Local Development Framework - evidence base
Background
The Local Development Framework (LDF) has to be based on a
thorough understanding of local needs, opportunities and
limitations. In order to do this we need to collate and maintain as
much relevant information as possible; this is known as an evidence
base.
The maintenance of a ‘robust and credible evidence base’ is one
of the key tests of soundness that all Development Plan Documents
will be tested against by an independent planning inspector at
an examination-in-public. It is an ongoing piece of
work that will be continually updated as new information
becomes available.
The Evidence Base consists of a range of documents that set
the planning policy context, and studies which analyse the
demographic, economic, social and environmental factors, that are
used to support and justify policy formulation. The evidence
that has been considered includes the following:
Broad Evidence
Core Strategy Preferred Options Background Paper, October
2009
This summarises the influences, information and data (e.g.
studies and research) taken into account in preparing the Core
Strategy Preferred Options Report. In appendix 4 there is a
list of all the documents, evidence and guidance that has been
referred to, and where available hyperlinks are provided to those
documents.
Core Strategy Preferred Options - Background Paper, October 2009
(3860kb pdf file)
Report on consultation on Issues and Options, October 2009
This reports the responses made by consultees and the local
community on the Issues and Options report, and to the questions in
it, and explains how we then arrived at our preferred options.
Report on consultation on Issues and Options, October 2009 (1515kb
pdf file)
Sustainability Appraisal report on the Core Strategy Preferred
Options, October 2009
This identifies the positive and negative social, economic and
environmental impacts of the spatial strategy and the key policy
approaches.
Core Strategy Preferred Options - Sustainability Appraisal, October
2009 (1187kb pdf file)
Annual Monitoring Report
This sets out the Council's progress on the implementation of
policies and
LDF
document
preparation.
Housing
Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) as
at April 2011
The SHLAA is a key piece of evidence to support the delivery of
sufficient land for housing to meet local need. These assessments
are required by national policy as set out in Planning Policy
Statement 3; Housing. The main purpose of the SHLAA is to identify
sites with potential for housing; assess their housing potential;
and assess when they are likely to be developed. The SHLAA will be
updated on an annual basis to reflect up to date information in
relation to sites under construction and with planning permission
and consider any new sites that have been identified.
Strategic Housing Land
Availability Assessment (SHLAA) as at April 2011, July 2011
(418kb pdf file);
Site maps of
SHLAA sites with a capacity of 30 dwellings or over as at April
2011, July 2011 (16588kb pdf file)
Greater Manchester Strategic Housing Market Assessment,
December 2008
This explores the issues affecting housing markets in Greater
Manchester and identifies future housing requirements, placing AGMA
in an informed position to develop a strategic framework that will
direct growth, investment and intervention to ensure delivery of
the required housing offer. This research complements and adds to
work conducted at individual Authority-level as well as the
regional assessment recently completed for the NWRA/4NW. Work is
now underway in updating some of the key data as recommended in the
assessment and will be published when complete.
Rochdale Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA) - DRAFT,
November 2010
This document which was prepared in line with government
guidance to provide the Council with an up to date assessment
of housing need and demand in the borough. The data obtained from
the assessment will be used to inform planning and housing policies
and strategies. This document is currently being finalised and the
documents are latest drafts of the Executive Summary and full
report.
Rochdale Strategic
Housing Market Assessment (SHMA) DRAFT - Executive Summary,
November 2010 (152kb pdf file);
Rochdale Strategic
Housing Market Assessment (SHMA) DRAFT - Full Report, November 2010
(1013kb pdf file)
Economic Viability of Affordable Housing Requirements, November
2010
PPS3 stresses the importance of the need to undertake an
assessment of the likely economic viability of land for housing
within the area, taking account of risks to delivery and drawing on
informed assessments of the likely levels of finance available for
affordable housing, including public subsidy and the level of
developer contribution that can reasonably be secured. Therefore
,linked to SHMA, an economic viability assessment has been
produced to inform planning and housing policies in respect of
affordable housing.
Economic
Viability of Affordable Housing Requirements, November 2010 (406kb
pdf file)
Economy
Rochdale Employment Land Study, July 2008
This document, which was prepared in line with government
guidance, provides evidence on the ‘need for’ and ‘supply of’
employment land and premises in Rochdale Borough in 2008. The
study, along with more recent evidence, will support the
preparation of the
LDF
Core Strategy. Therefore
the major changes in the economy that have happened after the study
was completed will also be taken into account in preparing the Core
Strategy.
Rochdale
Employment Land Study, July 2008 (748kb pdf file)
Due to large files, appendices are available separately on
request.
Greater Manchester Employment Land Position Statement, August
2009
The position statement is the outcome of joint-working between
local planning authorities within Greater Manchester, and is
intended to form an integral part of the evidence base and support
for employment policies in district's
LDF
s, as well as making
recommendations for a future approach to employment land reviews
and subsequent monitoring.
