CS1 A Spatial Strategy for Woking

A spatial strategy for Woking

The challenge for the Core Strategy is to plan and distribute development in a sustainable manner and to ensure that each of its elements is well integrated functionally and physically to create a sustainable community for Woking. The vision for the Core Strategy sets out the kind of sustainable community that is envisaged by 2027. However, the path to achieve this vision rests with the strength of the underlying spatial strategy to deliver it. In this regard, the spatial strategy set out below provides a clear direction of how the vision for the Core Strategy will be delivered. It provides the context for the rest of the policies and proposals of the Core Strategy.

CS1: A spatial strategy for Woking

The Core Strategy will make provision for the delivery of the following scale of uses between 2010 and 2027.

Most of the new development will be directed to previously developed land in the town, district and local centres, which offers the best access to a range of services and facilities. The scale of development that will be encouraged in these centres will reflect their respective functions and nature. The hierarchy of centres is defined in Table 2. The impacts of developments will be fully assessed to ensure that they do not adversely impact on sensitive environmental designations such as the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Areas, Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) and the Green Belt and other important built and natural features such as Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Ancient Monuments. It is a clear objective of the Core Strategy to protect and/or enhance these assets. Development will be located to take full account of the relative risk of flooding in the Borough.

Woking Town Centre will be the primary focus of sustainable growth to maintain its status as an economic hub with a flourishing, diverse and innovative economy and a transport hub which provides transport services, links and communication linking people to jobs, services and facilities. The town centre is designated as a centre to undergo significant change and the provision of a range of shops, cultural facilities, jobs and housing to meet locally identified needs and the needs of modern businesses will be encouraged. Town centre uses as defined in PPS4: Planning for sustainable economic growth, will be acceptable in principle, subject to the requirements of the policies of the Core Strategy.

In the town centre, well designed, high density development that could include tall buildings and which enhances its image will be encouraged, but without compromising on its character and appearance and that of nearby areas.

Development located in the District, Local and Neighbourhood Centres to provide housing, jobs and convenient access to everyday shops, services and local community facilities will also be encouraged. This must be well designed to enhance their unique and distinctive characters and attractiveness. Uses that will provide convenient access to the everyday needs of the community, including jobs and housing will be encouraged at the District and Local Centres but at a scale that will not compromise their character and/or functionality.

Whilst the preference is for the location of most new development to be in the main centres, infill development and/or redevelopment of previously developed land in the built-up area of the Borough will be acceptable in principle, subject to a full assessment of impacts where relevant and appropriate mitigation measures introduced to make the proposal acceptable. The Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) and the Employment Land Review (ELR) provide the evidence of the existence of such sites.

The ward of Maybury and Sheerwater and Lakeview Estate of Goldsworth Park are identified as Priority Places for specific actions to address pockets of deprivation in the areas.

A Site Allocations Development Plan Document will be prepared to allocate specific deliverable sites for the proposed development.

The Green Belt and Woking Town Centre are identified as broad locations for the future direction of growth. A review of the Green Belt boundary will be carried out to ensure that the release of Green Belt land for development does not undermine its purpose and integrity.

Details of how the overall strategy will be delivered are set out by the rest of the policies of the Core Strategy.

The Council will work proactively with its partners to seek the comprehensive delivery of all elements of the Core Strategy and the infrastructure requirements to support it.

Figure 3 is a diagram showing areas identified for growth.

Figure 3: Areas identifed for growth

Reasoned justification

At the heart of the spatial strategy for the Core Strategy is the key objective to achieve sustainable development, which will create a sustainable community in Woking where people will choose to live, work and visit. The delivery of this objective will require a clear strategy, which is not only about the quantity of development that is planned to meet housing and employment needs, but also about where the developments are located and how the developments functionally relate with each other. Consequently, the need to concentrate most new development in sustainable locations where facilities and services are easily accessible by all relevant modes of travel such as walking, cycling and public transport is paramount. The town, district and local centres are the most sustainable location for new development in this context because they offer a range of services and facilities that will enable this objective to be achieved.

The strategy seeks to provide a good synergy between transport infrastructure and economic growth of the town centre.

Land is a limited and finite resource in Woking. Its efficient use is central to the strategy to deliver the vision for the Core Strategy. The strategy therefore seeks to maximise the efficient use of land by concentrating most new development on previously developed land at high densities. However, it recognises that there are limited types of uses and local needs, which by their nature can best be met on Greenfield land outside the main centres. Examples of this are housing for the elderly and the need for family homes. If Greenfield land is to be used for development outside the confines of the main centres, the strategy will require good integration of the development with the wider community.

The built-up area of the Borough is surrounded by the Green Belt and other unique habitats and species of European significance. There are also a number of listed buildings, Conservation Areas, Ancient Monuments and historic landscapes in the Borough. The spatial strategy ensures that development is sensitive to conserving and enhancing the assets and heritage of the Borough without stifling creativity and innovation. Furthermore, it seeks to ensure that development does not adversely impact on these assets.

Some areas of the Borough are liable to flooding. The flooding that occurred in 2000 is a clear reminder of its effects. A Strategic Flood Risk Assessment has been carried out to inform decisions about the location of development. Development will be directed away from areas liable to flood. The strategy will also ensure that development does not exacerbate incidents of flooding in the Borough.

Woking is generally an affluent community. The Council is concerned to ensure that this does not mask the pockets of deprivation that exist within the Borough. The Ward of Maybury and Sheerwater and the Lakeview Estate of Goldsworth Park are identified as Priority Places where specific types of development will be targeted to address the underlying causes of deprivation in the areas.

The Core Strategy identifies sufficient sites to deliver 10 years of its housing target. The Green Belt and Woking Town Centre are identified as broad locations for future direction of growth to identify sufficient sites to meet the housing target for the last five years of the period of the Core Strategy.

The Council is committed to prepare a Site Allocations DPD to allocate specific sites to meet the proposed development. The timetable for the preparation of the document is set out in the Council's adopted Local Development Scheme.

Proposed developments in the Core Strategy will achieve their functional purpose if their end users are satisfied with their outcomes. The strategy will ensure that public involvement will be central to its delivery.

Hierarchy of centres

Different centres in the Borough perform different functions in meeting the needs of the Borough as a whole and their immediate surroundings. To regulate the amount and manage the location of development and reflect the wider functions of centres in the Borough, the main centres will be categorised as set out in Table 2 below. A Town, District and Local Centres Study has been carried out to provide evidence and justification for this categorisation.

Table 2 Hierarchy of Centres

The role, function and specific proposals for these centres are set out in the Woking, West Byfleet, and Local and Neighbourhood Centres policies. Map 1 is a Key Diagram of Woking Borough showing the hierarchy of centres and other key figures. Appendix 3 includes Insert Maps showing the geographical boundaries of the Town Centre, District Centre and the Local Centres.