Greenwich Council Unitary Development Plan 2006 logo and an image of drummers and the Cutty Sark
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PART ONE
 
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 The Greenwich Unitary Development Plan (UDP) is the revised statutory development plan for the whole of the Borough of Greenwich setting out policies for the period to 2011 and in some instances to 2016.
 
2. VISION
2.1 The Greenwich Strategy (2003) sets out the Council’s vision for Greenwich in 2010. These are the things most important to Greenwich and its communities and contribute to Greenwich being a place where people live, work, visit and learn now and in the future.
  a. We will reduce discrimination and improve opportunity.
  b. Greenwich will make a major contribution to London’s economy.
  c. Our residents will have sufficient skills to get jobs.
  d. We will have improved educational achievement.
  e. Local people will be able to get good quality housing.
  f. We will live in a clean and well cared for environment.
  g. We will make best use of natural resources in Greenwich.
  h. Effective and co-ordinated public transport will serve all our communities.
  i. Greenwich will be a world tourist destination.
  j. Crime will be reduced and there will be a strong sense of community.
  k. We will support vulnerable and disadvantaged people and encourage independent living.
  l. There will be high quality and accessible health and social care services for all our residents.
  m. We will play a vital part in the diverse cultural life of London with visual, digital and performing arts, sports and recreation.
2.2 The role of the UDP is to set out clearly the land use implications of this vision for Greenwich. Government guidance is that UDPs should not contain policies for matters other than land use and should not duplicate provisions in other legislation.
 
3. THE COUNCIL’S STRATEGY FOR LAND USE AND DEVELOPMENT
3.1 The Council’s strategy for development and the use of land develops that vision around three main themes that form the basis of the plan. It also reflects Government Guidance and the other strategies of the Council. These are:
  a. Equality and social inclusion;
  b. Sustainable development; and
  c. Regeneration
3.2 These themes run throughout the plan and are reflected in its policies and proposals. Although identified as three themes they are not independent but are closely integrated with each other.
   
Equality and Social Inclusion
3.3 Developing an inclusive society and mixed communities is a major part of Government policy. Equality and social inclusion can be promoted by providing and accessing opportunities for all residents but especially those experiencing social and economic disadvantage or discrimination. Through the Greenwich Equality Policy, the Council is committed to “promoting equality of opportunity, good community relations, and to tackling all forms of discrimination in Greenwich through the Council as service provider and community leader”. It also explicitly states that no individuals or groups in the Borough should be disadvantaged by reason of ethnicity, race, colour and national origin, gender, disability, sexual orientation, age, or religious belief. Through implementation of the Policy, the Council will improve its awareness and understanding of the needs of different groups in the borough through effective community profiling, consultation, liaison and involvement.
3.4 To help residents from all communities to grasp opportunities it will be necessary to make provision for the following:-
 
  • Affordable housing in mixed-use residential areas
  • Safe and sustainable travel
  • The creation of an accessible environment including new jobs and training for job seekers
  • Making shops, health, community, education services and recreation accessible to all. Developing an inclusive society and mixed communities is a major policy theme of the government.
   
Sustainable Development
3.5 Sustainable development is not just concerned with the environment but also needs to encompass social and economic considerations. Planning Policy Statement 1: Delivering Sustainable Development (2005) states that sustainable development is the core principle underpinning planning. It is generally acknowledged that the planning system has a vital role to play in ensuring that land use and other resources are used more sustainably. A more sustainable environment is promoted throughout the plan, by including policies to encourage:
 
  • High quality urban design;
  • Mixed-use development in town centres;
  • A sustainable transport strategy which integrates land use and transport and promotes greater use of public transport, walking and cycling which is accessible to all;
  • Preservation of the best of the Borough’s heritage;
  • Conservation of the Borough’s open spaces and natural environment; and
  • Development of buildings that are environmentally efficient to build and run.
3.6 Another aspect of sustainable development is ensuring that as much new development as possible takes place on ‘brownfield’ land. The Government’s current target is to achieve at least 60% of new build on recycled land. Historically development has largely been concentrated on ‘brownfield’ sites in the Borough, and has significantly exceeded that target. However, the ability to concentrate development on recycled land does often come with a cost because of the need in many instances to deal with contamination, cover significant restoration costs, additional building costs and off-site works.
3.7 Sustainable development also involves recognising the relationship between the physical environment in its contribution to peoples’ well-being. The UDP will take account of health impacts proposals as a mechanism for ensuring that major developments promote public health within the Borough.
   
