The Local Plan

The Stevenage District Plan Second Review, 1991 – 2011 is a complete review of the Stevenage District Plan Review, Adopted 1994.

It will therefore become the statutory District Plan once it is adopted and together with the Hertfordshire County Structure Plan will form the Development Plan for Stevenage.

There is a need to review the Plan as there have been a significant number of changes since the District Plan was prepared and adopted.

These changes include:

(a) a new regional strategy for the South East has been produced by the South East Regional Planning Conference (SERPLAN) and this has been incorporated into the Regional Planning Guidance Note for the South East (RPG9) which was published by the Department of the Environment in March 1994;

(b) the County Council has adopted a new Structure Plan for the period up to 2011;

(c) a number of new and revised Planning Policy Guidance Notes (PPGs) have been published which have updated government advice on planning issues;

(d) environmental issues have increased in significance and there is now a need for development plans to help in ensuring that future growth and development is sustainable; and

(e) Section 54A of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended) has given increased prominence to the development plan and the preparation of district wide local plans is now a statutory requirement.

It is also a statutory requirement to keep the Plan up to date. A full review of the Stevenage District Plan Review, 1994 is therefore necessary to provide an up to date framework for planning and controlling development in Stevenage for the period up to 2011.

Scope of the Plan

The District Plan is a land use planning document and it cannot include policies or proposals which are not related to the development or use of land. The text of the Plan may mention issues, concerns and non land use considerations which may have been taken into account in drafting the Plan.

Issues which are outside the scope of the planning legislation and guidance cannot be included as specific policies or proposals.

Timescale

This Plan covers the period up to 2011 in accordance with the Hertfordshire Structure Plan Review 1991 – 2011, Adopted 1998.

Stages of the District Plan Review

This deposit draft of the Stevenage District Plan Second Review has been prepared following extensive public consultations in 1998. The report of consultations accompanies this Deposit Draft Plan. Many of the issues raised in the consultations have been addressed in this Plan, along with new issues that have arisen since. This Plan is now being placed on Deposit for formal representations to be made.

Town Wide Policies - A Strategy for the District Plan Introduction

The key issues which the overall strategy for the District Plan must address are: explicitly for the first time, sustainability; those matters which the County Structure Plan Review Approved 1998 (the Structure Plan) emphasises and are relevant to Stevenage; government guidance; and those issues which the Borough Council considers important in terms of land use planning policies. Policies relating to issues of Town-wide significance are set out in this chapter. Policies relating to specific land allocations and specific topics are set out in the following chapters. A key element of this District Plan is the incorporation of the principles of sustainable development into the policies of the Plan. Sustainable development was defined by the World Commission (Bruntland definition) as: "Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs or aspirations". Being the first new town, Stevenage is at the forefront of creation of planned settlements. It provides opportunities for housing, leisure, employment and retailing close to home to meet peoples’ needs. The housing areas are based on neighbourhoods with everyday facilities within a short walking distance. It has an extensive segregated cycle way network that reduces reliance on the car for journeys within the Town. There are facilities for public transport (bus and rail) which converge in the Town Centre and this again helps to reduce dependency on the private car. All of these are important factors in providing a good quality of life for residents in the Town whilst minimising the impact on the worlds non renewable resources. The main issues which must be addressed by the Town-wide strategy are: to provide land for a wide range of development requirements and facilities to meet local needs - for housing (including affordable housing), employment, shopping, social, community and leisure uses; to provide a framework for the Stevenage West development; to maintain and enhance the urban structure of the Town in terms of the built form, the natural environment and the open spaces whilst providing development opportunities; to maintain the neighbourhood structure of the Town and thus the local service provision within each neighbourhood including open space, social, community and leisure facilities and local shopping; to maintain and enhance the sub-regional role of the Town, thus providing a wide range of shopping and leisure facilities; and to maintain and enhance the quality of the environment. Within the elements of the Town-wide strategy set out in (a) to (f) above there is obviously a need to provide a balance between protecting the environment and ensuring that local needs are met. It is the purpose of this Plan to ensure that this balance is maintained. The development promoted in the Structure Plan at Stevenage West lies partly within the Borough of Stevenage and partly in North Hertfordshire. One of the major considerations of the County Council in identifying this site, and supported by the Examination In Public (EIP) Panel, was the suitability of this location for a strategic housing allocation and the opportunities for a sustainable form of development integrated with Stevenage. Policies throughout this Plan apply to the development which are supplemented by specific policies in the Stevenage West Chapter. In all cases, policies in the Plan should be read in conjunction with all other relevant policies. For ease of use only, specific cross references are identified (, but this does not imply that these are the only cross referenced policies or links here are stronger than elsewhere in the Plan.

SUSTAINABILITY AND MEETING LOCAL NEEDS One of the main elements of the District Plan strategy is to meet local needs, not only in the provision of housing, jobs, leisure, community, shopping and transport services but also in terms of protecting the environment. To meet these needs this Plan will guide and allocate the scarce resource of land as effectively as possible. As the physical development of the Town is limited by its administrative boundary it is essential that a balance is maintained between competing land uses. This Plan has specifically allocated land to meet local needs, this is based on the presumption that land and buildings already existing in particular uses will, in the main, continue in such uses. This does not mean that changes to the use of land or buildings not allocated in this Plan will in all cases be refused. However, it is necessary to ensure that in the main existing land uses are maintained and that changes other than those specifically allocated in this Plan should be minimised. Sustainability is not only about minimising the impact on the environment, it relates to meeting peoples’ needs, now and in the future. In the development of this Plan a considerable amount of public consultation has been undertaken through focus groups, market research and the "Key Issues for Public Consultation" document. This approach accords with Structure Plan Policy 3, ‘Comprehensive Settlement Appraisals’.

POLICY TW1 : SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT The Policies in this plan seek to enable activities and development in Stevenage to be carried out consistently with the principles of sustainable development and the general aims set out in Policy 1 of the Hertfordshire County Structure Plan REVIEW 1991 - 2011.

URBAN STRUCTURE Other major elements in the strategy of the District Plan are the maintenance of the urban structure of the Town (minimising "town cramming") and integrating the development at Stevenage West with the existing Town. This will ensure that the inherent quality of the environment of Stevenage is maintained and enhanced. The New Town was planned using the principle of neighbourhood development which provided the residents of Stevenage with a unique living environment. Therefore local facilities for shopping, social, education, community and leisure activities are provided within each neighbourhood. In addition, the development of the Town was based on broad landscape and open space policies. The Master Plans incorporated existing natural land forms and landscaping into the development thus determining the form of the Town. These areas need to be maintained and enhanced to ensure they continue to play their role within the urban structure of the Town. Several of the open spaces also serve to alleviate the risk of flooding, storing and controlling surface water run off. The Environment and Leisure and Recreation Chapters of this Plan identify specific elements of the urban structure of the Town such as areas of "Principal Open Space" and woodlands which form significant landscape features or form "Green Links". Policies to protect all these individual elements are included in the relevant chapters. It is, however, necessary to provide a Town-wide policy relating to all the elements which make up the urban structure of the Town so avoiding over-development through "town cramming", enabling the protection of open spaces and maintaining the natural environment. There will be specific cases where individual elements of the urban structure serve more than one purpose. An example is the water meadows in the Town which are both important areas of open space, of nature conservation value and essential to the operations of the water authorities. Where this is the case, it is not the purpose of the Town-wide Urban Structure policy to restrict the ability of the statutory undertaker to fulfil their obligations in relation to surface water management. However, should such areas of open space become surplus to operational requirements, their importance in terms of the urban structure of the Town will still be vital.

POLICY TW2 : URBAN STRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS WILL NOT BE PERMITTED WHICH INVOLVE THE LOSS OF DESIGNATED OPEN SPACE OR NATURAL ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURES WHICH FORM PART OF THE URBAN STRUCTURE OF THE TOWN AND WHICH FULFIL ANY ONE OF THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA: (A) A SIGNIFICANT LANDSCAPE FEATURE OR OF SIGNIFICANT LANDSCAPE QUALITY; OR (B) PART OF AN INTEGRAL GREEN LINK WITHIN OR THROUGH THE TOWN AS DEFINED IN POLICY EN10; OR (C) PROVIDES AN IMPORTANT TOWN-WIDE, LOCAL OPEN SPACE OR AMENITY AREA, EITHER IN TERMS OF ECOLOGICAL VALUE OR AS AN INFORMAL OR FORMAL OPEN SPACE FOR LEISURE OR RECREATION; OR (D) AN IMPORTANT VISUAL OR PHYSICAL FEATURE IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OR THE TOWN; OR (E) HAS PARTICULAR HISTORIC OR OTHER SPECIAL CHARACTERISTICS; OR (F) PROVIDES THE OPPORTUNITY FOR PUBLIC LEISURE OR RECREATIONAL PURPOSES WHICH ARE NEEDED IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OR TOWN-WIDE; OR (G) FORMS PART OF THE SYSTEM OF WATER MEADOWS, WATER STORAGE PONDS OR IS WITHIN FLOOD PLAINS AS DEFINED BY THE ENVIRONMENT AGENCY; OR (H) UNDERMINES THE PLANNED NEIGHBOURHOOD LAYOUT OF THE TOWN OR RESULTS IN THE LOSS OF COMMUNITY FACILITIES. ( Policy EN10 NEIGHBOURHOODS The development of the Town was based on the neighbourhood principle. It therefore provides residents with local shopping, services, leisure, social and community facilities within their immediate vicinity. It is part of the strategy of this Plan to ensure that the principle of neighbourhoods is retained and such facilities continue to be provided. Since their inception, changes in lifestyles and their role has altered significantly. Specific policies on the provision of services and community facilities are in the relevant chapters, but in general, the Borough Council will resist the loss of any part of the neighbourhood provision unless it is satisfied there is no local need for the facility. However, the Borough Council will wish to ensure that any loss of community or social facilities on a town-wide or neighbourhood basis does not have a detrimental effect on the provision of that service.

POLICY TW3 : EXISTING NEIGHBOURHOOD FACILITIES DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS WILL NOT BE PERMITTED WHICH INVOLVE THE LOSS OF NEIGHBOURHOOD FACILITIES EXCEPT WHERE IT IS PROVEN THAT THERE IS EITHER NO NEED FOR THE FACILITY OR NO DEMAND FOR ALTERNATIVE SOCIAL, COMMUNITY, EDUCATION OR LEISURE USES.

POLICY TW4 : NEW NEIGHBOURHOOD CENTRES MAJOR NEW RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENTS SHOULD PROVIDE A NEIGHBOURHOOD CENTRE OR ENHANCE EXISTING PROVISION. THE SUB - REGIONAL ROLE The Town has a sub-regional role in terms of shopping and leisure services. This means that there is a wider range, type and size of service related to shopping and leisure uses than would usually be provided in relation to the size of the Town. In performing this role it therefore provides facilities for a larger number of people than those living in the Town and enables residents of Stevenage to have a wider choice and range of services. To a certain extent the Town Centre’s sub-regional role has declined over the past twenty years with new forms of retailing and developments in nearby towns. The Council is keen to ensure that its sub-regional role is strengthened. The role of the Town as a sub-regional centre has implications in terms of services to be provided and car parking requirements to maintain this role and these will be considered in detail in later chapters. However, in general terms the Borough Council is committed to maintaining the Town's sub-regional role. Over the past decade the Town's sub-regional role has been threatened by the development of other sub-regional centres, as well as improved transport and changes to shopping patterns. This has resulted in people travelling further to shop, contrary to the principles of sustainability. The Council is committed to retaining and enhancing the Town's sub-regional role and promoting town centre regeneration as set out in detail in the Town Centre and Retail Chapter. Stevenage is also a sub-regional employment centre, as the wide range of companies located in the Town’s employment areas and other commercial areas provide jobs not only for Stevenage’s residents but also for people living in the wider area around the Town. Stevenage is one of the few towns in Hertfordshire that has a balance between in and out commuting for employment. In the interests of sustainable development and retaining the Town’s sub-regional employment role, the Borough Council will seek to ensure that this balance is maintained. The Employment Chapter sets out how the Plan will contribute towards this objective.

