Northumberland Local Plan
Core Strategy Update
Riding Mill Parish Council
28 April 2014
Steve Robson – Senior Planning Officer
www.northumberland.gov.uk
Copyright 2009 Northumberland County Council
Preferred Options Consultation
• Preferred Options (Stage 1)
– February to March 2013
– Drop in/ workshops and T&PC sessions attended by
almost 550 people
– 4,518 comments from 635 people/ organisations;
• Preferred Options (Stage 2)
– October 2013 to January 2014
– Drop in/ workshops and T&PC sessions attended by
almost 1,200 people
– 11,662 comments from 1,792 people/ organisations
www.northumberland.gov.uk
Copyright 2009 Northumberland County Council
On-going evidence work
• Updating evidence:
• Housing – Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment
(SHLAA) and Strategic Housing Market Assessment
(SHMA)
• Economy - Economic forecasts, Employment Land Review
• Technical papers
• Strategic sites assessments / Green Belt assessments
• Renewable energy - Impact of operational wind farms and
tourism impact study
• Water cycle study and Strategic Flood Risk Assessment
• Infrastructure study
• Whole plan viability work… etc!!!
www.northumberland.gov.uk
Copyright 2009 Northumberland County Council
On-going discussions
• Adjoining local authorities
• Statutory consultees
• Town and Parish Councils
– Individual discussions where requested
– Feedback sessions
•
•
•
•
Neighbourhood Plan Groups
Green Belt Groups
AONB
Home Builders Federation
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Copyright 2009 Northumberland County Council
Strategic approach to housing
Extending choice across Northumberland’s
housing markets to:
• Reduce the levels of working age people moving out
Increase the numbers of working age people moving in
• Strengthen the labour force
• Help re-balance and re-energise the resident population
• Provide affordable housing
• Assist in the provision for housing for older people and
vulnerable groups
• Maintain and enhance local services
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Copyright 2009 Northumberland County Council
Scale and distribution - housing
Tested a range of scenarios:
– Top down – level of development required to meet
objectively assessed needs
– Bottom up – impact at a lower level
Level of development (2011-31) – 24,310
•
•
•
•
South East Delivery Area
Central Delivery Area
North Delivery Area
West Delivery Area
12,820
6,270
3,740
1,480
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Copyright 2009 Northumberland County Council
Housing distribution – Central
Delivery Area
Main Towns
• Hexham 900
• Morpeth 1500
• Prudhoe 1000
Rest of Delivery Area
Service centres
• Corbridge
300
• Ponteland
850
1720
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Copyright 2009 Northumberland County Council
Housing - feedback
• Objection from some local communities that the
level is too high – based on aspiration not need
• Concern from some local communities over the
population modeling and scenarios
• Development industry consider level should be
higher and the distribution is not correct – more
required in Central Area
• General support for approach to most growth in
Main Towns, followed by Service Centres, then
rural areas
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Copyright 2009 Northumberland County Council
Affordable housing - approach
• Overall target for the provision of 30% affordable
housing across Northumberland
• Contribution required for all open market
residential development proposals of 2 or more
units – where there is a need
• Presumption that affordable housing will be
provided on site
• Where there are viability concerns the developer
would be required to demonstrate it is an issue
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Copyright 2009 Northumberland County Council
Affordable housing - feedback
• Clarification required on how the 30% target will
be achieved
• Concern from developers that the target is not
deliverable or viable
• Support from parishes and local communities for
clear mechanisms to require developers to
deliver affordable housing where there is a need
• Concern about viability in rural areas
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Copyright 2009 Northumberland County Council
Green Belt
• Boundaries should only be altered in exceptional
circumstances - through Local Plan preparation;
• In order to deliver the strategy there is a need to
review boundaries around:
– Hexham, Prudhoe, Ponteland and some small
settlements along the Tyne Valley;
• Methodology to identify appropriate sites
• Main Towns and Service centres boundaries to
be reviewed in Core Strategy, other settlements
in the Delivery Document
www.northumberland.gov.uk
Copyright 2009 Northumberland County Council
Green Belt - feedback
• Rationale and strategy does not constitute
special circumstances for Green Belt releases
• Concern that appropriate alternatives have not
been consulted upon
• Concern that review of boundaries around
smaller settlements may result in unwanted
growth
• Developers consider the boundaries around all
settlements should be reviewed through the
Core Strategy
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Copyright 2009 Northumberland County Council
Emerging Policy – Riding Mill
• Identified as an ‘other settlement’ in the
Central Delivery Area
• ‘Other settlements’ proposed to
accommodate 1,720 dwellings over the
plan period
• Riding Mill within Corbridge ‘small area’
with 300 dwellings proposed
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Copyright 2009 Northumberland County Council
Emerging Policy – Riding Mill
In ‘other settlements’ CSPO1 document
supports development which:
• Is of an appropriate scale for the settlement
• Maintains and enhances local services and
facilities
• Meets defined needs
• Protects the countryside from widespread new
development
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Copyright 2009 Northumberland County Council
Emerging Policy – Riding Mill
• The Delivery Document or Neighbourhood Plan
will (if required) allocate sites for housing in
Riding Mill
• If Green Belt review around Riding Mill is
required this will be done in Delivery Document
• NCC would welcome working with the Parish
Council to determine the location of
development and any Green Belt review
• Without Green Belt review affordable housing
could be delivered on rural exception sites
www.northumberland.gov.uk
Copyright 2009 Northumberland County Council
Next steps
• Prepare and Consult on a full draft Core
Strategy – Summer 2014
• Consult on a submission draft Core Strategy Autumn 2014
• Submission - Winter 2014
• Examination - Spring 2015
• Adoption - Summer 2015
• On-going work on other elements of the Plan
– Community Infrastructure Levy
– Delivery Document
www.northumberland.gov.uk
Copyright 2009 Northumberland County Council