies) from the outset of the plan preparation
process. An SA is an iterative process
that allows decisions to be made that accord with sustainable
development.
A key
purpose of the SA is to appraise development options for the local
plan. The emerging Maidstone Borough Local Plan has a strategy of
directing development to the most sustainable locations, in
particular making best use of previously developed land (brownfield
sites). Brownfield sites within an
urban area have access to existing infrastructure and can generally
be developed at higher densities, thus reducing the need to release
greenfield sites for
development. This approach accords with
the principles of the NPPF and the aims of this
council. Regeneration of the town
centre is one of the key objectives of the local plan, and every
effort has been made to identify potential redevelopment sites over
and above those that were submitted through the SHLAA call for
sites in December 2013/January 2014.
Local plan policies encourage a regeneration approach through the
allocation of brownfield sites for redevelopment and by requiring a
lower affordable housing contribution on brownfield sites within
the urban area in order to encourage regeneration.
In the
past 10 years, a high percentage of development has been built on
brownfield sites (between 85% and 96% annually). This was a result of introducing a moratorium on
the release of greenfield land allocated
in the Maidstone Borough Wide Local Plan (2000) following the
publication of an urban capacity study in 2002. This trend cannot be sustained and the moratorium
has been lifted to enable the council to meet short and long term
housing provisions. The need for
greenfield sites is compounded by
national policies that are leading to considerably higher annual
housing targets than previously experienced. New homes are needed because of a growing
population, people are living longer and there are more elderly
people in smaller households, new jobs are being created and, over
the past decade, there has generally been a level of net
in-migration into the borough (both internal migration from other
parts of the Country and international migration).
There
is a clear hierarchy in determining which locations are the most
sustainable for allocating new development sites. Following the redevelopment of brownfield sites
within settlement boundaries, the most sustainable location for
greenfield development is adjacent to
the currently defined[8] urban
boundary, where access to services is greatest and best use can be
made of existing infrastructure.
However, not all development needs can be accommodated here because
of environmental and infrastructure constraints. Seven rural service centres form the second tier
in Maidstone’s settlement hierarchy. These centres act as a focal point for trade and
services for wider communities, providing a concentration of public
transport, employment and community facilities. Rural service centres are Maidstone’s most
sustainable villages and are able to accommodate further
development. Three larger settlements
form the third tier of the settlement hierarchy. These villages have a smaller range of services
than rural service centres, but still meet the day-to-day needs of
local communities. Where appropriate,
larger settlements can accommodate some limited
development.
The SA
is appraising various options that follow the settlement hierarchy,
and is also assessing the impact of the Golding Homes’
proposal for a new settlement[9], which
was submitted during the call for sites. The SA will appraise three targets for housing:
19,600 dwellings (objectively assessed need), 17,100 dwellings
(draft capacity to date including broad locations for development),
and 14,100 dwellings (draft capacity to date excluding broad
locations for development). The SA will
also appraise these targets against the various distribution
options for development: a dispersed pattern of development, with
and without broad locations for development and/or the new
settlement. This will compare a
strategy of development dispersal with one of a new settlement
together with a reduced dispersal of development. These options will be tested against their ability
to deliver the objectively assessed need for housing, but will be
balanced by sustainability indicators including flooding, health,
poverty, education, congestion, climate change, biodiversity,
countryside, heritage, waste, energy and economy.
Sustainability Appraisal: Housing development options |
||
1 |
19,600 |
Dispersed and broad locations |
2 |
19,600 |
Dispersed, broad locations and a new settlement |
3 |
17,100 |
Dispersed and broad locations |
4 |
17,100 |
Dispersed and new settlement |
5 |
14,100 |
Dispersed only |
6 |
14,100 |
Dispersed and a new settlement |
The results of the appraisal will be available prior to the February reports when Members will consider the housing target and distribution pattern of development.
Employment Land Forecast
An
updated employment land forecast has been prepared as evidence for
the local plan, which will replace the employment forecast
published in 2013 that was based on housing provisions of 14,800
dwellings. The new forecast uses a
different methodology than previous for a number of reasons, not
least to enable economic growth opportunities to be assessed
objectively and then used to inform the housing growth
discussion. The forecast has been
produced by the consultancy firm GVA which has undertaken such
forecasting work for the council in the past.