POLICY TW5 : SUB - REGIONAL ROLE OF STEVENAGE DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS WHICH ENHANCE AND SUPPORT THE ROLE OF THE TOWN AS A SUB-REGIONAL CENTRE FOR SHOPPING, EMPLOYMENT AND LEISURE WILL BE PERMITTED SUBJECT TO THERE BEING NO DETRIMENTAL EFFECT ON THE LOCAL ENVIRONMENT. THE ENVIRONMENT Detailed environmental issues are dealt with in Chapter 7 of this Plan. However there are two general environmental issues which are key elements in the strategy for this Plan. One concerns the protection of open land around the edges of the Town and relates to the definition of the inner Green Belt boundary around Stevenage. The second relates to the need to safeguard the environment by ensuring that where development does take place, certain standards and criteria are adhered to, thus providing the highest possible standard of development. Green Belt The general area of the Metropolitan Green Belt is defined in the Structure Plan and extends around London for some 12-15 miles, with limited extensions along the main radial transport corridors. One of these radial extensions is along the A1(M) and extends northwards beyond Stevenage. This means that the Green Belt surrounds Stevenage, although the main urban area is excluded. PPG2 sets out the purposes for Green Belts as: (a) to check the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas; (b) to prevent neighbouring towns from merging into one another; (c) to assist in safeguarding the countryside from encroachment; (d) to preserve the setting and special character of historic towns; and (e) to assist in urban regeneration, by encouraging the recycling of derelict and other urban land. In PPG2 the Government states that it attaches great importance to the Green Belt and reaffirms its primary characteristic as one of permanence and its protection as essential. Adjustments to the Green Belt boundary are included in this Plan and are referred to and explained in paragraphs 2.6.8 – 2.6.11. For the purposes of controlling development in the Green Belt, in the Area of Special Restraint and in the Local Rural Areas, it is necessary to provide three general policies. The Green Belt policy is in accordance with that set out in Structure Plan Policy 5 and the criteria in PPG 2.

POLICY TW6 : GREEN BELT WITHIN THE GREEN BELT, EXCEPT IN VERY SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES, PLANNING PERMISSION WILL NOT BE GRANTED FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF NEW BUILDINGS, FOR THE CHANGE OF USE OR RE-USE OF EXISTING BUILDINGS OR LAND FOR PURPOSES OTHER THAN: (A) AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY; OR (B) OUTDOOR SPORT; OR (C) CEMETERIES; OR (D) LIMITED EXTENSION, ALTERATION OR REPLACEMENT OF EXISTING DWELLINGS; OR (E) OTHER USES APPROPRIATE TO A RURAL AREA. Area Of Special Restraint The concept of safeguarding land between the urban area and the Green Belt which may be required to meet longer term development needs beyond the Plan period, is set out in central government advice. This review of the District Plan has considered the designation of such areas, which are to be named "Areas Of Special Restraint" (ASR). One ASR is shown on the Proposals Map to the east of North Road. Within the ASR development within the plan period will only be permitted for those uses that would be permitted in the Green Belt and that do not prejudice its ability to be used for other development beyond the plan period.

TW7 : AREA OF SPECIAL RESTRAINT Within the area of Special restraint shown on the proposals map, uses will only be permitted that would be permitted in the green belt and that do not compromise its ability to be developed for other uses in the future. (Policy TW6 Local Rural Areas Local Rural Areas are shown on the Proposals Map at north Stevenage and at The Bury on Rectory Lane. The Local Rural Areas are to be safeguarded for meeting longer term development needs other than uses that would be appropriate in the Green Belt. However, within the Local Rural Areas if development proposals for leisure, recreation, social and community needs come forward in the Plan period, the Borough Council will consider them in relation to meeting the longer term needs of leisure, recreation, social and community needs in Stevenage.

POLICY TW 8 : LOCAL RURAL AREAS LOCAL RURAL AREAS ARE SHOWN ON THE PROPOSALS MAP. IN THESE AREAS PLANNING PERMISSION WILL NOT BE GRANTED FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF NEW BUILDINGS, FOR THE CHANGE OF USE OR RE-USE OF EXISTING BUILDINGS OR LAND FOR PURPOSES OTHER THAN: (A) AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY; OR (B) OUTDOOR SPORT; OR (C) CEMETERIES; OR (D) OTHER USES APPROPRIATE TO A RURAL AREA; OR (E) USES REQUIRED TO MEET THE LONGER TERM NEEDS OF STEVENAGE FOR LEISURE, RECREATION, SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY NEEDS. Green Belt Adjustments It is part of the District Plan process to review the Green Belt boundaries. The context of these changes comes from Structure Plan Policy 5 which states that "Boundaries of the Green Belt around towns may be reviewed in local plans for the purposes of limited peripheral development…" . The Structure Plan also states that it will be necessary to review the Green Belt boundary to the west of the Town which "will take account for the long term possibility of a total development of 10,000 dwellings". It is also necessary to ensure that any proposals affecting the Green Belt boundary review should be related to a timescale which is longer than that adopted for other aspects of the Plan, i.e. beyond 2011. Where adjustments to the Green Belt boundary are made they should, where possible, use readily recognisable features such as roads, streams and woodland edges. This Plan proposes Green Belt boundary reviews in the following parts of the Town, to take into account the longer term development needs of Stevenage: (a) south of Hertford Road at Bragbury End; (b) east of North Road known as Forster Country; and (c) west of the A1(M) to accommodate the strategic housing development. In area (b) above, an Area of Special Restraint is proposed to ensure that the Borough’s needs for housing land are met within this Plan period whilst making longer term provision to meet local needs. Forster Country The Borough Council considers that the area known locally as Forster Country should be protected from development. However, there is no generally accepted boundary for the area. In considering where to draw the Green Belt boundary in this area, the Borough Council has taken the view that the most prominent and attractive part is the area which lies to the north of St Nicholas Church. The Borough Council is therefore defining this area as "Forster Country" by retaining the Green Belt allocation in this area, as shown on the Proposals Map Environmental Safeguards The Borough Council is concerned to ensure that the quality of the Town is maintained and enhanced in terms of the standard of development. The current Environmental Safeguards will be reviewed to take account of sustainability aims and criteria together with the Government’s revised Planning Policy Guidance regarding transport and access. For the purposes of this Plan, the Environmental Safeguards Development Control Standards and Criteria shall be referred to in all other policies only as the Environmental Safeguards.

POLICY TW9 : ENVIRONMENTAL SAFEGUARDS ALL DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS WILL BE REQUIRED TO COMPLY WITH THE ENVIRONMENTAL SAFEGUARDS, DEVELOPMENT CONTROL STANDARDS AND OTHER SUPPLEMENTARY PLANNING GUIDANCE UNLESS EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES EXIST. Good design standards are equally important for all developments, from the householder who requires a small extension to their house, to the largest residential and employment developments. All developments must meet the standards and criteria set out in the Borough Council's Environmental Safeguards. These standards include car parking provision for example, and the criteria refer to such matters as privacy, overlooking and noise. The Safeguards will also provide more detailed guidance on specific design issues including safety and security, disabled access, and energy and water conservation.

POLICY TW10 : QUALITY IN DESIGN ALL FORMS OF DEVELOPMENT WILL BE REQUIRED TO meet A HIGH STANDARD OF DESIGN INCLUDING: (A) FORM OF BUILT DEVELOPMENT; AND (B) ELEVATIONAL TREATMENT; AND (C) mATERIALS; AND (D) INTEGRATION WITH THE URBAN FABRIC OF THE tOWN; aND (E) rELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BUILDINGS AND OPEN SPACE. Planning Requirements The statutory framework for planning requirements is set out in Circular 1/97, "Planning Obligations". Appendix B states: "Properly used, planning obligations may enhance the quality of development and enable proposals to go ahead which might otherwise be refused…… When used in this way they can be key elements in the implementation of planning policies in an area." The Borough Council wishes to ensure that, where development is proposed, sufficient control can be exercised to safeguard the environment and amenities of the Town. Developments often have effects or requirements that have impacts beyond the site. There may be additional pressure on facilities in the Town resulting from (particularly large) developments. The effects from developments will be controlled by planning conditions and legal agreements where appropriate.

TW11 : PLANNING REQUIREMENTS developers WILL BE REQUIRED to enter into a legal undertaking that ensures works, facilities, services and other impacts that are RELATED TO THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT AND WHICH ARE necessary to granting of planning permission are funded by the developer. IT WILL BE NECESSARY, WHEN EXAMINING THE CONSEQUENCES OF A DEVELOPMENT TO VIEW ITS EFFECTS IN COMBINATION WITH OTHER RELATED DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS. HOUSING INTRODUCTION During the past few decades a number of major changes have taken place, which have influenced local housing needs. Population trends indicate a gradual increase in the overall number of people; however, one of the most significant influences on local housing need has been the increase in the number of new households forming. This has a major impact on the need for housing in Stevenage. The households forming tend to be smaller, as young people move away from home at an earlier age. There is also an increased incidence of family break up and an increase in life expectancy. While this does not directly translate into a need for one-bedroom houses, the majority of houses in Stevenage have three or four bedrooms and tend to be unsuitable for these types of households. The majority of people moving into Stevenage during the 1950’s and 60’s had young families. Many of these original New Town residents are now retired or approaching old age but still occupy three or four bedroom houses, because of the limited number of bungalows or small units available. The provision of suitable smaller dwellings is therefore a priority to meet the needs of smaller households, and to free up under-occupied family housing in the Town. Stevenage is in an area of relatively high house prices, which means that house buying is beyond the financial reach of a significant number of local people. The limited number of small properties, a marked absence of private rented accommodation and a lack of older properties suitable for conversion exacerbate this problem. As this Plan has been produced to be in conformity with the Structure Plan, it must ensure that sufficient land is provided to meet the strategic housing requirement for Stevenage of 5,700 dwellings between 1991-2011. The Borough Council is also required by central government to ensure a five-year supply of land for housing. This is calculated relative to the Structure Plan requirement. Stevenage is a planned new town with only limited opportunities for new housing development. Because of this it is important that land allocated for housing should be retained to meet local needs. In identifying sites for housing development, the open nature of the Town must be considered and reflected in the development of the sites themselves to prevent town cramming. In 1997, land identified as available for housing development in Hertfordshire fell short of the requirement for the County. Through joint working, Stevenage West was identified as the most sustainable option for development to meet housing needs. This site has been allocated through the Structure Plan and consequently through the District Plan in order to meet Structure Plan requirements. In addition to this, the Borough Council needs to allocate further sites to meet its housing requirement and conform to Policy 9 in the Structure Plan. The Borough Council believes that new housing provision should meet the needs of local people. These needs include existing residents in unsatisfactory accommodation because it is either the wrong size or shared; the homeless; existing residents forming new households and those who cannot afford appropriate accommodation or a combination of these issues. Special policies are therefore included in this chapter to ensure that these identified needs are met as far as possible. In addition policies to meet specialist needs such as provision for the elderly, as well as more general needs, are included. As there is a finite supply of housing, the existing housing stock must be used efficiently through retention, conversion or improvement, to ensure maximum benefit to the community.

HOUSING LAND SUPPLY One of the key functions of this Plan is to provide an adequate supply of land for housing to meet the strategic housing requirement as set out in the Structure Plan. In addition the Borough Council is required by PPG3 to identify a five-year supply of housing land. An assessment of the known housing sites is recorded in the Borough Council’s Residential Land Availability Statement. The Residential Land Availability Survey at 1st April 1999 was used as the basis for this Plan. This showed that between 1991 and 1999, 2,983 dwellings have been built and land for a further 1088 dwellings has been identified through planning permission or allocations in the District Plan 1990 Review. The number of dwellings built in addition to the land identified for housing development gives an anticipated housing growth in the Borough of 4,071 dwellings between 1991-2011. This falls short of the strategic housing requirement of 5,700 by 1,629 dwellings (see Table H1). The Residential Land Availability Survey identifies the Lister Hospital Nurses Residences as a development of 131 dwellings. However, these are not new dwellings. The scheme involves the transfer of stock to a housing association for refurbishment. This stock will then be relet, mainly to hospital staff, as previously. In strict land use terms this development counts as additional residential accommodation, because it has involved changing use from a residential institution to residential dwellings. For annual monitoring purposes residential institutions are not included, but dwellings are. This gives the impression that there is additional housing, which is not the case. The Borough Council has decided that for the purposes of calculating the residual number of houses, for which land must be allocated, this site will not be included. However, the site will be included in the Residential Land Availability Survey. Table H1 Structure Plan Review 1991-2011 Housing Requirement Structure Plan Require-ment 1.4.91 – 31.3.99(A) Dwellings Built 1.4.91 – 31.3.99(B) Commit-ments at 1.4.99(C) Alterations to commitments(D) Infill sites Total A+B+C+D Variance from Structure Plan Require-ment5,700+2,983+1,088-131 (Lister Hospital) -13 (Ashburnham Walk) (a)+180 (b)+4107 -1593 (a) This site has been removed from the housing allocations as the physical features of the site mean that it is unlikely to come forward for development. (b) As part of joint working with the House Builder Federation and Hertfordshire County Council, it has been agreed, drawing on past trends, that approximately 15 dwellings per year will be identified from small infill sites and conversions over the next 12 years until 2011. (c) The above figures are net dwelling figures. Policy H1 allocates sites of greater than five dwellings that have planning permission and have not been started.

POLICY H1 : ALLOCATED HOUSING SITES THE FOLLOWING SITES ARE ALLOCATED FOR HOUSING: SITEAREA (Ha)ESTIMATED NUMBER OF DWELLINGS1. NORTH EAST STEVENAGE 9.32652. GREAT ASHBY (PART)5.6115 Note : All sites listed in Policy H1 have planning permission and are included as commitments in Table H1. Table H1 shows that, in order to meet the housing requirement of the Structure Plan additional housing sites must be allocated. The Borough Council has allocated the sites in Policy H2 for housing development. Structure Plan Policy 8 identifies land for 3,600 dwellings at Stevenage West of which approximately 1,000 dwellings are to be within the Stevenage Borough Council boundary and 2,600 dwellings are to be within the North Hertfordshire District Council boundary. The exact number is to be determined by the Master Plan, however, for the purposes of this Plan Policy H2 allocates land at Stevenage West for 1,000 dwellings. In addition, land is allocated at a number of other sites to meet the overall dwelling requirements for Stevenage of 5,700 dwellings up to 2011. The training and leisure facilities currently provided by the training centre at Ridgemond Park will be required to be retained as part of the development, or provided on a suitable alternative site. The previous use of the site at Fairview Road was as a private sports ground. However, this use was discontinued a number of years ago. In order to make best use of this site and facilitate improvements to the provision of public open space, in an area of the Town that currently has a low provision of open space, the Borough Council has identified this site for housing development. The allocation at Fairview Road is made on the basis that open space provision is made at a level over and above that which might ordinarily be expected on a site of this size (see Leisure and Recreation Chapter). This provision will be expected to be in the form of open space on site and commuted sums to facilitate improvements to local leisure facilities in the area.

POLICY H2 : NEW HOUSING ALLOCATIONS. IN ORDER TO MEET THE STRUCTURE PLAN HOUSING REQUIREMENT, THE FOLLOWING SITES ARE ALLOCATED FOR HOUSING. SITEAREA (Ha)ESTIMATED NUMBER OF DWELLINGS1. STEVENAGE WEST 93 (WHOLE OF DEVELOPMENT AREA IN STEVENAGE)1,0002. BRAGBURY END 13.83003. RIDGEMOND PARK7.21504. LAND AT NORTH STEVENAGE 6.71005. FAIRVIEW ROAD 2.645TOTAL123.31,595 A considerable proportion of the Structure Plan allocation for 3,600 dwellings at Stevenage West is within the North Hertfordshire District Council area. The Borough Council therefore, supports North Hertfordshire District Council in its allocation of land at Stevenage West for this purpose in its Local Plan. Table H2. Current housing provision in relation to Structure Plan Requirements. DwellingsStructure Plan Review 1991-2011 requirement5,700Dwellings Increase 1991-19993072Commitments at 1.4.99999New Allocations Policy H21595Infill Sites 180(a)Total 5,846(b) (a) As part of joint working with the House Builders Federation and Hertfordshire County Council, it has been agreed, drawing on past trends, that approximately 15 dwellings per year will be identified from small infill sites and conversions over the next 12 years. Some of which may be on identified school sites that are currently the subject of a Hertfordshire County Council review. (b) This total exceeds the Structure Plan requirement by 146 dwellings, as it includes the Lister Hospital development which the Borough Council has excluded from the housing land allocations for the reasons set out in paragraphs 3.2.4 and 3.2.5. (c) The above figures are net dwelling figures. In addition to meeting the Structure Plan housing requirement, the Borough Council is required to have a five-year supply of land, which is based on the Structure Plan requirement. It is necessary for the Borough Council to monitor the supply of housing land, and this will be undertaken by publishing an annual Residential Land Availability Statement. POLICY H3 : RESIDENTIAL LAND MONITORING TO ENSURE THAT A FIVE-YEAR SUPPLY OF HOUSING LAND IS BEING MAINTAINED IN STEVENAGE IN TERMS OF THE STRUCTURE PLAN HOUSING REQUIREMENT, AN ANNUAL RESIDENTIAL LAND AVAILABILITY STATEMENT WILL BE PRODUCED. Its planned nature and tightly drawn administrative boundary limit the opportunities for development in and around Stevenage. It is therefore necessary to ensure that land allocated for residential development in this plan is retained. Should any such sites be developed for other purposes a shortfall in housing land may result. The Borough Council is concerned to ensure that sufficient land is available to meet the housing programme as set out in the Structure Plan in order to make adequate provision in quantitative terms for local housing needs. POLICY H4 : LOSS OF RESIDENTIAL ACCOMMODATION THE LOSS OF RESIDENTIAL ACCOMMODATION OR LAND WITH PLANNING PERMISSION FOR RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT WILL NOT BE PERMITTED EXCEPT WHERE: (A) SMALL SCALE SOCIAL, COMMUNITY OR LEISURE FACILITIES WOULD BE PROVIDED; OR (B) SMALL SCALE EXTENSION TO AN EXISTING BUSINESS USE IN THE SAME BUILDING WOULD BE PROVIDED; AND (C) IT DOES NOT ADVERSELY AFFECT THE SURROUNDING OR ADJOINING PROPERTIES; AND (D) SUITABLE ALTERNATIVE NON-RESIDENTIAL ACCOMMODATION IS NOT AVAILABLE. Land not identified for housing in this Plan may come forward for residential development. The Borough Council will only consider such proposals for development, if they do not have a detrimental effect on the environment of the Town, in particular its planned open character. Sites will also need to ensure that they promote the development of the Town in a sustainable way. The criteria for assessing proposed housing sites are set out in Policy H5. POLICY H5 : ASSESSMENT OF PROPOSED RESIDENTIAL SITES PROPOSALS FOR RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT ON SITES NOT ALLOCATED IN THIS PLAN WILL BE CONSIDERED IN RELATION TO THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA: (A) THE LOSS OF FEATURES AS DEFINED IN POLICY TW2; AND (B) THE LOSS OF COMMUNITY FACILITIES IN RELATION TO POLICY TW 3; AND (C) THE EFFECT ON THE SURROUNDING OR ADJOINING PROPERTIES; AND (D) THE EFFECT ON THE ENVIRONMENT; AND (E) ACCESS TO LOCAL FACILITIES; AND (F) ACCESS REQUIREMENTS INCLUDING OPPORTUNITIES TO ACCESS ALTERNATIVE FORMS OF TRAVEL TO PRIVATE MOTORISED TRANSPORT; AND (G) ENSURING HIGH STANDARDS OF DEVELOPMENT IN ACCORDANCE WITH POLICY TW10; AND (H) THE PROVISION OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN ACCORDANCE WITH POLICY H11; AND PLANNING PERMISSION WILL NOT BE GRANTED WHERE A PROPOSAL HAS A DETRIMENTAL EFFECT OR CANNOT MEET ONE OR MORE OF THESE CRITERIA. (Policies TW2, TW3, TW10 and H11 In order to promote the most efficient use of land for housing, the Borough Council considers that the density requirements outlined in Policy H6 are necessary. These seek to ensure that land is not underdeveloped whilst respecting the density of the surrounding area and taking into account the uses and facilities available in the locality. For example, in areas close to facilities and public transport access, lower car parking provision is possible which releases more land for housing. POLICY H6 : DENSITY OF RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT THE DENSITY OF ALL RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT WILL RESPECT THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SITE AND THE CHARACTER AND AMENITY OF THE SURROUNDING AREA. IN GENERAL, HIGH DENSITY (50-65+ DWELLINGS PER HECTARE) WILL BE ENCOURAGED IN DEVELOPMENTS IN THE TOWN CENTRE AND AT NEIGHBOURHOOD CENTRES AND OTHER LOCATIONS WELL SERVED BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT. FOR SITES PERIPHERAL TO THE BUILT UP AREA DENSITIES WILL REFLECT CONSIDERATION OF THE EFFECT ON OPEN COUNTRYSIDE, VIEWS, NECESSARY LANDSCAPING AND THE RETENTION OF EXISTING TREES AND HEDGES. PROPOSALS FOR RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT IN THESE AREAS AT DENSITIES LESS THAN 25 DWELLINGS PER HECTARE WILL GENERALLY NOT BE PERMITTED. LOCAL HOUSING NEED The Borough Council recognises that the allocation of housing land only enables the required number of dwellings to be built. This does not necessarily result in the building of houses appropriate to meeting local needs. Local housing need includes a number of different groups. These include existing residents in the Borough who wish to remain in Stevenage but whose current accommodation is unsatisfactory; the homeless; and those who would like to have their own separate accommodation but who currently live with others. Other groups include the elderly; existing households or prospective households that cannot enter the private housing market because of their level of income, and households unable to move to a more suitable size of public sector accommodation due to the length of the Council’s Housing Register. The Borough Council considers it necessary to ensure that a range of dwelling sizes are provided as part of any residential development including one and two bedroom accommodation. There is also a need to enable households to increase in size in the future without necessarily having to move house, by consideration being given to the design of dwellings to allow the possibility of future limited extension. To encourage a range of prices, a mix of different types of houses will also be required, including bungalows and flats. This is to meet a range of different needs within the local housing market and promote visual interest in the street scene. POLICY H7 : DWELLING MIX IN RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENTS ON SITES OVER ONE HECTARE AN APPROPRIATE RANGE OF DWELLINGS IN TERMS OF SIZE AND TYPE, INCLUDING DWELLINGS SUITABLE FOR SMALL HOUSEHOLDS WILL BE REQUIRED. SPECIAL NEEDS The requirements of special groups are only partially satisfied through the private housing market. It is important that these needs are met on sites identified in the Plan, large sites that come forward for development and other sites that are considered appropriate. The Borough Council has identified the following special needs groups: (a) elderly people; (b) disabled people; (c) homeless people (temporary accommodation); and (d) other groups with special needs, such as those being cared for in the community as a result of the closing of long stay institutions. Housing for special needs groups is best provided at locations with good links to facilities and services, such as at neighbourhood centres. However, there is limited scope for small infill sites in the Town, especially close to neighbourhood centres, because of its planned nature. It is therefore essential that where sites are available which do meet these requirements, they should be developed for special needs housing. On larger sites these types of developments can be planned as part of the proposal. Policy H9 identifies sites that have been allocated for special needs accommodation. On such sites provision for special needs will be expected on a scale which is appropriate to the size of development and locality, but which does not seek to recreate institution style accommodation. POLICY H8 : SPECIAL NEEDS ACCOMMODATION SPECIAL NEEDS HOUSING ON SITES EASILY ACCESSIBLE WITH NEIGHBOURHOOD CENTRES WILL BE ENCOURAGED. In order for special needs to be adequately provided for the Borough Council has identified and reserved certain sites that are considered suitable for special needs, in order to ensure that provision is made. This includes sheltered accommodation and bungalows for the elderly. POLICY H9 : SPECIAL NEEDS ACCOMMODATION ALLOCATION THE FOLLOWING SITES HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED FOR SHELTERED AND VERY SHELTERED ACCOMMODATION, BUNGALOWS FOR THE ELDERLY AND THE DISABLED. OTHER TYPES OF SPECIAL NEEDS RESIDENTIAL ACCOMMMODATION MAY BE ACCEPTABLE. SITEAREA (Ha) 1. OXLEYS ROAD0.262. ADJACENT TO ROSS COURT0.123. 124 LETCHMORE ROAD0.24. NORTH EAST STEVENAGE PART5. GREAT ASHBYPART6. STEVENAGE WEST PART7. BRAGBURY END PART8. RIDGEMOND PARK PART9. LAND AT NORTH STEVENAGE PART Sites 1-5 are included in the commitments in Table H1. Sites 6-9 are allocated for development in Policy H2. Previous developments have not catered for the wider housing needs of the Town. The Borough Council intends to improve this situation by requiring that a number of bungalows are provided in all new developments over five hectares. Such properties should be located near to neighbourhood centres. POLICY H10 : ACCOMMODATION FOR THE ELDERLY IN RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENTS ON SITES OVER FIVE HECTARES DEVELOPERS WILL BE EXPECTED TO PROVIDE A PROPORTION OF ELDERLY PERSONS BUNGLALOWS, AND SHELTERED ACCOMMODATION, WHICH SHOULD BE SELF-CONTAINED AND FULLY SUPPORTED WITH COMMUNITY FACILITIES. DISABLED ACCESS Part M of the building regulations sets out the requirements for new houses regarding provisions for disabled access. From 25th October 1999, all new housing must meet certain requirements in facilitating disabled access. The Borough Council will encourage developers to further enhance access to new houses by promoting the lifetime homes standards as set out in the Joseph Rowntree publication "Foundations – Building Lifetime Homes" February 1997. PUBLIC SECTOR HOUSING. Private sector proposals for housing development are orientated to market requirements, which often do not meet the needs of those on the Housing Register. The Borough Council, as Strategic Housing Authority, recognises that provision for local and special needs is met mainly by the public sector. With the decrease in public housing stock as a result of Right to Buy legislation, the Borough Council wishes to ensure that it maintains a development programme for public housing. In this way the Borough Council will endeavour to meet these needs as far as it is able. AFFORDABLE HOUSING Stevenage is an area of relatively high private sector house prices. It is therefore difficult, or impossible, for many residents to be able to buy their own homes. Affordable housing to meet such local needs can be achieved in different ways. A housing needs study carried out in 1997 by Fordham Research Services showed that 53% of households in the Borough could not afford to buy or rent at market prices. The study showed that low cost or discounted market price housing did not meet the need for affordable housing in Stevenage. The main provision of affordable housing required was shown to be in the form of subsidised rented accommodation to meet local needs with only a minimal need for shared ownership (5%). The Housing Needs survey indicates that a high percentage of affordable housing provision on development sites could be justified in terms of need. However, there are other factors that need to be considered. Stevenage has a higher proportion of social housing than in other towns in the county, so there is a need to balance the desire to provide for social housing needs, with the need to provide for a wider social mix which would assist with the economic regeneration of the Town. The deliverability of affordable housing also needs to be considered. Currently affordable housing is difficult to deliver because of the limits on public spending and reluctance of many developers to provide suitable affordable housing. The Borough Council considers that the provision of approximately 20% affordable housing on sites is appropriate, as this recognises the need for this type of housing in Stevenage, whilst taking into account the practicalities of delivering it. In securing the provision of affordable housing the Borough Council will expect developers to consider the type of affordable housing appropriate to need in Stevenage and local income levels. The Borough Council recognises that Registered Social Landlords (RSL) have an important role in providing affordable housing. The Borough Council will support development proposals by such groups. In order to ensure that such developments are specifically aimed at local people, the Borough Council will seek nomination rights. Government advice on affordable housing provision in PPG3 and Circular 6/98 makes it clear that the Borough Council can expect the provision of affordable housing which reflects the needs of its area on suitable sites. The policies in this Plan provide a guide to the Borough Council’s requirements for developments to deliver affordable housing. In considering schemes for affordable housing, the Borough Council will require that the proposals meet local needs, the majority of which will need to be for rent at an affordable level, and that the benefits of affordability pass to the initial lessee and to their successors. In order to assess the effectiveness of these policies in delivering affordable housing, monitoring will be undertaken to measure the amount and type of affordable housing coming forward as part of residential developments on both allocated and windfall sites. POLICY H11 : AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROVISION. ON SUITABLE SITES WHICH COME FORWARD FOR RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT, WHERE THE PROPOSAL IS FOR 25 OR MORE DWELLINGS OR THE SITE AREA IS ONE HECTARE OR MORE, IRRESPECTIVE OF THE NUMBER OF DWELLINGS, APPROXIMATELY 20% OF THE TOTAL NUMBER OF DWELLINGS ON THE