Head of Strategic Planning

Winchester City Council

City Offices

Colebrook Street

Winchester

SO23 9LJ                                                                                          12^th February 2008 

Dear Sirs

WCC LDF Core Strategy Issues and Options

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the Core Strategy Issues and Options consultation.   The future of Wickham and its surroundings is of great importance to the community and is reflected in our response to the questionnaire which is summarised below:

Wickham Parish Council strongly supports the South East Plan Policy BE5 for Small Rural Towns, believing this is where its function lies which is both distinct and separate from that of the PUSH urban area.

The Parish Council believes the City Council should embrace the direction of the SE Plan Panel policy recommendations for the role of Small Rural Towns when developing its ‘Preferred Options’:

Policy BE5: The Role of Small Rural Towns (‘Market’ Towns)

Local planning authorities should encourage and initiate schemes and proposals that help strengthen the viability of small rural towns, recognising their social, economic and cultural importance to wider rural areas and the region as a whole.  Local planning authorities, through their Local Development Documents and other means, should:

                      I.        Support and reinforce the role of small rural towns as local hubs for employment, retailing and community facilities and services

                    II.        Encourage community led local assessments of need and action planning

                   III.        Provide for sufficient housing development (especially for affordable housing) to meet identified needs in small rural towns where this would reinforce and develop the distinctive character and role of the town.

                  IV.        Protect and enhance the character and appearance of individual small rural towns

                    V.        Develop public transport networks which meet the needs of both the market towns and their surrounding rural area.

 

Wickham Parish Council supports the provision of an additional 150 houses outside the current village envelope to the north of the village centre, over the next 20 years to reinforce and enhance its role as a sustainable ‘key hub’.

Following a study of the social and demographic structure of the community and a survey of housing stock within Wickham, the Parish Council believes that an additional 150 houses maximum could be accommodated outside the current village envelope over the next 20 years to support and reinforce its role as a sustainable ‘key hub’ without damaging the existing vibrant community and built environment.

The need to regularly review the needs and opportunities for the village is anticipated.

The preferred location of these houses is to the north of the village centre; proposals on other boundaries would not be supported due to pressures from the North Fareham SDA and the need to maintain a green gap to the south; and the special landscape quality of the east and west.

The perceived need is for 3 and 4 bedroom detached family houses to address a current deficit in this type of dwelling.

Options to extend beyond a key hub role would not be sustainable in view of the  close proximity to the North Fareham SDA and the strong desire of the community to maintain a separate identity.

Wickham Parish Council supports the provision of affordable housing for local people together with measures to redress the current higher percentage of social rented accommodation in Wickham compared with other key hubs and Winchester District.

The Parish Council has identified and quantified the need for affordable housing for local people, but requests that WCC recognises that there is a currently a far higher percentage of social rented accommodation in Wickham compared with other key hubs and Winchester District. 

In order not to exacerbate the current pockets of social deprivation in the village by providing for Winchester City Council’s wider social housing need, and to enhance social sustainability, further affordable housing provision should be for local people and remain for local people in perpetuity. 

Wickham Parish Council strongly supports the provision of significant green gaps between the settlements of Knowle and Wickham and the North Fareham SDA.

The North Fareham SDA presents challenges to the future integrity, character and appearance of the settlements of Knowle and Wickham. The need for significant green gaps between the settlements and the SDA is of vital importance to protect their distinct identities and reinforce sense of place.

The need to secure green gaps and the supported retention of the Meon Strategic Gap may preclude any additional housing within WCC’s boundaries at Knowle.

Wickham Parish Council supports measures to address the shortfall in recreation space within settlements with current Local Plan standards as a minimum requirement.

The Parish Council supports continuing measures to address the current shortfall in recreation space within settlements and considers the current Local Plan standards should be considered as a minimum requirement with policies developed to increase provision where possible.

Wickham Parish Council supports the retention of existing employment land within the village envelope unless proven to be no longer economically viable.

There is minimal scope for additional business premises but applications to reduce existing employment land within the existing village envelope should be discouraged without robust evidence that the space is no longer justified for employment purposes.

Wickham Parish Council requests early and urgent support for measures to reduce the impact of traffic growth on Wickham and its rural surroundings.

Minimising the impact of traffic growth on Wickham and the rural surrounds is of major concern to the community.  The Parish Council supports the early provision of high quality alternative means of transport to the car together with timely improvements and additions to road infrastructure where necessary.

