Futures Forum: Neighbourhood Plan: Is the Sid Valley an exceptional place to live?
The latest questionnaire is now out - to see how we can make sure the Sid Valley remains so:
Futures Forum: Neighbourhood Plan: final household survey launched
The press releases for the past weeks have been focussed on specific themes in the questionnaire:
EASTERN TOWN/PORT ROYAL:
The area of Eastern Town, known
locally, as Port Royal, is arguably one of the most desirable parcels of real
estate to be up for development on the entire Jurassic coast. With its enviable
views, maritime heritage and proximity to Sidmouth town centre and Promenade,
we might reasonably expect that developers will be rubbing their hands with
glee at how the space might be developed.
To some extent, what will be
developed there is already laid out in the EDDC local plan, who will ‘Promote
a mixed-use redevelopment of the East End and Drill Hall site on the Esplanade…
Land for residential use is allocated for 30 homes (Site ED03) which will
incorporate mixed use redevelopment to including housing and community,
commercial, recreation and other uses’.
The Port Royal Scoping Study group underway on behalf of STC and EDDC has asked the Neighbourhood Plan team to provide community feedback on the Port Royal in time to be considered for the initial decisions that will be taken by STC and EDDC in July. Chair DH said “The last survey of the Neighbourhood Plan will arrive in householder’s letterboxes early this coming week and asks questions about Port Royal and what residents would like to see included in the development.”
The Port Royal Scoping Study group underway on behalf of STC and EDDC has asked the Neighbourhood Plan team to provide community feedback on the Port Royal in time to be considered for the initial decisions that will be taken by STC and EDDC in July. Chair DH said “The last survey of the Neighbourhood Plan will arrive in householder’s letterboxes early this coming week and asks questions about Port Royal and what residents would like to see included in the development.”
Eastern Town is the area east of Fore
Street and High Street, north along the River up to The Byes, including Port
Royal, the riverside Ham green and boat park, the swimming pool and the various
car parks.
The results of past Neighbourhood Plan surveys have showed that those residents who responded had no major disagreement with
the EDDC Local Plan proposals for the area, and believed that it should be
redeveloped to provide an attractive area for residents and visitors.
Most respondents wanted the Port
Royal area to reflect Sidmouth’s coastal heritage by retaining sea based
activities like sailing and fishing. They envisaged that the mixed development
should include a space for cultural and community events, should be of high
quality and suggested well designed development including Retail and
Restaurants
It is clear that any development of
this area will be largely dependent on commercial funding. The current study,
“The Port Royal Scoping Study” is looking into the constraints on the area - landownership
and current uses. It is also looking at outline scenarios for development and
the necessary funding and its likelihood
For development to proceed, there
might have to be a tradeoff between what is thought desirable for the area and
what is financially possible.
Deirdre Hounsom said:
“The emerging Neighbourhood Plan when made, can influence several aspects of
any development such as the height of new buildings, the architectural style
and even for example specify the types of materials to be used. This latest
survey will provide further evidence of residents hopes and wishes for this
important development including the type of housing, transport and parking, and
community spaces.”
___________________________________________________________________________
For
further information contact Deirdre Hounson, Chair, Sid Valley Neighbourhood
Plan at Deirdre Hounsom d.hounsom@hotmail.com or by phone: 07970 814568
Futures Forum: Neighbourhood Plan: final household survey launched > and the Port Royal Scoping Study
BUILT AND NATURAL ENVIRONMENTS:
Earlier in the week the final survey of the Sid Valley Neighbourhood
Plan was mailed to all households in the Sid Valley. This week, The Herald
looks at the questions related to our built environment and natural surroundings
which together create our enviable town and landscapes, attracting people to
visit, live and work here.
SVNP Chair Deirdre Hounsom said “The Vision Statement, which is
published on our website, was inspired by the feedback we received from over
1100 residents who completed the first Household Questionnaire. In it, we state
that the community vision is one which ‘conserves and enhances our enviable picturesque
location on the Jurassic Coast. It nurtures and promotes the ambience of our
community to which both residents and visitors connect… Appropriate
developments should complement and protect our natural environment whilst
improving the existing built environment in our town and villages in both scale
and character.’
Our consultations over the past year confirm beyond doubt that residents
cherish the special nature of the Sid Valley so we need to produce planning
policies which protect our unique towns, villages and countryside from
unwelcome types of change. People are concerned to ensure that effective
measures are in place to control any development within the Area of Natural
Beauty (AONB) and Policies should also focus on protecting our public open places
such as parklands, the Byes, the Knowle, Blackmore and Connaught Gardens, all
of which enhance our quality of life”
She continued: “One of the questions in the current survey asks if it’s
important to retain the historic appearance and distinctiveness of the Sid
Valley and whether the Neighbourhood Plan should produce specific design
guidance for all future developments. To retain the stunning views of the
townscape and countryside it was felt the height and spread of any new
developments should respect the character and scale of the existing neighbourhood
for which it is intended.
We are also asking residents to comment on ‘settlement creep’ outside
the Built-Up Area Boundaries as, beyond these areas, development is only
allowed in exceptional circumstances. A Neighbourhood Plan principle for development
of “brown field” sites first before approval of any new out-of-town
applications might be another recommendation. Maps illustrating the Sidmouth
and Sidford Built-Up Area Boundaries and position within the AONB which
encircles Sidmouth can be viewed on the new Neighbourhood Plan website:
We are also seeking views on a range of issues affecting our natural
environment, for example the loss of natural wildlife habitats, maintenance of the
valley’s tree canopy, and minimising future light pollution.
