9.1 The key issues that the borough faces in terms of planning for green space up to 2036 are:
| Strategic Objective 4: | Reduce social, economic and environmental deprivation, particularly where it is spatially concentrated, by taking priority measures to reduce unemployment, improve skills and education and renew housing, community and environmental conditions. |
| Strategic Objective 7: | Conserve and create spaces and buildings that foster safe, healthy and cohesive communities. |
| Strategic Objective 8: | Improve accessibility, connectivity, sustainability and ease of movement to, from and within the borough. |
| Strategic Objective 9: | Ensure the responsible use of land and natural resources and management of waste to mitigate and adapt to climate change. |
| Strategic Objective 10: | Improve the quality and accessibility of green space and nature, whilst protecting and enhancing biodiversity. |
| Strategic Objective 11: | Tackle flood risk by making space for water and utilising sustainable urban drainage systems. |
SP7.1 In order to deliver new and enhanced green infrastructure commensurate with growth the Council will apply a presumption in favour of development provided applications assist in the delivery of a Green Grid and meet the requirements of Policy SP7 and other applicable policies of the development plan.
Green spaces
SP7.2 The Council will protect and safeguard the extent of the borough's Metropolitan Green Belt, Metropolitan Open Land and local green spaces.
SP7.3 The Council will establish a network of multi-functional open spaces, a 'Green Grid', comprising those parts of the All London Green Grid together with other green spaces within the borough as shown in Figure 9.1. The Council and its partners will:
Biodiversity
SP7.4 The Council and its partners will enhance biodiversity across the borough, assist ecological restoration and address spatial deficiencies in access to nature by:
Productive landscapes
SP7.5 The Council and its partners will support the role of productive landscapes by:
Designations shown on the Policies Map
Each of the designations set by this policy are shown on the Policies Map. The designations are summarised in Table 9.1 below:
Table 9.1 Designations set by Policy SP7 shown on the Policies Map
Designation |
Location |
|---|---|
Metropolitan Green Belt |
Across the Places of Addington, Addiscombe, Coulsdon, Kenley & Old Coulsdon, Purley, Sanderstead, Selsdon, Shirley and South Croydon |
Metropolitan Open Land |
Croham Hurst Croydon Cemetery and environs Edenham High School Land at Love Lane Part of land at Shirley Oaks Norwood Grove and environs Purley Downs Purley Way playing fields and environs Sanderstead Plantation South Norwood Country Park to Ashburton Playing Fields South Norwood Lake and environs |
Figure 9.2 Green Grid map 2
Green spaces
9.2 The Green Grid concept aims to link environmental assets with existing and future proposed communities through a connected, easily accessible open space network. The Council will use the Green Grid concept to ensure that the access, quality and function of the borough's existing green space is maximised, as well as attempting to provide new green space via enabling development. Croydon's Green Grid policies support the Green Arc vision of "Bringing the Big Outdoors closer to people through the creation of an extensive and attractive and valued recreational landscape of well-connected and accessible countryside around London, for people and wildlife". The Council will ensure that the natural signatures of the borough are maintained and enhanced in accordance with Natural England's 'London Landscape Framework.'
9.3 The Council will protect and safeguard Metropolitan Green Belt and Metropolitan Open Land as per national policy and the policies of the London Plan. Local green spaces which make a contribution to the borough's heritage value, visual character, recreational opportunities, tranquillity, and amenity qualities will be protected and safeguarded. Further policy detail is set out in the Croydon Local Plan's Detailed Policies and Proposals detailing a hierarchy of green spaces with subsequent designations added to the Proposals Map. These amendments will reflect the approach set out in the National Planning Policy Framework, London Plan and All London Green Grid Supplementary Planning Guidance.
9.4 In 2009 an 'Open Space Assessment'2 and 'Outdoor Recreation Needs Report' were prepared for the Council and identified over 50% of the borough's residential areas as being deficient in access to all forms of open space (as defined by the superseded Planning Policy Guidance Note 17). These deficiencies are particularly pronounced in the north of the borough, in areas such as East Croydon, Thornton Heath and Broad Green. Assessments of the quality of Croydon's existing open spaces indicated, that in the south, where large areas of accessible countryside is found, they were of higher quality than other areas, with the lowest quality spaces located in the central areas of the borough. With the existing deficiency in some areas, along with limited opportunities to create more open space and a growing population, protection of the existing provision of open space and maximisation of its benefits will be vitally important.
9.5 Areas where the public realm is predominantly hard-surfaced (e.g. Croydon Opportunity Area and the District Centres) contribute to the heat island effect. Methods of cooling and climate change adaptation are promoted through the Green Grid policy. Green roofs, sustainable urban drainage systems (SuDS), street trees and green/soft landscaping measures can all contribute to cooling in urban areas.
Biodiversity
9.6 The policy approach to biodiversity is informed by 'Making Space for Nature' 3 and is consistent with national planning policy for biodiversity and geological conservation and guidance from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 4. The policy seeks to enhance the resilience and coherence of Croydon's ecological network. The Greater London Authority's 'Access to Nature' mapping shows a good distribution of natural and semi-natural green space provision in the south of the borough where larger sites are located. These policies in combination with the borough's Biodiversity Action Plan and London's Downlands Green Grid Area Framework will enable biodiversity conservation and improvements in access to nature to be more easily and consistently integrated into other strategic plans and projects.
Productive landscapes
9.7 The London Plan includes several strategic policies promoting productive landscapes 5 and encourages London boroughs to identify other potential spaces that could be used for commercial food production or for community gardening, including allotments and orchards. The concept of productive landscapes goes beyond food production to include community gardens, sustainable forestry, urban farms and urban agriculture plots, where commodities such as flowers can be produced. Productive landscapes encourage healthy eating, physical activity outdoors, greater biodiversity, regeneration of derelict or underused urban spaces (which can improve the perceived or actual safety of an area), increased community cohesion and the potential for economic development through learning new skills and exploring commercial options for dealing with surplus produce6 .
|
|
|
9.8 Croydon has a strategic objective to ensure the responsible use of land and natural resources and also to increase the quality of, and access to, green spaces and nature. The borough's trees and green spaces are also important in mitigating higher temperatures as a result of climate change. Protecting the borough's Metropolitan Green Belt, Metropolitan Open Land and local green spaces ensures communities have access to open space for physical activity, recreation and play. Policy SP7 seeks to protect and safeguard the extent of the borough's Metropolitan Green Belt, Metropolitan Open Land and local green spaces.
DM26.1 The Council will protect and safeguard the extent of the borough's Metropolitan Green Belt and Metropolitan Open Land as designated on the Policies Map by applying the same level of protection afforded to Metropolitan Green Belt in national planning policy to Metropolitan Open Land in the borough.
DM26.2 Extensions to existing buildings in Metropolitan Green Belt and Metropolitan Open Land should not be more than 20% of their original7 floor space or volume, or 100m2 (whichever is the smaller) unless they are for agricultural use, forestry, or facilities for outdoor sport, outdoor recreation or cemeteries.
DM26.3 Extensions to existing buildings in Metropolitan Green Belt and Metropolitan Open Land that are less than 20% of the original floor space or volume, or less than 100m2 in extent (whichever is the smaller) and extensions for agricultural use, forestry, or facilities for outdoor sport, outdoor recreation or cemeteries may still be disproportionate. In considering whether they are disproportionate and also whether a new replacement dwelling is materially larger or, if any proposed structure harms the openness of Metropolitan Green Belt or Metropolitan Open Land the Council will have regard to:
How the policy works
Metropolitan Green Belt
9.9 Metropolitan Green Belt is a national designation which aims to check the unrestricted sprawl of London, prevent Croydon from merging with towns in neighbouring local authorities, safeguard Croydon's countryside from encroachment, to preserve the setting and special character of Croydon, and to assist in its regeneration by encouraging the recycling of derelict and urban land.
Metropolitan Open Land
9.10 Metropolitan Open Land is a London designation which aims to protect land that either contributes to the physical structure of London, includes open air facilities which serve either the whole or significant parts of London, contains features or landscapes (historic, recreational, biodiversity) of either national or metropolitan value, or forms part of a Green Chain or a link in the network of green infrastructure.
Other open space
9.11 Other undesignated open space is protected by policies 2.18 and 7.18 of the London Plan in pursuit of paragraph 74 of the National Planning Policy Framework.
