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HOUSINGINTRODUCTION
The need for new housing in Cookstown District over the plan period will
primarily be due to the formation of new households through continuing
population increase and the long established trend towards smaller average
household size. It is also recognised that there are a variety of
different housing needs in terms of dwelling size, type and tenure. Of
particular importance are the specialist needs of certain groups within
society, such as those on limited incomes, the elderly, and people with
disabilities.
In recent years much of the development pressure experienced in the District has been for individual houses in the rural area. Through the designation of villages, where there is a presumption in favour of individual dwellings and small housing developments, it will be possible to facilitate much of this demand. Dwellings proposed in the countryside will continue to be determined by the Department in accordance with the provisions of A Planning Strategy for Rural Northern Ireland or any subsequent prevailing regional planning policy. The Department will also take account of the accommodation needs of the traditional Travelling Community in accordance with prevailing regional planning policy. REGIONAL PLANNING CONTEXT
The Regional Development Strategy (RDS) takes a long-term perspective
and sets out a strategic approach to the distribution and form of
housing throughout Northern Ireland. The aim is to ensure the future
pattern of housing, and its critical relationships with employment,
transport and the environment are managed within the principles of
sustainable development to secure the maximum benefits for all people.
The major themes in the RDS relating to housing include:
The RDS has set a housing growth indicator up to 2015 for Cookstown District of 3,300 dwelling units. The target for the share of the housing growth to be accommodated within the existing urban areas is set at 60% for towns with over 5,000 population. Progress towards meeting this target will depend upon the nature and character of these towns and the likely availability of land and buildings, which should contribute to the urban housing drive. As mentioned previously, under provision of The Planning (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order 2003 the Cookstown Area Plan is an ‘excepted plan’ for which the need to be in general conformity with the RDS does not apply. The housing policies and proposals in the Plan will complement the regional policy context to ensure that an adequate supply of housing land is available to meet the housing needs of the Plan area in a manner consistent with the objectives of the Quality Initiative. Planning Policy Statement 7 (PPS 7): Quality Residential Environments requires designers of new housing schemes to pay careful attention to the characteristics of each development site, including the landform, landscape and wider setting. In this way, new buildings can be successfully integrated into their surroundings. Each site will be required to be developed in accordance with the provisions of PPS 7 and in so doing to make adequate provision for open space, landscaping and neighbourhood facilities. For each site zoned for development, additional key site requirements which developers will be expected to meet are also set out in Part 3 of the Plan. In the villages, village design statements can identify the features contributing to the character of the village and give guidance as to ways in which designs for new development might respond. The policies contained in PPS 7 apply to all residential development proposals in Northern Ireland with the exception of proposals for single dwellings in the countryside which will continue to be assessed under policies contained in A Planning Strategy for Rural Northern Ireland. Supplementary planning guidance for residential development is contained in Creating Places – Achieving Quality in Residential Developments. It is the principal guide for use by developers in the design of all new housing areas. The guide is structured around the process of design and addresses the following matters:
The guide emphasises that a flexible approach will be taken for designs which will demonstrably result in the creation of quality places with a unique identity.Planning Policy Statement 12 (PPS 12): Housing in Settlements is being prepared by the Department for Regional Development. A public consultation draft was published in November 2002. In addition, the Department published in June 2002 a revised Development Control Advice Note (DCAN) 8: Housing in Existing Urban Areas. This will be material to the determination of planning applications for small unit housing within existing urban areas.
Cookstown is the principal settlement within the District and is identified as a main hub in the RDS. Large scale housing development will continue to be located in the town where there is ease of access to employment opportunities and a range of shopping, recreation and community facilities. Cookstown is also the preferred location for new housing development in terms of infrastructure and communications. The housing zonings will more than accommodate the anticipated need for additional dwellings over the plan period. Accordingly, a phased approach to the release of housing land is adopted. Land within Phase 1 is sufficient to meet anticipated need well beyond the housing land review in 2005. Provided all the key site requirements for these sites are met, proposals for their comprehensive development will normally receive favourable consideration at any time over the plan period. Phase 2 housing zonings will be held in a land bank and safeguarded for potential future housing development. The Department will monitor new housing development in Cookstown and the release of Phase 2 housing zonings will be the subject of a housing land review in 2005. The need to release this land, either in part or in full, will be dependent upon the uptake of Phase 1 land. Development of this land is also to some extent dependent upon the construction of the Eastern Distributor Road. Accordingly, progress on the implementation of this scheme will be taken into account. Both Phase 1 and Phase 2 housing zonings are able to cater for a range of housing densities. In zoning specific sites the capacity of the local infrastructure and road network has been taken into account. However, some infrastructural improvements may be required and as a result, where necessary, individual sites may need to be developed in stages to keep pace with the provision of that infrastructure. In zoning sites for housing, care has been taken to ensure that these do not unduly interfere with environmentally sensitive areas, either in terms of features of the natural environment or heritage interest. However, on some sites specific conservation and amenity interests will need to be adequately protected in designing the site layout. Key site requirements are set out for each housing zoning in Part 3 of the Plan and these should be addressed in the submission of comprehensive design schemes to accompany planning applications for the development of these sites.
The protected town centre housing areas based around Burn Bank, Orritor Crescent, Coagh Crescent and Union Place are shown on the Cookstown Town Centre Map No. 36b. These areas contribute positively to the attractiveness, security, vitality and viability of the town centre and it is important that they are protected from pressures of other land uses. The key site requirements for the Opportunity Site OS 07, land to the rear of Orritor Street and Oldtown Street, specify that only housing will be acceptable on that part of the site that falls within the protected area. On other Opportunity Sites, housing will normally be acceptable where it forms an integral part of the development in association with other uses.
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