Local Development Framework Consultation

South Lakeland Local Strategic Partnership

Consultation Comments on the SLDC Local Development Framework:
Core Strategy: Preferred Options

The South Lakeland Strategic Partnership welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Core Strategy: Preferred Options which sets out to deliver the spatial requirements of the South Lakeland Sustainable Community Strategy, it is a well thought through document And SLDC should be congratulated on the positive way in which it has approached this difficult task. The Partnership supports the vision and the strategic objectives, in particular the growth of the local economy, the acknowledged need to diversify the rural economy, the development of vibrant and prosperous towns and villages whilst balancing the real challenge of protecting our environment and the character of South Lakeland whilst improving the communities quality of life by addressing the real issues of affordable housing, higher wage employment opportunities and better access to educational skills opportunities.
Strategic Objective 5

“to reduce the need to travel and make it safer and easier to travel to jobs and key services by sustainable forms of transport”,

The LSP acknowledges within its task groups approach to the sustainability question posses a real challenge The Quality Environment Task Group would whole heartedly support the aim of strategic Objective 5 whilst the Jobs , Skills & Employment Task Group recognise that given the dispersed settlement pattern, the levels of commuting, the high incidence of car ownership and the viability of public transport services, there is a limit to what can be realistically achieved. The future expansion of the economy will still be heavily reliant on the need to travel.
Policy PO1
The division of settlements into Principle Service Centres, Key Service Centre and rural settlements is supported especially the significance of Kendal to the County & NW Region. It thus identifying those areas where a level of development is deemed appropriate, therefore, the Core Strategy has the potential to limit development outside the existing settlements, maximise re-use of previously-developed (brownfield) land and in-fill, increasing in-settlement employment by imaginative re-use of buildings and appropriate levels of development
Policy PO2
Supported with the addition of a criteria based approach to Economic Development developed in conjunction with key industry partners and the JSR Task Group.

Policy PO3
Supported

Policy PO4
There are clearly challenges in the siting of the 400 homes and of the employment land requirements which SLDC has identified but the proposed response - especially the local 'strategic site' for Kendal is welcomed. It is important that the provision of this site is linked to any requirements which are outlined in the LDNPA Core Strategy, the Preferred Options consultations for which starts on the day the SLDC one finishes! The site is geographically well-linked to Kendal and gives considerable scope for innovative sustainable public and private transport options to be outlined as part of the Development Brief. There is a need to set guidelines on the percentage of affordable and local occupancy levels in new housing provision but this must be applied flexibly. It is crucial that there is an ability to vary the levels on individual sites depending on the outcome of a detailed financial appraisal, otherwise development may not be commercially viable and may not go ahead.


Policy PO5

Supported with a more emphasis being placed on the regular review of land allocations taking into account that forecasting demand over the Plan period is not an exact science and the Plan must be flexible enough to bring forward additional land if a shortage of choice emerges over time. It is crucial that a sufficient range of employment sites of varying size, quality, industrial type and location are required to encourage the growth and diversification of the local economy. Given the often abnormal infrastructure costs of servicing land in a rural setting on the edge of towns, sites must be of sufficient size to be commercially viable for development by the private sector.
Again the emphasis on Kendal for Strategic employment land allocation is supported .Again, this needs to be of a sufficient size and quality and, dependent on its location, consideration should be given to complementing the site with park and ride provision. There is currently a pent up demand for employment land and a case exists for Shenstone to be brought forward immediately. The Core Strategy has aspirations to seek a ‘step change’ in the fortunes of South Lakeland’s economy. This is to be encouraged but it will only be achieved by the Strategy being ambitious and bold.

Policy PO6,
Supported


Policy PO7
The tough decisions on sustainability of locations for developments under the Area Strategies will be challenging but robust application of the spatial policies will ensure that the character of centres and settlements is not lost. In particular the prevention of coalescence of settlements is a key element of PO7. SLDC should be very wary of 'trading' existing 'green gaps' by creating new areas following approval to develop on existing ones; rarely can the biodiversity and ecological distinctiveness of current sites be instantly (or indeed otherwise) reproduced. Careful thought and fully appropriate appraisal would have to be given to such proposals
Policy PO8/9/10/11
Supported as above

Policy PO12/13/14
Supported as above

Policy P0 20
Supported with a change of wording away from “lenient & less lenient” to a considered approach to development on a criteria based process involving industry partnerships in the criteria development.

