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4.0 Spatial Strategy and Core Policies

4.1 The determination of what, where and how much development takes place in the Mendip district is set out in this section of the Local Plan and draws upon the vision set out in section 3.

A Spatial Strategy for Mendip

4.2 National Planning Policies set out principles which define an overall framework which local planning authorities should use to define where best to focus growth.  It is the role of the plan making process to use these principles to outline what is the most appropriate means to plan for the area and set this out in a Spatial Strategy.  In simple terms, a Spatial Strategy broadly defines where most development will be focused and what scale of development is appropriate in identified parts of the area. 

4.3 Taking these cues from national policies and drawing on what has been agreed in the Vision for Mendip set out previously, the broad principles Mendip will apply are as follows:⁵

• The majority of new development should be focused in the towns where there are a range of employment opportunities, services, community facilities and other infrastructure. Where necessary local infrastructure will need to be supplemented to meet the needs of the community and local economy.
• Outside of the main towns, appropriate levels of provision for new development should be made in rural areas to meet local needs and to sustain the rural economy.  Again the emphasis is upon delivering the majority of this development in the settlements where people can access local employment or where residents and businesses can make use of available services.
• In smaller communities that have more limited community facilities, small scale development aimed at delivering affordable homes and meeting the specific needs of rural business is considered appropriate.
• Development in the open countryside should be strictly controlled.

4.4 The following subsections now examine each group of settlement types in turn.

The Mendip Towns

4.5 Within Mendip District, the towns of Frome, Glastonbury, Shepton Mallet, the city of Wells and the village of Street all perform traditional market town roles offering employment, services, cultural and community facilities as well as high street shopping to varying degrees.  As the principal centres in the district they offer the best opportunities to deliver sustainable new housing and economic development to meet the needs of the growing population.  The towns of Radstock and Midsomer Norton in neighbouring Bath and North East Somerset also have close functional relationships with some settlements in the wider rural catchment within the north of the district (see paragraphs 4.7 and 4.21).

4.6 In respect of housing growth, the overall objectively assessed needs of Mendip have been updated to reflect projections based on 2011 Census and other data and are set out in a “Review of Housing Requirements” prepared by Justin Gardner Consulting (JGC) (November 2013).  This updates the Housing Distribution Technical Paper which has considered the relative needs of these five settlements examining expected population growth and prospects for employment growth, labour market dynamics, as well as affordable housing need and the availability of brownfield land.  It should be noted that in examining jobs driven housing needs, the JGC update does not seek to update in detail the economic projections for Mendip as set out in the updated Technical Paper published in October 2012.  However, for comparison purposes, job growth projections produced by Experian in spring 2013 have been drawn upon which provide forecasts at District level which are unadjusted to take account of local trends and business requirements. In light of these aspects and in response to the vision statements drawn up for each town, the broad level of housing development and employment land requirements have been determined as set out

4.7 The towns of Radstock and Midsomer Norton lie on the northern fringe of Mendip district. The main built extent of these towns lie in Bath and North East Somerset; but some built development exists within Mendip and other built and permitted development immediately abuts the administrative boundary.  This Local Plan, whilst taking into account development opportunities on land abutting the towns, does not make any specific allocations for development, particularly for housing.  The Council will consider making specific allocations as part of the Local Plan Part II Site Allocations to meet the development needs of Mendip which have not been specifically allocated to any particular location in this Part I Local Plan.  In the event that such allocations are considered, this will be undertaken in consultation with B&NES and local communities.  Any impact on infrastructure in B&NES such as education, transport or community facilities, will be addressed either through s.106 contributions or through CIL arising from new development in Mendip.       

Rural Mendip

4.8 For rural Mendip, the Council has drawn together a broad range of intelligence⁶ related to all of its villages and many of its hamlets, as well as taking regular soundings from parish councils, to understand their character and roles. 

4.9 As set out in the Vision for Mendip, the rural communities are diverse with some being able to meet most everyday needs, including some employment needs, whilst at the other end of the spectrum some consist only of a handful of dwellings and effectively operate as dormitory communities where residents are required to travel for almost all their daily needs

4.10 In considering how best to provide for the localised needs in rural areas, the Council has concluded that there are two principal tiers of settlements:

• Primary Villages – those villages with at least a primary school, a community venue (either a pub or a village hall), a shop able to meet a range of daily needs and a ‘journey to work’ bus service.⁷  Here new residents can meet many of their daily household needs locally and have a realistic transport alternative to the private car in order to access other services and employment.
• Secondary Villages - those villages with some, but not all, of the basic facilities available in the primary villages but that all lie within transport corridors where ‘journey to work’ bus services operate.  On account of their relative accessibility to nearby centres, new development in these villages, albeit of a smaller scale envisaged in the Primary Villages, will enable local needs to be satisfied closer to where that need arises.

4.11 In all other villages and hamlets, which have few or no community facilities and where residents are typically reliant on the private car to meet all their everyday needs, new development of any scale is unlikely to stimulate the provision of new services.  Nevertheless, in exceptional circumstances, as allowed for in national policy and Core Policy 4, these villages may be appropriate places to meet specifically identified local housing needs (as allowed for by Development Policy 12) or dwellings to accommodate rural workers.  Economic development appropriate to the scale and infrastructure available locally may also be appropriate.  It should also be noted that Neighbourhood Plans provide an opportunity for all communities to plan for their own needs should they be so minded so long as the proposals made broadly conform with the policies  of this document.

