Core Strategy - Consultation Draft
CS31: Market and Coastal Towns
Proposals for development in Clevedon, Nailsea and Portishead will be supported which:
1) increase self-containment;
2) ensure the availability of jobs and services for the town and surrounding catchments; and
3) improve the town's role as a service centre.
Employment proposals will be supported that ensure the regeneration of previously developed land, or conversion and/or refurbishment of existing premises to deliver around 5,718 additional jobs (3,800 of these in the B use class). Employment should be appropriate in scale to the role and function of the town in accordance with Core Strategy policy CS20. Mixed use schemes will only be considered where they are shown to address local housing need.
- Within Portishead, encouragement will be given for the take up of existing business premises and site allocations. Proposals which provide opportunities for existing businesses to expand will be supported.
- At Nailsea additional employment opportunities will be encouraged to support economic growth, reduce out-commuting and encourage a more balanced community.
Shopping and town centre uses will be supported within the town centres (and expanded town centre at Portishead) which improve the town centre environment and the retail, leisure, and employment offer. The removal of town centre uses will only be supported in accordance with policy CS21.
- Clevedon, Hill Road - proposals which support its focus for specialist shopping and leisure will be supported.
- Nailsea - proposals for regenerating the town centre will be supported.
Housing proposals for infill, redevelopment, subdivision and conversion will be supported on sites not previously in commercial use, with an emphasis on affordable housing.
- at Nailsea, housing development should be focused on addressing local housing needs for smaller, more affordable homes to encourage a more balanced age structure and support economic growth.
Other services and community facilities will be encouraged within the urban areas, in locations accessible to the community which they are intended to serve, in conjunction with Core Strategy policies CS25, CS26 and CS27.
Transport proposals which provide opportunities for cycling, walking or increase public transport within the towns will be supported. Proposals to improve connectivity by public transport with the other market towns, Bristol and Weston-super-Mare will also be supported.
- For Portishead the re-opening of a rail/rapid transit link to Bristol is a priority.
Tourism proposals throughout Clevedon and Portishead will be supported with particular emphasis on enhancing the appeal of the seafront/waterfront area to visitors and residents alike, while retaining the historic and natural settings.
This policy contributes towards achieving Priority Objectives 1, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10.
Background
The policies provide a link between the visions and the specific subject policies relating to housing, employment, community facilities etc. in the various sections of the Core Strategy.
The RSS identifies Market and Coastal Towns as places which should only consider locally significant development ensuring the availability of jobs and services for themselves and surrounding communities.
The Core Strategy approach
Clevedon, Portishead and Nailsea have been designated as Market and Coastal Towns. Due to their close proximity to each other, these three towns have overlapping catchment areas which are perhaps somewhat smaller than would be expected in a rural area and due to their proximity to Bristol and Weston, they are not expected to provide highest-order goods and services for their population, but they nevertheless act as local service centres for their populations and adjacent parishes.
All of these towns have high out-commuting levels and the emphasis will be on discouraging development which would reinforce this and on encouraging local employment and service provision which would stem the flow of commuters. Nailsea in particular has suffered from being planned as a dormitory town in the 1960s and would benefit from development which would enable a more balanced community to take shape.
On sites previously in non-residential use, therefore preference will be given to development proposals for employment, shopping, public transport and other services which will increase self-containment and improve their role as service centres. With regard to new housing development, this will be restricted to infill, redevelopment and conversion, or subdivision, which will improve the current mix of house types and sizes, improve affordability and make contributions towards infrastructure and facilities.
How and where the policy will be delivered
Within the Market and Coastal Towns of Portishead, Clevedon, and Nailsea new jobs, dwellings and retail floorspace will broadly be provided as follows:
|
Land use |
Nailsea |
Portishead |
Clevedon |
|
Employment (jobs, all sectors) |
357 |
4,691 |
670 |
|
Residential (dwellings) |
239 |
3,144 |
449 |
|
Retail (m2) |
8,550 |
2,950 |
6,050 |
The future of the Market and Coastal Towns relies on co-ordination across sectors from transport providers to affordable housing and healthcare facilities providers.
Alternative options and contingency planning
Having an area-based policy adds clarity by allowing all the main strands of the visions and individual subject policies to be expressed together and supports 'place-making'. The alternative would be to not have area policies.
Monitoring and review
This will be measured against individual policy targets for each of the towns.
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