National planning policy
9.12 Between them the National Planning Policy Framework and London Plan apply the same level of protection to the Metropolitan Open Land as is afforded to Metropolitan Green Belt.
9.13 The National Planning Policy Framework says that new buildings in the Green Belt are inappropriate with the exception of:
9.14 The National Planning Policy Framework also says that the following uses are also not inappropriate in the Green Belt provided they preserve the openness and do not conflict with the purposes of including land within the Green Belt:
9.15 At a local level cemeteries, burial grounds and telecommunications development may be acceptable in Metropolitan Green Belt and on Metropolitan Open Land if it can be demonstrated that there are no other suitable sites and that there is no impact on the openness of the Green Belt or the reason for the site being designated as Metropolitan Open Land. In addition for cemeteries and burial grounds existing levels of public access to sites in Metropolitan Green Belt and Metropolitan Open Land need to be maintained. Neither cemeteries, burial grounds nor telecommunications development are acceptable on Local Green Space.
Extensions and replacement of existing buildings
9.16 The policy defines disproportionate extensions for development proposals which are considered to be inappropriate development in the Green Belt, Metropolitan Open Land. Any extension of more than 20% of the original floor space or volume, or greater than 100m2 in extent (whichever is smaller) of an existing building will be considered disproportionate.
9.17 It does not apply to proposals to extend uses that the National Planning Policy Framework considers to be acceptable in Green Belt. For these uses, development proposals will still be required to preserve the openness of the Green Belt and not conflict with the purposes of including land within it.
9.18 In considering applications for the replacement of existing buildings in Metropolitan Green Belt or on Metropolitan Open Land, the Council may seek alterations in the position of the footprint on the site, or other changes that will reduce the impact on the open character of the area.
9.19 Where a proposed change of use of an existing building in Metropolitan Green Belt or on Metropolitan Open Land involves extensions or changes to the use of the surrounding land the Council will exercise strict control to ensure that the proposal does not conflict with openness or the purposes of including land in the designation. The form, bulk and general design of any new structures should be in keeping with their surroundings. In considering such proposals, the Council will have regard to the history of the building and will not look favourably on the conversion of buildings constructed under permitted development rights, if it is considered that there was an intention of early conversion to another use. Conditions removing permitted development rights and legal agreements may be sought to achieve these aims.
|
|
|
|
9.20 Croydon has strategic objectives to ensure the responsible use of land and natural resources to mitigate and adapt to climate change, to increase the quality of and access to green space and nature, and to protect and enhance biodiversity.
9.21 The Review of Sites of Nature Conservation Importance identified a nine areas not currently designated as Sites of Nature Conservation Importance that are of an equivalent standard to those already designated.
To enhance biodiversity across the borough and improve access to nature, development proposals should:
Designations shown on the Policies Map
Each of the designations set by this policy are shown on the Policies Map. The designations are summarised in Table 9.2 below:
Table 9.2 Designations set by Policy DM27 shown on the Policies Map
Designation |
Location |
|---|---|
Site of Nature Conservation Importance |
Addington Court Golf Course Addington Golf Course and Shirley Heath (including land surrounding 170 Shirley Church Road) Addington Hills Addiscombe Railway Park & Selsdon & Addiscombe railsides Addiscombe, Woodside and Shirley Leisure Gardens Ashen Grove Bear's Wood Beaulieu Heights Beulah Hill Pond Biggin Wood Bradmore Green Pond Bramley Bank Brickfields Meadow Doorstep Green Cane Hill Hospital Chipstead Chalk Pasture Convent Wood Copse Hill Spinney Coulsdon Common Coulsdon Court Wood & Betts Mead Coulsdon Quarry & Wood Croham Hurst Croydon Cemetery Complex Duppas Hill Falconwood Meadow Farthing Downs, Devilsden Wood and Happy Valley Foxley Wood Grangewood Park Grounds of Heathfield House Haling Grove Park Hall Grange Hamsey Green Pond Heavers Meadow and Norbury Brook Hooley Farm Pastures Hutchinson's Bank, Frylands Wood and Chapel Hill Kenley Aerodrome Kenley Common Kenley House Pastures