4.12 In the Open Countryside, in line with national policy, new development will be strictly controlled.  Core Policy 4 (Rural Development) sets out the overall approach which the Council will take in the rural area beyond that which is set out in the Spatial Strategy (Core Policy 1).

4.13 The Council is mindful that there is the potential for the availability of services and facilities within rural communities to change over time which may act to undermine their inherent sustainability.   Regular monitoring of services and facilities, particularly the key community facilities, will be reported in the Authority’s Monitoring Report.  Where communities gain or lose key facilities their status within the settlement classification in Core Policy 1 will be reviewed enabling a more appropriate application of policy.

Application  

4.14 The Council intends to continue to operate its planning framework by defining development limits for those places identified in the Spatial Strategy.  Development limits are clear boundaries which effectively define the principal built form of settlements where most development is to be focused in line with the Spatial Strategy.  Within these development limits, as set out in subsequent policies, most forms of development will be acceptable in principle subject to their compliance with other policies in the Mendip Local Plan, relevant parts of the National Planning Policy Framework or any other material considerations.  Where exceptional development is considered in communities unnamed in the policy (under Core Policy 1 , section 1) a) ii), any site should be broadly adjacent to the existing built extent of the community concerned and have regard to the surrounding landscape setting, as well as being compliant with national and local planning policies.  

4.15 Until reviewed in the Local Plan Part II: Site Allocations, the Council will carry forward from the Mendip District Local Plan (2002) the existing development limits for those settlements named in the Spatial Strategy including proposed amendments to reflect strategic site allocations. 

Mitigating the effects of Development: Strategic Level Impacts arising from Sustainability Appraisal

4.16 In completing the formally prescribed Sustainability Appraisal of the development scenarios a number of approaches were rejected as a result of significant negative impacts.  Of those options remaining most had some residual impacts that would need to be addressed through policy making to mitigate against their effects.  The table below identifies impacts and mitigation measures to address them which will be relevant for development proposals in the district, or those where a specific localised issue was apparent.

4.17 In many of the instances below, the intentions have been incorporated into the Town Strategies (section 5) or into the intentions of Development Management Policies (section 6). However, as a checklist, all proposals should be assessed against this list of strategic impacts to determine their direct effects or in combination effects alongside other proposals.

TABLE 5: Recognised issues arising from the Sustainability Appraisal of the proposed Mendip Spatial Strategy.     

Supporting the Provision of Housing

4.18 Having established the broad overall spatial strategy, the Local Plan must next define the overall level of housing and employment development.  Following the Review of Housing Requirements (2013), and to make provision for around 15 years supply from the likely date of adoption, this Local Plan is making provision for at least 9,635 dwellings in the period 2006-2029 and a development rate of 420 dwellings per annum from 2011-2029.

4.19 Housing provision is a central element in planning for the future of the area.  In Mendip district, the housing market is complex with pressures arising from commuters to larger centres outside the district, those moving into the area (including a substantial proportion of the retired and pre-retired age groups) and the local population, including much of the workforce.  The Review of Housing Requirements has examined these trends and establishes that for the purposes of planning for housing, Mendip represents a self contained Housing Market area albeit with strong links to parts of Bath and North East Somerset in particular.     

4.20 In the updated Housing Distribution Technical Paper (July 2012), prepared to inform this Local Plan, the amount of housing appropriate to each town has been determined through an assessment of population, employment growth, housing need, land supply, environmental limitations and in light of other place based factors which will be discussed further in the town strategies.  The Review of Housing Requirements (2013) concludes that the proposed housing provision set out in the Pre-Submission Draft Local Plan makes provision for Mendip’s objectively assessed needs, although modest additional supply is needed to cater for slightly higher annual needs beyond 2011 and to extend the time horizon of the Plan to 2029. The following paragraphs and tables summarise the essence of the Local Housing Target setting process:

4.21 The Review of Housing Requirements (2013) and the rolling forward of the plan period to 2029 will result in an additional requirement for 505 dwellings in the District.  This will be addressed in Local Plan Part II: Site Allocations which will include a review of the Future Growth Areas identified in this plan.  The Site Allocations document will also be able to take account of issues in emerging Neighbourhood Plans, updated housing delivery, revised housing market areas and housing needs identified through cross boundary working.  Allocations from this roll-forward are likely to focus on sustainable locations in accordance with the Plan’s overall spatial strategy as set out in Core Policy 1 and may include land in the north/north-east of the District primarily adjacent to the towns of Radstock and Midsomer Norton in accordance with paragraph 4.7 above.

4.22 The residual level of housing to provide 9,635 dwellings will be met through the strategic sites identified in this Plan and allocations made through the Local Plan Part II.  For the avoidance of doubt, however, and taking account of advice in the NPPF on the need to increase housing delivery and maintain a rolling five year supply, the requirements in Core Policy 2 will be treated as minima to be achieved over the plan period.  The Council will explore opportunities to deliver above the policy minimum through the site allocations process in the Local Plan Part II, including in primary and secondary villages, informed by the testing of site options through local consultation and Sustainability Appraisal.  Opportunities for such additional provision may arise where the most effective planning of sites needed to meet the requirements of individual settlements would naturally enable somewhat higher levels of development.  In this regard, provision on a settlement by settlement basis will not be artificially constrained to exactly match the numerical requirement as set out in Core Policy 2.  The need to plan for proportionate levels of growth in Primary and Secondary Villages will, however, remain an essential consideration in accordance with the spatial strategy set out in Core Policy 1.  Local communities may also wish to support higher levels of growth, for example through the Part II Site Allocations process, through Neighbourhood Plans or in accordance with Core Policy 4.

