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| Unitary Development Plan - Adopted 1 March 2005 | |||
Chapter 10 |
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COMMUNITY, CULTURE AND ENTERTAINMENT |
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| 10.1 | This chapter is mainly concerned with services to meet the needs of the community, indoor sports, recreation, arts, culture and entertainment. Many of the community services are provided by the Council or other statutory bodies, either directly or through partnership arrangements with the private or voluntary sectors. The private sector provides most commercial recreation, cultural and entertainment facilities. | ||
| 10.2 | Community services which are provided to meet the needs of the community are: health and social services; education; public utilities (such as gas, electricity, water, refuse disposal); Council depots and area offices; community centres, meeting halls and churches; libraries; and other miscellaneous services. Decisions on their operation are of course contained in the plans and programmes of the particular service. The UDP can only be involved with the land use implications of these decisions. | ||
| 10.3 | Indoor recreation involves a wide range of uses, for example sports centres, halls for dancing and snooker, meeting halls, sports and social clubs, gymnasia, dance and fitness centres. Most of the facilities discussed are provided by the Council. Sport and recreation make an important contribution to the quality of life and to maintaining good health. Demand for recreation facilities in the Borough as well as for cultural facilities and entertainments is likely to increase. | ||
| 10.4 | The cultural activities and entertainment provided in the Borough contribute to its attractiveness as a place in which to live, work or visit. They are important both to local residents and to the local economy in helping to encourage new investment, broaden the range of local employment opportunities and generate spending in local businesses, and stimulate the evening economy. As well as being supported by local residents, many facilities are also dependent on tourism spending. The environment including the river is a key feature that draws visitors to the Borough. | ||
HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES |
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| 10.5 | A wide range of health and social services are provided or commissioned by statutory, voluntary and other organisations for residents of the Borough. Many healthcare needs are met by community health services and primary care including GPs, dentists, nurses, health visitors etc. The South West London Community Trust and the Teddington Memorial Hospital and Community Trust are responsible for the ownership of hospitals and clinics and the provision of community health services e.g. district nursing, speech and language therapy, chiropody etc. Service locations include Barnes Hospital, Putney Hospital, Richmond Community Healthcare hamlet and St John's Amyand House and Newland House, Twickenham. Primary Health Care Groups are responsible for the organisation and development of GP services within their areas and for commissioning a range of services from the Trusts. The Kingston and Richmond Health Authority, along with the Primary Care Groups, are responsible for the commissioning of services from both the acute and Community Trusts. | ||
| 10.6 | Several Council departments are responsible for a wide range of statutory and other services for elderly people, children and families, people with physical disabilities, learning difficulties or mental health needs. The emphasis is on providing local facilities and services, which enable people with special needs to live in the community as a whole. There are major planning issues surrounding access to buildings, leisure and transport facilities and so on, if equal opportunities are to be achieved. Accommodation is not only required for people with special needs, but also for the staff whose services are essential to the success of community care policies. In addition, local facilities are required as office bases for those teams of support staff. | ||
| 10.7 | The NHS and Community Care Act (1990) emphasises the value of living as independently as possible within the community rather than in institutions, for people in need of care. Changes in health provision have resulted in land currently used for mental hospitals and other institutions, such as Normansfield, becoming surplus to the NHS Community Trusts' requirements, whilst locally more land will need to be devoted to day services and small scale residential care homes. The government has signalled its intent to increase the provision of inpatient beds for people with mental health needs. If such developments were planned within the Borough, it is likely that they would be located in an existing NHS facility. The other area for potential growth is in 24 hour staffed hostels for people with mental health needs. Many ordinary houses are suitable for housing accommodation with support, small residential care homes and hostels. This is recognised in the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987, which permits care to be provided for up to six residents living together without the need for planning permission. Larger homes and hostels will still need planning permission and require compliance with the Council's housing and other policies. | ||
EDUCATION |
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| 10.8 | Education is given a high priority and the schools and colleges within the Borough have a reputation for providing a high standard of service. The local authority represents the most important provider of education, although this service is supplemented by a number of voluntary aided and private schools. A large amount of land in the Borough is used for educational purposes, although in recent years rising school rolls have highlighted the need for additional primary school provision. Over the next ten years it is likely that adaptations and changes to schools will be necessary as a result of an increasing number of students, together with the introduction of new technology in schools and changes to the national curriculum. There is also an increasing demand for pre-school and out of school education, and the Council is committed to promoting a range of high quality facilities. As well as providing schools, the Council works in partnership with the two colleges (tertiary and adult) on initiatives such as the Education Business Partnerships. The Council as a local education authority has a responsibility to provide adequate facilities for leisure time occupation in organised cultural, training and recreational facilities for young people over the age of 16 and adults. Therefore the provision of a network of adult education facilities and youth clubs is also given a high priority. The Council is eager to develop further links between industry and education, and proposes to participate in the vocational training and education programmes of the West London Learning and Skills Council. The concept of lifelong learning recognises that much learning is independent or informal. A network of library services, which meets the developing needs of users in an information society, will be provided as a key building block for the learning society. | ||
LIBRARIES |
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| 10.9 | The Council has a duty to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service to all persons desiring to make use of it. Library authorities have been given until April 2004 to meet national standards for the provision of library services which include standards for the proportion of households living within a specified distance of a static library, opening hours, visits to libraries and additions to stock. Membership is amongst the highest in the country and comprises more than 50% of the population, which is double the national average. The distribution of libraries is such that nearly all parts of the Borough are reasonably served, although the need for new and relocated local libraries will be kept under review. However, some libraries are too small and new locations and/or extensions would be of great benefit to this service. The impact of information technology (I.T.) on the type of services requested and the way they are delivered will enable a more comprehensive and extensive service to be delivered at community locations and to home users, whilst consolidating the current local community role of branch libraries. | ||
INDOOR SPORT |
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| 10.10 | Indoor sports are not well provided for. The Council's indoor swimming pools at Richmond and Teddington provide for the Borough's basic needs but do not include leisure pool provision. There is no large public sports hall but there are neighbourhood sports centres at Shene, Whitton, Teddington, Hampton Community College and Richmond Adult and Community College organises sport in school sports halls, and small public and church halls. Squash has declined in popularity but, although there are only 2 public courts, clubs with membership open to Borough residents provide 30 additional courts. The ice rink closed in January 1992. | ||
| 10.11 | The areas of concern are the lack of public sports halls and indoor tennis facilities and the limited progress in achieving dual use of existing sports facilities. | ||
| 10.12 | Restricted finance, land shortage and limited opportunities for development make it essential to ensure facilities are not lost and optimum use is made of existing facilities, including the dual use of school sites and public access to private facilities. The Council considers new sports projects may best be realised through partnership arrangements between Sport England, local clubs, commercial organisations and the Council, and external funding agencies such as the Lottery Sports Fund. | ||