South Lakeland Local Strategic Partnership – JSR Task Group

Consultation Comments on the SLDC Local Development Framework:
Core Strategy: Preferred Options

The South Lakeland Strategic Partnership welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Core Strategy: Preferred Options which sets out to deliver the spatial requirements of the South Lakeland Sustainable Community Strategy, it is a well thought through document And SLDC should be congratulated on the positive way in which it has approached this difficult task. The Partnership supports the vision and the strategic objectives, in particular the growth of the local economy, the acknowledged need to diversify the rural economy, the development of vibrant and prosperous towns and villages whilst balancing the real challenge of protecting our environment and the character of South Lakeland whilst improving the communities quality of life by addressing the real issues of affordable housing, higher wage employment opportunities and better access to educational skills opportunities.

Strategic Objective 5

“to reduce the need to travel and make it safer and easier to travel to jobs and key services by sustainable forms of transport”,

The LSP acknowledges within its task groups approach to the sustainability question posses a real challenge The Quality Environment Task Group would whole heartedly support the aim of strategic Objective 5 whilst the Jobs , Skills & Employment Task Group recognise that given the dispersed settlement pattern, the levels of commuting, the high incidence of car ownership and the viability of public transport services, there is a limit to what can be realistically achieved. The future expansion of the economy will still be heavily reliant on the need to travel.
Policy PO1
The division of settlements into Principle Service Centres, Key Service Centre and rural settlements is supported especially the significance of Kendal to the County & NW Region. It thus identifying those areas where a level of development is deemed appropriate, therefore, the Core Strategy has the potential to limit development outside the existing settlements, maximise re-use of previously-developed (brownfield) land and in-fill, increasing in-settlement employment by imaginative re-use of buildings and appropriate levels of development

Policy PO2
Supported with the addition of a criteria based approach to Economic Development developed in conjunction with key industry partners and the JSR Task Group
Policy PO3
Supported

Policy PO4
There are clearly challenges in the siting of the 400 homes and of the employment land requirements which SLDC has identified but the proposed response - especially the local 'strategic site' for Kendal is welcomed. It is important that the provision of this site is linked to any requirements which are outlined in the LDNPA Core Strategy, the Preferred Options consultations for which starts on the day the SLDC one finishes! The site is geographically well-linked to Kendal and gives considerable scope for innovative sustainable public and private transport options to be outlined as part of the Development Brief. There is a need to set guidelines on the percentage of affordable and local occupancy levels in new housing provision but this must be applied flexibly. It is crucial that there is an ability to vary the levels on individual sites depending on the outcome of a detailed financial appraisal, otherwise development may not be commercially viable and may not go ahead.
Policy PO5

Supported with a more emphasis being placed on the regular review of land allocations taking into account that forecasting demand over the Plan period is not an exact science and the Plan must be flexible enough to bring forward additional land if a shortage of choice emerges over time. It is crucial that a sufficient range of employment sites of varying size, quality, industrial type and location are required to encourage the growth and diversification of the local economy. Given the often abnormal infrastructure costs of servicing land in a rural setting on the edge of towns, sites must be of sufficient size to be commercially viable for development by the private sector.

Again the emphasis on Kendal for Strategic employment land allocation is supported .Again, this needs to be of a sufficient size and quality and, dependent on its location, consideration should be given to complementing the site with park and ride provision. There is currently a pent up demand for employment land and a case exists for Shenstone to be brought forward immediately. The Core Strategy has aspirations to seek a ‘step change’ in the fortunes of South Lakeland’s economy. This is to be encouraged but it will only be achieved by the Strategy being ambitious and bold.

Policy PO6,
Supported
Policy PO7
The tough decisions on sustainability of locations for developments under the Area Strategies will be challenging but robust application of the spatial policies will ensure that the character of centres and settlements is not lost. In particular the prevention of coalescence of settlements is a key element of PO7. SLDC should be very wary of 'trading' existing 'green gaps' by creating new areas following approval to develop on existing ones; rarely can the biodiversity and ecological distinctiveness of current sites be instantly (or indeed otherwise) reproduced. Careful thought and fully appropriate appraisal would have to be given to such proposals

Policy PO8/9/10/11
Supported as above

Policy PO12/13/14
Supported as above

Policy P0 20
Supported with a change of wording away from “lenient & less lenient” to a considered approach to development on a criteria based process involving industry partnerships in the criteria development.