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| CORE POLICIES & PROPOSALS & SUPPORTING TEXT | |||
| 3 - MEETING THE HOUSING NEED | |||
| See also paragraph 1.27 of the Plan Statement | |||
| Policy H1 | Housing Land Requirement and Supply | ||
| Policy H2 | Affordable and Special Needs Housing | ||
| Policy H3 | Brownfield Development | ||
| Policy H4 | Established Residential Areas | ||
| Policy H5 | Established Residential Areas | ||
| Policy H6 | Houses In Multiple Occupation | ||
| Policy H7 | Gypsy Travellers | ||
| HOUSING LAND REQUIREMENT AND SUPPLY | |||
| Policy H1 | Land to meet the Structure Plan Housing Land Requirement for the area up to 2016 is identified in the Town and Village Plans and the Local Plan Action Plan. | ||
| Justification: The Local Plan identifies housing allocations together with existing effective housing sites which contribute to meeting the Local Plan housing land requirement as set by the Fife Structure Plan. | |||
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AFFORDABLE AND SPECIAL NEEDS
HOUSING.
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| AFFORDABLE AND SPECIAL NEEDS HOUSING | |||
| Policy H2 | Land to meet the Structure Plan requirement for affordable housing is (partially) identified in the Town and Village Plans and the Action Plan. 45 % of the total housing land requirement for the St Andrews Housing Market Area and 40% for the Cupar area is expected to be for affordable housing. Such housing must be made available for local need identified in partnership with Fife Council and will continue to be available for that need. | ||
| Justification: The consultative draft Fife Structure Plan "Fife Matters" contains a requirement that 45 % of the total housing land requirement for the St Andrews Housing Market Area and 40% for the Cupar area be for affordable needs. The Fife Housing Partnership (FHP), established in October 2001, is one of the Strategic partnerships within the Council's Community Planning Framework. It has, amongst its objectives, the provision of good quality special needs housing and a commitment to agreed priority areas and priority housing needs. Fife Council will work in partnership with key stakeholders within the FHP to help deliver affordable housing. Detailed supplementary guidance will be issued to complement the approach taken in the consultative draft Structure Plan. | |||
| BROWNFIELD DEVELOPMENT | |||
| Policy H3 | Proposals for housing development of 5 houses or more in excess of the provision in Policy H1 will be supported where they: - | ||
| (a) | are on brownfield sites within the settlement limits, (and optimise their contribution to meeting the Structure Plan target for affordable homes in the Local Plan area); and | ||
| (b) | do not prejudice the implementation of other Local Plan and Structure Plan policies. | ||
| See also policy H1 | |||
| Justification: In accordance with the Council's sustainability policy and the need to protect land as a finite resource, the Plan supports the development of brownfield sites to meet the housing requirement, in terms of windfall contribution. | |||
| ESTABLISHED RESIDENTIAL AREAS | |||
| Policy H4 | Within established residential areas, (as identified on the Proposals Map), only housing and other compatible uses which do not reduce amenity, and which conform to other Local Plan policies, will be supported. | ||
| Policy H5 | The need to protect amenity will be a material consideration in the assessment of development proposals for sites adjacent to established residential areas. | ||
| Justification: Established residential areas will be protected from development which is incompatible with their character and amenity. Development or redevelopment in these areas is restricted to residential and compatible uses which serve the residential area and do not cause nuisance. Such developments will require to be satisfactory in terms of their siting, design, access and parking arrangements. Policy H5 is necessary to ensure that the consideration of residential amenity extends to proposals adjacent to residential areas. | |||
| HOUSES IN MULTIPLE OCCUPATION | |||
| Policy H6 | Existing buildings or new-build premises designed for multiple occupancy, will require to take account of the following guidelines: | ||
| (a) | there must be an individual access to a lit street(this would include main door flats and undivided terraced houses but would exclude most properties served by a tenement close and many properties which have already been sub-divided); | ||
| (b) | there must be direct access to appropriate refuse collection and drying areas to the rear of the building; | ||
| (c) | the need for car parking will be assessed separately in each case; and | ||
| (d) | within a given street or block (or other readily identifiable unit), the proportion of properties in multiple occupancy should not exceed 5% of the total number of dwellings comprising that unit. Exemptions from this rule may include properties which have become completely isolated from standard family accommodation. | ||
| In situations where the proportion of properties in multiple occupancy already exceeds the threshold in part (d) of this policy, planning permission will not be granted for any further multiple occupancy developments within the street or block. | |||
| Justification: Multiple occupancy provides an essential form of accommodation for many people, particularly students. When concentrated in a particular street or area, however, it can give rise to environmental and amenity problems due to increased activity, noise, pressure on car parking and refuse disposal. The transient nature of the residents of multiple occupancy and the lack of maintenance has the potential to adversely affect the amenity of neighbours and the surrounding residential area. This policy aims to strike a balance between the demand for this particular type of accommodation and the need to ensure that the amenity of residential streets or buildings is not adversely affected by its presence. | |||
| GYPSY TRAVELLERS | |||
| Policy H7 | Fife Council will support proposals to establish sites for the accommodation of Gypsy Travellers provided that: - | ||
| (a) | the proposal will not result in the loss of prime quality agricultural land; and | ||
| (b) | the site is not located within or adjacent to an established residential area, an inward investment site or recreational area; and | ||
| (c) | there is no adverse effect on sites of ecological value; and | ||
| (d) | the site does not create a danger to the health and safety of Travellers; and | ||
| (e) | the proposal would not lead to excessive servicing costs. | ||
| In addition, the site must be easily accessible but not conspicuous from any view from a major road. All road safety concerns must be met in accordance with the Fife Council's Transportation Development Guidelines. | |||
| Justification: Scottish Planning Policy 3 "Planning for Housing" (SPP3) requires Local Authorities to have regard to the needs of gypsies/travellers through the Local Housing Strategy and the development plan. Through its Co-operation Policy, the Council recognises Gypsy Travellers' rights to travel. The Council recognises that it would be inappropriate to use land-use controls as a social engineering tool to force people to abandon their traditional way of life. Fife Council has, therefore, provided for permanent sites for Gypsy Travellers at Tarvit Mill, Cupar; Heathery Wood, Kirkcaldy and Thornton Wood, Kelty. Further public sector provision for Gypsy Travellers is currently being considered in accordance with Scottish Executive Guidance. A total of 6-8 sites are required to be found throughout Fife. There is also an opportunity for privately run sites to be established to meet the recognised demand to accommodate Gypsy Travellers. Criteria for establishing such sites will help guide site development, which, if completed, will create a better mechanism to enforce against unauthorised sites. | |||
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