Regeneration
3.8 Regeneration needs to be sustainable and incorporate issues of equality that contribute towards a more cohesive and inclusive society. Thus the needs of residents living in, or experiencing, poverty and facing unemployment as well as those of other disadvantaged groups need to be considered alongside those of business and economic efficiency. Regeneration also needs to take account of existing inequalities in health, community and education provision, by targeting initiatives and renewal at areas of greatest need. Regeneration should also take account of the impact of any growth in jobs and/or housing on demand for health, community and education services locally. Regeneration and town planning are most obviously connected when considering physical change, although the multiple problems encompassed by the term regeneration requires a partnership approach with all relevant stakeholders. Regeneration in the Borough needs to be considered in the context of the Government’s desire to regenerate the Thames Gateway area to the east and south east of London.
3.9 The Council through its land use policies seeks to continue to revitalise older rundown parts of the Borough especially those on the waterfront and in South Greenwich. It will also draw on the opportunities open to Greenwich as part of a world centre of international trade, business and tourism, to retain and enhance economic activity and promote sustainable economic and employment growth. Care will be taken to relate such regeneration to existing health, community and education provision, the needs of the local community and to improvements in the transport infrastructure, especially the public transport network. Tourism will be promoted as a useful element in the regeneration of the Borough's economy through visitor management and/or environmental management to promote and safeguard communities and negate any adverse effect upon local communities.
3.10 The above sets out how the UDP aims to integrate the three themes of equality and social inclusion, sustainability and regeneration into the land use planning process. The next paragraph sets out how the strategy will be implemented while section 6 develops these themes in more detail by setting out the strategic policies.
   
Implementing The Strategy
3.11 The strategy will be implemented in a number of ways, but particularly through the following mechanisms:
  a. The full use of the Council's statutory powers to guide and control development;
  b. The preparation of strategies, planning briefs, guidance and advice notes and area plans to illustrate and promote development opportunities that meet socially inclusive health, community and environmental needs;
  c. In partnership with the private sector to obtain the optimum benefit possible for the Borough, for example, through the use of legal agreements;
  d. .In joining with other London Boroughs,  other public bodies and agencies in responding to issues and pursuing initiatives of a Londonwide nature;
  e. The full use of financial resources, including Central Government, European and other grants, mechanisms such as the Lottery and Single Regeneration Budget [SRB] and negotiated contributions through Planning Obligations;
  f. Through other strategies of the council and the necessary partnerships which are formed to aid their implementation;
  g. By entering into dialogue with the community and voluntary sectors to ensure that local knowledge and aspirations are reflected in planning activities and by encouraging community organisations, self-help groups and cooperatives to participate in the implementation of the strategy.  The Greenwich Strategy is an important voice to feed community needs and aspirations into the UDP.
 
4. BOROUGH PROFILE
4.1 The Borough has an area of 5044 hectares and is the twelfth largest Borough in London.The borough population is 228,100 (Office for National Statistics, 2005 mid-year estimate).
   
The Environment
4.2 The Borough of Greenwich has inherited an environment which in many areas is of high quality and is a considerable asset. It is important that such areas are conserved and enhanced. Recognition of Maritime Greenwich through the inscription of the town centre and neighbouring environs as a World Heritage Site of international importance indicates the quality of heritage and architecture. Conversely there are areas in the Borough where the environment is of low quality and in need of improvement. The UDP to be successful must not only distinguish these different areas and have appropriate policies but must also seek to ensure that environmental considerations are central to all development/land use decisions.
4.3 The physical structure of the Borough is marked by a 13 kilometre frontage to the River Thames, the former marshy river flood plain, the steep slope of the river cliff or escarpment which rises to a plateau stretching from Blackheath to Plumstead and Bostall Heath. This plateau in turn rises to Shooters Hill, the highest point in the Borough (and London - 129 metres). To the south and west the land slopes away to the Ravensbourne and its tributaries before rising again to the southern boundary. The Ravensbourne marks the Borough's western edge and joins The Thames at Deptford Creek. On this basic structure an ecological heritage has developed reflected in different landscapes. Perhaps the most important feature is Oxleas Wood, an ancient woodland of great ecological merit and significance. But the Borough is also rich in other woods and commons and almost a quarter of its area is in some type of open space use.
4.4 The interaction between people and the environment has produced a mosaic of built environments, land uses and economic activities that are of significant cultural and heritage value. It is this inter-relationship between the physical fabric and local communities that provides the unique character of the place. These relationships must be built upon and improved as they constitute the basic resource on which the Borough must work and the basis for future planning activity.
4.5 The north of the Borough, near the river, has a contrasting mix of the older developed areas of the Borough where communities have grown in association with the river and riverside industries and contemporary waterfront developments. The urban fabric is generally tight knit with streets of terraced housing interwoven with other commercial uses. Open spaces, except for Greenwich Park, have been until recently, limited. Interspersed with the older areas are a number of relatively recent developments of housing and industrial estates. The main town centres are Woolwich and Greenwich. To the east is the community of Thamesmead, partly in Greenwich and partly in Bexley, which was started in the late 60's and is still being developed. It is broadly residential but has its own town centre, open spaces and employment locations and is designed around the lakes and canals needed to drain the area. Modern developments are particularly focused on the Peninsula with its tube station, Millennium village, Millennium Dome and new open spaces.
4.6 On steep cliffs of the ‘river cliff’ there are interesting residential environments with streets of close packed terraced houses with fine views over the river. In places open spaces have remained, for example, Maryon Wilson Park and again the area has seen a number of comparatively recent residential developments. Beyond the ‘cliff edge’ the Borough starts to take on a more suburban style with more detached and semi-detached housing in communities that developed in relation to the provision of the railways in the early part of the century. This area also has many fine open spaces that help to provide a much looser, lower density character for the area. The main town centre for this part of the Borough is Eltham.
4.7 Within the broad pattern described above there are many smaller areas with their own particular mix of diversity and identity. There are areas of great architectural merit and importance, for example, the Old Royal Naval College, the Royal Arsenal and Charlton House; and areas of a distinct style, such as the Progress Estate. However, there are also areas where the relationship between environment and land use should be improved, for example, residential areas where heavy goods traffic has an adverse impact.
   
