Preferred Options Local Plan

Ended on the 16 September 2016

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1. Introduction

1.1 Colchester is a diverse and growing Borough, with a vibrant town centre, attractive villages and important natural landscapes. Over the next 15 years the Borough will face many challenges, such as population growth and change, evolving economic trends and the need for more sustainable transportation. To address these challenges, Colchester Borough Council is preparing a new Local Plan to meet the needs of current and future generations whilst also protecting and enhancing the environment and people's quality of life.

1.2 The Local Plan sets out a vision, strategy, objectives and policies for planning and delivery across the borough. These are first set out at the strategic level in Part 1 of the plan, and then followed by more detailed information on Colchester in Part 2 of the plan. Taken together, these two parts of the plan combine to provide a spatial framework that brings together and co-ordinates a range of strategies prepared by the Council, its partners and other agencies and authorities. It includes policies for deciding development proposals. It takes account of projected changes in the economy, employment, housing need, transport demand, and seeks to maintain the quality of the natural and built environment as well as its historic environment. It provides the strategy and policies for shaping the borough until 2033 and beyond.

(25) Local Plan: The Process

1.3 The Borough cannot be planned in isolation. The Local Plan has been developed in the context of a range of other plans and strategies operating at the national, county, and local levels.

National planning guidance

1.4 The Local Plan must reflect the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) issued by the Secretary of State for Communities & Local Government. Further national guidance on planning policies is provided in Planning Practice Guidance (PPG). The NPPF establishes a presumption in favour of sustainable development, which the Council will implement in making its planning decisions. It is a statutory requirement for the council to produce planning policies for the Borough. The policies must comply with national planning policy unless there is overwhelming evidence to demonstrate why this is not the case.

South East Local Enterprise Partnership

1.5 To bridge the gap between the national and local levels, business-led Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) have been established across the country. The South East LEP (SELEP) includes the Colchester Borough and comprises the areas of Essex, Kent and East Sussex. Whilst the LEP has no statutory land use planning powers, it is responsible for determining local economic priorities and undertaking activities to encourage economic growth and local job creation.

1.6In July 2014, the SELEP agreed a "Growth Deal" with the Government which aims to contribute to the LEP's Strategic Economic Plan (2014) for the period 2015 to 2021, and aims to create up to 45,000 new jobs and see 23,000 new homes built across the LEP area. The Growth Deal focuses initially on transport infrastructure and meeting the skills capital requirements identified by the LEP, but also lays the foundations for increased growth across the SELEP area. Significant investment in transport infrastructure is key to facilitating growth in jobs and housing. The transport priorities relevant to Colchester Borough focus on the A120 and A12 corridors, Great Eastern Mainline, and a range of measures to support growth at Colchester Northern Gateway, Colchester Town Centre, and the Knowledge Gateway, including investment in broadband and business parks. For Colchester Borough, over Â£35 million has been secured to complete projects over the five year period to 2020-21.

County Level Plans

Essex Local Transport Plan

1.7 The Essex Local Transport Plan (2011) contains the Essex Transport Strategy (2011) and sets out the 15 year vision to improve travel in the county and underlines the importance of the transport network in achieving sustainable, long term economic growth and enriching the life of residents. It is supplemented by delivery strategies for public transport, highways, cycling and public rights of way.

Economic Plan for Essex

1.8 The Economic Plan for Essex is based on the collective ambitions of all local authorities in Essex. It identifies the steps that local partners will take together, alongside the private sector and government to accelerate local growth over the period 2014-2021 and beyond. Colchester and the Haven Gateway are identified as growth locations. The plan states the capacity of key transport corridors within Essex is a key challenge to securing growth - a challenge that partners are working together to meet. The key corridors for Colchester are A120 - Haven Gateway and A12 /Greater Eastern Main Line.

Essex Minerals Local Plan

1.9 Essex County Council is the minerals planning authority for the Borough, and is responsible for preparing planning policies, and also for assessing applications for mineral development. The Essex Minerals Local Plan (2014) is a statutory Development Plan and should be read alongside the Colchester Local Plan. The role of the Minerals Local Plan is to identify sites for the extraction of sufficient quantities of mineral within Essex to facilitate development over the Plan period.

