Introduction
What is the Core Strategy?
0.1 The Core Strategy is one of the documents that will make up the Local Development Framework. It sets out the overall spatial planning strategy for Tynedale up to 2021. The Core Strategy provides the basic principles and policies that will guide development and the use of land, it establishes the general scale and location of development and the Council’s approach to the key issues facing the future planning of Tynedale.
0.2 The Core Strategy is the first of three Development Plan Documents to be produced as set out in the Local Development Scheme. Over time it will be complemented by other, more detailed documents setting out site allocations and general policies to determine planning applications. These Development Plan Documents will collectively form part of the statutory development plan on which decisions on planning applications must be based. Once adopted, these Development Plan Documents will replace policies in the existing Local Plan. In the meantime policies in the Local Plan are saved and remain the basis of determining planning applications.
The context for the Core Strategy
National planning policy
0.3 The Core Strategy needs to be consistent with national planning policy as expressed in Planning Policy Guidance (PPGs) and Planning Policy Statements (PPSs), Circulars and ministerial statements. The Core Strategy has been prepared taking such national policy and relevant guidance into account. The Government Office North East have been consulted at each step in the process and have provided useful feedback in relation to consistency with national planning policy and the development plan system generally. This has informed the Core Strategy.
Regional Spatial Strategy
0.4 The Core Strategy also has to be in general conformity with the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) which provides strategic guidance on the general approach to the scale and location of development. For example it sets out the amount of housing and employment land to be provided for in Tynedale.
0.5 The Regional Planning Guidance for the North East published in November 2002 automatically became the RSS with the implementation of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. A new RSS is being developed looking ahead to 2021. This new RSS was submitted in June 2005 and the Examination in Public (EIP) was held in March and April 2006. The report of the EIP Panel who considered the RSS and representations on it was published in August 2006. The Secretary of State published proposed changes in May 2007 and the final version of the RSS is awaited.
0.6 The Core Strategy has been informed by and prepared within the context of the existing and emerging RSS and the policies and guidance within them. Consultation has been carried out at each stage with the North East Assembly who have provided useful feedback and advice on conformity issues. Clearly however, progress has had to be made on the Core Strategy before the revised RSS is finalised. The Core Strategy has been judged at the Examination to be in general conformity with the draft RSS and the proposed changes to it. However, should the adopted RSS differ significantly from the draft, the Council will carry out an early review of the Core Strategy to address any material divergences.
The Tynedale District Local Plan
0.7 The Local Plan was adopted in April 2000. The Core Strategy deals with a number of the more strategic policy areas covered by the Local Plan. In many cases the basic policy approach set out in the Local Plan is being continued in the Core Strategy. The Local Plan provides a key starting point for the Core Strategy therefore.
The Community Plan
0.8 The Tynedale Community Plan, produced by the Tynedale Community Partnership in 2003 sets out a vision and a number of priorities reflecting the views of a wide range of partners and the community generally. The Council’s own corporate aims are based on this shared vision and priorities. The Core Strategy is one of the key ways in which the priorities and more detailed aims of the Community Plan can be achieved. It gives a spatial dimension to a range of activities carried out by the Council and its partners in the wider community which are reflected in the Community Plan. The Core Strategy has therefore been prepared in close consultation with the Community Partnership and its constituent organisations and provides a spatial basis for the implementation of the priorities and aims of the Community Plan. The priorities for the Community Plan and the Council’s corporate aims are set out below:
Tynedale Community Plan priorities
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Access to services
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Transport
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Community facilities
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Health and wellbeing
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Caring for and using the environment
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Skills training
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Access to information
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Young people’s services
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Involving communities in local issues
Tynedale Council’s corporate aims
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Improving our economy
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Strengthening our communities
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Protecting our environment
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Delivering excellent corporate performance
Sustainability appraisal
0.9 Sustainability appraisal has been an integral part of the process of preparing the Core Strategy from the outset. In simple terms this means that the options and policies considered at the various stages have been appraised in terms of their sustainability i.e. their likely impact on a range of social, economic and environmental objectives. The results of these appraisals have informed decisions on options and policies. The Council has used external consultants to actually carry out the appraisals to ensure independence and objectivity. A number of reports concerning the sustainability appraisal process have been published and consulted upon at key stages. The Sustainability Appraisal Report submitted along with this Core Strategy contains comprehensive information about the whole process.