Population Structure and Trends
4.8 Population projections for the Borough show the total number of residents increasing from 217,805 in 2001 to 231,956 in 2006, 241,047 in 2011 and 246,616 in 2016. [Greater London Authority 2003 population projections Scenario 8.1].  This is in contrast to a decline in population in the 1960's and 1970's, and reflects amongst other things the recent and future house building in the Borough.
4.9 The proportion of children under-five requiring primary childcare and educational facilities is projected to remain stable, at 7% of the population in 2001, 2011 and 2021 but with a numerical increase of nearly 1700 children (2001-2021).
4.10 The proportion of older people (over 60) in the Borough will decrease from 17% in 2001 to 15% of the total population both in 2006 and 2011, but then increase to 17% in 2021.  The number of people over 85 years of age will fall from 10% of the over 60 population in 2001 and 2011, to 8% in 2021.
4.11 The other marked change is that by 2021 the proportion of 20-40 year olds will have declined from 34% to 30% whilst the proportion of 40-60 year olds will have increased from 23 % to 27%.
4.12 The wards that will see the greatest increase in population are West Greenwich, Peninsula and Thamesmead Moorings, reflecting permitted and proposed developments in the Waterfont area including Greenwich Peninsula.  
4.13 Greenwich’s population comprises a rich mix of ethnicity, culture and language. The 2001 Census recorded that 23% of the population was from a minority ethnic group (defined as all groups other than ‘white’), with Black or Black British and African being the largest groups. The majority of ethnic minority communities are in the north of the Borough.
4.14 The 2001 Census recorded 92,800 households in the Borough, an increase of 8,100 from 1991, expected to grow to over 103,000 by 2011. Pensioner-only households comprise 14% of the total households in the Borough, with almost all of these one-person pensioner households. This is a decrease from 24% in 1991. Single person households account for 21,000 of the total, 20,400 are households with a married couple (including those with dependent and non-dependent children), 13,100 are lone-parent households and 4,700 households contain co-habiting couples (2001 Census).
4.15 Greenwich ranks as the 41st most deprived local authority in England and the 9th most deprived Borough in London in terms of ‘extent’ of deprivation (Indices of Deprivation, ODPM 2004).  Ten out of the Borough’s seventeen wards, primarily in the north of the Borough, contain areas within the most deprived 10% in England. Such areas of deprivation suffer from a combination of economic and social problems.  Some of these areas also experience environmental deprivation, including a lack of green space, leading to the need to improve social, economic and environmental conditions and to facilitate neighbourhood renewal.
   
Location
4.16 The London Borough of Greenwich has many locational advantages being close to Central London and having an extensive river frontage. It is part of the East London regeneration area and close to Docklands and the city airport, as well as being on the route between Central London and the Channel Tunnel and Channel Ports. The Borough has a key location on the navigations and terminals that comprise the Port of London. City airport and the channel tunnel are specifically opening up new international/pan European markets. This position should be advantageous for attracting new investment. This will, of course, depend to a large extent on continuing investment in transport infrastructure such as an extension of the Docklands Light Railway into the heart of Woolwich town centre and the Waterfront Transit scheme.
   
Past Achievements
4.17 The strategies formed within the previous Plan period have come to fruition, resulting in:
 
  • The population growing by nearly 8,000 between 1991 and 2001;
  • Households growing by around 8,100 between 1991 and 2001;
  • 7,100 more dwellings between 1991 and 2001;
  • The refocusing of development opportunities into east and south east London;
  • The re-emergence of the river itself and riverside land as a key focus for a wide range of new uses, and their successful melding with existing riverside uses;
  • New developments along the Waterfront;
  • Significant developments at Deptford Creek and the Peninsula;
  • The inscription of Maritime Greenwich as a World Heritage Site;
  • The designation of two new conservation areas;
  • New uses for the Old Royal Naval College;
  • The Millennium Dome;
  • The extension of the Docklands Light Railway to Greenwich and the Jubilee Line to North Greenwich;
  • A new riverside park in Woolwich Town Centre;
  • The expansion of Thamesmead Town Centre;
  • New residential development in Thamesmead; and
  • The amount of derelict land reduced by 100 hectares.
   