Greater Manchester Employment Land Position Statement, August 2009
(4515kb pdf file)
Rochdale Retail and Town Centres Study, December 2010
This 2010 Study updates the 2006 Rochdale Retail Study. The
objective of this Study is to provide a robust retail and town
centres evidence base to inform preparation of the Local
Development Framework, Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs) and
management plans for individual town centres. The Study is written
to inform policy development across the Borough but focuses
specifically on Heywood, Littleborough, Middleton and Rochdale town
centres, Milnrow district centre and Castleton local centre.
Rochdale
Retail and Town Centres Study, December 2010 (14745kb pdf
file)
Natural Environment
Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (SFRA), December 2009
Government policy is set out in Planning Policy Statement 25
(PPS 25): Development and Flood Risk, and requires council's
to demonstrate the issue of flood risk has been considered as part
of the planning process. It also requires that flood risk is
managed in an effective and sustainable manner and where, as an
exception, new development is necessary in flood risk areas, the
policy aim is to make it safe without increasing flood risk
elsewhere and wherever possible reduce flood risk overall existing
communities.
The SFRA fits into a hierarchy of Flood Risk Assessments.
At the sub regional level, a Greater Manchester Sub-Regional
Strategic Flood Risk Assessment was completed in August 2008, which
is available from the web site of the Association of Greater
Manchester Authorities below:
At the local level, the Council with Bury and Oldham councils
has undertaken Level 1 and Level 2 SFRA exploring the risk of
flooding from rivers, surface water, sewers, groundwater, canals
and reservoirs.
The Strategic Flood Risk Assessment user guide (Volume l), the
Level 1 (Volume ll) and Level 2 (Volume lll) Strategic Flood Risk
Assessment reports for Bury, Rochdale and Oldham have been prepared
in accordance with current best practice, PPS 25 and the PPS25
Practice Guide.
Bury
Rochdale and Oldham SFRA Volume l – User Guide, December
2009 (1116kb pdf file);
Bury Rochdale and Oldham SFRA Volume ll – Level 1 SFRA, November
2009 (570kb pdf file);
Bury Rochdale and Oldham SFRA Volume lll – Level 2 SFRA, November
2009 (1484kb pdf file)
Due to file sizes it has not been possible to publish all the
SFRA maps on the website. Copies of the reports and associated maps
can be viewed at Telegraph House Floor 1 or can be provided on CD
at a cost of £20
If you want to find out whether your property is at risk or need
information on how to prepare for flooding, the Environment Agency
provides lots of helpful information on their website.
Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment (PFRA), May 2011
This report has been prepared to assist Rochdale MBC meet their
duties, as a Lead Local Flood Authority Rochdale MBC, to manage
local flood risk and deliver the requirements of the Flood Risk
Regulations (2009). It is part of the Preliminary Flood Risk
Assessment (PFRA) process.
The Regulations require LLFAs, through the PFRA process, to
carry out a high level screening to determine whether there is a
local flood risk within their LLFA boundary based on past
(historic) and future (potential) flood risk data. Local flood risk
is defined as flooding from surface water, groundwater, ordinary
watercourses and canals. This information is assembled in this
report known as the Preliminary Assessment Report (PAR) and the
supporting spreadsheet and is used to identify Flood Risk
Areas.
Rochdale Councils
Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment (PFRA), May 2011 (10,178kb pdf
file)
Urban Greenspace in Rochdale Borough - A Quantitative and
Qualitative Assessment, March 2008
The report provides a detailed survey database of the
qualitative and quantitative assessment of all surveyed greenspaces
with associated maps, as well as recommendations for improving
Rochdale’s urban green space network. It includes a
comprehensive desk review examining national and local legislation
and guidance with relation to green and greenspaces, as well as
existing and similar green space audits and strategies. Site
surveys of agreed priority areas were carried out and analysis
of the findings undertaken, using PPG17 guidelines.
Urban
Greenspace in Rochdale Borough - A Quantitative and Qualitative
Assessment, March 2008 (1495kb pdf file)
Due to large files, appendices are available separately on
request.
Landscape Capacity Study for Wind Energy Developments in the
South Pennines, January 2010
This study identifies broad landscape areas in Rochdale district
which may be able to accommodate various scales of wind energy
development subject to detailed appraisal. It identifies strategic
constraints, broad landscape sensitivity to development and any
likely cross border or cumulative impacts of wind power
development. The report provides evidence to support the Council’s
LDF
and
will assist in the scoping of constraints and locations for wind
power proposals. The study does not indicate the specific
acceptability or otherwise of individual sites and proposals which
must always be subject to detailed assessment on a case by case
basis.
Landscape Capacity Study for Wind Energy Developments in the South
Pennines, January 2010 (5120kb pdf file)