Part Two: Centres and Site Allocations (Regulation 18)
4. Halesowen
Introduction
4.1 This chapter sets out how Halesowen Town Centre will develop and change over the plan period. A vision for the town centre is set out, which will be delivered through the Local Plan policies and site allocations (up to 2041).
4.2 Halesowen stands on the border of the Black Country and Birmingham and is exceptionally convenient for both. It can be traced back to the 1086 Domesday Survey although the manor and town of 'Halas' is thought to be Anglo-Saxon. From the early 13th century, it was a thriving market town, becoming a local centre for woollen cloth weaving and a regional market centre for corn, receiving its market Charter in 1220. The town's position. next to the River, Stour provided access to waterpower for industry, cornmills and by the 17th century metal forging. The Town Centre is dominated by the Grade I listed church of St John the Baptist. Shoppers enjoy the High Street, Cornbow Shopping Centre and regular Farmers' Market. Outside of the Town Centre itself, Halesowen benefits from being located next to beautiful countryside. The ruins of the 13th century Halesowen Abbey are just outside the town, as is The Leasowes which was laid out by the 18th century poet William Shenstone and was one of the first natural landscaped gardens in Europe.
4.3 In recent years, Halesowen has benefited from significant investment, the most recent being at Halesowen Leisure Centre, which has undergone a multi-million-pound refurbishment. The former Hobbs building (27 Great Cornbow) has undergone major repair and refurbishment and is now the home for the Halesowen Business Improvement District (BID). The Town Centre has undergone a £30 million regeneration to redevelop the Cornbow Shopping Centre to include a new Asda supermarket, together with a new multi-storey car park, an expanded state-of-the-art bus station and improvements to the road layout.
4.4 These Halesowen Town Centre policies seek to preserve and enhance the best of Halesowen's existing character whilst building on recent successes and positively planning for its future. These policies set out the planning framework for Halesowen Town Centre, guiding future development and investment up to 2041 and provide a vision for the Town Centre, through its policies and site allocations, whilst setting out how that vision will be delivered.
The Halesowen Town Centre Inset Plan Boundary
4.5 The Halesowen Town Centre Inset Plan builds upon and adds a spatial dimension to the Dudley Local Plan. It works towards its vision for stronger communities by planning for an attractive environment for people to live, work and invest in, improving the vibrancy and attractiveness of Halesowen Town Centre.
4.6 The Halesowen Town Centre boundary comprises Halesowen's compact and well-defined shopping area. It extends northwards to include St John the Baptist's Church and grounds and eastwards to include land to both banks of the River Stour (see policies map).
Vision and Objectives
The vision for Halesowen Town Centre is a statement of where Dudley Council and its community want to get to and what this Inset Plan should deliver by 2041. This vision has been informed by an understanding of the issues and opportunities in the Town Centre, consultation responses to the Draft Black Country Plan Consultation, and the overarching vision for the Dudley Local Plan.
Halesowen benefits from having a compact, well presented, and accessible Town Centre, providing for local shopping and community activity. A key natural asset of the Town Centre is its position alongside the River Stour corridor. The Town Centre further benefits from a variety of historical features and open spaces. These assets will be maintained and enhanced by all new development.
The Town Centre will succeed as a focus for retail activity and a range of other uses including employment, housing, leisure, entertainment, culture, education, and tourism. The centre's evening economy is also required to be protected and promoted. The Town Centre will continue to be supported by effective and sustainable transport connections and be accessible for all to visit and make use of its facilities.
Above all, Halesowen will be a place that everyone will want to visit, work and live and a centre in which people want to invest and do business.
The following specific objectives for Halesowen have been identified:
- To maintain and build upon Halesowen Town Centre's recognised role in providing for local needs in an accessible and sustainable way by providing appropriate day-to-day shopping facilities and other suitably scaled town centre land uses such as employment, housing, leisure, entertainment, culture and tourism.
- Dudley Council will seek to ensure that Halesowen continues to enjoy the social and economic benefits to be gained from the town's successful and diverse range of education facilities and will encourage appropriate improvements to town centre facilities and infrastructure in this regard.
- To provide, protect and enhance a well-connected landscape and public realm setting of streets, routes and public spaces that is attractive, safe, lively and pleasant to use, whilst also greening the town centre.