SITE WILL BE NEGOTIATED FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING. ANY ATTEMPTS BY DEVELOPERS TO CIRCUMVENT THESE THRESHOLDS BY FRAGMENTING A LARGE SITE OR BY IGNORING THE POTENTIAL FOR AMALGAMATION OF SMALL SITES WILL BE RESISTED. CRITERIA WILL BE USED TO ASSESS THE SUITABILITY OF SITES FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING: THE PROXIMITY OF THE SITE TO LOCAL SERVICES AND FACILITIES; AND THE ACCESSIBILITY OF THE SITE FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT SERVICES; AND (C) WHETHER THERE WILL BE PARTICULAR COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SITE E.G. INFRASTRUCTURE OR CONTAMINATION; AND (D) WHETHER THE PROVISION OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING ON THE SITE WOULD PREJUDICE THE REALISATION OF OTHER PLANNING OBJECTIVES FOR THE SITE. ON SUITABLE SITES AFFORDABLE HOUSING WILL BE EXPECTED TO BE PROVIDED BY THE DEVELOPER OF THE SITE IN LINE WITH LOCAL NEED AND OTHER POLICIES IN THIS CHAPTER. POLICY H12: BENEFITS OF AFFORDABILITY IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT THE BENEFITS OF AFFORDABILITY ARE PASSED TO SUCESSIVE LESSEES THE FOLLOWING PLANNING CONDITIONS WILL BE APPLIED OR DEVELOPERS WILL BE EXPECTED TO ENTER INTO A PLANNING OBLIGATION TO ENSURE THAT: (A) THE MAJORITY OF THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROVIDED IS FOR RENT. SHARED OWNERSHIP PROVISION BEING RESTRICTED TO A MAXIMUM OF 5% OF THE NUMBER OF AFFORDABLE DWELLINGS TO BE PROVIDED; AND (B) THE RENT LEVEL FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING WILL BE RESTRICTED TO RENT LEVELS WHICH DO NOT EXCEED 30% OF THE AVERAGE INCOME OF LOCAL PEOPLE AS IDENTIFIED IN THE LOCAL HOUSING NEEDS SURVEY; AND (C) THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING UNITS ARE TRANSFERRED TO A REGISTERED SOCIAL LANDLORD; AND (D) THAT THE HOUSING IS OCCUPIED BY PEOPLE IDENTIFIED BY THE BOROUGH COUNCIL AS BEING IN HOUSING NEED; AND THAT THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING ELEMENT IS BUILT FOR OCCUPATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH AN AGREED PHASED DEVELOPMENT OF THE WHOLE SITE. POLICY H13: PROVISION OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING ON SITE WHERE A SITE IS IDENTIFIED AS BEING SUITABLE FOR AN ELEMENT OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING, IT IS PREFEREABLE THAT THE REQUIREMENT SHOULD BE MET ON SITE, IN ORDER TO ENSURE AN APPROPRIATE MIX AND BALANCE OF HOUSING PROVISION. HOWEVER, A FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS AFFORDABLE HOUSING ON ANOTHER SITE MAY BE CONSIDERED WHERE: (A) IT CAN BE PROVED PREFERABLE FOR PLANNING REASONS; AND (B) WHERE IT WOULD RELATE TO A SUITABLE ALTERNATIVE SITE; AND (C) IT CAN BE BROUGHT FORWARD FOR DEVELOPMENT WITHIN A SIMILAR TIME SCALE. PLANNING PERMISSION WILL NOT BE GRANTED FOR DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS, ON SUITABLE SITES, WHICH DO NOT MAKE PROVISION FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE POLICIES IN THIS CHAPTER. Large sites, which have been allocated in Policy H2, will be expected to contribute to the provision of affordable housing in the Town, these have been identified in Policy H14. POLICY H14 : SITES FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING THE BOROUGH COUNCIL HAS IDENTIFIED THE FOLLOWING SITES FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING: SITEAREA(Ha)1. NORTH EAST STEVENAGE (BOVIS)PART2. STEVENAGE WEST PART3. BRAGBURY END PART4. RIDGEMOND PARKPART5. LAND AT NORTH STEVENAGEPART6. FAIRVIEW ROAD PLAYING FIELDPART (Policy SW11 There may be a limited number of sites, not allocated in this Plan for housing, which may come forward for consideration. Such sites will be in addition to those sites meeting the strategic housing requirement of the Borough Council and will be assessed against a number of policies in this Plan. This will include their ability to secure affordable housing for local needs and their contribution to the requirements for special needs accommodation. CONVERSION AND REDEVELOPMENT Housing is a valuable resource, which is in limited supply. In view of the size of the Housing Register and the limited supply of housing land available for the future, the Borough Council aims to prevent the loss of housing except where this accords with other policies in the Plan. The demand for smaller units can be supplemented from the existing housing stock by the conversion of larger properties into smaller self-contained units or Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO’s). The Borough Council encourages this opportunity and in order to make the most efficient use of housing stock, will consider favourably proposals for such conversions, providing they do not have a detrimental effect on the surrounding area particularly with respect to traffic generation and car parking. Care must be taken be taken that such conversions meet the necessary regulations and the standards as set out in the Environmental Safeguards. POLICY H15 : CONVERSIONS TO MAKE THE BEST USE OF THE EXISTING HOUSING STOCK FAVOURABLE CONSIDERATION WILL BE GIVEN TO THE CONVERSION OR ADAPTATION OF SUITABLE DWELLINGS TO MEET THE NEEDS OF SPECIFIC GROUPS INCLUDING, SINGLE PEOPLE, THE ELDERLY AND DISABLED. IN ASSESSING SUCH PROPOSALS THEY SHOULD NOT HAVE A DETRIMENTAL EFFECT ON THE SURROUNDING AREA AND SHOULD MEET THE STANDARDS SET OUT IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL SAFEGUARDS. There are areas of poor quality housing in Stevenage, where there may be scope for redevelopment. However, because of the limited number of dwellings available such redevelopment schemes should not result in an overall loss in the number of dwellings. To improve these areas and to meet the demand for additional housing, the Borough Council will consider favourably redevelopment schemes, which result in environmental improvements or an increase in the number of dwellings. POLICY H16 : REDEVELOPMENTS IN AREAS OF POORER QUALITY HOUSING, REDEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS THAT INCREASE THE NUMBER OF DWELLINGS AND/OR IMPROVE THE LOCAL ENVIRONMENT WILL BE CONSIDERED FAVOURABLY. PHASING OF LARGE HOUSING PROPOSALS The Borough Council recognises that the phasing of large sites over ten hectares is desirable in order to co-ordinate the provision of infrastructure, schools, leisure and social and community facilities within the development. EMPLOYMENT INTRODUCTION Employment patterns are influenced by a number of factors. These include national economic trends, technological changes, restructuring within industries, sectoral changes and the availability of land and labour. The effect of these factors on an area depends upon its economic structure. The District Plan can only directly influence the supply of employment land, but this will have an impact on the amount and type of jobs provided in Stevenage. Stevenage is a sub-regional employment centre for the north Hertfordshire area and provides a range of jobs for both residents and people living outside Stevenage. Most of the employment activity is focused in the Town’s two employment areas, Gunnels Wood and Pin Green, although the Town Centre and Old Town are predominantly commercial areas. During the recessions of the 1980’s and early 1990’s, the economy of Stevenage was particularly affected by the decline in manufacturing industries, especially aerospace and engineering. More recently, there have been job losses associated with restructuring in the financial services sector. However, since unemployment in Stevenage peaked at 12.2% in January 1993, it has fallen significantly to 2.6% by June 1999. The Borough Council is committed to maintaining low unemployment rates in Stevenage and implements a range of economic development initiatives which aim to maintain a healthy economy. During the 1990’s, the structure of employment in Stevenage has changed significantly, moving away from manufacturing towards services such as information technology, financial services and retailing. At the same time the manufacturing industries that remain have become more high tech. These changes created a mismatch between the skills of local people and the skills required by local companies. One of the lessons of the economic recessions in the 1980’s and 1990’s is the need to develop the local economy to reduce its reliance on a limited number of major employers. The diversification of the local economy will help to secure future prosperity. This can be assisted by encouraging a mix of uses and sizes of unit, and by promoting the provision of small or serviced units that will enable new local businesses to start-up. Government planning policy on employment development is set out in PPG4. The guidance states that it is one of the Government’s aims to encourage continued economic development which is compatible with environmental objectives. It will also be important for employment development to be sustainable in accordance with Policy TW1. More specifically, District Plan policies can make provision for sustainable employment development by: (a) making the best use of existing employment land and premises to minimise the use of greenfield sites; (b) providing for a wide range of employment opportunities in order to meet the needs of local people; (c) encouraging employers to locate where they are accessible by public transport, cycling and walking; and (d) promoting greater flexibility in the use of buildings. The employment policies of the Structure Plan are based on the Hertfordshire Bright Green Industrial Strategy’(Source: "Bright Green: An Industrial Strategy for Hertfordshire", Hertfordshire County Council, 1994). In summary, the Strategy concludes that economic development in Hertfordshire should be based on ‘knowledge-based’ industries set within the attractive environment. ‘Knowledge-based industries’ include information technology, and research and development related sectors such as pharmaceuticals and aerospace. The Strategy encourages the provision of high quality business accommodation to meet the needs of these industries. The Borough Council supports the principles of the "Bright Green Strategy" as knowledge-based industries already have a strong presence in Stevenage and their future expansion is encouraged. In the context of the local economic issues, national and strategic policy guidance identified above, the District Plan’s employment objectives are: (a) to ensure sufficient land and premises are available in Stevenage for meeting development needs that will facilitate economic growth in accordance with the Hertfordshire Bright Green Industrial Strategy, provide job opportunities for the local workforce and maintain Stevenage’s sub-regional employment role; (b) to encourage the continued diversification of the local economy through broadening the range of employment opportunities provided and reducing dependency on a small number of large firms; to contribute towards achieving a broad balance between the skills required by companies in Stevenage and the skills of the local workforce; to ensure that employment development takes place in accordance with sustainable development principles. EMPLOYMENT FLOORSPACE PROVISION Research was commissioned in 1995 as part of the review of the Structure Plan to assess employment floorspace and land needs in the County over the period to 2011 and beyond. Using a range of forecasting techniques, the research concluded that there was sufficient employment land and floorspace in Stevenage to meet needs during the Plan period, (Source: Long Term Employment Land Needs, Pieda, 1995). The research accounted for existing floorspace, development commitments (unimplemented planning permissions and allocated District Plan sites) and vacant floorspace in excess of what is needed to allow normal stock turnover. Since the research was concluded in 1996, the Borough Council has monitored changes in employment floorspace to ensure that there is sufficient provision to meet needs over the period of the District Plan. The results of the 1999 employment floorspace monitoring research are summarised in Table E1 (Source: Employment Land Monitoring Statement 1999). This shows that in overall terms the supply of employment floorspace at April 1999 is broadly in balance with the level of estimated demand for additional floorspace over the period up to 2011. Table E1: Quantitative Demand for Employment Generating Floorspace in Stevenage 1996-2011 (all figures in square metres).  Use ClassA Forecast Demand 1996 B Forecast Demand 2011 C Demand Change 1996-2011 (B-A)D Floorspace Completed April 1996 - April 1999E Outstanding Development Commitments at April 1999 F Excess Vacant Floorspace at April 1999 G Supply at April 1999 (D+E+F)H Net Floorspace Surplus / Deficit (G-C)B1315,483358,22442,741-5,36323,86116,21734,715-8,026B2193,806193,614-1921,6822,1395,0468,8679,059B8113,523138,10324,58033,4873,042-83835,69111,111Total622,812689,94167,12929,80629,04220,42579,27312,144 On the basis of this research the Borough Council has decided that there is an adequate supply of floorspace available in Stevenage to meet future needs in quantitative terms. It is not proposed to identify additional employment land in this Plan apart from provision to meet the needs of the strategic housing development at Stevenage West. Conversely, it does not justify the release of employment land for other uses. The Structure Plan endorses this approach and does not require any local authority to identify additional employment land. Instead, Policy 14 of the Structure Plan sets out a criteria based approach for considering employment development proposals. The above research does not account for the quality of floorspace in Stevenage. Whilst there is sufficient floorspace available to meet future needs, this may not be adequate for meeting the requirements of companies that wish to set up, relocate or expand in Stevenage. For example, vacant floorspace may not be located where businesses are seeking accommodation and may not be suitable for meeting their needs in terms of location size, age, internal design, car parking provision or the quality of environment. To gain a greater understanding of qualitative employment floorspace requirements in Hertfordshire, the County and District Councils commissioned research which identified: (a) shortages in supply in Hertfordshire of high quality out of town office developments (particularly in south west Hertfordshire), small business units, industrial floorspace for low technology operations and major distribution centres; (b) the creation of urban office parks may help address shortages in out of town office accommodation; (c) Stevenage as having an adequate supply of employment floorspace and land, and offering major opportunities in terms of both land and labour supply; the shift from industry to services is expected to continue in Stevenage resulting in more demand for office, research and development, and warehousing space; that Stevenage is currently perceived to be less attractive than other locations in Hertfordshire for office development because of its relative distance from London and the M25, the poor quality of its existing office stock and the negative image of the Town Centre. To make Stevenage more attractive to office occupiers, it is suggested