Upper Beeding Neighbourhood Plan

Vision Paper

9th. April 2015 v4

1.0Introduction

The purpose of this paper is to capture the outcome of the Upper Beeding Neighbourhood Plan (UBNP) visioning workshop held with the Steering Group on 1st December 2014 and to make recommendations for the consideration of the Steering Group. These recommendations relate to:

  • The vision, key objectives and land use planning policy scope of the UBNP
  • Further community engagement activities and evidence analysis
  • The project plan through to the submission of the UBNP

The recommendations reflect not just the outcome of the workshop but also initial insights into the national and local planning policy context of the UBNP. Specifically, the UBNP must meet a series of ‘basic conditions’ relating to its general conformity with that policy context. The examination of the UBNP in due course will focus on how those conditions have been met, before it goes to referendum.

The context indicates very clear environmental – natural, heritage and sustainability - parameters that guide growth and change with the parish and prevent isolated growth elsewhere in the parish. It appears from the workshop that those parameters are likely to match the views of the local community on where and how change should happen.

The Draft UBNP will provide an outline of the policy context and the environmental parameters as a justification for its emerging policies. It will also be shaped by the recommended engagement activities set out below and by the anticipated adoption of the Horsham District Planning Framework, Proposed Submission (Local Plan).

The neighbourhood plan area includes a site known as the Cement Works site which is of a significant size and within the national park. The site will be part of the South DownsNational Park’s own development plan. The scope for the neighbourhood plan to address or determine how this site should come forward has yet to be determined and will need to take account of its strategic importance and the neighbourhood plan programme.

Finally, the paper avoids a discussion at this stage about the number of houses to be planned for in the UBNP. It is estimated that the vision outlined below could deliver a small number of new homes over the plan period, but this will be dependent on there being an identified and agreed local need and sites that are available and in acceptable locations. There has been no review of those capacities and this work will be done as part of the Draft UBNP preparation.

2.0The Vision

The UBNPSG prepared a vision statement for their neighbourhood plan prior to the vision workshop which was;

“To improve the quality of life for those who live in the Villages of Upper Beeding, Small Dole and Edburton by improving and developing the physical environment, developing an inclusive community and enhancing work and leisure opportunities whilst protecting the historic elements and open spaces of the Parish.”

The three principles this vision seeks to achieve; an improved physical environment, developing an inclusive community and enhancing work and leisure opportunities, have been developed through the vision workshop into a set of objectives for the parish in 2031 as:

“Upper Beeding and Small Dole will have retained their own distinctive characters and they will have worked successfully with the SDNP to; protect the quality of their shared landscape setting, improve accessibility for pedestrians, cyclists and safe routes to school with better links to Bramber and Steyning, and to develop a green infrastructure plan that improves recreation and leisure opportunities within the Park for the community. This will be supported by a shared plan developed with the South DownsNational Park to protect the shared setting and make improvements to connectivity, green infrastructure and heritage assets.

Upper Beeding has a shopping centre of a number of useful shops, and our vision is to retain the current shops that provide support to the local residents who mainly use them and in the future visitors who visit the Village.

Community facilities – To consider the replacement the current sports centre with a multi functional building for community use.

Provide more facilities for all e.g. toilets in the recreational park and Youth provision. To retain the primary school in the Parish, with the potential to expand the school to meet local demands.

Tranquil areas are generated to meet the needs of all groups and age ranges e.g. wildlife pond.

To expand existing burial sites where possible to investigate the possibility to consecrate new areas for burial as the current facilities will need developed to meet demand during the time of the plan

To identify new amenity sites and to retain the Green areas in the Parish.

With support from Henfield – some residents within the Parish of Upper Beeding but based in Small Dole are more likely to use the facilities of Henfield. Upper Beeding residents are less likely to use Henfield’s facilities, using those of its own or Steyning..

Improvements to the range of employment uses on existing employment sites, supporting an increase in local employment and benefits to the local economy. Provide small business units/business centre for starter up and those that want to move their business on from where it may be operating from their home.

The transport links to be improved between Upper Beeding and Small Dole so businesses can attract employees and support Tourism.

Develop the opportunities that exist in the Parish and surrounding areas for Tourism with the view of supporting local businesses, identifying some term solutions initially with a view to developing a group to oversee Tourism for the duration of the plan. Improve signage to highlight important sites in the Parish.

