 |
| |
|
|
| |
|
Chapter 1 |
INTRODUCTION |
| |
|
The City of Derby |
| 1.1 |
Derby is a free standing city of nearly 234,000 people. This has grown by about 10,000 over the last ten years. A significant reason for this growth has been the expansion of the University of Derby and this is reflected in the fact that the City has a younger age structure than the rest of the County. About 10% of the population are from ethnic minority backgrounds, mainly living in the central and southern parts of the City. The City’s administrative area covers some 7,803 hectares. |
| 1.2 |
Derby lies on the River Derwent towards the southern end of Derbyshire. To the south there is the Trent Valley and to the north the Derbyshire Uplands and the Peak District. Together with Leicester and Nottingham, Derby forms part of the “Three Cities” sub region of the East Midlands. As the third largest City in the East Midlands, it is a regionally important centre. |
| 1.3 |
The built-up area of Derby extends to the City boundary along much of its length. The growth of the urban area has absorbed a number of previously separate villages which now form distinct suburbs such as Spondon and Mickleover. New suburbs have also grown up recently, particularly at Oakwood in the north-east and at Heatherton to the south of Littleover. Derby’s urban character is relieved and defined by “green wedges” of open land which help to maintain separate community identities. The City is surrounded by a rural area containing villages which have strong links with Derby for jobs, shopping and entertainment. Its northern and eastern boundaries are defined by green belt which separates Derby and Nottingham. |
| 1.4 |
Derby has excellent rail connections to the Midland Main Line and good access by road to the M1, A52, A50 and the A38 including to East Midlands Airport. These have contributed to the City’s growth as an employment centre. It has a strong manufacturing base, with internationally known companies such as Rolls Royce, Acordis and Adtranz within the City and the Toyota site just outside it, but also a growing service sector, such as the “Egg” call centre on Pride Park. There are significant concentrations of social and economic deprivation in parts of the City. |
| |
|
The Local Plan Process |
| 1.5 |
Work began on the City of Derby Local Plan Review in 1999 with the publication of a joint planning and transportation consultation document called "Your Derby". In 2001, the Council consulted on the "First Deposit" of the Local Plan Review. A "Revised Deposit" was produced in 2002 which addressed many of the representations made on the First Deposit. Outstanding objections were considered at a Public Inquiry held towards the end of 2003 and the early part of 2004. The Inquiry Inspector's report was received in January 2005 and modifications resulting from this published in September. The Local Plan Review was formally adopted in January 2006. |
| 1.6 |
The CDLP Review was prepared under the provisions of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 as amended by the Planning and Compensation Act 1991. However, the Planning & Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 has introduced a new system of preparing planning documents, which taken together are known as the Local Development Framework (LDF). This LDF will consist of a number of different planning documents, which include new style Development Plan Documents (DPDs) which replace the traditional Local Plan. Under the new arrangements, the CDLP Review is being saved as the Council's LDF and will be progressively replaced by the new style documents over time. The Council's programme for preparing these new planning documents is set out in its Local Development Scheme (LDS). This will be kept under review to ensure that the programme is up-to-date. |
| |
|
Wider Policy Context |
| 1.7 |
The Local Plan Review aims to contribute to the national and international debate about how best to respond to climate change and the need to reduce air pollution. Government policy places great weight on achieving sustainable forms of development and reducing the need to travel, especially by car. The "Urban Task Force", chaired by Lord Rogers, confirmed the need to make our towns and cities more attractive places to live and work in if we are going to reverse urban decline and reduce continued sprawl into the countryside. Their report referred to the need for an "Urban Renaissance", in which urban communities are revitalised as desirable places to live and work in. These ideas have been taken on board by the Government in its "Urban White Paper" (Our Towns and Cities: The Future) published in November 2000 and the Sustainable Communities Plan of 2003 which complements it. National planning guidance also give great weight to these issues. |
| 1.8 |