Community Action Planning 

Wickham Parish Council is carrying out a Market Town Health Check and a review of its Village Design Statement.  This will compliment the work carried out for the 2004 Parish Plan and existing VDS and will provide a robust Strategic Action Plan for Wickham which the community will expect to be respected and supported by WCC.

North Fareham SDA

Wickham Parish Council requests WCC has strong representation, which includes the Parish Council, during the master planning process for the North Fareham SDA to ensure the impact on the settlements of Wickham and Knowle are minimised and their distinctive integrity, character and appearance are not compromised.

Preferred Options

Wickham Parish Council would welcome and actively seek involvement in the development of the LDF Preferred Options process.

 

Yours faithfully

 

Nicki Oliver

Parish Clerk

 

 

Wickham Parish Council response to Issues and Options Questionnair 

RNA = Response not appropriate

Would you like us to keep you informed of the progress of this campaign?
	YES  √	NO  o
	Title	Wickham Parish Council
	Address Line 1	Heatherdene
	Address Line 2	Turkey Island, Shedfield
	Town	Southampton
	Post Code	SO32 2JE
	Contact Telephone Number	01329 835019
	Email Address	wickhamparishcouncil@msn.com

Background information

We would be grateful if you would also provide the following information

Date of Birth

RNA

Ethnic Background RNA
White British	o	Indian	o
Black British	o	Pakistani	o
Asian British	o	Any other Asian background	o
Irish	o	White & Asian	o
Other white background	o	White & Black African	o
Black - African	o	White & Black Caribbean	o
Black - Caribbean	o	Other mixed background	o
Other black background	o	Chinese	o
Bangladeshi	o	Other ethnic group	o

 

Respondent Type
Member of Public		Government Agency/ Statutory Body
Action/ Resource Group/ Voluntary/ Charitable Group		Private Sector
County/ District/ Unitary Authority/ Regional Assembly		MP/ MEP
Parish/ Town Council	√	Other

THE VISION

The Core Strategy will provide a vision which sets out how the District wishes to change in the future and what type of place it will become over the next twenty years.  The Council’s proposed Spatial Vision is:

“Winchester District will evolve and develop as a vibrant and sustainable place to live, work and do business by harnessing the talent and vitality of our diverse communities. New enterprise will deliver sustainable solutions for housing, commerce, transport and other services, whilst protecting, promoting and enhancing the District’s rich historical townscape and wider rural landscape”.

1a.	Is this an appropriate vision for the next 20 years? (Please tick one box to indicate how strongly you agree or disagree with this vision).
	Strongly Agree Agree Neither Disagree Strongly Disagree   √
1b.	If you disagree with this vision, please give examples of what should be included in an alternative vision   Suggest including ‘protecting’ where indicated in red above

 

THE STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

The vision and strategic objectives provide a clear forward direction for the District. To enable the vision to become a reality the following strategic objectives are proposed:-

Objective 1: Creation of an economy that promotes the varied talents of the District, building on the creative and knowledge based industries that exist, whilst developing the agricultural, tourism and cultural assets of our historic towns and villages and valued landscapes, by ensuring that there are a range of sites and premises available for businesses to set up and expand to meet their full potential and provide jobs to use the skills of the District’s population;

Objective 2: Provision of a range of housing types and tenures to address the varied housing needs of the Districts’ population whilst reducing carbon emissions;

Objective 3: Protection and enhancement of Winchester District’s most valuable environments, whether these are urban or rural or involve the built or natural environments, to ensure that the changes we are seeking maintain the District as a special place;

Objective 4: For the District to mitigate against impacts of and adapt to the impacts of climate change, through promoting lifestyles and maximising the use of technologies that are available to reduce waste and carbon emissions,

Objective 5: Provision of the necessary services and support facilities in the right places at the right time, including health, education, shopping etc, to ensure our existing and new communities are attractive and safe places to live and work, and encourage sustainable transport alternatives that reduce the use of the private car and enable people to live close to where they work;

Objective 6: Maximise new opportunities for walking, cycling, sport and recreation/play to promote healthy lifestyles and to reduce the need to use the car.