CHILDREN'S PLAY |
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| 10.13 | The role of play in the social development of children cannot be overstated. The National Playing Fields Association identifies three types of playgrounds: | ||
| (a) | Local Areas for Play (LAPs) - unequipped play areas catering mostly for children aged 4-6, close to where they live (1 minute's walk/100m), with a minimum area of 100 sq m. | ||
| (b) | Local Equipped Areas for Play (LEAPs) - equipped play areas having a minimum of five different activities, a small games area within the playground and a minimum area of 400 sq m. | ||
| (c) | Neighbourhood Equipped Areas for Play (NEAPs) - equipped play areas having a minimum of eight different activities, a hard surfaced kickabout/skating/cycle play area within the playground and a minimum area of 1000 sq m. | ||
| Play spaces may suitably complement indoor play facilities, this combination being especially attractive for use by playgroups. | |||
| 10.14 | The Council has provided small play spaces for younger children in its own housing schemes and requires developments of larger private housing schemes to do so. It maintains 36 equipped playgrounds, most of which are in parks. There are two supervised play facilities in Marble Hill Park, Twickenham; a One O'Clock Club and an adventure playground; and also a skate park in Kingsfield, Hampton Wick. Disturbance to local residents from noisy play spaces has created problems at some sites. Lack of progress in providing additional children's play facilities in the past, difficulties in maintaining and improving the safety of existing playgrounds, together with restrictions on Council spending which are likely to limit further provision in the foreseeable future, are other matters of concern. Several parks pavilions are used by playgroups/nurseries and others offer further potential (See CCE 11). | ||
CULTURAL FACILITIES |
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| 10.15 | Cultural activities represent a complex range of creative and enlivening activities that enhance the intellectual and artistic quality of life of residents and visitors. The facilities or spaces required for their development or presentation include performing auditoria for theatres, music, dance and opera, cinemas, spaces for the presentation of visual arts, studios and workshops for artists and crafts people. | ||
| 10.16 | The Borough has two professional theatres: the Richmond Theatre was refurbished in 1990 and the Orange Tree Theatre moved to a purpose-built theatre in 1991. Richmond has a cinema with three auditoria and a studio cinema with four auditoria, whilst a cinema showing specialist films opened in June 1990. Amateur theatre clubs operate studio theatres, for members only, in Twickenham and a new theatre has been built in Hampton Hill to replace one in Hampton Court House. A fringe theatre has been developed at the Rose & Crown in Hampton Wick. In Richmond's Parkshot Centre, the Queen Charlotte Hall stages a variety of shows and concerts while a studio theatre is also available for small scale activity. Other facilities include the Edmund Keane theatre at Richmond upon Thames College in Twickenham and the Landmark Arts Centre at Teddington Lock. | ||
| 10.17 | Other performance activity takes place in a variety of venues, including historic settings such as Kneller Hall, Marble Hill House and York House, churches, church halls, community centres, public houses and schools and colleges. The Council organises exhibitions in the Orleans House Gallery and the Riverside Gallery, and occasional exhibitions are staged at Parkshot and at a number of commercial galleries, which are also open to the public. A number of organisations, including commercial enterprises and the Council itself, stage events with an arts input at some of the Borough's attractive outdoor sites, ranging from concerts to circus. | ||
| 10.18 | Nevertheless, shortfalls in provision remain, in terms of both type and location. Many existing facilities are limited by restrictions on public use, inaccessible siting, inadequate resources or the compromised nature of multi-purpose spaces and conversions. Because of the occasional nature of the arts usage, some facilities also lack the management and marketing resources necessary to make events attractive to the general public. If arts activity is to reach a broader cross section of residents, improvements in provision, with a consequent rise in standards of marketing and presentation, are essential. | ||
| 10.19 | There is nowhere in the Borough capable of properly staging professional small scale touring theatre, contemporary dance, ballet, operatic productions or orchestral concerts for audiences of 200 to 500. The Queen Charlotte Hall experiences difficulties in staging such events through being designed to fulfil a multi-purpose role. Facilities for other musical concerts are limited, as are resources for the Borough's many amateur theatre groups. There is no properly resourced gallery space for the exhibition of touring shows of a high standard and a shortage of suitable or affordable rehearsal, studio and workshop space for performers and artists of all kinds. | ||
| 10.20 | Environmental considerations, including car parking and traffic implications, will need to be taken into account in the planning of new or extended cultural facilities. | ||
ENTERTAINMENT |
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| 10.21 | The Borough contains a wide range of entertainment facilities that are generally provided and operated by the private sector, including restaurants, wine bars, public houses and premises for music and dancing, that serve the needs of visitors and residents. The provision of these facilities requires careful consideration to ensure they do not create environmental problems. | ||
| 10.22 | In considering entertainment facilities the Council must keep in mind both the need to retain the facilities themselves and the need to manage carefully the users who, whilst giving support to these facilities, cause congestion, parking problems and litter at particular places and disturb residents. | ||
WASTE |
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| 10.23 | The Council maintains waste handling and recycling centres at Townmead Road, Kew and Craneford Way, Twickenham and provides a hierarchy of waste recycling centres across the Borough. When considering methods of waste collection and disposal the Council will seek to reduce the amount of waste for disposal through various means including the provision of additional recycling facilities. These will take account of the impact on residential amenity and the character and appearance of the area. | ||
PUBLIC UTILITIES |
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| 10.24 | Most essential services are provided by privatised bodies, such as Thames Water Utilities, British Gas, and British Telecom. Other bodies such as the Post Office also have a vital role to play. With new technology and the need to improve London's infrastructure, the land requirements of these services are changing. Of particular importance in the Borough are water operations. The increasingly stringent environmental standards of water and sewage treatment mean that Thames Water plc are continuously upgrading plant at the Hampton Works. On the other hand, land under the ownership of Thames Water and other bodies will become surplus. In addition, new services are developing. In particular, telecommunications pose environmental issues, which need to be addressed. (See policy BLT 24 on satellite dishes and telecommunications apparatus). | ||
VOLUNTARY ORGANISATIONS |
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| 10.25 | Voluntary organisations provide valuable services to the community through a diverse range of services including information, advice, advocacy and practical help for all age groups. The Council supports the work of voluntary organisations and will encourage the development of this sector and the services they provide. | ||
FRAMEWORK FOR POLICIES |
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STRATEGIC PLANNING CONTEXT |
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INDOOR RECREATION |
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| 10.26 | Strategic Planning Guidance for London Planning Authorities (RPG 3 1996) states that boroughs should consider Planning Policy Guidance Note 17: Sport and Recreation (PPG17 1994) now revised as Planning for Open Space, Sport and Recreation (2002) when assessing their own requirements for sport and recreation. The Planning Policy Guidance stresses the valuable social and economic role of sport and recreation, the need to enable people to participate in sport and to provide a wide range of opportunities for recreation, with opportunities available to all, including the elderly and those with disabilities. Planning authorities are required to ensure that adequate land and water resources are allocated both for organised sport and informal recreation, to take full account of the community's need for recreational space and to have regard to current levels of provision and deficiencies. Boroughs are also asked to consider London Sport's The Sporting Capital: The Regional Recreation Strategy for London (London Sport 1994), which advocates sports equity and sports development towards achieving the National Vision for Sport. | ||
| 10.27 | In 1997 the Borough published a revised Sports Strategy for Richmond as a policy framework for the future development of facilities, including priorities for provision, participation and standard of sports in the Borough, taking account of the Regional Recreation Strategy (1994). The Council's Sports Strategy advocates the future development of three additional neighbourhood indoor sports centres to meet existing deficiencies, together with a district sports centre at a central location in the Borough. One neighbourhood indoor centre has been achieved; Hampton Community College. A number of key sports facility priorities are identified including investigation of the feasibility of providing an indoor tennis centre. | ||
ARTS, CULTURE AND ENTERTAINMENT |
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| 10.28 | RPG 3 requires that boroughs should identify areas which demonstrate a concentration of arts, culture and entertainment activities, prepare policies to support these activities and ensure that policies to improve the built and open environment assist in providing the quality of environment needed to underpin the activities of this sector. London Planning Advisory Committee's Advice on Strategic Planning Guidance for London (1994) recommends that boroughs should maintain, protect, enhance and integrate provision for arts, culture and entertainment facilities, especially within cultural quarters and arts in the public realm. | ||
LONDON ARTS BOARD |
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| 10.29 | The regional arts board for London, London Arts Board, continues in broad terms to pursue the policies developed by its predecessor body, Greater London Arts, whose Arts Plan for London placed emphasis on the structured development of local provision, particularly as a means of satisfying latent demand and attracting those members of the community who are not regular attendees of arts events. | ||
CULTURAL STRATEGY 2002-2005 |
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| 10.30 | The key actions to be led by the Council are: | ||
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WASTE |
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| 10.31 | RPG 3 requires that UDPs should reflect the Government's views on the waste hierarchy in policies for the reduction of waste generation and the encouragement of recycling and energy recovery, in particular the potential for recycling household waste. Boroughs are also required to include strategic policies for the achievement of the hierarchy of waste management options and for the anticipated provision of recycling collection points, treatment plants and transfer stations; demonstrate that account has been taken of the potential to reduce, reuse and recycle waste; set out policies for waste reduction and minimisation at source; set out policies and proposals for waste and refuse storage, transfer, initial treatment and disposal; include policies and proposals for recycling and energy recovery plant, incineration plant and waste transfer/bulk reducing stations; consider the modes and routes to be used for the transport of waste and the distribution of facilities and collection points to reduce travel; make policies and proposals for recycling facilities, larger comprehensive sites handling a wide range of waste materials and sites for the handling of green waste; and demonstrate that consideration has been given to the storage, treatment and disposal of specialised waste. UDPs are also required to set out the criteria against which proposals for waste recycling, transfer, disposal (including incineration) and any other facilities would be assessed, whether or not sites have been identified in addition to the existing main sites. In London, a duty has been placed on the Greater London Authority (GLA) to produce a strategy for municipal waste management. Ultimately the Plan will need to reflect this strategy. | ||
| 10.32 | The West London Waste Authority (WLWA) is a statutory body made up of 6 London boroughs - (Hounslow, Hillingdon, Ealing, Brent, Harrow and Richmond.) The WLWA has a responsibility for disposing of the waste arising from the constituent boroughs and formulating a waste disposal strategy, which will have to have regard to both the national and London waste policies. As part of the WLWA, this Borough is working with its constituent boroughs to achieve these objectives and coordinate its activities with particular regard to developing an environmentally responsible approach to recycling. | ||
STRATEGY |
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| 10.33 | Restrictions on public expenditure mean that improvements to services will be limited and land needs must be kept under review. Public service providers continue to realise their land assets. The Plan aims to ensure that public services are provided in locations which are accessible to users and satisfy operational needs. The onus is on the retention of facilities and services unless adequate alternative provision is available. | ||
| 10.34 | Where premises become surplus, the Council will give priority to the needs of other public services; it is expected that it will frequently be voluntary sector organisations which will be seeking premises. In general, emphasis will be on the re-use of existing buildings in order to conserve resources and to retain familiar townscape features. Development within the grounds of such buildings will not be acceptable if it detracts from the overall townscape or from the character of the building. | ||
| 10.35 | Although there are plenty of opportunities to take part in recreation in the Borough, there are some activities that are not well provided for. The overall strategy for recreation is based upon the aim of ensuring that all residents and, where possible, visitors have access to an appropriate range of opportunities for indoor recreation. More specifically the strategy is based on the need to: | ||
| (a) | resist the loss of existing facilities where there is a demand; | ||
| (b) | encourage more efficient use of existing facilities; | ||
| (c) | improve access to facilities, including access for people with disabilities and special needs. Many basic facilities, such as playgrounds, should be within walking distance of all Borough residents and the route to them should be convenient and safe. More specialised facilities should be conveniently accessible by public transport; | ||
| (d) | ensure that the limited funds that the Council has available are used to provide facilities in those parts of the Borough where provision is sparse, and to optimise the use of existing sports facilities to ensure provision on a district basis; | ||
| (e) | encourage and promote commercial organisations, clubs and voluntary groups to continue to provide facilities to supplement Council provision. Measures to adapt land and buildings to recreational use from redundant uses also need to be encouraged; | ||
| (f) | ensure that the environment is not harmed, nature conservation interests are protected and that there is no undue loss of amenity in residential areas. | ||
| 10.36 | The Council recognises the importance to residents of a wide variety of cultural and entertainment attractions in central London and in neighbouring boroughs. The Council is committed to the development of an infrastructure, which will support a flourishing, varied and accessible programme of artistic activity, complementary to activity taking place elsewhere. This infrastructure will be based on the provision of facilities at the most local level practicable. Where a larger catchment area population is necessary, provision will be made in town centres with good public transport accessibility, or for the most specialised activities within Richmond town centre or Twickenham. | ||
| 10.37 | Whilst the Council wishes to fulfil residents' expectations of a choice of local facilities it recognises that its own ability to increase cultural provision is strictly limited by public finance restrictions and a shortage of suitable large sites. The Council therefore seeks to work in partnership with the private sector to rectify shortfalls in provision. The Council recognises the specialist needs of arts activity in order to achieve proper standards of presentation and will support the development of spaces dedicated to arts usage. It will also encourage the utilisation of redundant buildings and the dual use of public buildings such as churches and schools whenever appropriate. Entertainment facilities are expected to be provided independently by the private sector. | ||
| 10.38 | The Council will be careful to ensure that the use of cultural and especially entertainment facilities does not cause undue disturbance to Borough residents. | ||
OBJECTIVES |
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| 10.39 | To ensure that the land use needs of public services are met on sites which are suitable for a particular use | ||
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| CCE 1 - SUPPLY OF LAND FOR PUBLIC SERVICES | |||
| 10.40 | The provision of land or buildings for essential education, health, social or other public services will be accorded the necessary priority and the Council will use its powers having regard to the availability of resources and need for the service. | ||
| 10.41 | The purpose of this policy is to seek to ensure that land or buildings are available in suitable locations for the Council, statutory undertakers and other public and private bodies to provide their services adequately and effectively. When assessing the degree of priority to be given and any action to be taken, the Council will consider: | ||
| (a) | the benefit the service offers to Borough residents and whether it needs to be brought up to standard; | ||
| (b) | whether adequate resources are available to provide the service; are accessible to the users of the service; | ||
| (c) | whether the site and its location are suitable for the particular use, or development and in appropriate cases are accessible to the users of the service. | ||
| CCE 2 - PROVISION OF NEW PUBLIC SERVICES | |||
| 10.42 | Public services which are regularly visited by residents should be located in existing centres. All proposals for community services will be considered in relation to the following factors: | ||
| (a) | the need for the particular service; | ||
| (b) | effect on residential amenity and character of the area; | ||
| (c) | accessibility by public transport; | ||
| (d) | provision of car parking and effect on traffic movement and highway safety; | ||
