Sandwell Local Plan - Issues & Options Consultation

Policy CSP1 – Development Strategy

Provides the overarching spatial strategy for the Black Country, setting out the scale and distribution of new development for the Plan period.

Policy CSP2 – The Strategic Centres and Core Regeneration Areas

Sets out the strategic approach for the growth network, consisting of the Strategic Centres and Core Regeneration Areas, which is the primary focus for regeneration and infrastructure investment to support the delivery of regionally significant growth and promote wider benefits to Black Country communities.

Policy CSP3 – Towns and Neighbourhood Areas and the green belt

Sets the strategic approach for the Towns and Neighbourhoods Areas and the Green Belt, essentially all development outside the centres and regeneration areas (CSP2).

Policy CSP4 - Achieving well-designed places

Supports the development of places and buildings providing a range of functions, tenures, facilities, and services, intended to support the needs of diverse local communities. Promotes high quality and sensitive design for spaces and buildings, reflecting the character of the area and its heritage

Policy CSP5 - Cultural Facilities and the Visitor Economy

Supports the protection, promotion and expansion of existing cultural facilities, visitor attractions and associated activities to ensure their role as key economic drivers stimulating and regenerating the local economy is supported and enhanced.

Policy GB1 – The Black Country Green Belt

Protects local green belt from inappropriate development unless very special circumstances apply.

Policy GB2 – Compensatory Improvements for Loss of Green Belt

Manages the protection of green belt where development takes place and compensatory improvements to remaining green belt is required.

Policy GB3 – Extensions and Replacement Buildings in the Green Belt

Sets out guidance on changes to existing buildings and uses in the green belt.

Policy DEL1 – Infrastructure Provision

Sets out how the BCA will secure infrastructure provision from future planned development. It also sets out the requirement for viability evidence where, in exceptional circumstances, proposals are unable to comply with the policies of the BCP.

Policy DEL2 – Balance between employment land and housing

Sets out the approach for assessing windfall employment and housing developments, ensuring they are in suitable and sustainable locations.

Policy DEL3 – Promotion of Fibre to the Premises and 5G Networks

Sets out proposals for ensuring the provision of full fibre broadband connectivity is considered in all new major development proposals. It also sets out the approach for supporting and assessing 5G Network infrastructure proposals.

Policy HW1 – Health and Wellbeing

Provides a context for how health and wellbeing are influenced by planning and how to improve the health impacts of new developments and minimise negative impacts.

Policy HW2 – Healthcare Infrastructure

Sets out requirements for the provision of health infrastructure to serve the residents of new developments.

Policy HW3 – Health Impact Assessments (HIAs)

Provides for the individual Black Country Authorities to require Health Impact Assessments for development proposals, in line with locally determined criteria, to be set out in local development documents.

Policy HOU1 – Delivering Sustainable Housing Growth

Identifies the amount of housing needed across the Black Country until 2039 to meet predicted housing need.

Policy HOU2 – Housing Density, Type and Accessibility

Directs that the new homes delivered over the plan period are in places with good sustainable transport access to key residential services and include a mix of types and densities which are appropriate to their location and help to meet local needs.

Policy HOU3 – Delivering Affordable, Wheelchair Accessible and Self Build / Custom Build Housing

Directs that a sufficient proportion of new homes provided over the plan period should be affordable and wheelchair accessible, and enough plots should be provided to meet local demand for self-build and custom build housing.

Policy HOU4 – Accommodation for Gypsies and Travellers and Travelling Showpeople

Aims to provide sufficient, appropriately designed and integrated sites to accommodate the needs of travelling communities over the plan period.

Policy HOU5 – Education Facilities

Guidance on the provision of educational facilities, including that they can be accessed easily by sustainable forms of transport and meet the variety of needs for different age groups and educational needs.

Policy HOU6 – Houses in Multiple Occupation

Addresses issues around the provision of HMOs and sets out criteria to be met when planning applications are made for them.

Policy EMP1 – Providing for Economic Growth and Jobs

Seeks to ensure a sufficient quantum of development opportunities are provided to meet the demand for economic growth and support the diversification of the Black Country economy.

Policy EMP2 – Strategic Employment Areas

Provides for a sufficient stock of Strategic Employment Land suitable for a growing and diversified economy.

Policy EMP3 – Local Employment Areas

Makes provision for those types of industrial, logistics and commercial activities that do not need to be situated in Strategic Employment Areas and are not appropriate for town centres or residential locations.

Policy EMP4 – Other Employment Sites

Provides a flexible policy framework to guide development proposals within older industrial areas where sites and premises may be suitable for redevelopment for a continued employment use, or to alternative uses such as housing.

Policy EMP5 – Improving Access to the Labour Market

Requires proposals for large=scale employment generating development to demonstrate that the new jobs are accessible to as many of the Black Country's residents as possible, especially those in the most deprived areas or priority groups.

Policy CEN1 – The Black Country Centres

Sets out the overall priorities and strategy for centres and defines the hierarchy of centres.

Policy CEN2 – Tier One: Strategic Centres

Identifies the four strategic centres of Brierley Hill, Walsall, West Bromwich, and Wolverhampton and sets out the approach and priorities for them in promoting appropriate levels of diversification and flexibility so that investment and regeneration can be maximised.

Policy CEN3 – Tier Two Centres

Supports the important local function provided by Tier Two Centres, particularly convenience retail provision, and their future diversification and regeneration of town centres.

Policy CEN4 – Tier Three Centres

Protects and supports the large network of centres that provide day-to-day convenience shopping and local service needs.

Policy CEN5 – Provision of Small-Scale Local Facilities

Applies to proposals for small-scale local facilities (centre uses and complementary uses including social infrastructure and community uses) not in a centre and intended to meet local community needs.

Policy CEN6 – Edge-of-Centre and Out-of-Centre Development

Sets out robust requirements that will ensure that investment in centres is maximised and significant adverse impacts are prevented by managing edge of centre and out of centre proposals over a certain size.

Policy TRAN1 - Priorities for the Development of the Transport Network

Sets out the strategic approach to delivering an integrated, modernised and sustainable transport network through providing sufficient land in accessible locations and identifying and protecting key transport networks.

Policy TRAN2 - Safeguarding the Development of the Key Route Network

Identifying capital improvements and management strategies to ensure the Key Route Network meets its function of serving the main strategic demand flows of people and freight across the Black Country.

Policy TRAN3 - Managing Transport Impacts of New Development

Requires planning proposals to identify and mitigate transport-related impacts.

Policy TRAN4 - The Efficient Movement of Freight

Supports the movement of freight across the Black Country by sustainable modes of transport and through targeted network improvements and links with the rail network.

Policy TRAN5 - Creating Coherent Networks for Cycling and for Walking

Sets out the intention to develop a strategic cycling network across the Black Country using existing cycle routes and common cycle infrastructure; ensure locations are accessible to pedestrians and cyclists.

Policy TRAN6 - Influencing the Demand for Travel and Travel Choices

Identifies priorities for traffic management and travel choices, promoting sustainable transport and park and ride.

Policy TRAN7 - Parking Management

Sets out the requirements for the sustainable delivery and management of parking in centres and elsewhere.

Policy TRAN8 - Planning for Low Emission Vehicles

Supports the use of and infrastructure for low emission vehicles.

Policy ENV1 – Nature Conservation

Sets out the strategic framework for the protection and enhancement of nature conservation across the Black Country, relating to protected sites, species, habitats and geological features.

Policy ENV2 - Development Affecting Special Areas of Conservation (SACs)

Sets out the need to protect special areas of conservation across the Black Country from adverse impacts caused by development.

Policy ENV3 – Nature Recovery Network and Biodiversity Net Gain

Sets out how development proposals will be required to consider the Nature Recovery Network Strategy and how biodiversity net gain would be secured.

Policy ENV4 – Provision, retention and protection of trees, woodlands and hedgerows

Supports and protects a sustainable, high-quality tree population and will aim to significantly increase tree cover across the area; supports the planting of replacement trees and the provision of additional trees where appropriate; supports the protection of hedgerows.

Policy ENV 5 - Historic Character and Local Distinctiveness of the Black Country

Aims to ensure that where historic character persists, and development is proposed, it should be conserved, and efforts made to ensure that the Black Country's historic environment is fully appreciated and enhanced in terms of its townscape, landscape and individual heritage assets.

