Tiptree Neighbourhood Plan
(7) Vision and Objectives
Challenges for Tiptree
Tiptree Neighbourhood Plan seeks to address, as far as possible, the challenges and opportunities that face the community. Over 1000 responses were received through the community consultation and the challenges that were identified are summarised below:
- Village Identity: 84% of respondents to the community questionnaire wish Tiptree to continue to be known as a village. Its size, character and rural setting are valued. Future development must retain that 'feel' and character and not impose a town-scape or mass urbanisation.
- Traffic Flow: Tiptree is sited on a busy crossroads and there is a strong desire to relieve traffic at certain 'pressure points', particularly in Church Road which is the shopping and commercial centre of the village. For this reason the areas favoured by the community for development are to the north and west of the village primarily to allow access to the major routes without creating additional traffic in Church Road.
- A12 access: Two routes connect Tiptree to the A12. Both include narrow bridges that cause delays at busy periods, the route via Feering contains a T junction that can be hard to turn out of and the other at Rivenhall has a minimal slip road onto the A12. As the village grows the need for better connections to the A12 is becoming critical.
- Open Space: 66% of respondents to the community questionnaire consider that there is insufficient publicly accessible open space around Tiptree. There is also a strong desire to protect our valuable wildlife areas and 65% of the respondents would like to see some form of country park established in the Tiptree area.
- Village Centre: Comments focus on increasing the variety of shops, providing places to eat and drink in an evening, providing additional parking for cars and cycles, reducing through traffic (especially HGVs) and environmental improvements such as pedestrianised areas, seats and flowerbeds.
- f. Essential services: There is a regular bus service between Maldon and Colchester that is considered 'adequate' by most, although the service no longer extends into the evening. However most respondents consider the service to Kelvedon and Witham (including the railway stations) to be inadequate and, for those who travel to the stations by car, car parking can be difficult. There is an expressed desire to see improvements in leisure facilities, eating facilities, dental and health centre provision. 1 in 10 respondents have been unable to register with a dentist in Tiptree and 47% have found it difficult to get an urgent appointment at the Health Centre.
Vision for Tiptree
In consultation with the community, the following vision for Tiptree was established:
Vision for Tiptree in 2033
'Our vision is to retain an attractive village feel to Tiptree with a close relationship to its heritage and surrounding countryside. We want to strengthen the supportive community at the heart of Tiptree through sympathetic development whilst at the same time developing a thriving rural centre with a sustainable economy and a robust infrastructure to meet the needs of the community.'
Neighbourhood Plan Objectives
In order to deliver the Vision for Tiptree, the Neighbourhood Plan seeks to address the following objectives:
Objectives of the Tiptree Neighbourhood Plan
SPATIAL STRATEGY
Objective 1: To deliver development in keeping with the village feel and identity of Tiptree. Objective 2: To value and protect our heritage, including natural habitats and biodiversity.
Objective 3: To promote sensitive development that protects and enriches the landscape, biodiversity and the existing settlement whilst meeting the ongoing needs of the community.
Objective 4: To seek on-going improvements to transport, to utility infrastructure and to digital connectivity. Objective 5: To prioritise local distinctiveness in every element of change and growth.
Objective 6: To define clearly a revised settlement boundary for Tiptree.
HOMES AND HOUSING
Objective 7: To Deliver a housing growth strategy tailored to the needs and context of Tiptree.
Objective 8: To identify and allocate sites to support the construction and delivery of 600 homes by 2033. Objective 9: To include variety and choice to meet existing and future needs in terms of housing type and tenure.
Objective 10: To promote developments with sufficient off-road parking, front gardens and varied housing densities and styles as befits Tiptree's rural community.
Objective 11: To integrate green 'corridors' for foot and cycle paths, recreation and wildlife into new developments.
Objective 12: To focus development in the north and west of the village where access to main routes will minimise the impacts on the village centre.
TRAFFIC AND MOVEMENT
Objective 13: To ensure vehicular access to new estates does not create congestion or compromise pedestrian safety.
Objective 14: To avoid increased congestion on existing roads and junctions in and around Tiptree by focusing development to the north and west edge of the village.
Objective 15: To promote steady and safe traffic flow through the village centre in order to help maintain a viable shopping centre.
Objective 16: To promote the provision of cycleways and footpaths from new developments to existing village amenities including the village centre.
Objective 17: To improve access to Kelvedon and Witham railway stations and the A12 north and south.
Objective 18: In the long term to relieve traffic on Church Road.
VILLAGE CENTRE
Objective 19: To maintain and improve a safe, welcoming and attractive village centre. Objective 20: To sustain and improve the local facilities for existing and new residents.
Objective 21: To promote the provision of sufficient essential services and shops as close to the village centre as possible to service the community.
Objective 22: To facilitate the relocation of other trades that choose to move away from the centre to make way for village centre amenities.
Objective 23: To promote sufficient public car parking spaces in the village centre.
Objective 24: To improve pedestrian and mobility vehicle accessibility and safety for all users.
COMMERCIAL ACTIVITY
Objective 25: To strengthen and support local economic activity and local economic areas. Objective 26: To encourage small businesses and local employment.
Objective 27: To promote accessible business park(s) for new and existing businesses.
COUNTRYSIDE AND GREEN SPACES
Objective 28: To protect existing greenspace, the landscape character and support biodiversity net gain and the enhancement of the natural environment.
Objective 29: To protect and enhance local wildlife sites and other valued habitats in the surrounding area. Objective 30: To deliver additional green space with public access as part of new developments in Tiptree and space to roam in beautiful surroundings.
Objective 31: To establish a country park for Tiptree.
In this section the overall vision for Tiptree has been set out together with the objectives that have been derived from community consultation, in particular the analysis of the community questionnaire responses. In the sections that follow, the policies to support and deliver the vision and objectives are set out under the following topics:
Spatial Strategy
Homes and Housing
Traffic and Movement
Tiptree Village Centre
Commercial Activity
Community Infrastructure
Site Allocations
Countryside and Green Spaces
The Historic Environment
In each section the relevant objectives addressed by the topic are set out. These are followed by explanatory text that sets out the context and justification for the policies that follow. The Policies themselves are contained within green boxes. These policies are the primary policy instrument within the Neighbourhood Plan. They promote sustainable development within the Neighbourhood Plan designated area. They are to be considered prioritised and in line with the intentions of higher planning policy as well as the local community.
Tiptree Policies Map
The Tiptree Policies Map on the following pages delineates the site specific policies and is referred to in the policies that follow.
Tiptree Policies Map – Detail of site allocations