| (e) | full accessibility for people with disabilities and those with mobility difficulties; | ||
| (f) | other Plan policies. | ||
| 10.43 | One of the general principles of the Plan is that land uses which provide services people need to visit should generally be located in or near existing centres in order to take advantage of their accessibility, to reinforce their role as focal points in the community, to minimise disturbance to residents, and, if possible, to take up surplus shop premises. Some community services such as libraries, churches and meeting halls fall into this category. However, where the availability of appropriate property in existing centres is scarce and the use offers particular benefits for Borough residents, such as a doctor's surgery or where there is a need for purpose-built facilities, the Council may be prepared to accept alternative locations, provided there is a high level of accessibility, no harmful effects on the amenities of local residents, and no conflict with other policies of this Plan. | ||
| CCE 3 - USE OF SURPLUS SITES AND PREMISES | |||
| 10.44 | In determining the future use of land or premises declared surplus to the requirements of a public service, the Council will require the retention of premises that are essential to the provision of a public service or facility or where a specific community need has been identified. In other cases the Council will normally require residential development unless there is an opportunity to enhance the mix of uses in accordance with policy IMP 2. | ||
| 10.45 | In a Borough such as this with development pressures and high land costs there is pressure to redevelop sites and it can be difficult to find new sites for community use, especially for use by voluntary groups. Where a property or land is declared surplus the Council will require evidence that it is no longer an essential local facility. The Council may issue Supplementary Planning Guidance to identify specific shortfalls in provision, which need to be overcome. A particular concern is that churches are, wherever possible, retained for use by the community as they are traditionally focal points of community life and the buildings usually make a major contribution to the townscape. The Council will seek to encourage the work of, and enlist help from, non-profit making and building preservation organisations to achieve these results. | ||
| CCE 4 - PROVISION OF HEALTH FACILITIES | |||
| 10.46 | The Council will co-operate with local NHS commissioners and providers to improve health services for Borough residents. | ||
| 10.47 | There is a range of hospitals, health centres, and clinics across the Borough. Investment has taken place to improve services through the provision of replacement facilities and changes to existing facilities. The new public private partnership for primary care will allow substantial upgrades or replacements of some primary care premises, and the provision of one stop primary care centres, planned on a neighbourhood basis. This will enable primary provision to be made on a comprehensive basis, and the one stop centres will allow the co-location of GP and community services, and where possible the co-location of social care agencies. The Council will work in partnership with the Primary Care Trust to achieve this. | ||
| 10.48 | A major reorganisation of hospital services has occurred with transfers from Queen Mary's to Kingston Hospital. The local authority has continued to emphasise the need to improve physical access. The hospitals have arranged for new public transport services to reflect the changes. | ||
| CCE 5 - LOSS OF HEALTH FACILITIES | |||
| 10.49 | In considering applications for redevelopment or change of use of an existing health facility the Council will have regard to the views of those bodies responsible for the provision of statutory health facilities in the area, in order to be assured that such a health facility is not needed or is adequately provided for elsewhere. | ||
| 10.50 | With greater emphasis being placed by government on care in the community and possible reviews into the provision of hospitals and other facilities by the health authorities, it is important to ensure that any further centralisation or re-organisation of health facilities does not result in inadequate provision or poor accessibility for the Borough's residents. The transfer of hospital functions from Queen Mary's, Roehampton to Kingston hospital will be partially ameliorated for people with disabilities by the new bus service operating between the two hospitals and Richmond town centre, following Council pressure. Hampton Clinic in Station Road closed following provision of a new health centre/clinic in Hampton Nursery Lands. The health facilities formerly provided at the Kings Road clinic have been relocated to the Richmond Community Healthcare hamlet at Kew Foot Road, Richmond. The former Windham Road Clinic, Kew is now owned by the Council and run as a centre for children with disabilities. The Plan has already taken into account these closures. If there is no need for an alternative health care use the Council will consider proposals for other uses in the context of the policies of the Plan and particularly the need for affordable housing. | ||
| CCE 6 - LOCATION OF DOCTORS' AND DENTISTS' SURGERIES | |||
| 10.51 | The Council will encourage the provision of doctors' and dentists' surgeries and similar uses at neighbourhood level. These services should normally be provided in existing centres, and should be fully accessible to people with disabilities. Exceptions may be made for proposals affecting residential properties of an appropriate size and location providing there is no significant deterioration of highway conditions or undue adverse effect on neighbouring amenity. Attention will be paid to the Guidelines for the Location of Doctors' Surgeries. | ||
| 10.52 | Doctors' and dentists' surgeries and practices such as chiropodists, veterinary surgeries etc. need to be located within or close to the residential area they serve in order to provide convenient access for the sick and elderly and those without transport. If inappropriately located properties are put to this use, problems could occur for neighbouring residents. Such services should be located in local centres by taking up any surplus shop premises (policy TC 8 applies) or in residential properties, preferably on a large corner site near to a local distributor road and with accessibility to public transport facilities; mid-terraced properties and flats will not be considered appropriate. On substantial new housing developments it may be appropriate to provide a site for larger surgery premises to allow for the needs of new residents and to allow for the relocation of an existing surgery. In determining applications, the Council will have regard to neighbouring residential amenities and the local on-street parking situation. Advice is given in Guidelines for the Location of Doctors' Surgeries, which has been produced in conjunction with Kingston and Richmond local medical committee and the former Kingston and Richmond Family Health Services Authority (now Kingston and Richmond Health Authority). Where a former residential property ceases use as a surgery, reversion to residential use will normally be required. An agreement under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, Section 106 may be sought to achieve this. | ||
| CCE 7 - PROVISION OF SOCIAL SERVICES AND DAY CENTRES | |||
| 10.53 | The Council through provision of its own services, the commissioning of independent services and working in collaboration with voluntary organisations, will endeavour to provide support to those in greatest need in their own homes or in appropriate accommodation with additional support provided through day and domiciliary care. | ||
| 10.54 | The NHS and Community Care Act 1990 requires local authorities to enable people to live in either their own homes or in suitable accommodation in the community with appropriate levels of support. The legislation reinforces developments started several years ago to resettle people out of long stay institutions into suitable accommodation in the community. This applies particularly to people with mental health needs and learning difficulties. In addition, there is an expectation that people who in the past had been placed in accommodation several miles from their home, would have the opportunity where appropriate to move back into the area. | ||
| CCE 8 - EDUCATIONAL PREMISES | |||
| 10.55 | The Council will ensure that the provision of schools, pre-schools and other education facilities is sufficient in quantity and quality to meet the needs of residents (see policy BLT 11). Parts of existing school sites and some other council owned land may be identified for possible expansion or possible new school sites in order to accommodate both the current and future schooling needs in the Borough. | ||
| 10.56 | The Council gives priority to providing a high standard of education for all children in the Borough. Pre-school education is provided at one nursery school and sixteen nursery units attached to primary schools. There are fifteen voluntary-aided and twenty-five county primary schools within the authority and eight secondary schools (one of which is voluntary-aided). In addition, the authority maintains three special schools and five special units, which provide education facilities for approximately 200 pupils who have a variety of special educational needs. Post sixteen education is provided by the Richmond upon Thames College, an independent institution, and is currently undergoing review. | ||
| 10.57 | The increased demand for, and the rising popularity of, the authority's schools is imposing pressures on Richmond's educational facilities. The Council will keep under review the operational requirements of school premises and seek to maintain school standards in accordance with current regulations and Department for Education and Employment guidelines. New residential developments may give rise to a need for school places, which cannot be met locally. In such circumstances the Council will normally require developers to contribute financially to the provision of the necessary educational facilities (see policy HSG 19). | ||
