Policy DC1 - Developer Contributions
Infrastructure Policy
> Read Justification and Intent
Justification:
Despite perceptions, the Hoe Neighbourhood Area has higher levels of deprivation (IMD score 36.71) compared to the rest of Plymouth (IMD 26.62). Developer contributions arising from local development can help to address relative disparities in deprivation by being retained within the local area.
Community consultation has consistently highlighted the value of the area's blue and green spaces to local people as well as their importance to tourists and visitors. Development which puts additional pressure on local infrastructure, including its blue and green spaces, as well as the movement routes that serve and connect them is expected to mitigate for these pressures through developer contributions.
The Hoe and the waterfront are spectacular and free and should be accessible to all. Fully inclusive physical access is limited by the topography, footpaths around the Hoe Park and foreshore tend to have stepped access due to the steepness of the terrain, with handrails only in the steepest areas. However, the Hoe Promenade, Madeira Road and Hoe Road all provide step-free moderate-gradient level routes for enjoying waterfront views, and parking is available for blue badge holders on the Hoe Promenade.
The Hoe Housing Needs Assessment determined that the Hoe Neighbourhood Area has a higher than average proportion of elderly people than the general Plymouth population. The proportion of residents aged 75 and above will likely rise from 10.9% in 2011 to 16.3% by 2034. This is higher-than-average growth compared to Plymouth, at 5.4% compared to 3.8%. Of those aged 75 and over, 32% say they are limited a lot in their day-to-day activities, and a further 29% are limited a little in their day-to-day activities, as recorded by census data.
The Strategic Housing Market Assessment report also identifies that 20.1% of the resident population in the Housing Market Area has a long-term health problem or disability and that there is a broader need for homes to be suitable to these users as a result of the underlying and increasing level of need.
The Plymouth City Council report on the housing needs of the physically disabled provides evidence for the needs of disabled users. About 10% of the City's population (25,548 people) self-reported that their day-to-day activities were limited a lot by long-term health or disability problems, significantly above the national average of 8.3%. This will increase with the ageing population. The report identifies a need for 330 households to be modified for wheelchair users in particular and sets out that Plymouth City Council should aim to deliver these 330 modified dwellings over a 10-year period.
The Plymouth Waterfront Strategic Masterplan (p 83) also seeks to make walking easier by making various interventions including removing street clutter, improving lighting and safety, redesigning public spaces, adding wayfinding, and creating entirely new walking routes. In particular, at the Hoe, it seeks to improve lighting in Hoe Park.
The Plymouth and South West Devon Joint Local Plan identifies a need to improve accessibility and walking routes in the Hoe and the City Centre in Policy PLY6 and to deliver high-quality and integrated public realm improvements in the Hoe and broader Waterfront area in Policy PLY20. Policy DEV20 requires that developments contribute to high standards of community safety and deliver a good quality sense of place. The additional Plymouth and South West Devon Joint Local Plan Supplementary Planning Document (see pages 87 to 97) specifies that new developments should create accessible and inclusive environments that feel safe and enable active and healthy lifestyles and well-being. The needs of the most vulnerable users should also be considered first when designing new places or integrating new development within existing places.
The ageing population of the Hoe Neighbourhood Area, and that of Plymouth more widely, adds weight to a need for improved accessibility for the elderly. Improvements to extend level access and to ensure that footpaths are well-maintained and safe are important to providing inclusive access for all and encouraging walking for local journeys.
Intent:
Policy DC1 seeks to ensure that the positive impact of developer contributions arising from development within the Hoe Neighbourhood Plan Area is felt within the Hoe Neighbourhood Plan Area. Specific issues to be addressed include improvement in the accessibility of movement routes, biodiversity improvements, and blue and green space amenity improvements.
Key Evidence Sources:
- Community consultation responses
- The Hoe Housing Needs Assessment
- Plymouth Hoe Design Guide
- The Housing Needs of Physically Disabled People in Plymouth
- Plymouth and South West Devon Strategic Housing Market Assessment Part 2
- Plymouth Waterfront Strategic Masterplan
- Plymouth and South West Devon Joint Local Plan Supplementary Planning Document (pages 87 to 97)
Policy DC1: Developer Contributions
- All eligible development will be required to make a Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) payment and/or an agreed contribution through a Section 106 Agreement to mitigate the impacts of development, meet the needs of the growing population, and support the delivery of infrastructure enhancement and spatial improvements.
- Allocation of CIL spending in the Hoe Neighbourhood Plan Area should, as a minimum, prioritise the infrastructure and improvement requirements identified in the area by the community in line with the policies in this plan. Specific needs and opportunities identified during consultation include:
- Opportunities to develop, extend and improve the existing footpath and cycleway networks to provide better connectivity within the local vicinity and to Plymouth as a whole. Such opportunities include where planning permission is granted for development near existing networks.
- All new movement routes are expected to be appropriate for wheelchair users, pushchairs and prams, and those with limited ability for walking.
- Where a development adds additional pressure on a local blue or green space amenity, any spending and/or mitigation should be directed towards that amenity to support improvements identified in the relevant Management Plans for the designated Local Green Space sites.