 

2.	Do the above 6 objectives deliver the vision? (Please tick one box for each objective to indicate how strongly you agree or disagree with this vision).
Strongly Agree Agree Neither Disagree Strongly Disagree 2a. Objective 1   √       2b. Objective 2   √       2c. Objective 3   √       2d. Objective 4   √       2e. Objective 5   √       2f. Objective 6   √
2g.	If you think an objective is inappropriate, please suggest an alternative.

 

THE SPATIAL STRATEGY

The South East Plan is the Regional Spatial Strategy covering the Winchester District. It puts an emphasis on existing urban areas and requires amongst other matters, land to be provided for some 12,240 dwellings in the Winchester District over the next twenty years. 

These factors have led us to explore the varying role and function of the District’s towns and villages and to consider the potential which different parts of the District can offer in terms of growth, sustainable development and achieving the kind of settlement network that helps to reduce the amount people have to travel in order to meet everyday needs. 

Evidence gathered in a number of ways and taking account of the availability of local employment, public transport, services and facilities, has led us to suggest a broad division of the District into three areas.  This division is intended to allow a clearer focus on the different needs, characteristics and pressures within these three areas:-

·       Winchester Town

·       The Market towns and the rural area

·       The southern part of the District that lies within the Partnership for Urban South Hampshire (PUSH)

3a.	Is this an appropriate way to sub-divide the District? (please tick one box) Yes      No       √
3b.	If you ticked no; are there any other ways in which the District could be divided which would help plan the District for the next 20 years? Please specify A clear distinction should be made between the urban and rural areas of the PUSH area within WCC district. Split PUSH category into: PUSH rural – afforded same policies as for ‘Market Towns and rural area’ PUSH urban

 

THE SPATIAL STRATEGY: WINCHESTER TOWN

From the District’s 12,240 housing requirement, the South East Plan specifies that the non-PUSH (northern) part of the District will need to provide some 5,500 new dwellings. 

Winchester Town’s position, important role as a hub for facilities and services, retail and economic growth potential (confirmed by recent studies which emphasise the town’s attractiveness to retailers and businesses) and commuting patterns, together with the South East Plan’s recommendation to increase its housing provision, all suggest that all the options must include major housing provision in Winchester.  This includes the ‘reserve’ sites of Barton Farm, Pitt Manor and Worthy Road/Francis Gardens.

Two options are identified for Winchester Town:-

Option 1 Planned Boundaries

Under a ‘planned boundaries’ option, the only extensions to the planned boundaries of Winchester would involve the current ‘reserve’ major development area at Barton Farm being brought forward, together with the two local reserve sites at Pitt Manor and Worthy Road/Francis Gardens. However, other development and growth opportunities would be limited to within the current boundaries, resulting in other larger settlements, nearby having to offset this by absorbing additional development.

Option 2 Step Change 

Under the ‘step-change’ option, a series of options for strategic allocations are proposed, in addition to the release of the major development area at Barton Farm:

4a.	Bearing in mind the housing requirement in this part of the District (5,500 dwellings between 2006 and 2026) and the evidence detailed in the Issues and Options paper, which of the 2 options do you prefer? (Please tick one box).             Option 1 o OR      Option 2 o RNA
4b.	Is there a different option which will enable Winchester Town to address the issues and demands it faces over the next 20 years?

If you prefer the ‘step-change’ approach for Winchester Town, there are 4 strategic growth options for housing and/or business/commercial purposes:

·       Area 1 (North of Winchester (including and beyond the existing boundary of the MDA at Barton Farm)) 

·       Area 2 (West of Winchester)

·       Area 3 (South-west of Winchester)

·       Area 4 (South of Winchester

5a.	Please tick one box to indicate the area you think is most suitable for major development. (Please tick one box)             Area 1  o OR      Area 2  o OR      Area 3  o OR      Area 4  o                                RNA
5b.	Please give the main reasons for your choice. Are there any major advantages or constraints to developing any of these 4 areas? (please indicate in your response which Area (1,2,3 or 4) you are referring to)

THE SPATIAL STRATEGY: MARKET TOWNS AND RURAL AREA

The housing requirements for Winchester District will not be fully met through the options within Winchester Town suggested above.

Having looked at the District’s wide range of settlements, the ways in which these interact and the local services/facilities which many provide, the Council is suggesting a hierarchy of settlements which can guide the LDF in addressing District-wide local development needs (keeping a clear focus on improving sustainability). The purpose of these distinctions is to ensure that these communities remain sustainable and can serve the small rural settlements in close proximity.

It is proposed that two types of ‘hub’ settlements should be identified, ‘Key Hubs’ and ‘Local Hubs’.  The distinction between the key and local hubs is not just about differences in population but the ‘package’ of facilities, their vitality, viability, and the availability of choice to avoid the need to travel.

It takes account of a number of factors including: - range of shops and services, provision of education, health, sports and cultural facilities, employment opportunities plus public transport provision.

‘Key Hubs’: Accessible service centres where the presence of a range of services and facilities can: support a concentration of economic and social activity and opportunities for significant further change; act as a focus for a surrounding cluster of lower-order settlements and; reduce the need to travel by car.

The following 4 settlements are proposed as Key Hubs within the District;

·       Alresford                

·       Bishops Waltham

·       Wickham

·       Whiteley

‘Local Hubs’: Settlements with a lower level of service provision than the key hubs, which may have the capacity to accommodate change and provide access to improved local services within the surrounding area and, thereby, contribute to the aim of reducing dependence on travel by car.

The following 5 settlements are proposed as Local Hubs within the District;

·       Denmead

·       Colden Common

·       Kings Worthy

·       Waltham Chase

·       Swanmore

6a.	Are the suggested Key Hubs and Local Hubs correct? (Please tick one box) Yes o No o RNA
6b.	If you ticked No, please specify which settlements should be changed, or which other settlements should be identified as a Key Hub or Local Hub. (Please also indicate whether the settlement should be a Key or Local Hub) Name of settlement:

Options for Key Hubs

The following 4 settlements are suggested as Key Hubs within the District;

·       Alresford

·       Bishops Waltham

·       Wickham

·       Whiteley

There are 3 options for change and/or growth for these Key Hubs;

PLEASE NOTE: THERE ARE ADDITIONAL OPTIONS FOR KEY HUBS WITHIN THE PARTNERSHIP FOR URBAN SOUTH HAMPSHIRE AREA (PUSH); See

QUESTION 14

Option 1: Current Planned Boundaries: - Key Hubs should maintain their existing boundaries.  This would allow development only within the existing boundaries and would include the release of Local Reserve Sites (Policy H2 of the adopted Local Plan).

Option 2: Consolidation of the Key Hub role: - Key Hubs should allow for some limited growth (up to 150 dwellings) outside the existing boundary.  This would offer opportunities for sustainable development outside the existing boundary and seek to maintain the role and function of the hub.

Option 3: Step Change: - Key Hubs should be able to grow substantially (at least 300 dwellings) beyond their existing boundaries.  This would involve sustainable and planned development to create a new specialist/niche role for the Key Hub settlements by being a local focus for economic and commercial activity.

 

7.	Which of the 3 options listed above is the most appropriate for the future development of each Key Hub? (Please tick one box for each Key Hub)
7a. Alresford RNA 7b. Bishops Waltham RNA 7c. Wickham Option 1  Option 2 √    Option 3 7d. Whiteley RNA
7e.	Are there any other ways in which Key Hubs could develop that would help address the issues and demands they face over the next 20 years?

Options for Local Hubs

The following 5 settlements are proposed as Local Hubs within the District;

·       Denmead

·       Colden Common

·       Kings Worthy

·       Waltham Chase

·       Swanmore

There are 3 options for the development of Local Hubs

Option 1 Current Planned Boundaries: - Local Hubs should maintain their existing boundaries.  This would allow development only within the existing boundaries where there is either an existing permission, for redevelopment of an existing site or for infilling between existing sites

Option 2 Consolidation of the Local Hub role: - Local Hubs should allow for some limited growth (up to 100 dwellings) outside the existing boundary.  This would seek to strengthen the role of Local Hubs in the local community by supporting the retention of local services and facilities and would include the release of Local Reserve Sites (Policy H2 of the adopted Local Plan).

Option 3 Step Change: - Local Hubs should be able to develop significantly (up to 200 dwellings) beyond their existing boundaries in a step change approach to become a Key Hub.  This would include promoting sustainable development to enable the Local Hub to grow with a corresponding level of facilities and services.

8.	Which of the 3 options listed above is the most appropriate for the future development of each Local Hub?  (Please tick one box for each Local Hub)
8a. Denmead RNA 8b. Colden Common RNA 8c. Kings Worthy RNA 8d. Waltham Chase RNA 8e. Swanmore RNA
8f.