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Older Items - Planning News - Local Plan - May-16

WDC Local Plan 2017 - 2031

 

The WDC gave a briefing on the status of the new Local Plan on 18 May 16. The most relevant points were:

 

The demographic figures for population increase indicate that the WDC will have to provide 700 ~ 750 dwellings each year. Of these 500 are expected to be built in the district: the rest will be built in the Vale of Aylesbury. The duty to cooperate between councils and the constraints of the AONB and green belt let to this distribution.

 

The WDC Cabinet is prepared to fund strong defences against appeals, especially for larger developments.

 

Penelope Tollit [PT], who led the briefing, delivered a strong performance in which she emphasised high quality development and sustainability as key objectives.

 

The Draft Local Plan goes to cabinet on 6 Jun 16. Public consultation is scheduled for late Jun to early Aug. The Plan is to be endorsed by the WDC by Dec 16 and is to be submitted for inspection in Mar 17.

 

The Plan is to include Spatial Strategy which will provide a planning framework and Development Management Policies which will define specific criteria against which planning applications will be assessed.

 

The WDC is aware of the Highways England concept for a M40 J3A acting as a "Gateway to Wycombe" but as the concept is not developed it will not impact on the Plan.

 

Provisional Housing Distribution 2013-33

 

 

The WDC hopes to have a formal agreement with other councils in place by Sep 16.

 

The current shortfall in the 5 year land supply has given developers a strongpoint when claiming that the NPPF supports the presumption that development should take place unless the counter arguments prevail. The new plan envisages a 5 year supply of 3642 against a demand of 2952 giving a surplus and thus a strong counter against the presumption.

 

The envisaged distribution of new building is:

 

 

The analysis of land availability has resulted in the identification of many small sites especially in the eastern side of Wycombe.

 

The scale of proposed development in Princes Risborough is high but this has already been debated at length during the development of the PR Town Plan. The WDC argument is that PR has had no significant development in the past 40 years and it is better to have an integrated expansion, including a relief road, than piecemeal development.

 

The Wycombe district has a "massive surplus of industrial space" but an undersupply of offices and warehouses. The need for more office space in the Wycombe town centre will be identified.

 

The need for appropriate infrastructure to support the growth in population was discussed. Each development site will have to define the additional infrastructure required we were told. The disconnection between population growth and the provision of additional health services was categorised as a National Health Service problem, not a planning issue.

 

Green Belt Review.

 

We were briefed some 2 months ago on the ARUP analysis of the green belt. The WDC has worked with the other districts to analysis the sites in the green belt identified by ARUPO as potential development sites along with those proposed by developers. The sites considered and then accepted as having potential were identified on maps which will be released next week on the Planning Portal. Those of immediate interest to Marlovians are:

 

The allocation of the South West corner of Booker airfield [where the gliders operate] for employment/industrial use.

 

The intensification of use in the NE area and around the hangars.

 

Light industrial or storage use of the field to the north of the High Heavens recycling.

 

The field on the Stokenchurch Road that lies next to the last house on the left opposite Pinecroft.

 

The area between Oak Tree Road/ Barnhill Rd/ Woodland Court and Seymour Plain. This is an area of 8-0 ha and could accommodate up to 200 dwellings.

 

There was no mention of Forty Green and the fields by Bovingdon Green.

 

The overall impact on the green belt would be a reduction by about 0.05%. There would be some rationalisation to make borders more sensible.

 

Development of some 200 units I Stokenchurch in the AONB was projected.

 

Other Issues.

 

Car Parks. I asked where the planners had identified the spaces in town centres for additional off road parking necessitated by the increase in housing. PT replied that this was being addressed separately.

 

Density of Housing. Indicative density figures will be in the Plan.

 

Planning in Principle. We can expect developers to seek Planning in Principle on brownfield sites and this will be addressed in the Plan. See: www.lordswhips.org.uk/ download...

 

 

Links to information on wycombe.gov.uk:

 

www.wycombe.gov.uk... for Draft Wycombe district local plan: Marlow,
then follow the 'Draft new local plan for the Wycombe district' link on that page for more detailed information and maps.