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3. STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

3.1 The key elements of national, regional and local policy outlined in Chapter 2 are reflected in the strategic objectives set for the UDP and which are outlined below. Further background is given in the individual chapters in Part II of the plan.

THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

Housing Objectives:

To maintain and enhance the quality of the residential environment, and promote sustainable residential quality.
To promote mixed and balanced communities by meeting the housing requirements of the whole community, including those in need of affordable and supported housing.
To make provision for at least 11,450 additional dwellings between 1997 and 2016.
To seek provision of at least 3,012 additional affordable homes during the Plan period as part of the total provision of 11,450, and the affordable homes that the Council will seek to bring forward through other strategies.

3.2 The Borough’s estimated housing capacity over the period 1997-2016 amounts to some 11,450 net additional dwellings, an average of 573 per annum. This figure may need to be revised in the light of the total annual housing output of 30,000 dwellings stated in the London Plan. A new Housing Capacity Study was published in July 2005 which updates the borough figures set out in Table 3A.1 of the published London Plan (based on the GLA 2000 Housing Capacity Study). Subject to the results of public consultation, revised figures will provide an up to date capacity for the Borough, and will inform a new target provision for Bromley by 2007. In line with PPG3, the Council wishes to see new housing provision take account of everyone within the community by including adequate affordable and special needs housing. This will entail creating a better mix in the size, type and location of housing and using good design to create high quality, attractive living environments. New housing development will be primarily restricted to existing urban areas, in order to achieve more efficient use of existing urban land and ensure the protection of areas of Green Belt and other open land. Higher density housing development will be directed to those locations with better access to public transport.

Transport Objectives:

To reduce the growth in the length and number of motorised journeys especially by car, by integrating land use and transport planning decisions.
To maximise the environmental and economic benefits of serving the Borough’s travel needs by public transport in preference to the private car.
To reduce reliance on the private car, and create conditions to encourage greater use of public transport and alternative means of transport by:
(i) promoting development in areas well-served or capable of being served by a choice of transport modes in support of the adopted transport hierarchy;
(ii) seeking improvements to public transport interchange;
(iii) seeking improvements to public transport service provision in the Borough;
(iv) seeking safe, convenient conditions and improvements for cyclists, pedestrians and other vulnerable road users; and
(v) adopting maximum parking standards and allowing for reduced parking provision in areas of good transport accessibility.
To improve access to transport for all, including people with disabilities
To improve the environment and reduce air and noise pollution by restricting non-essential traffic, particularly in residential areas
To improve access to town centres by means of transport other than the car, while providing parking for shopping and leisure visits at levels that would enhance the attractiveness of the centre and reduce congestion
To seek road safety measures where opportunities arise through the land use planning process.

3.3 The increasing number of cars being driven on the Borough’s roads are the main cause of poor air quality locally, as well as creating congestion and a deterioration in safety for vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists. The Council aims to reduce the demand for car use in the Borough by encouraging development in more accessible locations, seeking improvements to public transport through the development control process, and, where possible, reducing car parking requirements.

Conservation and the Built Environment Objectives:

To protect and improve the quality of the Borough’s built environment.
To encourage a high standard of design of development and to promote sustainable environmental quality.
To preserve, enhance and raise awareness of the Borough’s heritage.
To improve the appearance of the Borough’s roads and public areas by ensuring good design of street furniture and minimising street clutter.
To ensure that development proposals achieve the highest standards of accessibility and inclusion so that all potential users can use them safely and easily, regardless of disability.

3.4 Each part of the Borough has its own character and qualities. The Borough has a fine local heritage of historic buildings, with historic centres, archaeological sites and significant areas of topography that contribute to local character. The Council aims to ensure that these characteristics of the built and natural environment of the Borough are conserved, and where appropriate, enhanced. This includes promoting the re-use of buildings and ensuring that new development contributes to local character, sense of place and civic pride.

THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

The Natural Environment Objectives:

To protect, promote, enhance and actively manage the natural environment, landscape and biodiversity of the Borough.
To recognise the importance of trees, woodland and hedgerows in both urban and rural settings, and ensure their protection and management.