1.10 There are active quarry sites in the Borough as well as currently unworked sand & gravel and brick clay deposits which are subject to a Minerals Safeguarding policy within the Minerals Local Plan. The safeguarding policy requires the minerals planning authority - Essex County Council - to be consulted on development proposals covering 5 hectares or more within the sand & gravel minerals safeguarding area and greater than one dwelling for the brick clay safeguarded area. The Minerals Safeguarding Areas within Colchester Borough are shown on the Policies Map. Regard should be had to the requirements of the Minerals Local Plan where a development falls within a Minerals Safeguarding Area.

1.11 The Minerals Local Plan also designates Mineral Consultation Areas at a distance of 250m around active quarries, mineral infrastructure and mineral deposits permitted for extraction. Essex County Council will be required to be consulted on all non-mineral related development within these areas.

Essex and Southend-on-Sea Waste Local Plan

1.12 Essex County Council is the waste planning authority for the Borough, and is responsible for preparing planning policies, and also for assessing applications for waste management development. The Essex and Southend-on-Sea Waste Local Plan (2001) is a statutory Development Plan which should be read alongside the Colchester Local Plan. It sets out where and how waste management developments can occur, and is the planning policy against which waste management development planning applications are assessed. A Replacement Waste Local Plan is currently being prepared and should be adopted in 2016/17. It will cover the period from 2017 to 2033.

1.13 The Replacement Waste Local Plan proposes new waste development at Bellhouse, Stanway, Fingringhoe Quarry and Wivenhoe Quarry. It also identifies Areas of Search to meet the need for additional small scale waste management facilities. These Areas of Search are existing industrial estates within the Borough, and are located away from residential and other uses sensitive to amenity impacts such as schools, retail, leisure and office development. The Plan would seek to focus any new proposals for waste management facilities, which support local housing and economic growth, within these Areas of Search.

1.14 The Plan also designates Waste Consultation Areas at a distance of 250m around waste management facilities. Essex County Council will be required to be consulted on all non-waste related development within these areas.

Borough Strategies

1.15 The Local Plan brings together the spatial elements of the following Borough strategies and provides a focus for future development.

Colchester Borough Council Strategic Plan 2015-18 This plan sets out the direction and future potential for the borough, with the aim of making the Borough a vibrant, thriving, prosperous and welcoming place.

Colchester Economic Strategy 2015-21 This plan provides an overarching vision and framework for economic interventions in Colchester, including guidance on partnership work and prioritising resources.

Duty to Co-operate

1.16 In preparing the Local Plan, the Council co-operates with a range of other bodies to ensure a co-ordinated approach in the development of its policies in line with national guidance, in the context of strategic cross-boundary matters.. These bodies include Essex County Council, the neighbouring districts of Braintree, Tendring, Maldon and Babergh, together with agencies responsible for transport, health and the environment.

1.17 Further information on the duty is provided in Part 1 of this Local Plan, which discusses the strategic approach to local plan issues across Colchester, Braintree and Tendring.

Evidence Base

1.18 Policy development goes hand in hand with the development of an evidence base of research and information. The Evidence Base contains documents from local, county and national levels. National guidance is not listed to avoid repetition, given that the Local Plan has been produced in accordance with national planning policy. The evidence gathered from the documents has been employed in the formulation of the Spatial Strategy and Policies:

1.19 Key documents making up the primary Evidence Base and available on the Council's website include:

Sustainability Appraisal - see explanation in following section

Objectively Assessed Housing Need Report - July 2015

Strategic Housing Market Assessment - December 2015

Strategic Land Availability Assessment - June 2016

Concept Feasibility Study for Garden Communities - June 2016

Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment - July 2014, updated October 2014

Employment Land Needs Assessment - January 2015

Colchester Retail Study - March 2013

Travel to Work Patterns - September 2015

Green Infrastructure Strategy - October 2011

Indoor Sports Facilities and Playing Pitch Strategies - July 2015

Water Cycle Study - June 2016

Local Wildlife Study-

Transport Modelling - June 2016

Sustainability Appraisal

1.20 Policy development has been carried out in the light of a Sustainability Appraisal, incorporating a Strategic Environmental Assessment. The Sustainability Appraisal tests the sustainability of the Plan options throughout the production process. It does this by considering how different policy choices perform against a range of 'sustainability' criteria. For example, it looks at whether policies or allocations would provide new jobs, make efficient use of land and help to improve health and wellbeing. The Sustainability Appraisal also helps to identify amendments to policies, or measure that could help to minimise any negative impacts identified and maximise the sustainability of the Local Plan.