Policy ENV6 - Geodiversity and the Black Country UNESCO Global Geopark

Sets out that new development should have regard to the conservation of geological features and should take opportunities to achieve gains for conservation through the form and design of development.

Policy ENV7 – Canals

Identifies the need to protect and enhance the canal network where possible and recognises its role in and opportunities for leisure, recreation, nature conservation, design and the historic environment.

Policy ENV8 – Open Space and Recreation

Recognises the role of open space in promoting good design, healthy communities, leisure and recreation, conservation and wildlife protection. Promotes the need for up to date open space standards.

Policy ENV9 – Playing Fields and Sports Facilities

Requires the retention of sports pitches and playing fields and their enhancement where possible; guides the delivery of compensatory provision should a facility be lost.

Policy ENV10 – Design Quality

Sets out the requirements for design across the Black Country, including incorporating national design standards, space standards, road safety and crime prevention principles; identifies the elements needed to produce high-quality design in the context of the Black Country.

Policy CC1 – Increasing efficiency and resilience

Sets out the principle of designing, constructing and using buildings to mitigate and adapt to climate change and promote the low / zero carbon approach.

Policy CC2 – Energy Infrastructure

Supports the provision of decentralised energy networks – district heating, linking new development to sources where available or making provision for when they might become available; onsite energy provision.

Policy CC3 – Managing Heat Risk

Minimising internal heat gain and tackling the urban heat island effect through appropriate materials, design and landscaping; e.g. energy-efficient design, shading, albedo, trees, green roofs / walls etc.

Policy CC4 – Air Quality

Promotes initiatives to improve air quality such as walking, cycling and electric changing points; promotes public transport; need to provide and protect open spaces and tree cover; minimise commuting. New development should be air quality neutral and indoor air quality should be considered.

Policy CC5 – Flood Risk

Requires the risk assessment of flooding for new development. Promotes the naturalisation of urban water courses, opening up culverts, protection of groundwater and prevention of downstream flooding.

Policy CC6 - Sustainable drainage and surface water management (SuDS)

Promotes the use of SuDS; proposals should include details of adoption, maintenance and management. Surface water flows should be reduced to equivalent greenfield runoff rates unless this is not viable.

Policy CC7 – Renewable and Low Carbon Energy and BREEAM Standards

Supports development using renewable or low carbon energy sources where the proposal accords with local and national guidance and wouldn't harm the local, natural and historic environment.

Policy W1 – Waste Infrastructure – Future Requirements

Sets out the overall strategy and principles for waste management in the Black Country and the types of waste development that will support this; identifies how much new waste management capacity is required.

Policy W2 – Waste Sites

Seeks to safeguard and retain the capacity of existing waste facilities to maintain the existing waste management capacity and address the Black Country's resource and infrastructure needs.

Policy W3 – Preferred Areas for New Waste Facilities

Sets out the identification and delivery of new waste management facilities will make a significant contribution towards meeting new capacity requirements.

Policy W4 – Locational Considerations for New Waste Facilities

Promotes the direction of waste management facilities towards locations where they are likely to generate maximum benefits in terms of co-location, provide supporting infrastructure for other uses and minimise potential harmful effects on the environment and local communities.

Policy W5 – Resource Management and New Development

Sets out the need for managing material resources – including waste - in a responsible way as an important element of sustainable development.

Policy MIN1 - Mineral Production – Requirements

Identifies the requirements for production of aggregate minerals and industrial minerals over the plan period, having regard to national policy guidance, the likely demand, the constraints to working them, and the contribution from imports of them from other areas.

Policy MIN2 - Minerals Safeguarding

Sets out how the most important mineral resources in the Black Country, and sites that are expected to be producing, processing or transporting minerals and mineral products, will be protected from other types of development that could compromise their continued operation.

Policy MIN3 - Preferred Areas for New Mineral Development

Identifies the preferred areas for mineral extraction and other types of mineral development in the Black Country.

Policy MIN4 - Managing the Effects of Mineral Development

Sets out the requirements that planning applications for mineral working and minerals infrastructure will be expected to address.