- To capitalise on Halesowen's unique natural assets by protecting, enhancing and improving access to the River Stour, its bank-side habitats and other green open spaces and infrastructure leading to and within the town centre for people and nature.
- To ensure that the character and quality of Halesowen's historic environment is capitalised on, in terms of its townscape, landscape, individual buildings, plan form and archaeology and ensure it is recognised by the community as one of the town's great assets.
- To improve ease of movement for pedestrians, cyclists, people with disabilities and vehicles in, at the edges of and into the town centre (and in particular Halesowen Bus Station) by enhancing streets, routes and spaces and potentially creating new ones, which will provide an environment that is safe and active, more direct and better integrated both physically and visually.
- To achieve consistently high-quality urban design, architecture and landscape that is sustainable and enhances existing buildings and spaces within Halesowen Town Centre.
- To strengthen local character and distinctiveness by setting an approach that ensures new development respects the context of the Town Centre.
- To strengthen the town's evening economy by providing more activities which are safe, balanced and socially responsible.
- To improve safety and security through good design and layouts that will assist in deterring crime, anti-social behaviour and reduce the fear of crime.
Halesowen Town Centre and Town Centre Core Area
4.7 The Halesowen Town Centre boundary comprises Halesowen's compact and well-defined shopping area. It extends northwards to include St John the Baptist's Church and grounds and eastwards to include land to both banks of the River Stour (see policies map). Policy DLP24 sets out the general approach to town centre development within the Borough, including appropriate uses.
(2) Policy DLPH1 – Development in Halesowen Town Centre and Town Centre Core Area
- The Halesowen Town Centre and Town Centre Core Area boundaries is identified on the Halesowen Town Centre Inset Policies Map.
- In line with national and local planning policy, any new retail developments will be directed towards the Town Centre Core Area. Dudley Council will consider the application of planning conditions to any planning permissions granted to ensure the retention of the retail use where necessary, relevant, and reasonable in terms of the strategic importance of the development.
- Local Plan Policy DLP24 sets out the policy context for appropriate uses within Halesowen Town Centre (Tier Two Centre). The diversification and repurposing of Halesowen town centre in general will be supported by approving development that enhances the vitality and viability of the centre.
- The provision of additional residential development, particularly the re-use of upper floors of premises, will be encouraged through flexibility in the application of guidance and standards relating to parking provision and amenity (Local Plan Policy DLP28). All residential development must comply with the most up to date residential design guidance.
- In the case of any edge-of-centre or out-of-centre proposals, unless identified as a preferred use in the Opportunity Sites, these will only be considered favourably if a sequential test and impact assessment are satisfied (Local Plan Policy DLP26 and DLP27).
- Proposals that add to or improve Halesowen Town Centre's evening and night-time economy will be encouraged by Dudley Council.
Justification
4.8 The town centre will remain an important focus for day-to-day shopping and a range of other town centre uses such as office, leisure, and cultural facilities. As recognised in the Local Plan, in view of the changing nature of town centres, there is a need to diversify in terms of uses that promote and encourage their vitality and viability. The recent changes to the Use Class Order (wherein retail uses now lie within the same 'E' Use Class as other uses, including food and drink, or offices) mean that retail uses are now able to change more freely to other uses. Whilst this enables town centres to become more flexible and responsive to changes, it does mean it is now more difficult to manage the loss of retail uses.
4.9 Notwithstanding the above, in line with national planning policy it remains important to identify the Town Centre Core Area (formerly Primary Shopping Area) for the key purpose of identifying whether a retail development proposal constitutes edge of or out of centre development. It is recognised that there is likely to be a diversification of uses within the Town Centre Core Area, however, any new proposals for retail development will still be directed towards it in the first instance.
Policy DLPH2 Education in Halesowen
- Existing education facilities in Halesowen Town Centre will be safeguarded where there is a recognised need for them.
- Any additionally proposed education facilities will be supported in principle where appropriate within the Town Centre. Within the Town Centre Core Area, this should generally be above the ground floor (and mainly retail) frontages.
- Dudley Council will also give in principle support where appropriate to proposals for further facilities and transport infrastructure to meet student need.
Justification
4.10 The wider Halesowen area is seen as a centre of excellence for education with regard to its schools and Halesowen College. Dudley Council share this view and recognise the education sector's benefits to Halesowen in terms of adding to the Town Centre's vitality and viability, providing for local jobs in schools and the college, and preparing local people for future employment.