Establishing a Local Housing Distribution

4.23 The following paragraphs and tables summarise the process of establishing a local housing distribution:

A number of options were developed reflecting different pressures arising from population growth, employment growth, affordable housing need and land supply. Each option was then subjected to Sustainability Appraisal which sought to identify benefits and drawbacks associated with the levels of development proposed under each. Those raising significant negative impacts were set aside. Following this scoping exercise, each town and the rural area was assigned a broad range based on the numbers set out in the remaining options.  Local considerations, including issues arising from the Vision, identified constraints, land supply, were then applied to each set of numbers to determine where in the range the level of provision should be fixed.  The table below summarises the issues and sets out the local target established

TABLE 6: Summary of the exercise used to determine local housing targets

Housing at the Mendip Towns

4.24 Having established appropriate development levels for each town it is necessary to consider the supply of land available to deliver the housing.  The table below sets out the supply picture at the 31st March 2013 and draws conclusions about the need to identify land to accommodate housing development.  Decisions about housing provision in rural areas will be made in the Local Plan Part II: Site Allocations document in line with Core Policy 1.

TABLE 7: Mendip District Housing Land Supply at 31st March, 2013

4.25 The table concludes that in each town, to a greater or lesser degree, expected sources of urban land alone will not be sufficient to satisfy the identified requirements.  The Key Diagrams associated with the Town Strategies (associated with Core Policies 6, 8,9 and 10) identify Strategic Sites on new greenfield land which consultation and evidence have indicated most appropriate to consider for development.  These are differentiated into two types, namely:

• Development areas which are allocated to meet the needs of the plan period
• Future Growth Areas on adjacent land which would represent logical extensions for subsequent plan periods, or offer flexibility in the latter part of the plan period if housing supply from other sources does not materialise or if other evidence warrants the further release of land.  Any release of additional land will normally be made through future site allocations. However, where housing completions in the relevant town fall more than 20% behind the expected rate of delivery implied by the annual target provision set out in Core Policy 2, the Council will consider the reasons for this and may resolve to bring forward the release of land in advance of the Site Allocations document.  Equally, land within Future Growth Areas may be released where this would logically contribute to a better pattern of development in the release of allocated sites.

4.26 In order to encourage a longer term and proactive view in planning for new development, the Council will, where necessary, require the production of and formal adoption as Supplementary Planning Documents (SPD) of Development Briefs and Masterplans for the Strategic Sites.  These documents will inform the development of sites and, where appropriate consider - over timescales beyond the current plan period - where strategic scale infrastructure and community facilities would be appropriate.

4.27 In Glastonbury, there are a number of matters to balance up, namely;

1. land supply from committed and identified sites in the SHLAA falls marginally short of that required.
2. the town is heavily constrained by landscape, environmental and flood risk constraints
3. there are competing demands for the use of scarce developable land for employment use
4. the close relationship of the town to nearby Street which forms part of the same housing sub-market area and which has less constrained land supply

In light of the uncertainties surrounding these issues, the Council will, through the Local Plan (Part II) - Site Allocations process, allocate modest additional greenfield land to address any shortfall in housing land supply that is identified at that time.

Housing for Rural Communities

4.28 In considering the level of housing to plan for it was concluded that the Council should provide only for locally arising population growth encapsulated in a development level of 1,780 homes. This level of housing does not cater for the demands arising from those wanting to move to the area which, based on 2009 household projections, amounted to 4,320 new homes.  To provide for this higher level of housing would dramatically alter the character of communities, generate growth in unsustainable travel, as well as putting pressure on limited local infrastructure. 

4.29 Subsequent 2010 household projections reduced the locally arising growth component to 1,190 new homes and the full household growth (including immigration) to 2,545 homes.  The 2012 Housing Distribution Technical Paper considers the issues involved, concluding that to fulfil the 2,545 figure would impose levels of development on villages that would be out of scale, yet to reduce provision to 1,190 using the previously justified locally arising needs figure would mean that legitimate demand from migration would not be satisfied over the plan period.  In conclusion, and reflecting the intensive consultation with rural parishes involved in agreement of the initial 1,780 figure, the Council has concluded that this level strikes a balance between satisfying all locally arising needs as well as a significant proportion of the demand expected to arise from in-migration.  The updated Housing Requirements Study (2013) also confirms that the proposed rural housing requirement is well in excess of projected natural change. 

4.30 The acknowledged gap between the proposed 1,780 and the full projected household growth means that there will be a mismatch between rural supply and trend based projections including in-migration.  This is in line with the overall spatial strategy of locating most development in the towns where there are a range of jobs, services and facilities. The implications and mitigatory measures proposed are considered in relation to Core Policy 4.

4.31 Having established a reasoned level of provision for rural Mendip, consideration is now given to how the planned 1,780 homes would be distributed across the numerous and varied rural settlements within the district.  From a national policy angle, the aim is to deliver a sustainable pattern of development which allows new households access to services and some form of transport choice to larger centres but in a manner which allows housing need to be met as locally as possible.  At a local level, a lengthy and intensive period of engagement with Parish Councils concluded that two broad principles should be applied in distributing new rural development:

1. That new development should be located in villages with certain key services, including the best available public transport services.
2. That levels of new development in each place should be appropriate to their existing scale and have regard to environmental constraints.

4.32 In developing and revising this approach it was concluded that there are 16 villages (termed Primary Villages in Core Policy 1) which had core facilities – namely a primary school, a shop meeting a range of daily needs, a meeting place (whether a public house or a village hall) and a public transport service that allowed people to at least reach a nearby town by 9am and return them to their village after 5pm.  These villages would be the first places to consider when distributing planned rural housing in the Local Plan.  In response to the second principle set out in the preceding paragraph, the Council proposes village housing requirements based on a proportionate growth equating to 15% of the existing housing stock.  These have been adjusted taking account of identified local constraints to tailor development levels in each community to an appropriate scale.

4.33 A further group of 13 villages (termed Secondary Villages in Core Policy 1), had the same public transport service but only two of the remaining core facilities.  Hence, where the rural development was unable to be accommodated in the Primary Villages (predominantly on account of the excessive scale of new homes proposed when compared to the existing stock of dwellings) these Secondary Villages were considered well placed to accommodate a more modest amount of new homes, again applying the 15% guideline as a proportionate level of growth.  The inclusion of these villages has also allowed local housing needs to be met more locally. 

4.34 The tables below summarise the conclusions of the exercise including the contribution that development from 2006 – 2013 has made towards the identified requirements for each village

Full details of the methodology used are set out in section 6 of the 2012 Housing Distribution Technical Paper. 

TABLE 8: Proposed Housing Requirements for Primary Villages 2006-2029.  Development figures are updated annually and published on the Council’s website.

TABLE 9: Proposed Housing Requirements for Secondary Villages 2006-2029.  Development figures are updated                          annually and published on the Council’s website.

4.35 The total housing proposed in the Primary and Secondary Villages amounts to 1160 homes.  This leaves 620 of the 1,780 total earmarked for the rural area.  405 of these already arise from dwellings granted consent or built in other rural locations between 2006 and 2013.  The remaining 230 are currently unallocated, however it is expected that further consents will be granted outside of the villages identified in this Local Plan prior to its adoption.  Furthermore, opportunities will continue to exist within existing development limits and on well related brownfield sites and so a limited degree of overprovision can be expected.  Monitoring of completions and consents will seek to ensure supply is managed within the overall framework of this Local Plan.

4.36 In terms of how the Council will promote the delivery of the proposed housing requirements in each place.  The following principles will be followed:

1. In villages where the residual level of development is less than 15 homes the Council will, with regard to the supply of development land within existing development limits, assume that housing supply will be delivered from small site development within defined development limits during the remaining period to 2029.  Where land supply suggests this is not achievable, small adjustments of existing development limits will be made in the Local Plan Part II: Site Allocations process.  Recommendations about areas of land to include will be based upon views expressed by the community where there has been an informed and objective consideration of the relative merits and drawbacks of sites promoted through the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA).
2. In villages where the residual level of development is in excess of 15 homes, the Council will, with regard to the supply of development land within existing development limits, allocate sites and/or make adjustments to existing development limits to deliver the majority of the residual housing requirement through the Local Plan Part II: Site Allocations process.  Recommendations about areas of land to include will be based upon views expressed by the community where there has been an informed and objective consideration of the relative merits and drawbacks of sites promoted through the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA).
3. The selection of sites within the Local Plan Part II: Site Allocations process will be informed by the relative benefits and disbenefits of sites and in line with relevant national planning policies, the Local Plan, site specific Sustainability Appraisal work and any local material considerations.
4. In all circumstances the Council will ensure that new land released makes appropriate contributions to the delivery of local infrastructure or contributes to wider strategic objectives defined as being relevant to the community concerned or the wider locality.  In all cases this will include affordable housing provision in line with Development Policy 11.

4.37 It should be noted that the Local Plan Part II: Site Allocations process will not begin until 2014 and is unlikely to be concluded until mid 2016 based on the current procedural requirements.  The residual levels of development in each village will be monitored to ensure that when allocations come to be made all recently completed and consented development is accounted for.

Affordable Housing

4.38 Affordability in Mendip’s housing market has worsened considerably in the last decade.  The West of England Strategic Housing Market Assessment (2009) considered a range of measures in the broader housing market.  A key figure in the tables prepared for Mendip’s sub-housing market areas was that even during the best market conditions (higher supply, shallower rises in house prices) only 61% of newly forming households would be able to afford to buy or take on market rents for housing across the district as a whole. In Frome and Shepton Mallet the levels were marginally less with the best situation allowing up to 65% of new households to compete in the housing market.  In Wells, for much of the next decade, less than half of new households will be able to reasonably access market housing.  Updated information in a Housing Needs Assessment produced for the Council in 2012 indicates that the situation is not improving despite recent falls in house prices. Using a slightly different methodology it records that the proportion of newly forming households unable to afford market housing increased to 75% in 2012.

4.39 A supply of affordable housing is therefore important yet chronic undersupply already ensures that a backlog of around 1,224 households are on the Council’s waiting lists in 2012.  If all those projected to be in housing need notified the Council to join the waiting list, that figure could increase by 522 to 743 per year until 2016, depending upon differing assumptions used.

4.40 Since 2010, the Government has introduced a range of changes to the funding and manner in which it sees housing needs being met including a proposed cap on housing benefit, replacement of properties in “social rented”⁹ tenures with new ones in an “affordable rented” tenure and indication that the private rented sector can be used to address a higher proportion of need.  Such measures may address those households whose incomes fall just short of being able to compete in the open housing market, however in Mendip, where median incomes fall short of that needed to secure even “affordable rented” properties it remains unclear how far these measures will tackle the scale of the problem indicated by the research referred to above.  To compound the problem further, the economic downturn since 2009 has seen development viability decline in turn limiting the proportion of affordable housing able to be negotiated on the back of market housing. 

