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3.01 Poole is at a cross-roads in its history. The last 30 years have been
characterised by growth, prosperity and the provision of new facilities. Success
has been based on the development of a varied local economy and new communities
have been integrated into the Town. The current economic climate has only
served to reinforce the Council’s view that the retention of this varied
economic base must be a high priority. However, it is a goal which must be
promoted in a wholly different context.
3.02 The period of outward expansion is set to end. Adopted plans have
drawn the Green Belt tightly round the built up area, an approach supported by
the Secretary of State because of the unique environmental quality of the area.
Nevertheless, the Borough must continue to embrace change if Poole is to remain
the dynamic place it has become.
3.03 This, then, is the essential issue which the Local Plan must address: to
maintain a sound economic base; accommodate change; and protect and enhance the
local environment, both natural and urban.
3.04 Greater concern for the environment has inevitably helped to shape the
Local Plan. The Government has indicated that local plans have an important role
in achieving sustainable development
(Paragraph 1.05). Local plans are
specifically required to include policies in respect of the conservation of the
natural beauty and amenity of the land, and the improvement of the physical
environment. In addition, Planning Policy Guidance Note 12 identifies
environmental concerns, such as global warming, energy conservation and the
consumption of non-renewable resources, which must be set alongside the more
traditional areas of nature conservation, built heritage, landscape quality,
pollution control and green belt.
3.05 As a result, environmental appraisal is required as an integral part of the
plan-making process and the approach adopted in this Local Plan is set out in
Chapter 4.
3.06 The Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole Structure Plan was adopted by the
three authorities in 2000, following an Examination in Public held in 1996 and
the publication of modifications between 1998 and 1999. The Plan has been rolled
forward to cover the period to 2011.
3.07 The Structure Plan now allows for the construction of about 52,900 (gross)
dwellings to be built during the period 1994 to 2011. The level of residential
development depends on three components: existing commitments with an allowance
for non-implementation, additional housing within existing built-up areas, and
appropriate extensions to built-up areas. Poole is expected to accommodate about
9,500 new dwellings during the plan period.
3.08 The Structure Plan strategy is expressed in Settlement Policy E, which
states that: “Development in South East Dorset will be contained within the
built-up areas by the South East Dorset Green Belt. The purpose of the Green
Belt is to protect the separate physical identity of individual settlements in
the area by maintaining wedges and corridors of open land between them and to
maintain an area of open land around the conurbation. Within the Green Belt
there is a presumption against inappropriate development.”
Settlement Policy F indicates that the inner boundary of the Green Belt will
follow the edge of the main urban area as extended by the development proposed
in the Plan.
3.09 The housing provision for Poole comprises current commitments and an
estimate of the likely additional development which will occur within the urban
area by 2011. The commitments at 1994 included strategic allocations at
Broadstone, Canford Heath and Talbot Heath.
Only the latter now remains outstanding. Within the Explanatory Memorandum of
the Structure Plan, the construction of 750 dwellings at North Poole has been
assumed.
3.10 During the same period the Structure Plan allocates about 29 hectares of
land for employment purposes. Local Plans must provide an adequate choice of
sites in order to provide for both local firms’ needs and inward investment,
while new commercial office developments over 2,000 square metres are to be
located in the town centre.
3.11 The Structure Plan’s integrated transport strategy will be delivered by
reducing the need to travel, controlling the rate of traffic growth, promoting
public transport and other alternatives to the private car, and reducing the
environmental impact of transport. Transportation Policy B proposes locating
development in order to promote the use of the most sustainable and
environmentally acceptable modes of transport using the following hierarchy: (i)
walking; (ii) cycling; (iii) public transport; and (iv) private vehicles. The
Wallisdown and Branksome relief roads have been deleted from the Structure Plan
and are, therefore, not allocated in the Local Plan.
3.12 Regional Planning Guidance for the South West published in 2001 retains the
four underlying aims which express Central Government’s four objectives for
sustainable development at a regional level:
i) protection of the environment;
ii) prosperity for communities and the regional and national economy;
iii)
progress in meeting society’s needs and aspirations; and
iv) prudence in the use
of resources.
