Salford Core Strategy

Strategic Planning and Housing Scrutiny Sub-Group

12 November 2008

Introduction

• Purpose of presentation– Brief overview of the Core Strategy– Focus on key issues raised through consultation– Please ask questions

What is the Core Strategy?

• Part of Salford’s ‘development plan’• Replaces much of the UDP, but:

– More strategic– No detailed site allocations (except strategic sites)– ‘Spatial’ = not just about land-use planning– Supplemented by other planning documents

• Identifies a vision for 2027• Sets out main ways the vision will be delivered

Constraints

• Must be consistent with national policy• Must be ‘in general conformity’ with the Regional

Spatial Strategy– e.g. housing numbers

• But avoid repeating national and regional guidance– Will not be a policy on everything– But need hooks for Supplementary Planning Documents

• Existing permissions and proposals– Not starting with a blank canvas

Production process

• Issues and Options consultation = Oct/Dec 2008• Preferred Option consultation = Apr/May 2009• Publish full Draft Core Strategy = October 2009

– First sight of fully worked up policies

• Submit full Draft Core Strategy = March 2010• Public examination = Jun/Jul 2010• Receive inspector’s report = October 2010• Adoption = January 2011

Issues and Options Report

• MUST CONSIDER ALL REASONABLE AND REALISTIC OPTIONS

• NOT a material consideration in determining planning applications– All about options, so still making choices– Subject to consultation– Inviting other options, so even where we are only proposing

one approach this may not appear in the final version– City council has not identified a ‘preferred’ option yet

• Limited amount of weight from Publication stage– Could still be found to be ‘unsound’

• Significant weight once Inspector’s Report received

Strategic options

• 4 strategic options identified, but potentially mix and match

• As many similarities as differences• Key issue – housing vs employment vs greenfield• Option 1 = Where we are heading• Option 2 = Moderate change in approach• Option 3 = Maximising opportunities across the city• Option 4 = Major greenfield release• Stronger policies from Option 1 through to 4

Total amount of housing

• Must deliver the Regional Spatial Strategy figure of 1,600 dwellings per annum net of clearance (Cllr Ainsworth’s question)

• Past under-provision = 1,600 applies from 2003• New Growth Point Bid = 20% extra over 2008-2017• Update household growth projections

– 2004-based = almost 14% higher than the RSS assumptions– 2006-based = due out soon; likely to be higher again

• Allowance for vacancies (3%)• Allowance for second homes, holiday lets, etc• Therefore, 38,600 not 32,000 (2007-2027)

Delivering the housing

• 38,600 dwellings requires a lot of land• Houses generally require more land than apartments• Three main sources of land for housing

– A) Existing vacant/underused brownfield land– B) Existing low-grade employment areas– C) Greenfield and Green Belt land around the edge of the city

• Option 1 relies on A = 75% apartments• Option 2 relies on A and B = 70% apartments• Option 3 relies more on B = 66% apartments• Option 4 introduces C as well = 57% apartments

Type of housing (1)

• Presentation on previous questions raised by Scrutiny• Are we building too many apartments?• Current problems in the apartment market

– Evidence of an ‘oversupply’?– Short-term issue of availability of credit?– Permanent change in the market?– Private-rented sector?

• Apartments will continue to play a role – how much?– Scale of the Regional Centre market– Policy on housing mix– ‘Family’ apartments– Impact on scheme viability

Type of housing (2)

• Investment purchases – not just apartments• Delivering high quality apartments

– Size of apartments– Amenity space

• Housing an ageing population– Bungalows– Role for apartments?– Lifetime Homes– Wheelchair standard– Retirement village

Ensuring the housing is affordable

• Homes for local people (Cllr Ainsworth’s question)• How do we ensure that new housing is affordable to

local residents?– Credit crunch affecting scheme viability– A lot of cross-funding has come from apartments– Availability of Government funding– Increasing demand for affordable housing?

• Restriction of supply increases house prices?• Role of low-cost private housing and the private-rented

sector

Employment opportunities

• Using existing employment sites is one way of delivering more houses (120-225 hectares)

• Forecast decline in demand for some types of employment floorspace (Cllr Ainsworth’s question)

• Possible reduction of local employment opportunities• Need to maintain a diverse economy• Need for compensatory provision?

– Barton– Cutacre – some concerns over impact on local area (e.g.

traffic)

• Skills development (Cllr Ainsworth’s question)

Greenfield/Green Belt development

• General concern from communities about housing on greenfield/Green Belt land– But likely to be strongly supported by developers– And concern over high-density development within the urban

area = integrated network of open space; housing needs to go somewhere

• Is it the only way to significantly increase the number of lower-density, affordable family homes?

• Which locations are least problematic?• Employment development

Supporting infrastructure/services

• Strategic document– Identifies key requirements, e.g. energy; transport; water– Cannot plan for everything, e.g. individual schools or health

centres– Provides the broad framework for decision-making– Realism = retail facilities need to reflect demand; plans of

service providers

• Concerns over the BSF proposals– Impact of household/population growth– St. George’s RC

Consultation process

• Concern that there are not enough options– Mainly want lower housing figures

• Concern that there is not enough time to comment– Complex document– 8 week consultation– Summary leaflet– Series of events, adverts, Facebook– Length of process

• Further opportunities to be involved– Preferred option = April/May 2009– Full draft Core Strategy = October/November 2009