Strategy

The Local Plan is a key Council document that is required to guide and deliver the Council’s plans and aspirations for growth. It is essential to shaping change in a form which is desired by the Council and Thanet’s communities, and for the delivery of development projects and infrastructure.

The Plan must be prepared with the objective of contributing to the achievement of sustainable development, and be in accordance with national planning policy.

The Plan should be aspirational but also realistic and should provide sufficient flexibility to adapt to rapid change. The Plan must be based upon up-to-date, sound evidence. We have to be able to demonstrate that the Plan will be deliverable and therefore the proposals included within it must be viable and realistic. The Plan will be delivered by a number of partners, including the private sector.

The Plan sets out policies and proposals that will be used to guide decisions and investment on development and regeneration over the period to 2031. It sets out how and where the homes, jobs, community facilities, shops and infrastructure will be delivered and the types of places and environments we want to create. It also identifies land to be protected from development, such as open space. Once adopted, the Plan will form the statutory planning framework for determining planning applications and will replace the “saved” policies from the Thanet Local Plan 2006. The Cliftonville Development Plan Document (2010) still remains in force.

Why is the Council producing a Local Plan?

• The Council is required by Government to produce a Local Plan.
• The Council also wants to set out in advance how it wishes to see the district develop. This provides certainty to developers, businesses, the local community and others.
• The Plan provides a framework to help deliver the Council’s Economic Growth Strategy
• The Plan will ensure that decisions on planning applications are made in accordance with local policy. Without a Plan the Council has less control over development in the area.

How has the Council decided what the Plan should contain?

• The National Planning Policy Framework and the National Planning Practice Guidance set out what the government expects local plans to cover.
• We have considered the specific issues and opportunities that are relevant to Thanet.
• We have considered key elements of the evidence base, and carried out key work in relation to Local Plan viability, Sustainability Appraisal and infrastructure delivery
• We carried out consultation on the Preferred Options for the Plan, and further Proposed Revisions to that Plan, and have considered the comments received.
• We have assessed the merits of the options in achieving sustainable development, including through the Sustainability Appraisal.
• We have and will continue to co-operate with our neighbouring authorities on cross- boundary strategic issues.

The options and assessment of their merits are documented in the Issues and Options Consultation Document, the Sustainability Appraisal and in Examination statements, which can be accessed on the Planning Policy pages of the Council's website.

How is the Plan structured?

The Plan is set out in three main sections.

Section 1 provides the introduction and sets the context for the Plan. It sets out the vision for Thanet that the Plan is seeking to achieve, and introduces the overall strategy behind the Plan, as well as setting out the strategic priorities and objectives which need to be achieved in order to deliver the vision and strategy of the Plan.

Section 2 sets out the strategic issues and policies of the Plan. These are the overarching policies which underpin the Plan's strategy. These include the strategies for delivering sustainable development and the overall levels of development and growth which are needed in Thanet, and the strategies for the economy, town centres, housing, environment, communities and transport, including strategic housing and employment site proposals.

Section 3 sets out district wide development management policies. These are detailed and wide ranging policies which may be relevant to all new development proposals in Thanet. The section is set out in topic areas, and covers issues including climate change, design and heritage.

In order to inform the Plan for the future, we must have a good understanding of the characteristics of Thanet today, and the opportunities and issues that it presents. These are set out in the evidence and background papers supporting this document.

The Local Plan seeks to maximize the opportunities available and deliver policy support to respond to the issues facing the area.

Thanet is located in East Kent, in close proximity to continental Europe. It has three main coastal towns of Margate, Ramsgate and Broadstairs. The built up area is densely populated and forms an almost continuous urban belt around the north east coast. This is separated by areas of countryside between the towns and providing relief in the built area. There are also attractive coastal and rural villages.

Map 1 - Map of Thanet

The district has an area of about 40 square miles (10,330ha) and a resident population of about 140,000. About 30% of the district is urban with 95% of the population living in the main urban area around the coast. Thanet is the fourth most populated district in Kent, and has the second highest population density. Thanet is a popular area for retired people to live, and has the highest number of over 65 year olds in the county whilst having a lower proportion of 16-64 year olds than the county average.