4.41 Given that the proposed 9,635 housing requirement for Mendip as a whole would deliver around 420 homes per year to 2029, it is clear that the problem is not one that can be fully solved through the level of development considered appropriate in the previous section.  The council continues to work closely with Housing Associations to facilitate their affordable housing delivery programmes. Ultimately the Council is open to negotiation about any scheme that can secure and make available housing to meet identified needs.

4.42 Against this background, the Council will continue to maximise, as far as development viability can bear, the delivery of affordable homes.  As a result Core Policy 2 sets out the Council’s intention to secure affordable housing, or a contribution in lieu on small sites.  The mechanics of these requirements are addressed in more detail in Development Policies 11 and 12.

Housing Density

4.43 The Council does not intend to impose a rigid housing density policy for new residential developments.  The density of development should primarily be established through careful consideration of local context, local character and specific site conditions having regard to matters set out in Development Policies 1-10.

4.44 Nevertheless, the Council is mindful that land is efficiently used in order that the need for new greenfield land for development is minimised. Hence, as broad guidelines, the net density of new housing development (i.e. the developable area excluding roads, footpaths and other public areas) should aim to be equal to or greater than the levels set out below.

• Sites within towns       -  30-40 dwellings per hectare
• Sites in rural areas      -  25-30 dwellings per hectare

4.45 Issues arising from higher density development will be managed by Development Management Policies, notably those related to design, amenity and environmental protection.  Where an application for development is of a density significantly lower than the guidelines above without reason that is obviously apparent from the local context, applicants will be expected to specifically explain their approach in their Design and Access Statement.

Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation

4.46 Government has made it clear that provision to meet the needs of Gypsy and Traveller communities must be planned for through the Local Plan process as set out in a separate policy document called “Planning Policy for Traveller Sites” published alongside the National Planning Policy Statement in March 2012.  In essence it sets out that where councils do not adequately plan for these needs, planning applications for sites in any location (subject to conformity with national and local planning policies) may be granted on appeal to the Planning Inspectorate. 

4.47 The Council intends to plan for the level of provision set out in the most current Gypsy and Traveller Needs Assessment (as set out in the text supporting Development Policy 15) when it undertakes a dedicated Site Allocations DPD in 2014 and, in advance of that, will undertake an exercise to identify potential sites to allocate in the same way that the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) does for mainstream housing. 

4.48 In the interim period, proposals submitted to the Council will be assessed against the criteria within Development Policy 15 as well as the content of “Planning Policy for Traveller Sites.”  The criteria in the policy will also be used to consider the suitability of potential sites it may seek to allocate.

Supporting Business Development and Growth

Overview

4.49 The needs of the Mendip economy have been central in considering the strategy pursued in this Local Plan.  In the deliberations over housing numbers and in drafting the Town Strategies set out in section 5, business and employment growth as well as the health of the labour market have been carefully analysed.

4.50 A successful local economy is only as good as the opportunities that are made available to establish new enterprises, the workforce it offers and the entrepreneurs that can be encouraged, retained or attracted to the area.  This Local Plan intends to set out a position that “Mendip is Open for Business” by limiting the amount of policies put in the way which may hold back the rapid delivery of new economic activity and also by promoting a range and choice of sites and premises which enable as broad a spectrum of end users to find a niche in the district.  The wider flexibility of the plan should also enable new firms, existing firms and those from outside the area to approach the Council with the confidence that planning is not a barrier to economic development and job creation.

Overall Prospects for the Mendip Economy to 2030

4.51 Section 2 of this Plan gives an overview of the structure and prospects for the local economy. Analysis for the Heart of the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP)¹⁰ undertaken in 2012 indicates that in pure employment growth terms the district has the preconditions to deliver the highest level of average annual employment growth in the period from 2012 to 2030 across the whole of Devon and Somerset. Whilst that level of job growth will be around a third lower than observed in 2000-12, it is important that this potential is exploited.

4.52 Mendip’s economy is generally a diverse one with all main sectors represented in some way.  There are few large companies and a lot of activity is focused around local trade.  To some extent, this has meant that the local economy has remained resilient during the financial crisis and recession since 2008.  Projected job losses have not materialised and the LEP work sees Mendip, again, at the top of the list of district/unitary areas in terms of the time taken for employment to recover to pre-recession levels.

4.53 Projected growth in coming years is most clearly expected in the Business Services and Other Services which have recently been disaggregated into six main groupings.  Four of these – Information and Communication, Business Administration/Support Services, Arts, Entertainment and Recreation, and most significantly, Professional, Scientific and Technical – have the greatest growth potential.

4.54 These uses are relatively footloose in the sense that they can be located in a range of settings varying from urban and rural home offices, studio space in converted buildings, commercial premises in town centres as well as business/office parks.  All of these can be relatively compatible with residential uses which mean that their locations are not particularly limited.  The same can be said for hospitality businesses although the primary focus for these will be town centres, other commercial clusters and rural locations linked to leisure and recreation activities. 

4.55 The traditional industrial estate and trading estates where the range of uses may be less compatible with other uses, notably housing, will still have a role.  Storage and distribution, haulage, construction and other services such as waste management, motor trade and niche manufacturing all have growth and modernisation potential.

4.56 Health and education represent the most prominent public service employers in the district.  New provision at Glastonbury and Frome in recent years has already delivered new jobs.  However, the challenges of caring for the ageing population and growth in alternative therapies mean that there is an increasing private component.  Private schools and other training enterprises mirror this in the education sector.

4.57 Agriculture and quarrying, two significant rural sectors, are expected to remain static or see modest decline in employment on the back of modernised working practices and a consolidation of activity into fewer, larger operations.  

