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| Part 2 1 - REASONED JUSTIFICATIONS FOR PART 1 POLICIES |
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| 1.1 | Capturing Quality Jobs for Tameside People | ||
| Under the theme of " A Prosperous Society", the Tameside Community Strategy wants everyone in the Borough to benefit from the prosperity of the local economy, with strong, sustainable businesses within Tameside providing well paid jobs to local residents. This means providing people with the skills they need to get jobs, together with excellent transport links and good quality housing. The Tameside Economic Development Plan 2001-2003, produced on behalf of the Tameside Economic Forum (a partnership body made up of public, private and voluntary organisations) sits alongside the City Pride Economic Development Plan which also covers Manchester, Salford and Trafford. The key drivers for both these plans are building better businesses, attracting and sustaining investors, creating a world class workforce, delivering local economic benefit, ensuring the best transition to working life for all young people, and developing the physical infrastructure to drive economic improvement. The Tameside plan has a further driver, which is contributing to the overall improvement in the quality of life in the Borough. The North West Development Agency's Regional Economic Strategy 2003 has the vision of transforming England's Northwest through sustainable economic development. Its ten strategic objectives are to exploit the growth potential of business sectors, improve the competitiveness and productivity of businesses, develop and exploit the region's knowledge base, deliver urban renaissance, deliver rural renaissance, secure economic inclusion, develop and maintain a healthy labour market, develop the strategic transport, communications and economic infrastructure, ensure the availability of a balanced portfolio of employment sites, and develop and market the region's image. | |||
| In the Indices of Deprivation 2000 issued by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, Tameside is ranked 40th (Average of Ward Ranks) out of 354 Districts nationally and has the third lowest waged economy in Greater Manchester, with incomes 87% of the national average. There is a relatively high level of dependence on the manufacturing sector and a corresponding weakness in service sectors that are growing elsewhere. The Borough is heavily reliant on industries which are predicted to decline in the next decade, such as metal fabrication, textiles, clothing and food. Tameside is characterised by a high number of small and medium sized enterprises, with 82% of its 6000 businesses employing less than 10 people. There are few large employers, and many are branch plants. The local economy is also under threat therefore as a result of its vulnerability to global economic trends, with companies having the flexibility to move production further afield. | |||
| Demand for land in the Borough appears to be relatively buoyant, and indigenous firms wishing to expand can have difficulty finding suitable land for their own use. Objective 2 status to 2006 (eligibility for European Union Structural Funds) has been retained by 15 Wards, with the remainder qualifying for transitional funding to 2004. Assisted Area status (eligibility for Regional Selective Assistance and Business Enterprise Grant) has been restored to four Wards in the north-west of the Borough. Manchester Airport is accessible from much of Tameside by public transport and with the recent extension of the M60 motorway much of the Borough is now within 15 to 20 minutes drive time of the airport. The Borough is thus well placed to attract developments that service the airport activity, but also should offer potential to high-tech and inward investors that require quick and convenient access to a major international airport. | |||
| In the main it is only the larger employment sites, which are free of constraints and in prime, accessible locations, that are likely to prove attractive to potential developers. The requirements of modern light industry and distribution increasingly favour purpose designed premises with high quality access close to motorways or major roads. However, established operations with a large investment in plant and equipment may be less likely to want to relocate, whilst a need will also remain for affordable accommodation for smaller firms and new or growing businesses. There has been little market in Tameside for office development, but modern business park type schemes in conjunction with recent and proposed transportation improvements could provide opportunities that will attract high quality office developments and employment to the Borough. | |||
| 1.2 | Maintaining a Integrated Transportation Strategy | ||
| The Tameside Community Strategy states that one of the requirements for achieving "A Prosperous Society" is providing people with excellent transport links. In order to promote "A Safe Environment" this strategy establishes a key measure of halving the number of people who are killed or seriously inured on Tameside's roads by 2007/8. One of the key measures in achieving the aim of "An Attractive Borough" is to increase bus use within Tameside. One of the principles of national planning policy guidance is to concentrate development which generates large numbers of trips in places well served by public transport, especially town centres. Land use and transport policies should be integrated in ways which help to reduce the growth of motorised journeys, encourage alternative means of travel including buses, walking and cycling, and reduce reliance on the car. | |||
