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Notes on the Strategic Policy Context – Babergh District Council
For communities interested in understanding how their village sits within the ‘strategic policies’ in
the District’s development plan, the following is provided as guidance:
1. What documents you need to consider:
Adopted Local Plan – The Local Plan 2006
Various ‘saved’ policies – http://www.babergh.gov.uk/planning-and-building/planning-
policy/babergh-local-plan-2006/
Core Strategy (2011 – 2031) (‘Sound’ new style Local Plan).
http://www.babergh.gov.uk/assets/Uploads-BDC/Economy/Strategic-Planning-
Policy/LDF/CoreStrategy/CS-Final/Core-Strategy-2011-2031.pdf
2. Essential excerpts to get you started –
Part 1 – CORE STRATEGY
Policy CS2: Settlement Pattern Policy
Core Villages serving Functional Clusters
Core Villages will act as a focus for development within their functional cluster and, where
appropriate, site allocations to meet housing and employment needs will be made in the Site
Allocations document. The Core Villages identified on the Key Diagram are:
Bildeston
Boxford
Bures St Mary
Capel St Mary
East Bergholt
Glemsford
Holbrook
Lavenham
Long Melford
Nayland
Hinterland Villages
Hinterland Villages will accommodate some development to help meet the needs within them. All
proposals will be assessed against Policy CS6. Site allocations to meet housing and employment
needs may be made in the Site Allocations document where circumstances suggest this approach
may be necessary.
Hinterland Villages are:
• Acton
• Aldham
• Assington
• Belstead
• Lawshall
• Layham
• Leavenheath
• Little Waldingfield
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• Bentley
• Brantham
• Brent Eleigh
• Brettenham
• Burstall
• Chelmondiston
• Chelsworth
• Cockfield
• Copdock and Washbrook
• Edwardstone
• Elmsett
• Great Waldingfield
• Harkstead
• Hartest
• Hintlesham
• Hitcham
Holton St Mary
• Kersey
• Monks Eleigh
• Nedging and Naughton
• Newton
• Polstead
• Preston St Mary
• Raydon
• Shimpling Street
• Shotley
• Sproughton
• Stanstead
• Stoke by Nayland
• Stratford St Mary
• Stutton
• Tattingstone
• Wattisham
• Whatfield
Woolverstone
Countryside
In the countryside, outside the towns / urban areas, Core and Hinterland Villages defined above,
development will only be permitted in exceptional circumstances subject to a proven justifiable
need.
Policy CS3: Strategy for Growth and Development
Number and Distribution of New Homes
Babergh District Council will make provision for 5,975 new dwellings between 2011 and 2031 in the
District. These dwellings are planned as follows: 1,100 between 2011 -2016; and 4,875 between
2017-2031. The housing target will be achieved by:
• Existing commitments as identified in the trajectory;
• Allowing for a windfall figure of 1,640 dwellings;
• Making ) provision for 2,500 new dwellings to be built in the following locations:
Location No of Dwellings
Sudbury and Great Cornard 850
Hadleigh 250
Ipswich Fringe 350
Core & Hinterland 1,050
Total 2,500
The strategy allows for some rural growth, which has been identified locally as important to sustain
the existing rural settlement pattern and existing rural communities.
Paragraph 2.8.5
Core Villages will accommodate a proportion of new development, and as each village is
different in size, character, location and the role it plays within its rural hinterland it is not
possible to identify a number, or range of homes numbers at this stage. The amount of
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new development and locations for growth in each of these settlements will be considered
in detail with local communities at the site allocations stage and will depend on a thorough
analysis of local needs, opportunities, environmental, physical and social infrastructure
constraints.
Including:
• Locally identified need – housing and employment;
• Specific local need such as affordable housing;
• Flood Risk;
• Nature conservation constraints / designated areas and implications of an Appropriate
Assessment under the Habitats Directive (where appropriate);
• Landscape considerations and the designated sites (particularly ANOBs);
• Historic character and heritage assets;
• Infrastructure constraints – physical infrastructure / utilities;
• Infrastructure needs (e.g. transport, open space, leisure facilities) and access to services and
facilities; and
• Availability of brownfield land.
It is clear that the Core Villages identified are very varied and their needs and factors which
influence what is an “appropriate level of development” will vary from village to village. This
is especially the case where villages are situated within environmentally and visually
sensitive landscapes, particularly the AONBs, and/or where they include conservation areas and
heritage assets. These landscapes and heritage assets will be key considerations in the site allocation
process, and when considering planning applications.
* Policy CS11 of the Core Strategy intentionally sets out a new and more flexible approach to
housing provision in rural areas for identified Core and Hinterland villages subject to specified
criteria. It provides for proposals (via planning applications) for development in Core Villages to be
approved together with sites elsewhere where they satisfactorily address matters set out in the
policy and score positively against criteria set out in Policy CS15. It also provides for development in
hinterland villages to be approved where it meets certain criteria. Policy CS2 includes provision to
take into account any Community, Parish or Neighbourhood Plans in considering planning and
development matters.
Policy CS11: Strategy for Development for Core and Hinterland Villages
Proposals for development for Core Villages will be approved where proposals score positively when
assessed against Policy CS15 and the following matters are addressed to the satisfaction of the local
planning authority (or other decision maker) where relevant and appropriate to the scale and
location of the proposal:
• the landscape, environmental and heritage characteristics of the village;
• the locational context of the village and the proposed development (particularly the AONBs,
Conservation Areas, and heritage assets);
• site location and sequential approach to site selection;
• locally identified need – housing and employment, and specific local needs such as affordable
housing;
• locally identified community needs; and
• cumulative impact of development in the area in respect of social, physical and environmental
impacts.
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Policy CS15: Implementing Sustainable Development in Babergh
Proposals for development must respect the local context and character of the different parts of the
district, and where relevant should demonstrate how the proposal addresses the key issues and
contributes to meeting the objectives of the this Local Plan. All new development within the district,
will be required to demonstrate the principles of sustainable development and will be assessed
against the presumption in favour of sustainable development – as interpreted and applied locally to
the Babergh context (through the policies and proposals of this Local Plan), and in particular, and
where appropriate to the scale and nature of the proposal, should:
A comprehensive list of requirements from new development follows this paragraph covering issues
relating to landscaping of new development, views, waste minimisation, surface water runoff,
minimising the need to travel and so on…
Other
Further information on the strategic policy context can be found in the above documents. These
matters include employment, services and infrastructure, environment,, renewable energy, climate
change, brownfield targets, density and mix of housing, homes for all, and retail (town centres).
Housing Land Supply
The matter of housing land supply needs to be understood as it can greatly affect the weight of
argument in decision making. The District Council is required to demonstrate that it has a five year
land supply of new housing. The District Council has a minimum target to meet of 280 homes per
year which due to a shortfall in previous years now needs to be 387 per year. If the delivery of new
housing is not meeting this target (land supply issues are very likely to fluctuate over time), and an
application for planning permission is submitted , the Local Planning Authority will not be in a
position to refuse on these grounds as there is a shortfall in housing. To increase the land supply;
planning applications will need to be approved, find a way to unlock stalled planning permissions or
sites allocated for development through a District Council’s Sites Allocations plan or a communities
Neighbourhood plan.