CHAPTER 2: Strategy

2.1

Introduction

This Chapter describes what the Council is trying to achieve through the Wolverhampton Unitary Development Plan (UDP), which provides the framework for the way in which Wolverhampton will change over the period to 2011.

• A Vision statement and set of objectives
• A set of guiding principles
• An area development framework or spatial strategy
• A set of strategic (Part I) policies for the development and use of land

2.2

Vision and Objectives

The overall Vision of the UDP is:

‘To create a more sustainable Wolverhampton by improving the economic, social and environmental well being for everyone within the City; to contribute to raising the quality of life of residents and to support the development of strong, safe and inclusive communities’.

To implement the Vision, the UDP has four objectives. These are:

• economic regeneration
• social inclusion
• protecting and enhancing the environment
• the prudent use of natural resources

The UDP review has been prepared within the context of a ten year vision for Wolverhampton, as set out in the Community Plan and associated strategies detailed in Chapter 1. These seek to promote the City’s economic, social and environmental well being and to help improve people’s quality of life. A careful balance is however needed between these sometimes competing aims. The Plan seeks to achieve this balance through the concept of sustainable development which seeks to meet current needs and improve people’s quality of life without damaging the environment or detracting from the present or future needs of others, especially future generations.

Land use planning is central to the achievement of sustainability because it guides and directs how land and buildings should be used over extended timescales. It impacts, therefore, on the use of resources and the quality of life for people who live and work in and visit the City.

The ability of the UDP to deliver its objectives is summarised below:

Economic regeneration within the City is a principal objective of UK Government and European Union assistance programmes and the Wolverhampton Community Plan. Continued economic regeneration and diversification is vital to the future prosperity of the City in order to help reduce unemployment and stimulate the creation of job opportunities for local people over the UDP period.

Examples of how planning can influence and help promote economic regeneration include:

• Promoting and opening up sites for business development
• Protecting existing employment sites and premises from redevelopment to other uses
• Improving the highway and public transport infrastructure through improved roads and traffic management and extensions to the Midland Metro
• Tackling inequalities in the job market by targeting employment opportunities in areas of high unemployment and poverty
• Ensuring that planning policies encourage initiative and innovation by adopting a flexible and efficient response to the needs of the market in response to changes in technology and market demands
• Promoting secure and attractive environments

It is vital to consider the needs of all residents of the City when considering development proposals. Government and local policies and programmes aim to reduce social exclusion and increase equality of opportunity in order to, for example, improve people’s quality of life, providing sufficient and convenient local services to meet everyday needs and accessible job opportunities.

Residents including those from black and ethnic minority communities, people with disabilities, women, people with children, older people, young people, unemployed people and people on low incomes can all suffer in varying degrees from social exclusion and disadvantage. The Council is committed to help eliminate disadvantage and discrimination. Examples of how planning can influence and help promote social inclusion and reduce disadvantage include:

Black and Ethnic Minorities:

• Through the layout and design of buildings to meet particular religious, community and cultural needs;
• Encouraging a range of housing size, types and tenures to meet, for example, the needs of larger families;
• Providing local employment and business opportunities, which respond to diverse cultural services and facilities;
• Monitoring of planning applications and decisions to ensure that discrimination is not taking place in the delivery of the planning service.

Women, People with Children and Older People:

• Incorporating community safety and “planning out crime” in the design and layout of all developments;
• Providing improved, well lit and safe pedestrian routes, especially those which serve local primary schools, local centres and other neighbourhood facilities;
• Road safety improvement schemes, giving priority to pedestrians and cyclists;
• Safeguarding local centres, shops and other neighbourhood/community facilities, within the constraints of the planning development control system;
• Improving public transport interchange facilities between bus, metro and rail;
• Considering the particular needs of these people and young people in the preparation of planning site development briefs, neighbourhood plans and Action Plans, etc;
• Encouraging mixed use schemes that create compatible and complimentary activity throughout the day and evening;
• Providing children’s play facilities within major new housing developments or on another easily accessible recreational open space within the neighbourhood.

Unemployed People and People on Low Incomes:

• Promoting and encouraging the provision of new investment in employment creating development;
• Safeguarding good quality employment sites and buildings for continued or new employment provision;
• Linking areas of need and disadvantage to areas of job opportunity and growth, through for example improved public transport provision and working with training providers to improve the employment prospects of local people;
• Using planning agreements on major employment development schemes (where applicable) to secure new training and skill enhancement for local people.

Young People:

• Encouraging the dual-use of school and further education facilities, where appropriate, particularly catering for sport, recreation, art and drama activities;
• Helping schools on particular environmental and planning related projects as part of the curriculum;
• Consulting and discussing with schools, their pupils and teachers on new proposals in the area, in particular Action Plans and local planning site development briefs;
• Consulting and engaging with the Youth Council on for example planning issues and policy, major developments and opportunities to encourage the private sector to more fully consider the needs of young people.

People with Disabilities:

• Ensuring that new developments are easily accessible for people with disabilities;
• Working to ensure that existing public buildings are accessible for people with disabilities;
• Consulting with the ‘One Voice’ disability forum on planning policies and development proposals.

Wolverhampton has many environmental resources which help to provide a healthy, safe and attractive environment for residents and visitors. This includes places such as nature conservation sites, canals, public open spaces and historic buildings, and natural resources, such the air that we breathe, water and soil.

UDP policies have a major role to play in protecting and enhancing the quality of environmental resources by encouraging sustainable development. It is important to locate and design new development so that it does not harm local and global environmental resources, but enhances quality of life and makes best use of derelict and underused land and buildings in the City. A high quality environment is also a key factor in encouraging new investment and social and economic regeneration. Good quality design, which takes into account community safety and includes green open space and improved access for all members of the community is vital.

Planning can help to protect and enhance the environment by:

• protecting and increasing access to the historic, built and natural environment;
• ensuring the design of all new development is of high quality and helps to create a safe and secure environment;
• helping local people to increase their understanding of environmental issues and get involved;
• protecting the recreation and nature conservation value of the Green Belt;
• securing improvements to the public spaces in the City.

Prudent Use of Natural Resources

The prudent use of natural resources is a key element of the Government’s sustainable development objectives and of the Regional Spatial Strategy. Planning can help to promote the prudent use of natural resources by:

• Helping local people to increase their understanding of environmental issues;
• Providing a sound framework for the provision of facilities to facilitate the recycling of waste materials;
• Encouraging the reuse of existing buildings and encouraging development on previously developed land;
• Encouraging patterns of development which encourage the use of public transport and discourage private vehicular journeys;
• Encourage development that maximises the use of natural heat and light and maximise the conservation of non-renewable energy sources.

2.3

Guiding Principles

To translate the UDP objectives into specific policies and proposals, and to ensure consistency and compatibility between the Community Plan and the constituent parts of the UDP Vision, requires the development of Guiding Principles. The scale, pattern and design of development in Wolverhampton over the UDP period will be guided by the principles set out below. The principles are grouped under the three objectives of the Plan.

the UDP will seek to strengthen and diversify the City’s employment base by attracting new investment and safeguarding existing jobs.

the UDP will seek to create a leading ‘industrial city’ with an increasing number of businesses that are creative, enterprising and use the latest technologies.

the UDP will promote an extensive and diverse service sector, through in particular the further development and strengthening of the City Centre,  Bilston  town centre and Wednesfield village centre and the district and local centres.

the UDP will seek to ensure that the benefits of economic development are shared by all, particularly the residents of those areas of greatest need. It will promote better access for local people to a broader range of job opportunities to reduce disparities between different areas of the City.

P6 the UDP will seek to ensure that proper consideration is given in development proposals and plans to the needs of all the community, particularly disadvantaged people and groups, in order to assist in promoting social inclusion and equality of opportunity.

P7the UDP will seek to promote community safety and crime reduction through the location and design of development.

P8 the UDP will enable the provision of an adequate quantity and range of housing to meet local needs and aspirations and create balanced communities.

P9 the UDP will promote the development of sustainable communities by protecting and improving opportunities for access to services and facilities, giving priority to those which are appropriate to the location and character of the area in question, including health, welfare and lifelong learning, transport, utilities, shopping, recreation and open space. It will aim to provide new development, facilities and services as close as possible to the point of need through promoting a hierarchy of centres.

P10the UDP will support development that helps to promote a contemporary, lively and culturally diverse City, subject to other Plan policies, particularly the need to safeguard residential amenity, promote high quality design and protect key environmental resources.

the UDP will promote sustainable land use and management, especially through the restoration, reuse and enhancement of degraded environmental assets, including the recycling of previously used land and buildings for the most appropriate new use.

Prudent Use of Natural Resources

the UDP will promote better accessibility to work, services and facilities in ways which reduce the need for unnecessary travel, and will promote the use of non car based transport for necessary trips and leisure travel, where possible. It will guide new development to locations which offer a choice of transport modes for movement of people and freight.

2.4

Part 1 Policies

The policies in the remainder of this Chapter, together with Policies IMR1 - IMR4 in the Implementation, Monitoring and Review Chapter, form the UDP Part I policies. The Guiding Principles that underpin each Part I policy are listed in brackets next to each policy heading. Throughout the UDP, Part I policies are shown in bold type. A number of the Strategic Part I policies listed in 2.10 also have a detailed Part II element. The whole policy text is provided in Part II of the Plan.

2.5

Area Development Framework

In the light of the Vision, Objectives and Guiding Principles, an overall approach to the location of development in the City has been formulated, illustrated by a Key Diagram - Map 2.1. To take forward the overall thrust of the Regional Spatial Strategy and the Regional Economic Strategy, large scale development should be directed to Strategic Regeneration Areas, sites within or adjacent to defined centres, and the Strategic Regeneration Corridors which link the City’s major investment opportunities with areas of greatest need.

Development of “town centre uses” (as defined by Policy SH2) meeting city-wide needs will generally be directed to Wolverhampton City Centre. The City Centre is a sub regional centre providing a wide range of employment, shopping, educational and community services and is the most accessible location in the City by a choice of means of transport. Therefore it is also the most suitable location for very high density housing developments, which will help to create a vibrant and sustainable mixed use environment.

Bilston Town Centre and Wednesfield Village Centre are important centres on the eastern side of the City. They offer a range of employment opportunities, community services and facilities and are important public transport termini. By directing additional growth to these centres the UDP will reinforce their roles by supporting existing facilities and reducing the need to travel outside the City boundary to access jobs and services. High density housing, particularly living over the shop, is also suitable within these centres.

Outside these locations, large-scale employment, high density housing and other development which has specific locational requirements (such as Park and Ride), or that is inappropriate in an existing centre, will be directed to Strategic Regeneration Corridors, where possible and appropriate. These corridors are defined on the basis of their ability to promote City-wide economic regeneration, their proximity to defined priority neighbourhoods, the location of brownfield development opportunities and existing or proposed public transport facilities. The Strategic Regeneration Corridors and Areas contain the majority of sites identified for large-scale employment and housing development. These areas are likely to contain other sites which may be suitable for high density mixed use developments should opportunities arise.

2.6

Strategic Regeneration Areas

The Strategic Regeneration Areas listed in Policy S1 are located within the North Black Country and South Staffordshire Regeneration Zone, the boundary of which is shown on Map 2.1. Where appropriate, the Council will prepare detailed Action Plans to guide the development of these Areas. The three centres – Wolverhampton City Centre, Bilston Town Centre and Wednesfield Village Centre are subject to detailed policies set out in Chapters 15, 16 and 17, with proposals identified on separate inset maps for each centre. Detailed proposals for Bilston Urban Village and the All Saints and Blakenhall Community Development (ABCD) New Deal for Communities Area are referred to below.

Map 2.1   Wolverhampton Area Development Framework Key Diagram

Map 2.2   Wolverhampton Area Development Framework Key Diagram

The site of the proposed Bilston Urban Village lies south of the Black Country Route and Bilston Town Centre and is bounded to the east by the Midland Metro, to the south by the Bradley Arm canal and to the west by Coseley Road and Highfields Road. It comprises some 40 hectares (100 acres) of development land currently characterised by dereliction, uneven topography, low grade uses such as scrapyards and open space of variable quality. Most of the land is owned by the City Council and Advantage West Midlands.

A Master Plan for the entire area has been prepared which proposes a radical alteration in the landform and a mixture of land uses focusing on residential and employment uses. The Master Plan proposes the following principal aims:

• To transform a largely degraded environment into a form of development of high quality and which encompasses the principles of sustainable development
• To support economic activity within the adjacent Bilston Town Centre
• To ensure that the benefits of the Urban Village are available to the widest number of people.

Alterations to the landform are proposed for two main reasons. Firstly, ground conditions, including mine workings and made ground, require wide-ranging remedial works to be undertaken. Extensive site investigations indicate that much of the material is capable of reuse. Reclamation on this scale will represent value for money provided that material can be reworked within the site.

The key proposals of the Master Plan include:

• The creation of a new park at the heart of the development incorporating a significant area of open water.
• A mixture of land uses, predominantly for housing and employment.
• A network of new pedestrian and cycle links across the site and the improvement of existing links, particularly from Bradley to Bilston Town Centre.
• The development of quality public transport through the site with links to the Metro and the bus station.
• Residential development of a consistently high quality and at urban densities, incorporating the latest techniques in, for example, energy efficiency, and taking account of orientation, views across the site and easy access to facilities.

The nature of the proposed development will require changes in land use designations across the site. Current designations include employment areas, a private sports ground and public open space.

The ABCD programme started in 2001 and will continue until 2010/11. A Master Plan for the area has been produced which provides a framework for the ABCD area, identifying the key levers for change. Priority areas for action detailed in the Master Plan include:

• The Spine Roads (Dudley Rd, Birmingham Rd)
• Blakenhall Gardens
• All Saints
• Industrial areas including the Warehouse Quarter
• Parks zone / Open space strategy

2.7

Strategic Regeneration Corridors

Policy S2 identifies four Strategic Regeneration Corridors, shown diagrammatically on Map 2.1. The purpose of the corridors is to identify those areas of the City where priority will be given to projects which promote City wide economic regeneration.

They contain concentrations of investment opportunities. The corridors contain and link the Strategic Regeneration Areas listed in Policy S1. These areas are anticipated to undergo major change over the Plan period and will be the focus for large scale investment in the City. In addition, the corridors contain concentrations of other smaller business and housing allocations identified in the UDP.

They are focussed upon major public transport investment routes, notably existing and proposed metro lines and bus showcase routes. As a result of this investment, these routes will be associated with high frequency bus and light rail services and will offer a choice of modes of transport to serve developments along them.

They provide linkages between investment opportunities and areas of greatest need. The Strategic Regeneration Corridors contain strong physical linkages between major investment opportunities listed above and the Priority Neighbourhoods, the areas of highest unemployment and poverty in the City.

Within the corridors priority will be given to a range of initiatives that are able to promote sustainable economic and community regeneration and promote patterns of development that support the Plan’s Guiding Principles, in particular:

• Development able to provide employment opportunities for local people, particularly in Priority Neighbourhoods (see 2.8.1), through targeted training and recruitment programmes.
• Major improvements in public transport at and between key nodes along the corridor. Priority will also be given to improvements in physical linkages between regeneration opportunities, existing service and employment centres and areas of greatest need in order to reduce social exclusion.
• Encouraging high quality, high density residential development. High public transport accessibility associated with the corridors makes them appropriate for residential developments that accommodate large numbers of people who use centres within them for the majority of their shopping, employment, leisure and services needs.
• Improvements in environmental conditions and control over advert hoardings and other commercial signage. The corridors form the principal links between Wolverhampton and the West Midlands conurbation and provide important cross City links. They also contain a number of ‘gateways’ and high profile sites where high quality development can enhance the overall image of the City.
• Park and ride facilities. The corridors contain opportunities to provide park and ride facilities making use of existing and proposed public transport accessibility.
• The enhancement of the City Centre, town, district and local centres. The City Centre forms the hub of the four corridors, with Bilston and Wednesfield forming the principal nodes on the A41 / Metro line 1 corridor and the Wednesfield corridor respectively. The corridors also contain a number of district and local centres which provide a focus for local shopping, employment and community needs in highly accessible locations. Enhancing the vitality and viability of these centres and the links between them and adjacent residential areas will serve to reduce social exclusion though the provision of improved local services easily accessible from where people live.
• Creating a carefully balanced mix of land uses which are “good neighbours”.