Thanet is a unique and vibrant coastal area, with an attractive environment and a number of unique features. There are 20 miles of coastline with attractive chalk cliffs and beautiful sandy beaches and bays, many of which have been awarded European Blue Flag status. Much of the coast is also recognised for its internationally important habitats, including coastal chalk and significant populations of coastal birds. This is reflected in the coast’s designation under international and national legislation, including Sites of Special Scientific Interest, Special Protection Areas, Special Areas of Conservation, and a Marine Conservation Zone. These areas are protected by legislation to prevent harm to them from development change and other human activity. There are also areas of Thanet which have a functional relationship with the Special Protection Areas, and the Council recognises the importance of protecting that relationship in the longer term.

Thanet is also rich in history. This is recognised today in the identification of around 2,000 listed buildings and 27 Conservation Areas. Its historic landscape contains many archaeological sites dating back to pre-historic times.

Outside of the urban area, much of the land is high quality and intensively farmed agricultural land.

Thanet has some areas which are at risk from flooding. These are confined to the low lying areas of the countryside to the south west of the district, and along the very edges of the coast, affecting small areas of Margate and Ramsgate. It accounts for approximately 11% of the district area.

In 2005, a new town centre was established at Westwood. This brought many retailers not previously represented in Thanet, and in turn has significantly reduced the leakage of retail spend from the district. The centre continues to attract investment, with further development planned over the next few years. The area does however suffer from traffic congestion and accessibility around the centre, particularly on foot, is not convenient.

The district benefits from excellent road access to and from the M25 and London via the M2 and the A299 Thanet Way. Access to Dover and beyond is via the A256, with the East Kent Access Road providing dual carriageway for the majority of the route. Access to the nearby cathedral city of Canterbury and to Ashford is via the single carriageway A28. Thanet has regular rail links to London, Canterbury, Dover and Ashford. Since 2009 High Speed domestic rail services operate from Thanet to London St Pancras using HS1.

Ramsgate is a cross channel port with capacity for passenger and freight services to mainland Europe. It has also recently established itself as a base for servicing offshore wind farms.

The tourism sector has grown substantially over the last few years, compared to other parts of the South East and England, and there has also been significant growth in the creative sector. However, Thanet also has some economic challenges to deal with, and the Council’s Economic Growth Strategy is one step in responding to those challenges. For example, Thanet’s business parks have taken time to develop, and there remains a significant amount of undeveloped employment land. The Council is part of a partnership with KCC (East Kent Opportunities), seeking to accelerate the delivery of key sites. More recently, that area has seen growth in the number of start-ups, particularly in the cultural sector.

Nationally, “High Streets” face a range of challenges, particularly with vacancy rates. However, following a completed Townscape Heritage Initiative and alongside the opening of the Turner Contemporary Gallery in April 2011, Margate’s Old Town and lower High Street have seen a significant number of new businesses opening.

The district has some significant difficulties. Average skills levels in the district are lower than the rest of Kent and England, with unemployment levels higher than the Kent average (KCC Business Intelligence publications). Wage levels are also lower than the national and regional average. However, the Council and a range of other organisations have a clear strategy to encourage both local business growth and inward investment and are working with industry partners to achieve this.

The overall quality of life of Thanet’s residents is varied. Some residents enjoy a very high quality of life, including living in high quality residential environments. However, Thanet also has a number of highly deprived wards with many people with support needs. These areas are also characterised by pockets of urban decline and poor housing stock. A key challenge is to ensure that everyone has the same opportunities by reducing inequalities in the area and improving quality of life for all. The Council and relevant other organisations are working to deal with these issues through different initiatives.

The following sections set out the key drivers for this Local Plan strategy, explains the overarching principles of the strategy and context of national planning policy, and the need to deliver sustainable development.

Sustainable Development

The Local Plan is prepared by Thanet District Council under the national planning policy system, whose central principle is to achieve “sustainable development‟. This may be defined as “development that meets the need of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs‟.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) sets out the Government’s view of what sustainable development in England means in practice for the planning system. The NPPF identifies the three dimensions of sustainable development; economic, social and environmental; giving rise to the need for the planning system to perform a number of roles:

an economic role – contributing to building a strong, responsive and competitive economy, by ensuring that sufficient land of the right type is available in the right places and at the right time to support growth and innovation; and by identifying and coordinating development requirements, including the provision of infrastructure;

a social role – supporting strong, vibrant and healthy communities, by providing the supply of housing required to meet the needs of present and future generations; and by creating a high quality built environment, with accessible local services that reflect the community’s needs and support its health, social and cultural well-being; and

an environmental role – contributing to protecting and enhancing our natural, built and historic environment; and, as part of this, helping to improve biodiversity, use natural resources prudently, minimise waste and pollution, and mitigate and adapt to climate change including moving to a low carbon economy.’