3.13 The rate of physical expansion experienced by the Bournemouth-Poole
conurbation in the past will not be able to continue. The area needs to make the
best use of existing resources in order to achieve growth in a sustainable
manner and future development is to be concentrated within the existing built up
area. Constraints to development, including the tightly drawn green belt, which
will be reviewed in the next review of the Structure Plan, and national and
international nature conservation designations, will result in a lower level of
housing development than in the past. Regional Planning Guidance for the South
West confirms that Dorset should accommodate an average annual completion rate
of 2,650 dwellings between 1996 and 2016. This is a reduction in the rate of
growth of 3,614 per annum during the 1980’s.
Rates of development in the 1990’s have been significantly lower than in the
1980’s.
3.14 It is clear that the Local Plan must reflect the greater concern for the
environment, both local and national. In this respect, the Council is a
signatory of the Charter of European Cities and Towns Towards Sustainability
(May 1994), which seeks to establish a consensus on a Local Agenda 21 in
accordance with agreement reached at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992. At the same
time, the prosperity of the Borough must be maintained and this will require
development and change. Poole has grown very rapidly during the last 30 years.
There have been years in the recent past when only Milton Keynes saw the
construction of more private sector dwellings. This growth has been accommodated without the resources available to a
designated new town and, as a result, it has not always been possible to achieve
quality in the urban environment, nor to provide the full range of facilities
required by an expanding population. These shortcomings should be rectified
during a Local Plan period of consolidation.
3.15 The current high house prices combined with the limitations on the Local
Authority to make direct provision is resulting in a shortage of social
housing. There is a significant problem arising from this shortage.
3.16 These issues must be confronted by making best use of Poole’s many existing
assets. The simple expedient of facilitating prosperity and meeting development
needs through outward expansion is not now available.
3.17 As a result, the following seven key aims are retained as the Local Plan
strategy and establish the framework for the more detailed objectives and
proposals in subsequent chapters:
3.18 To conserve and enhance the natural and built environment of the Borough
and promote sustainable development.
This will be achieved by:
- green belt policy;
- a more sustainable transport policy;
- quality in design and in the urban
environment;
- promoting heritage and wildlife conservation;
- energy and
resource conservation; and
- pollution control.
3.19 To make the most of what is uniquely Poole, fostering a sense of place and
pride in the town.
This will be achieved by:
- an enhanced Central Area of the Town;
- attractive major corridors;
- promoting heritage and wildlife conservation;
- promoting Poole as a centre for
leisure; and
- promoting Poole as a gateway to Europe.
3.20 To foster a distinct character for local communities, combined with loyalty
to the town.
This will be achieved by:
- local centres with a strong sense of place;
- improving local amenities; and
- improved access to facilities for all sectors of the community.
3.21 To assist in meeting the housing needs of all the Borough’s residents in a
manner which supports the other objectives of the Plan.
This will be achieved by:
- allowing for the Borough’s Structure Plan housing allocation;
- resisting the
loss of housing stock, where appropriate;
- providing for affordable housing;
- providing for special needs housing and housing for people with physical
disabilities;
- density policies; and
- design guidance.
3.22 To facilitate accessibility and economic development in a safe and
sustainable way.
This will be achieved by:
- reducing the need to travel especially by car;
- limiting the undesirable side
effects of car use;
- improving the highway network where justified on
environmental and sustainability grounds;
- limiting congestion;
- improving
access to facilities for all sectors of the community; and
- reducing accidents.
3.23 To maintain the prosperity of the Borough.
This will be achieved by:
- the varied provision of employment opportunities to retain economic balance;
- promoting tourism and leisure as growth industries;
- promoting Poole as a
gateway to Europe;
- the provision of sufficient housing to meet all sectors of the market; and
- limiting congestion and enhancing accessibility.
3.24 To make the most of the Borough’s assets to maximise leisure opportunities
for residents and visitors.
This will be achieved by:
- promoting Poole as a centre for outdoor leisure;
- promoting tourism and
leisure as growth industries;
- improving local amenities and access to wider
facilities;
- promoting wildlife conservation;
- developing the Council’s
enabling and coordinating role; and
- protecting existing assets.
3.25 In addition to the seven key aims, the geographic strategy is aimed at
meeting the development needs of the Borough in a sustainable manner wherever
possible. It is characterised by:
- a Green Belt drawn tightly round the built
up area as defined by development proposed in the Plan;
- higher development
densities where appropriate, particularly when this would assist in promoting
public transport;
- a strong Central Area as the focus for commercial and other
development;
- a hierarchy of accessible facilities concentrated in local
centres with a strong sense of place;
- the protection and enhancement of the
Borough’s open spaces; and
- more mixed developments, where this is appropriate.
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