Future Opportunities
4.18 The Plan period for the current plan is likely to see the following come to fruition:
 
  • Population growing by around 29,000 between 2001 and 2016;
  • Household numbers growing to over 103,000 by 2011;
  • Construction of approximately 10,000 new homes by 2010;
  • Significant development in West Greenwich / Deptford Creekside providing new homes, business space, community and educational facilities, including redevelopment of the New Haddo estate;
  • Substantial progress in the build-out of the Meridian Delta Limited Masterplan for Greenwich Peninsula, including transformation of the Dome into an international class sports arena, leisure facility and function centre, plus the completion of Greenwich Millennium Village;
  • Continued re-use and development of the former Royal Arsenal site in Woolwich and its listed buildings for a mix of uses, recognising its major tourism potential and including new linkages to enhance the commercial redevelopment of Woolwich;
  • Development at Warren Lane and MacBean Street to enhance the retail core of Woolwich, provide new leisure facilities, and open up a significant stretch of the Thames to the public with a riverside walk;
  • Continued development of Thamesmead, including Tripcock Point where approximately 2,000 new dwellings will be provided;
  • The regeneration of South Greenwich, including a mixed-use residential-led development at Kidbrooke providing 4,400 dwellings including 1,900 replacement affordable units and open spaces, shopping and transport facilities. This will transform housing and the local infrastructure and tackle crime and exclusion and promote opportunity;
  • The provision of a number of new Thames Crossings. These will include a Docklands Light Railway extension from London City Airport, to Woolwich Arsenal, the Thames Gateway Bridge (across Gallion’s Reach), the Blackwall-Silvertown Crossing and part of the Crossrail train network from north Kent beyond London; and
  • The provision of Waterfront Transit.
 
5. POLICY CONTEXT
   
European
5.1 The South East of England, including the Borough of Greenwich, does not exist on a social or economic island. Increasingly the country is influenced by decisions made on a European basis by the EU, multinational businesses and European organisations. In particular 1992 heralded the start of the single European Market with its consequent impact on firms, trading patterns and investment. The EU will be involved in planning and environmental issues through the European Spatial Development Perspective, which will provide a framework reference document for Regional Planning Guidance on European issues. The introduction of the European Spatial Planning Policy will contribute to the objectives of sustainable development and employment. The rising European influence and competitiveness requires the Borough (as well as the rest of Britain) to increase its attractiveness to business by improving environmental quality, business skills and labour skills to enable it to compete more effectively across Europe.
   
National
5.2 The last ten years there has been an increasing awareness of environmental issues as part of the rising "green consciousness", intense development pressures in the South East and mounting concern about transport. There has been particular concern regarding levels of public transport investment and a growing recognition that partnership was a necessary mechanism to resolve many of the planning issues facing society. Many of these issues have now worked through into national planning guidance as expressed in the Government's Planning Policy Guidance (PPG) Notes, Planning Policy Statements (PPS) and Circulars. In particular the principles of sustainability are now incorporated into planning guidance.
5.3 The 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio sought to minimise our negative impacts on the environment whilst continuing to improve our quality of life. ‘Agenda 21’ was the resulting document of actions required to work towards sustainable development, and provided a framework by which countries could develop their strategies. Greenwich Local Agenda 21 focuses the National Strategy and seeks to integrate environmental concerns prevalent in the Borough with social and economic issues
5.4 Currently there are 16 PPGs and 9 PPSs on a variety of topics. A number of the PPGs are currently being revised and replaced by PPSs. PPS1: Delivering Sustainable Development (2005) states that the planning system should facilitate and promote sustainable and inclusive patterns of development. Properly used, the planning system can help to secure economy, efficiency and amenity in the development and use of land. The planning system should work towards ensuring that development and growth are sustainable. Development plans are intended to provide a firm basis for rational and consistent decisions on planning applications and appeals. They provide a means for coordinating development, including the provision of infrastructure, whilst taking account of the interests of conservation, and protecting the local environment. They should provide a statement of the authority's policies and proposals for the use of land in its area, thus providing residents, amenity bodies, developers and business interests with a measure of certainty about what types of developments will and will not be permitted.
5.5 PPG12 ‘Development Plans’ (1999), provides a strategic overview of the role and importance of development plans within the planning system. It outlines key issues on plan contents and procedures and stresses the importance that the Government attaches to the need for plans to be prepared and updated quickly and efficiently.
5.6 PPG12 also indicates that plans need to be clear, succinct and easily understood. Development plans should contain the local planning authority’s policies and proposals for the development and use of land. The main function of Part One of a UDP is to state in broad terms the general policies and proposals of strategic importance for the development and use of land in the area, taking account of national and regional policies. It should concentrate on providing a strategic framework within which detailed policies can be framed in Part Two of the UDP.
5.7 Part Two of the UDP sets out the local planning authority’s detailed policies and specific proposals for the development and use of land which will guide its day to day planning decisions. Policies in UDP’s may include those which relate to the whole or part of the plan area, setting out the criteria which will be used to judge whether planning applications should be allowed, and those related to individual sites. PPG12 states that “By identifying sites for development, an authority can demonstrate in a positive way how the vision and strategy in the plan will be implemented in practical terms.”
5.8 Under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, the UDP will retain ‘development plan status’ for a period of at least three years.  During the three-year period, the Council will bring forward Local Development Documents to replace parts of the UDP in accordance with the Local Development Scheme
   