In addition to these initiatives, the Stafford Road corridor has an important function in supporting a range of projects in the Wolverhampton – Telford High Technology Corridor, a principal policy tool of the Regional Economic Strategy (RES) and the Regional Spatial Strategy. The High Technology Corridor is an area where the Regional Development Agency seeks to concentrate certain cluster and high technology businesses generally by linking businesses to Universities and other research centres. The Stafford Road corridor contains a concentration of research and development establishments at the University and Wolverhampton Science Park whose expertise can be transferred to the existing business base. The corridor also contains a number of high profile, high quality development opportunities capable of attracting new high technology companies. The principal development opportunities are at Wolverhampton Business Park, Wobaston Road and Wolverhampton Science Park.

2.8

Local Area and Neighbourhood Renewal

The Wolverhampton Strategic Partnership has adopted a Wolverhampton Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy (see 1.11.11). In developing the strategy, 85 distinct neighbourhoods were identified and profiles prepared for each neighbourhood. This process confirmed that the City contains both highly affluent and deeply deprived areas. For example, St. Peter’s ward, ranked 316 most deprived nationally, adjoins Tettenhall Regis, ranked 3,055, and just touches Tettenhall Wightwick, ranked 4,928. Using various deprivation rankings and information from local consultations, 29 Priority Neighbourhoods, which suffer from the highest levels of multiple deprivation, were identified (see Map 2.2).

2.9

Mixed Use Development

Areas where housing, employment, retail, recreation and community uses are mixed are not new – they have always been a feature of urban areas. In recent years, however, there has been a recognition of the important role mixed use development can play in delivering a sustainable urban environment, through reducing the need to travel, producing vibrant and interesting places, contributing towards regeneration and making new and better use of existing redundant and vacant buildings. There have been focused attempts to promote mixed use in Wolverhampton, ranging from proposals to create whole new mixed use areas e.g. Bilston Urban Village, to the introduction of new uses into town and city centres e.g. ‘living over the shop’. Sites which are currently allocated for mixed use development include a number of City Centre sites (see City Centre Chapter) and the predominantly residential mixed use site allocations shown on the Proposals Map (see Policy H4 / Table 13.2).

The mix of uses within a building, street or wider area can help to determine how well used a place is. In general, a mix of uses provides interest, diversity and vitality in the urban environment in contrast to the possible dullness and monotony of a single use area and can help to generate activity throughout the day and evening. Mixed use areas can also group housing, jobs, shops and services at locations within the local neighbourhood which help reduce distances people have to travel and promote the use of public transport, walking and cycling.

An appropriate mix of housing, employment, community and retail uses at a macro (area) level can help to produce balanced, sustainable communities in most areas. However, to safeguard the amenity of local residents, it is necessary to allocate some single use areas for land uses such as industry, which are likely to create pollution and / or large volumes of traffic. Mixed use at a micro (site and building) level is best suited to locations within or adjacent to centres and other key public transport nodes where it can help to make the most of opportunities for higher densities and intensive activities. For example, in such locations, housing provides customers for shops and offices, makes use of space above them and generates activity when they are closed.

It is important that uses are mixed in ways that ensure compatibility. For example, community or open space uses can provide a useful buffer between employment and residential uses. High standards of acoustic insulation, double-glazing, efficient waste disposal and good space standards can ensure that residential amenity is not compromised in mixed use development.

2.10

Strategic Policies