The
approach used in this forecast looks first at the different sectors
in the local economy and establishes which sectors are projected to
grow or contract (in terms of jobs), and by what percentage, over
the lifetime of the plan. The basis for
this assessment is the nationally recognised Experian forecast for
the borough. This has then been refined
where more detailed local factors support a higher or lower growth
rate than is predicted by Experian, which provides a more strategic
analysis of the economy. In particular,
the forecast has taken account of potential employment growth at
the medical campus proposed at junction 7 of the M20; an allowance
has been made for market “churn”, calculated from the
average annual construction rate of space within the borough; and
the impact of changing working practices by sectoral activity in the borough has been
appraised. The output of this
sectoral analysis is an employment
(jobs) forecast for all of the sectors in the local
economy.
This
jobs forecast is then converted into a land requirement for those
sectors which will need new office, industrial or distribution/
warehousing floorspace for the full local plan period 2011 to 2031
(i.e. the B use classes). The creation
of a total of 14,394 jobs between 2011 and 2031 are forecast across
all employment sectors, of which 7,933 will be in the office,
industrial and warehousing based sectors and at the Maidstone
medical campus, including KIMS[10]. Total figures in the table below
vary due to rounding.
2011-2031 |
Job creation |
Floorspace (m2) |
Land (hectares) |
Office |
3,053 |
39,830 |
2.7 |
Industrial |
226 |
20,290 |
5.1 |
Warehouse |
453 |
49,911 |
10.0 |
General requirement |
3,733 |
110,030 |
17.7 |
Medical |
4,200 |
98,000 |
19.0 |
Total (incl. medical) |
7,933 |
208,030 |
37.0 |
The
council’s ability to meet its employment provisions through
new land allocations, together with the distribution of
development, will be given consideration by Members through the
February reports.
Retail Capacity Study
Members
have received a presentation on the Maidstone Town Centre
Assessment and the Retail Capacity Study, produced by consultants
DTZ, and both documents have been published on the local plan
webpage. At its meeting on 4 December
2014, Cabinet approved the retail provisions set out in the
appended policies to that report. Two
retail allocations at Maidstone East/Royal Mail Sorting Office and
Newnham Park were approved, and the
Mall was identified as a future broad location for retail
growth.
The
Maidstone Retail Capacity Study assessed the quantitative needs for
retail development to 2031. The RECAP
model was used in forecasting: an empirical step-by-step model
based on the results of the 2012 Maidstone Household Survey of
shopping patterns as its method of allocating retail expenditure
from catchment zones to shopping destinations. The model is
therefore based on consumer responses about actual shopping
patterns.
The
Retail Capacity Study was based on an interim provision of 14,800
dwellings. The consultants have
considered the outputs in the context of increased provisions, and
concluded that the population forecasts used for the purpose of the
Maidstone Retail Capacity Study are consistent with a provision for
17,100 dwellings. For information and
completeness, the retail provisions are reproduced
below. The provisions are cumulative
for each year.
Retail provisions |
2016 |
2021 |
2026 |
2031 |
Comparison (m2) |
5,500 |
12,400 |
18,800 |
23,700 |
Convenience (m2) |
3,700 |
4,400 |
5,250 |
6,100 |
Key Local Issues, Spatial Vision and Spatial Objectives
The
challenge for the local plan is to manage the potential impacts of
future housing and employment growth, together with supporting
infrastructure, to ensure that development takes place in a
sustainable manner that supports the local economy whilst
safeguarding valuable natural and built assets. The borough’s key local issues were
initially identified in the Core Strategy[11], and
the same document set out the council’s spatial vision and
spatial objectives for the borough.
These have been updated to ensure conformity with changing
government policy and the publication of the NPPF and subsequent
guidance, and to reflect any changes in local
circumstances.
Revisions to the key local issues set out in the Core Strategy 2011 are set out below (deletions are shown in strike through text and additions in italic text). The revisions will be carried forward to the Maidstone Borough Local Plan for further public consultation (Regulation 18) following Member decisions on the plan in February.
Key Local Issues
1. Where, when and how much development will be distributed throughout the borough;
2. Maintenance of the distinct character and identity of villages and the urban area;
3. Protection of the built and natural heritage, including the Kent Downs AONB and its setting and areas of local landscape value;
4. Provision of strategic and local infrastructure to support new development and growth including a sustainable integrated transport strategy, adequate water supply, sustainable waste management, energy infrastructure and social infrastructure such as health, schools and other educational facilities;
5. Improvements to quality of air within the air quality management area (AQMA);
6. Regeneration of the town centre and areas of social and environmental deprivation;
7.
Redressing the low wage economy by
expanding the employment skills base to target
employment opportunities and improving higher and further
education opportunities to target employment opportunities in green
technologies including low carbon energy production;
8.