Economic Vision and Strategy

4.58 The Vision within the Council’s corporate plan for 2012-2015 is Mendip - a place to be proud of - where people, communities and businesses are encouraged to achieve their potential.  Underpinning this, are four priorities that provide a framework for this to happen. One of the priorities is to support business development and growth.  A review of Mendip’s economic strategy is currently underway to ensure that the role of the Council is refocused and that as an organisation it is better placed to help grow the economy and deliver business development activities.

Land Supply

4.59 The availability of traditional employment land on industrial estates, trading estates and other sites varies from town to town.  All have well established estates which are hives of diverse activity and there is a reasonable amount of turnover, offering space of varying prices and configurations.

4.60 Commerce Park at Frome, Morlands at Glastonbury and Cathedral Park at Wells represent new high quality serviced land available to accommodate new and growing businesses.  Similar land at Street Business Park is expected to come online in the next few years.  Other land, where the principle for employment use has been established, exists at Dulcote Quarry near Wells and the Bath and West Showground site.

4.61 In rural areas, small business parks and trading estates exist linked to villages or in more remote locations and they are supplemented by converted rural premises which offer space of varying quality and size. 

4.62 New employment land needs have been established using data from three broad areas of work, namely:

1. Economic Projections – a broad assessment of the likely growth of jobs in the local economy was undertaken in spring 2012 by Oxford Economics for the Heart of the West of England LEP.  Following a review of this data, the Council has chosen to plan for mid range job growth  as set out in the table below.  Having identified likely job creation at a town level, broad assumptions about land and necessary floorspace requirements have been applied to identify new land needs and understand the types of development to plan for.
2. Development Monitoring – understanding the level of new completions, changes of use and, losses enables supply to be paced to demand.
3. Land and Premises Survey – undertaken every 5 years this study allows the state of existing main employment sites to be assessed in order to determine their ongoing contribution to the needs of business in the area and their impacts on communities.  The 2012 version incorporates the survey of local businesses to understand likely needs of existing firms already present in the district.  This helps understand emerging land demands driven by modernisation, trends in business practice, support needs and other expectations. 

4.63 The considerations around the level of new floorspace and land to be allocated are set out in the Employment Land and Premises Technical Paper (October 2012) and can be summarised as set out in the table below. The types of space have been broadly disaggregated to enable some understanding of the likely needs for space taking into account the types of activity – i.e. its compatibility with other land uses.

4.64 The Traditional Employment Land typology groups uses where impact from goods vehicles, on site noise and disturbance and building scale would warrant specific land provision.  This would include storage and distribution uses, construction yards, bulk processing and larger scale manufacturing uses.

4.65 At the other end of the spectrum are Town Centre Uses such as offices, hospitality, shops and leisure uses which, with appropriate design, can be readily integrated into most urban settings.

4.66 Between the two are Commercial Uses such as motor trade uses, research and development and some property management activities which could be accommodated as part of mixed use development or in tandem with industrial land provided that appropriate infrastructure and amenity considerations are observed. 

4.67 Demands for space for education and health uses are not quantified as the nature of facilities will vary from schools, training facilities and heath centres down to consulting rooms and optician shops which could be accommodated in town centre, commercial or even residential settings.   

TABLE 10: Summary calculations determining employment land supply 2006-30 

Leisure, Recreation and Tourism

4.68 Leisure, Recreation and Tourism are an important part of the Mendip economy generating prosperity from the array of natural, historical and cultural assets which the district is blessed with.  The area serves a significant role in meeting short trip visits from people living in the surrounding major urban centres but also has its own events and qualities which encourage longer stays in the area, most notably the Glastonbury Festival and associated events which in 2007 was estimated to bring over £73m to the economy.

4.69 Whilst wanting to encourage visitors to come to the district and enjoy their experience, the Council has always been mindful that tourism can have its drawbacks.  Overdevelopment associated with the varied features which attract people to the area only contributes to diminishing the overall experience which visitors and local people benefit from.  This in turn undermines the wealth creating opportunities.  As a result, the Council aims to take a measured approach to considering tourist development with a primary aim being to ensure that the quality of provision is maintained and improved, whilst the scale of development is in keeping with the area and its constituent communities.

Improving the potential of the local workforce

4.70 Any workforce has to be adaptable to change and in the last 20 years Mendip’s towns in particular have seen a transformation in their local economies arising from changing business practices and most notably globalisation.  The local workforce, through its own efforts and some support from public agencies, has for the most part up-skilled from lower paid manual activities to those, for example, of a semi-skilled and customer focused nature or have established their own businesses.

4.71 In planning for the future, particularly one where global pressures are more prominent, the Council wants to promote a better partnership between businesses and the area by encouraging investment in people as well as places.  By improving skills through occupational training employees can be more productive and responsive to the needs of business, in turn enabling wage levels to be improved, which is important given the issues of affordability in the housing market.

4.72 Accordingly, where new business investment is proposed that would create 10 or more jobs, the Council will seek to negotiate a local labour agreement which will be aimed at encouraging businesses to offer new jobs in the local area in the first instance, put in place training arrangements with local providers and, where appropriate, encourage procurement of goods and services locally to reinforce business networks and the local economy. 

The Council is keen to ensure that the path to securing planning consent, especially for business development, is as smooth as possible.  The most effective means of achieving a swift decision is for applicants and agents, or business owners themselves, to contact the Council well before a development scheme begins to be conceived.  This will allow relevant matters to be explored and clear advice given about the level of supporting information that may be required in making an application.  Furthermore, where relevant, third party advice from other organisations (e.g. Highway Authority, Environmental Protection) can be secured in good time.  This early engagement will enable any subsequent planning application to be more easily determined.