| After many years of limited investment, recent and programmed schemes are resulting in major improvements to the transportation infrastructure in Tameside, with beneficial effects for the Borough's accessibility and economy. Extension of the M60 Manchester orbital motorway from Denton to Middleton was completed during 2000 and linked into the new Moss Way and the remodelled Guide Lane junction. As a result, much of the Borough is now within a 15 to 20 minute drive time of Manchester Airport. Stage 1 of the Ashton Northern Bypass from the A 635 at The Snipe to the A 627 on the west side of the town centre has been completed and is fully open. The Mottram to Tintwistle Bypass is in the Highway Agency's Targeted Programme of Improvements for completion in 2008, subject to statutory procedures, and the complementary Mottram Moor to Woolley Bridge link is being promoted by Tameside MBC and Derbyshire CC in parallel. | |||
| The extension of the Metrolink tram network from Manchester city centre to Ashton is still a proposal at the time of the printing of this document. The scheme has the necessary statutory approval but funding is proving elusive. Heavy rail improvements have been more modest but it is possible that the refranchising process currently underway for Trans-Pennine Express will lead to significant development of train services and station facilities in the Borough, depending on the investment programme agreed between the Strategic Rail Authority and the chosen operator. The Greater Manchester Strategic Rail Study, carried out on behalf of the Strategic Rail Authority and now being considered by the Greater Manchester authorities, has examined the infrastructure needs of the area. The Quality Bus Corridors initiative could result in traffic management measures to assist buses being introduced in Tameside, initially on the Rochdale - Oldham - Ashton - Hyde route but subsequently also on radial routes from Manchester. | |||
| The spread of traffic calming measures such as width restrictions and road humps should discourage the use of unsuitable roads by heavy lorries and reduce speed. Continuing investment in most of the Borough's town centres has supported use of public transport and encouragement of shorter journeys. In future, upper limits will have to be imposed on car parking provision for new developments, to restrain demand and increase the use of other means of travel. Major employers are being encouraged to introduce Green Travel Plans. | |||
| 1.3 | Creating a Cleaner and Greener Environment | ||
| Under the theme of "An Attractive Borough" the Tameside Community Strategy wants Tameside to be an attractive and environmentally friendly place to live, work and visit. The Strategy is committed to working with local communities to protect and improve the surroundings to make Tameside a cleaner, greener, more accessible place for current and future generations. One of the principles of national planning policy guidance is the importance of achieving good design and creating attractive, high quality environments. | |||
| Despite some instances of indifferent quality in more recent times, Tameside still possesses a diversity of townscape which reflects its historical pattern of development. More vigilance will be needed on design quality in new developments in the future however, especially in prominent locations, key corridors, public spaces and areas of distinctive character, if the appearance of the Borough is to be upgraded and enhanced. Government guidance in PPG3 calls on local authorities to seek higher densities of housing development than have been typical of many traditional layouts, especially in more accessible locations. This places even more importance on the need for good design. It is hoped to produce design frameworks for particular areas in due course, to assist developers and their architects in preparing schemes. | |||
| Although valuable landscaping and improvement work has been carried out in certain places, limited progress has been made in recent years on upgrading open spaces or on reclamation of derelict land for open space use. Some of the green wedges / wildlife corridors and other more extensive open spaces have a relatively barren ground cover where landscape enhancement could be beneficial. The economic difficulties of farming in a marginal agricultural and urban fringe area present a threat to the long term upkeep and appearance of the local countryside, to which woodland planting may offer a solution in some places. Open recreational uses such as golf courses could also bring investment in landscaping and maintenance, if sensitively designed. | |||
| 1.4 | Providing More Choice and Quality Homes | ||
| In order to monitor progress on promoting "Supportive Communities" the Tameside Community Strategy establishes a key measure of ensuring that all social housing reaches a decent standard by 2010. Among the key measures in the Strategy for achieving the aims of "A Prosperous Society" is reducing the proportion of unfit or vacant private sector housing, and increasing choice in private sector housing. One of the key measures in the Strategy for achieving the aim of "An Attractive Borough" is building at least 75% of new homes on previously developed land. It is a principle of national planning policy guidance to provide an adequate supply of housing land, which is both available and sustainable, to meet the requirements of the whole community and provide choice. The process should be plan, monitor and manage, rather than predict and provide. | |||
| The total number of dwellings completed in Tameside since 1986 is just slightly below the requirement in the previously adopted UDP. Although the rate of completions has dropped over the last five years, they have increasingly taken place on brownfield sites, many of which have been windfalls (previously unidentified sites). This element of supply shows no sign yet of running down although the Borough's brownfield ratio is likely to fall back as substantial greenfield sites which are allocated in the adopted UDP, have the benefit of planning permission and are already under construction come on stream. Clearance has increased recently, due largely to unsatisfactory social housing being demolished. More could follow in other parts of the Borough, although these sites are generally being recycled for more suitable housing. | |||