In pursuing sustainable development, this Plan positively seeks opportunities to meet the needs of the area, and economic, social and environmental gains are sought jointly and simultaneously. The Plan as a whole sets out what sustainable development means for Thanet.

A bold and positive strategy is needed in order to achieve the Council’s vision for Thanet. Realising the economic aspirations for the district and improving the quality of life for all Thanet’s residents will require investment in new job creation, new quality homes, open space and infrastructure, as well as maintaining and enhancing Thanet's existing high quality built and natural environment.

Although Thanet has historically experienced social and economic problems, the Council has high aspirations for growth as set out in the Council's Corporate Plan and Economic Growth Strategy. The Local Plan looks to support this by identifying, facilitating and helping to deliver the development required. The NPPF requires the Council to plan positively for economic growth and boost housing supply, which is what this Plan seeks to achieve.

Preparing this draft Local Plan has involved some complex decisions including the selection of key sites to accommodate new development.

The levels of development proposed within the draft Plan are based upon robust and up to date evidence of the needs of the district. Thanet’s population is expected to grow significantly over the next 20 years, and new homes and jobs are required to support this. The overall strategy aims for an optimistic and aspirational level of economic growth necessary to bring about the step change that is required in the district. It also aims to deliver the right number and mix of housing required alongside such growth, as well as delivering new open space, and protecting and improving the quality of Thanet’s existing built and natural environment.

It is recognised that any growth in Thanet must be supported by the necessary infrastructure, such as roads, schools and health facilities. The Plan aims to take a co-ordinated approach to delivering such facilities alongside new development, and the Council has and will continue to work with other agencies, organisations and service providers to ensure that this is achieved. This is addressed in Policy SP02 and through the draft Infrastructure Delivery Plan.

The location of growth set out in this Plan is based upon a district settlement hierarchy and the key principle of focusing new development in locations that are highly accessible, and that can take advantage of and support Thanet’s existing infrastructure and services. Thanet’s established settlement pattern and transport links have evolved over a long period of time, and have been strongly influenced by its coastal location and peninsular geography. The hierarchy aims to inform and underpin policies in this Local Plan to facilitate growth in a manner sustainable in the local context.

A number of sites and proposals are of fundamental importance to delivering the objectives of the Local Plan. The locations of sites of strategic importance for the Plan are indicated on the Key Diagram, and the text of the Local Plan sets out the relevant specific policies.

The following strategic priorities and objectives set out what this Plan is seeking to do in order to achieve the Council's vision and deliver sustainable development for the district. (No order of priority is implied)

Strategic Priority 1 - Create additional employment and training opportunities, to strengthen and diversify the local economy and improve local earning power and employability.

Objectives:

• Support the diversification and expansion of existing businesses in Thanet, with a focus on advanced manufacturing, emerging technologies, tourism, culture and leisure, and provide the right environment to attract inward investment.
• Retain and attract skilled people.
• Support the sustainable growth of Ramsgate Port.
• Support additional improvements to high speed rail links that will achieve further reduction of journey times.
• Provide a sufficient and versatile supply of land to accommodate expansion and inward investment by existing and new businesses.
• Facilitate the provision of accessible, modern and good quality schools, as well as higher and further education and training facilities to meet the expectations of employers and of a confident, inclusive and skilled community.
• Take advantage of the area’s unique coast, countryside, its townscape and cultural heritage and potential of the coastal towns, while safeguarding the natural environment.
• Support a sustainable rural economy, recognising the importance of best and most versatile agricultural land.

Strategic Priority 2 - Facilitate the continued regeneration of the coastal town centres, developing their individual niche roles, while also consolidating the role and function of Westwood as Thanet’s primary retail centre, ensuring retail expenditure is retained in the district.

Objectives:

• Guide investment in the coastal towns to support the tourism economy and provide for the needs of local communities.
• Reshape Margate town centre and seafront to achieve a sustainable economic heart celebrating its traditions as a place of relaxation, leisure and seaside fun and growing reputation as a cultural destination.
• Assist Ramsgate to achieve its full potential capitalising on its historical and nautical heritage and visitor economy.
• Enhance Broadstairs’ role as a popular location for visitors and the local community.
• Enable Westwood to consolidate and evolve as an accessible, successful and sustainable residential and business community with an excellent range of homes, schools, leisure, sports, shops and other facilities in an attractive environment.

