Bournemouth Local Plan Review

Initial Stakeholder Consultation and Request for Potential Development Sites

(Regulation 18)

September 2017

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Local Plan Review

The Local Plan is one of the most important documents shaping the future of Bournemouth.

Therefore, if you have a stake in the town and care about its future it is critical to get involved

now. The Local Plan sets out the long-term vision for Bournemouth. It considers what new

development is required, where it should be located and what it will look like. Whilst

development can be controversial it does provide homes, places to work and play, it should

also be of a high quality and account for the needs of future generations. The Local Plan

also plays an important role in terms of protecting what we value in terms of the environment

and heritage of the area. The Local Plan needs to embrace the appropriate strands of

economy, environment and society needs and come to a suitable sustainable solution.

Government guidance indicates that local plans are likely to require updating in whole or in

part at least every 5 years. It is timely for this review to take place now to keep the plan and

policies up to date.

The existing statutory Local Plan for Bournemouth is currently made up from the Core

Strategy (adopted October 2012) together with the Town Centre Area Action Plan (adopted

March 2013) and the Affordable Housing DPD (adopted December 2009. A limited number

of the policies from the previous Bournemouth District Wide Local Plan (adopted February

2002) also remain in force. The Local Plan policies are supported by several Supplementary

Planning Documents which give more detailed explanation and interpretation of the aims of

the policies.

There is also a need for Local Planning Authorities to cooperate with each other when

undertaking strategic planning and as such we will be seeking to ensure that the

Bournemouth Local Plan review is compatible with and complementary to the Local Plans of

neighbouring local authorities and those in the wider catchment area of the conurbation.

The first task when preparing a new Local Plan is to consider the scope of the document by

identifying the issues that should be addressed. This is an opportunity for local stakeholders,

businesses, residents and those who work in and enjoy Bournemouth to be involved in

shaping what the updated local plan should contain. It is also an opportunity to put forward

potential development sites as possible formal allocations for a variety of uses in the new

Bournemouth Local Plan.

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Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) and Brownfield Land Register

In addition, the Council is also issuing a call for residential sites which may also be

considered for inclusion in the Council’s update of the Strategic Housing Land Availability

Assessment (SHLAA) and the forthcoming Brownfield Land Register. Further details on the

SHLAA and Brownfield Land register and how you can respond can be found on page 15 of

this document

What issues should we be considering?

Government guidance indicates some strategic priorities that need to be addressed in any

local plan such as establishing targets for new housing and enabling the delivery of new jobs

in the area. However, a local plan is a wide-ranging document and it is essential that local

people, businesses and other organisations have their say in what is included. We need to

understand what issues are important to you in order to shape the future of Bournemouth.

The following pages contain brief outlines of some examples of issues that may need to be

considered during the production of the Local Plan. You may have other issues you wish to

put forward as well as having views on the issues already identified. This is very much the

start of the Local Plan process and we welcome everyone’s views.

Should you wish to be involved and make comments on possible Local Plan issues and/or

future local plan allocations then details of how you can respond can be found on page 14 of

this document.

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Issue 1

LOCATION AND TYPE OF NEW RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT

Where should we put the new dwellings that Bournemouth needs and how do we provide an

acceptable mix of dwelling types to try to meet people’s requirements?

The existing Bournemouth Local Plan: Core Strategy set a target of 14,600 net dwellings to

be built over the period 2006-2026, a yearly target of 730 dwellings. Between 2006 and 2016

a net total of 8237 dwellings were built. This equates to an average of 824 dwellings per year

in the first 10 years of the plan. Home building is currently exceeding the existing long term

target. However, the new Local Plan will need to set a new target figure against the

background of increasing demand for dwellings and the Government’s clear priority to

increase the supply of homes across the country. A new target figure has yet to be set for

the new Local Plan however it would seem likely that it will be significantly higher than in

previous years. The task of continuing to meet a revised target is likely to become even

more challenging.

Much of the residential building in Bournemouth in recent years have been from “windfall”

development (such as redevelopment and infilling) rather than from sites allocated in a Local

Plan. This has provided a reasonably reliable source of supply. However, the Government

require all local authorities to formally identify a five-year supply of sites that are suitable for

development, available and achievable. The pressure will be ongoing to identify such sites

into the future and we are requesting the submission of potential development sites as part

of this consultation process.

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Issue 2

ENSURING THE ADEQUATE SUPPLY OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Significant changes in government guidance with respect to affordable housing has occurred

since the current planning policy in Bournemouth was adopted in December 2009. Further

changes are now proposed. These changes include broadening the definition of what

constitutes ‘affordable housing’. This is an issue that will need to be reviewed in

Bournemouth.

The problem of housing affordability is an ongoing issue in Bournemouth as it is for much of

the Country. In 2009 the Council adopted the Affordable Housing Development Plan

Document following an independent examination by a government appointed Inspector. In

summary, the policy seeks affordable housing contributions on all sites where there is a net

increase in dwellings with a target of 40%. The actual contribution forthcoming on each site is

subject to the financial viability of the site.

At the time of the policy being adopted affordable housing was defined as social rented

housing and intermediate housing which were housing at prices and rents above those of

social rent but below market rent. This included shared equity products. In the interim the

government has changed guidance to indicate that affordable housing should not be required

on developments of up to 10 dwellings and has proposed widening the definition of affordable

housing to include new tenures such as starter homes, discount market sales housing and

affordable private rent housing. The review of the Local Plan is a timely opportunity re-assess

the affordable housing policy in Bournemouth.

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Issue 3

THE FUTURE OF GREEN BELT LAND IN BOURNEMOUTH

Continuing development needs put pressure on the retention of green belt land. What

should the future be for Bournemouth’s part of the South-East Dorset Green Belt?

Bournemouth is a tightly constrained town with a relatively narrow strip of green belt land

between the edge of the built-up area and borough boundary. This land forms part of the

much larger South East Dorset Green Belt. The green belt has played a key role in

protecting the separate physical identity of Bournemouth by maintaining areas of open land

between the edge of the built-up area and developed areas of East Dorset and

Christchurch.

However, the requirement to build the homes people need and the drive by central

government to increase the rate of housebuilding will put further pressure on the existing

built up area of Bournemouth to absorb this additional development. It may be that the

existing built up area will be unable to take all the additional homes without significant

impacts on matters such as infrastructure, provision of services and character of the town.

Inevitably the question of release of some of the green belt land within the borough

boundary will come forward and it is important we have the views of the community and

local stakeholders on this matter.

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Issue 4

FUTURE SIZE AND CHARACTER OF SHOPPING AREAS IN BOURNEMOUTH

Big changes in retailing trends have occurred in recent years (e.g. growth in online

shopping) and look set to continue. How do we address this in effective planning policies for

shopping areas?

Bournemouth town centre along with Castlepoint make Bournemouth a regionally significant

shopping destination. They are complemented by several district centres such as

Boscombe, Westbourne and Winton which mainly serve local needs.

Government advice stresses the need for Local Plans to plan positively to ensure the vitality

of town centres. Bournemouth town centre, Castlepoint and the various district centres are

important contributors to the local economy and are important sources of employment.

We need to ensure that we meet the needs of town centre uses. As part of this process

work will be done to assess future needs across the different sectors present in the centres.

The local plan will also need to review current policies applicable in the various centres in

Bournemouth including an assessment of the success of existing shopping frontage

notations to gauge whether they are still up to date and fit for purpose.

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Issue 5

ALLOCATION AND RETENTION OF EMPLOYMENT LAND AND PREMISES

How do we ensure we have an adequate supply of employment land and premises to provide

jobs into the future?

Government advice requires local planning authorities to work proactively through their local

plans to meet the development needs of business and support sustainable economic growth.

This includes reviewing allocations for employment land on a regular basis to assess whether

existing allocations are still fit for purpose and, if appropriate, identify new sites.

Currently the existing local plan identifies several sites across the borough for employment

purposes such as offices, light industry and general industry. These sites include locations

such as Wessex Fields, the Lansdowne, Elliot Road and Yeomans Road amongst others. The

existing local plan policies aim to protect these allocated sites and give a degree of protection

to those outside the allocations.

There remains pressure from proposals to use the existing employment sites for higher value

non-employment uses such as residential development or student accommodation. At the

same time the Local Planning Authority must identify adequate sources of employment land

to provide premises for business into the future and provide the quality jobs an increasing

population requires. This remains a difficult problem given the mainly built up and constrained

character of Bournemouth.

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Issue 6

TRANSPORT AND PARKING POLICIES

How do we ensure the provision of adequate transport infrastructure, reduce congestion and

encourage sustainable transport? How do we ensure adequate parking provision to meet the

need for public and private spaces?

National guidance indicates the important role that planning policies have in encouraging

sustainable development and contributing to wider sustainability and health objectives.

By shaping the pattern of development and influencing the location, scale, density and mix of

land uses the Local Plan can help to reduce the need to travel, reduce the length of journeys

and make it safer and easier for people to access jobs and facilities. Good accessibility and

ease of movement are also vital to the local economy. Investment in the right sort of transport

infrastructure is vital to maintaining the balance between facilitating sustainable transport and

ensuring the continued success of the local economy and the provision of employment. An

example of maintaining this balance is the future provision of public car parking particularly in

the town centre where the overall aim of reducing the reliance on the private car could conflict

with the need to promote access to the town for tourists and shoppers.

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Issue 7

MAINTAINING TOURISM AS A VITAL SECTOR IN THE LOCAL ECONOMY

The tourist trade is hugely important to the economy of Bournemouth and has been for many

years. However, it is now facing changes in the expectations and requirements of visitors to

the town and pressures from other types of development. How do we plan for these changes?

Tourism has, in many ways, been the backbone of the economic development of

Bournemouth from its early years, remains a major part of the economy to the present day

and is a significant provider of local employment. Despite being important to the whole

borough the town centre remains the primary focus for tourists.

Although tourism is a mainstay of the local economy change has been ongoing and the

industry does face challenges. Visitor’s expectations and requirements are higher and the

importance of short stay visits and the conference trade has increased. There is also pressure

from other uses for sites notably from proposed residential developments which would

typically increase the value of a site over that of tourism accommodation.

Recent years have seen the construction of some new hotels but these have been aimed at a

market wider than the traditional holiday market. However, the main focus of planning policy

has been to maintain the stock of holiday accommodation at an acceptable level while at the

same time dealing with proposals for sites where tourism use is no longer viable or fit for

purpose. For this we use guidance in an adopted Tourist Accommodation Supplementary

Planning Document. The new local plan will need to consider whether the existing policies for

dealing with tourist accommodation are the correct approach.

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Issue 8

ENSURING THE ADEQUATE PROVISION OF INFRASTRUCTURE

It is essential that the continued development of Bournemouth is supported by adequate

infrastructure to ensure the town continues to function effectively for everyone.

Infrastructure can be thought of as the facilities, services, and installations needed to support

our communities and local economy. This includes:

Transportation: roads, bus routes, rail network

Education facilities: schools, colleges, universities, adult learning centres

Utilities: water, power grids, sewers

Community facilities: libraries, sports and leisure facilities, community centres

Health care: hospitals, local GP surgeries and other facilities

Emergency & essential services: fire, police and ambulance facilities

Green spaces: playing fields and sport pitches, wildlife areas

Communications systems: digital telecommunications.

Bournemouth continues to develop and the pressure to increase residential building and

encourage a thriving economy will inevitably have consequences on a wide range of

infrastructure types. We will be consulting with a range of infrastructure providers to ascertain

their plans for investment in their facilities. We will also be keen to hear the views of local

communities and stakeholders on infrastructure provision in the town.

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Issue 9

MAINTAINING THE SUCCESS OF BOURNEMOUTH TOWN CENTRE

The Town Centre Area Action Plan and the Bournemouth Town Centre Vision have been

instrumental in the recent development of the town centre. How best can that vibrancy and

success be maintained?

The existing planning policy framework for the town centre is currently included in the

Bournemouth Town Centre Area Action Plan which forms part of the current Local Plan. This

document contains comprehensive and detailed planning policies for the town centre

including land allocations, shopping frontage designations and design guidelines.

The town centre is experiencing significant development and investment which is set to

continue. This can cause contention as well as provide opportunities. An example of this is

development proposals that include tall buildings. The production of a revised local plan for

the borough gives an opportunity to consider any issues which stakeholders feel need

addressing or reconsider existing policies.

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Issue 10

PROTECTING THE QUALITY OF THE BUILT AND NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

The quality of the built and natural environment is central to the quality of life in Bournemouth.

Are the policies in place adequate to ensure the quality is maintained?

The retention and enhancement of conservation areas, historic buildings, parks, areas of

nature conservation, open spaces and attractive street scenes as well as quality design and

materials in new buildings all help to make Bournemouth a distinctive and attractive place to

live in, work in and visit. This helps to improve the health and wellbeing of people in

Bournemouth and has positive effects on the local economy from increased tourism and

business investment.

The existing Local Plan has existing policies on protecting and enhancing the historic and

built environment as well as promoting green infrastructure, protecting open space and

recreation facilities and protecting local and internationally important nature conservation

designations in and around Bournemouth. The Local Plan review will consider whether these

policies remain appropriate and effective.

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Issue 11

ENSURING LONG TERM RESILIENCE TO THE EFFECTS CLIMATE CHANGE

INCLUDING FLOODING

Are our existing policy approaches adequate and effective in dealing with the effects of

climate change into the future?

Government guidance recognises the role that planning can play in tackling the effects of

climate change with proactive policies and strategies. The existing local plan has policies that

seek to direct housing developments to sustainable locations, encourage the building of

sustainable buildings and commercial premises and seeks to reduce the impact of surface

water flooding. National guidance also requires that new development is directed away from

areas that are at most risk from flooding using the “sequential test”. Background work is

undertaken to keep flood risk information for the borough regularly updated.

Changes in nationally required standards of building efficiency under the Building Regulations

have occurred since the adoption of the current Local Plan which has implications for what is

now required under planning policy as there is potential for duplication of standards.

The Local Plan review will need to consider what climate change strategy is needed in

Bournemouth for the coming years.

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We would stress again that this is not intended to be an exhaustive list of the issues that

should be considered in the Local Plan. There will undoubtedly be others and we would

encourage any thoughts or opinions you have on which policies the local plan should

contain. Your views will be gratefully received.

Request for Potential Site Allocations

As part of the Local Plan process we will be seeking to identify sites that have the potential

to be allocated for uses to meet local need. This could be for a variety of uses such as

residential, employment, shopping, open space, community or leisure/recreational purposes.

We will be grateful to receive details of any suggested sites (including current owners if

known) along with a map identifying the site in question and the use you think might be

appropriate on the sites.

Responses

Any comments on the issues you feel the local plan should contain, or any suggestions for

new site allocations can be made by;

Using the online response form at www.bournemouth.gov.uk/localplanreview

Downloading or printing the response form at www.bournemouth.gov.uk/BLPReg18

and returning the completed form;

By email to - planning.policy@bournemouth.gov.uk

By post to - Planning Policy Team, Town Hall Annexe, St Stephen’s Road,

Bournemouth, BH2 6EA.

Please return any comments you have by 10th November 2017

If you need further assistance, please telephone 01202 451446. We look forward to

receiving your response.

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Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment and Brownfield

Land Register - Call for Sites

In addition to requesting suggestions for potential site allocations for a variety of uses in the

new Bournemouth Local Plan the Council is also issuing a call for potential residential sites

which may also be considered for inclusion in the Council’s Strategic Housing Land

Availability Assessment (SHLAA) and the forthcoming Brownfield Land Register.

SHLAA

The Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) is part of the evidence base

for the Local Plan and is required by the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The

NPPF states that local planning authorities should plan for a 15-year rolling supply of

available sites for market and affordable housing that is regularly monitored and updated.

The SHLAA has no threshold in terms of site size or potential numbers of dwellings. The

SHLAA has been in place for several years and this current call for sites is part of the latest

annual update

Brownfield Land Register

The Council is also now required by new government legislation to prepare a Brownfield

Land Register. This will provide publicly available information on all previously developed

sites within the Borough which are:

0.25 hectares or more in size or be capable of accommodating at least 5

dwellings and

meet the Government’s criteria, set out in Regulations, of being suitable,

available and achievable for residential development.

If you are interested in putting forward sites for inclusion in the SHLAA update and/or the

new Brownfield Land Register, then further information and site submission forms can be

found at www.bournemouth.gov.uk/shlaa-blr.

Please return any completed submission forms by 10th November 2017.

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