These themes are key elements in the Regional Spatial Strategy for the East Midlands, published in 2005. This seeks to support regeneration in disadvantaged areas including Derby, Leicester and Nottingham. It advocates a sequential approach to development, prioritising the use of previously developed land and sites within the Region's towns and cities. |
| 1.9 |
The CDLP Review has been prepared within the broad context of the 2001 Derby and Derbyshire Joint Structure Plan and the 2002 Regional Planning Guidance for the East Midlands to 2021 (RPG8). Both documents emphasise the principles of sustainable development, including giving priority to the re-use of previously developed land and of reducing the need to travel. The Council has liaised with neighbouring authorities to ensure that planning policies are well integrated and consistent with each other. |
| 1.10 |
The Joint Structure Plan is saved under transitional arrangements of the new planning system, probably until 2008 unless this period is extended. RPG8 has now been replaced by the 2005 Regional Spatial Strategy for the East Midlands (RSS8), a draft version of which was taken into consideration in drawing up the CDLP Review. Together with the Joint Structure Plan and RSS8, the CDLP Review forms the Development Plan for the City of Derby. A review RSS8 is currently being undertaken and expected to be completed in 2008. |
| 1.11 |
The Local Plan has paid particular regard to the City Council's broader corporate strategy and to policies and strategies agreed in partnership with others. There are close linkages with the Local Transport Plan and the Council's Housing Strategy. Its policies also support important corporate objectives such as lifelong learning and social inclusion. The key partnership document is the Derby City Partnership's "2020 Vision" which sets out a strategy for Derby to become a "Top Ten" City. The Local Plan has sought to reflect and develop the strategic priorities of the Partnership for economic prosperity, learning, social inclusion, quality of life and culture. |
| |
|
Content of the Plan |
| 1.12 |
The Local Plan Review has a clearly stated strategy, set out in Chapter 2. This reflects the Council's vision to promote Derby's economic, social and environmental well being and to provide the best possible quality of life for all of its citizens. This vision is supported by a range of objectives and policies addressing the key themes of sustainability, regeneration, transport, economic prosperity, the environment, urban design, social inclusion and lifelong learning. General Development Control policies are set out in Chapter 3. |
| 1.13 |
A new 'cross cutting' regeneration chapter is included to reflect the key status of regeneration in the Plan's objectives. This chapter sets out the City's regeneration priorities and identifies a range of opportunities for mixed use development on key regeneration sites, principally within the inner City. |
| 1.14 |
A new City Centre chapter is also included to reflect its importance to Derby's economic prosperity. This identifies regeneration opportunities and sets out the context for new retail development. It includes policies to guide large redevelopment schemes at Becket Well, the Bus Station and Castlefields Main Centre (Westfield) and identifies major opportunities for new housing development. |
| 1.15 |
In addition to these cross-cutting issues, the Plan provides guidance on the topics of housing, economic prosperity, shopping, the environment, leisure and community services, learning and health and transport. A separate chapter is devoted to each of these topics. Finally, the Plan includes a brief monitoring and implementation section which contains a range of indicators and targets relevant to its strategy. |
| |
|
Format |
| 1.16 |
The Plan consists of this Revised Written Statement and a set of maps showing proposed revisions to the Proposals Map. Within the Written Statement, the policies can be identified as those sections of text without paragraph numbers. Text with paragraph numbers represents. |
| 1.17 |
It is emphasised that the Plan must be read as a whole in order to gain a complete picture of the policies affecting a particular site or area. In the event of a contradiction between the Written Statement and the Proposals map, the provisions of the Written Statement will prevail. |
| 1.18 |
Readers are also reminded that the CDLP Review will be progressively replaced by new Development Plan Documents over time. The Local Plan will therefore only form part of the Council's planning policy framework as set out in the LDF. It is therefore important that all relevant documents and policies are consulted. The LDF is likely to consist of a number of folders within which separate planning documents are contained. The CDLP Review will be contained within one of these folders. An up-to-date picture of what documents form the LDF at any given time can be gained from the Local Development Scheme. This should be consulted to ensure that you have all relevant documents and policies. |
| |
| |
 |
 |
|
|
|
| top |