Strategic Priority 3 - Provide homes that are accessible to, and suited to the needs and aspirations of, a settled and balanced community.

Objectives:

• Plan for sufficient new homes to meet local community need so that, irrespective of income or tenure, people have access to good quality and secure accommodation.
• Meet the housing needs and demands of a balanced and mixed community and to support economic growth.
• Safeguard family homes and the character and amenity of residential areas.
• Increase the supply of good quality affordable homes.
• Improve the environment and the quality and mix of housing in areas needing revitalisation to restore mixed and confident communities.

Strategic Priority 4 - Safeguard local distinctiveness and promote awareness, responsible enjoyment, protection and enhancement of Thanet's environment, including the coast, countryside, rich seaside heritage, historic environment, diverse townscapes and landscape, biodiversity and water environment.

Objectives:

• Accommodate the development needed to optimise access to jobs, key services and facilities required to promote the physical and mental well-being, independence and quality of life of all sections of the community, and retain young people.
• Preserve and enhance Thanet’s exceptional built historic environment and ancient monuments and their settings, and historic and designed landscapes.
• Safeguard and enhance the geological and scenic value of the coast and countryside, and facilitate its responsible enjoyment as a recreational and educational resource.
• Conserve and enhance the character of Thanet’s landscapes, while meeting the area’s social and economic needs Retain the separation between Thanet’s towns and villages as well as their physical identity and character.
• Protect, maintain and enhance the district’s biodiversity and natural environment, including open and recreational space to create a coherent network of Green Infrastructure that can better support wildlife and human health.
• Mitigate and adapt to the forecast impacts of climate change (including the water environment, air quality, biodiversity and flooding).
• Use natural resources more efficiently, increase energy efficiency, the use of renewable and low carbon energy sources, to reduce the district's carbon footprint.
• Facilitate improvements within areas characterised by poor quality housing, empty property and poor physical environment.
• Ensure that all new development is built to the highest attainable quality and sustainability standards and enhances its local environment.
• Reduce opportunities for crime and the fear of crime Ensure Thanet's community has access to good quality social and health services Broaden and improve the range of active leisure facilities to encourage greater participation within the local community.
• Support the social, economic and physical revitalisation of Margate and Cliftonville West in line with community aspirations and through partnership working.

Strategic Priority 5 - Deliver the infrastructure required to support existing communities and new development, including an efficient and effective transport system.

Objectives:

• Promote development patterns and behaviour that will minimise the need to travel or use private cars to access services and amenities.
• Facilitate the enhanced integration of the High Speed 1 network with the wider public transport and highway network by supporting infrastructure that would maximise its benefits
• Promote an efficient public transport system alongside expansion of larger scale transport infrastructure.
• Facilitate provision of direct walking and cycling routes to reduce potential congestion, noise and pollution.
• Deliver required improvements to the road network in order to reduce congestion and pollution, and to accommodate new development.
• Facilitate the provision of infrastructure required to support new development and communities.
• Ensure development safeguards public and commercial water supplies in the principal chalk aquifer

Development Strategy for Thanet

The development strategy for Thanet has been determined by a number of factors, namely;

• The size and geography of the District – Thanet is one of the smallest districts in Kent and is bounded by the sea on three sides. The largest settlements, including the main towns of Margate, Broadstairs and Ramsgate follow the coastline and form an almost continuous urban area, separated only by Green Wedges.
• Significant policy constraints – the Thanet Coast is the subject of multiple national and international wildlife designations, including Ramsar Sites, Special Protection Areas and Special Areas of Conservation. Extensive areas to the south and west of the District are also subject to high levels of flood risk associated with former marshland and the Wantsum Channel. Best and
• Most Versatile Agricultural Land - The rural hinterland beyond the urban area is predominantly Grade I agricultural land, with lower grade land only existing in small, isolated pockets, often subject to a high risk of flooding

Westwood is part of the wider urban area of Thanet, and is a major source of employment and retail facilities. In the previous Local Plan, a significant level of housing was proposed to encourage a more sustainable pattern of development and activity. That approach is continued in this Plan.

For these reasons the Plan does not set out a settlement hierarchy. Instead, it supports the principle of new development throughout the urban area as defined by the boundary on the Policies Map. Additional development is also supported on the edge of the urban area across a range of allocated sites consistent with the findings of the Sustainability Appraisal.