Sustaining Communities in Rural Mendip

4.73 Core Policies 6-10 in section 5 set out strategies for the district’s principal towns to outline how strategic level needs will be delivered.  As considered in the Spatial Strategy (set out in Core Policy 1) they are the main focal points for growth. 

4.74 However, as set out in the district wide Vision, Mendip is a predominantly rural district and the Local Plan needs to give a clear view of the development principles which will apply across this varied area.  Distilled from the Vision for Mendip and associated objectives in section 3, the priorities for rural development can be summarised as:

• Protection of the open countryside for its intrinsic value and as a resource for a range of uses including wildlife, agriculture, tourism and recreation.   
• Provision of housing to meet specific local needs including affordable housing to enable people to live and work locally or stay in communities where they have a clear local connection.   
• Delivering most development in places where people can access services and facilities using a choice of means of transport.
• Supporting the rural economy, although ensuring that the scale of development is appropriate to the rural setting. 
• Protection of essential community infrastructure and ensuring that it is extended where development imposes undue burdens upon it.

4.75 Detailed proposals specific to individual villages will be pursued through the Site Allocations process (Part II of this Local Plan – to be commenced in 2014) but this section establishes an overall strategy for rural development.  However, for most other forms of rural development, the Council will not be as prescriptive and will use national guidance and development management policies set out in section 6 of this document to determine applications for development.

Housing

4.76 Core Policies 1 and 2 establish an overall framework for the distribution and amount of housing development across rural Mendip with the main elements being:

• focusing all new planned development in the identified Primary and Secondary Villages where new rural residents will have good access to basic services and facilities including a public transport choice.
• delivering all locally arising needs and a proportion of wider household growth which will occur in response to people choosing a rural lifestyle by moving from other areas.

4.77 Paragraph 4.28 concludes that whilst all projected household growth across the district will be met, a proportion of the non-local growth in rural areas will not be provided for on account of the scale of development this would impose on some villages.  The implications of this are that undersupply may further pressurise affordability for local people.  In response to this it is valid to point out that: 

• The Plan as a whole makes provision for 9,635 new homes across Mendip district having objectively assessed needs associated with household growth, job creation and labour market dynamics.   
• Greater attention to the mix of housing being delivered in rural communities under Development Policy 14 should mean that more new housing is better suited to needs in the local market rather than what housebuilders, over recent years, have been delivering to appeal to buyers from further afield.   

4.78 A further area of concern raised in consultation was that the concentration of new development into a limited number of villages would condemn smaller villages and hamlets to higher prices, declining demand for, and consequential loss of, local services and an inability of rural workers to secure housing. 

4.79 In response to these issues, the key point needing to be addressed is how new rural development can be focused to better meet local needs, and particularly, to deliver more affordable homes.  Making allocations of housing in smaller villages would satisfy both concerns.  However, to allocate small sites across a further tier of villages would be a mammoth undertaking.  Furthermore allocations could not be guaranteed to focus on meeting local needs as premium land values would necessarily justify viable developer returns accrued through more large, high value properties that don’t tackle the fundamental issue at hand. 

4.80 In line with the principles of Localism, and to bypass the need for a community referendum which the government’s Community Right to Build imposes, the Council considers that a community led or community supported development is a progressive means for all Parish Councils to have a greater say in the development that they need.

4.81 Clause 2 of the policy below, clarified in more detailed terms in Development Policy 12, makes allowance for Rural Exception Sites, and as the National Planning Policy Framework allows for, the Council has concluded that such sites can now include an element of market housing where four additional tests are met.

4.82 In addition to this policy, the Council is also mindful of the continuing need to provide accommodation for rural workers who by nature of their land based enterprises, need to live on or in close proximity to their holding.  Development Policy 13 sets out the circumstances and policy measures which applicants will need to satisfy in securing planning permission for such properties. 

Economic Development

4.83 Rural Mendip is an extensive area with a range of economic development opportunities that are able to be exploited.  Agriculture, quarrying and tourism are key examples, however there are a plethora of small businesses, of a scale appropriate in a rural setting, which generate wealth and employment.  However, as policies in this Plan and within national policy make clear, the desirability of unfettered development in the countryside must not undermine its intrinsic value.  Indeed, recreation and tourism is predicated on the back of the district’s rural character.  In line with Core Policy 3, the Council will support the emergence and growth of rural enterprises and clause 4 of the policy below sets out additional specific policy relating to rural economic development.

4.84 A key element of the approach is an acknowledgement that the evolution of small enterprises, perhaps based initially in a domestic setting or converted rural buildings (as allowed for under Development Policy 22), into larger businesses may not always be appropriate.  This may be because, for example, of the impact of new buildings in the rural setting, or higher levels of traffic generation on unsuitable rural roads.  However, to move the business from its origins to a town may sever employee links or change the business ethos or image.  In response to this, and to rebuild inherent sustainability of rural settlements the Council intends to be proactive in promoting allocations of small employment sites in the Primary Villages listed in Core Policy 1.  This does not exclude the potential for schemes to be brought forward by applicants in other villages.

4.85 Clause 5 of the policy gives a steer that the delivery of new community facilities will be supported whether commercial or otherwise.  Subject to support from the community, the Council may consider that other forms of development – typically housing – could be used to cross subsidise new facilities.  In such circumstances the Council will require open book accounting of the scheme to demonstrate that any additional development is proportionate to the cost of delivering the proposed facility and that a viable business plan is provided by a committed operator, or community group.   

Local Infrastructure

4.86 Rural development has largely been incremental in nature and this means that the impact on local infrastructure, whether services like sewage systems or facilities like schools, cumulatively take on more and more demand.  Critical thresholds have, or are close to being reached in some communities as set out in the Infrastructure Delivery Plan accompanying this Local Plan.  As set out in Core Policy 1 new development will be expected to contribute to new local infrastructure and in some cases this may mean that upgrade works will be required prior to any new growth being accommodated.

4.87 Community facilities have seen decline over many decades in response to changing social trends, competition from town based commercial activity, wider car ownership, technology and, consequentially, economics viability.  The Council cannot hold back many of these changes and it is for operators to adapt, diversify and maintain custom from their communities.  Planning policies will broadly support any efforts by operators.  However, there are examples where individuals or organisations make decisions of convenience, typically to capitalise a land asset or building that would condemn an otherwise viable service or facility to be lost with clear consequences for users in the community.  Development Policy 17 sets out a number of tests that will be applied where development or a change of use affecting a premises used for a community use is proposed. 

Encouraging Community Leadership

Local Context

4.88 The District Council takes a leading role in defining the issues of the district and works with partners to ensure they are addressed.  In this, the Council’s role is as much to work to enable actions to be taken forward by other agencies as it is to undertake direct delivery.  In a context of decreasing resources, it is imperative that the Council uses the resources at its disposal to best effect.  In the sphere of planning the District Council will continue to maintain the role of Local Planning Authority and in exercising this function it must retain a strategic overview. 

4.89 However, a community leadership role complements the strategic role, encouraging and supporting the development of communities so they are able to take forward issues at a local level.  Stronger links must be built between the public organisations, including the District Council, and parish councils to encourage greater ownership of issues and services at parish level.  There must also be an understanding between parish councils and other public organisations of the role each can take in developing and supporting the community through encouraging local self-action.  These are the principles of Localism. 

4.90 To this end, policy making and decisions about development will always be better informed by the input of local communities where development is proposed.  The development process makes allowance for the views of communities and affected parties to comment upon development proposals but this is more often than not reactive to relatively advanced proposals.  Since the 1990’s a range of initiatives, some of which are described in the adjacent box, have been promoted to enable communities to be more proactive in defining their goals whether related to development or to the achievement of wider objectives involving other interests.

Examples of Community Led Guidance Parish Plans are underpinned by an informed and consultative preparation process providing a means for local communities to articulate short, medium and longer term goals aimed at improving quality of life, economic activity and maintenance of environmental quality.  Ensuring buy in by interests who will deliver action is an essential part of the process, and where achieved – through collaborative negotiation - the activity of local groups, public agencies and private investment can work towards the outcomes over time.  Town and Village Design Statements, again prepared in a consultative manner, allow communities to define what is important and characteristic about their locality in order that new development proposals can be better informed.  Local Housing Needs Assessments provide a means for local needs to be better understood in order that affordable housing schemes and market housing proposals deliver the right types of housing.

4.91 The following policy therefore gives a clear and positive statement that community led guidance, where informed by evidence, prepared in consultation with the wider community and formally endorsed by the Council will be given full weight in the development process, informing future planning policy and proposals as well as helping the Council to approve better development.  

Neighbourhood Plans

4.92 During the preparation of this Local Plan, the Government has introduced Neighbourhood Plans which offer opportunities for parish and town councils to shape how development takes place in their communities.  Within available resources, the Council will support the preparation of such plans which have a prescribed procedure as set out in regulations.  Section 1 of the plan explains a bit more about this and the interaction of policies in Neighbourhood Plans with this Local Plan.

4.93 Some communities have questioned whether Neighbourhood Plans supersede the types of guidance described above.  The simple answer here is no.  The need for information and guidance about community needs, built character and local aspirations remains and may be important as a starting point to define what a Neighbourhood Plan might contain.  In many cases, these forms of guidance may be all that a community needs to, say, encourage better design or deliver homes that are better tailored to the needs of local people. 

4.94 Parish and town councils are encouraged to get in touch with the District Council at an early stage to discuss what they want to achieve and in turn, officers will advise on what would be the most appropriate course of action for the community to pursue. Information is available on the Council’s Neighbourhood Planning website.

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⁵ More detailed consideration of these issues is set out in the Technical Paper "Housing Distribution Options for Mendip" (September 2012)

⁶ In a document called "Rural Settlement Role and Function Study" (2012)

⁷ A bus service that enables residents to arrive in an employment centre (i.e. one of the 5 Mendip towns or other major centres outside the district) by 9am and then return them home after 5pm.

⁸ Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) roll-forward to March 2013 - Totals of 'B' sites (acceptable in principle within development limits).

⁹ Affordable Housing is an umbrella term for a range of tenures of housing. Social Rented properties are made available at rent levels typically below 30% of market rents. Affordable Rented properties are typically let at 75% of market rents. There are other tenures within a grouping called Intermediate Housing where rents or purchase prices are set anywhere between 70 and 95% of market rents. Finally, Shared Ownership/Shared Equity/Homebuy properties are made available on a part buy, part rent basis.

¹⁰Local Enterprise Partnerships are successors to the previous Regional Development Agencies. Involving private and public sector interests the Heart of the South West of England LEPs stated purpose is to lead and influence outcomes for economy of Devon, Somerset, Plymouth and Torbay by improving economic growth and job creation.

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