1.21 A further part of the process is Habitats Regulations Assessment. This is the process for determining whether a plan or project will have adverse effects on a European habitat site. The Council carried out a Habitat Regulations Assessment screening opinion and concluded that a high level of growth, regardless of location, has the potential to lead to adverse effects on European sites in the Borough, primarily owing to increased levels of recreational disturbance. The next stage will be an Appropriate Assessment identifying how pressures can be mitigated which will be prepared and published alongside the submission version of the plan.

1.22 All this evidence is made publicly available. The Council will keep the evidence base under review and monitor the implementation of the Local Plan's objectives and policies. Monitoring reports on key Local Plan issues will be published on an annual basis, and will highlight whether circumstances have changed sufficiently to require a review of the Local Plan in its entirety or a review of selected policies.

(2) Local Plan: Structure of the Plan and other related documents

1.23 Development Plan Documents for Colchester will comprise:

The Local Plan setting out the overarching spatial vision for development of Colchester Borough to 2033, the broad locations for strategic growth as well as other detailed allocations and development management policies and provides the planning framework for the other Documents listed below. Part 1 outlines policy for strategic growth across North Essex, including cross-boundary Garden Communities, while Part 2 of the plan details specific policies and allocations within the Borough. The allocations provided in the plan are shown on the associated Proposals Map.
Joint Local Plans with Tendring and Braintree District Councils as appropriate which will allocate land to specific uses within Garden Communities. They will also provide relevant policy guidance, and set out policies for the management of development, against which planning applications for the development and use of land will be considered
Neighbourhood Plans - Neighbourhood Plans when adopted for different areas of Colchester will form part of the Development Plan and will guide new development for their areas.

Essex Minerals Local Plan and Essex and Southend-on-Sea Waste Local Plan, prepared by the County Council, apply to minerals and waste development matters.

(6) How to respond

You are encouraged to comment on this document. If you register to submit comments online, you can update your own contact details as needed, and you will receive e-mails informing you when new documents are available for consultation. The consultation portal can be found at http://www.colchester.gov.uk/currentconsultations

You will be asked to register or login before being able to comment but you can read consultation documents without registering.

Alternatively, you can use the following contact details to send us comments, although we would encourage respondents to use the online response forms wherever possible. If you do submit a response via email or letter which is not on the Council's response form please set out very clearly within your response which site, paragraph or policy to which your comment refer.

By email to local.plan@colchester.gov.uk

By post to: Planning Policy, Colchester Borough Council, Rowan House, 33 Sheepen Road, Colchester, CO3 3WG

All consultation responses must be received no later than 5pm on Friday 16^th September 2016.

Please note that responses which include a series of supporting documents must be received both electronically and with 3 hard copies. A summary of the response must be included within the representation if the response comprises more than 100 words.

If you have any questions about the consultation please contact the Planning Policy team on 01206 282473 or e-mail planning.policy@colchester.gov.uk

If you would like this document in an alternative format such as large print, braille or another language then please contact the Planning Policy team.

What Happens Next?

The Plan will be published for ten weeks public consultation commencing on 9^th July 2016 to enable the public and stakeholders to comment upon the draft allocations, policies and alternatives and to suggest amendments to the plan.

The Council will use the comments and suggestions that it receives on this document to help it to develop the plan. The revised plan will be the subject of the next stage of public consultation in early 2017 before it is formally submitted to the Secretary of State. An Inspector will be appointed to examine the 'soundness' of the Plan in a series of round table discussions on different issues, giving individuals and organisations the opportunity to challenge or support the Plan. If the Planning Inspector is content that the Plan is sound, then the Council can adopt the Plan, taking on board any relevant recommendations from the Inspector to change the Plan. The Council is aiming for the new Local Plan to be adopted by early 2018.