A1, A2 and D2 Development Study 2006 to 2007

A1, A2 and D2 Development Study 2006 to 2007

Contents

1. Introduction
2. Mid Devon Summary
3. Method
4. D2: Assembly and Leisure
5. A1: Shops
6. A2: Financial and Professional Services
7. Local Plan Allocations
8. Land Lost from Use-class A1 & A2
9. Area Summary
10. Conclusion

Appendix

Contacts

1. Introduction

1.1This Development Study monitors changes in land in the following Use Class Orders: A1 (Shops), A2 (Financial and Professional Services) and D2 (Assembly and Leisure)

1.2Why Monitor?

1.2.1Planning Policy Statement (PPS) 12 (Local Development Frameworks 2004) states: “review and monitoring are key aspects of the Government’s ‘plan, monitor and manage’ approach to the planning system.”

1.2.2Monitoring is required also, by the South West Regional Assembly (SWRA), the designated Regional Planning Body. They work in “close partnership with local authorities to ensure an integrated and co-ordinated approach to the future growth and development of the region.”

1.3Why A1, A2 and D2?

1.3.1A Development Study of these use class orders will form part of the evidence base for the Annual Monitoring Report (AMR), which in turn forms part of the Local Development Framework (LDF)

1.3.2The AMR assesses the implementation of the Local Development Scheme (LDS) and the extent to which policies within the development documents are being sucessfully implemented. The local authoritycan use this monitoring information to identify changing priorities for development in regard to these policies. In time trends can be looked at to determine what needs to be done.

1.3.3The study gives information about land allocations, sites with planning permission, sites under construction, sites completed and any land lost during the survey year in the various use class orders.

1.3.4An overall picture of the “health” of an area can be gathered. It can be seen what has been developed and also an updated situation on land that is likely to be developed in the near future. This is important when considering Planning Policy Statement (PPS) 1 (Delivering Sustainable Development 2005), which has a number of policies aimed at facilitating sustainable patterns of urban and rural development, including the need to ensure that new developments provide good access to jobs and key services for all members of the community.

2.Mid Devon Summary

2.1.1.Mid Devon is an inland area covering 915 square kilometres in the South West of England. It is one of the most sparsely populated authorities within England and Wales, with a population of approximately 74,500 and where the majority of residents live in settlements below 3,000 populations.

2.1.2The main concentration of people is found in the eastern part of the District where the towns of Tiverton (approx 21,000) and Cullompton (approx 8200) lie within 6km of each other and similarly close to Junctions 27 and 28 of the M5 and the mainline railway station at Tiverton Parkway. Crediton (approx 7200) is the largest settlement in the west of the District. There is an expectation of continued demand for new housing in Mid Devon in the longer term, however there is a considerable shortage of affordable housing, as the South West has become the least affordable region for house buyers in the UK.

2.1.3The hilly, agricultural landscape is the area’s defining physical and environmental characteristic. Most of the rivers in the district drain southwards in steep sided valleys and large expanses of floodplains. Being rural in nature has led to a high dependency on the car, which in turn has an impact on air quality and climate change

2.1.4The large and economically successful urban areas of Exeter and Taunton are just beyond the southern and eastern boundaries of the District respectively and exert an influence over the Mid Devon economy. All three main towns have shown a reduction in people living and working in the same town over time.

2.1.5Working at home is increasing in the District, especially in the rural wards (20%). It is likely that this trend will continue and may accelerate with the expansion of broadband and thus a continued increase in Internet shopping.

3.Method

3.1The period of monitoring for any particular year is between 1 April and 31 March. This survey covers the period 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007.

3.2Information was gathered on Approvals, Commitments, Completions, Sites Under Construction and Land Lost (see below). This was achieved through a combination of desk-based assessment of planning history and site inspections.

3.3Approvals: this provides an overview of applications – both full and outline that have been approved over the given year.

3.4Commitments: this indicates the total committed land (ha only) for development over the past year i.e. land with a valid permission. Included are approvals, previous years commitments that are still valid and outline applications. Excluded are Local Plan allocations without a current permission.

3.5Completions: this indicates completions within a given year. The floorspace total includes extensions or new buildings within the curtilage of existing premises and industrial estates.

3.6Under Construction: this can indicate how development is progressing and how it will develop over the coming year. The floorspace total includes extensions or new buildings within the curtilage of existing premises and industrial estates.

3.7Land Lost: this indicates land that has been lost from a particular use: D2, A1 or A2 and has gone to another use e.g. residential.

4.D2: Assembly and Leisure

This use-class includes Amusement and show places (cinema, concert hall, bingo hall), Indoor sports facilities (swimming bath, gymnasium) and Outdoor sports facilities.

The approvals area total is quite high for the number of applications – 2. However it is the nature of the kinds of developments (golf driving range and public playing field) that has given rise to this result.

Very often for this use-class there is no floorspace total or a low total, and again this can be attributed to the nature of the developments e.g. fishing lake, tennis court. Where there is a floorspace total has been where there has been a pavilion built or an extension to a leisure complex.

As with any other use-class the amount of development can very much depend on the availability of suitable land for development and form of tenure of the land and the “need” for a particular development.

5.A1: Shops

5.1This use-class includes sales of goods (other than hot food), Post Office, Travel and ticket agencies, sale of cold food for consumption off premises, hairdressers, display of goods for sale, domestic hire shops and Internet café.

For use class A1 there will not always be an area figure, in part due to the fact that very often development is on mixed or already developed sites.

In the past year only 28 sq.m. class A1 development was completed.

6.A2: Financial and Professional Services

6.1This use-class includes Financial services (banks), Professional services (excluding health and medical services), Other services (including use as a betting shop) appropriate in a shopping area.

The figure for this use-class is generally very low. This year none has been Approved or Completed.

7.Local Plan Allocations

7.1The Local Plan (which provides the legal basis for planning decisions) sets out detailed policies, including specific allocations of sites for various development types e.g. employment, housing

7.2The table below indicates the current position of allocated land for retail by the

Mid Devon Local Plan First Alteration Revised Deposit incorporating Proposed Modifications (April 2005) which was adopted in

July 2006.

Local Plan Allocations

1. Land Lost: Use-class A1 & A2

8.1The table below details the loss of land between 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007.

Land Lost

The loss of land can be attributed to a number of factors for example lack of demand in the future for that use, site constraints and increased demand for other uses e.g. residential.

The land lost has been for residential reasons and this perhaps indicates the level of housing demand within Mid Devon and a buoyant housing market.

9.Area Summary

9.1The table below shows the ‘urban’/’rural’ picture within Mid Devon with regards development within A1, A2 and D2. The urban areas include Tiverton, Crediton and Cullompton

Area Summary

10.Conclusion

Mid Devon is a rural district and therefore it should be recognised that there is only a limited supply of land available at any one time.

Also there is often pressure for non-employment uses when such sites become available for example residential

A lot of development within Mid Devon is in the form of extensions onto existing buildings or new buildings within the curtilage of an existing building therefore the area figure can look fairly low.

Finally it can be seen that “monitoring is essential to establish what has happened in the past, what is happening now and what may happen in the future.”

(Local Development Framework Monitoring: A good Practice Guide)

Appendix

Completions by site April 2006 to March 2007

Contacts

If you have any questions about this survey please contact:

Janet Crook

Forward Planning & Conservation

Phoenix House

Phoenix Lane

Tiverton

EX16 6PP

Tel: 01884 234360

Email: