Planning in Slough

SOCIAL COHESIVENESS

The development of new facilities which serve the recognised diverse needs of local communities will be encouraged. All development should be easily accessible to all and everyone should have the same opportunities.

COMMUNITY SAFETY

All new development should be laid out and designed to create safe and attractive environments in accordance with the recognised best practice for designing out crime. Activities which have the potential to create anti-social behaviour will be managed in order to reduce the risk of such behaviour and the impact upon the wider community.

EMPLOYMENT

The location, scale and intensity of new employment development must reinforce the Spatial Strategy and transport strategy. This includes the application of a parking cap upon new developments unless additional parking is required for local road safety or operational reasons. Intensive employment-generating uses such as B1(a) offices will be located in the town centre in accordance with the spatial strategy. B1(a) offices may also be located on the Slough Trading Estate, as an exception, in order to facilitate the comprehensive regeneration of the estate. This will be subject to the production of a Master Plan and the provision of a package of public transport improvements. This will be partly delivered through a subsequent Local Development Order which will replace the Simplified Planning Zone. Intensive employment generating uses which increase the level of in-commuting, increase skill shortages or reduce employment opportunities for local people will be expected to contribute toward appropriate mitigation measures, including new training, childcare and transport facilities. Major warehousing and distribution developments will be located in the eastern part of the Borough and in Existing Business Areas that have good access to the strategic road and rail network. There will be no loss of the defined Existing Business Areas to non-employment generating uses, especially where this would reduce the range of jobs available. Outside Existing Business Areas, the change of use or redevelopment of existing offices to residential will be encouraged where this is considered appropriate.

GREEN BELT AND OPEN SPACES

The existing areas of Metropolitan Green Belt will be maintained and Wexham Park Hospital and Slough Sewage Works will continue to be designated as Major Existing Developed Sites within the Green Belt. Opportunities will be taken to enhance the quality and the size of the Green Belt by designating additional areas, which have no development potential, as Green Belt. Development will only be permitted in the Strategic Gap between Slough and Greater London and the open areas of the Colne Valley Park if it is essential to be in that location. Existing private and public open spaces will be preserved and enhanced. Where, exceptionally, it is agreed that an open space may be lost a new one, or suitable compensatory provision, will be required to be provided elsewhere.

SUSTAINABILITY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

All development in the Borough shall be sustainable, of a high quality design, improve the quality of the environment and address the impact of climate change. 1. Sustainable Design and Construction Principles: All development should, where feasible, include measures to: a) Minimise the consumption and unnecessary use of energy, particularly from non renewable sources; b) Recycle waste; c) Generate energy from renewable resources; d) Reduce water consumption; and e) Incorporate sustainable design and construction techniques, including the use of recycled and energy efficient building materials. 2. High Quality Design: All development will: a) Be of a high quality design that is practical, attractive, safe, accessible and adaptable; b) Respect its location and surroundings; c) Provide appropriate public space, amenity space and landscaping as an integral part of the design; and d) Be in accordance with the Spatial Strategy in terms of its height, scale, massing and architectural style. The design of all development within the existing residential areas should respect the amenities of adjoining occupiers and reflect the street scene and the local distinctiveness of the area. 3. Pollution Development shall not: a) Give rise to unacceptable levels of pollution including air pollution, dust, odour, artificial lighting or noise; b) Cause contamination or a deterioration in land, soil or water quality; and c) Be located on polluted land, areas affected by air pollution or in noisy environments unless the development incorporates appropriate mitigation measures to limit the adverse effects on occupiers and other appropriate receptors. 4. Flooding a) Development will only be permitted where it is safe and it can be demonstrated that there is minimal risk of flooding to the property and it will not impede the flow of floodwaters, increase the risk of flooding elsewhere or reduce the capacity of a floodplain; and b) Development must manage surface water arising from the site in a sustainable manner which will also reduce the risk of flooding and improve water quality.

NATURAL AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT

Development will not be permitted unless it: • Enhances and protects the historic environment; • Respects the character and distinctiveness of existing buildings, townscapes and landscapes and their local designations; • Protects and enhances the water environment and its margins; • Enhances and preserves natural habitats and the biodiversity of the Borough, including corridors between biodiversity rich features.