that as part of any Town Centre regeneration initiatives, an attractive new office area is created that would be large enough to influence the image of the Town as an office location; (f) the Gunnels Wood Employment Area is an important industrial location, but parts of it are considered to be in poor condition. The upgrading of the infrastructure to provide access to the Stevenage West development is considered to provide an opportunity for regenerating the area; and (g) the provision of additional employment land to meet the needs of the strategic housing development at Stevenage West is justified to prevent an increase in unemployment for groups dependent on local job opportunities and to avoid changing the current balance between homes and jobs in Stevenage changing to a situation where there is significant net out-commuting. (Source: Employment Space Needs in Hertfordshire, Roger Tym & Partners, 1999) The policies of this Plan will seek to make provision for meeting the qualitative employment space needs identified in the research. A range of development opportunities exist in Stevenage to meet these qualitative needs, therefore there is no justification for identifying additional employment land in the Borough except within the strategic development at Stevenage West. Policies SW12 and SW13 set out the level and nature of employment land provision within the Stevenage West development. To ensure that adequate provision is made for meeting both quantitative and qualitative employment floorspace and land needs in Stevenage over the period of this Plan, the Borough Council will: regularly monitor changes in employment floorspace supply and demand, and consider the need for alterations to District Plan policies in the light of monitoring results; and identify a range of sites within the Employment Areas, Town Centre and Old Town for meeting future qualitative employment floorspace requirements; and (c) retain land in Employment Areas for employment uses. EMPLOYMENT LAND MONITORING To ensure there is sufficient land available to meet employment needs in the Stevenage, the Borough Council has traditionally monitored the supply of employment floorspace through an annual employment land monitoring survey. This will be continued so that up-to-date information is available which can inform whether changes to Plan policies are needed. Policy 14 of the Structure Plan provides guidance on what aspects of the employment floorspace supply should be monitored. The Borough Council intends to monitor all of these aspects which include changes to the overall stock, development commitments and vacant floorspace. Monitoring studies will also consider how the supply of employment floorspace in Stevenage relates to current information on quantitative and qualitative demand for floorspace. POLICY E1 : EMPLOYMENT FLOORSPACE MONITORING THE SUPPLY OF, AND DEMAND FOR, EMPLOYMENT FLOORSPACE IN STEVENAGE WILL BE MONITORED ANNUALLY. IN THE EVENT OF MONITORING STUDIES IDENTIFYING A SIGNIFICANT SHORTFALL OF EMPLOYMENT FLOORSPACE IN STEVENAGE, THE BOROUGH COUNCIL WILL CONSIDER THE NEED TO ALLOCATE ADDITIONAL EMPLOYMENT LAND THROUGH AN ALTERATION TO THIS PLAN. EMPLOYMENT AREAS An integral part of the design of the New Town is the separation of the employment areas from the residential areas. The Master Plans for the New Town established two employment areas, the Gunnels Wood area between the A1(M) and the railway line and the Pin Green area in the north east of the Town. Subsequent District Plans have maintained this structure and have identified extensions to the employment areas. It is intended that this structure will be maintained. Whilst no major extensions to the employment areas are proposed, some amendments have been made to the boundaries of the Gunnels Wood employment area so that the area only includes land which is predominantly in employment use e.g. Stevenage Leisure Park has been excluded. POLICY E2 : EMPLOYMENT AREAS THE FOLLOWING AREAS ARE DESIGNATED EMPLOYMENT AREAS AS SHOWN ON THE PROPOSALS MAP: 1. GUNNELS WOOD EMPLOYMENT AREA; AND 2. PIN GREEN EMPLOYMENT AREA EMPLOYMENT SITES The Borough Council has allocated sites within the Employment Areas for employment uses. By identifying specific sites for development, developers can be certain that opportunities are available for a range of employment developments in Stevenage. The identified sites will also make a significant contribution towards meeting employment needs up to 2011. By identifying sites, it is possible to channel particular types of business development into the most appropriate locations. Guidance contained in PPG4 considers that this approach is acceptable where clear justification is provided. In Stevenage, there is a need to focus on making provision for employment floorspace requirements that may not be met by the existing employment stock or development commitments. Careful consideration needs to be given to the use of vacant sites to ensure that scarce opportunities are not compromised by inappropriate developments that could take place in other locations. Matra BAe Dynamics Site One of the main opportunities in Stevenage for making provision for new employment development, which may contribute towards meeting Hertfordshire’s qualitative employment floorspace needs, is the redevelopment of part of the Matra BAe Dynamics site on Gunnels Wood Road. The southern part of the site which extends to 10 hectares has been identified as surplus to the ongoing operational needs of the occupier. This plan identifies the site as a "Strategic Employment Site" for the following reasons: (a) Scale: it is estimated that a development of approximately 45,000 square metres of net floorspace could be developed. The site would therefore be large enough to create its own environment through design and landscaping; (b) Location: the site is located adjacent to Junction 7 of the A1(M) which is one of the main gateways to Stevenage. Developments on the site would therefore be of a high profile and prominent nature. (c) Accessibility: the site benefits from excellent access to the A1(M) and Stevenage’s main road network where potential exists for improving public transport services. The Borough Council considers this site to be the main opportunity in Stevenage for a strategic business development that could contribute towards meeting qualitative deficiencies in employment floorspace. The characteristics of the site are suitable for a prestigious development that could include offices, research and development/high tech premises and high quality light industrial units within the B1 Use Class. The size of the site also offers the opportunity for the site to be laid out as a small business park. Only developments within the B1 Use Class are considered to be acceptable on the site. Other employment uses such as general industrial or warehousing uses may prejudice the objective of achieving a prestigious and high quality development, and they may not be compatible with offices and research and development activities. Developments which support the primary employment uses on the site will only be acceptable if they meet the requirements of Policy E6. A mix of B1 uses will be expected in order to provide for a diverse range of employment opportunities. Office development will be restricted to no more than 50% of the net floorspace area to protect the viability of Stevenage Town Centre as the Town’s principal office location. Whilst it is acknowledged that the property market favours out of centre locations for office development, the Borough Council considers that unrestricted development of the site for offices would prejudice efforts to regenerate the Town Centre and create an additional threat to the viability of existing offices in the Town Centre. The high employment densities associated with offices would also have significant implications for traffic generation which would not be sustainable given the site’s out of centre location. A mix of unit sizes will be expected in order to facilitate a diverse range of employment opportunities and to prevent Stevenage’s economy from being dependent on a small number of large employers. Small units will be required to be provided on the site as large speculative developments represent the best opportunity to make provision for this type of development as the property market rarely provides accommodation suitable for small firms. High standards of design and landscaping will be essential on the strategic employment site to create an attractive environment that will attract companies seeking a prestigious location, and to ensure that an attractive gateway to Stevenage from Junction 7 of the A1(M). Due to the out of centre location and the potential for the development of the site to generate significant levels of traffic, developments will be required to demonstrate how they will minimise the use of private motorised transport to travel to and from the site. This is essential if sustainable employment development is to take place. The Transport Chapter provides guidance on how the Borough Council expects developments deliver this. A development brief will be prepared by the Borough Council which will provide more detailed guidance on the issues outlined above which developers will need to have regard to when preparing development proposals for the site. This is considered to be necessary because of the strategic nature of the site and the importance the Borough Council attaches to ensuring that any redevelopment of the site meets the District Plan’s employment policy objectives. POLICY E3: STRATEGIC EMPLOYMENT SITE THE SOUTHERN AREA OF THE MATRA BAe DYNAMICS SITE AS SHOWN ON THE PROPOSALS MAP IS DESIGNATED AS A STRATEGIC EMPLOYMENT SITE. WITHIN THIS SITE, REDEVELOPMENT WITHIN THE B1 USE CLASS WILL BE ENCOURAGED AND OTHER USES RESISTED. A MIX OF USES WITHIN THE B1 USE CLASS AND A MIX OF UNIT SIZES WILL BE EXPECTED. DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS WILL BE REQUIRED TO MEET THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA: (A) NO MORE THAN 50% OF THE NET FLOORSPACE AREA DEVELOPED WITHIN THE SITE WILL BE PERMITTED TO BE OFFICES WITHIN THE B1(A) USE CLASS; AND (B) NOT LESS THAN 10% OF THE NET FLOORSPACE AREA DEVELOPED WITHIN THE SITE WILL BE FOR PREMISES SUITABLE FOR SMALL BUSINESS UNITS; AND A HIGH STANDARD OF BUILDING DESIGN AND LANDSCAPING WILL BE REQUIRED. THE BOROUGH COUNCIL WILL PREPARE A DEVELOPMENT BRIEF FOR THE OVERALL DEVELOPMENT OF THE SITE. (For the purposes of clarity, small units are defined as up to 235 square metres) The former Kodak site (E4/1) and the Caxton Way site (E4/2) have potential to be developed for a range of business uses and proposals will be assessed against Policy E5. The Six Hills Way site (E4/3) will be restricted to B1 uses because the site is considered to be appropriate for offices or other uses within the B1 Use Class because of its prominent location on Six Hills Way, its close proximity to the Town Centre and public transport nodes and its location adjacent to leisure and office uses. The vacant land within the Glaxo Wellcome Medicines Research Centre complex (E4/4) is reserved for meeting the long term expansion needs of Glaxo Wellcome. At present it is not expected that the site will become available for other types of development. However, as the District Plan covers the period up to 2011, it is necessary to consider the most appropriate use for the site in the event of the land being made available for speculative development. Given the scale and high profile location of the site, a similar approach to that taken for the strategic employment site in Policy E3 would be justified, uses within the B1 Use Class are therefore considered to be appropriate. A development brief will need to be prepared to guide uses, size of units, design, landscaping and transportation issues before development proposals are considered. In addition to the sites identified in Policies E3 and E4, sites are allocated for office developments in the Town Centre (Policy TR6) and the Old Town (Policy OT12). These areas are suitable for this type of development and the safeguarding of opportunities for further office development is needed to help maintain and enhance commercial activity in both areas. POLICY E4 : EMPLOYMENT SITES THE FOLLOWING SITES, AS SHOWN ON THE PROPOSALS MAP, ARE ALLOCATED FOR THE EMPLOYMENT USES IDENTIFIED IN THE TABLE BELOW: SiteSite Area (Hectares)Estimated Net Floorspace Area (Square Metres)Use Classes Proposed1. Former Kodak Site, Bessemer Drive3.4415,500B1/B2/B82. Caxton Way0.793,600B1/B2/B83. Six Hills Way0.462,100B14. Glaxo Wellcome Site, Broadhall Way1045,000B1 IF SITE E4/4 IS NOT REQUIRED FOR MEETING THE EXPANSION NEEDS OF GLAXO WELLCOME AND IS RELEASED FOR DEVELOPMENT, THE BOROUGH COUNCIL WILL PREPARE A DEVELOPMENT BRIEF FOR THE OVERALL DEVELOPMENT OF THE SITE. NO DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS WILL BE CONSIDERED BEFORE A DEVELOPMENT BRIEF IS PREPARED. References to class B1, B2 and B8 are as defined in the Use Classes Order 1987. (Policies TR6, OT12, SW12 ACCEPTABLE USES IN EMPLOYMENT AREAS The District Plan needs to include policies to define what uses are acceptable in the Employment Areas for the following reasons: (a) to maximise the employment generating potential of the Employment Areas; (b) to help regenerate the employment areas; (c) to provide certainty for existing occupiers and potential investors; (d) to retain the structure of the New Town; and (e) to help maintain the viability of employment uses in the Town Centre. The Borough Council encourages a mix of development within the B1, B2 and B8 Use Classes within the Employment Areas as they represent the main employment generating uses which provide a range of employment opportunities. A mix of uses within large development or redevelopment sites is also encouraged to enable employment diversity. Whilst a mix of employment uses within the Employment Areas is encouraged, the Borough Council would prefer office development to be focused in the Town Centre. The Town Centre is considered to be the most suitable location for office development due to the contribution that commercial activities make to the viability and vitality of the Town Centre, their potential to assist with regeneration and because it is accessible by a variety of transport modes. This is particularly important for offices because they have higher employee to floorspace densities than other employment uses and hence have potential to generate more traffic. To control the extent of office development in the Employment Areas, development sites over two hectares in size will be restricted to having no more than 50% of the net floorspace area for office use. As there is a limited supply of employment generating land in Stevenage, the job creation potential of employment sites must be maximised. This relates not just to the total number of jobs made available but also to the type and quality of the jobs created. Therefore, the Borough Council will resist uses in Employment Areas which have a high land take with a low level of job creation. This particularly applies to traditional warehousing activities within the B8 Use Class which generally have lower employment densities. Information contained in the Long Term Employment Land Needs