Futures Forum: Neighbourhood Plan: final household survey launched > getting the balance of the Sid Valley's natural and built environments right
HOUSING: TRANSPORT: ECONOMIC RESILIENCE:
This week, we discuss the
background to three topics covered in the final Neighbourhood Plan
questionnaire: Housing, Transport, and Economic Resilience.
What is Neighbourhood Planning?
Almost anything that uses land and needs planning permission can go into
a Neighbourhood Plan, giving communities
the power to create a shared vision and decide the future for development and
growth for their local areas. After public consultations, the approval of a
draft plan and a final referendum, this vision is consolidated in a statutory
plan which lasts for 15 years.
The provisions of a Neighbourhood Plan cannot
override the provisions of the Local Plan, but can influence such things as
where new homes, shops and offices are to be built, what those new buildings
should look like and what infrastructure should be provided in support.
Local councillors approve or reject planning applications at a planning
committee and must base their decision both on the bigger picture within the Local
Plan, existing regulations/legislation and the more detailed provisions
contained in an adopted Neighbourhood Plan. In combination, these statutory
implements lay down a strong vision for how a town or village will look like for
many years to come.
Housing
Councillor Michael Earthey commented: “The EDDC Local Plan has allocated
150 homes within the Sid Valley located at the Knowle (50), Eastern Town (30) and
the Manstone depot (20). This is a
minimum total of 100 with further windfall number as yet unknown – although 50 are planned. Strategy 34
of the Local Plan requires 50% of new build to be affordable housing. Strategy 21 further states that new builds
must meet first and foremost the needs of local people.
Our consultations so far have
given an indication of the type of housing and tenure that the residents of the
Sid Valley would like. It’s evident that sustainable growth is welcomed by
residents, with housing policies that meet the needs of both our current and
future population. This final Questionnaire
will confirm these findings and provide us with significant new data aimed at
measuring real future demand. We will then have solid evidence to enable
policies to be written that will ensure realistic levels of expansion of the
housing stock.
We know there is a need in the Sid Valley for a gradual but sensitive increase
in housing numbers to enable the continued growth and vitality of the Valley,
and obviously we have limited land within the Built-Up Area Boundaries on which
we can build. This final survey will ask people for their views on a range of
issues, for example the number and type of houses we will need by size, tenure
and ownership, and whether they are in favour of development within AONB land.
We need to write policies which
meet both needs and aspirations of the Sid Valley, and provide for future
viability and economic success. The survey asks whether affordable housing
should only be sold to people who have links with the Sid Valley area. We will
also be looking at the number of second homes, currently approximately 341, and
a policy will be formulated to ensure that second homes do not remain empty for
most of the year. This can only apply however to new build homes and cannot be
the subject to retrospective action.”
The EDDC local plan makes limited provision
for transport improvements. Included are mention of Park and Ride provision,
and upgrade of, or new access to the Alexandria Road Industrial Estate.
Significantly for Sidmouth, EDDC plan, “working with partners, to reduce the
impact of traffic on the town centre, opening up potential for further
pedestrianisation. “
Steering Group member Claire Russell
said: “How we travel through our community impacts on our health and wellbeing,
safety, community cohesion, the environment and other people. If our transport
routes can be improved we can all benefit. We need an integrated transport
system in the Sid Valley which offers safe routes for motorised vehicles,
mobility scooters, bicycles, skateboards and pedestrians for both locals and
visitors of all ages.”
The current, final survey seeks to
gauge resident’s support for these EDCC plans to lay the groundwork for
effective collaboration as the Local Plan initiatives start to take shape. It
asks for views on a safe pedestrian/cycle crossing over the A3052 to link with
existing and future cycle and walking trails, and the proposed shared-use
pathway from Sidford to Sidbury. Also opinions are sought on a requirement for
shared-use paths on all new housing developments, with links to existing paths
in the Sid Valley.
Economic Resilience
Peter Murphy, Economic Resilience Theme leader, commented:
“The Business and Special Interest Groups survey earlier in the year
provided us with a large amount of feedback on a wide range of issues relevant
to our continued economic prosperity. In this final survey, we seek to
establish levels of community support for relevant coverage in the EDDC local
plan, for example measures and projects aimed at increasing our attractiveness
as a visitor destination, extending our tourist season, and improvements to the
availability and quality of offices and retail space.
We ask for residents’ views on measures we might take to create
employment opportunities and encourage start-up businesses especially with a
view to encouraging young people to stay in the Sid Valley. In a sense, issues
related to our economic vitality are implicit in many of the questions we ask
in this final survey, recognising that for people to want to visit, live, work
and set up business here, we have to both keep it vibrant, and make progress to
keep pace with modern expectations. Our Vision Statement is explicit on this:
‘Our vision is of a Sid Valley that
maintains and promotes its rural coastal beauty and welcoming community, and
advances its appeal to young and old through providing a vibrant diverse
economy which supports a high quality of living, working and visiting.’”
The new Neighbourhood Plan website: www.sidvalleyneighbourhoodplan.com
Early response to the Survey is running high, and the Steering Group are
hoping for maximum community response to this final survey to help inform the
evidence base on which the foundations of our Draft Plan can be built.” The
survey closes on 30th June 2017.
Futures Forum: Neighbourhood Plan: final household survey launched > housing, transport and economic resilience
See also:
Sid Valley Neighbourhood Plan – Shaping our Future Together
.
.
.
No comments:
Post a Comment