Section 5: Hoe Neighbourhood Development Plan Policies

5.1  
This section sets out the Hoe Neighbourhood Development Plan policies. The policies necessarily focus on issues concerning land use and development. Each policy is presented within a yellow box and preceded by an account of relevant justification for and intent of the policy. 

5.2  
During the course of the work to produce the Hoe Neighbourhood Development Plan, a number of other actions were identified that could not be framed or were best not framed as planning policies. Some were simply not land use or development issues. They were nevertheless considered important given the views expressed by local residents and their fit with the Plan’s objectives. These have become “Community Aspirations” (instead of policies) that we, the Hoe Neighbourhood Forum, have agreed to take forward. For ease of reference, they are shown under the appropriate objective within this section of the Plan within a blue box.

Heritage and Design Policies

Objective:

Protect, value and make the most of heritage assets, including designated and non-designated assets, such as architecture, parks, urban landscapes, views, monuments, statues, signage, artwork, and social and cultural heritage.

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Policy H1: Integration with Character of the Area

Policy H2: High-Quality Design

Policy H3: Protection of Iconic Views

Policy H4: Heritage Assets

Policy H5: Buildings of Negative Quality

Policy H6: Heritage and Energy Efficiency Retrofit

Policy H7: Balconies and Roof Gardens

Policy H8: Retail and Commercial Frontages

Blue and Green Environment Policies

Objective:

Protect, value and improve the local environment, enhancing biodiversity, maintaining and improving access to blue and green spaces.

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Policy BG1: Local Green Space Designations/Development on Green Spaces

Policy BG2: Protection of Trees, Hedges and Biodiversity

Policy BG3: Protection of Street Trees

Pedestrian and Transport Policies

Objective:

Maintain and improve transport and infrastructure connectivity to meet the needs of people who live, work and visit the area, while supporting a low-carbon, low-emissions future

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Policy PT1: Promoting Sustainably Mobility

Policy PT2: Parking

Housing Policies

Objective:

Provide a sustainable and balanced mix of housing that serves all sections of the community.

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Policy HS1: Housing Mix, Accessibility, and Environmental Standard

Policy HS2: Housing Site at Former Register Office

Other Housing Sites

In addition to the allocated sites, other small windfall sites within the Hoe Neighbourhood Area have the potential to come forward for development (residential, commercial or mixed) within the life of the Hoe Neighbourhood Plan. These will be expected to address the requirements of all policies in the Plan. 

Community Involvement

There is strong support from the community for early-stage, meaningful community engagement in the process of development for any future proposal that will have an impact on the community by virtue of its size, scale or prominence. The Hoe Neighbourhood Forum will be available to assist in community consultation and encourage pre-application enquiries where possible.

Community-led Housing

Community-led housing projects can satisfy the need for community involvement and command a good level of local support by virtue of embedded consultation and responsiveness to local need. 

Infrastructure Improvements and Provision

The Hoe Neighbourhood Forum is keen to influence the way in which developer contributions are spent in the Hoe Neighbourhood Area to the full extent of their powers under national legislation and planning guidance.

Different types of developer contributions arise from different sources:

• A Section 106 Agreement (based on that section of the 1990 Town & Country Planning Act) or planning obligation is a private agreement made between local authorities and developers and can be attached to a planning permission to make a development acceptable which would otherwise be unacceptable in planning terms.
• A Section 278 Agreement refers to a section of the Highways Act 1980 that allows developers to enter into a legal agreement with the local authority to make alterations or improvements to a public highway as part of a planning application. 
• The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) adopted by Plymouth City Council is a non-negotiable charge on development based on a fixed rate per square metre of net additional development on a site and levied by the Council. Different charge rates apply for different types of uses and in different areas. The levy is intended to fund the provision, improvement, replacement, or maintenance of infrastructure required to support development in an area as set out in its local plan. With a ‘made’ (adopted) Neighbourhood Plan, the local community would benefit from an uplift in the level of CIL received, from 15% (capped at £100 per existing property) to an uncapped 25% of CIL receipts from the neighbourhood plan area. 

Spending and infrastructure priorities, including those for the Hoe Neighbourhood Area, are set out within the Plymouth and South West Devon Joint Local Plan for Infrastructure, Plymouth and South West Devon Plan for Infrastructure and Investment and this Hoe Neighbourhood Development Plan as Policy DC1: Developer Contributions.

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Policy DC1: Developer Contributions

Culture, Tourism, and Economy

Following early-stage local consultation, a Culture, Tourism and Economy sub-group was one of five topic-focused sub-groups established to research issues and develop preliminary policy wording. The group considered culture, tourism and economy in all its local forms including:

• Events on the Hoe
• Heritage, leisure and tourist assets that bring people to the area
• Hospitality businesses, including accommodation and food and beverage retail
• The relationship to the city’s wider economy, cultural, and tourism attractions

A rich and ambitious vision was proposed for a sustainable and fair local economy that celebrates and capitalises on the area’s abundance of attractions and assets for the benefit of locally rooted businesses and residents. Unfortunately, when feedback was sought on the policies that evolved from this vision, the group were advised that none of their draft policies could be applied to matters of development control.