Beyond the urban area are seven rural villages of varying size, form and character. Minster is the largest of Thanet’s rural villages and has a good range of services, and is therefore capable of accommodating a higher level of development, as set out in this Plan.

There are six smaller villages – Acol, Cliffsend, Manston, Monkton, Sarre and St.Nicholas – which possess a smaller range of local services and public transport connections.

Housing allocations have been made on a proportionate basis in the villages of Cliffsend, Monkton and St. Nicholas. However, Acol, Sarre and Manston only have very limited services and facilities required to meet the day-to-day needs of their residents. New development is therefore limited to proposals which fall within the confines of the village, and is expected to be small in scale, consistent with their form and character.

Development will be permitted within the identified confines of the rural villages, as defined on the Policies Map.

The provision of infrastructure to support development is vitally important. The Council is working with the relevant agencies to ensure that it is fully informed about future infrastructure requirements and the timing of those requirements, and to make sure that this important social and physical infrastructure is provided in a timely manner alongside new development.

The Council has also prepared a draft Infrastructure Delivery Plan (IDP) in conjunction with those agencies, setting out the infrastructure requirements and the known costs; the phasing of the requirements and the body responsible for ensuring delivery. Some infrastructure would need to be provided directly by a developer on a given site; some would be off-site infrastructure funded by a developer and some would be funded by other mechanisms. The Council will also seek other forms of funding, as appropriate, to support the provision of key infrastructure identified in the working draft Infrastructure Delivery Plan.

The IDP addresses the full range of infrastructure required to support development and is the subject of ongoing independent viability assessment.

The Council is keen to ensure that the Local Plan is fully implemented, not just the housing and employment sites, but the full range of policies, so that the Plan is successful in supporting long- term economic growth and regeneration for the area, and meeting the strategic objectives of the Plan.

To this end, the Council has:

• Prepared a draft Infrastructure Delivery Plan, engaging with the relevant service providers and others to ensure that new housing development in particular, is supported by the requisite social and physical infrastructure;
• Carried out viability assessments to ensure that key infrastructure can be delivered at the appropriate time;
• Undertaken various discussions with neighbouring authorities, to ensure that wider infrastructure is considered as part of the Plan process;
• Sought to develop initiatives, outside the planning process, to encourage and attract inward investment, and in particular development investment, to the area; such as maintaining and developing partnerships with various agencies (such as Homes England) and private developers groups (such as the Kent Developers Group); and
• Committed to the preparation of a robust monitoring framework.

The Council does not consider that the use of CPO powers will normally be required to implement the Plan, but it will give consideration to their use (subject to securing the appropriate indemnity arrangements with developers) if critical sites or infrastructure are delayed, to the detriment of implementing the provisions of the Plan.

The Council intends to monitor key elements of the Local Plan strategy, using the Annual Monitoring Report framework, to ensure that the overall strategy is delivered.

If monitoring through the AMR demonstrates that the implementation of the Plan is not proceeding as expected, the Council will review the implementation process and consider what measures need to be taken to progress implementation.

The Council will give due consideration to the viability of individual developments, in circumstances where independent viability appraisals indicate that a particular development cannot fully meet the infrastructure requirements set out in this Plan.

The Council will undertake an early review of the Local Plan as set out in Policy SP03. There are several matters that need consideration, as a result of changing circumstances:

• To consider the implications of climate change;
• To review the provisions of the Plan in relation to Manston Airport in the light of a decision on the Development Consent Order;
• To assess the implications of the Local Housing Need Methodology on housing requirements for the district;
• To consider the provision of Gypsy & Traveller sites to meet the requirements set out in Policy HO20; and
• To ensure compatibility with the most recent National Planning Policy Framework.

There may be other issues that arise that need to be addressed through the review of the Plan.

The Council is committed to monitoring the implementation of the Local Plan and to undertaking what actions it can to support delivery of the strategic objectives of the Plan, and the individual development proposals.

Development monitoring takes place on a rolling annual basis through the housing and commercial information audits, and the preparation of the Annual Monitoring Report.

It is the Council’s intention to monitor a focussed set of key indicators, which will give a clear indication of how successful the Local Plan Strategy is. These indicators will relate to key work areas; for example:

• Delivery of key housing and employment sites
• Delivery of key elements of the Infrastructure Delivery Plan
• Key environmental indicators, such as national and international wildlife sites; quality of development in conservation areas; maintenance of variety of beaches/seafronts
• Effectiveness of the mitigation scheme (Strategic Access Management and Monitoring strategy) for the Special Protection Area.