| 10.58 | The Council is aware that educational establishments can have a detrimental effect on residential amenity due to noise and general activity levels. The Council will therefore try to minimise the effect of educational developments on neighbouring residential amenities. The Council is also aware that temporary classrooms, if unsuitably located, can be unsightly and detrimental to the visual amenities of the area. Temporary classrooms will only be permitted where there is a genuine need and only in locations where the visual impacts are minimised. In accordance with its sustainability strategy, the Council will continue to promote greener forms of transport to and from schools, including safe routes to school (see also TRN 11, TRN 12 and TRN 13). In order to reduce noise and nuisance and improve highway safety, priority will be given to introducing traffic calming measures near to schools. In considering proposals for independent educational facilities, policy CCE 2 and other relevant policies will apply. | ||
| CCE 9 - DUAL USE OF FACILITIES | |||
| 10.59 | The Council will encourage and promote the dual use of school premises including private schools and other private or commercial facilities for sports and community purposes, subject to appropriate management arrangements. In considering future designs and adaptations, account will be taken of dual use requirements. | ||
| 10.60 | The dual use of facilities is an efficient and economical way of providing a higher level of service, especially when restrictions in public expenditure rule out provision of extensive new facilities. Educational buildings and land particularly lend themselves to more intensive use where this will not prejudice their use for education nor have a serious adverse effect on the amenities of adjoining residents. The Council has adopted a policy to optimise the use of school premises, and this also includes school playing fields, playgrounds and sports halls. The Council wishes to encourage schools to develop links with the local community and to be responsive to demands for the use of facilities and, following the greater independence granted to schools under the Education Reform Act 1988, the Council will seek the co-operation of school governors to ensure that facilities can be made widely available to the community. Community use of sports facilities is generally concentrated in secondary schools, which have a wider range of facilities. It could be extended by providing more all-weather playing surfaces and by floodlighting where this would not result in an unacceptable loss of amenity. This policy also complies with the former London Council for Sport and Recreation's Regional Recreation Strategy, 1987. Community use may also be extended through expanded or improved ancillary services such as changing facilities, storage space, management offices and social areas. | ||
| 10.61 | Primary schools meet more local and specific needs. Parent Teacher Associations often provide a focus for community activities and considerable use is made of primary schools by youth organisations. Primary schools provide a base for holiday play schemes, after-school care schemes and playgroups. Given the availability of resources it would be desirable to support the extension of such schemes together with other organised ventures to provide out-of-school facilities for younger children and their families. | ||
| 10.62 | The Council will encourage governors to assist in continuing to make school facilities available to the community. However, the extent to which such dual use can be developed will depend upon the availability of resources, since the Council is legally obliged to ensure that any associated costs do not fall on school budgets. | ||
| CCE 10 - CHILDRENS' PLAY FACILITIES | |||
| 10.63 | The Council will seek the provision of children's playing facilities within safe and convenient walking distance of home. | ||
| 10.64 | The National Playing Fields Association recommends the provision of a range of play spaces, including casual or informal playspace and outdoor equipped playgrounds for children of different ages, located within safe walking distance of home (see para 10.13). In assessing the need and type of additional play facilities required, the Council will take local circumstances into account. In particular it will have regard to the size of private gardens, environmental quality of the areas and the need to provide safe, accessible facilities without crossing a main road (see also para 8.73). A longer term aim will be to provide larger playgrounds within 400m of households with children since this is an acceptable walking distance for parents with children. The provision of play areas suitable for use by playgroups in combination with indoor facilities will be accorded high priority. | ||
| 10.65 | In areas without convenient access to a playground the Council may increase provision by providing new playgrounds when development occurs or finance permits; by providing playgrounds in suitably located public open spaces when finance permits; and by encouraging governors to make school playgrounds available for public use out of school hours subject to suitable supervision, where this will not seriously affect the amenities of residents. The Council is undertaking a programme of improvements to play areas including fencing to restrict dogs, and safer surfacings. It will also seek the provision of play facilities in appropriate new residential schemes. The Council will also encourage the setting up of holiday play schemes and after school care schemes at schools and other suitable locations. | ||
| CCE 11 - PROVISION FOR EARLY YEARS | |||
| 10.66 | The Council will encourage provision of facilities for early years, including day care, but in considering proposals it will have regard to the need to protect the amenities of nearby residents and the effect on highway conditions. | ||
| 10.67 | The Council considers that suitable child-centred play groups and other pre-school provisions have an important social and development value to children, particularly those with special needs. Child care is also essential in households where the parent(s) is/are working. As a result the Council will give its support to playgroups, holiday play facilities and after-school care schemes, and encourage the provision of nurseries. The provision of these services can be acceptable in residential areas, although the Council is aware that problems can arise if facilities are inappropriately located. When considering proposals, the Council will take into account the garden and location of the rooms to be used, together with the type of property, its location, and any potential effect on highway conditions. It will be normal practice for the Council to restrict the numbers of children and, where necessary, hours of use. Projects involving six or less children (including those living at the premises) are not generally felt to require planning permission. Such projects may include an assistant to the child minder. The Children Act 1989 requires that the Council registers and annually inspects all facilities provided for the day care of children under 8 years of age. The Act now provides defined criteria and inspection requirements for the Social Services Department to ensure high standards of care and welfare for the children. | ||
| CCE 12 - YOUTH CENTRES | |||
| 10.68 | The Council will seek to maintain and improve a network of youth centres throughout the Borough and will support the provision of facilities by voluntary organisations. Facilities should be fully accessible to people with disabilities. The loss of such facilities will be resisted. | ||
| 10.69 | The Borough youth service is responsible for five full-time youth centres, and assists many other voluntary youth programmes. The Council is committed to developing youth services and would like to ensure, resources permitting, that accommodation is available at local level throughout the Borough. The service will be kept under review and a need for accommodation has been identified in the Whitton and East Sheen areas. There is also a need to replace facilities in Teddington and Richmond and upgrade and improve those in central Twickenham. It is not possible for the Council to provide all areas of the Borough with purpose-built youth centres. The Council will encourage the growth of voluntary organisations which provide youth facilities. Where pressures occur, the Council will resist the loss of youth facilities unless adequate alternative premises are made available. Attention will also be paid to dual use of existing facilities and youth provision as an element in the provision of community centres. | ||
| CCE 13 - NATURE STUDY FACILITIES | |||
| 10.70 | The Council will support voluntary organisations to set up nature study centres. | ||
| 10.71 | The Council recognises the importance of nature conservation (policies ENV 18-25 and paras 5.80-5.96) and currently works with the London Wildlife Trust and other voluntary organisations to provide resources and accommodation for nature study. However, with increasing public interest and more educational emphasis being placed on fieldwork, the need for such facilities is increasing. The Council has established an environmental resources centre to meet educational and community demand and will continue to support the voluntary sector in setting up other facilities. | ||
| CCE 14 - LIBRARIES | |||
| 10.72 | The Council will maintain branch libraries within reasonable access of all Borough residents and will provide more specialised services in locations well served by public transport. | ||