study will be used for assessing the acceptability of proposals involving B8 uses. The report identified that the average employment density of B2 industrial uses in the County is 38 square metres per employee, whilst the equivalent figure for B8 warehousing uses is 60 square metres per employee. B8 uses may be acceptable if they propose employee to floorspace densities similar to B2 industrial uses. As an upper limit, the Borough Council will not normally permit proposals which have employment densities greater than 50 square metres per employee. This is considered an appropriate threshold as the density is approximately halfway between the average densities for the two use classes. Proposals for B8 uses may also be acceptable where they are ancillary to a main employment use or needed to meet requirements of existing firms as the economic benefits of attracting and retaining companies in Stevenage are likely to outweigh concerns regarding ancillary B8 floorspace. Where speculative developments take place, it may not be possible to establish employment densities for the purposes of Policy E5. In these circumstances development will only be acceptable where the B8 use forms part of a larger mixed employment use development. Conditions may be imposed on a planning permission to restrict the amount of units that can be used for B8 uses. Employment generating uses outside the business use class that is sui generis uses (e.g. vehicle and plant hire centres, car showrooms) which may be suitable in employment areas will be considered on their merits. Considerations will include employment densities, impact on Town Centre viability, and traffic/environmental impact. POLICY E5 : ACCEPTABLE USES IN EMPLOYMENT AREAS IN THE EMPLOYMENT AREAS ALREADY DESIGNATED A RANGE OF EMPLOYMENT USES WITHIN THE B1, B2 AND B8 USE CLASSES WILL BE ENCOURAGED. A MIX OF USES WITHIN A DEVELOPMENT SITE WILL ALSO BE ENCOURAGED. ON DEVELOPMENT SITES OVER TWO HECTARES IN SIZE, B1(a) OFFICE USE FLOORSPACE WILL BE RESTRICTED TO 50% OF THE NET FLOORSPACE AREA. PROPOSALS FOR DEVELOPMENT WITHIN THE B8 USE CLASS WILL ONLY BE PERMITTED IF THEY MEET THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA: (A) ACCEPTABLE EMPLOYEE TO FLOORSPACE DENSITIES CAN BE DEMONSTRATED; OR (B) THE B8 USE CLASS ELEMENT OF A DEVELOPMENT IS ANCILLARY TO THE PRINCIPAL USE OF A SITE; OR (C) B8 USE CLASS FLOORSPACE IS REQUIRED BY AN EXISTING EMPLOYMENT USE IN STEVENAGE TO MEET EXPANSION REQUIREMENTS; OR (D) THE DEVELOPMENT FORMS PART OF A LARGER MIXED BUSINESS USE DEVELOPMENT WITHIN THE B1, B2 AND B8 USE CLASSES. References to class B1, B2 and B8 are as defined in the Use Classes Order 1987. Retail and leisure uses will generally be unacceptable in the Employment Areas for the following reasons: (a) their potential adverse impact on the viability and vitality of retail and leisure uses in the Town Centre and neighbourhood centres; (b) their impact on the quality and diversity of employment opportunities in Stevenage; (c) their potential traffic implications. Uses which are either associated with an employment use or support an employment use and need to located in an employment area may be acceptable. For example, day nurseries, social clubs, fitness clubs, and cafes may be acceptable if a local need for the facility can be demonstrated. POLICY E6 : RETAIL AND LEISURE PROPOSALS IN EMPLOYMENT AREAS THE USE OF LAND OR PREMISES FOR RETAIL OR LEISURE USES IN THE EMPLOYMENT AREAS SHOWN ON THE PROPOSALS MAP, OTHER THAN AS A MINOR ANCILLARY USE TO THE MAIN USE, WILL NOT BE PERMITTED. PROPOSALS FOR RETAIL OR LEISURE USES ASSOCIATED WITH, OR SUPPORTING EMPLOYMENT USES WILL ONLY BE PERMITTED IF THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA ARE MET: (A) A LOCAL NEED FOR A FACILITY, ASSOCIATED WITH EMPLOYMENT USES, CAN BE DEMONSTRATED; AND (B) THE PROPOSAL DOES NOT HAVE A DETRIMENTAL TRAFFIC OR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT. UNIT SIZES Traditionally the employment base in Stevenage has been dependent on a few large companies. In order to broaden the employment base and provide for a more stable economy, the Borough Council encourages small and medium sized enterprises (SME's) to establish in Stevenage. To achieve this the Borough Council considers it necessary to encourage a mix of size of units wherever possible. Research undertaken on qualitative employment floorspace needs has identified that over the period of this Plan there is expected to be a shortage of business accommodation to meet the needs of SME’s (Source: Employment Space Needs in Hertfordshire, Roger Tym & Partners, 1999). Small businesses are unlikely to be in a position to provide their own business units and the commercial property market rarely provides affordable units for small businesses. Large sites over two hectares, will therefore be required to provide a mix of size of units including specific provision for small units. Small unit provision should be for B1 or B2 uses only to maximise employment generating potential, unless the criteria in Policy E5 can be met for B8 developments. An exception to this policy is made for existing companies wishing to use large sites for their expansion as the Borough Council would not wish to impose restrictions on such developments. POLICY E7 : UNIT SIZES WITHIN EMPLOYMENT AREAS IN THE EMPLOYMENT AREAS SHOWN ON THE PROPOSALS MAP A MIX OF SIZE OF UNITS WITHIN A SITE WILL BE ENCOURAGED. ON DEVELOPMENT SITES OVER TWO HECTARES, THERE WILL BE A REQUIREMENT FOR AT LEAST 10% OF THE NET FLOORSPACE AREA WITHIN THE SITE TO BE DEVELOPED FOR SMALL BUSINESS OR INDUSTRIAL UNITS WITHIN THE B1 OR B2 USE CLASSES UNLESS THE SITE IS TO BE DEVELOPED TO MEET THE EXPANSION REQUIREMENTS OF AN EXISTING EMPLOYMENT USE IN STEVENAGE. For the purposes of clarity, unit sizes are defined as: Small units: up to 235 sq.m Medium units: 236 – 1000 sq.m Large units: over 1000 sq.m (Policy NC3 EMPLOYMENT USES OUTSIDE EMPLOYMENT AREAS Certain types of employment use may be appropriate in the Town Centre, Old Town and Neighbourhood Centres. Policies in these chapters provide further guidance on what uses are acceptable. However, the Borough Council will generally resist employment uses outside of the Employment Areas for the following reasons: (a) to channel employment developments into the most appropriate locations; (b) to prevent environmental and residential amenity problems associated with locating employment development near potentially conflicting uses e.g. housing, schools; and (c) to preserve development land outside the employment areas for more appropriate uses. The principle of homeworking is encouraged because it can provide new employment opportunities and reduce the need to travel. However, proposals which have an adverse effect on residential amenity through problems associated with car parking provision, traffic generation and noise will not be permitted. Whilst new employment uses in residential areas are generally resisted, there may be reasons for protecting existing employment uses in residential areas from being developed for alternative development. In addition to the small business units that are provided at some of the neighbourhood centres, there are other locations within residential areas that contain employment uses, particularly Old Stevenage. Many of these uses consist of small business accommodation that is in short supply in Stevenage and would be unlikely to replaced within the Employment Areas if lost. These uses also provide a source of employment for local residents which reduces their need to travel which is consistent with the sustainability objectives of this Plan. The loss of these units will therefore be resisted. For the purposes of Policy E8, small units are defined as 235 square metres or less. However, it is acknowledged that some uses are not appropriate in residential areas because their scale or use has an adverse impact on residential amenity through traffic generation, noise and general disturbance. It may be acceptable for these sites to be developed for alternative uses. POLICY E8 : EMPLOYMENT USES OUTSIDE EMPLOYMENT AREAS DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS FOR EMPLOYMENT USES OUTSIDE THE EMPLOYMENT AREAS WILL BE RESISTED EXCEPT WHERE PERMITTED BY OTHER POLICIES. DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS THAT WOULD RESULT IN THE LOSS OF EXISTING EMPLOYMENT USES IN RESIDENTIAL AREAS WILL ONLY BE PERMITTED IF THE DEVELOPMENT DOES NOT RESULT IN THE LOSS OF SMALL BUSINESS OR INDUSTRIAL UNITS. BUILDING AND SITE DESIGN FOR BUSINESS USES Many of the vacant buildings in Stevenage are difficult to relet because they are not suitable for meeting modern occupier requirements. This may be associated with the building design not being sufficiently flexible to allow a range of business uses to take place. It is therefore important that business and industrial units are flexibly designed to accommodate a range of uses within the B1 and B2 use classes. This will allow the efficient use of employment land and adaptability to changes in employment floorspace needs. POLICY E9 : BUILDING DESIGN FOR BUSINESS USES THE CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS WHICH HAVE AN INTERNAL LAYOUT, EXTERNAL LOADING BAYS AND VEHICLE TURNING FACILITIES WHICH WILL ENABLE THE BUILDINGS TO BE USED FOR A RANGE OF INDUSTRIAL PURPOSES WITHIN THE B1 AND B2 USE CLASSES WILL BE ENCOURAGED. WASTE MANAGEMENT SITES The Hertfordshire Waste Local Plan (Adopted 1999) has identified a range of sites across Hertfordshire as ‘Areas of Search’ for different types of waste management facility in order to provide sufficient opportunities for meeting the County’s waste management facility needs over the period to 2005. The Areas of Search provide a locational framework for determining proposals for various waste management facilities if and when they are needed. Policy 12 of the Waste Local Plan identifies parts of the Gunnels Wood Employment Area (for materials recovery facilities) and a site on London Road (for inert waste recycling facilities) as Areas of Search for permanent waste management facilities. Specific locations within the Gunnels Wood Employment Area which would be suitable for materials recovery facilities have not been identified in the Waste Local Plan. A policy is therefore needed in the District Plan to guide proposals to the most appropriate locations. Waste management proposals will be restricted on sites which have frontages on to Gunnels Wood Road and part of Six Hills Way. These frontages currently contain high quality buildings which accommodate many of Stevenage’s major employers and contribute towards making the Gunnels Wood Employment Area an attractive business location compared to other industrial areas . The siting of a materials recovery facility on one of the frontages is likely to detract from this image and could hinder the regeneration of the employment area. The criteria for considering proposals for waste management facilities are set out in Policies 2 and 13 of the Waste Local Plan. POLICY E10: AREAS OF SEARCH FOR WASTE MANAGEMENT FACILITIES THE FOLLOWING AREAS AS SHOWN ON THE PROPOSALS MAP ARE IDENTIFIED AS AREAS OF SEARCH FOR SITES FOR PERMANENT FACILITIES FOR THE RE-USE, RECOVERY, TRANSFER AND RECYCLING OF WASTE: 1. GUNNELS WOOD ROAD NORTH WEST; 2. GUNNELS WOOD ROAD SOUTH EAST; 3. LONDON ROAD. DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS FOR THESE FACILITIES WILL NOT BE PERMITTED ON LAND WITH A FRONTAGE ON TO THE FOLLOWING ROADS: (A) GUNNELS WOOD ROAD; SIX HILLS WAY (BETWEEN GUNNELS WOOD ROAD AND THE RAILWAY). Policy 18 of the Waste Local Plan safeguards two sites on London Road for waste management purposes and opposes proposals that would prevent or prejudice the use of the land for waste management unless alternative provision can be made. Waste management operations currently take place on both sites that are identified. These sites are safeguarded due to the scarcity of waste management sites and because existing sites are often the most suitable for waste management. Without safeguarding it is considered that the success of the Waste Local Plan in terms of making provision for facilities which can recycle, reuse, recover and transfer waste may be threatened. POLICY E11 : SAFEGUARDED SITES FOR WASTE MANAGEMENT FACILITIES THE FOLLOWING SITES AS SHOWN ON THE PROPOSALS MAP ARE SAFEGUARDED FOR THE RE-USE, RECOVERY, RECYCLING AND TRANSFER OF WASTE: 1. STEVENAGE BOROUGH COUNCIL DEPOT, LONDON ROAD; HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL HOUSEHOLD WASTE SITE, LONDON ROAD. DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS WHICH WOULD PREVENT OR PREJUDICE THE USE OF THESE SITES FOR THESE PURPOSES WILL BE OPPOSED UNLESS SUITABLE ALTERNATIVE PROVISION IS MADE. ON ANY SITE WHERE PERMANENT PLANNING PERMISSION IS GRANTED FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF FACILITIES FOR WASTE RE-USE, RECOVERY, RECYCLING OR TRANSFER, DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS WHICH WOULD PREVENT OR PREJUDICE THE USE OF THE SITE FOR THESE PURPOSES WILL BE OPPOSED UNLESS SUITABLE ALTERNATIVE PROVISION IS MADE. Policy EN40 in the Environment Chapter sets out the Borough Council’s approach towards waste and recycling matters in new developments. TRANSPORT INTRODUCTION An efficient transport system is important for the economic and social prosperity of an area and for the accessibility and safety of its inhabitants. In Stevenage, the transport system is an integral part of the Town’s structure, with a comprehensive road and cycleway network and rail links north and south. This chapter is concerned with the movement of people around the Town and into the surrounding areas, on foot, cycle, passenger transport and in cars and lorries. In the past transport policy concentrated on accommodating the car. More recently that position has changed and the focus has moved towards alternative forms of transport, which cause less damage to the environment and promoting a reduction in the need to travel. The Government has produced a number of guidance documents, which have set out this shift in focus. These include a revised draft PPG13 (October 1999) and the 1998 White Paper "A New Deal for Transport: Better for Everyone." This guidance sets out the need to reduce peoples’ requirement to travel by integrating land uses and enabling people to meet their everyday needs locally; and encouraging the provision of access to modes of transport other than the private car. In the Structure Plan these aims are reflected in policies encouraging their implementation locally. These promote for example: reducing the need to travel; the provision of alternative forms of transport; environmental improvement areas where traffic has a detrimental impact; and car parking restraint. In Stevenage much of the infrastructure necessary to enable this shift in emphasis already exists. The Town has an established system of segregated cycleways and pedestrian paths, which provide an alternative transport option for most journeys within the Town. This system provides a good basis on which to build. Improvements are needed and new development will be expected to add to the system and improve it where appropriate. But the basic infrastructure is established and puts Stevenage at an advantage in promoting alternatives when compared to other towns in the country. Historically land use patterns in Stevenage have enabled residents to meet their everyday needs locally. The principles of neighbourhood development sought to provide basic local facilities such as shops, a school, church, and a community centre within a `half mile pleasant and safe walk’. Today these principles are still upheld and will be promoted in new developments. The ability for residents to meet their employment needs locally is vital in promoting transport choices. A higher proportion of people both live and work in Stevenage when compared with other areas. This generally means a shorter journey between work and home. Because of this and the fact that many businesses are concentrated in the two employment areas in the Town there is more potential to get people to consider alternative modes of transport. In the past the cycleways were crowded at peak times. If the right conditions can be provided more people may be prepared to cycle to work or use an alternative form of transport, leaving their cars at home. In order to achieve the aims set out by the Government, action needs to be taken at all levels and through a variety of agencies and mechanisms. Planning has a central role to play in this, but in itself cannot successfully meet these objectives. Many agencies and mechanisms are starting to be established both nationally and more locally to help this cause. However, it must be noted that changing peoples’ habits is a long-term plan and cannot be achieved over night. At the national level, guidance has been introduced to direct policy and implementation towards these objectives. The Road Traffic Reduction Act is being used to set targets to stabilise and reduce the share of journeys taken by cars. The TravelWise campaign, established by Hertfordshire County Council, has a wide range of programmes to promote alternatives to the car. Local policy documents such as the Local Transport Plan and Passenger Transport Policies reflect national aims in promoting alternative forms of transport. Joint working with other local authorities has an important role to play in ensuring that restraint policies are applied consistently, for example in Hertfordshire, car parking policy is being established jointly with local flexibility in application. In Stevenage a "Safer Routes to School" scheme is being developed and the Stevenage Transport Forum has developed a Transport Strategy for the Town and is progressing a Cycling Strategy. This Plan seeks to promote land use policies, which can assist in this multi-disciplinary approach in reducing the need to travel and in promoting the use of alternative forms of transport. This is critical in promoting a more sustainable future for Stevenage. This does not mean that there will be no further road building or car parking provision, but, this Plan seeks to ensure that transportation is considered fully and comprehensively, incorporating all forms of transport and promoting the alternatives to private cars. DEVELOPMENT PRINCIPLES In order to achieve this, policies to ensure that the provision of alternative forms of transport are available in new developments and that consideration is given as to how people will access developments. They seek to achieve a balance between incentives and restraint to shift the balance in attractiveness towards forms of transport other than the private car, promoting a more sustainable way of living. POLICY T1 : TRANSPORT IMPLICATIONS FROM DEVELOPMENTS THE FOLLOWING PRINCIPLES WILL BE CONSIDERED IN ASSESSING TRANSPORT IMPLICATIONS FROM DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS: (A) A REQUIREMENT TO REDUCE THE NEED TO TRAVEL IN DECIDING THE LOCATION OF NEW DEVELOPMENT; AND (B) ACCESS TO MODES OF TRAVEL OTHER THAN PRIVATE MOTORISED TRANSPORT, INCLUDING PASSENGER TRANSPORT, CYCLING AND WALKING; AND (C) IMPLICATIONS OF TRAFFIC GENERATION; AND (D) SAFETY; AND (E) DETAILED DESIGN TO FACILITATE ACCESS, USING PRIORITY MEASURES IF APPROPRIATE, AND USE BY ALTERNATIVE FORMS OF TRANSPORT; AND (F) DETAILED DESIGN TO FACILITATE ACCESS BY THOSE WITH MOBILITY PROBLEMS. NEW DEVELOPMENTS WILL NOT BE PERMITTED WHERE THEY RELY ON ACCESS SOLELY BY PRIVATE MOTORISED TRANSPORT. The Borough Council supports the provision of a safe and efficient highway network. It seeks to promote the best use of this system in meeting its overall objectives and in meeting the needs of development in the most sustainable way possible. In relation to new development, the Borough Council needs to be satisfied that road building is necessary in relation to a particular development or is needed to promote environmental or safety improvements. As part of this approach, consideration will need to be given to all forms of transport. POLICY T2 : ALTERATIONS TO THE HIGHWAY NETWORK NEW ROAD BUILDING, HIGHWAY IMPROVEMENTS AND TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT MEASURES IN RELATION TO THE EXISTING NETWORK WILL ONLY BE PERMITTED OR SUPPORTED WHERE THEY MEET SAFETY, ENVIRONMENTAL OR LOCAL ACCESS REQUIREMENTS AND ARE PART OF AN INTEGRATED PACKAGE OF MEASURES CONSIDERING ALL FORMS OF TRANSPORT. The majority of developments generate transport requirements. As part of any development, developers will be required to provide the infrastructure necessary to enable it to function efficiently. Major developments, where the Borough Council considers the likely effects to be significant, will be required to provide a detailed Traffic Impact Assessment (TIA) in order to assess the effects of the development. A Green Transport Plan (GTP) will form part of this assessment where appropriate to ensure consideration is given to encouraging alternative modes of travel and minimising the use of private motorised transport. POLICY T3 : TRAFFIC IMPACT ASSESSMENT A DETAILED TRAFFIC IMPACT ASSESSMENT WILL BE REQUIRED FOR ANY DEVELOPMENT OR REDEVELOPMENT WHICH IS CONSIDERED TO HAVE A MATERIAL IMPACT ON TRAFFIC OR HIGHWAY SAFETY IN THE LOCALITY. THE ASSESSMENT WILL BE EXPECTED TO CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING: THE LIKELY TRAFFIC GENERATION AND ITS EFFECT ON THE EXISTING TRANSPORT NETWORK; AND THE PRINCIPLES SET OUT IN POLICY T1; AND THE IMPACT ON THE LOCAL ENVIRONMENT, INCLUDING AIR QUALITY. (Policy T1 POLICY T4 : GREEN TRANSPORT PLANS AS PART OF THE TRAFFIC IMPACT ASSESSMENT FOR MAJOR NEW DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS, DEVELOPERS WILL BE EXPECTED TO SUBMIT A GREEN TRANSPORT PLAN TO ENCOURAGE THE USE OF ALTERNATIVE MODES OF TRAVEL AND MINIMISE THE USE OF PRIVATE MOTORISED TRANSPORT. DEVELOPERS WILL BE EXPECTED TO DEMONSTRATE HOW THIS PLAN WILL BE IMPLEMENTED. (Policy T1 On assessing the TIA the Borough Council will require works and provision of facilities commensurate with the scale of development. The form of these works will be negotiated with developers in line with the policies in this Plan but will be expected to include, where appropriate, provision and facilities for cyclists, pedestrians and passenger transport. POLICY T5 : PROVISION OF TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE BY DEVELOPERS IN CONSIDERING TRAFFIC IMPACT ASSESSMENTS DEVELOPERS WILL BE EXPECTED TO FUND MEASURES TO ENABLE THE FULL IMPLICATIONS OF THE DEVELOPMENT ON THE TRANSPORT NETWORK AS A WHOLE TO BE RESOLVED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PRINCIPLES SET OUT IN POLICY T1. BY, EITHER CARRYING OUT THE MEASURES THEMSELVES OR BY THE PAYMENT OF COMMUTED SUMS. STRATEGIC NETWORK. Stevenage will benefit from improvements to the strategic network. Plans to widen the A1(M) between junctions 7 and 8, although under review have not been removed from the road programme. If this proposal comes forward for development the Borough Council will expect all options and forms of transport to be considered in improving congestion along this stretch of motorway. Should a proposal come forward the Borough Council will consider making representations on the proposals relating to detailed matters of concern. As part of the proposals to widen the A1(M), a notice (TR111), issued by the Government, safeguards land on either side of the A1(M), until such time as the exact route of the widening is known. Because of this planning applications within 67 metres of the centre line of the A1(M) will have to be referred to the DETR. POLICY T6 : WIDENING THE A1(M) PROPOSALS TO WIDEN THE A1(M) WILL BE SUPPORTED WHERE IT FORM PART OF A COMPREHENSIVE AND INTEGRATED APPROACH, INCLUDING ALTERNATIVE MODES OF TRAVEL TO PRIVATE MOTORISED TRANSPORT. PROVISION OF TRANSPORT INTERCHANGES. The Government has highlighted the need to integrate all forms of transport, this is to facilitate the easy movement between different modes of transport. In Stevenage a number of locations are suitable for interchange type facilities. The railway station/ bus station interchange is particularly significant and is also a key consideration for the Town Centre. In the Town Centre and Retailing Chapter principles are set out to consider relocating and improving the bus station. This is necessary as the current bus station is congested and does not have any spare capacity to support additional services. Minor alterations to the existing arrangement are unlikely to improve its capacity. If the bus station is relocated its relationship with other forms of transport and position relative to other locations and facilities needs to be carefully considered. In assessing changes to passenger transport interchanges, consideration needs to be given to how people will get there and between different nodes. The railway station is a fixed location, but improvements can be made to its accessibility, encouraging people to undertake more journeys by train. Efforts to improve the station interchange area are currently being investigated to enable better integration for all forms of transport at this point. Other areas in the Town may be appropriate for smaller scale interchange facilities, such as at neighbourhood centres or locations or facilities which attract a large number of visitors or customers. POLICY T7 : INTEGRATION OF TRANSPORT MODES IMPROVEMENTS TO PASSENGER TRANSPORT AND INTERCHANGE FACILITIES WILL BE SUPPORTED AT THE RAILWAY STATION, TOWN CENTRE AND AT OTHER LOCATIONS WHICH ATTRACT A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF VISITORS OR CUSTOMERS, INCLUDING SPORT AND LEISURE FACILITIES, RETAIL AREAS AND OTHER PUBLIC ATTRACTIONS. IMPROVEMENTS TO EXISTING INTERCHANGES SHOULD SEEK TO COMPREHENSIVELY INTEGRATE ALL FORMS OF TRANSPORT, INCLUDING PROVISION FOR TAXIS. CAR PARKING In meeting the Government’s objectives of reducing the number and length of motorised journeys car parking restraint is an important tool, which needs to be carefully considered. Through joint working with the County Council and other local authorities in the County, draft proposals have been put forward. These proposals set out maximum standards and identify the circumstances under which they should be applied. Detailed guidance on car parking standards will come forward as supplementary planning guidance, which will be subject of a separate public consultation exercise. In locations, which are well served by or have access to alternative modes of transport, the Borough Council may accept reduced car-parking provision in new developments where contributions are made to improve this provision of alternative forms of transport. This will not however, reduce the need to provide for car parking or servicing to meet operational needs of the development, although these should be kept to a minimum. POLICY T8 : CAR PARKING CAR PARKING REQUIREMENTS FOR DEVELOPMENTS WILL BE ASSESSED IN RELATION TO THE BOROUGH COUNCIL’S CURRENT CAR PARKING STANDARDS AS SET OUT IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL SAFEGUARDS (OR AS SUBSEQUENTLY AMENDED) USED AS A MAXIMUM LEVEL OF PROVISION. IN THE TOWN CENTRE AND OTHER LOCATIONS WHICH ARE, OR COULD BE MADE, ACCESSIBLE TO ALTERNATIVE MODES OF TRANSPORT, CAR PARKING PROVISION WILL BE EXPECTED TO BE BELOW THIS MAXIMUM STANDARD. PLANNING PERMISSION FOR MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS WILL BE EXPECTED TO INCLUDE A PLANNING OBLIGATION TO IMPLEMENT A GREEN TRANSPORT PLAN TO MINIMISE THE TRAFFIC IMPACT OF A DEVELOPMENT. THIS WILL BE LINKED TO THE PROPOSALS IN THE TRAFFIC IMPACT ASSESSMENT. NON RESIDENTIAL PARKING OPERATIONAL AND CUSTOMER PARKING PROVISION ON SITE WILL BE KEPT TO A MINIMUM. PARKING WILL ONLY BE PROVIDED FOR SERVICING, DROPPING OFF, DELIVERY AND, WHERE COMMUNAL PUBLIC PARKING IS NOT AVAILABLE NEARBY, FOR CUSTOMERS OR VISITORS THAT THE BOROUGH COUNCIL CONSIDERS ESSENTIAL TO THE OPERATION OF THE SITE. WHERE EMPLOYEE CAR PARKING NEEDS WILL NOT BE MET ON SITE; THIS DEMAND WILL BE MET BY ALTERNATIVE PROVISION ACHIEVED BY DEVELOPER CONTRIBUTIONS SECURED THROUGH PLANNING OBLIGATIONS. FULL PARKING PROVISION ON SITE WILL ONLY BE PERMITTED IN EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES. REDEVELOPMENT OF EXISTING CAR PARKING AREAS WILL BE ENCOURAGED ONLY WHERE PARKING DEMAND OF THE EXISTING AND NEW DEVELOPMENT IS DEALT WITH ON THE BASIS OF THE PRINCIPLES SET OUT ABOVE. RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT MAXIMUM PARKING PROVISION WILL BE CALCULATED WITH REFERENCE TO THE STANDARDS SET OUT IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL SAFEGUARDS AND WILL BE EXPECTED TO BE MET ON SITE. CAR FREE RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENTS WILL BE CONSIDERED FAVOURABLY WHERE OCCUPANCY CAN BE RESTRICTED TO NON-CAR OWNERS USING PLANNING OBLIGATIONS AND ACCESS OR PROVISION TO ALTERNATIVE MODES OF TRANSPORT CAN BE MADE. EXCEPTIONALLY PARKING PROVISION MAY BE OMITTED OR REDUCED ON THE BASIS OF THE TYPE AND LOCATION OF THE DEVELOPMENT (E.G. SPECIAL NEEDS/AFFORDABLE HOUSING, CONVERSION OR REUSE) WHERE THEY ARE LOCATED CLOSE TO FACILITIES, SERVICES AND PASSENGER TRANSPORT. POLICY T9 : COMMUTED SUMS. COMMUTED SUMS WILL BE EXPECTED TO OFFSET THE REDUCTION IN CAR PARKING PROVISION AND WILL BE USED TO PROMOTE THE PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL. THIS WILL BE CALCULATED ON THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE NUMBER OF SPACES PROVIDED AND THE MAXIMUM AS SET OUT IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL SAFEGUARDS, THE SUM BEING BASED ON THE VALUE OF THE LAND AND THE COST OF CONSTRUCTION FOR EACH SPACE COMMUTED. THE PAYMENT OF A COMMUTED SUM DOES NOT REDUCE THE NEED FOR DEVELOPERS TO PROVIDE ACCESS AND FACILITIES TO THE SITE FOR CYCLISTS, PEDESTRIANS AND PASSENGER TRANSPORT AS REQUIRED IN OTHER POLICIES IN THIS CHAPTER. PASSENGER TRANSPORT The Borough Council recognises the importance of passenger transport in providing for those without access to a car and also as an alternative for those who do. The Borough Council therefore assists the County Council by contributing towards the cost of County Council administered contracts for the provision of bus services in those areas where the commercial provision of services is considered insufficient to meet for social needs. Improving passenger transport is critical if there is to be a shift away from private transport. The Borough Council will encourage the provision of new services and facilities and their integration and where appropriate will require new developme