Colchester Borough Council

The Wivenhoe Neighbourhood Plan Independent Examiner’s Report By Ann Skippers BSc (Hons) MRTPI FRSA AoU

18 March 2019

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Contents

Summary

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1.0 Introduction

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2.0 Theroleoftheindependentexaminer

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3.04.0

NeighbourhoodplanpreparationTheexaminationprocess

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5.0 Compliancewithmattersotherthanthebasicconditions 8

6.0 ThebasicconditionsNationalpolicyandadviceSustainabledevelopmentThedevelopmentplanEuropeanUnionobligations

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DetailedcommentsonthePlananditspolicies1. ABriefSummaryofthisDocument2. Introduction3. HowhasthisPlanbeenCreated4. WivenhoeNeighbourhoodPlanArea5. LocalContext6. ChallengesforWivenhoe7. VisionandObjectives8. WivenhoeGeneralDevelopmentPolicies(WIV1,WIV2)9. CountrysideandtheEnvironment(WIV3,WIV4,WIV5,WIV6)10. RecreationandOpenSpaces,PlayAreas,SportsFieldsandAllotments

(WIV7,WIV8)11. HeritageandTownscapePolicies(WIV10,WIV11,WIV12,WIV13)12. CommunityWellbeingPolicies(WIV14,WIV15)13. TheUniversityofEssex(WIV16)14. GettingAroundWivenhoe(WIV17,WIV18)15. EmploymentPolicies(WIV19,WIV20,WIV21,WIV22)16. HousingPolicies(WIV23,WIV24,WIV25,WIV26,WIV27)17. SiteAllocationsforResidentialDevelopment(WIV28,WIV29,WIV30,

WIV31)18. DevelopmentandNatura2000Sites(WIV32)19. ProposalsMaps20. Glossary21. Appendices1-4

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8.0 Conclusionsandrecommendations 51 Appendix1Listofkeydocuments

Appendix2QuestionsfromtheexaminerAppendix3LettertoCBCAppendix4LettertoCBCAppendix5LettertoCBCAppendix6NotefromCBC

525355565860

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SummaryIhavebeenappointedastheindependentexamineroftheWivenhoeNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlan.ThePlantakesacommendablyambitiousstanceallocatingfoursitesforresidentialdevelopmentprovidingatotalofsome250dwellings.Itcontains32policiesthatcoverawiderangeofissuesincludingthedesignationofanewsettlementboundaryforWivenhoeandaRiverColneSpecialCharacterAreaaswellasincludingsitespecificpoliciesonkeysitesthroughoutthePlanarea.Inadditionanumberofcommunityactionsareproposed.ThePlanhasunfortunatelybeensignificantlydelayedandtheexaminationpausedwhilstclarityoverthepositionwithhabitatsregulationswassought;asourceoffrustrationforeveryoneconcerned.ThebasicconditionintroducedinDecember2018hasmeantthatthePlancouldproceedandasaresultitmustbeoneofthefirstneighbourhoodplansinEnglandsincetheintroductionofthenewbasicconditiontohaveanappropriateassessmentcarriedout.Ihaverecommendedanumberofmodificationstoboththepoliciesandtheirsupportingtextwhich,byandlarge,aretohelpensurethatthePlanisaworkabledocumentthatprovidesapracticalandclearframeworkfordecisionmaking.Myreasoningissetoutindetailinthisreport.Subjecttothosemodifications,IhaveconcludedthatthePlandoesmeetthebasicconditionsandalltheotherrequirementsIamobligedtoexamine.IamthereforepleasedtorecommendtoColchesterBoroughCouncilthattheWivenhoeNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlan,asmodifiedbymyrecommendations,cangoforwardtoareferendum.InconsideringwhetherthereferendumareashouldbeextendedbeyondtheNeighbourhoodPlanareaIseenoreasontoalterorextendthisareaforthepurposeofholdingareferendum.AnnSkippersMRTPIDirector,AnnSkippersPlanning18March2019

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1.0 IntroductionThisisthereportoftheindependentexaminerintotheWivenhoeNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlan(thePlan).TheLocalismAct2011providesawelcomeopportunityforcommunitiestoshapethefutureoftheplaceswheretheyliveandworkandtodeliverthesustainabledevelopmenttheyneed.Onewayofachievingthisisthroughtheproductionofaneighbourhoodplan.IhavebeenappointedbyColchesterBoroughCouncil(CBC)withtheagreementoftheTownCouncil,toundertakethisindependentexamination.Iamindependentofthequalifyingbodyandthelocalauthority.IhavenointerestinanylandthatmaybeaffectedbythePlan.Iamacharteredtownplannerwithoverthirtyyearsexperienceinplanningandhaveworkedinthepublic,privateandacademicsectorsandamanexperiencedexaminerofneighbourhoodplans.Ithereforehavetheappropriatequalificationsandexperiencetocarryoutthisindependentexamination.2.0 TheroleoftheindependentexaminerTheexaminermustassesswhetheraneighbourhoodplanmeetsthebasicconditionsandothermatterssetoutinparagraph8ofSchedule4BoftheTownandCountryPlanningAct1990(asamended).Thebasicconditions1are:

§ HavingregardtonationalpoliciesandadvicecontainedinguidanceissuedbytheSecretaryofState,itisappropriatetomaketheneighbourhoodplan

§ Themakingoftheneighbourhoodplancontributestotheachievementofsustainabledevelopment

§ Themakingoftheneighbourhoodplanisingeneralconformitywiththestrategicpoliciescontainedinthedevelopmentplanforthearea

§ Themakingoftheneighbourhoodplandoesnotbreach,andisotherwisecompatiblewith,EuropeanUnion(EU)obligations

§ Prescribedconditionsaremetinrelationtotheneighbourhoodplanandprescribedmattershavebeencompliedwithinconnectionwiththeproposalfortheneighbourhoodplan.

Regulations32and33oftheNeighbourhoodPlanning(General)Regulations2012(asamended)setouttwoadditionalbasicconditionstothosesetoutinprimarylegislation

1Setoutinparagraph8(2)ofSchedule4BoftheTownandCountryPlanningAct1990(asamended)

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andreferredtointheparagraphabove.Onlyoneisapplicabletoneighbourhoodplansandwasbroughtintoeffecton28December2018.2Itstatesthat:

§ ThemakingoftheneighbourhooddevelopmentplandoesnotbreachtherequirementsofChapter8ofPart6oftheConservationofHabitatsandSpeciesRegulations2017.

Theexaminerisalsorequiredtocheck3whethertheneighbourhoodplan:

§ Hasbeenpreparedandsubmittedforexaminationbyaqualifyingbody§ Hasbeenpreparedforanareathathasbeenproperlydesignatedforsuchplan

preparation§ Meetstherequirementstoi)specifytheperiodtowhichithaseffect;ii)not

includeprovisionaboutexcludeddevelopment;andiii)notrelatetomorethanoneneighbourhoodareaandthat

§ Itspoliciesrelatetothedevelopmentanduseoflandforadesignatedneighbourhoodarea.

ImustalsoconsiderwhetherthedraftneighbourhoodplaniscompatiblewithConventionrights.4Theexaminermustthenmakeoneofthefollowingrecommendations:

§ Theneighbourhoodplancanproceedtoareferendumonthebasisitmeetsallthenecessarylegalrequirements

§ Theneighbourhoodplancanproceedtoareferendumsubjecttomodificationsor

§ Theneighbourhoodplanshouldnotproceedtoareferendumonthebasisitdoesnotmeetthenecessarylegalrequirements.

Iftheplancanproceedtoareferendumwithorwithoutmodifications,theexaminermustalsoconsiderwhetherthereferendumareashouldbeextendedbeyondtheneighbourhoodplanareatowhichitrelates.Iftheplangoesforwardtoreferendumandmorethan50%ofthosevotingvoteinfavouroftheplanthenitismadebytherelevantlocalauthority,inthiscaseColchesterBoroughCouncil.Theplanthenbecomespartofthe‘developmentplan’fortheareaandastatutoryconsiderationinguidingfuturedevelopmentandinthedeterminationofplanningapplicationswithintheplanarea.

2ConservationofHabitatsandSpeciesandPlanning(VariousAmendments)(EnglandandWales)Regulations20183Setoutinsections38Aand38BofthePlanningandCompulsoryPurchaseAct2004asamendedbytheLocalismAct4ThecombinedeffectoftheTownandCountryPlanningActSchedule4Bpara8(6)andpara10(3)(b)andtheHumanRightsAct1998

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3.0 NeighbourhoodplanpreparationAConsultationStatementhasbeensubmitted.WorkinearnestbeganonthePlanin2013withanOpenDaytoenablethecommunitytofindoutaboutthePlan.Initialthoughtsweregatheredthroughaquestionnairefortheyouth,asurveyofcommuters,andengagementwithprimaryschoolagechildren.Thisresultedinanumberofareasofconcernbeingidentified.Aquestionnairewasdevelopedforresidentsanddeliveredto3,750householdsinNovember2013.Aresponserateof29%wasachieved.Analysisofthesurveywasfedbacktothecommunityinavarietyofwaysinearly2014.ABusinessBreakfastwasheldinearly2014.Anonlinesurveyaimedat11–18yearoldswascarriedout.EssexUniversitystudentsweresurveyed.Attendanceateventssuchasannualopengardens,marketandsoonhelpedtokeeptheprofileofthePlanhighontheagenda.Apublicconsultationwasheldon22November2014topresentinitialproposalsforthePlan.Itwasadvertisedusingavarietyofmeans.Some230residentsattendedwithanother1,400commentsenteredonline.Aroundthesametime,anover60groupwereconsultedatanafternoonteaeventandalunchwasheldforlocalbusinesses,universityrepresentativesandcouncilors.In2015,acommunicationsandcommunityengagementgroupwasformedtohelpwithpublicityandfeedbacktoresidents.Avisionandobjectivesdocumentwaspublishedandcirculatedtovariousorganisations.Popupeventswereheld.ConsultationonthehousingsiteswasheldinJuly2015.ThiseventwasprecededbyastallattheWivenhoeRegattaandwidelyadvertisedincludingbylettertolandowners.152residentsattendedovertheweekendevent.AfirstcompletedraftofthePlanwaspresentedtothecommunityinFebruary2016.Againwidespreadpublicitytookplaceandnotificationsmadetolocalorganisationsandsomestatutoryconsultees.AsthePlanevolved,acompendiousdocumentshowsthethinkingandreportsoftheworkinggroupsandprocessofevolution.Pre-submissionconsultationonthedraftPlantookplacebetween26July–6September2016.ThisstagewaspromotedontheTownCouncil’sandthePlan’swebsites,pressnotices,notificationtoconsultees,hardcopiesbeingavailableatvariouslocations,postersandbannersaroundthetownandcascadinginformationviaschoolsandlocalclubsandassociations.Iconsidertherehasbeensatisfactoryengagementwiththecommunityandotherbodiesthroughouttheprocess.

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Submission(Regulation16)consultationwascarriedoutbetween5February–19March2018.TheRegulation16stageattracted16representationsfromdifferentpeopleororganisations.Ihavetakenalltherepresentationsreceivedintoaccount.4.0 TheexaminationprocessIhavesetoutmyremitearlierinthisreport.Itisusefultobearinmindthattheexaminer’sroleislimitedtotestingwhetherornotthesubmittedneighbourhoodplanmeetsthebasicconditionsandothermatterssetoutinparagraph8ofSchedule4BtotheTownandCountryPlanningAct1990(asamended).5PlanningPracticeGuidance(PPG)confirmsthattheexaminerisnottestingthesoundnessofaneighbourhoodplanorexaminingothermaterialconsiderations.6WhereIfindthatpoliciesdomeetthebasicconditions,itisnotnecessaryformetoconsideriffurtheramendmentsoradditionsarerequired.SomerepresentationsputforwardcommentsthataddtextorcontenttothePlanorcouldotherwiseimproveandenhancethedocument.TheTownCouncilmaywishtoconsiderthesesuggestionsinthefinalversionofthePlanorwhenthePlanisreviewedasappropriate,buttheyarenotmodificationsIneedtomakeinrespectofmyroleandremit.Wheremodificationsarerecommendedtheyappearinboldtext.WhereIhavesuggestedspecificchangestothewordingofthepoliciesornewwordingtheseappearinbolditalics.Asaresultofsomemodificationsconsequentialamendmentsmayberequired.Thesecanincludechangingsectionheadings,amendingthecontentspage,renumberingparagraphsorpages,ensuringthatsupportingappendicesandotherdocumentsalignwiththefinalversionofthePlanandsoon.Iregardtheseasprimarilymattersoffinalpresentationanddonotspecificallyrefertosuchmodifications,buthaveanexpectationthatacommonsenseapproachwillbetakenandsucheditingcarriedout.PPG7explainsthatitisexpectedthattheexaminationwillnotincludeapublichearing.Rathertheexaminershouldreachaviewbyconsideringwrittenrepresentations.Whereanexaminerconsidersitnecessarytoensureadequateexaminationofanissueortoensureapersonhasafairchancetoputacase,thenahearingmustbeheld.8IsoughtclarificationonanumberofmattersfromtheTownCouncilandCBCinwritingandmylistofquestionsisattachedtothisreportasAppendix2.Iamverygratefulto

5PPGpara055refid41-055-201802226Ibid7Ibidpara056refid41-056-201802228Ibid

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bothCouncilswhohaveprovidedmewithcomprehensiveanswerstomyquestions.Theresponsesreceived(allpubliclyavailable)haveenabledmetoexaminethePlanwithouttheneedforahearing.Additionally,NPIERS,theNeighbourhoodPlanningIndependentExaminerReferralService,publishedguidancetoserviceusersandexaminersearlierthisyear.AlthoughIhavenotbeenappointedviaNPIERStoundertakethisexamination,IamamemberoftheNPIERSPanelandconsideritappropriateformetotakeaccountofthisguidance.Amongstothermatters,theguidanceindicatesthatthequalifyingbody,inthiscase,WivenhoeTownCouncil,willnormallybegivenanopportunitytocommentuponanyrepresentationsmadebyotherpartiesattheRegulation16consultationstageshouldtheywishtodoso.ThereisnoobligationfortheTownCounciltomakeanycomments;itisonlyiftheywishtodoso.Ifaqualifyingbodywishestomakecomments,theguidanceindicatesthatanysuchcommentsshouldbemadewithintwoweeksaftercloseoftheRegulation16stage.TheTownCouncilsubmittedcommentsdated12June2018andtheseareavailablefromtheCBCwebsite.CBCandtheTownCouncilalsohelpfullyworkedtogethertoconsideroutstandingmattersbetweentheparties.IamverygratefultobothCouncilsfortheassistancegiventomeduringthecourseoftheexaminationandforensuringthatitransmoothly.Imadeanunaccompaniedsitevisittotheneighbourhoodplanareaon10March2019.5.0 CompliancewithmattersotherthanthebasicconditionsInowcheckthevariousmatterssetoutinsection2.0ofthisreport.QualifyingbodyWivenhoeTownCouncilisthequalifyingbodyabletoleadpreparationofaneighbourhoodplan.PlanareaThePlanareawasapprovedbyCBCon29July2013.ThePlanareacoverstheTownCouncil’sadministrativeareaandextendsbeyondittoincludemostoftwowardsamalgamatedinMay2016(aftertheareadesignation)ofWivenhoeCrossandWivenhoeQuay.Consultationontheplanareawascarriedoutandpublicityforitthorough.Noobjectionswerereceivedtothearea.Spatiallythedesignationislogical.ThePlanrelatestotheapprovedareaanddoesnotrelatetomorethanoneneighbourhoodareaandthereforecomplieswiththenecessaryrequirements.ThePlanareaisshownonpage7ofthePlan.

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PlanperiodThePlancoverstheperiodupto2032.CBCsuggeststhattheenddateischangedto2033toalignwiththetimeperiodfortheemergingLocalPlan.ItwouldalsobeusefultoalsoincludeastartdateforthePlanandtoincludethetimeperiodtowhichitappliesonthefrontcover.ThemodificationtotheenddateofthePlanappliesthroughoutthePlan,butisnotrepeatedateveryjuncture.Thisincludesthevision.

§ Incorporateastartdateof2019forthePlan

§ Changethereferencestotheenddateof“2032”to“2033”throughoutthePlan

§ Statethestartandenddates(2019–2033)tothePlanappliesonthefrontcoveraswellasinsidethePlan

ExcludeddevelopmentThePlandoesnotincludepoliciesthatrelatetoanyofthecategoriesofexcludeddevelopmentandthereforemeetsthisrequirement.DevelopmentanduseoflandPoliciesinneighbourhoodplansmustrelatetothedevelopmentanduseofland.Sometimesneighbourhoodplanscontainaspirationalpoliciesorprojectsthatsignalthecommunity’sprioritiesforthefutureoftheirlocalarea,butarenotrelatedtothedevelopmentanduseofland.IfIconsiderapolicyorproposaltofallwithinthiscategory,Iwillrecommenditbeclearlydifferentiated.Thisisbecausewidercommunityaspirationsthanthoserelatingtodevelopmentanduseoflandcanbeincludedinaneighbourhoodplan,butactionsdealingwithnon-landusemattersshouldbeclearlyidentifiable.9InotethatthePlanalreadymakesthisdistinctionbyexplainingthatpoliciesappearinyellowboxesandproposalsforaction,thecommunityaspirationsthatdonotformpartoftheplanningpolicies,areshadedinblue.ThedistinctionisexplainedwellinSection3ofthePlan.IconsiderthissufficientforthestyleofPlantoconfirmthatthisrequirementcanbesatisfactorilymet.

9PPGpara004refid41-004-20170728

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6.0ThebasicconditionsRegardtonationalpolicyandadviceTheGovernmentpublishedaNationalPlanningPolicyFramework(NPPF)in2012.On24July2018,arevisedNPPFwaspublished.On19February2019,therevisedNPPFwasupdatedandreplacesthepreviousNPPFpublishedinMarch2012andrevisedlastJuly.Paragraph214inAnnex1ofthatdocumentexplainsthat:

“ThepoliciesinthepreviousFrameworkpublishedinMarch2012willapplyforthepurposeofexaminingplans,wherethoseplansaresubmittedonorbefore24January2019.Wheresuchplansarewithdrawnorotherwisedonotproceedtobecomepartofthedevelopmentplan,thepoliciescontainedinthisFrameworkwillapplytoanysubsequentplanproducedfortheareaconcerned.”

Footnote69explainsthatforneighbourhoodplans“submission”meanswhereaqualifyingbodysubmitsaplanproposaltothelocalplanningauthorityinaccordancewithregulation15oftheNeighbourhoodPlanning(General)Regulations2012.ItisthereforeclearthatitisthepreviousNPPFpublishedin2012thatisrelevanttothisparticularexamination.AnyreferencestotheNPPFinthisreportrefertotheNPPFpublishedin2012unlessotherwisestated.TheNPPFisthemaindocumentthatsetsoutnationalplanningpolicy.InparticularitexplainsthattheapplicationofthepresumptioninfavourofsustainabledevelopmentwillmeanthatneighbourhoodplansshouldsupportthestrategicdevelopmentneedssetoutinLocalPlans,planpositivelytosupportlocaldevelopment,shapinganddirectingdevelopmentthatisoutsidethestrategicelementsoftheLocalPlanandidentifyopportunitiestouseNeighbourhoodDevelopmentOrderstoenabledevelopmentsthatareconsistentwiththeneighbourhoodplantoproceed.10TheNPPFalsomakesitclearthatneighbourhoodplansshouldbealignedwiththestrategicneedsandprioritiesofthewiderlocalarea.InotherwordsneighbourhoodplansmustbeingeneralconformitywiththestrategicpoliciesoftheLocalPlan.TheycannotpromotelessdevelopmentthanthatsetoutintheLocalPlanorundermineitsstrategicpolicies.11

10NPPFparas14,1611Ibidpara184

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TheNPPFindicatesthatplansshouldprovideapracticalframeworkwithinwhichdecisionsonplanningapplicationscanbemadewithahighdegreeofpredictabilityandefficiency.12On6March2014,theGovernmentpublishedasuiteofplanningguidancereferredtoasPlanningPracticeGuidance(PPG).Thisisanonlineresourceavailableatplanningguidance.communities.gov.ukwhichisregularlyupdated.Theplanningguidancecontainsawealthofinformationrelatingtoneighbourhoodplanning.IhavealsohadregardtoPPGinpreparingthisreport.PPGindicatesthatapolicyshouldbeclearandunambiguous13toenableadecisionmakertoapplyitconsistentlyandwithconfidencewhendeterminingplanningapplications.Theguidanceadvisesthatpoliciesshouldbeconcise,preciseandsupportedbyappropriateevidence,reflectingandrespondingtoboththecontextandthecharacteristicsofthearea.14PPGstatesthereisno‘tickbox’listofevidencerequired,butproportionate,robustevidenceshouldsupportthechoicesmadeandtheapproachtaken.15Itcontinuesthattheevidenceshouldbedrawnupontoexplainsuccinctlytheintentionandrationaleofthepolicies.16Whilstthishasformedpartofmyownassessment,theBasicConditionsStatementsetsouthowthePlanhasrespondedtonationalpolicyandguidancethroughtwosimpletablestoshowhowthePlan’spoliciesalignwiththeNPPF’sgoalsandpolicies.ContributetotheachievementofsustainabledevelopmentAqualifyingbodymustdemonstratehowthemakingofaneighbourhoodplanwouldcontributetotheachievementofsustainabledevelopment.TheNPPFasawhole17constitutestheGovernment’sviewofwhatsustainabledevelopmentmeansinpracticeforplanning.TheFrameworkexplainsthattherearethreedimensionstosustainabledevelopment:economic,socialandenvironmental.18GeneralconformitywiththestrategicpoliciesinthedevelopmentplanThedevelopmentplanrelevanttothisexaminationincludestheCoreStrategy(CS)adoptedin2008andamendedin2014,theSiteAllocationsDevelopmentPlanDocument(SADPD)adoptedin2010andtheDevelopmentPoliciesDPD(DPDPD)adoptedin2010andamendedin2014.TheLocalPlanFocusedReviewwasadopted16July2014(LP2001–2021).

12NPPFpara1713PPGpara041refid41-041-2014030614Ibid15Ibidpara040refid41-040-2016021116Ibid17NPPFpara6whichindicatesparas18–219oftheFrameworkconstitutetheGovernment’sviewofwhatsustainabledevelopmentmeansinpractice18Ibidpara7

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TheBasicConditionsStatementcontainsatablethatshowstherelationshipbetweenthePlanandthoseCBClevelpoliciesconsideredtoberelevanttothisPlan.Thishasprovidedausefulcontextformyownconsiderationofthisbasicconditionandiscomprehensiveinitscoverageandcommentary.EmergingplansatCBClevelofrelevancetothisexaminationCBCadvisethattheColchesterEmergingLocalPlancomprisingaStrategicSection1(ELP)andBoroughwideSection2arerelevant.TheELPwassubmittedtothePlanningInspectorateinOctober2017.ExaminationsessionswereheldonthesharedSection1,completedwithpartnerauthoritiesBraintreeandTendringDistrictCouncilsinJanuaryandMay2018.TheInspectorrequestedfurtherworkbecarriedoutontheELP’sevidencebaseandSustainabilityAppraisalandaccordinglytheexaminationis‘paused’.Itisenvisagedthatconsiderationofthefurtherworkwilltakeplacelaterthisyear.Section2wouldthenfollowatalaterdate.EuropeanUnionObligationsAneighbourhoodplanmustbecompatiblewithEuropeanUnion(EU)obligations,asincorporatedintoUnitedKingdomlaw,inordertobelegallycompliant.AnumberofEUobligationsmaybeofrelevanceincludingDirectives2001/42/EC(StrategicEnvironmentalAssessment),2011/92/EU(EnvironmentalImpactAssessment),92/43/EEC(Habitats),2009/147/EC(WildBirds),2008/98/EC(Waste),2008/50/EC(AirQuality)and2000/60/EC(Water).StrategicEnvironmentalAssessmentDirective2001/42/EContheassessmentoftheeffectsofcertainplansandprogrammesontheenvironmentisrelevant.Itspurposeistoprovideahighlevelofprotectionoftheenvironmentbyincorporatingenvironmentalconsiderationsintotheprocessofpreparingplansandprogrammes.ThisDirectiveiscommonlyreferredtoastheStrategicEnvironmentAssessment(SEA)Directive.TheDirectiveistransposedintoUKlawthroughtheEnvironmentalAssessmentofPlansandProgrammesRegulations2004.AnEnvironmentalReport(ER)datedAugust2016hasbeensubmittedasanearlierscreeningopinionconcludedthataSEAwouldberequired.TheERwaspreparedbyPlaceServicesandisbasedonthePlansubmittedinSeptember2016.TheERconfirmsthataScopingReportdatedJune2015waspreparedandsenttothestatutoryconsultees.CommentswerereceivedfromNaturalEngland,HistoricEnglandandtheEnvironmentAgencyandchangesmadetorespondtothecommentsmade.Followingsomerefinementtopoliciesandtheinclusionofanewsectionandpolicy(Section18andPolicyWIV32)aftercommentsfromNaturalEngland(NE)andaftera

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HealthCheck,anAddendumofNovember2017wasproduced.ThisconsideredtherevisedPlan.ItwaspublishedalongsidethesubmissionversionofthePlan.TheERanditsAddendumassessallofthesubmissionpoliciesinthePlancomprehensively.ItdealswiththeissuesappropriatelyforthecontentandlevelofdetailinthePlan.ThisinlinewithPPGadvicewhichconfirmstheSEAdoesnothavetobedoneinanymoredetailorusingmoreresourcesthanisconsideredtobeappropriateforthecontentandlevelofdetailinthePlan.19Inmyview,ithasbeenpreparedinaccordancewithRegulation12oftheRegulations.AsanAppropriateAssessmentwasprepared,IaskedCBCtoreviewtheworkonSEAtoseewhetherthisresultedinanyimplicationsorneedforfurtherworkonSEA.WiththeexceptionofmakingreferencetotheAAwhenthesustainabilitystatementisproduced,CBCconsidernofurtherimplicationsarise.Idonotdisagreewiththisconclusion.ThereforeEUobligationsinrespectofSEAhavebeensatisfied.Inreachingthisview,IamalsomindfulthatultimatelyPPGadvisesthatitistheresponsibilityofthelocalplanningauthoritytodecidewhetherthePlaniscompatiblewithEUobligations.20HabitatsRegulationsAssessmentDirective92/43/EEContheconservationofnaturalhabitats,commonlyreferredtoastheHabitatsDirective,isalsoofrelevancetothisexamination.AHabitatsRegulationsAssessment(HRA)identifieswhetheraplanislikelytohaveasignificanteffectonaEuropeansite,eitheraloneorincombinationwithotherplansorprojects.21TheassessmentdetermineswhethersignificanteffectsonaEuropeansitecanberuledoutonthebasisofobjectiveinformation.AHabitatsScreeningAssessmentRevisedJune2017hasbeenincludedwiththeBasicConditionsStatement.22ThisconcludedthattherewouldbenosignificanteffectsfromthePlaninisolation,butthattheremaybeincombinationeffectsasaresultofthegrowthinColchesterandTendring.ItindicatedthatthesehadtobeassessedatlocalauthoritylevelandthatWivenhoewouldbeboundbyanyRecreationaldisturbanceAvoidanceandMitigationStrategy(RAMS)arisingfromthatwork.ItconcludedthataseparatefullHRAwasnotrequired.AnotefromCBC23explainsthat“thereportidentifiedrecreationaldisturbanceasapotentialissueandcommentedthatanyimpactonaSpecialProtectionArea(SPA)willbegreatestfortheColneEstuarywhichliesdownstreamoftheneighbourhoodplanarea.ThescreeningassessmentreferredtotheobservationfromNaturalEnglandthat

19PPGpara030refid11-030-2015020920Ibidpara031refid11-031-2015020921Ibidpara047refid11-047-2015020922Page32oftheBasicConditionsStatement23ResponsefromCBCtomyletterof10July2018dated9August2018

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themainhightidebirdroostliestothesouthofAlresfordCreekandsoisnotincloseproximitytothefootpath.Thereforebothinisolationandincombinationwithotherproposals,thehousingsiteallocations…areunlikelytoresultindetrimentaldisturbanceeffectsfromwalkersontheSPAdownstreamfromthesettlement.”.NEagreedthatalonetherearenolikelysignificanteffects.However,NEconsideredtherewouldbeincombinationeffects.CBCrescreenedthePlantoconsiderincombinationeffectsinmoredetail.TheprincipalconclusionsarethatfirstlymechanismsareinplaceintheELPtoensurethathighlevelsofopenspacewillbedeliveredaspartofnewhousingacrosstheBorough.Wherenecessary,thiswillbedesignedanddeliveredasSuitableAccessibleNaturalGreenspace(SANG)toalleviatepressureonEuropeansites.Secondly,asaprecautionaryapproachisneeded,additionalmitigationisrequired.AlongsideBraintreeDistrictCouncilandTendringDistrictCouncil,CBCwillundertakeandimplementaStrategicAccessManagementandMonitoringStrategy(SAMM).ThishasprogressedandCBChasworkedwithtenotherEssexauthoritiesandNEontheRAMS.Therescreeningreportconcludedtherewasahighdegreeofcertaintythathighlevelsofgreeninfrastructurewillbedeliveredaspartoftheproposedgardencommunity,surveyandmonitoringworkshowedthemajorityofvisitorstoEuropeansitestravelledshortdistances,thereisagoodtrackrecordofjointworkingtoleavenodoubtthattheSAMMwillbedelivered.However,NEconsideredtherewasnotenoughcertainty.CBChascarriedoutanAppropriateAssessment(AA)oftheSection2LocalPlan.ThisidentifiedincombinationeffectswiththeSection2LocalPlanallocations,theWivenhoeNeighbourhoodPlanandotherlocalplansacrossEssex.ItrecommendedimplementationoftheRAMS,whichisincludedintheSection2LocalPlan.WorkisunderwayontheRAMS;theRAMSStrategyDocumentisnowcomplete.ItisanticipatedconsultationontheRAMSwilltakeplacein2019.NEagreesthatSection2LocalPlanwillnotleadtoadverseeffectseitheraloneorincombination.IaskedCBCtoconsiderwhetherthereareanyimplicationsarisingfromthejudgmentinthecaseofPeopleOverWind,PeterSweetmanvCoillteTeoranta.24MylettertoCBCisattachedatAppendix3.CBCrepliedthattheAAoftheSection2LocalPlanappraisestheproposalsinthePlanlikelytoaffecttheintegrityoftheColneEstuarySPAwiththemitigationmeasuresinbothSection2LocalPlanandthePlan.TheTownCouncilalsoresponded25andconsideredthatitisnotsensibleorfeasibleforaseparateAAtobeconductedandthattheAAforSection2LocalPlanshouldbereliedupon.PolicyWIV32statesthatanyRAMSwouldapplytodevelopmentinWivenhoe.

24CaseC-323/1725LetterfromWivenhoeTownCouncilof13July2018

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IhaveconsideredtheAAoftheSection2LocalPlan.ItrecommendsanumberofmitigationmeasurestobeincorporatedtotheSection2LocalPlan.Italsoindicatesthattheissueswillalsobeconsideredaspartofotherdocumentsandthatithasfocusedonkeystrategicissues.LastyeartherewasconsiderableuncertaintyoverwhetherneighbourhoodplanscouldundertakeAAs.ThiscauseddelayformanyneighbourhoodplansacrossEnglandandhasconsiderablydelayedtheprogressofthisparticularPlan.IwrotetoCBCon26November2018tosetoutanupdatedpositiononHabitatsAssessment.ThisletterisattachedasAppendix4.On28December2018,thebasicconditionprescribedinRegulation32andSchedule2(Habitats)oftheNeighbourhoodPlanning(General)Regulations2012(asamended)wassubstitutedbyanewbasicconditionbroughtintoforcebytheConservationofHabitatsandSpeciesandPlanning(VariousAmendments)(EnglandandWales)Regulations2018.ThisremovedanyuncertaintyandmadeitclearthatanAAcanbecarriedout.IwrotetoCBCon4January2019settingoutthispositionandtheletterisattachedasAppendix5.CBChasthereforecarriedoutanAAofthePlan.Furtherconsultationwiththestatutoryconsulteesandthepublicwascarriedoutbetween9January–20February2019.Threeresponseswerereceived.HistoricEnglandandHighwaysEnglandofferednospecificcomments.NEconfirmedthattheconclusionsoftheAAwerecompliantwiththeEuropeanCourtcases.ItconfirmedthataslongasthepolicyforrecreationaldisturbanceavoidanceandmitigationisincludedinthePlan,NEconcurwiththeAA’sconclusionsthattherewillbenolikelysignificanteffectseitheraloneorincombination.ThepolicyisincludedinthePlan.AnotehashelpfullybeenpreparedbyCBCattachedasAppendix6whichexplainsthelatestpositionontheRAMS.NationalguidanceestablishesthattheultimateresponsibilityfordeterminingwhetheraplanmeetsEUobligationslieswiththelocalplanningauthority.26CBChasconsideredthecompatibilityofthePlaninregardtoEUobligationsanddoesnotraiseanyconcernsinthisregard.Iconsiderthattherequisiterequirementshavebeenmetandthattheprescribedbasicconditioniscompliedwith.EuropeanConventiononHumanRights(ECHR)TheBasicConditionsStatementincludesasectiononthis.ThereisnothinginthePlanthatleadsmetoconcludethereisanybreachoftheConventionorthatthePlanisotherwiseincompatiblewithit.PPG27confirmsthatitistheresponsibilityofthelocalplanningauthority,inthiscaseCBC,toensurethatalltheregulationsappropriatetothenatureandscopeofthedraft26PPGpara031refid11-031-2015020927Ibidpara031refid11-031-20150209

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neighbourhoodplanhavebeenmet.ItisCBCwhomustdecidewhetherthedraftplaniscompatiblewithEUobligationswhenittakesthedecisiononwhethertheplanshouldproceedtoreferendumandwhenittakesthedecisiononwhetherornottomaketheplan.7.0DetailedcommentsonthePlananditspoliciesInthissectionIconsiderthePlananditspoliciesagainstthebasicconditions.Wheremodificationsarerecommendedtheyappearinboldtext.Asareminder,whereIhavesuggestedspecificchangestothewordingofthepoliciesornewwordingtheseappearinbolditalics.ThePlanhasaneyecatchingfrontcover,ispresentedtoagoodstandardandhasahelpfulcontentspage.1ABriefSummaryofthisDocumentThiswellwrittenandhelpfulsectionisausefulleadintothePlan.WhilstitisnotamodificationIneedtomakeinrespectofmyrole,IsuggestthatthefirstparagraphinitalicswillneedsomenaturalupdatingasthePlanprogressestowardsbeingmade.ThesecondparagraphreferstohowthePlanwillbeused,butitisimportantthatthedevelopmentplanasawholeisrecognisedalongsidehowdecisionsaremadeintheplanningprocess.Thereforeintheinterestsofaccuracy,amodificationisrecommended.

§ Changethefirstsentenceofthesecondparagraphtoread:“OncetheWivenhoeNeighbourhoodPlanisadopted,anyplanningapplicationfordevelopmentintheareawhichgoesbeforeColchesterBoroughCouncil(CBC)mustbedeterminedinaccordancewiththeplanningpoliciescontainedinthisdocumentandotherplanningpolicieswhichtogetherformthedevelopmentplanunlessothermaterialconsiderationsindicateotherwise.”

§ Deletethesecondsentenceofthesecondparagraphwhichbegins“Ifnot,theplanning…”

2IntroductionAnotherwellwrittensectionthatgivesusefulinformationaboutthePlananditsevolutionsignpostingthereadertomoredetailedinformationelsewhereanditsstatus.Amongstotherthings,itexplainsthatthePlanrunsuntil2032andcannotbechangedwithoutfurtherconsultation,examinationandreferendum.Thisisnotstrictlycorrect

17

asminoramendmentscanbemade.Amodificationisthereforesuggestedintheinterestsofaccuracy.

§ Addtheword“significantly”tothethirdsentenceinparagraph2.1onpage4ofthePlananddeletethewords“inanyway”sothatitreads:“Itmaybereviewedfromtimetotimeduringthisperiod,but,onceapproved,itcannotbesignificantlychangedwithoutfurtherpublicconsultation,examinationandreferendum.”

3HowhasthisPlanbeenCreatedSettingouttheprocessandsignpostingfurthersourcesofinformation,thiswellwrittensectionsummarisestheworktodateonthePlan.ItexplainsthateachsectionofthePlancoversadifferenttopic.UndereachheadingisajustificationandintentforthepoliciestogetherwithasummaryofhowthepoliciescontributetothePlan’sobjectives.Thepoliciesarepresentedinyellowboxeswithcommunityaspirations,oractions,inblue.4WivenhoeNeighbourhoodPlanAreaSettingoutthecontextforthePlan,thissectionexplainstherearethreedistinctareasofthePlanarea;LandnorthoftheA133,UniversityofEssexandWivenhoeParish.TheParishareahasaround7,630peoplewhilsttheUniversityareasome2,200residentialstudents.ThelandnorthoftheA133issparselypopulated,butisincludedintheELPasapotentialareaforstrategicgrowth.Thereisoneminorerrortocorrect.

§ Change“7,637persons”to“7,629persons”inparagraph4.4onpage75LocalContextThiswellwrittensectioncontainsalotofinformationaboutthecharacteristicsofthePlanareainatangibleway.Ithighlightsmanychallengesincludingtheunderoccupancyofdwellingsandahighproportionofresidentsover60yearsofage.Thereisoneminorerrortocorrect.

§ Deletethelastsentenceinparagraph5.3onpage8ofthePlan

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6ChallengesforWivenhoeAshortsectionthatsummarisesthekeychallengesarisingfromcommunityengagement.7VisionandObjectivesThissectionsetsoutavisionforWivenhoethatstates:

“BytheendofthePlanperiod,in2032,Wivenhoewillstillbeathrivingandvibrantcommunitybutwillbeanevenbetterplaceinwhichtolive,workandtovisitby:

• protectingandenhancingitsdistinctivecharacter,richheritageandnaturalassetssuchastheriveranditsruralsetting,andthoseareaswhichareimportanttowildlifeandbiodiversity

• improvingaccesstotheriverandothercountrysideareasbypeopleforrecreationalpurposeswhilstrespectingsensitiveenvironmentalhabitats

• securingmoregreenspaces• addingnewcommunityfacilities• ensuringtrafficflowsareimprovedbycreatingadditionalfootpathsand

cycle-waysinordertoencouragesustainabletravelmodesandensuringnewhousingislocatedinareaswhichdonotsignificantlyimpactupontheexistingroadnetworkinWivenhoeatpeaktimes

• providingadditionalhomesthatwillgiveabetteroverallmixofhousinginWivenhoeandthatwillmeettheneedsoflocalpeople.”

Theclearlyarticulatedvisionisthenunderpinnedby10objectives.Allrelatetothedevelopmentanduseoflandandareclearlywritten.Atableonpage20ofthePlanthenshowsavarietyofinfrastructureimprovementsthataresoughtfromnewdevelopment.Allarelocationallyspecificanditwasnotcleartomewhatevidencehadinformedthetable.Inresponsetomyqueryonthis,furtherexplanationhasbeenprovidedanditisclearthatalltheitemshavebasisinevidence,localknowledgeandcommunityfeedbackandhavebeenthoughtthrough.8WivenhoeGeneralDevelopmentPoliciesParagraph8.3referstoSection18ofthePlan,butitisnowSection19thatcontainstheProposalsMaps.Intheinterestsofaccuracy,amodificationismadetocorrectthis.

§ Change“Section18”inparagraph8.3to“Section19”onpage21ofthePlan

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PolicyWIV1WivenhoeTownSettlementBoundaryThispolicyreferstoaproposedsettlementboundaryfortheWivenhoeParisharea.ThisisanewlydefinedboundarywhichincludesthesitesproposedinthePlan.CBCconfirmthatitisconsistentwiththeproposedsettlementboundaryintheELPandIsawatmysitevisititisdefinedpragmatically.Thepolicyitselfreferstotheneedfordevelopmentproposalstobeguidedbypoliciesinthedevelopmentplan(CBClevelpoliciesandPlanpolicies)inanumberofplaces.Thisisunnecessaryasallproposalsneedtobeassessedagainstrelevantpoliciesinthedevelopmentplan(whichoftenconsistsofmorethanoneplandocument).Theremainderofthepolicyisclearlywritten,butbecauseofthepolicy’stitleandneedtodefinethesettlementboundaryandbecausethepolicynowonlyreferstodevelopmentoutsidethesettlementboundary,furthermodificationsareneededtoensureapracticalframeworkfordecisionmakingassoughtbynationalpolicyandguidanceisprovided.Thereforethepolicyisseparatedintotwo.

§ SeparatePolicyWIV1intotwonewpolicies.ThefirstpolicydesignatesthenewsettlementboundaryforWivenhoeTownandreads:“ASettlementBoundaryforWivenhoeTownisdesignatedandidentifiedontheWivenhoeProposalsMap.”

§ Thesecondpolicybeginsatexistingcriterionii)withsomeadditionaltextand

reads:“Exceptwheresupportedbyotherpoliciesinthedevelopmentplan,developmentoutsidetheSettlementBoundary,asidentifiedontheWivenhoeProposalsMap,should:”

§ Retainexistingcriteriaii)i.,iii.,iv.,v.,vi.,vii.,viii.[criterionii)ii.andix.are

deleted]

§ EnsurethattheProposalsMapsreferto“SettlementBoundary”PolicyWIV2DevelopmentwithintheWivenhoeNeighbourhoodPlanareatothenorthoftheA133ThePlanexplainsthatthisareaoflandisapotentialareaforstrategicgrowth.ThereisageneralconcernthatsuchdevelopmentmightaffecttheseparationofWivenhoefromColchester,leadtoincreasedtrafficandcongestionandaffecttheavailabilityofschoolplaces.ThereforePolicyWIV2seekstoensurethatanydevelopmentwithinthisareamustprovideschool,healthandcommunityfacilitiestoservethenewcommunityatanearlystage.

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Thepolicythenratherassumesthattheareawillbedevelopedatastrategiclevelandcouldbeseentobeacceptingdevelopmentwhenitmaynotgoahead.WhilstInoteCBCdoesnotraiseanyobjectiontoit,amodificationismadetoaddresstheseconcerns.Afurthermodificationismadetoensurethatratherthanatanearlystage,therequisiteinfrastructureisprovidedatanappropriatetime.Thiswillhelptoensurethattheviabilityofanydevelopmentisnotthreatened.

§ ChangePolicyWIV2toread:“Anystrategichousingorotherlarge-scaledevelopmentwithintheWivenhoeNeighbourhoodPlanareatothenorthoftheA133mustprovideadequateschool,healthandothercommunityfacilitiesonthesiteatanappropriatestagetoservethisproposednewcommunitytomitigateanyimpactresultingfromlarge-scaledevelopmentontheservicesandfacilitiesinWivenhoe.”

9CountrysideandtheEnvironmentLandscapeCharacterThissectiondescribesthelandscapecharacterarea.SettlementCoalescenceandRuralApproachtoWivenhoeThesecondpartofthissectionbeginswithadiscussionofretainingtheseparateidentityofWivenhoe.Tothisend,twoactionsandonepolicyareincluded.ThefirstactionseekstoensureastripoflandadjacenttotheA133isplantedasatreebelt.ThesecondactionconfirmstheTownCouncil’ssupportforanextensionoftheSalaryBrooknaturereservetoprovideagreenbreakbetweenGreensteadandLongridgeParkandanynewdevelopmenteastofthisland.Thesecondactioniswordedasanaction,butthefirstisnot;itreadsmoreasapolicy.Toensurethereisclarity,amodificationtothefirstactionissuggested.PolicyWIV3SettlementCoalescencePolicyWIV3seekstoretainphysicalseparationbetweenWivenhoesettlementandtheUniversityofEssexcampus.TheareaisshownonFigure12andrepeatedontheProposalsMaps.ThereissufficientjustificationforseekingtoensurethatanydevelopmentinthisareadoesnotresultinanundesirablereductionorlossofseparateanddistinctiveidentitybetweenWivenhoesettlementandtheCampus.CSPolicyENV1alsoseekstoprotectopenstretchesofcountrysidearoundandbetweensettlementstoprotectcoalescenceandretainsettlementidentity.

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However,thewordingofthepolicyisnotsufficientlyclear.Itwouldalsoclearlybeunreasonabletoimposea‘blanket’banonanydevelopment.InadditionthereisnotenoughinformationorevidencetosupporttheinclusionofconcernaboutdevelopmentwithinTendringDistrictandtheareasofconcernarenotdiscussedinanydetail.Asaresult,amodificationtothepolicyisrecommendedtotiethepolicyandFigure12togetherintheinterestsofclarity,tomakethepolicymoreflexiblewhilstretainingitsabilitytoresistinappropriatedevelopmentandtoremoveanyreferencestothosepartsofthepolicythatarenotsufficientlyjustified.Furthermore,IdofinditconfusingthatFigure12onpage25ofthePlandoesnotillustrateallthreeareas;itonlyillustratestwo.Furthermoreitillustratesonethatisthesubjectofanactionandonesubjecttothepolicy.Thisisconfusinganddoesnotprovidethepracticalframeworkfordecisionmakingsoughtbynationalpolicyandguidance.InfactitelevatesoneoftheactionsontotheProposalsMapwhichalsoshowstheinformationthatappearsonFigure12.IconsideritinappropriatethatactionsareshownontheProposalsMap(althoughtheycouldbeshownonaclearlydefinedandseparateactionsmap).Figure12alsoshowspartofoneofthesiteallocationsites(PolicyWIV30)aspartoftheproposedcoalescencebreak.TheTownCouncilhassuggestedthisshouldbecorrectedandIagree.Finally,thelanguageusedshouldbeconsistenttoavoidthepotentialforconfusion.Thereforemodificationsaremadetoaddresstheseconcerns.

§ Amendtheactionpointonpage24ofthePlantoread:“IflandtothenorthoftheA133istobedeveloped,theTownCouncilwillworkwithColchesterBoroughCouncilandanyoneelseinvolvedintheplanningofdevelopmentinthislocationtoseektosecureastripoflandadjacenttotheA133isplantedasatreebeltofapproximately30metreswidetopreservetheruralapproachtoWivenhoeandtobeagreencorridorforthebenefitofwildlife.”

§ Deletetheareashownasthe“CoalescenceBreak”atSalaryBrookfromFigure12andanycorrespondingmapsandfiguresincludingProposalsMap1

§ Amendthe“CoalescenceBreak”toremovethatpartofitwhichissubjecttoPolicyWIV30

§ Changeparagraph9.10onpage25ofthePlantoread:“Thefollowingmap(Fig.12)showstheproposedCoalescenceBreakbetweenWivenhoesettlementareaandtheUniversityoneithersideofColchesterRoad.ThisisalsoshownontheProposalsMap.”

22

§ ChangePolicyWIV3toread:

“AlldevelopmentproposalswithintheCoalescenceBreakillustratedonFigure12andtheProposalsMapshouldsatisfactorilydemonstratethattheywillnotundulyreducethephysicalandvisualseparationbetween,orcontributetothecoalescenceof,theWivenhoesettlementwiththeUniversityofEssexcampus.”

ProtectingtheSettingoftheRiverColnePolicyWIV4ProtectingtheSettingoftheRiverThispolicyseekstoprotectthesettingoftheRiverColneandimportantvistas.ItseekstodesignateanareawhichisbasedontheCoastalProtectionBelt(CPB)definedintheLP2001-2021.AspartoftheworkontheELP,theextentoftheCPBwasreviewed.Thisdesignationthereforeisbasedonthatevidence.Toavoidconfusion,CBCandtheTownCouncilhaveagreedthatthenameofthedesignatedareashouldbechanged.Iagreethiswouldhelpwithclarityandaccordinglyamodificationismade.Otherwise,thepolicyiswordedclearly.ItwillensurethatthesettingoftheRiverisprotectedfromdevelopmentthatmightadverselyharmitsimportantattributesandcharacteristicswhichareclearlyvaluedbythecommunity.ItwillreinforcelocaldistinctivenessandmaintainthecharacterofthisdistinctivepartofthePlanareaensuringenjoymentofitforthecommunityandvisitorsalike.ItreflectsCSPolicyENV1.Itwillhelptoachievesustainabledevelopment.

§ Changethefirstsentenceofthepolicytoread:“CountrysidethatcontributesvistasofhighvaluetowardstheRiverColneanditsestuary,orthatcanbeclearlyviewedfromtheriverorlandontheRowhedgeandFingringhoesideoftheriverandwhichisshownonFigure14andtheProposalsMapastheRiverColneSpecialCharacterAreashouldbeprotectedfromdevelopmentwhichsignificantlydetractsfromthesevistasorviews.”

§ ChangetheProposalsMapandFigure14designationfrom“ColneProtectionBelt”to“RiverColneSpecialCharacterArea”

FormerUniversityExpansionLandThenextsectionofthePlanexplainsthatfollowingdiscussionswithCBCandtheUniversity,ithasbeenagreedthatanexistingdesignationintheLPtoexpandtheUniversityCampusonlandsouthandwestofBoundaryRoadcouldberemoved.Thisconstitutesanactiononpage33ofthePlan.ItisnotaplanningpolicyandthereforetheactioncanonlyexpresstheTownCouncil’ssupportforthischangeindesignation.ThePlanrecognisesthatPoliciesWIV3andWIV4affectatleastsomeofthisland.

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Tothisend,modificationsaremadetoalignwiththeearlierchangessuggestedandtoensuretheactionreadsasanactionanddoesnot,howeverinadvertently,readaspolicyandthatthesupportingtextalsoreflectsthis.

§ Addthewords“(althoughitisproposedtoremovethisallocationintheemergingLocalPlan)”after“…BoundaryRoad…”inthefirstparagraphofparagraph9.17onpage32ofthePlan

§ Changethesecondparagraphofparagraph9.17onpage32ofthePlantoread:

“WhilstthedevelopmentoftheCampusisconstrainedbyanumberofenvironmentalandheritageissues,theUniversityisoftheviewthatitshouldbeabletoaccommodateitsgrowthneeds,upto2024/2025,withinitsexistinglandownership.However,beyondthatdate,itislikelythatitwillneedtoexpandbeyonditscurrentboundaries.DiscussionswiththeUniversityhaverevealedthatitiswillingtoforgotheexpansionallocation,assetoutintheadoptedColchesterLocalPlan2001-2021,providedthatanappropriate,replacement,allocationismade.Therefore,inagreementwiththeUniversityandColchesterBoroughCouncil,theTownCouncilsupportstheremovalofthisdesignationfromtheadoptedColchesterBoroughLocalPlan2001–2021andtheidentificationofareplacementallocationintheemergingLocalPlansoranysubsequentStrategicGrowthDPDrelatingtotheproposedTendringColchesterBordersGardenCommunity(seepara13.12).ThecurrentUniversityexpansiondesignationisreferencedintheadoptedCoreStrategyasaproposeddevelopmentintheEastColchesterGrowthAreaandspecificallyintheSiteAllocationsDPDunderPolicyEC7.Followingtheremovalofthisproposedexpansionsite,thelandshouldreverttoprotectionfrominappropriatedevelopmentinaccordancewithPoliciesWIV3andWIV4oftheWivenhoeNeighbourhoodPlanrelatingtosettlementseparationandlandscapeimpact,respectively.”

§ Changetheactiononpage33ofthePlantoread:“TheTownCouncilsupports

theproposalintheemergingLocalPlantoremovethedesignationoflandforUniversityexpansiontothesouthandwestofBoundaryRoadasshownontheBoroughCouncil’sProposalsMapinthecurrentadoptedLocalPlan2001-2021.”

§ Removethetitlefortheactioninlinewiththeotheractionstobefound

throughoutthePlan

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ProtectingAreasImportanttoWildlifeandBiodiversityPolicyWIV5UniversityMarshesThisisashortpolicythatprotectsaLocalWildlifeSitefromdevelopment.ItalsocontributestotheGreenCorridorbetweentheWivenhoesettlementandColchester.Thepolicyprotectsthisareafromdevelopment.TheNPPF28isclearthattheplanningsystemshouldcontributetoandenhancethenaturalandlocalenvironment.Thepolicyisclearlywordedandmeetsthebasicconditions.Nomodificationsarethereforerecommended.AnactionthenfollowsaboutFerryMarsh.Itagainneedsamendmentsothatitreadsasanactionratherthanapolicy.

§ Changetheactiononpage38ofthePlantoread:“TheTownCouncilwouldsupportthedesignationofthewholeofFerryMarshasindicatedonFigure19asanaturereserve.”

TheRiverColneandAccesstoitThissectionstartswithanactiononpage39thatisclearlyworded.PolicyWIV6AccesstotheRiverColnePolicyWIV6seekstoprotectandenhanceaccesstotheRiverColne.Itwillhelptoachievesustainabledevelopment.Itmeetsthebasicconditionsandnomodificationstoitarerecommended.TreesintheNeighbourhoodPlanAreaAnactiononpage40ofthePlanseekstoappointtreewardens.Itisclearlyworded.10RecreationandOpenSpaces,PlayAreas,SportsFieldsandAllotmentsThissectionbeginsbyreferringtoDPDPDPolicyDP15,butonlypartiallyquotesfromit.ThisBoroughlevelpolicyidentifiesareasofopenspace,sportsgrounds,playingfieldandallotmentsonitsProposalsMap.ThePlanidentifiestheseareasinFigure21andTable2,butaddstothemfollowingengagementwiththecommunityandremovestwoareasofopenspace(whicharesubjecttoPoliciesWIV28andWIV29).ThePlanindicatesthattheseamendmentsalignwiththeELP.

28NPPFpara109

25

Paragraph10.2onpage41indicatesthatadditionstothe“Boroughlist”areshowninbold;thisisnotthecasealthoughtheadditionsareclearlyidentified.Intheinterestsofaccuracy,thissentenceshouldbeamended.

§ Insertthefullpolicyifquotedandreproduced[DPDPDPolicyDP15onpage41ofthePlan]

§ Changethelastsentenceinparagraph10.2toread:“AdditionstotheBoroughlistareindicatedinTable2.”

PolicyWIV7ProtectionofOpenSpaces,PlayAreas,SportsFields&AllotmentsThispolicyseekstoresistthelossofsuchareasshownontheProposalsMapunlesstheproposalwouldnotresultinthelossofanimportantareaforitsamenityandcharacterandappropriatealternativeprovisionisprovided.ThisreflectsthestanceoftheNPPFinpromotinghealthycommunities,29CSPolicyPR1whichreferstotheprovisionofopenspaceandDPDPDPolicyDP15.However,thepolicyisnotbasedonneedsasreferredtointheNPPF.Thisshouldbeincorporatedintothepolicytoensurethatitmeetsthebasicconditions.InadditionEssexCountyCouncilraiseconcernovertheinclusionoftheMillfieldsSchoolandBroomgroveSchoolasthismayhindertheschools’abilitytoexpand.TheTownCouncilacceptthisandhavesuggestedanewcriterionwhichIconsiderwouldaddressthispoint.Thereisalsoacorrectionintheinterestsofaccuracy.

§ Change“(Section19)”inthefirstsentenceofthepolicyto“Figure21”

§ Addthewords“oneofthefollowingcircumstancesapplies”attheendofcriterion(i)ofthepolicy

§ Addan“or”attheendofcriterion(ii)inthepolicy

§ Addathirdcriteriontothepolicythatreads:“(iii)anassessmentoftheopenspaceorplayingfieldhasbeenundertakenandthisclearlyshowstheareatobesurplustorequirementsor.”

§ Addafourthcriteriontothepolicythatreads:“Inthecaseoftheschool

playingfieldsatBroomgroveSchoolandMillfieldsSchoolthelandisrequiredforschoolexpansion.”

29NPPFpara74

26

AdditionalPlayAreas,SportsFieldsandAllotmentsPolicyWIV8ProvisionofAdditionalSportsPitches,PlayAreas&AllotmentsThePlanexplainsthereisawaitinglistforallotmentsandaneedforimprovedplayareasandsportspitches.ThefirstelementofPolicyWIV8supportsdevelopmentproposalsthatcontributetothecostofprovidingadditionalsportsfacilitiesinWivenhoeParish.Thismayinadvertentlysupportotherwiseunacceptableproposalsandsoamodificationismadetoaddressthisconcern.Inadditionthepolicy’stitleandsupportingexplanationgobeyondjustsportsfacilitiesandsoamodificationismadetoprovideflexibilityandalignthepolicywithitsjustification.Asecondelementofthepolicysupportsdevelopmentof25ormoredwellingsprovidingamenityspaceofatleast10%ofthesitearea.ThereisnoreferenceinthePlantosuchprovision.Itisnotreferredtointhesectionheadingortitleofthepolicy.ThereisthereforenoexplanationorjustificationforitpresentedinthePlanandasaresultthiselementshouldbedeleted.AlthoughIaminformedbytheTownCouncilthatthisrelatestoaCBClevelpolicy,Icannotfindoneinanyadoptedplanthatsaysthesamething.Inanycase,ifthepointiscoveredinaCBClevelpolicy,thereisnoneedtoduplicatethatinthePlan.

§ Addthewords“Otherwiseacceptable”atthestartofthefirstsentenceofthepolicy

§ Addthewords“/recreationlandand/orfacilities”after“…sports…”inthefirstsentenceofthepolicy

§ Deletecriterion(ii)ofthepolicy

§ Changethepresentationofthepolicysothatitdoesnothaveonecriterion

anddeletetheword“and”fromtheendoftheexistingcriterion(I)LocalGreenSpacesTwoLocalGreenSpaces(LGS)areproposedbythispolicy.TheNPPFexplainsthatLGSsaregreenareasofparticularimportancetolocalcommunities.30Theeffectofsuchadesignationisthatnewdevelopmentwillberuledoutotherthaninveryspecialcircumstances.Identifyingsuchareasshouldbeconsistentwithlocalplanningofsustainabledevelopmentandcomplementinvestment.

30NPPFparas76,77and78

27

TheNPPFmakesitclearthatthisdesignationwillnotbeappropriateformostgreenareasoropenspace.FurtherguidanceaboutLGSsisgiveninPPG.Thetwoproposedareas,FerryMarshandopenareaoppositeMillfieldsSchoolareshownclearlyonFigures22and23onpages46and48ofthePlanrespectively.Ivisitedbothareasonmysitevisit.FerryMarshisadesignatedLocalWildlifeSiteadjacenttoaSiteofSpecialScientificInterest(SSSI).Itisvaluedbythecommunityforitsrecreationalopportunities,foritsviewsandvistasandforitswildlife.OpenareaoppositeMillfieldsSchoolisvaluedbythecommunityasanopenspace.Thesitehasbeensubjectofdevelopmentproposalsinthepast,butwasoriginallyagreenamenityareafortheDeneParkestate.ItisanopengrassedareawithseatingadjacenttoafootpathandprovidingasettingforthatfootpathandopentotheroadprovidingasettingtoMillfieldsPrimarySchool.Inmyview,theproposedLGSsaresensiblyandclearlydefined.Allareinreasonablycloseproximitytothecommunitytheyserve,arelocalincharacterandarenotextensivetractsoflandandholdaparticularlocalsignificancemeetingthecriteriaintheNPPFsatisfactorily.Nowturningtothewordingofthepolicyitself,PolicyWIV9simplydesignatesbothareascrossreferencingFigures22and23sensibly.Thepolicymeetsthebasicconditionsandnomodificationsarerecommended.11HeritageandTownscapePoliciesConservationAreaTwoactionsonpage50ofthePlanrespectivelysupporttheextensionoftheWivenhoeConservationAreaandtheintroductionofArticle4directions.Bothareclearlyworded.TheGoodsShedPolicyWIV10TheGoodsShed,StationYard,WivenhoeThispolicyrelatestoanoldrailwaybuildingthatwaspreviouslylisted,butdelistedafterseverefiredamage.Thepolicysupportsappropriatecommercial,residentialorleisureusestotryandsecureitsfuture.Shouldthisnotbepossible,thepolicyindicatesthebuildingshouldberemovedandtheareausedforcarparking.

28

Althoughthebuildinghasbeendelisted,thesitefallswithinaConservationArea.Withsomemodificationintheinterestsofclarity,Iconsiderthatthepolicytakesapragmaticapproachextendingthetypesofusethatmightbeacceptabletorestorethebuildingmaximisingtheopportunityforaviablefutureforthebuilding.Thereseemsnoreasonwhyculturalusescouldnotbeaddedtothislistgivenplansforacommunitytheatreinthepast.Thiswillincreaseflexibilityandmaximisethepotentialandviablereuseofthebuilding.However,Idonotconsideritacceptableforthepolicytoindicatesupportforthebuilding’sremoval.Atmysitevisit,Isawthatwhilstthebuildingisdamaged,threesidesofitandagableendremainallsupportedbyscaffolding.Thebuilding’ssize,formandshapeareclear.Whilstthebuildingiswithinanareaofcarparkingforthestation,asitislocatedatthestationandclosetotherailwayline,itmakesanimportantcontributiontooneapproachtothevillage.InadditionitisclosetotheWivenhoeTrail.TheNPPF31isclearthatheritageassetsareanirreplaceableresource.ThereforethereislittlejustificationforthiselementofthepolicyandtoretainitwouldnottakeaccountofthestanceonthehistoricenvironmentintheNPPForcontributetotheachievementofsustainabledevelopment.Itwould,inmyview,howeverinadvertently,encouragetheremovalofthebuildinganditsreplacementwithcarparking.This,inmyview,shouldbeproperlyconsideredthroughaplanningapplicationroutewiththerequisiteevidenceonviabilityandsoonaswellasanyneworreplacementdevelopmentmakingapositivecontributiontolocalcharacteranddistinctiveness.Withthismodificationthepolicywillmeetthebasicconditions.

§ Changethepolicytoread:“Developmentproposalsforcommercial,residential,culturalorleisureuseswillbesupportedwheretheyprotectorenhancethehistoricalfeaturesofthebuilding.”

TheQuayPolicyWIV11TheQuayatWivenhoeItisrecognisedthattheQuayisapopularareaforresidentsandvisitorsalike,butthereisaneedtoimproveitsofferbymakingitmoreattractiveandfunctionbetter.PolicyWIV11setsoutsupportforproposalswhichwillhelptoachievethis.Itisalocallydistinctivepolicythatwillhelptoimprovethedesignandfunctionofthearea.ItbuildsonCSPoliciesUR2andPR2.Assuchitwillhelptoachievesustainabledevelopment.Theonlymodificationtoitistoincludeafigurethatshowstheareathepolicyrelatesto.Adiagramoftheareahasbeenprovidedinresponsetomyqueryonthis.ThisshouldbeinsertedintothePlanandthepolicyshouldmakedirectreferencetoit.

31NPPFpara126

29

§ InsertthediagramprovidedinresponsetomyquestionsofclarificationinrelationtothispolicyidentifyingitbycallingitFigure[X][ConsequentialamendmentstoFigurenumberswillberequired]

§ Insertthewords“asshownonFigure[X]”after“…(fromBathSttoWalterRadcliffeWay}”inthefirstsentenceofthepolicy

Anactionthatsitscomfortablyalongsidethispolicyfollows.Itisclearlyworded.StreetSceneRecognisingthereisroomforimprovementinthestreetscene,aclearlywordedactiononpage53ofthePlansupportsjointactiontoinvestigatepossibilities.TownscapeAshortsectiondescribingtheevolutionofWivenhoe.InfillandbacklanddevelopmentPolicyWIV12InfillandBacklandDevelopmentonGardenSitesThePlanexplainsthatmostinfillorwindfallopportunitiesarelikelytobegardenareas.PolicyWIV12setsoutvariouscriteriatoensurethatanysuchdevelopmentisappropriate.Thepolicyreferstothe“settlementarea”.ThisisthesameasthesettlementboundarydesignatedinPolicyWIV1.Intheinterestsofconsistency,amodificationismadetousethislanguage.Anumberofthecriteriarequiresomerevision.Criterioniii.referstothelossofgardensimportanttothesurroundingtownscapeandIdonotconsiderthistobepreciseenough.Amodificationismadetoaddressthisconcern.Criterioniv.requirestheriskoffloodingtosurroundingpropertiestobereduced.Thisistooonerousandmaybeunnecessarydependingonthelocationofthesite.Amodificationismadetomakethismoreflexible.Criterionvi.mayinadvertentlypermitschemesthatadverselyharmwildlife.Amodificationismadetoaddressthisconcern.Criterionvii.requiresamodificationtoensurethatitreadscorrectlyandisnotundulyonerous.

30

Finallyamodificationtoensurethatallthecriteriaarefollowedisneeded.Withthesemodifications,thepolicywillavoidinappropriatedevelopmentofresidentialgardensinlinewiththeNPPF32andsetouttheexpectationforthequalityofdevelopmentinlinewiththeNPPF.33Itwillhelptoachievesustainabledevelopment.

§ Changethewords“settlementarea”to“settlementboundary”inthefirstandsecondparagraphsofthepolicy

§ Changecriterioniii.toread:“Notresultinthelossofgardenswhicharevisuallyorfunctionallyimportanttothesurroundingtownscape;”

§ Rewordcriterioniv.toread:“Ensurethattheriskofsurfacewaterandfluvialfloodingisnotincreasedonsiteortosurroundingpropertiesandtakeeveryavailableopportunitytoreduceanysuchrisk;”

§ Changecriterionvi.toread:“Ensurethatthereisnoadverseimpacton

wildlife;”

§ Changecriterionvii.sothatitreads:“Includemitigationmeasureswhereappropriateandnecessarytodosotopreventanyunacceptableincreaseintrafficflowsonresidentialstreetsasaresultoftheproposal.”

§ Addthewords“mustcomplywithallthefollowingcriteria”afterthesecond

paragraphofthe[existing]policythatbegins“Withinthesettlementarea,proposals…”deletingtheword“should”

ExtensionsandConversionsPolicyWIV13TownscapeCharacterConservationAlthoughthepreambletothepolicyreferstoextensionsandadditions,thesubheadingalsoreferstoconversionsandthepolicyitselfisnotclear.Theintentofthepolicyistoensurethatdesignconservesimportantfeatures.ThisisinlinewiththeNPPFwhichrequiresgooddesignandwillhelptoretainastrongsenseofplaceandrespondtolocalhistoryandcharacter.34ItreflectsCSPolicySD1thatseekshighstandardsofdesign,sustainabilityandcompatibilitywithlocalcharacterandCSPolicyUR2whichseekshighqualityandinclusivedesigninparticular.Itwillalsohelptoachievesustainabledevelopment.Withthismodification,thepolicywillmeetthebasicconditions.

§ Changethetitleofthepolicyto“Extensions,AdditionsandConversionsofResidentialProperties”

32NPPFpara5333Ibidpara5834IbidSection7

31

§ Rewordthepolicytoread:“Extensions,additionsandconversionswillbesupportedwherethey(i)aredesignedtoconservetownscapefeaturesofexistingstreetsandestateswherethesemakeapositivecontributionand(ii)protectgreenswardsadjacenttothehighways.”

12CommunityWellbeingPoliciesCommunityFacilitiesandRecreationalProvisionThisshortsectiondiscussesBoroughlevelpolicy.IndoorVenuesThesupportingtexttothefollowingtwopoliciesexplainsthecontextandunderprovisionofindoorfacilities.PolicyWIV14NewIndoorCommunityFacilitiesThispolicyindicatesthatapplicablefinancialcontributionsfromdevelopmentsiteswillbeusedtoprovideadditionalfacilitiesconvenienttothesettlementarea.Itshouldbemadeclearthatsuchcontributionsarethoserequiredtomitigateanyimpactfromnewdevelopment.Otherwisethepolicyprovidesaclearsteerastowhatwillbesupportedbythecommunity.ItisalocalreflectionofCSPolicySD3andDPDPDPolicyDP4andwillhelptoachievesustainabledevelopment.

§ Insertthewords“requiredtomitigatetheimpactofnew”after“Financialcontributions…”inthepolicy

PolicyWIV15IndoorCommunityFacilitiesThefirstelementofthispolicysupportsnewfacilities.Itoffersblanketsupportthatmayinadvertentlysupportotherwiseinappropriatedevelopment.Amodificationismadetoaddressthis.Thesecondelementresiststhelossofexistingfacilitiessubjecttovariouscriteriaincludingalternativeprovisionandviabilityandmarketing.Itiswordedclearly.However,therequirementtomarketfor18monthsisundulyonerousandamodificationismadetomakethiselementmoreflexible.Thethirdelementinadvertentlycontradictsthesecond,butitisclearwhattheintentionisandsoIamabletorecommendamodificationtoremedythisissueandmakethepolicymoreprecise.

32

Withthesemodifications,thepolicywillmakeapositivecontributiontothepromotionofhealthycommunitiesassetoutintheNPPF,35isalocalexpressionofDPDPDPoliciesDP4andDP15andwillhelptoachievesustainabledevelopment.

§ Addthewords“otherwiseacceptable”before“…provisionofneworimproved…”anddeletetheword“the”beforeprovisioninthefirstelementofthepolicy

§ Deletethewords“foratleast18months”fromthesecondparagraphofthepolicyandreplacewith“foratleast12months”

§ Changethethirdparagraphofthepolicytoread:“Proposalsthatwouldresult

inthelossofindoorcommunityfacilitieswillonlybepermittedifequivalentfacilitiesareprovidedorthereisevidencethatthefacilityissurplustorequirementsornolongerviable.Anyalternativefacilitiesmustcomplywiththefollowingcriteria:”[retainthethreecriterionasexisting]

EducationAshortsectiononeducation.HealthAshortsectiononhealth.13TheUniversityofEssexPolicyWIV16TheUniversityofEssexThesupportingtextrecognisesthecontributiontheUniversitymakestothecommunitybothasasourceofemployment,prideandforsharingitsfacilities.PolicyWIV16seekstosupportthegrowthoftheUniversityinitscampusareaandtheKnowledgeGatewayBusinessParkaslongasnewdevelopmentdoes“notadverselyharmtheexistingresidentsofWivenhoe”.Itwouldbeextraordinarilydifficultforanyapplicanttoknowhowtocomplywiththispolicy.Itwouldbeequallydifficultforadecisionmakertomakethisjudgment.Inanycase,Isuspectthatharmtooneresidentmaynotbeharmtoanother.Asecondelementofthepolicyseekstoparticularlysupportproposalsthat“improvetherelationshipbetweentheUniversityandexistingresidents”.Thistooisimprecise.

35NPPFSection8

33

WhilstIrecognisetheintentofthepolicy,itistooimpreciseanddoesnotprovidethepracticalframeworkfordecisionmakingsoughtbynationalpolicyandguidance.Asaresultitshouldbedeleted.Consequentialamendmentisalsorequiredasparagraph13.14thereforebecomesinaccurate.Revisedwordinghasalsobeenputforwardinrespectofparagraph13.12onpage59.Thismoreaccuratelyreflectstheuptodatesituation.Anactiononpage59ofthePlanreferstotheTownCouncil’ssupportforzoningsomeofthelandnorthoftheA133foracademicuseandKnowledgeGatewayexpansion.Itseekstoreplacetheprovisionlostasaresultof‘dezoning’theareasouthandwestofBoundaryRoad.WhilsttheactioncanexpressthepositionoftheTownCouncil,theseareclearlydevelopmentanduseoflandmatters.Thisneedsamendmenttomakeclearthestatusoftheactionpoint.Thesecondpointoftheactionduplicatesthatactionpointonpage33ofthePlanandsoisunnecessary.

§ DeletePolicyWIV16initsentirety

§ Deletethefirstsentenceofparagraph13.14onpage59ofthePlan

§ Rewordparagraph13.12onpage59ofthePlantoread:

“WhilstitisexpectedthatthegrowthoftheUniversitywilllargelybeaccommodatedonlandalreadyownedbytheUniversityupto2024/2025,itwillneedtoexpandbeyondtheboundariesofWivenhoeParkatsomepointinthefuture.AnewallocationforUniversityexpansionislikelytobeidentifiedaspartofthenewgardencommunityorasadirectlandallocationintheemergingColchesterand/orTendringLocalPlans.TheTownCouncilwillworkwiththeUniversityandColchesterandTendringCouncilstoagreeanapproachtotheUniversity’slongtermexpansion.”

§ Rewordtheactiononpage59ofthePlantoread:“TheTownCouncilsupports

theconsiderationoflandonthenorthsideoftheA133forUniversityexpansionand/orKnowledgeGatewayexpansion.”[thisreplacesbothexistingparts1.and2.]

14GettingAroundWivenhoeCarsandTrafficTherearetwoactionsonpage60ofthePlan.ThefirstseekstoencourageactiontoreducetheimpactoftrafficontheA133andsurroundingroads.Incommonwithsomeoftheotheractions,itisimplicitthattheTownCouncilwillactionthis,butinfactthiswouldbedifficulttodo.Tomaketheactionclearerandtoavoidconfusionbetweenpolicy,amodificationisrecommendedtorewordtheaction.

34

Thesecondactionisclearlyworded.

§ Rewordthefirstactiononpage60ofthePlantoread:“TheTownCouncilwillworkwithappropriatepartnerstoseekroadimprovementsandtrafficmanagementmeasureswithaviewtoreducingtheimpactofincreasedtrafficontheA133andsurroundingroadnetwork.”

PolicyWIV17TrafficinWivenhoeThispolicyseekstoensurethatanytrafficimpactfromnewdevelopmentisacceptable.ThisisinlinewiththepromotionofsustainabletransportintheNPPF36andwillhelptoachievesustainabledevelopment.Withsomerevisiontothewordingtomakethepolicyclearersothatitprovidesthepracticalframeworkfordecisionmakingsoughtbynationalpolicyandguidance,thepolicywillmeetthebasicconditions.Thisalsoincludesmakingthelanguageconsistenttorefertothesettlementboundaryinlinewithearlierrecommendations.

§ Rewordcriterion(I)ofPolicyWIV17toread:“(i)itisdemonstratedthattherewillnotbeanysignificantoradverseincreaseintrafficwithintheWivenhoeSettlementBoundary;and”

WalkingandCyclingPolicyWIV18ImprovementstoPedestrianandCycleProvisionPolicyWIV18seekstoensurethatallnewdevelopmentprovidesimprovementstotheexistingfootandcyclepathnetworks.Itisclearlyworded.ItmeetsthebasicconditionsinthatitpromotessustainabletransportinlinewiththeNPPF,37isalocalexpressionofCSPolicyTA2andwillhelptoachievesustainabledevelopment.Itthereforemeetsthebasicconditionsandnomodificationsarerecommended.Theremainderofthissectioncontainstwoactions.Figure28onpage62ofthePlanshowsthreeexistingcyclepathsandtwopotentialroutes.Anactiononpage63ofthePlanreferstooneofthepotentialroutes.Itisappropriatelyworded.Thesecondactiononpage64ofthePlanreferstotheWivenhoeTrail.Theactionneedssomerevisiontoensurethatitisclearthatitisnotastatementofpolicy.

36NPPFSection437IbidSection4

35

§ Amendthefirstsentenceoftheactiononpage64ofthePlantoread:“GiventheimportanceoftheWivenhoeTrail,theTownCouncilwilltakeactiontotryandensurethat:”

15EmploymentPoliciesPolicyWIV19GeneralEmploymentThePlanexplainsthatitwantstosupportemployment.Thispolicysupportstheconversionofemploymentpremisesintoresidentialpropertiessubjecttoanumberofcriteria.Thecriteriaaredesignedtoavoidthelossofemploymentsites,buttakeacommonsenseapproach.ThepolicyisclearlywordedandwillachievetheaimsofthePlan.Itsupportseconomicgrowthandwillhelptoachievesustainabledevelopment.Anumberofmodificationsaremadetoenhanceclarity,consistencyandflexibility.InparticularsomeflexibilityisneededtoensurethatemploymentssitesarenotprotectedinthelongtermwherethereisnoreasonableprospectofthesitebeingusedforthatpurposeasindicatedbytheNPPF.38

§ Changetheword“present”inthefirstsentenceofthepolicyto“existing”

§ Addthewords“,thedetailedcontentofbothreportstobeagreedwiththeLocalPlanningAuthority”after“…amarketingcampaign…”incriterionii)

§ Addthewords“oranyotheragreedtimescaleasappropriatebutnotusually

lessthanthe12monthperiod”attheendofthefirstparagraphofcriterionii)

§ Changethewords“Settlementarea”to“SettlementBoundary”inthesecondparagraphofcriterionii)

§ Addthewords“foremploymentuse”after“…aswellasonsites…”inthe

secondparagraphofcriterionii)EmploymentZonesPolicyWIV20TheBrookStreetBusinessCentreThePlanrecognisesthebusinesscentreatBrookStreetinWivenhoeasanimportantsourceofemploymentandforitscontributiontothevitalityofthetown.PolicyWIV20seekstodesignatethesiteasanemploymentzone.Isawatmysitevisitthatthiswasasitewithlowkeybuildingsandcarparking.Ithousedavarietyofunits.

38NPPFpara22

36

CSPolicyCE3referstoemploymentzonesincludinglocalemploymentzonesbasedonexistingandproposedconcentrationsoflocalemploymentandenterpriseandsothisdesignationreflectsaprincipleatstrategiclevel.ThesiteisshownonFigure29anditwouldbeusefultoreferencethisinthepolicy.Amodificationismadetoactionthistogetherwithotherminorwordchangesintheinterestsofclarity.

§ Addthewords“asshownonFigure23”after“TheBusinessCentreatBrookStreet…”inthepolicy

§ Deletethewords“mustbe”fromthepolicyreplacingthemwith“is”

§ Addattheendofthepolicy“andassuchwillbesafeguardedforemploymentuses.”

Cedric’sGaragePolicyWIV21Cedric’sSiteThePlanexplainsthatacarrepairworkshop,servicingandMOTstationhaslongbeenestablishedonthesiteandmorerecentlyacarvaletingbusinesshasalsocommenced.However,thereisextantplanningpermissionfortheredevelopmentofthesiteintoresidentialuse.Isawatmyvisitthatthesiteliesinapredominatelyresidentialarea,butisoppositesomecommercialdevelopmentincludingtheCoop.Inmyviewthesiteissuitableforeitheraresidentialschemeoramixeduseschemeinlanduseterms.InotethatSADPDPolicySAH1allocatesthesiteforpredominatelyresidentialdevelopmenttoo.Thepolicyseekstoensurethatanyredevelopmentschemeisappropriatewithregardtodesignandlayout.Itencouragesamixofuses.Theownerofthesitehasindicatedconcernaboutthisfirstlygiventheextantpermissionforsolelyresidentialdevelopmentandsecondlyaboutviability.Thereforesomemodificationtothepolicyanditssupportingtextisrequiredtoincreaseflexibilityandtorecognisetheextantpermission.TheelementsofthepolicywhichencourageappropriateusesandsympatheticdesignonthissitealignwiththeNPPF,CSPolicyUR2inparticularandwillhelptoachievesustainabledevelopment.AmodificationisalsomadetosuggestthatthesiteisshownonaFigureandtheProposalsMap.

§ Changethesecondsentenceofthepolicytoread:“Proposalsforamixofusesareparticularlyencouragedbythecommunity.”

37

§ InsertaFigure[X]intothePlantoshowthelocationandextentofthissiteandamendtheProposalsMap[consequentialamendmentstoFiguresetc.maybeneeded]

§ Changeparagraph15.12toread:“Thecommunitywouldfavouracarefullyand

sensitivelydesignedschemewhichcouldprovideWivenhoewithamixtureofbusinessandresidentialaccommodationatwhatcouldbeanew‘heart’forWivenhoeandaplaceforpeopletolive,workandshop.”

§ Changeparagraph15.13toread:“Whilsttheextantpermissionforresidential

developmentisrecognised,thissitecould,inthecommunity’sview,accommodatethree-storeyflats…”[retainasexisting]

ANewCommercialandLightIndustrialCentreforWivenhoePolicyWIV22ACommercial/LightIndustrialBusinessCentreAnewoffice/lightindustrialsiteissupportedonatwohectaresiteoffKeelarsLane.ThePlanexplainsthatitwishestosupportmorelocalemploymentopportunities.ThesiteisshownindicativelyonFigure30andthePlanexplainsthatthepreciseareawillneedtobesubjecttonegotiationwiththelandowner.PolicyWIV22simplysupportsatwohectaresiteoffKeelarsLane.Ihaveconsideredwhetherthepolicyispreciseenoughtoprovideapracticalframeworkfordecisionmaking.ItisclearthattheareashownonFigure30isindicative.Thesupportingtextsetsthescenewell.TheNPPFseekstosecureeconomicgrowth.CSPolicyCE1alsoencourageseconomicdevelopment.Landownersupportisalsoforthcoming.Thereforeonbalance,thepolicydoesmeetthebasicconditionsandnomodificationstoitaremade.16HousingPoliciesAlthoughtheintroductorysectionsofthischapterdonotcontainanypoliciesoractions,theyincludeanumberofbulletpointsthatmightbeconstruedasstatementsofpolicy.Inresponsetomyqueryonthis,theTownCouncilhassuggestedinsertingasentenceintothesupportingtext.Iagreethiswouldassistwithclarity.Inparagraph16.5,areferenceismadetotheCodeforSustainableHomes.ThishasnowbeenwithdrawnbytheGovernmentandsoneedstobedeletedintheinterestsofaccuracyandreplacedbymorecurrentinformation.TheTownCouncilalsopointoutapresentationalerrorinrelationtoparagraph16.12.Thethirdbulletpointshouldbeasentenceratherthanabulletpoint.Thisfurtherhelpstoaddclarity.

38

§ Insertattheendofparagraph16.3onpage69ofthePlan:“ThesentenceswhichfollowinboldtextareintendedtoassistwiththeinterpretationofPoliciesWIV23,WIV24,WIV25,WIV26andWIV27.”

§ Deletethewords“…toaimforCodeLevel6oftheCodeforSustainableHomes”inthefirstbulletpointofparagraph16.5onpage69ofthePlanandsubstitutethewords“shouldbeinlinewithBuildingRegulationswiththeaimtobezerocarbonandtomeetLifetimeHomesStandard”

§ Changethethirdbulletpointinparagraph16.12onpage70ofthePlanintoasentence

ExtraHomesintheWivenhoeParishAreaPolicyWIV23AdditionalDwellingsintheWivenhoeParishThispolicysupports250newdwellingsonfoursiteswhichareallocatedinthePlantogetherwithwindfallsonsiteswithinthesettlementboundary.Thewordingofthepolicyshouldnotexplicitlyorimplicitlyimposeanymaximumhousingnumberorprecludefurtherdevelopment.Amodificationismadetoaddressthisconcern.Withthismodificationthepolicywillhelptocontributetothesupplyofhousingandtohelpachievesustainabledevelopment.

§ Addtheword“around”after“…withacumulativecapacityof…”tothepolicyPolicyWIV24NewInfrastructureThispolicyseekstoensurethatanynewresidentialdevelopmentprovidestherequisitelocalinfrastructureitneeds.ThepremiseoftheNPPFistoprovideviableinfrastructurethatdevelopmentneeds.ItreflectsCSPolicySD2whichseekstoensurethatnewdevelopmentwillberequiredtoprovidefacilitiesandinfrastructurearisingfromtheproposal.Thispolicywillthereforehelptoachievesustainabledevelopment.Somemodificationisneededtohelpwithclarity,flexibilityandtoaddresssomepresentationalmatters.

§ Changethepolicytoread:“Proposalsfornewresidentialdevelopmentshouldprovideevidencethatlocalinfrastructurewillbeprovidedand/orimprovedrelativetothesizeandscaleofthedevelopmentproposed.Thisrequirementwillapplytoallinfrastructure,includingeducationprovisionandfloodprevention(fluvial,seaandsurfacewater).”

39

HousingMixAppropriatefortheNeedsofAllResidentsRecognisingtheneedforsmallerhomesforbothyoungerbuyersandthoselookingtodownsize,thePlanseeksamixofhousing.TypesofNewHomesThePlansetsoutintabularformonpage71thenumberofhomesitseeksforolderpeopleandbybedroomnumber.Thetotalamountsto250whichisthecumulativefiguresupportedbyPolicyWIV23foradditionaldwellingsintheParishacrossthefourproposedsitesallocatedlaterinthePlan.ResidentialCareHomePolicyWIV25ResidentialCareHomeThePlanidentifiesalackoffacilitiesforolderpeopleandthoserequiringcare.PolicyWIV25thereforesupportsacarehomewithinthePlanarea.Thisisasimpleandshortpolicythatsendsaclearsignalaboutthesupportforsuchause.SuchastatementreflectstheencouragementinCSPolicyENV2toruralcommunitiestoplanforthespecificneedsoftheircommunities.However,giventhatthepolicysimplysupportssuchprovisionanywhereinthePlanarea,thismayinadvertentlyresultinotherwiseunacceptabledevelopmentbeingpermitted.Thepolicythereforeneedsrevisiontoensurethatitmeetsthebasicconditionsandinparticularwillhelptoachievesustainabledevelopment.

§ Addattheendofthefirstsentence:“onappropriatesites.”ClimateChangeandFloodRiskPolicyWIV26FloodingRiskandClimateResiliencePolicyWIV26seekstoachieveanumberofthings.Itsupportsdevelopmentpersethatmeetsthevariouselements.Thewordingofthepolicyneedsamendmenttoensurethatitisclearandprovidesthepracticalframeworksoughtbynationalpolicyandguidance.Inparticularitrequiresamendmenttoensurethatblanketsupportforotherwiseunacceptabledevelopmentisnotgiven.Additionallyitreferstotechnologyandneighbourhoodplanscannotimposetechnicalstandards,butitcanencouragethem.Withthesemodifications,thepolicywillmeetthebasicconditions.

§ ChangePolicyWIV26sothatitreads:

40

“Newdevelopmentshould:(i) belocatedtominimisetheriskoffluvialandsurfacewaterflooding;

and(ii) provide,whereverpossibleandappropriatetodoso,sustainable

drainage,asoutlinedintheEssexCountyCouncilSuDsGuide(oranysuccessordocument).Whereverpossiblethisshouldbedesignedusingabovegrounddrainagefeaturestohelpensurerobusttreatmenttoimprovethequalityofwaterenteringintolocalwaterbodies.Thesystemshouldalsopromotewildlifehabitatsaswellasgreenandbluecorridors;and

(iii) maximisetheuseofpermeablesurfaceswhereverpossible;and(iv) isencouragedtoincorporate,atthebuildstage,technologiessuchas

solarpanels,whichreducerelianceonfossilfuels.”DesignandAccessPolicyWIV27DesignandAccessThispolicyseeksproposalsrequiringaDesignandAccessStatementtomeettencriteria.Thepolicysetsouttheexpectationsforsuchdevelopmentandwillhelptoensurethatdevelopmentisofahighquality.ThisisinlinewiththeNPPF’spromotionofgooddesignandreflectsCSPoliciesSD1andUR2andDPDPDPolicyDP1inparticular.Somechangestothecriteriaareneededtoensurethatthepolicymeetsthebasicconditionsinsofarasitshouldprovidethepracticalframeworkfordecisionmakingrequiredbynationalpolicyandguidance,beflexibleandnotincludeanytechnicalstandards.Subjecttothesemodifications,thepolicywillmeetthebasicconditions.

§ Deletecriterioni.

§ Deletetheword“interior”fromcriterioniv.

§ Changethewords“thephysicallydisabled”to“peoplewithdisabilities”incriterionvi.

§ Deletetheword“personal”fromcriterionvii.

CommunityBenefitsfromResidentialDevelopmentThissectionleadsintothenextsectionwhichcontainsthesiteallocationpolicies.

17SiteAllocationsforResidentialDevelopmentThePlanreliesonCBClevelworkinrelationtoa‘CallforSites’alongsidethosesitespromoteddirectlytotheSteeringGroupbythedevelopmentindustry.SevensitesinCBC’s‘CallforSites’fallwithinthePlanarea.Thepreambleexplainsthatallsiteshave

41

beenassessedusingastandardsetofcriteria.Allundevelopedlandwasalsoevaluatedinrelationtoitspotentialsuitabilityforhousingdevelopment.LandnorthoftheA133wasnotconsideredbytheSteeringGroupasthisformspartofastrategicsiteatCBClevel.ThePlanexplainsthattwoofthesixsiteswererejected.Outoftheremainingfoursites,allareputforwardfordevelopmentbutonlyonesiteasputforwardbythedeveloper.Inotherwords,threesitesareputforwardbutnotonthesametermsasputforwardbythedeveloper.AllsixsitesareshownonFigure31onpage77ofthePlan.Paragraph17.13referstoamaximumhousingfigure.Thisshouldbechangedtoincreaseflexibilityandensureacapisnotimposed.

§ Changethewords“Amaximumof250newdwellings…”inparagraph17.13onpage77ofthePlanto“Around250newdwellings…”

PolicyWIV28LandoffCroquetGardensThissiteisallocatedfor25dwellingsandacarehome.ThisispartofamuchlargersitebecausethewholesiteiscurrentlydesignatedasOpenSpaceintheSA2010andtheareanorthoftheproposedallocationisproposedasOpenSpaceintheELP.ThesitefallswithinaMineralSafeguardingZone.ThePlanexplainsthatearlyconsultationwithEssexCountyCouncilwillbenecessarytomakesurethatanydevelopmentdoesnotprejudicethecontinueduseoftheQuarrysite.EssexCountyCouncilhavenotraisedanyconcernsregardinganyimplications.ThelandownerhasputforwardanoutlineplanforthelargersitewhichisshownasFigure33onpage79ofthePlan.Aspartofthediscussions,2acresoflandforallotmentsandasmallareaforcarparkingwillbegiftedtotheTownCouncilandcyclepathandfootwaylinksprovided.Thepolicyitselfonlyallocatesthesmallerareaofthesitefor25dwellingsandacarehomeasshownonFigure32onpage78ofthePlan.Itspecifies12criteria.Thepolicyshouldnotimposeacapondevelopmentnumbers.Thisisbecauseanyschemeshouldbedesign-ledandlandusedeffectivelyandefficiently.Moredetailedworkmayresultinlessthan25unitscomingforward,butequallyahandfulmoremayresultinahigherqualityscheme.Inaddition,somecriteriarequirerevisionsothatthepracticalframeworkfordecisionmakingisprovidedinlinewithnationalpolicyandguidance.Subjecttothesemodifications,thepolicywilltakeaccountofnationalpolicyandguidance,generallyconformtoboroughlevelpoliciesandinparticularCSPoliciesH3whichsupportshousingdiversityand,amongstotherthings,expectsdevelopmentsto

42

providehomesthataresuitabletomeettheneedsofolderpeopleandwillhelptoachievesustainabledevelopment.

§ Amendthepolicytoread:“Anareaof1.35hectareslyingbehindCroquetGardensshowninFigure32isallocatedforaminimumof25residentialdwellingsandforaresidentialcarehomesubjecttothefollowingconditions:

(i)alldwellingstoeachbeofthreebedroomsorless,andsuitableforoccupationbyolderpeople;and(ii)theoveralldesignoftheschemeshoulddemonstratehowitwilladdresstheneedsofolderpeople;and(iii)20%ofallpropertiesshouldbeaffordablehousingorthatpercentagerelevantundernationalorBoroughpoliciesatthetimetheplanningapplicationissubmittedsubjecttoviabilityconsiderations;and(iv)thedevelopmentshouldbeappropriatelydesignedtominimiseanyharmfulimpactsarisingfromtheWivenhoeQuarryoperationsbymeansofsuitablemitigationmeasuresrecognisingthisisanexistingoperation;and(v)suitablelandscapingshouldbeprovidedonthewesternboundariesofthesiteinordertoensurethatdevelopmentiswellscreenedfromexistingpropertiesthere;and(vi)protectivenettingtobeerectedalongsidetheboundarywiththeCricketClubthatissuitablyhightoprotectmembersofthepublicfromstraycricketballsfromthecricketground;and(vii)thatitcanbedemonstratedthatdevelopmentwillnothaveadetrimentalimpactonwildlife,asevidencedthroughawildlifesurvey;and

AsshownonFigure33:

(viii)0.8hectares(2acres)oflandtobegiftedtoWivenhoeTownCouncilfornewallotmentsadjacenttotheexistingallotmentsandbackingontothegardensofthepropertiesinFieldWay;and(ix)thelayouttoprovide:

a)all-weatherfootpathsandcycletracksfromCroquetGardenstoTheCross,andtotheboundarywiththeQuarrysite;andb)ashared-usefootpathandcycletracklinkingTheCrosstothelandinthenorthownedbyColchesterBoroughCouncil;and

(x)asmallareaoflandtobeprovidedsuitablefortheinformalparkingofupto20carsforpeopletoaccessthemeadowbehindtheCricketClub;and(xi)existingpublicandpermissiverightsofwaytobemaintainedacrossthemeadow;and(xii)contributionstowardsopenspaces,sports,recreationalfacilitiesandcommunityfacilitiesshallberequiredinlinewithBoroughPolicescurrentatthetimeanyapplicationforplanningpermissionismade.”

43

LandbehindBroadfieldsPolicyWIV29LandbehindBroadfieldsThelandpromotediscurrentlydesignatedaspublicopenspaceandaLocalWildlifeSite.ThePlanexplainsthatthelossofsomeexistingpublicopenspacelandwillbecompensatedbyanareaofsometwohectareswhichwillbeusedforplayingfields.Thepolicyreferstoasmallersegmentofthelandof4.06hectares.ThislandisshownonFigure35onpage82ofthePlan.IdidnotfindFigure35particularlyclearandsotheTownCouncilhasproducedaclearerfigureinresponsetomyqueryandthisshouldbesubstitutedforFigure35.Inadditionparagraph17.36repeatsanearlierparagraph17.32,bothonpage83ofthePlan.Paragraph17.41referstotypesofhomesspecifiedinparagraphs16.30to16.36.Theseparagraphsshouldbe16.25to16.31.SimilarissuesariseinthispolicyasinthepreviousPolicyWIV28.Forthesamereasonsanumberofmodificationstothepolicyaremade.Withthesemodifications,thepolicywilltakeaccountofnationalpolicyandguidance,generallyconformtoboroughlevelpoliciesandinparticularCSPolicyH3andwillhelptoachievesustainabledevelopment.

§ SubstitutethenewfigureprovidedinresponsetomyquestionsofclarificationforFigure35onpage82ofthePlan

§ Deleteparagraph17.36onpage83ofthePlan

§ Changethereferenceto“…paragraphs16.30to16.36”inparagraph17.41to

“…paragraphs16.25to16.31”

§ Changethepolicytoread:

“ThelandbehindBroadfieldsshowninFigure35totaling4.06hectaresisallocatedforaminimumof120dwellingssubjecttothefollowingconditions:(i)aminimumof45dwellingsshallbeprovidedwithoneortwobedroomswhichshouldbedesignedashomessuitableforolderpeople,singlepeople,orforyoungcouples.Theycouldbebungalows,terracedpropertiesorapartments;and(ii)thenumberofdwellingswithfourbedroomsormoreshallnotexceed25(thesecouldincludeanofficeforhome-workingand/oranannexetoaccommodatearelative);and(iii)dwellings,ofwhateversize,designedforolderresidentsoractiveretirees

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shouldpreferablybebuilttotheLifetimeHomesstandard;and(iv)20%ofallpropertiesshouldbeaffordablehousingorthatpercentagerelevantundernationalorBoroughpoliciesatthetimetheplanningapplicationissubmittedsubjecttoviabilityconsiderations;and(v)itcanbedemonstratedthatthedevelopmentwillnothaveadetrimentalimpactonwildlife,asevidencedthroughanappropriatewildlifesurvey;and(vi)vehicleaccessintotheresidentialpartofthesiteshallbeprovidedfromRichardAvenue;and(vii)2hectaresoflandtothenorthernpartofthesiteadjacenttoBroadLaneSportsGroundasindicatedonFigure35shallbeprovidedforadditionalsportspitches;and(viii)adedicatedfootpath/cyclewayalongElmsteadRoadtolinkupBroadLaneSportsGroundwiththebuilt-uppartofWivenhoeshallbeprovided;and(ix)ashared-usefootpathandcycletrackshallbeprovideddirectlylinkingthedevelopmenttothefacilitiesatBroadLaneSportsGroundandlinkingwiththepublicfootpathtothesouthofthesite;and(x)acontributionshallbepaidtowardsthecreationofacombinedfootpath/cycletracklinkingthenewdevelopmenttothepublicfootpath(FPNo.14)fromTheCross;and(xi)contributionstowardsopenspaces,sports,recreationalfacilitiesandcommunityfacilitiesshallberequiredinlinewithBoroughPoliciescurrentatthetimeanyapplicationforplanningpermissionismade.Proposalstoincludesomeself-buildplotswithinthissiteallocationwillalsobesupported.”

LandatElmsteadRoadPolicyWIV30LandatElmsteadRoadThePlansupportsdevelopmentof25dwellingsonasiteofsome0.93hectares.Aspartoftheacceptabilityofthescheme,landtothenortheastistobeusedasacemetery.Anewcemeteryisneededasfewplotsareavailableandthereisalsodemandfor‘green’burials.Figure36onpage85ofthePlanshowstheareaproposedforresidentialdevelopmentwhilstFigure37showsboththeareaforresidentialandthecemetery.IsawatmysitevisitthatbothareasrelatetothebuiltupareaortheexistingSportsGround,butpresentlyarefarmlandwithnodiscerniblerearboundary.Itwillthereforebeimportanttoensurethattreatmentalongtheboundaryisappropriate.ArepresentationonbehalfofthelandownersuggestsadifferentlocationforthecemeterywhichisrejectedbytheTownCouncil.Icannotseeanyreasonwhy,inspatialterms,thecemeterycannotbelocatedasperthepolicy.However,Iagreethatthe

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policycouldbeclearerthatitisthelandwhichisbeinggiftedratherthantheimplementationofthecemeteryitself.Onceagain,similarissuesariseinthispolicyasinthepreviousPoliciesWIV28andWIV29.Forthesamereasonsanumberofmodificationstothepolicyaremade.Withthesemodifications,thepolicywilltakeaccountofnationalpolicyandguidance,generallyconformtoboroughlevelpoliciesandinparticularCSPolicyH3andwillhelptoachievesustainabledevelopment.

§ Changethepolicytoread:“ThelandshowninFigure36totaling0.93hectaresisallocatedforaminimumof25dwellingssubjecttothefollowingconditions:(i) each dwelling to be of amaximumof two bedrooms suited primarily forsinglepeopleoras‘starter’homesforyoungcouples;and(ii) 20% of these dwellings should be affordable housing or that percentagerelevant under national or Borough policies at the time the planningapplicationissubmittedsubjecttoviability;and(iii)landofaminimumof1.5hectaresinsizeandasshownonFigure37foruseas a proposed new cemetery and car park be gifted to Wivenhoe TownCouncil. Subjecttoviability, it isexpectedthissitewillbeprovidedwithcarparking for 12 cars, be suitably fenced on all sides, incorporate a suitablefootwaythroughitandprovideacoldwatersupplytoastand-pipebeforeitisgiftedtotheTownCouncil;and(iv) a hydrological or other necessary surveys demonstrate that groundconditions are suitable for the cemetery andwill not have an unacceptableimpactonlocaldrainage;and(v)appropriatelandscapingtobeimplementedonthenorthwestboundaryofthe residential part of the site in order to ensure that development is wellscreened by trees and not easily visible to people travelling on ColchesterRoad;and(vi) it can be demonstrated that development will not have a detrimentalimpactonwildlife,asevidencedthroughanappropriatewildlifesurvey;and(vii)appropriatepedestrianandvehicleaccessintotheresidentialpartofthesitefromElmsteadRoadisprovided;and(viii) contributions towards open spaces, sports, recreational facilities andcommunityfacilitieswillberequiredinlinewithcurrentpolicyatthetimeanyapplicationforplanningpermissionismade.”

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LandbehindtheFireStation,ColchesterRoadPolicyWIV31LandbehindtheFireStationThispolicyallocatessome3.56hectaresoflandofwhichsome2.7hectaresisforresidentialdevelopment(some80dwellings)andtheremainderforacarehome.Onceagain,similarissuesariseinthispolicyasinthepreviousPoliciesWIV28,WIV29andWIV30.Forthesamereasonsanumberofmodificationstothepolicyaremade.Othersarealsorecommendedtoincreaseflexibilityandremoveunnecessaryprescriptionthatmaythreatenthedeliverabilityofthesiteandinanycasearemoreappropriatelydealtwiththroughaplanningapplication.Arepresentationhassuggestedthatthelandindicatedforthecarehomeelementofthepolicyshouldbeincludedinthesettlementboundary.ThePlanhasincludedtheareasforresidentialdevelopmentwithintherevisedsettlementboundary,butnotanyotherdevelopment.Whilstthisisalwaysamatterofjudgment,inthiscasegivenhowthePlanhaspresenteditssiteallocationpolicies,itisnotnecessaryforthecarehomeelementtobeincludedwithinthesettlementboundary.Withthesemodifications,thepolicywilltakeaccountofnationalpolicyandguidance,generallyconformtoboroughlevelpoliciesandinparticularCSPolicyH3andwillhelptoachievesustainabledevelopment.

§ Changethepolicytoread:

“ThelandbehindtheFireStationshowninFigure39totaling3.56hectaresofwhich2.7hectaresisallocatedforaminimumof80dwellingssubjecttothefollowingconditions:(i)thegiftof0.15hectareoflandtobuildaminimumof5dwellingssuitableforpeopleagedover60inneedofhousing,currentlyorrecentlylivingorworkinginWivenhoeorhavingclosefamilyconnectionstopeoplelivingorworkinginWivenhoetoasuitablehousingcharity;and(ii)aminimumof20dwellingssuitableforoccupationbyolderpeopleincludingthefrailelderlyandactiveretireesandpreferablybuilttotheLifetimeHomesStandardshouldbeprovided;and(iii)aminimumof15dwellingsofsmallerunitssuitableforolderpeople,singlepeopleoryoungcouplesshouldbeprovided;and(iv)thenumberofdwellingswithfourormorebedroomsshouldnotexceed15andcouldalsoincorporateanofficeforhomeworkingorannexetoaccommodatearelative;and(v)atleast50%ofalldwellingsshouldbeconstructedtotheLifetimeHomesStandard;and(vi)20%ofdwellingsshouldbeaffordablehousingorthatpercentagerelevantundernationalorBoroughpoliciesatthetimetheplanningapplicationis

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submittedsubjecttoviability;and(vii)landforallotmentsisprovidedonafieldofapproximately1.5hectaresclosebyBroomgroveSchoolstogetherwithasuitableaccess.Subjecttoviabilitythissiteshouldbeprovidedwithamainswatersupply;and(viii)contributionstowardsopenspaces,sports,recreationalfacilitiesandcommunityfacilitieswillberequiredinlinewithcurrentpolicyatthetimeanyapplicationforplanningpermissionismade;and(ix)appropriatelandscapingisprovidedonthenorthernboundaryofthesiteinordertoensurethatdevelopmentiswellscreened;and

Proposalstoincludesomeself-buildplotswillbesupported.

Anadditional0.86hectaresofland,adjacenttothesiteallocatedforhousing,isproposedasapotentialsiteforacarehome.ThisareaisasshownonFigure40.”

18DevelopmentandNatura2000SitesThissectionexplainsthattherearenoEuropeansiteswithinthePlanarea,buttheColneEstuarySpecialProtectionArea(SPA)issome132metresfromthePlanareaboundaryatitsnearestpoint.TheColneEstuaryalsofallswithintheEssexEstuariesSpecialAreaofConservation(SAC).OnthebasisoftheHabitatsScreeningAssessment,thePlanexplainsthatNaturalEnglandacceptsthatthe250dwellingsproposedaspartofthePlanwillnot,bythemselves,haveanylikelysignificanteffects.However,incombinationwiththedevelopmentproposedintheemergingColchesterandTendringLocalPlanstherecouldbeadverseeffects.SomeofthehousingproposedinthosetwoemergingLocalPlanswouldfallwithinthePlanareaitself.ThissectionofthePlanproposesanactiononpage91ofthePlantohelptoaddressthelikelyincreaseduseofthedownstreamfootpath.Itsuggeststhataninformationboardbeplacednearthegatetothefootpath.However,itdoesnotindicatewhoseresponsibilitythismightbeandsoisrathermeaningless.Inadditionthissectionexplainsthattheprovisionofopenspacescanmitigatetheuseofdesignatedsites.TobringthelanguageusedinlinewiththeNPPF,someminormodificationsareproposed.

§ ChangethetitleofSection18to“DevelopmentandHabitatsSites”

§ Changeanyreferencesto“Natura2000sites”or“Europeansites”to“Habitatssites”

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PolicyWIV32RecreationalAvoidancefromNewHousinginWivenhoeandMitigationStrategiesWorkonaRecreationaldisturbanceAvoidanceandMitigationStrategyisbeingundertakenbylocalplanningauthoritiesintheGreaterEssexareatoaddresstheimpactofincreasedrecreationaldisturbancearisingfromnewhousingonHabitatssites.Thishastakenconsiderableworkandtimetoreconcile.NEhaveputforwardwordingforthispolicyanditssupportingtext.Subjecttotheinclusionofthispolicyanditsexplanatorytext,thepolicywillmeetthebasicconditions.

§ Changethetitleofthepolicyto“RecreationaldisturbanceAvoidanceandMitigationfromNewHousinginWivenhoe”

§ Rewordthepolicy:

“AllresidentialdevelopmentwithinthezonesofinfluenceofHabitatssiteswillberequiredtomakeafinancialcontributiontowardsmitigationmeasures,asdetailedintheEssexCoastRecreationaldisturbanceAvoidanceandMitigationStrategy(RAMS),toavoidadversein-combinationrecreationaldisturbanceeffectsonHabitatssites.Intheinterimperiod,beforetheEssexCoastRAMSiscompleted,allresidentialdevelopmentwithinthezonesofinfluencewillneedtodeliverallmeasuresidentified(includingstrategicmeasures)throughprojectlevelHabitatRegulationsAssessments,orotherwise,tomitigateanyrecreationaldisturbanceimpactsincompliancewiththeHabitatRegulationsandHabitats Directive.”

§ Deleteparagraph18.7onpage91ofthePlanandreplacewith:

“HabitatsRegulationsAssessmentshavebeencompletedforColchesterBoroughCouncil’sSection1LocalPlanandSection2LocalPlan.Bothoftheseassessmentsidentifiedthatthein-combinationeffectsoftheSection1andSection2LocalPlans(includingthein-combinationeffectsoftheSection2allocations),togetherwithneighbouringauthoritiesLocalPlansandneighbourhoodplansarelikelytoadverselyaffecttheintegrityofHabitatssites.InviewofthatColchesterBoroughCouncilisworkingwithelevenotherGreaterEssexlocalplanningauthorities,andNaturalEngland,onaRecreationaldisturbanceAvoidanceandMitigationStrategy(RAMS).RAMSisastrategicsolutiontoprotecttheEssexcoastfromtherecreationalpressuresofagrowingpopulation.ARAMSisusuallydrivenbychallengesandopportunitiesarisingfromplanningissues.RAMSgenerallyappliesmorebroadlythanatasingledesignatedHabitatssite,providesstrategicscalemitigationandenablesthedevelopmentofagenericapproachtoevidencecollectionanduse.

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Financialcontributionswillbesoughtforallresidentialdevelopment,whichfallswithinthezonesofinfluence,towardsapackageofmeasurestoavoidandmitigatelikelysignificantadverseeffectsinaccordancewithpolicySP2boftheSharedStrategicSection1PlanandpolicyENV1(Environment)oftheSection2ColchesterBoroughLocalPlan.ThisincludesdevelopmentallocatedinNeighbourhoodPlanswithinColchesterBorough.DetailsofthezonesofinfluenceandthenecessarymeasureswillbeincludedintheEssexCoastRAMSSupplementaryPlanningDocument(SPD).Intheinterimperiod,beforetheEssexCoastRAMSiscompleted,proposalswithinthezonesofinfluenceforrecreationaldisturbancetoEuropeansiteswillneedtocarryoutaprojectlevelHabitatRegulationsAssessmentandimplementbespokemitigationmeasurestoensurethatin-combinationrecreationaldisturbanceeffectsareavoidedand/ormitigated.”

§ Amend‘NATURA”inparagraph18.2to“Natura”19ProposalsMapsTwoProposalsMapsareincluded.ProposalsMap1onpage93ofthePlanshowstheentirePlanareawiththedifferentdesignationsandsites.ProposalsMap2showsthesettlementboundary.IhavemadeanumberofmodificationsandadditionstotheProposalsMapsthroughoutthisreportanddonotrepeatthematthisjuncture.Anothermapthatshowsthedesignationsinthe2010LocalPlanisincluded.20GlossaryAusefulglossaryisincluded.ThereareanumberofdefinitionswhichIconsiderwouldbenefitfromrevisionintheinterestsofensuringthatthePlanprovidesapracticalframeworkinlinewiththeNPPFandthesearerecommendedformodificationbelow.IhaveusedrecognisedsourcesofdefinitionssuchastheNPPFandthePlanningPortal’sglossarytohelpwiththewordingoftherecommendedmodifications.

§ ChangethedefinitionofaffordablehousingtothatcontainedintheNPPFFebruary2019

21Appendix1Thisappendixcontainsinformationontheengagementcarriedout.

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22Appendix2Appendix2containsinformationabouttheLifetimeHomesStandard.23Appendix3Thisisalistofcommunityfacilities.24Appendix4Appendix4referstoopenspaceprovision.Thereisanamendmentintheinterestsofaccuracyandconsistencytoparagraph24.3onpage103ofthePlan.

§ Amendparagraph24.3toread:“ColchesterBoroughandTendringDistrictCouncilsareworkingwithotherGreaterEssexlocalplanningauthoritiesonaRecreationalDisturbanceAvoidanceandMitigationStrategyfortheEssexcoasttoaddresstherecreationalimpactsofincreasedpopulationonthevariousNatura2000sitesinEssex.”

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8.0ConclusionsandformalrecommendationsIhaverecommendedmodificationstosomeofthepoliciesandtheirsupportingtextforthereasonssetoutindetailabove.EventhoughIhaverecommendedanumberofmodificationstothePlan,thesedonotsignificantlyorsubstantiallyaltertheintentionornatureofthePlan.IamsatisfiedthattheWivenhoeNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlan,subjecttothemodificationsIhaverecommended,meetsthebasicconditionsandtheotherstatutoryrequirementsoutlinedearlierinthisreport.IamthereforepleasedtorecommendtoColchesterBoroughCouncilthat,subjecttothemodificationsproposedinthisreport,theWivenhoeNeighbourhoodDevelopmentPlancanproceedtoareferendum.Followingonfromthat,IamrequiredtoconsiderwhetherthereferendumareashouldbeextendedbeyondtheWivenhoeNeighbourhoodPlanarea.IseenoreasontoalterorextendthePlanareaforthepurposeofholdingareferendumandnorepresentationshavebeenmadethatwouldleadmetoreachadifferentconclusion.IthereforeconsiderthatthePlanshouldproceedtoareferendumbasedontheWivenhoeNeighbourhoodPlanareaasapprovedbyColchesterBoroughCouncilon29July2013.Ann SkippersMRTPIAnnSkippersPlanning18March2019

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Appendix1ListofkeydocumentsspecifictothisexaminationWivenhoeNeighbourhoodPlanOctober2017DraftBasicConditionsStatementNovember2017updateConsultationStatementDecember2017(Final)StrategicEnvironmentalAssessment(SEA)EnvironmentalReportAugust2016StrategicEnvironmentalAssessment(SEA)EnvironmentalReportAddendumNovember2017TheSEAScopingReportfortheWivenhoeNeighbourhoodPlanJune2015HabitatsRegulationAssessment(HRA)ScreeningAssessmentRevisedJune2017AppropriateAssessmentJanuary2019CoreStrategyadoptedDecember2008SelectedpoliciesrevisedJuly2014DevelopmentPoliciesadoptedOctober2010SelectedpoliciesrevisedJuly2014SiteAllocationsadoptedOctober2010ColchesterLocalPlanFocusedReviewoftheCoreStrategy(2008)andDevelopmentPolicies(2010)July2014PublicationdraftstageofColchesterBoroughLocalPlan2017–2033June2017andotherdocumentsrelatingtotheemergingSection1andSection2LocalPlansCBCPublicationDraftLocalPlan(Regulation19)–SectionTwoHRAReportJune2017CommentsfromtheTownCouncilontheRegulation16representationsBackgrounddocumentsavailableonwww.wivenhoeneighbourhoodplan.org.uk

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Appendix2Questionsfromtheexaminer

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Appendix3Letterfromtheexaminer

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Appendix4Letterfromtheexaminer

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Appendix5Letterfromtheexaminer

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Appendix6NotefromCBC

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