Meeting housing needs by
delivering of vulnerable groups including young people,
affordable housing, local needs housing, accommodation for the
elderly, accommodation to meet Gypsy and Traveller needs and
accommodation to meet rural housing needs;
9. Promotion of the multi-functional nature of the borough’s open spaces, rivers and other watercourses;
10. Ensuring that all new development is built to a high standard of sustainable design and construction; and
11. Ensuring that applications for development adequately address the impact of climate change, especially the issues of flooding and water supply.
The
Maidstone Borough Local Plan is the spatial interpretation of the
vision and priorities set out in the Maidstone Community
Strategy[12]. The local plan also has regard to
other corporate documents, in particular the Strategic Plan
2011-2015 (2013-2014 Refresh), the emerging Green and Blue
Infrastructure Strategy and the Housing Strategy 2011/12 to
2014/15. Spatial Policy officers work
closely with colleagues in these departments and also with other
departments such as Development Management, Economic Development,
and Environmental Health. The policies
of the local plan aim to deliver the plan’s vision and
objectives.
Revisions to the spatial vision and objectives set out in the Core Strategy 2011 are set out below (deletions are shown in strike through text and additions in italic text). The revisions will be carried forward to the Maidstone Borough Local Plan for further public consultation (Regulation 18) following Member decisions on the plan in February.
Spatial Vision
By 2026
2031:
·
The Core Strategy Maidstone
Borough Local Plan will deliver sustainable growth and
regeneration whilst protecting and enhancing the borough’s
natural and built assets;
·
Development will be guided by a sustainable
and the delivery of the integrated transport
strategy together with the timely provision of appropriate
strategic and local infrastructure;
·
Maidstone town will be a
an enhanced vibrant, prosperous and sustainable
community benefiting from its an exceptional
urban and rural environment with a vital and viable
Maidstone town centre
·
The character and identity of rural settlements
will be maintained roles of the rural service
centres will be reinforced by directing suitable development
and supporting infrastructure to the rural service centres
of Coxheath, Harrietsham, Headcorn, Lenham,
Marden, and Staplehurst
and Yalding;
· The roles of the larger rural settlements of Boughton Monchelsea, Eyhorne Street (Hollingbourne) and Sutton Valence will be maintained through the delivery of limited development, where appropriate, together with supporting infrastructure;
· The distinctive character of the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and its setting, together with the openness of the Metropolitan Green Belt, will be rigorously protected and maintained;
· Employment skills will be expanded to meet an improved and varied range of local jobs;
· There will be a better balanced housing market to meet the needs of the community across the whole borough; and
· Development will be of high quality sustainable design and construction to respond to climate change and to protect the environment.
Spatial Objectives
1. To provide for
10,080 new homes and 10,000 new jobs a balance
of new homes and related retail and employment opportunities,
with an emphasis on increasing skilled employment opportunities in
the borough alongside developing learning opportunities.
2. To focus new
development mainly within the Maidstone urban area
with:
i. 80% of new housing built
within and adjacent to the urban area of Maidstone with appropriate
sustainable greenfield development being well located in relation
to existing services in the urban area Principally
within[13] the Maidstone urban area and at the strategic
development locations at the edge of town, including junction 7 of
the M20 motorway;
ii. The aim of
providing 60% of new housing across the plan period on previously
developed land and through the conversion of existing
buildings
ii.New employment land allocations
to be exploited in Maidstone
Town Centre first
co-ordinated with opportunities on the most suitable greenfield
sites to provide for a suitable mix of employment
opportunitiesTo a lesser
extent at the seven rural service centres of Coxheath, Harrietsham,
Headcorn, Lenham, Marden, Staplehurst
and Yalding[14] consistent with their range of services and role;
and
iii.The creation of opportunities
to provide for local power generation Limited
development at the three larger settlements of Boughton Monchelsea,
Eyhorne Street (Hollingbourne) and
Sutton Valence where appropriate.
3. To transform the
offer, vitality and viability of the Maidstone town centre including its office,
retail, residential, further and higher education, leisure,
cultural and tourism functions together with significant
enhancement of its public realm
and to the natural and built
environment particularly in respect of including the riverside environment.
4. To
consolidate reinforce the roles of the rural
service centres through the retention of existing
services, the addition of new infrastructure where possible, and
the regeneration of employment sites at Harrietsham,
Headcorn, Lenham, Marden and
Staplehurst as the focus of the network of rural settlements with
retained existing services and regenerated employment sites
including the expansion of existing employment
sites where appropriate.
5. To support new
housing in the smaller villages that meet local needs and is
of a design, scale, character and location appropriate to the
settlement and which supports the retention of existing services
and facilities.