Regional
  The South East region is one of the most densely populated, highly congested, economically active, development pressured regions within the Country and these regional factors are all exemplified in the Capital. London remains the focus of the region although competition from therest of the South East as a potential location for services and industries is ever increasing particularly as a result of substantial infrastructure investment, for example, the M25. A key feature of the region is that economic growth is not spread evenly through the region but has favoured the west over the east. This east/west imbalance is also reflected in London. The result has been that some areas suffer from high unemployment and lack regeneration, for example Inner London, whilst other areas experience "overheating" from too much growth/development, for example along the M4. The region as a whole is faced by a number of other issues such as the lack of affordable housing, the need for public transport investment, pressure on urban open spaces and countryside and a need to improve and enhance the environmental quality of the region.
5.10 The Draft South East Plan was published in March 2006 (Regional Spatial Strategy for the South East excluding London). The vision set out in guidance is to:
  a. Encourage a dynamic and robust economy;
  b. Ensure a higher quality of environment and quality of life;
  c. Provide opportunity and equity for the Region’s population to reduce social exclusion; and
  d. Provide a more sustainable pattern of development with better management of natural assets.
  The focus of the Draft South East Plan is on enabling urban renaissance, promoting regeneration and renewal, concentrating development in urban areas, promoting a prosperous and multi-purpose countryside, reducing travel demand and promoting wider choices in travel options, thereby reducing use of and reliance on the private car. It also provides the wider spatial framework for Thames Gateway, which is a regional and national priority for regeneration (see below).  
   
Thames Gateway
5.11 The Thames Gateway is the name given to the area that extends 43 miles long by 20 miles across from Lewisham and Tower Hamlets in London to Tilbury in Essex and the Isle of Sheppey in Kent. Within London Thames Gateway encompasses an area on either side of the River Thames extending eastward from Deptford and the Royal Docks but also extending up the Lea Valley to Stratford. The area has been identified by Government as the main area for development growth in the South East. The Thames Gateway Planning Framework (RPG9a - 1995) is supplementary guidance to RPG9 and identifies Thames Gateway as a major potential focus for growth and development. Objectives for the Gateway include:
  a. Improving economic performance within Europe
  b. Maximise opportunities for new economic activity, created by improved transport connections to Europe
  c. Reinforce and strengthen existing economic and community strengths
  d. Encourage sustainable patterns of development, making full use of existing infrastructure, and of vacant and under used sites
  e. Safeguard and enhance environmental assets.
5.12 The Thames Gateway is also one of the national growth areas in the Government’s Sustainable Communities Plan (2003). Up to £446 million will be made available in the Thames Gateway to create models of well designed, vibrant urban living, marrying homes with jobs, quality public services and infrastructure. The Deputy Prime Minister announced in his July 2002 statement, echoed in the Communities Plan, that there was potential for 200,000 homes to be provided in London and the growth areas by 2016, in additional to current plans. The Plan also proposes regenerating existing deprived communities through access to 300,000 new jobs in the Gateway by 2031.
   
The Mayor and the Assembly
5.13 The Greater London Authority Act 1999 created the Greater London Assembly and the Mayor of London. The Mayor is directly elected and has a number of statutory duties including to engage with the Assembly and the people of London. The London Assembly is a scrutinising body to provide a check and a balance on the Mayor, including reviewing the Mayor’s draft strategies. The Mayor is responsible for strategic planning in London, including producing, and implementing a number of strategies covering Spatial Development, Transport, Economic Development, Culture, Air Quality, Noise, Waste Management and Biodiversity. The Government Office for London has the responsibility, on behalf of the Secretary of State, to ensure that the Mayoral strategies are prepared having regard to national and regional guidance. The London Boroughs, in preparing their UDPs must be in general conformity with the Mayor’s Spatial Development Strategy (SDS). The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 has given the London Plan ‘development plan’ status.  The London Plan (2004), together with the UDP (2006), forms the Development Plan for the Borough.
5.14 Government Circular 1/2000 clarifies that the Mayor must be consulted on a range of development proposals. These include those in regionally identified Strategic Views and affecting Strategic Wharves on the Thames. Under the Town and Country Planning (Mayor of London) Order 2000, the Mayor may direct the Council to refuse a planning application that conflicts with the Spatial Development Strategy or is ‘otherwise contrary to good strategic planning in Greater London’. (Government Office for London)
5.15 The Spatial Development Strategy, called the London Plan, only deals with matters of strategic importance to London, but covers issues beyond those considered the mainstream of the current statutory planning system. Circular 1/2000 states that the London Plan should cover a range of issues including sustainable development, London as a world city, economic regeneration, social inclusion, the built and natural environment, the treatment of town centres and the river Thames. Although it has a formal end date of 2020, it interacts with strategies of differing timescales and is subject to ongoing monitoring and review.
5.16 The London Plan (2004) , reaffirms the Mayor’s vision to develop London as an exemplary sustainable world city. This will be based on economic growth, social inclusion and improvements in environmental management and the use of resources. The Plan has six objectives, which are summarised as follows:-
5.17 Objective 1:- To accommodate London’s growth within its boundaries without encroaching on open spaces
 
  • Maximising capacity, densities and growth in line with public transport capacity in order to achieve an urban renaissance
  • Enable London and the Opportunity Areas to accommodate more jobs, new development and regeneration in the East London Priority Area and strengthen the role of suburban town centres
  • Promote co-ordination of area-based regeneration initiatives, con-ordinated services and improved access in suburban areas, protecting and enhancing designated open spaces
5.18 Objective 2:- To make London a better city for people to live in
 
  • Enhance the design of buildings and public spaces, build more accessible housing and address the needs of the breadth of London’s population
  • Advance the standards of local services including education, health, cleanliness, public safety and develop London’s cultural assets
5.19 Objective 3:- To make London a more prosperous city with strong and diverse economic growth
 