Consultation with the community and other stakeholders
0.10 The Council has undertaken widespread consultation with the community and other stakeholders throughout the process of formulating the Core Strategy. The framework for this is the Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) which was adopted in May 2006. The SCI sets out the Council’s commitment and practices in relation to involving individuals and organisations in the Local Development Framework and in planning generally. The Core Strategy has been prepared in compliance with the SCI and the requirements set out in regulations. The input and feedback from organisations and individuals has been used to inform the development of the Core Strategy.
The evidence base
0.11 It is important that the Core Strategy is founded on a robust and credible evidence base. As set out above, national and regional policy, the Local Plan, the Community Plan, sustainability appraisal and consultation with stakeholders all form part of the context for the Core Strategy and the wider evidence base. There is a wide range of other information, strategies, studies and reports that also make up the evidence base. All relevant documents that make up the evidence base have been made available via the Council’s website. In addition the Council has published an index of relevant information and documents.
Documents submitted
0.12 The following documents have been submitted to the Secretary of State:
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Core Strategy including Proposals Map - illustrating on map where Core Strategy policies apply.
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Adopted Statement of Community Involvement.
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Sustainability Appraisal Report including technical appendices and summary.
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Statement of consultation.
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Document setting out how the Core Strategy has been developed.
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Key documents making up the evidence base.
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Self assessment of the soundness of the Core Strategy.
How the Core Strategy has been produced
The Core Strategy has been through a number of stages as set out below:
Stage |
Date |
| Discussion Paper on Issues |
March 2005 |
Consultation on Issues and Options |
June 2005 |
Consultation on Preferred Options |
February 2006 |
Formal submission of Core Strategy to Secretary of State and opportunity to make formal representations |
October 2006 |
0.13 Progress on the Core Strategy has been in line with the timetable set out in the Council’s Local Development Scheme.
0.14 Having consulted on potential issues in March 2005, the Council published an Issues and Options Document for consultation in June 2005. In addition to a vision and objectives, this set out a number of policies containing basic principles. It then identified a range of issues along with options for the policy approach to be taken on these issues.
Prior to consultation on the Issues and Options Document, a sustainability appraisal was carried out by independent consultants, Entec. They appraised the objectives and principles against a range of economic, social and environmental objectives and tested them for consistency with each other. The appraisal also looked at the sustainability implications for the policy options being considered and made recommendations as to the most sustainable option.
0.15 Responses to the consultation exercise and the sustainability appraisal helped the Council decide on preferred options. These preferred options were developed into actual policies which formed the basis of the Preferred Options document published for consultation in February 2006.
0.16 A sustainability appraisal of these preferred options policies was carried out by independent consultants, Natural Capital. This, in addition to the responses to the consultation exercise was used to inform decisions on amending the policies for the submission stage. A sustainability appraisal of the submission policies has also been carried out and is included in the Sustainability Appraisal Report submitted along with the Core Strategy. The Council has published a document setting out clearly how the Core Strategy has evolved from one stage to another and in particular why the preferred options and policies have been pursued.
Implementation and monitoring
0.17 It is important to set out clearly the mechanisms for implementing the policies in the Core Strategy, whether this is through making decisions on planning applications, site allocations and detailed development control policies in later development plan documents or through the wider activities of the Council or its partners. It is also important to monitor the implementation of policies and their effectiveness. This will be done primarily through the Annual Monitoring Report. An implementation and monitoring framework is therefore set out for each of the policies. Appendix 2 gives more detail on how monitoring will be carried out, including the indicators and targets that will be used to assess the effectiveness of policies and the base lines from which monitoring will start. The results of monitoring will be reported in the Council’s Annual Monitoring Reports, together with an indication of any action that may be necessary.
Local Plan policies superseded
0.18 This Core Strategy supersedes certain policies in the Tynedale District Local Plan that were saved beyond 27th September 2007. The Local Plan policies that are superseded by the Core Strategy are as follows:
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General Development Policies GD10, GD11, GD12 and GD13;
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Natural Environment Policies NE1, NE2, NE5 and NE16;
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Built Environment Policies BE1, BE12, BE13, BE16 and BE24;
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Housing Policies H9, H11, H14, H17, H22 and H37;
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Tourism Policies TM3 and TM5;
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Retailing Policies RT1, RT1a, RT2 and RT7;
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Leisure and Recreation Policy LR1;
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Transport Policies TP16, TP17, TP22, TP23 and TP28;
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Community Services and Infrastructure Policies CS5, CS8, CS16, CS28, CS32 and CS33