Portland Neighbourhood Plan Built Up Area Boundary ... · Built Up Area Boundary Assessment 1) Introduction and Objectives The current development boundaries on Portland were established

Portland Neighbourhood Plan

Built Up Area Boundary Assessment

1) Introduction and Objectives

The current development boundaries on Portland were established some time ago and the

current Local Plan established in 2015 simply adopted these. Appendix A refers.

The Development and Growth Report dated August 2017

https://www.portlandplan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Portland-NP-Development-

and-Growth-Report-Sep17.pdf

established that there was no specific need to allocate additional development sites within

the Plan however given the length of time since a review of these boundaries were

undertaken and recognising that development outside of the boundaries had already

occurred it was agreed that a review was necessary.

The basis of the review were the guidelines set out in Annex B.

2) Purpose of the Built Up Area Boundary

Defining the Built Up Area Boundary (BUAB) is a logical way of applying Government

advice and strategic policy at the local level. The BUAB and related policies provide the

basis for development management decisions to:

• define those areas within which planning permission will normally be granted for new

development , subject to other planning policies

• enable the best use to be made of existing and future services

• provide a useful tool to protect against inappropriate development

• preserves the setting of existing settlements by protecting the surrounding

countryside from unnecessary development.

The boundary is important in setting a distinction between the built form of a main

settlement and the surrounding countryside. It is not simply a means of showing the limits of

existing development , as some developed areas lie outside it and some undeveloped

areas lie within it.

The principles to be used in defining what is included within the BUAB are:

• The main existing residential and or commercial areas

• land on edges of the urban areas for which planning permission has already been

granted for residential development

• other land on which residential development maybe acceptable

What is not included within the BUAB are the following:

• school playing fields, recreation ground and allotments, where these adjoin the open

gap area (unless such open spaces are surrounded by the built-up area of the

settlement and they are to be to be designated as open space to protect them from

development)

• groups of isolated houses or other buildings where infilling would not be acceptable

• land within the curtilage of dwelling houses which adjoin the rural area, where ‘back

land’ development would not be acceptable.

Notwithstanding the fact that boundaries provide a useful guide for decision making, it is not

intended that planning permission within such boundaries will automatically be granted, as

all proposals must have regard to all other planning policies.

3) Review Methodology and Conclusions

A Working Group session was arranged as part of the Town Council’s Planning and

Highways Advisory Committee meeting of the 25th October 2017 and details of the

proposed principles to be used (as per Annex B of this report) were circulated as part of the

agenda papers http://www.portlandtowncouncil.gov.uk/Agenda-Planning-Oct-2017.pdf

As set out above it had already been determined that there was sufficient brown field and

previously used land sites on Portland to meet predicted housing demand. As such whilst

the working groups initially looked at both SHLAAR sites and those that had received

planning permission which were indicated as being outside of the existing development

boundary it was subsequently decided to look specifically at those which already had

planning permission only. This would then allow any additional sites to come forward as

exception sites in line with the Development and Growth Strategy paper.

In addition a review of the existing development boundaries was undertaken and those

areas which were remote from the main built up areas. The conclusions are therefore as

follows

Area Ref Decision

Land Rear of Ventnor – 8 units

WP/16/00286/Ful - approved

No – The group were aware that the owner of the site wished this development to proceed on a small scale local level. It was considered that this could be best achieved by not including this within the boundary,

Land South of Augusta Rd-22 Affordable

WP/15/00767/Ful- approved as a Rural exception site

No- by keeping this area outside of the boundary it will remain an exception site

Land to the North of 54 New St

WP/17/00076/RES (In process of construction).Extend boundary to footprint of development. However Ongoing concerns about Japanese Knotweed and proximity to environmental areas

Bumpers Lane WP/17/0017/Res- 71 units

Yes – following the foot print of the application but reinforcing new development boundary safe guards

151 Weston St WP/15/00619/OUT- 8 units

Yes- boundary change will allow reinforcement of remaining open gap.

Land to South of 62 to 72 Weston St

WP/14/00638/FUL Yes – extend boundary to include development to reinforce limit of boundary area

Land opp 139-165 Avalanche Rd

WP/16/00783/FUL Yes – extend boundary to include development with the intention of reinforcing remaining open gap.

Top of Reforne Amend boundary to include Conservation area. Policy protection already assigned to Church setting and recreational spaces.

Southwell Business Park.

Remove boundary to east of site. Align boundary at south to include WP/TOPW/031 . To improve integration .

Tradecroft and Inmosthay

Align development boundary to reflect marked development area which fits with policy Econ 2

Portland Bill Remove development boundary to provide for specific planning approvals

Easton Lane - East

Some minor amendments to existing boundary

Portland Port Land Area

Remove all development boundaries within the area classified as LCA2 ahead of reviewing a Masterplan for the whole of Northern Arc Area

4) Guiding Principles

It is considered given the evidence identified and strategies proposed within the

Neighbourhood Plan development that the guiding principles have been formed to ensure a

fair, consistent and comprehensive approach in identifying and resolving any

inconsistencies with the current boundaries.

The guiding principles have been created by focussing on the separate characteristics and

land use functions of the Built -up area and open spaces.

The BUAB should include existing commitments and new development adjacent to the

boundary.

The BUAB should generally follow defined physical features such as roads, hedges, field

boundaries and existing property lines.

Annex A Existing Development Boundaries

Annex B Portland BUAB Workshop – Defining the Built-up Area

Consistency is the Key

Principle 1: The boundary will be drawn tightly around the built-up areas and, where possible, will follow defined

features such as walls, hedgerows, paths and roads and other lines of communications that are likely to have

a degree of permanence.

Principle 2: Boundaries will include:

a) Buildings and associated land that make up the settlement area, including recent new development

b) Existing commitments for built development i.e. unimplemented planning permissions (unless there

is real doubt that they will be implementable within the plan period)

c) Buildings on the edge of settlements which relate closely to the economic or social function of the

settlement e.g. churches, community halls etc

d) Important amenity areas which form part of the character of the settlement

e) Curtilages which are contained and visually separated from the open countryside and are clearly part

of a network of buildings that form part of the built-up area

f) Site allocations in the LP or NP – but not those subject to an exception site policy

g) The entire part of a dwelling and attached outbuildings, but not necessarily those that are physically

separate

Principle 3: Boundaries will exclude:

a) Important gaps

b) Playing fields or open space at the edge of settlements (unless such open spaces are surrounded by

the built-up area of the settlement and they are to be to be designated as open space to protect

them from development)

c) New allocations for affordable housing

d) Isolated development, or individual groups of dwellings, or areas of business/employment, which

are physically or visually detached from the settlement (

e) Farm buildings or agricultural buildings on the edge of the settlement which relate more to the

countryside than the settlement

f) Large gardens and other open areas which are visually open and relate to the open countryside

rather than the settlement

g) Large gardens or other areas whose inclusion or possible development would harm the structure,

form and character of the settlement

h) Camping and caravan sites unless in year-round permanent residential use

i) Agriculture, forestry, equestrian development, minerals extraction, landfill, water features, public

utilities (sewage treatment plants, substations)

Principle 4: Boundaries do not need to be continuous. It may be appropriate given the nature and form of a settlement

to define two or more separate elements.

Principle 5: Property ownership boundaries should not form the basis for defining the built-up area. The key is, the visual

openness of the land and whether it relates best to the built-up area or countryside.

These principles will need to be applied consistently when defining settlement boundaries and

where judgements are made these will need to be noted.

Annex C Revised Built Up Area Boundaries