The redevelopment of the Cement Works site could be developed to provide a range of housing, amenity and business opportunities based on a development brief that would be agreed by the community.

There will have been a modest growth in housing numbers through the provision of new homes.

Sheltered housing and care homes will be needed to support the community in the long term.

New homes will have been provided in small clusters on sites that do not detract from the character and setting of the Parish. In particular, developing building solutions that will support single individuals at the start of buying their own home through to those wanting to down size. The focus will be on a mix of rental housing and some open market properties to support the needs of the Parish.

Retain a doctors facility in the Parish.

Improve the footpaths in the area, especially where they are key links between Villages and amenities so access is made easier for all.

Improve the sewage issue within the Village, preventing further development if this negatively impacts this important ongoing issue in the Village of Upper Beeding. Ensure that no development negatively impacts the quality of the water supply, which the Parish are reliant upon.

To have a Building Design Statement that ensures that any development follows specific guidelines in respect of design and local materials used in keeping with other properties e.g. use of flint.

Infrastructure has to be considered for any future development of the Village as the current population of the Parish is increasing using cars and becomes less reliant on public transport.’’

3.0Planning background

Upper Beeding parish is in Horsham District, West Sussex. The Horsham District Planning Framework (HDPF), Proposed Submission (Local Plan) is currently at examination and due to be adopted early 2015. The neighbourhood plan will therefore have to consider the 2007 Local Plan saved policies until the HDPF has been adopted.

The parish is made up of a number of settlement areas and other significant land uses. These are;

  1. Upper Beeding; which has a well used supermarket in Hyde Lane, which is used by Bramber residents
  2. Small Dole; a small part of which is within Henfield Parish. The main part of Small Dole which is in Upper Beeding parish has sought to be an independent parish in the past
  3. Horton Landfill site; a large landfill site adjacent to the southern part of Small Dole, that is currently being remediated
  4. Tottington Wood, an ancient woodland adjoining the southern part of Small Dole which the community would like to have improved access to. ( where). There are footpaths through the woods and no further access is required but improved signage would make it easier to find for those who do not know the area.
  5. Edburton;
  6. Truleigh Hill; and
  7. The Cement Works; a large disused site within the South Downs National Park on the southern edge of the parish.

Horsham District has a settlement hierarchy that applies as follows;

Upper Beeding, together with its neighbour Bramber have been designated as a Small Town and Larger Village by Horsham District Council. This is due to their strong social network and provision of services and facilities. Bramber and Upper Beeding rely on larger settlements for some facilities. Upper Beeding Village shares its built-up area boundary with Bramber (see Horsham District’s Inset (Proposals) Map 17). However, this is something Upper Beeding Parish is contesting as both villages wish to maintain separate identities and not be considered as the same settlement.

Small Dole is the only other settlement in the parish that has a built-up area boundary, although a small part of it is located in the Parish of Henfield. Small Dole has been identified by Horsham District as a Smaller Village with good access to larger settlements although facilities, services and social networks are limited. Due to its size and limitations the residents of Small Dole are reliant on the larger villages for many of their needs, and from the workshop it was clear that most travel to Henfield rather than Upper Beeding or Steyning for these.

The identification of built-up area boundaries in policy terms establishes the area within which development is in principle permitted. The areas outside of these boundaries are classed as Unclassified Settlements with few or no facilities or social networks and limited accessibility, reliant on other villages/towns to meet their needs. These are considered to be in the Countryside where development will be more strictly controlled.

No specific housing numbers have been allocated for the Parish, however Policy 14 of the HDPF has set a target of 1,500 new homes to be delivered through neighbourhood plans over the plan period of 2011-2031, with a further 750 homes expected to come forward through windfall sites in the district.

The following SHLAA sites have been put forward in the Parish and identified and assessed by Horsham District. The sites are all adjacent to the Upper Beeding settlement boundary and are therefore in planning terms reasonable considerations for housing site allocations in the UPNP;

  • SA476 Adur View, Dawn Crescent, with an estimated capacity of 25 homes will be delivered in the next 1 to 2 year period
  • SA055 Land at Smugglers Lane, with an estimated capacity of 25 homes that could be delivered over the next 6 to 10 year period
  • SA053 Land at Pound Lane, has been identified as not currently developable. However this is due to a part of the site.