6. To safeguard and
maintain the character of the district’s borough’s landscapes including the Kent Downs AONB and
other distinctive local landscapes of local
value whilst facilitating the economic and social well-being of
these areas, including the diversification of the rural
economy.
7. To retain and enhance the character of the existing green and blue infrastructure and to promote linkages between areas of environmental value.
8. To ensure that new
development takes account of the need to mitigate the impacts of
climate change, implementing sustainable construction
standards for both residential and non-residential schemes.
and adapt to climate change
and also to improve air quality by locating development to minimise
the use of resources, to promote sustainable travel patterns, to
develop a greater choice of transport measures, to support water
and energy efficiency measures and to encourage renewable energy
sources and sustainable drainage solutions.
9. To ensure that new development is of high quality design, making a positive contribution to the area including protection of built and natural heritage and biodiversity.
10. To provide for future housing that meets the changing needs of the
borough’s
population including provision for an increasingly ageing
population and family housing, an appropriate tenure mix,
affordable housing, and accommodation to meet the needs of the
local Gypsy and Traveller community.
11. To ensure that key
infrastructure and service improvements needed to support delivery
of the Core Strategy Maidstone Borough Local
Plan objectives and policies are brought forward in a
coordinated and timely manner, and that
new development makes an appropriate contribution towards the
infrastructure needs arising as a result of such new
development.
The need (or otherwise) for junction 8 of the M20 motorway to assist in delivering the borough’s employment requirements will be given consideration by Members in February. This may result in an amendment to objective 2(i).
Following the decision to defer Policies SP3 and SP4, Cabinet felt it appropriate to agree the spatial vision and objectives, as amended, subject to amendments being required following the further consideration of these policies as they impact on the designation of Coxheath and Yalding as Rural Service Centres and the designation of Larger Settlements.
[1] Cabinet 13 March 2013
[2]Originally included Harrietsham, Headcorn, Lenham, Marden and Staplehurst
[3]Based on 10-year trend-based projections 2011 to 2031.
[4] There is further advice on how to prepare a SHMA. PAS published “10 key principles for owning your own housing number – finding your objectively assessed needs”, and there is an online tool “What Homes Where” which is a website set up by professional bodies, charities and trade association professionals with an interest in planning for housing.
[5] Between 15,783 dwellings and 18,560 dwellings
[6] Cabinet reports 9 February 2011, 10 August 2011 and 25 July 2012
[7]Approved by Cabinet Member for Planning, Transport and Development, via Overview & Scrutiny Committee on 22 March 2013
[8]Maidstone Borough Wide Local Plan 2000
[9] Proposal for a freestanding garden suburb, accommodating 4,500 new homes on greenfield sites located to the south east of the urban area.
[10]Kent Institute for Medicine and Surgery
[11]Core Strategy Public Consultation Draft 2011 (Regulation 18 consultation)
[12]Maidstone Community Strategy 2009-2020 (refreshed July 2013)
[13]Land allocations will be made within and adjacent to the boundaries of the urban area, rural service centres and larger settlements as defined in the Maidstone Borough Local Plan 2000. A consequence of allocating land is the amendment of boundaries so that new sites become part of those settlements. To state that allocations will be made “adjacent” to settlements implies further development would be acceptable outside settlement boundaries following adoption of the local plan.
[14]The primary development site at Yalding is the former Syngenta works, where flood mitigation measures will be an essential part of new development proposals.
Alternative options considered:
The key decision arising from the report of the Head of Planning and Development is the agreement of the borough’s objectively assessed need of 19,600 dwellings. The NPPF aims to significantly boost the supply of housing land and the basis for calculating a borough’s housing need is the most up-to-date Office for National Statistics data releases and CLG trend based population and household projections. The SHMA takes account of the latest national demographic data and has examined local factors such as migration patterns, household formation and vacancy rates. The next step is for the local authority to use its evidence base to demonstrate how (and if) it can fully meet objectively assessed need through the SHLAA, constraints mapping, infrastructure assessments and sustainability appraisal. To reject the objectively assessed need of 19,600 dwellings would result in the local plan being found unsound at examination.
Reason Key: Policies, Plans, Strategies;
Wards Affected: (All Wards);
Details of the Committee: None
Contact: Sue Whiteside Email: suewhiteside@maidstone.gov.uk Email: suewhiteside@maidstone.gov.uk.
Report author: Sue Whiteside
Publication date: 29/01/2014
Date of decision: 27/01/2014
Decided: 27/01/2014 - Cabinet.
Effective from: 06/02/2014
Accompanying Documents: