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 4. THE SPATIAL STRATEGY AND PART I POLICIES

INTRODUCTION

4.1 The basis of this Plan’s spatial strategy was agreed by the Council on 24 October 2003. This formed the Preferred Development Strategy and it developed further from consultation on Issues and Options in spring 2003 and workshops in autumn 2003 which formed part of the joint Sustainability Appraisal (SA) and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA).

4.2 The main aim of this plan is to promote development where it is needed and in the most sustainable manner possible. There are often development alternatives for achieving the same objective and the purpose of the accompanying joint SA and SEA is to inform the Council and stakeholders of how well the development options chosen promote sustainable development.

4.3 The same spatial strategy has been retained in the UDP. It has proved sufficiently robust to require no major change in the following Part 1 policies.

4.4 The strategic Part I policies of the plan are set out below.

SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES

STR1 TO ENSURE THAT AN ADEQUATE SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF DEVELOPMENT ACHIEVES SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES AT THE NEIGHBOURHOOD SCALE. THIS SHOULD BENEFIT RURAL AS WELL AS URBAN LOCATIONS AND HELP TO MAINTAIN THE VIABILITY OF LOCAL SERVICES AND FACILITIES. IN THOSE AREAS OF GREATEST CHANGE, AREA ACTION PLANS HAVE BEEN PREPARED IN ORDER TO FACILITATE DEVELOPMENT.

4.5 In addition to promoting a sustainable distribution of activities throughout the borough, the plan also seeks to integrate a sustainable approach to the development process itself in its widest sense with policies which involve:

  • making the best use of land

  • investing in infrastructure

  • promoting high standards of construction and design

  • sustainable consumption and production of resources

  • addressing the issues of climate change and renewable energy

  • protecting natural resources and enhancing the environment

  • offering sustainable transport choices.

4.6 The plan contains five Area Action Plans, all urban in character.

They are:

  1. Blaydon

  2. MetroCentre

  3. Teams

  4. Central Area

  5. North Felling

In each of these areas, it is expected that significant change will occur during and beyond the next ten years (2004 to 2014).

Blaydon

4.7 At Blaydon, improvements are intended to enhance the attraction and accessibility of the District Centre. In location terms the centre has potential to serve the needs of the rural hinterland, as well as those of residents in the immediate catchment. It currently benefits from a range of retail, community and public transport facilities, but is in need of investment and modernisation. There is potential for a comprehensive scheme to improve and increase the centre’s retail provision, to allow it to perform this western hub role, and also to claw back retail expenditure which is currently lost to other areas. There are also opportunities for improving the permeability of the centre and creating better links with the surrounding area, including the waterfront.

4.8 The plan allocates retail floorspace to the shopping centre to fulfil these objectives. The Council has held discussions with the centre’s owners regarding the future of the centre, and the potential for a new supermarket and other improvements. A retail and transport statement will be required to support any major proposal that is made.

4.9 A pedestrian/cycle bridge across the Tyne from Blaydon to the Newburn Riverside strategic employment area is identified on the plan. The bridge will provide a link to the rail and bus station, and the potential for a park and ride scheme in this general area is being assessed.

MetroCentre

4.10 The main emphasis at the MetroCentre and surrounding area is on continuing commercial investment alongside improved transport infrastructure, whilst diversification is proposed on the west, south-west and eastern peripheries, including residential development.

4.11 Subject to policy tests, the Council will support improvements to the regional shopping centre. Recent improvements to the public transport interchange, including the new Centrelink and shuttle bus services, have made the MetroCentre and surrounding area a more sustainable location. Further public transport upgrades and assessment of the potential for park and ride will be encouraged.

4.12 MetroCentre is at the heart of the Gateshead Tyne river corridor and the infrastructure at the MetroCentre, particularly retail and transport services, can assist in delivering regeneration in this area. Integrating and encouraging better links between the MetroCentre and the surrounding area is a priority. A mixture of commercial, residential and hotel uses is encouraged through the allocation of mixed-use sites either side of the River Derwent to the west, and at Market Lane to the south-west, whilst land to the east and north of MetroCentre is protected for employment uses. The high profile Watermark development north of the MetroCentre, located on the south bank of the Tyne, provides approximately 18,500 square metres of office space. A masterplan for the Derwent West Bank site, including a pedestrian and cycle bridge across the River Derwent, has been submitted by developers. Nature conservation interests on the periphery of the area will be considered.

Teams

4.13 At Teams, the regeneration of housing and employment areas will be continued under the Bridging NewcastleGateshead initiative through the Teams Strategy Area and Teams Neighbourhood Action Plan. The strategy remains focused on its original aims:

  • to provide better quality and choice in the housing market, through the building of new family homes

  • to create a better neighbourhood centre

  • to improve the industrial/commercial area

  • to improve the environmental quality of the area for residents, stakeholders and visitors to the area.

4.14 Progress will continue to be made on bringing together a better range of services in the neighbourhood. These include the completion of the Teams Family Practice and attracting a local supermarket operator. In the Teams industrial area steps will be taken to improve business prospects by addressing the need for physical improvements. Further assessment will determine the extent and nature of future development needs.

Gateshead Central Area

4.15 In the Central Area, as defined on the inset map, major change is planned for the shopping environment, with further investment for education, health, housing and leisure.

4.16 The aims of the Replacement UDP for the Central Area are:

  • To create a vibrant and attractive town centre to visit and in which to live, work, and shop.

    This will be achieved through the introduction of mixed-use developments and improvement of the Primary Shopping Area through physical revitalisation and additional retail floorspace.

  • To provide economic regeneration and employment opportunities at the core of the Tyne and Wear City Region, capturing investment into the NewcastleGateshead employment centre.

    This will be supported by: office development and small business accommodation within the town centre building upon the success of Gateshead International Business Centre; maximising employment opportunities within East Gateshead Primary Employment Area; supporting the knowledge economy within the Baltic Business Quarter Prestige Employment Site, and incorporating the Design Centre for the North and a core facility for Gateshead College.

  • To make provision for residential development.

    This includes provision for residential development within the town centre along the river corridor, within the historic Bridges Conservation Area and further development of St James Village.

  • To support the community and voluntary sector through the improvement of the range of facilities and services.

    Mixed-use sites within the Town Centre and the Primary Shopping Area at High St South can accommodate community and voluntary sector facilities.

  • To support the provision of new and improved tourist and leisure facilities.

    The cluster of cultural developments at Gateshead Quays, including Gateshead Millennium Bridge, The Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art and The Sage Gateshead, has supported NewcastleGateshead’s international and national profile and attractiveness as a visitor and conference destination, in conjunction with Culture10. There is a range of mixed-use sites within the Central Area which can accommodate further tourist and leisure facilities. To the east of the Town Centre, there are opportunities to develop a cluster of sports-related uses around Gateshead International Stadium, with the current development of the Regional Performance Centre and adjacent mixed-use site.

  • To improve accessibility achieving a balance between all transport modes.

    The re-development of Gateshead Interchange has ensured that Gateshead town centre is one of the most accessible locations within the Tyne and Wear City Region. It is essential to continue to improve public transport access to the town centre, improve pedestrian and cycle links between the Primary Shopping Area and rest of the Central Area and reduce the negative impact of through traffic.

  • To create a high quality environment and improve connectivity.

    The provision of a high quality built and natural environment is essential to attract visitors, shoppers and residents to the area. This will be supported by following the key urban design and public realm principles for the Central Area, including the creation of a formal public space at Trinity Square, and encouragement of public art provision. In addition, it is essential to safeguard accessible urban green space including the Windmill Hills Town Park, the Riverside Sculpture Park and the River Tyne Corridor. The Central Area has a dispersed character that needs to be re-connected, particularly between the River Tyne plateau and the floor of the river Tyne gorge.

4.17 Gateshead Town Centre Planning Strategy, which was adopted in July 2005, provides a co-ordinated framework for regeneration of the town centre and amplifies UDP policies. The Strategy draws upon the policies for the town centre contained within the Gateshead UDP and upon the findings of a Regeneration Framework that was commissioned by Gateshead Council, One North East (ONE), English Partnerships and English Cities. The strategy has been subject to public consultation. It identifies four primary areas of change within the Central Area: the Town Centre North, Town Centre South, Oakwellgate and Chandless/Tynegate. The strategy incorporates broad principles for development within these areas, shows where change is required and should provide the basis for development briefs or masterplanning of specific sites and small areas. Since the re-deposit draft stage, Gateshead Town Centre Planning Strategy has been updated and adopted as Interim Policy Advice 20.

North Felling

4.18 The area to the north of Felling has been identified as a priority for the Bridging NewcastleGateshead initiative which aims to create sustainable communities with improved housing, environments and community facilities. The area is predominantly manufacturing industry, characterized by poor-quality buildings and environment. Adjacent to the industry are small pockets of housing of varied tenure and quality. The Felling By-Pass is a main arterial route into Gateshead passing through north Felling and Heworth. Travelling along this route displays the extent of the decline in the area and the volume of redevelopment and restructuring that is required. At the eastern end of the study area is the Heworth bus and metro interchange offering excellent public transport to a number of destinations. The advantages of such a facility are however limited by the low-density housing around the site and generally low intensity of employment which exists within the industrial units.

4.19 The conflicts of uses, poor-quality environment and buildings, vacant land, and opportunities provided by the interchange all provide the basis for a future – North Felling Neighbourhood Action Plan. This will set out a vision and a series of projects to achieve regeneration of the neighbourhood over the next 10 to 15 years. Work in the first years is expected to raise confidence in the future of the area as a place in which to live and work.

4.20 The emerging Neighbourhood Action Plan will provide a realistic and flexible framework and implementation strategy to guide future investment decisions. It is yet to become adopted Council policy.

4.21 The emerging Neighbourhood Action Plan will seek to address:

  • housing refurbishment;

  • improved neighbourhood management;

  • improved shopping along Felling High Street;

  • environmental improvements;

  • improved public open spaces and play areas;

  • potential selective redevelopment of housing to make way for new family housing in order to make the area more stable with a greater choice of housing;

  • new and improved community facilities; and

  • improved traffic management and parking.

JOBS AND EMPLOYMENT

STR2 TO RETAIN THE EXISTING EMPLOYMENT AREAS ALREADY DESIGNATED PRIMARY EMPLOYMENT AREAS AND TO CONCENTRATE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INVESTMENT WITHIN THEM. OUTSIDE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EMPLOYMENT AREAS, TO ACCOMMODATE MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES.

4.22 No further major employment allocations are made in this plan and the main objective of this strategic policy is to ensure that Primary Employment Areas (PEAs) continue to be a focus for major employment investment. The existing network of PEAs is of Borough-wide significance; they have a good distribution pattern across the Borough, are close to catchment populations and have good transport accessibility.

4.23 Secondary Employment Areas have a supportive role to PEAs and a localised importance and should be enhanced where possible. Outside these defined areas, all sites formerly allocated for employment are shown with potential for mixed use development, and additional sites, which may also be appropriate for business use, have been added to this mixed use portfolio. In addition, the redevelopment and diversification of the commercial heart of Gateshead town centre and edge of centre will provide opportunities for office development in close proximity to or connected to Gateshead Interchange.

4.24 South Tyneside’s Local Development Framework removed the designation of the Tyne Wear Park prestige employment site, following the Regional Spatial Strategy Panel Report recommendations on the Submission Draft. In the short to medium term, the emerging Regional Spatial Strategy requires Tyne and Wear planning authorities to meet any shortfall of employment land supply through the intensification of sites around transport hubs and on previously-developed land.

HIGH-QUALITY HOUSING

STR3 TO MAXIMISE THE POTENTIAL SUPPLY OF HOUSING FROM BROWNFIELD SOURCES BY UTILISING SITES IDENTIFIED IN THE URBAN HOUSING CAPACITY STUDY AND, WHERE APPROPRIATE, MANAGE THE RELEASE OF HOUSING SITES IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN AN ADEQUATE SUPPLY.

4.25 The Council has carried out a study of previously developed (brownfield) land and allocated brownfield sites to minimise the use of land that has not previously been developed and to bring back into use land that is well related to the facilities and services offered in the urban area.

4.26 National guidance indicates that plans should allocate at least ten years’ supply of housing land to be shown on the plan’s proposals map. This would equate to 5050 dwellings in Gateshead over that ten-year period. This would accommodate an annual net growth figure of 505 dwellings per year. 77% of sites identified are on previously developed land. Greenfield sites have been included only where they serve the Council’s policy in building sustainable settlements.

4.27 In the first years of the plan it is anticipated that the release of housing land that already has planning permission or is allocated in the plan could not be subject to phasing. The phasing of site development is now indicated in Appendix 2e. Throughout the whole of the 1990s, the annual scale of housing completions failed to meet the levels established in Strategic Guidance.

STR4 TO CONCENTRATE HOUSING REGENERATION IN THE BRIDGING NEWCASTLEGATESHEAD (BNG) HOUSING MARKET RENEWAL AREA AND IMPROVE THE ATTRACTIVENESS OF URBAN LIVING TO ALL GROUPS, INCLUDING FAMILIES. GOOD DESIGN PRINCIPLES WILL BE APPLIED TO ALL HOUSING SCHEMES. HOUSING DEVELOPMENT OUTSIDE PATHFINDER CAN ALSO CONTRIBUTE TO CHOICE WITHIN THE BOROUGH IN AREAS SUCH AS THE METROCENTRE’S PERIPHERY AND THE MORE RURAL AREAS, AND ADDRESS AFFORDABLE HOUSING NEEDS.

4.28 If the current rate of house-building continues, it is anticipated that an average of 320 units per year could be built between 2004 and 2016, on sites within the BNG Pathfinder area that already have planning permission. The homes built in the next fifteen years will determine whether urban flight in Gateshead can be reversed; ensuring developments are designed using current best practice to provide high- quality, distinctive character and good layout is therefore essential in attracting more families to the area.

4.29 Three other sources of housing will be significant in the next ten years, particularly within the Pathfinder area. Firstly, the Urban Housing Capacity sites identified on the proposals map. Secondly, housing development within some of the mixed use sites identified in Part II of the plan. It is now estimated that these will yield 1,034 dwellings over the period 2011-2021. Thirdly, other areas will come forward as windfall sites following further assessment of their potential and the need to phase their development.

STR5 TO MAINTAIN HOUSING CLEARANCE AND REDEVELOP AREAS IN A WAY THAT ASSISTS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN THE CONTEXT OF THE GOVERNMENT’S COMMUNITIES PLAN.

4.30 The recent rates of housing clearance have been approximately 200 per year. This rate is expected to be broadly maintained over the plan period.

STR6 TO PROMOTE AFFORDABLE HOUSING ACROSS THE BOROUGH ON ELIGIBLE SITES.

4.31 Many of the larger sites, now developed, gained planning permission before the Council’s Housing Study was completed and therefore no affordable units are being provided within them.

4.32 It is proposed that all but the smallest of housing development sites should contribute some affordable housing units. This will help to reduce social polarisation and will promote social inclusion in neighbourhoods.

STR7 TO LIMIT GREENFIELD DEVELOPMENT BUT IDENTIFY POSSIBLE DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN SUSTAINABLE RURAL LOCATIONS, TO PROVIDE AN INCREASE IN RURAL HOUSING CHOICES.

4.33 The needs of local people for adequate housing choice in rural areas is proposed to be met by:

  • maintaining one of the housing allocations at Chopwell, providing housing which would help to diversify the stock there, which is disproportionately composed of two-bedroom terraced property

  • retaining housing development opportunities at Birtley Northside in order to complete the original allocation.

TRANSPORT AND ACCESSIBILITY

STR8 TO PROMOTE A REDUCED RELIANCE ON THE PRIVATE CAR AND INCREASE OPTIONS FOR ALTERNATIVE SUSTAINABLE FORMS OF TRANSPORT WHILST SEEKING TO BETTER INTEGRATE ALL MODES OF TRANSPORT.

4.34 The improvements at Gateshead Interchange and the better public transport links being created at the MetroCentre are a reflection of how this policy is already being implemented. The Gateshead Transport Strategy Statement gives further details on measures to be taken.

STR9 TO PROMOTE DEMAND MANAGEMENT MEASURES FOR LIMITING THE NEED TO TRAVEL THROUGH GATESHEAD, INCLUDING PARK-AND-RIDE FACILITIES IN LOCATIONS WEST, SOUTH AND EAST OF THE MAIN BUILT-UP AREA.

4.35 Through traffic, which does not have Gateshead as an origin or destination, is a particular issue. It can be partly tackled by physical land use measures, such as park-and-ride proposals, and by the application of policies which provide alternative transport choices.

RETAIL AND COMMERCIAL LEISURE

STR10 TO SUPPORT THE ROLE OF THE METROCENTRE WITHIN BOTH A CONSOLIDATED REGIONAL SHOPPING CENTRE DESIGNATION AND A DEFINED SHOPPING CENTRE HIERARCHY .

4.36 The MetroCentre is included as an out-of-centre destination in the shopping centre hierarchy, with an appropriate policy indicating the sequential approach if additional floor space is proposed. A key objective in the plan is better integration of the MetroCentre with the surrounding area. The consolidated area of the Regional Shopping Centre is shown on the Area Action Plan.

STR11 TO ENSURE THAT THE LOCATION OF NEW SHOPPING FLOORSPACE OPTIMISES SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL, CONSISTENT WITH THE SHOPPING HIERARCHY.

4.37 Both Gateshead Town Centre and Blaydon District Centre are transport nodes and these are identified as suitable locations for increased shopping floorspace.

SPORT AND RECREATION

STR12 TO RETAIN, ENHANCE AND WHERE APPROPRIATE INCREASE PUBLIC OPEN SPACE TO INCREASE BIODIVERSITY AND ATTRACTIVENESS. TO UTILISE APPROPRIATE AREAS OF SURPLUS OPEN SPACE FOR PLAYING PITCH PROVISION WHERE A LOCAL PLAYING PITCH STUDY HAS IDENTIFIED SUCH DEFICIENCIES.

4.38 The plan indicates where there are surpluses and deficiencies in open space provision and policies indicate how development proposals will be treated in those circumstances.

THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT AND DESIGN

STR13 TO PROVIDE ATTRACTIVE AND WELL-DESIGNED PUBLIC SPACES BOTH IN AREAS SERVING A WIDE CATCHMENT AND AT A NEIGHBOURHOOD SCALE TO INCREASE ACCESSIBILITY BETWEEN AND WITHIN AREAS.

4.39 Good design and the delivery of attractive neighbourhoods is an important element in attempting to address population decline and abandonment. Policies therefore make reference, throughout the chapters in Part II, to the importance of design in private as well as public places.

STR14 TO HIGHLIGHT PRESTIGE DEVELOPMENT SITES WHERE DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS WILL BE PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT AND ALSO TO ADDRESS DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS AT THE NEIGHBOURHOOD SCALE.

4.40 Opportunities for development at prominent gateway sites are included in the Part II policies, among them mixed-use sites where design considerations are specified. Further supplementary guidance will refer to appropriate sites in greater design detail.

STR15 TO PROMOTE THE ROLE OF MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT IN LARGER-SCALE NEIGHBOURHOOD REDEVELOPMENT SCHEMES, AND TO SELECTIVELY PROMOTE HIGHER-DENSITY LIVING AT MORE HIGHLY-ACCESSIBLE LOCATIONS, WHERE THERE IS GOOD ACCESS BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT, WALKING AND CYCLING.

4.41 This has been done through specific policies for particular sites (see Chapter 6), where, in general, a combination of some of the uses listed will be appropriate, though in certain defined cases sites may only be appropriate for single use development.

THE HISTORIC AND NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

STR16 TO PROTECT AND ENHANCE ASSETS OF NATIONAL, REGIONAL AND LOCAL IMPORTANCE WHILST INCREASING ACCESS AND INTERPRETATION.

4.42 Many of the Borough’s historic and natural assets are of national and regional significance: for example, the Tyne Bridge, the Shipley Art Gallery, Saltwell Park and Gibside and the eight Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Other wildlife sites and historic features are important in a sub-regional or local context. They include over 100 Sites of Nature Conservation Importance, and buildings, structures, parks and gardens referred to in the local list and related policies.

CONTROL OF CONTAMINATION, POLLUTION AND HAZARDS

STR17 TO PURSUE THE CREATION OF A SAFE AND HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT, MAKING EVERY REASONABLE EFFORT TO:

  1. BRING CONTAMINATED AND DERELICT LAND BACK INTO BENEFICIAL USE;

  2. REDUCE OR AMELIORATE THE EFFECTS OF POLLUTION AND HAZARD FROM EXISTING DEVELOPMENT; AND

  3. ENSURE THAT NEW DEVELOPMENTS DO NOT CREATE NEW SOURCES OF POLLUTION, CONTAMINATION OR HAZARDS.

4.43 The Council has a leading role in enforcing environmental protection legislation and developing policies to control contamination (in relation to land), pollution (in relation to air and water) and hazards. This is a major challenge at a time when there is increasing concern about all aspects of the environment from the global to the local scale. The prevention of pollution or contamination at source, wherever possible, and the minimisation of risk to health and the environment are fundamental objectives. Where some contamination or pollution cannot be avoided, it should be minimised and the consequences treated.

4.44 The reclamation and beneficial use of contaminated land and derelict urban sites can relieve the pressure for the development of greenfield sites outside the urban area and contribute to brownfield housing targets. Priority will be given to the treatment and use of land where this will either increase the attractiveness of the Borough or will remove threats to public health and safety or to the environment.

4.45 Although most reclamation of land recently has been for built development, in some cases the most beneficial use of reclaimed land will be for purposes such as nature conservation, green space or recreation. Adequate provision should be made for the after-care of sites for such uses. Changes to the amount and nature of derelict land in Gateshead are closely monitored.

MINERALS AND WASTE

STR18 TO FACILITATE THE PRUDENT USE OF MINERAL RESOURCES BY ENABLING THE PROVISION OF A STEADY, SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY OF MINERALS BY CONTRIBUTING TO THE REGIONAL APPORTIONMENT, SAFEGUARDING MINERAL RESOURCES WITHIN THE BOROUGH, ENCOURAGING THE RE-USE AND RECYCLING OF AGGREGATES, WHILST PROTECTING THE AMENITY OF GATESHEAD RESIDENTS AND ITS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSETS.

4.46 To promote a sustainable approach to the supply of minerals, the plan retains two existing quarries for the continued extraction of sand and gravel, one wharf is safeguarded for the landing of marine aggregates and six sites are safeguarded for future mineral extraction. The safeguarded sites are considered to be economically viable. Although their potential for extraction is safeguarded, their capacity to contribute to the regional resource will be subject to future detailed assessment including environmental impact. A policy on aggregates recycling is included.

STR19 TO ENCOURAGE THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NETWORK OF SUSTAINABLE WASTE FACILITIES TO RECOVER VALUE FROM WASTE, REDUCE RELIANCE ON LANDFILL AND ENABLE COMMUNITIES TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR WASTE.

4.47 In common with most local authorities, Gateshead still disposes of the majority of its waste to landfill. The Landfill Directive and Waste Strategy 2000 demand a significant reduction in the amount of waste being landfilled and Planning Policy Statement 10 requires waste planning authorities to support this move by encouraging and supporting the development of facilities which use waste as a resource and recover some value from it. Historically, there has been much landfill activity in the Borough of Gateshead and there currently remain four sites where permission has already been granted for landfill. Landfill does have a role in the Borough in the restoration of sites which have formerly been quarried but provision must be made for alternative treatment methods to support the move away from landfill. In Gateshead there are already a number of businesses recovering value from waste and reducing reliance on landfill but more, inevitably larger, facilities need to be encouraged in accessible locations, which will enable their capacity to be maximised.

STR20 TO PROMOTE A FULL RANGE OF INDIVIDUAL AND INTEGRATED RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECTS BY DEVISING AND APPLYING CRITERIA-BASED POLICIES.

4.48 The Council seeks to support sustainable forms of development that minimise demand for energy, use energy more efficiently, increase the amount of energy derived from renewable energy resources and minimise the environmental effects of continuing use of fossil fuel. The demand for renewable energy projects is increasing and policies need to balance their sustainable development objectives against local amenity objectives. It is essential that Gateshead contributes to the national and regional targets of generating 10% of the electricity from renewable energy by 2010. A limited number of rural areas in the Borough have the capacity for wind turbine development that can make a relatively small but significant contribution towards Tyne and Wear’s target for generating electricity from renewable energy, which can be consumed within the local area. In addition, the Borough has the potential to accommodate a range of other stand-alone renewable energy schemes such as biomass, mini hydro power, waste and landfill. The integration of micro-renewable energy technology within development can make a valuable contribution towards energy requirements of the Borough particularly within urban areas. Technology such as mini- and micro- Combined Heat and Power units are anticipated to evolve over the period of the plan and these may have potential application for domestic dwellings, community heating, commercial uses and community buildings. The Council seeks to incorporate within residential and non-residential buildings Passive Solar Design principles that capture light and heat from the sun, and energy efficiency measures in order to minimise energy use. The Council will encourage developers to incorporate best practice sustainable design features to minimise the use of energy, water and material resources as promoted by BREEAM/Eco Homes and the Code for Sustainable Building, especially within the Pathfinder Area, given the broad range of environmental, social and economic benefits that can be achieved.

PLANNING OBLIGATIONS

STR21 AT THE EARLIEST STAGE IN THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS, SUPPORTING INFRASTRUCTURE, SERVICES AND AMENITIES WILL BE IDENTIFIED AND INCLUDED AS PART OF THE DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL. THESE WILL BE COMMENSURATE WITH THE SCALE OF THE PROPOSAL AND REASONABLY RELATED TO IT.

4.49 The purpose of planning obligations is to ensure that any development proposals do not impose costs that others have to fund, due to an overburdening of facilities or infrastructure. Traditionally obligations have, for example, paid for road widening where development proposals have created additional traffic; extensions to schools where family housing has increased pupil rolls; and open space and play facilities within, or in close proximity to the development site.


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