Northumberland Local Plan Core Strategy Update Riding Mill Parish Council 28 April 2014

1. Northumberland Local Plan Core Strategy Update Riding Mill Parish Council 28 April 2014 Steve Robson – Senior Planning Officer

2. 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

3. 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!!!

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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 12,820 • Central Delivery Area 6,270 • North Delivery Area 3,740 • West Delivery Area 1,480

7. Housing distribution – Central Delivery Area Main Towns • Hexham 900 • Morpeth 1500 • Prudhoe 1000 Service centres • Corbridge 300 • Ponteland 850 Rest of Delivery Area 1720

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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