| Tameside's population was on a rising trend from 1986 to 1993 but has population information subsequently fallen back to 213,000 as recorded by the 2001 Census (Office for National Statistics). The most recent, 1996-based ONS projections indicate a continuing decline in Tameside's population to 212,400 in 2011, although care is required in interpreting these trend based projections. 1996-based household projections show the number of households in Tameside increasing slightly from an estimated 90,000 in 1996 to 92,000 or 94,000 in 2011, depending on the assumptions used. There will be fewer traditional families with children and more single person households, plus a large percentage growth in the number of frail elderly people. | |||
| Regional Planning Guidance for the North West (RPG13), which was published in March 2003, sets an annual average rate of housing provision for Tameside of 370 per annum. Allowance can also be made for the replacement of dwellings lost through clearance. Regionally, the level of housing provision allows for economic growth, household formation and migration rates slightly in excess of those incorporated in government projections. The annual rates of provision apply from April 2002 to 2006. When development plans are reviewed and the new plans extend beyond 2006, they should continue to provide for additional dwellings at the same annual average rate until such time as any different rate is adopted following review of the guidance. An increase over recent average completion rates in the Borough will be possible whilst remaining in conformity with RPG, making it more likely that Tameside's population could be retained at around its present size. | |||
| Most of the households looking to move in Tameside over the plan period are likely to meet their own housing needs in the private sector. With lower than average house prices and a higher proportion of terraced stock than nationally, there is unlikely to be a general need for more affordable homes. However, the nature of the social, rented housing stock does not entirely meet current requirements and policies need to focus on assisting the provision of types of dwellings which are deficient in particular areas of the Borough. Emphasis will also need to be placed on the quality of housing development and the needs of likely occupiers, including provision of more up-market dwellings to complement economic initiatives. | |||
| 1.5 | Following the Principles of Sustainable Development | ||
| There has been a growing public awareness of the concept of sustainable development, which is most often defined as: "Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". The Government expects that the planning system will make a substantial contribution to the achievement of sustainable development by regulating the use of land, one of our most precious environmental assets. Commitment to the principles of sustainable development has thus become the starting point for much of the national planning policy guidance issued by the Government over recent years. The principles most relevant to land use planning include: | |||
| Using resources
efficiently especially energy, promoting renewable energy sources,
and minimising waste production. Limiting pollution to levels which do not damage natural systems. Protecting and valuing the diversity of nature. Conserving the best of the built heritage and seeking high standards of design in new "human scale" developments. Ensuring that everyone has access to good food, shelter and fuel. Protecting people's good health by creating safe, clean environments. Creating safer, more harmonious communities. Ensuring everyone has an equal opportunity to satisfying work in a diverse economy. Providing opportunities for culture, leisure and recreation for all. Improving access to local services and more environmentally friendly travel alternatives. |
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| The Council intends to follow the principles of sustainable development in the balance it seeks between the economic, social and environmental needs of the Borough. This takes expression throughout the plan, but particularly in those policies which aim to diversify local employment opportunities, encourage the use of alternative means of transport to the private car, require high quality and safe design, protect townscape heritage, give priority to new housing on brownfield sites within the existing urban area, support the role of town centres, improve leisure opportunities, protect urban green spaces, assist the availability of local services, protect and enhance wildlife habitats, manage waste and control pollution. | |||
| 1.6 | Securing Urban Regeneration | ||
| One of the main principles of national planning policy guidance is to develop land within urban areas, especially on brownfield (previously developed) sites and through reuse or conversion of existing buildings, before considering greenfield sites. Urban regeneration has been the key theme of planning policy in Greater Manchester since the original GM Structure Plan was approved in 1981. The development framework set out in Regional Planning Guidance for the North West, published in 1996, was based on the principle that urban regeneration should continue to be central to land use policy in the region and that the conurbations should continue to be the prime focus for regeneration and environmental improvement. The principles of the Greater Manchester Strategic Planning Framework include a focus on regeneration and sustainability and the enhancement of urban centres. The most recent version of Regional Planning Guidance for the North West, published in March 2003, establishes that the North West Metropolitan Area (which includes the whole of Greater Manchester) is to be the focus for new development and urban renaissance resources. First priority is given to Liverpool and Manchester city centres and their surrounding inner areas, along with priority to development, complementary to regeneration of these areas, which will also enhance the overall quality of life within metropolitan towns and boroughs in other parts of Greater Manchester and Merseyside where there are concentrations of social, economic and environmental problems. | |||
| SRB5 funding was secured in 1999 for the New Opportunities for Communities programme which runs until 2005. This targets six communities in Tameside which show significant levels of deprivation but lie outside previous regeneration areas. Key objectives include supporting and promoting growth in local economies and business, and improving and protecting the environment and infrastructure. Single Regeneration Budget (Round 6) funding has recently been secured by the Council to assist the creation of employment opportunities on brownfield sites. Regional Planning Guidance for the North West, published in March 2003, sets an overall target that at least 70% of new dwellings, including conversions, constructed in the region from April 2002 should use previously developed land and existing buildings in sustainable locations. To allow for regional variations in the amount of such land, this target is increased to an average of at least 80% in Greater Manchester (90% in Manchester and Salford City Council areas). Although there has been a significant reduction in the amount of derelict land in Tameside since 1993, problems remain in certain parts of the Borough. In the Tame Valley, a comprehensive survey of brownfield sites is underway and approaches are being made to land owners to try to stimulate development or improvement. The Government expects at least 60% of all new homes to be built on brownfield sites, as a national average. A number of large and small brownfield redevelopment schemes have come forward within the existing urban area over recent years, particularly on old mill sites, and the proportion of new dwellings in Tameside built on brownfield sites has exceeded the Government's target each year since 1994/95. | |||
| 1.7 | Supporting the Role of Town Centres | ||
| One of the main principles of national planning policy guidance is to sustain and enhance the vitality and viability of town centres, including adopting a sequential approach to selecting sites for new retail and leisure development in which out-of-centre is the least favoured. Development which generates large numbers of trips should be concentrated in places well served by public transport, especially town centres. | |||
| Ashton, the Borough's sub-regional shopping centre, has seen major developments and environmental improvements during the last ten years, including the new Arcades centre, refurbishment of the Ladysmith centre, a retail park, a discount foodstore, and restoration of the Central Library with a new art gallery. A new superstore has recently opened on the north western edge of the town centres, with a non-food unit waiting to be occupied alongside, whilst funding has been secured for regeneration projects within the old town. | |||
| A new superstore has recently opened in Hyde town centre. In Stalybridge, there is a vision to attract new investment to the town centre by drawing on its unique character, so as to enhance its role as a local service centre and visitor destination. Run down pedestrian areas, shops and other historic buildings have been renovated, the canal has been reopened, a new superstore has been opened and improvements have been carried out at the former market hall. In Droylsden town centre the shopping precinct has been refurbished and a new superstore opened, whilst the most recent development has been the replacement of the former Co-op store and adjoining parts of the precinct by new retail units providing a substantial net increase in floorspace. | |||
| In Denton town centre, a food superstore has been built to the east of Stockport Road. In September 2001 the Secretary of State granted outline permission for an extensive redevelopment scheme for non-food units north of the M67 and west of Ashton Road, following a public inquiry. Reserved matters were approved in 2002 and this scheme has now been completed. The scheme included substantial investment in upgrading the town centre and its linkages to the site, secured through a planning agreement. Proposals are also being brought forward for extensive retail development on an industrial site in the north-eastern part of the town centre. | |||
| Overall vacancy rates in the five main town centres were in the 9 to 17% range in 2001, except for Stalybridge which was nearly 23%, and the core area of Ashton-under- Lyne seems particularly healthy at present. Relatively little office or leisure development has taken place in the town centres, and peripheral areas often have a poor appearance. However, a large scale, office based, regeneration project is now coming forward in the run down Henry Square area on the western side of Ashton town centre. Outline planning permission was granted for this scheme in 2003, support funding has been agreed, and a development agreement is being drawn up with the Council. Capacity for further retail development in Tameside over the period to 2011 may exist in the non-food, comparison sector where expenditure is leaking out of the Borough to centres in adjoining districts. The greatest obstacle to such growth is likely to be a lack of readily developable sites of sufficient size within or on the edge of the centres, and suitable areas may need to be identified and assembled in advance. | |||