| 10.73 | Branch libraries perform an important local service for all members of the community, especially children and the elderly who are less able to travel to the larger libraries. Since it is important that libraries are accessible and attractive to large numbers of people, they should occupy ground floor premises in shopping centres where there are heavy pedestrian flows and good transport facilities (see Policy BLT 12). The Council recognises that library facilities at Kew, Twickenham and Teddington need improvement. Council owned land is available for improvements at Teddington Library, although a new site may be required for Twickenham library. If a suitable site becomes available, consideration will be given to merging the split lending and information services at Richmond on to one site. More than one in ten people do not live within 1200m of a library and the Council will consider the provision of mobile library services when resources permit. The Council will seek to ensure that alterations and extensions do not adversely affect the character of library buildings, particularly those that are listed or of townscape merit. | ||
| CCE 15 - RETENTION OF INDOOR RECREATION, CULTURAL AND ENTERTAINMENT FACILITIES | |||
| 10.74 | The Council will resist the loss of any existing private and public indoor recreation cultural and entertainment facilities and will require the provision of replacement facilities in development proposals, which should be accessible for all subject to the provisions of CCE 18. | ||
| 10.75 | Demand for recreation is likely to increase and there is a clear case for retaining both public and private facilities. Retention of private facilities is particularly important at a time when the Council itself is unlikely to be able to finance many new facilities and it is therefore essential that existing facilities are not lost solely on account of pressure for redevelopment. Sport England (London Region) and the Richmond upon Thames Sports Council will be consulted about the effective demand for sports facilities in relevant cases. If it can be demonstrated that reasonable attempts to find suitable alternative sports uses have been unsuccessful and there is evidence that demand for a particular activity does not exist, an alternative indoor recreation use will be required. Only in exceptional circumstances will a site be allowed to go out of recreation use, and then only if the proposal complies with other policies of the Plan. Obtaining greater public access to private facilities could assist in their retention. It should be noted that the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987, allows changes of use of existing buildings between recreational activities, without the need for planning permission (see policy ENV 28 for retention of facilities for water recreation). | ||
| 10.76 | The Council recognises that there are cultural and entertainment facilities in the Borough for residents and visitors alike, and this policy is intended to ensure that these facilities which are frequently vulnerable to competition from other uses are retained and where possible enhanced. However, it must be recognised that the provisions of the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987 mean that many changes of use involving cultural and entertainment facilities can take place without the need for planning permission. When an existing cultural or entertainment facility clearly ceases to be no longer viable a similar use will generally be sought. Only after a reasonable period of marketing which clearly demonstrates that the building or site is no longer suitable for a cultural or entertainment use will it be allowed to go out of that use. Evidence will be required that all reasonable efforts have been made to market the property at a reasonable open market price through appropriate advertising, advertising boards etc. The Council will consider proposals for other uses in the context of the policies of the Plan and particularly the need for affordable housing. The Council may consider giving financial support (see paras 10.91 - 10.92) to safeguard the future of particular facilities. | ||
| CCE 16 - PROVISION OF NEW INDOOR RECREATION FACILITIES | |||
| 10.77 | The Council will encourage the provision of indoor recreation facilities. It will seek the provision of a district sports hall on a suitable site in a central location in the Borough. It will encourage owners of private facilities to make them available for public access and use wherever possible. | ||
| 10.78 | This policy is intended to ensure that further recreation facilities are provided, where possible, to cater for the likely increase in demand and to cater for a range of needs of all groups, including people with disabilities and special needs. In exercising this policy the Council will also be mindful of the possibility of allowing appropriate redundant buildings, (subject to policy BLT 5) to be adapted to recreation use and it will ensure, as far as possible, that new facilities can be adapted to a variety of uses to cater for changing demand. In accordance with the framework for provision identified in the Council's Sports Strategy (see para 10.27), the Council will seek to upgrade and intensify the use of existing facilities whenever possible to ensure suitable provision on a district basis. The Council has established sports centres at Shene, Teddington and Whitton schools, and Hampton Community College and there is potential to develop further centres based on sports halls at Grey Court School, Ham and Orleans Park School, Twickenham. | ||
| 10.79 | Redevelopment of the ice rink site in East Twickenham for housing resulted in the loss of a valuable recreational resource. The Council would consider any proposals for replacing these facilities. | ||
| CCE 17 - PROVISION OF NEW ARTS FACILITIES | |||
| 10.80 | The Council will encourage the provision of additional arts facilities. | ||
| 10.81 | The establishment of a new arts centre providing an auditorium seating approximately 500 and suitable for theatre, dance and concert presentations, a flexible studio theatre space capable of acting as a rehearsal and small performance facility and a gallery capable of showing three-dimensional visual arts and crafts, together with ancillary catering and studio facilities, would alleviate a number of problems arising from the lack of a building of this capacity dedicated to cultural activities. Although the Queen Charlotte Hall at the Richmond Adult and Community College offers relatively modern facilities it suffers from operational difficulties through its lack of dedication to arts usage. It would also be desirable to examine the potential for a studio cinema with income generating potential. These facilities would accommodate both professional and amateur activity currently either taking place in limited facilities or attract new arts performances. The Twickenham Riverside site offers the opportunity to develop an arts facility and the Council will support the inclusion of an Arts Centre for Twickenham in any redevelopment proposal. However, the major resource requirements inferred suggest other opportunities should be taken if they arise to provide the individual components on separate sites, although this represents a less satisfactory and cost effective method of rectifying existing deficiencies. | ||
| 10.82 | The Council may, subject to funding, convert the Coach House and west stable block in the grounds of the Orleans House Gallery, Twickenham, into an arts education centre to support a wide range of formal and informal arts programmes for a range of age groups. This has been identified as a 'key strategic action' in the Borough's Local Cultural Strategy. | ||
| 10.83 | Dual use of existing facilities offers further opportunity for the expansion of cultural activities. The Council will encourage the use of facilities such as halls or lecture theatres in both public and private ownership to expand provision. | ||
| 10.84 | In accordance with its Arts Development Policy, the Council will continue its support for local arts organisations through its grants to voluntary organisations and the arts guarantee scheme, and will continue to do so as long as resources permit. Through policies CCE 3, CCE 9, CCE 17 and CCE 20, the Council also aims to ensure that affordable and appropriate accommodation is available to such organisations. A number of arts activities in the Borough also receive support from the London Arts Board and other external agencies. | ||
| CCE 18 - NEW OR EXTENDED ENTERTAINMENT FACILITIES | |||
| 10.85 | New or extended facilities to serve local communities should normally be located in mixed use areas (IMP 2). A sequential approach will be taken to major entertainment facilities based on provision within centres, particularly Richmond and Twickenham. Out-of-centre proposals will not normally be acceptable. All proposals will be considered in relation to the following factors: | ||
| (a) | the effect on residential amenity and character of the area; | ||
| (b) | accessibility to public transport; | ||
| (c) | provision of car parking and effect on traffic movement, highway safety and amenity; | ||
| (d) | full accessibility for people with disabilities and those with mobility difficulties; | ||
| (e) | other policies of the Plan, particularly TC 5 and TC 6. | ||
| Where appropriate, conditions will normally be imposed on any planning permission granted, such as: | |||
| (i) | regulating the hours of opening and the playing of music; | ||
| (ii) | requiring adequate soundproofing; | ||
| (iii) | requiring the provision of off-street parking spaces in accordance with the Council's car and coach parking standards where practicable; | ||
| (iv) | requiring the installation of a ventilation/extraction system which does not involve extensive or unsightly external ducting; | ||
| (v) | requiring satisfactory storage facilities for refuse. | ||