  • Create a spatial framework to realise the Mayor’s Economic Development Strategy, consolidate the infrastructural base, attract industries, tourism and create opportunities to stimulate the right economic growth locations
  • Develop a broad economic base, release identified surplus employment land, foster dynamic growth sectors whilst encouraging research and development
5.20 Objective 4:- To promote social inclusion and tackle deprivation and discrimination
 
  • Tackle unemployment, concentrated deprivation and homelessness by broadening access to education, advice and training services
  • Encourage local participation in the development process, community benefits, prevent discrimination and provide a spatial framework for education, health and other social and community services
5.21 Objective 5:- To improve London’s accessibility
 
  • Provide a land-use framework for implementing the Mayor’s transport strategy, provide transport-related services and infrastructure, reduce the need to travel and by encouraging development to locate near to public transport
  • Improve transport links between London and major transport interchanges, employment opportunities, promote safe and networked access by modes other than the private car and encourage the sustainable movement of freight
5.22 Objective 6:- To make London a more attractive, well-designed and green city
 
  • Integrate Spatial Development with the Mayor’s Environmental Strategies, considering issues such as the consumption of energy and waste, thriving biodiversity, improving air quality and assessing flood risk
  • Promote green industries, the sustainable use of resources, urban design, historic conservation, recycled land, use of London’s waterways and the protection of open spaces
5.23 East London is the Mayor’s priority area for development, regeneration and infrastructure improvement. During the London Plan period, there are expected to be 104,000 additional homes and 249,000 jobs created in this sub-region. The London Plan identifies locations where this new growth will predominately be provided: Areas of Intensification including Kidbrooke and Woolwich, and Opportunity Areas including Creekside, Greenwich Peninsula and Thamesmead. The Council will work with the Mayor and sub-regional partnerships to help develop a coherent Sub-Regional Development Framework for East London.
   
River Thames
5.24 The River Thames is one of London’s most important natural features. The river and its environs are a vital ecological, leisure and tourist resource while the river is also used for the transport of freight and passengers. Many stretches of the river have undergone significant change in recent years while there continues to be strong development pressures along much of its length. The London Plan, through strategy aimed at London’s waterways (the Blue Ribbon Network), deals specifically with the River Thames and the Thames Policy Area between Hampton and Crayford Ness. It thus encompasses the whole of Greenwich’s waterfront and requires high standards of design and development for all schemes fronting the River Thames and Deptford Creek. The London Plan also provides the policy context for the safeguarding of a number of named wharves on the River, six of which are located in the Borough.
   
Other Cross-borough Strategies
5.25 There are also a number of other strategies which relate to all or parts of the Borough, including the Thames Estuary Management Plan and Local Environment Agency Plan (LEAP) Action Plans.
   
Borough of Greenwich
5.26 The social, economic and environmental issues facing the Borough are addressed through a variety of strategies, plans and initiatives. The Greenwich Strategy is the overarching plan for all these strategies, plans and initiatives.  The Council and its partners will contribute to securing its objectives at many levels, jointly and through individual services. It is a strategic document setting out the vision for the Borough for 2010 (see Section 2 above) and identifying medium and long term aims for the borough, pinpointing the challenges and targeting the actions necessary to deliver real improvements. It provides the context for locally based bids for resources from Central Government, Europe, the National Lottery, charities and the private sector. The key themes for the Greenwich Strategy are the areas of well being - social, environmental and economic. The Strategy was completed and issued by the Greenwich Partnership in late 2003, following public consultation. The Partnership, which is made up of the Council, other public, private, community and voluntary sector agencies, will jointly monitor progress annually against the Strategy’s vision and actions.
5.27 The Local Government Act 1999 gives local authorities a duty of Best Value under which they are required to produce Best Value Performance Plans showing their record in delivering services and their plans for improving them. Authorities will have to review the performance of all their services, including planning, over a five-year period. Each service is considered against:
 
  • Challenge, why and how a service is being provided;
  • Compare the performance with others;
  • Consult local people and businesses about the quality of the service; and
  • Use fair and open Competition to procure the service.
  To facilitate Best Value a comprehensive sets of targets and indicators have been set out in Chapter 11: Implementation. These will form the basis for monitoring the implementation of the Plan policies in the Annual Monitoring Report.
5.28 Other strategies that are considered by policies throughout this plan, contain their own detailed objectives, but will draw upon the land use policies contained here to implement projects requiring physical development. Strategies adopted or in preparation by the Council include:
 