| 1.8 | Retaining and Improving Opportunities for Sport, Recreation and Leisure | ||
| National planning policy guidance to concentrate development which generates large numbers of trips in places well served by public transport, especially town centres, and to adopt a sequential approach to selecting sites for town centre uses, applies to larger scale built leisure schemes as it does to retail. Guidance also calls for the retention of recreational and amenity open space in urban areas, close to where people live, with particular protection for playing fields. Sport and recreation are important as essential components to everyday life and can have a valuable social and economic role. Funding for new facilities may be available through the Sport England Lottery Sports Fund and other sources. | |||
| Recent indoor leisure developments in the Borough include the new museum at Portland Basin, a new bingo club also in Ashton, new hotels in Denton and Hattersley, and a health and fitness centre also in Denton. Recent outdoor developments include conversion of the former Godley-Apethorn rail line in Hyde into a recreational route as part of the Trans-Pennine Trail, and restoration of the Huddersfield Canal through Stalybridge town centre. | |||
| Although traditional cinemas, theatres and bingo halls survive in certain town centres, and Ashton in particular has a lively weekend pub and club scene, residents mostly have to look beyond the Borough for more modern, larger scale leisure and entertainment choices. However, a major development comprising multiplex cinema, bowl complex, restaurants, drive thru's and a further leisure unit was under construction on Ashton Moss in 2003. Limited progress has been made on the many proposals in the previously adopted UDP which involve recreation developments on open space sites. | |||
| Tameside as a whole is well provided with informal open space, much of this located in the river valleys, country parks and green wedges which adjoin and in places extend into the urban areas, although there are local variations. In the urban fringe there are increasing recreational demands for walking, cycling and horse riding, which will require attention particularly through countryside management so as to minimise possible conflicts. The quantity, quality and accessibility of local recreational open spaces is variable around the Borough, and the number of equipped or specially designed play areas for children is limited although the condition of many of the remaining sites has been improved in recent years. Deficiencies and needs for these types of facilities may best be identified through consultation with local communities, and additional provision is likely to be achieved by taking advantage of particular funding opportunities which may arise. The existing provision of sports pitches is well below National Playing Fields Association standards, both in Tameside as a whole and in most parts of the Borough. However, rather than the number, the main issue identified in a Playing Pitch Assessment carried out for the Council in 2002 was the poor quality of the Borough's grass pitches and ancillary facilities. Floodlit, all weather, community sports pitches have been provided recently in each of the Tameside towns through the Council's District Assemblies. Reserved matters permission was granted in 2003 for the erection of a new football stadium (to relocate a local club) and installation of an all weather pitch at the playing fields off Richmond Street, Ashton. | |||
| 1.9 | Maintaining Local Access to Employment and Services | ||
| The Tameside Economic Development Plan 2001-2003 has a continuing commitment to ensure that all sections of the Tameside community benefit from the economic opportunities within the Borough. A key priority still continues to be to address the skills and training agenda in order to increase the numbers in the workforce with suitable qualifications and training. National planning policy guidance calls for promoting and retaining mixed uses which include housing, minimising the need to travel, helping to reduce the growth of motorised journeys, encouraging alternative means of travel including walking and cycling, and reducing reliance on the private car. | |||
| The effect of continuing redevelopment of old established industrial premises located in predominantly residential areas, for housing use, and of the requirements of new industrial or warehouse development, is to concentrate employment into town centres, the central parts of Tameside and those areas which can be easily reached from the motorway. Large areas of the Borough, such as north Ashton, south Hyde and the eastern fringes, are becoming almost exclusively residential in character. | |||
| Local surveys have revealed a number of barriers to getting into work in Tameside, notably access to affordable childcare and to affordable and convenient transport. The unemployment rate for Tameside as a whole masks high levels of multiple deprivation in certain parts of the Borough, particularly Ashton St.Peter's and Hyde Godley Wards which are among the worst 10% in England according to the DETR Indices of Deprivation 2000. It will be important to support schemes in residential areas and new mixed-use developments, which contribute to innovation and growth in the local economy and generate local employment, unless they conflict with other objectives of the plan. The Council plays a part in economic development by providing support to both area based regeneration and the implementation of projects on specific sites. Recently secured SRB6 funding should enable employment opportunities to be realised on brownfield sites in various areas of the Borough. | |||
