Draft Site Allocations and Policies (incorporating IP-One Area Action Plan) Development Plan Document

Comment

Representation ID: 732

Received: 10/03/2014

Respondent: Crest Strategic Projects

Linked to the key strategic challenges set out in the Core Strategy, the DPD needs to allocate sufficient land to meet objectively assessed housing need and deliver the Core Strategy vision and objectives. Crest notes that detailed site allocations are made within this DPD; its main focus is central Ipswich, drawing together policy for the IP-One area and the area covered by IBC's 2012 Town Centre Master Plan. Crest supports the principle of planning for a vibrant and healthy core to the Borough and does not comment at this stage on the detailed proposals for town centre sites.

Object

Representation ID: 733

Received: 10/03/2014

Respondent: Crest Strategic Projects

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? Not specified

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

Crest supports the principle of establishing broad locations for green corridors and notes that a green corridor is proposed which affects the Northern Fringe (Plan 1/DM33c.). Crest also notes IBC's approach to the 'green rim' around Ipswich (para. 4.10). Crest supports the strategic approach to green corridors set out in Core Strategy Policy CS16 and the more detailed approach in this DPD. However, Crest requests that developers have input to the detailed mapping of green corridors, particularly for sites like the Northern Fringe, which undergo significant masterplanning and negotiation and benefit from flexibility in how policies are applied.

Comment

Representation ID: 734

Received: 10/03/2014

Respondent: Crest Strategic Projects

Crest notes that IBC will seek to establish and enhance an ecological network
across the Borough in accordance with the ecological network map. Crest supports, in principle, the proposal to encourage new tree planting within landscaping schemes, to increase the Borough's tree canopy cover.

Support

Representation ID: 735

Received: 10/03/2014

Respondent: Crest Strategic Projects

This policy states that major development will only be permitted provided it respects the character of the countryside. The supporting text (paragraph 4.29) states that countryside at the periphery of the Borough is not physically remote, but development which would be relatively isolated regarding access to public transport and facilities should be avoided. Crest supports the practice of sensitively designing development sites with the potential to affect countryside character. Crest supports the allocation of the Northern Fringe as the best opportunity to deliver a new community and provide an appropriate transition between the existing urban area and countryside in Ipswich.

Object

Representation ID: 736

Received: 10/03/2014

Respondent: Crest Strategic Projects

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? Not specified

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

Policy DM37 advises that District and Local Centres are defined on the Policies
Map. Such centres are critical to the spatial strategy for the Borough. Crest
considers that is it important the range of centres planned for the Northern
Fringe site is built into policy at this stage and shown on the Policies Map. This
would show commitment to this development coming forward but would also be
a useful tool in development management decisions which affect the overall
network of centres and those that would have an in-principle effect of future
development at the Northern Fringe.

Support

Representation ID: 737

Received: 10/03/2014

Respondent: Crest Strategic Projects

Crest supports the allocation of sites to deliver developments that will help to
achieve growth targets. Crest supports the approach proposed by IBC to
safeguard sites for the uses that they have been allocated for, so that competing proposals cannot harm the plan strategy and compromise important development coming forward.

Comment

Representation ID: 738

Received: 10/03/2014

Respondent: Crest Strategic Projects

Crest has no comment on the range of sites and their detailed capacity in Policy DM39, but notes that they will deliver 2,409 dwellings, leaving a substantial number of dwellings still to deliver. This underscores the position that policy needs to allow the Northern Fringe to come forward and deliver the balance, to meet targets. Without the Northern Fringe, there is a large land deficit for housing development and the targets would be unachievable. The importance of the Northern Fringe will increase if any of the sites listed under DM39 experience delivery problems or their capacity has been overstated.

Object

Representation ID: 739

Received: 10/03/2014

Respondent: Crest Strategic Projects

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? Not specified

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

Crest welcomes the acknowledgement that housing needs are to be met in full.
Crest considers that deliverable sites should be allowed to come forward now.
This could reduce IBC's reliance on the sites listed under this policy for
achieving the targets. There may be very good reasons why some of these sites
will continue to be stalled, and so their contribution - a collective 2,032 units -
should not be assumed. Crest does welcome however IBC's proposed approach to continue to safeguard these sites for residential development, as one component of
housing land supply in the Borough.

Object

Representation ID: 740

Received: 10/03/2014

Respondent: Crest Strategic Projects

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? Not specified

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

Crest welcomes the principles of the regeneration and development strategies
set out in various policies in Part C of the DPD. Crest has submitted detailed
representations previously on the plans for residential development in central
Ipswich. Again, Crest would advise caution in assuming the deliverability of the
residential allocations in the IP-One area, in the absence of total certainty on
the flood barrier. Crest considers that there is greater certainty of the delivery of
high quality residential development at the Northern Fringe and that this can
take place alongside all residential development in central Ipswich.