3.5 The Borough’s natural environment, in both rural and urban settings, is a key element of local environmental quality of life. Some sites or areas, because of their special value in terms of wildlife and habitat, or because of the high quality of the landscape, have been given special designation through the UDP or other processes. Many other areas of open space and private gardens also form an important component of the natural environment. The Council aims to ensure the protection, management, and, where appropriate, the enhancement, of the natural environment. The Biodiversity Action Plan will be a key tool in achieving this aim.

Green Belt and Open Space Objectives:

To protect the Green Belt, Metropolitan Open Land and the Green Chain from inappropriate development, encourage greater access, and promote their use for outdoor recreation.
To enhance land designated as Green Belt and Metropolitan Open Land through active management and advice.
To protect Urban Open Space, and encourage its enhancement.
To preserve good quality agricultural land as a valuable resource and promote sustainable farming, forestry or horticultural practices.
To have regard to the strategic requirements for minerals, and the need for them to be worked where they are found, but to balance this need against other strategic functions currently fulfilled by the Green Belt.

3.6 Green Belt, Metropolitan Open Land and Urban Open Space are generally under pressure from development and changes in use, particularly as a result of changes in farming practice, alternative uses for buildings in the countryside and pressure for outdoor recreation, leisure and commercial uses. The Council aims to protect the open character of these areas of open land within the Borough and the amenity they provide, while seeking appropriate enhancement and active management.

Recreation, Leisure and Tourism Objectives:

To improve indoor and outdoor recreation and leisure facilities in the Borough and to locate new major indoor facilities in areas well served by public transport.
To safeguard existing tourist-related development and encourage the provision of new facilities in appropriate locations well served by public transport.
To maintain, promote and enhance public access for enjoyment of the Borough’s open land.
To maintain and enhance the role of Crystal Palace Park as a principal strategic park for south-east London and to recognise its value as open parkland and as an important cultural, recreational and sporting asset.

3.7 The Borough has a wide range of facilities and opportunities for recreation and leisure, and an abundance of open space and countryside. This helps to meet the needs of residents in the Borough and contributes to wider regional requirements for such facilities. Trends towards more flexible working hours, increased disposable income and earlier retirement, indicate that the demand for recreational facilities will increase. The Council, therefore, aims to protect existing playing fields, Green Belt, Metropolitan Open Land and other open space. It intends to provide for recreation and leisure needs through its strategies for parks, sports and the arts, while working with others to promote improvements, for example, to Crystal Palace Park and the Churchill Theatre.

3.8 Crystal Palace Park is a regional park of strategic importance for south-east London with significant Victorian heritage. It is surrounded by residents of five Boroughs and its future should be planned with the full participation of the local community and neighbouring authorities. Any proposals will be brought forward in consultation with the Mayor of London, English Heritage and the local community. The National Sports Centre and Athletics Stadium within the Park have importance as a venue for regional, national and international sport. It is envisaged that refurbishment or redevelopment will be necessary in the future and as a consequence the complex of buildings is designated as a Major Developed Site (Proposal 5 in Chapter 16).”

THE ECONOMY

Business and Regeneration Objectives:

To consolidate and improve employment opportunities for the benefit of the Borough and London as a whole and to maximise the opportunities for new small business development, particularly in areas well served by public transport.
To provide the right climate for investment in designated Business Areas by:
(i) preventing the loss of land in these areas to non-business uses;
(ii) encouraging higher quality business environments through the replacement and modernisation of existing buildings; and
(iii) encouraging the clustering of similar and complementary businesses where appropriate.

3.9 The Borough is an attractive location for business, with a pleasant local environment and easy access to the M25 and Central London. This results in a demand particularly for modern industrial and commercial premises. The Council aims to maintain a range of accommodation for all business types in appropriate locations while encouraging in particular the provision of accommodation for small firms. Business uses which are travel intensive will be guided to appropriate town centre locations. The Council also seeks the re-use of existing office floor space, including redevelopment for mixed use, where appropriate, while promoting a “business park” environment in the Borough’s Business Areas.

Town Centres and Shopping Objectives:

To support the strategic role of Bromley Town Centre as the Borough’s major shopping centre.
To sustain and promote the vitality and viability of town centres and ensure that the range and level of facilities are appropriate to the role and function of each centre in the hierarchy.
To improve the environment within town centres and shopping areas to make them safer and more attractive places.
To ensure that new retail and major trip generating development is located in existing centres or, where a need can be demonstrated, on edge of centre sites and only on out of centre sites that are accessible by a choice of means of transport, and in all cases do not prejudice the vitality or viability of any existing centres.
To support local shopping areas by maintaining provision of local shops and services adequate to meet the day-to-day needs of all local users.