Kings Wood Kingswood Shaw, Mossy Hill & Beech Way Woodland Ladygrove Land at Kent Gateway Littleheath Woods Lloyd Park & Coombe Farm Long Lane Wood Mitchley Wood Norbury Hall Norbury Park and Norbury Brook Norwood Grove and Nettlefold Field Oakland Wood Oaklands, Kenley Park Hill Parkfields Woodland Pinewoods Plantation Pollards Hill Purley Beeches Purley Downs Golf Course Riddlesdown and The Rose and Crown Chalk Pit Roundshaw Park Rowdown and Birch Wood Royal Russell School and Ballards Sanderstead Plantation Sanderstead Pond Selhurst Railway Triangle Selsdon Wood Shirley Triangle Southeastern tip of Croham Hurst Golf Course South Norwood Country Park South Norwood Lake and Surrounds Spices Yard Tree Belt Spring Park Ponds Spring Park Wood Spring Wood and Threehalfpenny Woods Stonefield and Bleakfield Shaws Stream and Pond at Shirley Park Golf Course Temple Avenue Copse The Glade The Lawns The Ruffet Upper Norwood Recreation Ground Waddon Ponds Wandle Park Westow Park Whitehorse Meadow Whitgift Pond Whitgift School Wood |
9.22 The borough's natural wildlife heritage, including individual species of particular interest or scarcity, is not confined to the designated Sites of Nature Conservation Importance. Small open spaces, ponds, streams, back gardens, hedgerows, trees, unimproved grassland, heathland or 'wasteland' habitats can be important support for the borough's biodiversity and enable people to access and enjoy nature.
9.23 Creating a patchwork of flower-rich meadows, field edges and flowery road verges, and extending this into urban gardens, parks and open spaces, would assist bees and other pollinating insects and could reverse their decline.
9.24 Development proposals provide opportunities for protecting and enhancing existing habitats and incorporating new wildlife attracting habitats into landscaping and on buildings. In the built environment, 'green roofs' can be a particularly useful way of providing a new wildlife habitat as they have a number of other benefits. These include absorbing rainfall and reducing storm water run-off, helping cool buildings and reducing the 'urban heat island' effect. The plants absorb air pollution and dust and green roofs provide green oases amongst built-up areas. They can provide health benefits, protect the building structure from sunlight and temperature fluctuations and they can cut the cost of drainage, heating and air conditioning. Carefully chosen plants can also provide a habitat and meet the needs of local wildlife.
9.25 Incorporating productive landscapes into the design and layout of buildings and landscapes provides opportunities for local food growing, supports the creation of healthy and active communities, improves the quality of open spaces and enhances biodiversity. Productive landscapes can take the form of allotments, community garden & growing spaces, green roofs & walls and productive planting.
9.26 Where there is limited outdoor space, there are opportunities for providing productive landscapes in roofs, walls and balconies in the form of rooftop allotments or raised beds. Productive planting can be incorporated into green roofs & walls through the planting of herbs, fruit, vegetables and edible plants. Productive planting can also be incorporated in soft landscaping where fruit and nut trees could also be used.
9.27 In major developments where productive landscapes can be managed by a school, community group or residents' associations, opportunities for the provision of allotments, and community gardens and growing spaces should be explored.
9.28 Croydon contains many sites of biodiversity or geo-diversity value from Sites of Nature Conservation Importance, which are of local importance, to Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), which are of national importance. The borough also contains four Local Nature Reserves and one Regionally Important Geological site (the Croham Hurst Cemented Blackheath Pebble Beds).
9.29 The Review of Sites of Nature Conservation Importance carried out in 2013 and 2014 provides details on all sites with a rating of Grade I and Grade II, and all sites of local importance.
9.30 Some types of habitats are rare in Croydon compared with other parts of London and are therefore particularly valuable here, for example open and running water. The size and shape of a site is also a consideration. Long, narrow sites, such as railway corridors and 'fingers' of open land, are more valuable than their size alone would suggest as they bring wildlife close to a larger number of adjacent properties and people.
9.31 Proposals that might affect such sites will therefore need to be carefully assessed. Any assessment should take into account both operations during construction and the changes likely to be brought about by the new use.