Housing Distribution

A minimum of 6,250 new dwellings will be provided in Slough between 2006 and 2026. This will be distributed as follows: Town Centre - a minimum of 3,000 dwellings Urban Extensions - around 750 dwellings Major sites in other Urban Areas - around 1,350 dwellings Small sites within the Urban Area - around 600 dwellings Any additional housing required as a result of an increase in Slough's allocation in the South East Plan (Doc.10) will be built in the town centre or in other appropriate urban areas in accordance with the Spatial Strategy. New development should not result in the net loss of any existing housing.

TYPE OF HOUSING

High-density housing should be located in Slough town centre. In the urban areas outside the town centre, new residential development will predominantly consist of family housing and be at a density related to the character of the surrounding area, the accessibility of the location, and the availability of existing and proposed local services, facilities and infrastructure. Within existing suburban residential areas there will only be limited infilling which will consist of family houses that are designed to enhance the distinctive suburban character and identity of the area. All new residential development will be constructed at a minimum net density of 37 dwellings per hectare. Densities less than this may be permitted on small sites, where the character is low density or where there are other site constraints. There will be no net loss of family accommodation as a result of flat conversions, changes of use or redevelopment. All sites of 15 or more dwellings (gross) will be required to provide between 30% and 40% of the dwellings as social rented along with other forms of affordable housing. Proposals for gypsy or traveller sites will not generally be permitted in the urban area. If there is a proven need for a gypsy or traveller site or sites in Slough, this could be considered to constitute exceptional circumstances that would justify the relaxation of Green Belt policy.

INFRASTRUCTURE

Development will only be allowed where there is sufficient existing, planned or committed infrastructure. All new infrastructure must be sustainable. Where existing infrastructure is insufficient to serve the needs of new development, the developer will be required to supply all reasonable and necessary on-site and off-site infrastructure improvements. These improvements must be completed prior to the occupation of a new development and should serve both individual and communal needs. Infrastructure includes: • Utilities (water, sewerage and drainage); • Transportation; • Education and skills; • Health; • Leisure, community and cultural services; and • Other relevant services. The provision of reasonable and necessary infrastructure will be secured through planning obligations or by conditions attached to planning permissions.

Spatial Strategy

All development will have to comply with the Spatial Strategy set out in this document. All development will take place within the built up area, predominantly on previously developed land, unless there are very special circumstances that would justify the use of Green Belt land. A strategic gap will be maintained between Slough and Greater London. Proposals for high density housing, intensive employment generating uses, such as B1(a) offices, and intensive trip generating uses, such as major retail or leisure uses, will be located in the appropriate parts of Slough town centre. Such development will have to be comprehensively planned in order to deliver maximum social, environmental and economic benefits to the wider community. Proposals for the comprehensive regeneration of selected key locations within the Borough will also be encouraged at an appropriate scale. Some relaxation of the policies or standards in the Local Development Framework may be allowed where this can be justified by the overall environmental, social and economic benefits that will be provided to the wider community. Elsewhere the scale and density of development will be related to the site's current or proposed accessibility, character and surroundings. Significant intensification of use will not be allowed in locations that lack the necessary supporting infrastructure, facilities or services or where access by sustainable means of travel by public transport, cycling and walking are limited.

RETAIL, LEISURE AND COMMUNITY FACILITIES

All new major retail, leisure and community developments will be located in the shopping area of the Slough town centre in order to improve the town's image and to assist in enhancing its attractiveness as a Primary-Regional Shopping Centre. Out-of-centre and edge-of-centre retail developments will be subject to the sequential test. Developers will be required to demonstrate that: • There is a need for the development; • It is of an appropriate scale; • There are no sequentially preferable sites in designated centres; • The development would not have a detrimental impact on the vitality and viability of existing centres; and • The site is accessible by a variety of a means of transport. All community facilities/services should be retained. Where, exceptionally, it is agreed that community facilities/services may be lost or reduced in size to accommodate new development, developers will be required to contribute towards new or enhanced community facilities/services locally.

TRANSPORT

All new development should reinforce the principles of the transport strategy as set out in the council's Local Transport Plan and Spatial Strategy, which seek to ensure that new development is sustainable and is located in the most accessible locations, thereby reducing the need to travel. Development proposals will, either individually or collectively, have to make appropriate provisions for: • Reducing the need to travel; • Widening travel choices and making travel by sustainable means of transport more attractive than the private car; • Improving road safety; and • Improving air quality and reducing the impact of travel upon the environment, in particular climate change. Development proposals will also have make contributions to, or provision for: • The development of Slough town centre as a Regional Transport Hub; • The improvement of key transport corridors such as the links to Heathrow Airport; • Improvements to Slough, Burnham and Langley railway stations; and