  • Air Quality Action Plan (2002);
  • Annual Corporate and Performance Plans;
  • Business and Enterprise Framework 2004-08;
  • Children & Young People’s Plan 2006-08;
  • Contaminated Land Inspection Strategy (2002);
  • Corporate Equality Plan 2003-2006;
  • Creating Safer Greenwich: Crime & Disorder Strategy;
  • Cultural Strategy for Greenwich: Making Culture Matter (2004);
  • Economic Development Strategy for Greenwich 2002-07;
  • Education Development Plan 2002-07;
  • Energy Strategy (2002);
  • Green Space Strategy (2006);
  • Greenwich Biodiversity Action Plan;
  • Greenwich Equality Policy, 2003;
  • Greenwich Municipal Waste Management Strategy;
  • Health Improvement Plan 2002-05;
  • Housing Strategy 2002-07 & Annual Housing Investment Programme;
  • Local Agenda 21 (1997);
  • Neighbourhood Renewal: A New Way of Doing Business (2002);
  • Open Space Strategy;
  • Regeneration Strategy Draft 2006-2020;
  • Social Inclusion & Justice Strategy 2002-06;
  • Sports Strategy: Fit for Sport 2004-2008;
  • Transport Strategy (2001) and Draft Local Implementation Plan (2005); and
  • Tourism Strategy: Greenwich: A Place to Visit? 2004-10.
5.29 The role of the UDP is to provide guidance and advice on the land use implications of these other Council strategies, plans and proposals.
 
6. STRATEGIC PLANNING POLICIES
6.11 In developing its planning strategy for this Unitary Development Plan the Council has adopted the following policies:
   
Community Needs, Benefits & Services
SC1 To ensure that development policies reflect the needs of all the Borough’s residents, especially the priority needs of the most disadvantaged individuals, communities and neighbourhoods.
SC2 In order to secure the best use of land and a properly planned environment the council will seek to ensure, through the use of conditions and planning obligations attached to planning permissions, that new development provides for the infrastructure, facilities, amenities and other planning benefits which are necessary to support and serve it and to offset any consequential planning loss to the local area.
SC3 To provide, consolidate and retain community facilities within the area they serve, especially in areas of deficiency, areas of deprivation and areas of new development.
   
Jobs & the Local Economy
SJ1 To expand and diversify the Borough’s economic base and employment opportunities by identifying good quality employment sites, and by promoting efficient use of employment land and improvements to business infrastructure.
SJ2 To ensure that significant employment generators are accessible by public transport.
SJ3 To retain, and encourage the expansion of, existing businesses, and to promote the provision of premises for small and growing firms.
SJ4 To resist the loss of employment land and premises in active employment use or that are well suited for continued employment use.
SJ5 To encourage training and the development of the skills of the Borough workforce, and to ensure that the benefits of economic activity are shared by all sections of the community including those disadvantaged or facing discrimination in relation to the job market.
   
Housing
SH1 To provide sufficient land to allow for the completion of at least 16,100 net additional dwellings between 1997 and 2016.
SH2 To ensure the development of balanced and mixed communities and to meet the varying needs of households, especially those with special needs, by providing a suitable range of dwellings by type, size and affordability.
SH3 To retain and improve the existing housing stock.
SH4 To provide a high quality sustainable residential environment and to ensure that new housing is built to a high quality design.
SH5 The scale of housing need in the Borough for affordable housing is such that the Council will seek to ensure that at least 35% of the dwellings provided between 1997 and 2016 are affordable to those on low and lower incomes.
SH6 The Council will facilitate the regeneration and renewal of South Greenwich to alleviate the physical and social isolation of the area and to enable the development of mixed communities and sustainable neighbourhoods.
   
Open Spaces
SO1 To adopt a positive approach to the use and treatment of open space by:
  i. Maintaining and increasing suitable recreational facilities;
  ii. Improving the environmental quality of open spaces;
  iii. Identifying and conserving sites of nature conservation importance and;
  iv. Recognising the value of landscape, biodiversity and open space features throughout the urban environment.
SO2 To safeguard, improve and enhance the character of existing public and private open space (Green Belt, Metropolitan Open Land, Community Open Space, small open spaces) that fulfil a specific function for the local and wider community and encourage full use of their facilities.
SO3 To ensure that all communities, residents and workers have adequate access to open space and the riverside. The needs of disadvantaged communities and groups with special requirements will be given emphasis, especially in areas of public open space deficiency.
SO4 Open spaces of strategic importance (Metropolitan Open Land) will be maintained and their character safeguarded from built development and enhanced as appropriate.  The only uses considered to be generally appropriate within MOL are:
  i. Public and private open space, sportsgrounds  and playing fields.
  ii. Agriculture, woodlands and orchards.
  iii. Open water features.
  iv. Golf courses.
  v. Allotments.
  vi. Large grounds attached to educational facilities and institutions.
  vii. Cemeteries and associated crematoria.
  viii. Nature conservation.
   
Environmental Protection
SE1 To encourage environmentally sustainable forms of development.
SE2 To protect and improve the environment in termsof air and water quality, and reduce the impact of pollution, noise, smell and toxic materials, especially from transport and industrial processes.
SE3 To protect areas liable to river or tidal flooding.
SE4 To reduce the generation of waste and to encourage re-use and recycling of waste.
   
Design & Conservation
SD1 The Council will encourage a high quality of design in all new developments and alterations to existing developments which positively contribute to the improvement of their accessibility, safety and the built and natural environment.
SD2 To preserve or enhance areas of recognised and valued character; for the Borough, and London as a whole, including historic landscapes, fine views, open land, wildlife habitats, woodland, trees, wetlands and wildflower meadows.
SD3 To preserve or enhance Conservation Areas, and to protect Listed Buildings of architectural or historic interest and their settings.
SD4 To improve areas of poor quality environment.
SD5 To promote the use of previously developed land, and to ensure new developments make efficient and appropriate use of land.
   