| Local shops are gradually being lost in parts of the Borough and some of the smaller parades within housing estates are in a poor state or in a few cases have lost their retail use altogether. Combined with corner shops and petrol filling stations, local centres still provide reasonable access to "essentials" in many parts of the Borough however. Support should nevertheless be given to opportunities which may arise to increase the availability of local shopping in various forms, not restricted to existing centres alone. | |||
| 1.10 | Protecting and Enhancing the Natural Environment | ||
| About 6% of the land area of the Borough is designated for its nature conservation value, including Boar Flat on the moorland fringe of Tameside which has been confirmed as part of an extensive Special Protection Area (for birds) and two other Sites of Special Scientific Interest along sections of canals. The remaining areas are Sites of Biological Importance (a Greater Manchester designation). The majority of the designated land is in the Green Belt or other areas of protected green space and therefore unlikely to be directly affected by built development. Where development proposals have arisen in the vicinity of an SBI, these have mostly been designed to avoid directly affecting the designated area. Neither have any of the wildlife corridors identified in the previously adopted UDP been directly affected. Three Local Nature Reserves have been designated in Tameside in recent years, at Great Wood, Knott Hill and Haughton Dale, which gives these areas statutory protection | |||
| A Nature Conservation Strategy for Tameside was approved by the Council in 1996, providing the local framework for helping to sustain and create a rich and diverse natural resource. Land within the river valleys and country parks continues to be managed through the Borough's Countryside Service, which enables nature conservation objectives to be promoted. Smaller SBIs within or abutting the built up area may benefit from specially tailored approaches such as adoption by local groups as nature reserves or measures to control access. Other non-designated areas may have species, habitats and natural features which require consideration in the event of proposals for development coming forward. In some places the wildlife corridors have a relatively barren ground cover and planting and management regimes designed to enhance a diversity of habitats could be beneficial. | |||
| Woodland and scrub coverage in Tameside is lower than for England as a whole. However, an on-going survey of the Borough is providing a comprehensive coverage of Tree Preservation Orders that will protect all trees and woodland of merit, and in so doing renew and update existing TPOs. There have also been extensive planting programmes, and a Woodland Framework Plan identifies areas of search for further planting where consistent with nature conservation. | |||
| 1.11 | Conserving Built Heritage and Retaining Local Identity | ||
| The Borough has nine Conservation Areas and 312 Listed Building schedules, including two Grade 1 and 19 Grade 2*. There are other buildings which also form part of the heritage and character of the area but which are not currently protected. The Council has a duty to designate and review Conservation Areas from time to time. It is intended that each of the existing Conservation Areas in the Borough should be the subject of a comprehensive character assessment and it is possible that this could lead to boundaries being reviewed in some cases. Tameside has several traditional parks, of which Stamford Park is registered by English Heritage as of special interest. | |||
| Improvement and enhancement works to Conservation Areas since 1996 have been concentrated in Ashton town centre, Fairfield, Millbrook and Stalybridge town centre, with the benefit of Conservation Area Partnership funding from English Heritage to supplement the Council's own resources. The funding recently granted for the Ashton Town Centre Heritage Initiative should help to overcome decline and neglect affecting several historic buildings in the Stamford Street area of the old town. Successful renovation schemes have been completed at Ashton Central Library, Thorn House in Stalybridge and Harewood Lodge in Broadbottom, and a further such scheme was nearing completion in 2003 at the Corn Mill in Stalybridge. However, certain other buildings have suffered severe fire damage and several more unlisted mills have disappeared from the local skyline in recent years. Denton has much to offer for conservation, including the 16th Century St. Lawrence's Church where a scheme to restore and enhance the setting was taking place in 2003. | |||
| A Streetscene Good Practice Guide published by the Council in 1999 stresses the need for quality materials which make reference to the vernacular of the specific area. It is intended to produce design frameworks for areas of the Borough in due course, to assist developers and their architects in preparing development schemes. The greatest obstacle to effective conservation of historic buildings is the shortage of external funds to supplement the limited local resources available for grant aid. Problems remain in particular with some, often large and prominent, historic buildings which typically no longer serve their original purpose (e.g. the old Ashton Baths). These are included on a "Buildings at Risk" register and continued effort is needed to contain physical deterioration and bring them back into suitable use. | |||
| 1.12 | Ensuring an Accessible, Safe and Healthy Environment | ||
| Under the theme of "A Safe Environment" the Tameside Community Strategy wants a community where people feel safe and secure. Working to reduce crime levels and make the streets safer for everyone is a top priority. Under the theme of "A Healthy Population" the strategy wants to make Tameside a healthier place for everyone, with accessible doctors and hospitals, easy access to information, and support for vulnerable people. | |||
| In the past much of the built environment has been developed without taking into consideration the problems it may create for people who are disadvantaged in some way. It should however be a fundamental role of the design process to try to avoid or reduce such problems wherever possible. Whilst disabled access to buildings has been embodied into the Building Regulations, there can be other features of the local environment which still need to be addressed through the planning system. | |||
| It is important to promote safe, environmentally friendly designs in all new developments, especially in residential, town centre and other shopping and leisure areas, employing traffic management techniques where appropriate to reduce the impact of motor vehicles. Traffic calming measures have been introduced in both existing and new layouts. The Council will continue to examine submitted schemes and seek agreement on measures appropriate to the development in question. Safety for all road users will be a prime consideration everywhere but in those areas where movement on foot is likely to be most dominant the needs of pedestrians should receive priority over the speed or convenience of vehicle movement. | |||
| Crime and anti-social behaviour is a major concern to many people, often affecting their quality of life, and the Council is actively involved with its partners and the local community in seeking ways to reduce this. Many of the ways in which crime and disorder is being tackled are not land use matters, and simple but effective physical measures such as erecting gates across alleys often do not require planning permission. However, there is scope in the design of all developments to discourage crime and make people using the area feel safer. Developers are advised to consult the Greater Manchester Police Architectural Liaison Unit who can provide valuable advice about this. | |||
| Environmental pollution can take many forms, and these are often regulated by other legislation and statutory bodies. However, consideration of possible pollution is a very relevant factor with planning proposals for new, extended or altered developments which might give rise to this. Most people have an expectation that the area in which they live will be relatively free from disturbance or nuisance. Many industrial and commercial uses can co-exist happily with housing and the Council will try to achieve an appropriate balance between their respective needs. | |||
| 1.13 | Meeting Obligations on Minerals, Waste and Energy | ||
| Minerals are a resource required in the national interest and can of course only be worked where they occur. There are reserves of stone, sand, clay and coal in certain parts of Tameside, all of which have been exploited in the past. However only gritstone, crushed to make an aggregate, is economic to work at present and this has been extracted from two sites in the Borough during recent years; Buckton Vale Quarry in Carrbrook and Harrop Edge Quarry in Mottram. Greater Manchester's share of aggregate production is derived from regional forecasts of demand issued by the Government from time to time, and the Council must take this into account in considering any further applications for extraction. | |||
| Among the key measures set by the Tameside Community Strategy for achieving the aim of "An Attractive Borough" are improving the cleanliness of land in the Borough and increasing the proportion of household waste which is recycled. Tameside's household waste is currently taken to plants in other parts of Greater Manchester for pulverisation or compaction prior to disposal by landfill outside the conurbation. There has been some tipping of inert waste on landfill sites within the Borough in recent years, on the basis of reshaping agricultural land, and transfer loading of a range of waste materials is licensed at a number of sites. The Council has introduced initiatives that aim to encourage waste reduction and re-use, but much still needs to be done to achieve the national target of 25% household waste recycling by 2005. The Council is working with other GM authorities on the development of an integrated waste management strategy, to enable waste management practice to move up the waste hierarchy. Landfill at distant locations is unlikely to be a sustainable and economic option for the future and it is probable that new waste management facilities of some kind will need to be developed within Greater Manchester. | |||
| There are currently no renewable energy schemes operating in Tameside, nor have any proposals arisen. The Government believes that a positive, strategic approach to planning for renewable energy is essential to help achieve its sustainable development and climate change goals, and intends to set regional targets for electricity generation from renewable sources. A renewable energy study has recently been carried out for North West England and its findings are summarised in "From Power to Prosperity" which was published by the Government Office for the North West in April 2001. The study has determined the region's potential for developing renewable energy resources, identified opportunities and constraints, developed targets for deployment to 2010, and proposed priorities for action and potential initiatives. The technologies considered include on and offshore wind, biomass, solar, small scale hydro, landfill gas and energy from waste. At present the North West has a renewable energy capacity of no more than 102 megawatts, in contrast with 7,200 MW from traditional coal, oil, gas and nuclear sources. The overall target in the report is to increase this to 588 MW by 2010 through various types of schemes, which would increase the proportion of the region's total electricity generation derived from renewable sources from 1.3% now to 8.5% by 2010. | |||
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