The following designations apply within the Parish:

  • A large part of the parish is within the SDNP (see Vision Diagram – Upper Beeding Parish)
  • There are two Conservation Areas in Upper Beeding, along High Street to the southwest and Hyde Street to the southeast.
  • Most of the Parish’s Listed buildings are contained within these Conservation Areas but there are others outside and across the Parish.
  • The Landscape Capacity Assessment 2014 assesses Steyning, Bramber and Upper Beeding as Zone 6. The Assessment has excluded the area north of Upper Beeding and Bramber as it has development constraint from the Adur floodplain. Land within the SDNP is also excluded. The rest of Zone 6 lies within the Low Weald National character areas.
  • The Parish is covered by two landscape character areas (D2 (north) – Henfield and Small Dole Farmlands and O4 (south)– Lower Adur Valley, both of which are sensitive to change.

4.0Spatial analysis

Key findings of the vision workshop

A spatial analysis has been carried out of the parish looking at its wider setting and relationship to the landscape and adjacent settlements as a starting point for considering the issues that the neighbourhood plan should consider. This is followed by a more detailed examination of the two villages of Upper Beeding and Small Dole with consideration of the issues particular to each of them.

The wider setting

The following summary relates the numbered Neighbourhood Plan Area diagram that follows.

The Upper Beeding neighbourhood plan includes two village settlements, Upper Beeding (1) and Small Dole (2) each with its own defined settlement boundary, within the neighbourhood plan area there are also a number of smaller groups of houses, significant employment areas, landfill sites, old quarry works, and a redundant cement works.

The village of Small Dole sits in two parishes with the smaller north western part (3) in the parish of Henfield which is also preparing a neighbourhood plan. Henfield is the local service centre for some of the residents of Small Dole.

Upper Beeding has a close relationship with Bramber (4) and Steyning (5) which are adjacent to the western boundary of the parish, and Steyning is the local service centre is service centre..Steyning is preparing a joint neighbourhood plan along with Bramber, Wiston and Ashurst.

The character of the neighbourhood plan area is defined by the setting of the River Adur and its associated floodplain (6) which defines the eastern boundary of the Parish and of Upper Beeding, and the landscape of the South Downs National Park (SDNP) (7).

The SDNP covers a large part of Parish of Upper Beeding though not the built up area. and provides a backdrop and setting for Upper Beeding and Small Dole, which is also shared with Bramber and Steyning. The South Downs wraps around these settlements with its bowls and ridgelines (8) creating local features, views and a unique landscape including the River Adur running through as a major valley.. The lower lying land of the river floodplain is a shared benefit which needs to be protected as an shared setting and an amenity is of common interest.

To the north of the parish is the wider a rural setting of agricultural fields, woodlands, and smaller settlements, whilst more immediately to the south of the Parish is The River Adur which leads to the more intensively developed coastal edge between Brighton and Worthing.

To the west of the southern part of Small Dole there is a large waste site (11) that is currently being restored,. However , the remaining Horton quarry which was given SSSI status, is to filled with inert waste during the next 18 months.

The A283 provides the main road link to Upper Beeding from the south, and connects to the A27 which is the major east west route running along the top of the coastal fringe developments of Brighton Shoreham and Worthing. The A283 crosses the River Adur before reaching Upper Beeding with the A2037 Shoreham Road providing access to Upper Beeding and continuing around the southern edge of Upper Beeding northwards as the Henfield Road through Small Dole and onto Henfield.

There are two large employment areas in the neighbourhood plan area; one (Mackleys)on the southern edge of Small Dole within the settlement boundary (9), and the other (Golding Barn) to the east of Upper Beeding off the Henfield Road which is inside the SDNP (10)

The Cement Works (12) also has about 20 businesses plus one large one (Dudmans) should this be added here or is it best below. There is also a smaller Industrial Estate at the end of Pound Lane.

In the south western corner of the parish, adjacent to the A283 and River Adur there is a redundant cement works (12) which includes large scale industrial structures that sits within a chalk bowl created from previous quarry workings. Despite the scale of the structures, they are relatively low key in terms of their visual impact. The main building sits within the bowl and a localised escarpment masks long views of the buildings from the road. Facing directly into the site there are dramatic views of the quarry workings and the buildings. Views of the buildings from further afield are partly screened by topography and vegetation with the works chimney the only structure rising above the horizon line as a local landmark.

The cement works includes a smaller site on the opposite side of the A283 sitting in a loop in the river. Both parts of the cement works site are currently used for employment including vehicle maintenance and storage. This site sits within the SDNP and a plan is being prepared by the SDNP for its future use.