5.1.1 The spatial strategy seeks to provide a sustainable spatial response which balances the need for growth in a constrained, high quality environment with the essential requirement to protect and enhance the Borough’s highly valued assets, character and identity.
5.1.2 The Council is pursuing a growth strategy in line with Government requirements for councils to meet their housing and employment needs and to take advantage of the opportunities of the Elizabeth Line project (Crossrail). In line with its growth ambitions the Council has committed to meeting the full employment and housing needs arising from within the Borough for the period 2013 – 2033.
5.1.3 The Borough has a wealth of natural, cultural, landscape and heritage assets that create a unique and high quality identity. Throughout are physical examples of the area’s long association with the Crown, with many exceptional buildings and places. Distinct towns and villages, each with its own identity and character but all related by an attractive countryside setting which includes royal parkland, River Thames valley and farmland create a high quality environment which is one of the Borough’s defining characteristics. Many of the assets (for example Windsor Castle and Windsor Great Park, River Thames and the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Areas (SPA)) have national and international significance but there is also a rich depth of assets of local significance which are deeply valued by the communities in which they are located. The Council is fully committed to protecting and enhancing these assets as it recognises they are fundamental in creating the character of the Borough and maintaining its success.
5.1.4 The Council recognises that its growth strategy has to take place in a heavily constrained environment. The majority of the Borough is in the Green Belt, and significant areas are affected by severe flood risk. Natural assets such as the Thames Basin Heaths SPA and London Reservoirs Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) impact on large areas of the Borough and there is a need to protect the landscape and heritage assets on which the internationally important visitor economy is built.
5.1.5 Placemaking and providing high quality design and adequate supporting infrastructure (including green infrastructure) in all new development will be of major importance and part of the means of achieving a sustainable balance between delivering growth and protecting the Borough’s environment.
5.1.6 A key element of the spatial strategy is the identification of three sustainable growth areas. These are focused on the existing urban areas of Maidenhead, Windsor and Ascot which together contain the largest concentration of housing and employment opportunities in the Borough. The growth areas are well serviced by transport links, lie outside of locations subject to severe flooding (functional floodplain) and avoid nationally significant natural and heritage resources.
5.1.7 Maidenhead acts as the main centre in the Borough and has excellent rail links to London and the west of England. Its role as an employment, service and commuter location in the wider Thames Valley is anticipated to increase in response to the identification of Maidenhead as one of the Elizabeth Line stations. The Elizabeth Line project is expected to transform travel in the South East by facilitating faster access into and across London, boosting the economy by billions of pounds and supporting intensified development in the form of new jobs and homes in the vicinity of the Elizabeth Line stations.
5.1.8 To take advantage of this major infrastructure facility, and its main service centre role, Maidenhead has been identified as the key location in the Borough to accommodate future growth. A strategic growth location has been identified in Maidenhead encompassing both Maidenhead Town Centre and South West Maidenhead, an extensive area south of Maidenhead Railway Station. Over the plan period it is expected these places will accommodate a large proportion of the Borough’s future housing, employment and mixed use growth. Higher intensities of development will be considered within, and near to Maidenhead Town Centre, to take advantage of sustainable transport links. Provision of green infrastructure, incorporating enhanced walking and cycling routes and public transport will strengthen access to the station, wider town centre environment, open space, recreational facilities and employment areas. A strategy for the rejuvenation of Maidenhead Town Centre is already in place which envisages new shops, homes and employment opportunities, alongside a raft of environmental improvements. South West Maidenhead has good sustainable transport links to the town centre and rail station and is expected to provide for much of the Borough’s future housing and employment growth along with leisure and recreational needs.
5.1.9 Windsor is identified as a smaller growth area than Maidenhead. As a key visitor destination and local service centre, Windsor town centre is an appropriate location to receive limited higher intensity mixed use development although particular attention will need to be given to maintaining and enhancing the character and design of the centre and its heritage and environmental assets. A small extension to the west of Windsor will provide additional housing in a town constrained by internationally recognised heritage assets.
5.1.10 Ascot is also identified as a growth area. The rejuvenation of Ascot High Street is an opportunity to create a community hub through mixed development, including new shopping and housing. The Ascot, Sunninghill and Sunningdale Neighbourhood Plan which was made in 2014, recognised the opportunity to regenerate Ascot High Street through the creation of a community hub supported by new retail and housing. Taking this approach forward, housing growth in Ascot will be focused on the High Street, supported by other site allocations within and on the edge of the Ascot settlement area. Outside the growth locations limited growth will be accommodated within, and on the edges of, those existing settlements inset from the Green Belt.
5.1.11 Employment will continue to be focused in the town centres and in existing employment areas although some expansion of employment space to meet future needs will be accommodated in South West Maidenhead on the Triangle site (land bounded by the A308(M), M4 and west of Ascot Road).
5.1.12 The Borough entirely lies within the extent of the Metropolitan Green Belt. The vast majority is covered by the Green Belt designation with only the towns of Maidenhead, Windsor and Ascot, along with a number of smaller settlements being excluded from it. The Council is committed to protecting the Green Belt but the limited supply of suitable brownfield sites has led to a recognition that not all of the needed growth can be accommodated in settlement locations. A series of studies (including an Edge of Settlement Study undertaken by the Council in 2016), identified and assessed parcels of land around the Borough’s towns and settlements in relation to the purposes of the Green Belt set out in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The majority of the release is concentrated around the strategic growth location of Maidenhead, with smaller releases around the edges of Windsor, Ascot, Cookham, Sunningdale, Datchet and Horton.
5.1.13 The remainder of the document sets out the detail of this spatial strategy and how it will be applied and delivered.
Policy SP 1 Spatial Strategy for the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead 1. The Council’s overarching spatial strategy for the Borough is to focus the majority of development in three strategic growth areas (Maidenhead, Windsor and Ascot) to make best use of infrastructure and services, in addition to providing a sustainable approach to growth. Maidenhead 2. Within Maidenhead new development will largely be focused on the strategic growth location which is comprised of Maidenhead Town Centre and South West Maidenhead. Higher intensity development will be encouraged in the strategic growth location, particularly within the town centre and near to the Maidenhead railway station to take advantage of the Elizabeth Line connections. Windsor 6. Windsor is identified as accommodating limited growth. Windsor town centre has national and international significance as a major focus of visitor and tourist activity based on Windsor Castle and the River Thames. The conservation of existing heritage assets is particularly important, meaning limited development will only be permitted where it seeks to enhance the quality of the built environment and does not compromise its character and appearance. A growth area has been identified on the western edge of the Windsor urban area where limited Green Belt release will accommodate additional housing growth. Ascot 7. Development within the Ascot growth location will be largely focused around the High Street and its immediate vicinity. The coordinated development of several sites related to Ascot High Street will provide the opportunity to strengthen its role as a significant centre in the Borough providing a wide range of uses and activities, and include the provision of public open space. This will be achieved through the redevelopment of existing sites as well as limited Green Belt release. Villages and Green Belt 8. The villages excluded from the Green Belt will continue in their roles as local centres as well as providing limited opportunity to accommodate new development. This will largely be achieved through the redevelopment of existing brownfield sites within the villages alongside limited Green Belt release. 9. The Green Belt will be protected from inappropriate development in line with Government policy. |
5.4.1 In June 2019 the Royal Borough declared an environment and climate change emergency, and in February 2021, adopted the Environment and Climate Strategy 2020-2025. This strategy cross references the key objectives and policies on the environment and climate change set out in this Local Plan, and provides a wider strategic framework and 'plan of action' to achieve the target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
5.4.2 The Environment and Climate Strategy will be a material consideration in the determination of planning applications, and will help inform the preparation of future Supplementary Planning Documents and other planning guidance.
5.4.3 Even with the measures set out in this Local Plan and in the Environment and Climate Strategy, climate change is inevitable. Adaptation to climate change is about making sure future communities can live, work, rest and play in a comfortable and secure environment in the face of inevitable climate change. Taking action now to help successfully achieve adaptation measures would help to reduce vulnerability for people, businesses, services and infrastructure to climate change.
5.4.4 The impacts of climate change are predicted to increase over time, with winters getting warmer and wetter, while summers become hotter and drier. It is expected that there will be more extreme weather leading to impacts including intense rainfall and floods, heatwaves, droughts and increased risk of subsidence. These impacts will affect people’s lives, homes and businesses as well as essential services and supplies such as transport, hospitals, water supply and energy. There will also be significant impacts on biodiversity and the natural environment.
5.4.5 Given the anticipated level of growth of the Royal Borough over the coming years, it is imperative that this growth takes place in a sustainable manner incorporating climate change adaptation technologies. Buildings, services and infrastructure need to be able to easily cope with the impacts of climate change. Part of this ability to cope relates to ensuring that new development is designed to adapt to more intense rainfall, the possibility of flooding, plus heat waves and droughts. The design of developments therefore needs to more carefully consider matters such as shading, insulation and ventilation, surface water runoff and storage and the use of appropriate tree and other planting.
Policy SP 2 Climate Change
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