| 10.86 | Arts and entertainment facilities vary in character from premises for community use which serve a small area, to major facilities which may draw people into the Borough. Facilities should be provided in locations with high public transport accessibility (see TRN 12) and in general should be sited in mixed use areas, since these are already the focal point of the community, are accessible to local people on foot and, as they are already concentrations of activity, are least likely to disturb residents. Major facilities should be in town centres. Richmond town centre provides the main concentration of arts and entertainment facilities in the Borough, while new facilities are being proposed in Twickenham town centre. These are the most accessible centres by public transport and are therefore the most appropriate locations for new major entertainment uses, falling within Class D2 (Assembly and Leisure) of the 1987 Use Classes Order. | ||
| 10.87 | The policy seeks especially to minimise the nuisance to residents, which can be caused by noise, smell, parking problems and accumulation of refuse which is particularly associated with entertainment uses such as public houses, wine bars and restaurants. Where development is permitted, a condition may be applied restricting the use to a specific use and allowing no other purpose in Class A3 of the 1987 Use Classes Order, for example where another use within that class is likely to have a more detrimental effect on residential amenity or road traffic and safety. In some parts of the Borough, such as Kew Road and Teddington High Street, where there is inadequate off-street parking, concentrations of restaurants have caused particular traffic problems. Proposals likely to worsen the problem in such cases will therefore be resisted (see policy TC 9). The Council will also resist changes of use from retail to cultural or entertainment facilities in key shopping frontages (see policy TC 5). Proposals in secondary frontages will be subject to the criteria in policy TC 6. Outside designated frontages there is plenty of scope for provision of small scale facilities in prominent locations (see policy TC 8). | ||
| 10.88 | The Council will use its powers as planning, building control and entertainment licensing authority to seek to ensure facilities are fully accessible to people with disabilities. In appropriate cases the Council's Environmental Health Officer's advice should be sought on food hygiene requirements, ventilation/extraction systems and toilet accommodation, preferably before the submission of a planning application. Wherever possible, the Council will seek a system without external trunking, e.g. charcoal filters, particularly in conservation areas and where trunking would be visually unacceptable. | ||
| CCE 19 - MUSEUMS AND LOCAL STUDIES | |||
| 10.89 | The Council will seek to provide for the expansion of the Richmond local studies museum at a suitable alternative location in Richmond town centre. | ||
| 10.90 | The Borough is rich in historic associations and to illustrate these a museum was opened in the Old Town Hall in Richmond in 1988 and is intended to concentrate on the history of the eastern side of the Borough. However, access difficulties and shortage of display and storage space restrict the museum's potential and it may be necessary in the longer term to consider how these shortcomings may be overcome. The libraries' local studies service also needs to extend its limited opening hours and improve access. This could be achieved by amalgamating the current services and staff on one improved site. Relocation of the museum would free space for archival and storage space for the library service (see policy CCE 14). There is also need to provide a museum covering the history of Twickenham, including an environmentally controlled space for the display of the Richmond upon Thames collections of paintings relating to Richmond and Twickenham. | ||
AIMS FOR CULTURAL FACILITIES AND ENTERTAINMENT |
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PUBLICISING AND CO-ORDINATING CULTURAL ACTIVITIES |
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| 10.91 | In order to maximise the use of cultural facilities the Council will continue to publicise and co-ordinate cultural events in the Borough for the benefit of residents, tourists and visitors and will extend its facilities in this field as resources permit. It will also keep local needs and opportunities under review. | ||
| 10.92 | It is desirable that the activities of the many bodies involved in cultural pursuits are publicised and co-ordinated to ensure the success of ventures and to avoid duplication of effort and in view of the lack of accommodation for cultural activities to make full use of those available in the Borough. The Council's Arts Section plays an important role in assisting arts organisations with publicity and marketing. Libraries themselves are essential to the cultural life of the community and are well placed to collect and give information about activities. Policy CCE 14 aims to ensure that all residents have reasonable access to adequate libraries. | ||
| CCE 20 - COMMUNITY CENTRES AND PUBLIC HALLS | |||
| 10.93 | The Council will generally support the activities of community groups and associations and will encourage provision of new and improved community centres throughout the Borough. These should be fully accessible to people with disabilities. The loss of such facilities will be resisted where there are limited alternative facilities in the locality. In other cases the Council will normally require residential development unless there is an opportunity to enhance the mix of uses in accordance with policy IMP 2. | ||
| 10.94 | The Council would like to ensure that there is accommodation throughout the Borough for the use of community associations, religious organisations, and other local groups. The Council will resist development pressures which would lead to the loss of public halls, churches and meeting rooms where there are limited alternative facilities in the locality, and will seek to bring redundant churches and other such buildings back into community use. | ||
| CCE 21 - PUBLIC CONVENIENCES | |||
| 10.95 | The Council will continue to review the requirements for public conveniences either in their conventional form or the new type of 'automatic public convenience'. The Council will require the replacement of public conveniences in redevelopment schemes. New public conveniences should be accessible to people with disabilities. | ||
| 10.96 | The Council would like to see that public conveniences are provided in all areas where there is sufficient need for them bearing in mind the needs of both residents and the large numbers of visitors to the Borough, and extend facilities for people with disabilities. Particular care will be taken in siting and, where appropriate, screening will be considered in respect of proposed automatic public conveniences. The main shopping areas of the Borough have reasonable access to public conveniences. Where considered appropriate, existing public convenience facilities will be changed to automatic public conveniences. The Council will investigate alternative means of securing the provision of public conveniences, e.g. as part of new developments, or through partnership schemes such as with local pubs. The financial implications of additional public conveniences will need to be considered together with other priorities. | ||
| CCE 22 - WASTE COLLECTION AND DISPOSAL | |||
| 10.97 | The Council will ensure that waste collection and disposal arrangements are developed in accordance with principles of sustainability based on a hierarchy of waste management: | ||
| reduction; re-use; recycling and composting; energy recovery; disposal to landfill. |
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| The Council will actively encourage and plan a waste reduction programme through the further development of re-use and recycling initiatives, to reduce the current reliance on land filling of waste, which is not possible to maintain at present rates in the long term. | |||
| Existing waste handling and recycling facilities at Central Depot Twickenham and Townmead Road will be retained. Future capacity would depend upon the strategies developed within the WLWA/GLA waste disposal plans, proposals for additional waste management facilities will be assessed against the following criteria : | |||
| (a) | the need for such a facility in the Borough; | ||
| (b) | the proximity of the facility to the source of the waste; | ||
| (c) | it is located to take advantage of access by rail or water; | ||
| (d) | it is well located in relation to the main road network and would not result in problems of road access, traffic congestion or road safety; | ||
| (e) | the scale and design of the plant and buildings; | ||
| (f) | it would not have an unacceptable impact on the environment of the surrounding area and adjoining uses; | ||
| (g) | it would not generate an unacceptable increase in noise (policy BLT 30); | ||
| (h) | It is not sited on green belt land (policy ENV 2), metropolitan open land (policy ENV 1) or any other open land of townscape importance (policy ENV 3); | ||
| (i) | it is located on degraded, derelict or contaminated land; | ||
| (j) | it is located in existing / redundant sites or buildings; | ||
| (k) | the inclusion of recycling facilities on the site where possible. | ||
| 10.98 | The West London Waste Authority submission for 1998/99 to the DETR Waste Management Survey shows 770,000 tonnes of municipal waste arising in its area (covering the London Boroughs of Brent, Ealing, Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow and Richmond upon Thames). The Strategic Waste Management assessment indicates that non-municipal commercial and industrial solid waste arisings for the area in that year totalled 1.465 million tonnes. The Borough follows the West London trend of an increase in waste arising year by year. The equivalent West London Waste Authority survey return for 2001/02 shows that municipal waste arising had increased to 839,000 tonnes, an average annual increase of 3%. The Council recognises that there has been insufficient action to reduce waste. The Council is actively developing a waste reduction programme, focussing on avoidance as a priority. As well as national and regional guidance, European policies have an impact on local waste management initiatives, particularly the Packaging Directive which sets recovery and recycling targets for producers of packaging waste and became UK law in 1998, and the Landfill Directive which came into effect in the UK in 2001. The latter stipulates the pre-treatment of waste and the setting of stringent targets for reduction of biodegradable municipal waste going to landfill. The Council has a statutory duty to produce a recycling plan in accordance with Government guidance. This Council's plan was produced in 1993, and is currently being revised. | ||
| 10.99 | In excess of 65,000 tonnes of household and commercial waste is collected by the Council each year and a further 40,000 tonnes is delivered to the Waste and Recycling Centre at Townmead Road, Kew. Collected waste is taken to a transfer station at Transport Avenue, Brentford where it is compacted for transport by rail to landfill sites outside London. The disposal arrangements take account of the disposal of all types of waste including clinical hazardous waste. As well as encouraging waste minimisation and recycling, the Council gives a high priority to efficient and sustainable waste operations and endeavours to manage waste with a minimum of environmental impact. The Council puts a strong emphasis on the need to minimise the transport of waste according to the proximity principle, and encourages the provision of local facilities in line with this principle. Local communities will be encouraged to take more responsibility for the waste they produce. | ||
| 10.100 | The Council is committed to conserving non-renewable resources and, in line with this objective, places emphasis on treating waste at the upper levels of the hierarchy. It therefore encourages the reduction of waste and the amount going to landfill, which is unsustainable in terms of the proximity principle. Measures include the discouraging of excessive packing of consumer goods, encouraging the use of re-usable and recyclable materials (including aggregates), and particularly the reclamation and recycling of waste products. The Council has already implemented a number of reclamation and recycling programmes and will undertake to develop such initiatives further, such as separating out inert waste from the remainder of the waste stream. The Council's main recycling site is the Townmead Road Waste Recycling Centre, which has recently been redeveloped to provide operational and environmental improvements. The materials recycling facility at Central Depot, Craneford Way is being improved to increase productivity. There is a need to safeguard existing waste management and other depot facilities to allow for further development, especially of materials recovery facilities, until such a time as the national and London strategies are fully developed. A comprehensive bring system provides 111 recycling sites, with almost all residents now living within 1 km of a recycling point. In 1997/8, the Council recycled 25% of the Borough's domestic waste, already meeting the Government's target. | ||
| CCE 23 - RECYCLING SITES AND KERBSIDE COLLECTION | |||
| 10.101 | The Council is committed to providing recycling sites in all areas of the Borough. Mini recycling centres are larger community facilities, micro sites are smaller facilities provided on a street basis. Developers will be required to provide such facilities on appropriate sites as follows: | ||
| (A) | for residential developments of less than 6 units, and for residential developments without communal facilities of 6-19 units, sufficient space will be required within the unit, to allow storage of recyclable material prior to door to door recycling and use of local recycling sites; | ||
| (B) | for residential developments with communal facilities of 6-19 units, and all residential developments above 19 units, communal recycling facilities to the Council's current specification will be required. | ||
| The Council will seek the establishment of can banks close to the point of consumption. | |||
| The Council will seek to develop a kerbside collection for recyclable materials where it is the Best Practicable Environmental Option. Life cycle techniques will be used to establish the most sustainable collection system. | |||
| The Council will require adequate space to be made available for the storage of recyclable materials for business, retail and leisure uses. | |||
| 10.102 | Recycling has become increasingly important nationally and locally. The Government has set out the aim, to recycle 25% of the domestic waste stream by the end of the century. This Borough is one of the forerunners in recycling and has reached the 25% target, if home composting is included in the calculations. The Council aims to increase recycling still further by expanding drop off sites and kerbside schemes where it is the Best Practicable Environmental Option. Account therefore has to be taken of the likely increase in the number of recycling banks, changes in the type of bank, or vehicles used and requirements for recycling of different materials as recycling continues to be expanded within the Borough. Recycling is currently self-financing and any profits are returned to the community as grant aid for environmental improvement schemes. | ||
| 10.103 | Some areas have been identified as being relatively poorly provided with recycling facilities and will be given priority for establishing recycling centres on appropriate sites. Other areas may be identified from time to time as the need or opportunity arises. | ||
| 10.104 | Proximity to a recycling centre may be a major factor in encouraging customers to recycle their waste. The Council has surpassed the Government target of providing easily accessible recycling facilities to 80% of the population; there is currently one site per 681 households. The Council has established small carefully designed sites, which serve the immediate residential area and will expect developers to provide suitable facilities for new developments including conversions. Can banks should be located close to the point of consumption, e.g. schools, leisure facilities etc. | ||
| 10.105 | The Council already operates door to door collection of newspapers and magazines and is currently assessing the environmental and economic implications of expanding collection to include other recyclables. Such an expansion could only take place where a stable market exists for recycled material. Life cycle analysis and assessment could be used to ensure that the environmental impact of additional collection vehicles is minimised and the environmental gains of reduced waste going to landfill maximised, thereby leading to an overall environmental benefit. This has implications for the design and layout of new developments of all types, where provision should be made for the storage of recyclable material prior to collection or use of recycling facilities. | ||
| CCE 24 - LOCATION, DESIGN AND LANDSCAPING OF RECYCLING FACILITIES | |||
| 10.106 | All refuse and recycling facilities must be carefully located, designed and landscaped or screened where appropriate, having regard to the amenity of adjoining occupiers and to their impact on the character and appearance of the area. Regard must be taken of requirements set out in supplementary planning guidance, which will be a material consideration in determining planning applications. | ||
| 10.107 | The appearance of refuse and recycling facilities has given cause for concern and it is necessary to ensure that they are designed so that they do not detract from the environment. The facilities must be located to be accessible both to users and recycling vehicles and to minimise disturbance to residents due to traffic generation and noise. The Council will liaise with its contractors to endeavour to have well designed recycling containers and will try to minimise visual intrusion by careful siting, screening and landscaping where appropriate. Where landscaping is introduced, low maintenance improvements will be favoured. Similar standards will be expected when developers provide facilities in new developments. The Council will set out its requirements in supplementary guidance, which may be amended to include new types of recycling facility that may be developed in the future. | ||
| CCE 25 - ANAEROBIC DIGESTION SCHEMES AND HOME COMPOSTING | |||
| 10.108 | The Council will work with the West London Waste Authority to consider the development of sites suitable for anaerobic digestion as a means of processing putrescible or other waste generated within the Borough, thereby complying with the proximity principle, and will compost waste plant material on its own open space sites where possible. The Council will also encourage residents to compost kitchen and garden waste. | ||
| 10.109 | Anaerobic Digestion (AD) breaks down organic materials in solid waste by micro-organisms in the absence of air. In developing a sustainable waste management strategy for the Borough, AD will be considered and if found to be a suitable technology, attempts will be made to integrate such an operation with existing recycling and transfer facilities. | ||
| 10.110 | Home composting promotions have resulted in sales of over 3000 subsidised composting units, raising the proportion of households who compost garden and kitchen waste to an estimated 40%, thereby meeting the government's target set in 1995. The Council will continue to distribute composters to increase the rate of backyard composting still further, thereby reducing the frequency of car journeys to take garden waste to the green waste collection point at Townmead Road. | ||
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