Movement
SM1 To effectively link major transport generators and attractors to the current and foreseeable transport network, at no or minimal cost to the environment.
SM2 To seek equitable levels of mobility and accessibility for all groups of people, particularly for those presently disadvantaged in mobility terms.  Generally, the following priorities should be considered in preparing development proposals and transport policies and projects:
  i. Pedestrians, people with disabilities, cyclists and public transport users first ; then
  ii. Car users and powered two wheeled vehicles.
SM3 To encourage the use of sustainable forms of transport, such as walking, cycling and public transport, by restraining road traffic, meeting the requirements of the Road Traffic Reduction Act and Local Air Quality Management Plans, and safeguarding the environment through mechanisms such as traffic management, parking control and development control, particularly in respect of sensitive local areas.
SM4 To promote safe transport in general, and particularly safe and convenient movement for pedestrians and cyclists, particularly in respect of safer journeys to school.
SM5 To promote a fully integrated public transport system that is extensive in coverage and meets the needs of residents, businesses, workers and visitors in the Borough. This would include necessary new infrastructure and services, a high frequency Metro style rail network of turn up and go services; improved interchanges and common high standards. 
SM6 To safeguard the Crossrail route, changes to the strategic public transport and road networks in respect of Deptford Church Street junction realignment, Thames Gateway Bridge and to have regard to notification requirements in respect of a third Blackwall crossing (to Silvertown Way in L.B. Newham), Woolwich Rail CrossingandDLR (Woolwich) Extension.  Greenwich Waterfront Transit is another strategic scheme the Council supports and will be safeguarded as and when appropriate.
SM7 To assist the local and London economy commensurate with safeguarding the environment, the Council will promote the movement of freight by more sustainable modes such as water and rail.
   
Town Centres
STC1 To safeguard and improve the vitality, commercial viability and sustainability of the Borough’s Town Centres as retail, leisure, employment service and residential centres for residents, visitors and the business community.
STC2 To support the Borough’s Town Centre hierarchy of Major, District and Local Centres, and its network of Neighbourhood Parades, as set out below and in tables TC1 and TC2:
  i. Woolwich and Eltham are designated Major Centres, and the Borough’s largest and second shopping and office employment centres respectively.  They are preferred locations for larger scale development in retail, leisure and other town centre uses.
  ii. Six District Centres offer a significant range of both comparison shopping and a supermarket or range of food shops.  They are appropriate locations for a variety of town centre uses scaled to serve the population of their sub-region without harming the vitality and viability Woolwich or Eltham.  Greenwich is the borough’s largest District Centre, and in addition a major visitor destination and an inscribed World Heritage site.  Proposals that serve this wider market must respect both its heritage and its service role to local residents.
  iii. Seven Local Centres offer a moderate range of shopping and service activities, usually including a small supermarket, and are suitable locations for appropriately scaled town centre uses to serve their local catchment. A new Local Centre will be developed by Kidbrooke Station as part of the Kidbrooke Development Area. 
  iv. 32 Neighbourhood Parades complement the formal town centre hierarchy and typically have less than 20 shops offering basic convenience goods and services within walking distance. Retail developments will be subject to need and sequential testing. Provision of a minimum range of retailing and services will be safeguarded.
STC3 To safeguard and enhance safety, access, comfort, security, amenity and the environment within the Borough’s town centres for residents, workers and visitors.
STC4 To promote a high standard of design in town centre buildings and public and civic spaces, and to preserve and enhance historic buildings, and other important heritage features.
STC5 To improve town centre accessibility by a choice of means of transport, and to reduce congestion and pollution in town centres by promoting public transport, walking, cycling, and linked trips.
   
Tourism
ST1 The Council supports and promotes tourism, recognising that it has a positive and significant role to play in securing the economic and environmental regeneration of the Borough particularly in the Waterfront areas.
ST2 To promote the provision of facilities for tourists in appropriate locations, subject to the need to:
  i. protect the housing stock, the amenities of the local community and the environment of the Borough;
  ii. ensure that tourism is managed to provide benefits for local communities and businesses;
  iii. diversify the tourism base of the Borough’s economy by seeking facilities which embrace a wide range of arts, culture, sporting and entertainment activities for participation and enjoyment by all sections of the community; and
  iv. that major tourist facilities are well served by public transport.
   
Waterfront
SW1 The Council will facilitate the redevelopment and re-use of remaining redundant land and buildings in the Waterfront during the Plan period, bringing about the regeneration of the whole area and realising its economic, social, environmental, cultural and recreational potential, to secure the sustainable development of balanced waterfront communities.
SW2 The Council recognises and will seek to enhance the value of the River Thames and Deptford Creek as waterways rich in biodiversity and environmental quality; as Open Spaces, and an essential part of the Borough’s character and landscape in their own right.
   
Implementation
SIM1 To monitor and review the UDP regularly to ensure it remains up-to-date.
SIM2 To attract the necessary resources to implement the plan, continue to work in partnerships and consult widely on the UDP and other planning documents.
SIM3 To use relevant planning powers in the implementation of the plan.
 
 
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