9.32 Occasionally, protection of nature conservation features may be outweighed by the need to provide essential infrastructure to support growth in the borough and beyond when there is no other suitable site. When assessing whether there are no other suitable sites, the cost of site acquisition is not a consideration and applicants will need to demonstrate that the proposed infrastructure cannot be disaggregated on to smaller sites within the borough or elsewhere. In circumstances where it is deemed that the need to provide essential infrastructure outweighs the protection of nature conservation features, harm may be permitted. Compensatory measures of an equivalent nature conservation value will be required to offset the harm caused by the development. It should be noted that some habitats take hundreds of years to become established in their current form and therefore it may be impossible to secure a like-for-like replacement.
9.33 Some species of flora and fauna are protected by national and international legislation. The habitats of certain wildlife species are also specifically protected, although the retention of the habitats and adequate foraging areas of all protected species are considered essential for their survival. Specially protected species can be found throughout the borough and are not restricted to designated sites of nature conservation interest. It is therefore always necessary to consider the presence of specially protected species.
9.34 An ecological assessment will be required for developments which will impact land with biodiversity or geo-diversity value. An assessment is also required if a development impacts on species or habits protected by British or European law, included within a Biodiversity Action Plan or when the Council is presented with evidence of protected species.
|
|
|
|
|
9.35 Croydon has strategic objectives to ensure the responsible use of land and natural resources to mitigate and adapt to climate change, to increase the quality of and access to green space and nature, and to protect and enhance biodiversity.
9.36 There is now a wealth of evidence on the many benefits of planting more trees to increase canopy cover, including improving physical and mental health; air quality; water management (reducing flooding); shading; cooling through evapotranspiration; as well as the more obvious benefits of improving biodiversity.
9.37 Increasing tree cover in urban areas can help mitigate the urban heat island through direct shading and by reducing ambient air temperature through the cooling effect of water evaporation from the soil via plant leaves. The shading provided by trees can also reduce energy use for heating and cooling buildings.
The Council will seek to protect and enhance the borough's woodlands, trees and hedgerows by:
How the policy works
9.38 The London Plan and the London Tree and Woodland Framework outline the Right Place Right Tree approach. Available space, the relationship to buildings and ultimate mature tree size will be taken into account by the Council when designing/accepting layouts to avoid causing future relationship issues. The presumption should be in favour of larger trees.
9.39 Examples of types of development that could result in the future loss or excessive pruning of preserved trees or trees that make a contribution to the character of an area include new buildings in close proximity to the tree; or new roads within or accessing a development that pass within close proximity to a tree.
9.40 In all cases where the proposed development could result in the future loss or excessive pruning of preserved trees or trees that make a contribution to the character of an area, an application will need to be accompanied by sufficient information in accordance with BS5837 Trees in relation to design, demolition and construction (2012), or any successor British Standard to determine the future impact upon the trees.
9.41 The loss of preserved trees that make a contribution to the character of the area is occasionally unavoidable. In these instances the council will be guided by BS5837: Trees in relation to design, demolition and construction, Recommendations, 2012 when determining which trees can be removed, although, it is accepted that trees are only one consideration when addressing the competing needs of development. In such cases where trees are to be removed, the Council may impose a condition to require its replacement either, if practical and acceptable on site, and if not possible nor acceptable on site, in another location where it might contribute to the amenity and biodiversity of the local area. When replacing tree proposals should meet the requirements of policy DM10.8.
Key supporting documents
1 10 or more residential units or a site of 0.5 hectares
2 Open Space Needs Assessment and Open Spaces Assessment Standards Report (2009)
3 Lawton, J.H., Brotherton, P.N.M., Brown, V.K., Elphick, C., Fitter, A.H., Forshaw, J., Haddow, R.W., Hilborne, S., Leafe, R.N., Mace, G.M., Southgate, M.P., Sutherland, W.J., Tew, T.E., Varley, J., & Wynne, G.R. (September 2010) Making Space for Nature: a review of England's wildlife sites and ecological network. Report to Defra.
4 DEFRA Guidance for Local Authorities on Implementing the Biodiversity Duty (March 2011)
5 London Plan (Policies 2.18, 5.10, 5.11 and 7.22)
6 Good planning for good food - How the planning system in England can support healthy and sustainable food (Sustain, 2011)
7 The original floor space and volume is as built, or as existed in 1948 for all buildings built prior to this date.
8 Developments of 10 or more residential units, 1,000m2 or more of non-residential floor space or sites more than 0.5ha in extent.
< Previous | ^ Top | Next >