The Culture, Tourism and Economy section has been retained within the plan to reflect the concerns and interests of local people in this theme, with policies translated into Community Aspirations where appropriate. This section should be used to inform future policy reviews, particularly if and when new legislation brings areas of concern (such as short-term holiday let regulation) within the purview of development control. Until then, the Community Aspirations can be taken forward by the Hoe Neighbourhood Forum in collaboration with relevant partners according to priorities identified in consultation with the community.

Objective:

Support a sustainable and fair local economy

The Hoe is a focal point for Plymouth’s visitor economy and is often referred to as its “jewel in the crown”. It is a destination for visits and family leisure and for events that attract local, regional and national visitors such as the annual British Fireworks Championships, live music events, and sailing races. The area also benefits from an abundance of heritage, leisure and environmental assets including the Citadel, Smeaton’s Tower, Tinside Lido, and the Hoe Park. The lively culture of the Hoe is valued by residents, but locals have also highlighted the importance of respecting the residential character of the area and preventing any damage to the Hoe Park as a result of mass gatherings.

There is a diverse offering of visitor accommodation from small independent hospitality providers to large international hotel chains. In recent years the market for smaller B&Bs has contracted as AirBnB and other short-term lets has grown, and the loss has had a regrettable impact on the character of the area.

The Hoe’s hospitality infrastructure also serves the wider economy of Plymouth, hosting visitors to the city’s higher education institutes, to its theatres, museums and galleries, to sporting and cultural events, to Devonport Dockyard and Princess Yachts, and to its world-leading marine biological research facilities (the Marine Biological Association, and Plymouth Marine Laboratory, both located on the Hoe). The local community are proud to host visitors to Plymouth and are keen to support a thriving and diverse economy that is ecologically sustainable and delivers inclusive growth.

The Waterfront and Foreshore

The Hoe waterfront has a family-friendly character with a mix of attractions for all ages and tastes. Several popular cafes and restaurants are located along the Madeira Road-Hoe Road waterfront, which also provides pitches for ice cream vans. Local residents are keen to preserve the family-friendly character of the waterfront, to protect public access along the foreshore, and to resist the potential for cafes and bars to become nightlife destinations. 

The Hoe foreshore is a County Wildlife Site providing valuable habitats for flora and fauna. Control of litter and plastic pollution is important to providing a safe and accessible waterfront, and new attractions that promote a more sustainable relationship with the marine environment, such as responsibly sourced seafood, are welcomed.

The Hoe also enjoys a number of historic monuments and heritage assets which are part of its attraction to visitors and symbols of its culture.

National Marine Park

The National Marine Park was designated in 2019, enhancing opportunities for marine business innovation and access to and enjoyment of the water, along with its social and health benefits, education, and conservation. The designation is strongly supported by local people, who recognise the benefits that this will bring economically, socially, and environmentally.

Inclusive Growth

The Hoe Neighbourhood Development Plan supports the Plymouth Growth Board’s Inclusive Growth Charter, which promotes sustainable and fair economic growth that benefits everyone and embraces equality, honesty, trustworthiness, and respect. Plymouth is a Social Enterprise City, and the Neighbourhood Plan seeks to promote the growth of independent and community-led enterprises, which are often committed to embedding these values in their business practices and have a key role to play in the future delivery of sustainable and fair economic development. It also seeks to promote a strong local economy for the area and opportunities for small local business and individuals on the tried and tested lines of Community Economic Development.

Local Amenities

Due to its proximity to Plymouth City Centre, the Hoe has good access to a range of amenities and retail. There is a parade of local shops and cafes on West Hoe Road, including a pharmacy and a hairdresser, and there are small Tesco and Co-op food shops on Notte Street. These local amenities are highly valued, and many are locally owned and cater for locals and visitors alike. 

Only-Here Experiences

The combination of unique natural, cultural, and heritage assets provides visitors experiences that can only be found in Plymouth. These unique opportunities are described as ‘only-here’ experiences in the 2019 Plymouth Visitor Plan and are a key part of a local tourism strategy. The local community recognises the uniqueness of the Hoe Neighbourhood Area and can help to achieve this aim by sharing their deep understanding of local culture and their place-based knowledge, building on the globally growing and successful tourism emphasis on Community-Based Tourism. The community is supportive of new initiatives to provide visitor facilities, attractions, events and activities that capitalise on local assets – the Hoe’s landscape, biodiversity, marine environment, and heritage – and that foster inclusive growth by supporting the local supply chain for produce, materials, and labour.

Overnight Accommodation

The Plymouth Visitor Plan sets ambitious targets to increase Plymouth’s visitor numbers by 15% by 2030, with a focus on short breaks and business and conference tourism. The 2019 hotel demand study by Colliers International demonstrates ongoing demand for more capacity in the serviced hotel sector and a particular interest in accommodation development in the four and five-star categories. Plymouth and South West Devon Joint Local Plan Policy PLY21 supports a diverse accommodation offer, including the protection of sites suitable for new high-quality hotels, as well as supporting proposals for visitor accommodation on appropriate sites, including small hotels, bed and breakfasts and self-catering accommodation.

The Hoe Neighbourhood Development Plan seeks to support a diverse hospitality offer that caters to all tastes and budgets, addressing gaps in the current overnight accommodation offer where these exist.