3.10 Government guidance recommends that town centres should remain the focus for provision of shopping facilities, with a sequential approach being used to select sites for major retail and leisure uses. The Council aims to maintain the role of town centres within the Borough as the focus for shopping, cultural and entertainment facilities, while recognising their important role as employment centres and places where a range of uses should be accessible to a large number of people, such as health care, community and educational facilities. Town centres are also good locations for high density housing and will be sought as part of mixed use developments. The Council wishes to retain the retailing focus of the primary frontages in the larger town centres, with the designation of secondary frontages allowing for a diversification of uses.

Biggin Hill Airport and Environs Objectives:

To strike a balance between recognising the social and economic benefits of the Airport and the adjoining Business Area and minimising the environmental impacts, particularly those related to the Green Belt, noise, surface access and the amenities of those affected by airport operations.
To recognise the contribution made by the Airport and adjoining Business Area to the local and regional economy and provide limited diversification of business uses, subject to the overriding requirement of airport-related needs and operational safety.
To recognise the role of Biggin Hill Airport as an airport providing facilities for business aviation, flight training and private flying and other airport and aviation-related uses.

3.11 Biggin Hill Airport and the adjacent business area make an important contribution to the local economy and provide limited facilities for business aviation and other airport-related uses. The Council’s primary concern, however, is to balance these economic benefits against the environment consequences of airport operations. The UDP allows for some limited and controlled diversification of business uses at the Airport and on adjoining sites through the designation of a Major Developed Site.

THE COMMUNITY

Community Services Objectives:

To work in conjunction/partnership with the relevant agencies to secure the provision of accessible, good quality facilities to meet the health, educational, faith, social service and other essential needs of the community.
To support providers in maintaining and enhancing the availability and accessibility of the wide range of community facilities, which contribute to the quality of life of the Borough's population.

3.12 Education, health and support facilities are provided both by the Council and other public, private and charitable bodies. Community facilities such as village halls, places of worship and various voluntary services contribute to the overall provision of the Borough's social infrastructure. Through the UDP the Council aims to support the maintenance and development of an accessible range of services and activities and the provision of essential services. This includes allowing for the expansion of education facilities (including the provision of a new secondary school), the modernising of health care facilities, and facilities provided by the voluntary sector.

Environmental Resources Objectives:

To minimise waste generation, encourage greater reuse of materials and recycling of waste, and ensure that waste management facilities are environmentally acceptable.
To encourage energy efficiency and promote environmentally acceptable energy generation and use.
To reduce levels of environmental pollution, improve air and water quality, and locate potentially polluting activities where environmental impact can be minimised.
To use the planning system, where appropriate, to facilitate improvement and reuse of poor quality, degraded or contaminated land.
To encourage efficient use of water resources, reduce the risks of, and from, flooding, and seek improvements in the quality of the water environment.

3.13 Development has an impact on the environment of the Borough, with the potential to impact on air quality, the water environment and local amenity in terms of noise and production of waste. While any development inevitably results in the production of waste and pollution, development also provides the opportunity to improve the environmental situation, or at least to reduce or minimise that impact. Waste minimisation and the re-use or recycling of waste, in an environmentally acceptable way, will help reduce the risk of pollution. The use of energy efficient design in development and the inclusion of features that harness renewable energy will not only help improve the environment of the Borough but also contribute to efforts to minimise the impact of human activity on the wider global environment.

IMPLEMENTATION AND MONITORING

Implementation Objectives:

To deliver sustainable development and ensure that social and environmental benefits are achieved through proper use of planning obligations in regeneration and new development proposals.
To seek the effective implementation of the Plan by attracting the necessary resources.
To monitor and keep under review policies and proposals and to measure key performances including the indicators set out in Table 2.1.

3.13 The way the UDP is implemented is key to it successfully achieving its objectives. A major issue is the engagement of the local community in planning issues. Through continuous monitoring, working in partnership, and the use of planning obligations, the Council will ensure the UDP is an effective tool in seeking a viable local economy, a sustainable environment, and healthy and diverse local communities.

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