Part One: Spatial Strategy and Policies (Regulation 19)
5. Dudley Borough Spatial Strategy
5.1. The Dudley Local Plan (DLP) can help achieve sustainable development by ensuring that the borough benefits from the right development in the right place at the right time. This development will meet the needs of people living and working in the borough, whilst protecting and enhancing the environment and its unique character.
5.2. The Spatial Strategy as set out in policies DLP1, DLP2 and DLP3, and illustrated on the Key Diagram (Figure 5.1) provides the overarching basis for the Plan's proposals for growth and infrastructure improvements. This diagram is supplemented by thematic key diagrams for housing, economy, transport, environment, waste and minerals. These policies address all the Strategic Priorities.
Figure 5.1 Spatial Strategy Plan: Dudley Borough
Development Strategy
5.3. Policy DLP1 provides the overarching development strategy for the Dudley Borough, setting out the scale and distribution of new development for the Plan period to 2041.
Policy DLP1 Development Strategy
- To deliver sustainable economic and housing growth and to meet strategic planning targets based on the needs of local communities and businesses, this plan will:
- Deliver at least 10,470 net new homes and create sustainable mixed communities that are supported by adequate infrastructure.
- Deliver the development of at least 22.6ha of employment land.
- Ensure that sufficient physical, social, and environmental infrastructure is delivered to meet identified needs. The spatial strategy seeks to deliver this growth and sustainable patterns of development by:
- Delivering development in the existing urban area supported by infrastructure to meet the needs of communities and businesses.
- Focussing growth and regeneration into the borough's Centres and Regeneration Corridors, delivering new homes, jobs and local services
- Protecting Dudley's character and environmental assets including heritage assets, natural habitats and open spaces
- Minimising and mitigating the likely effects of climate change.
- Table 5.1 shows how the full housing and employment land requirements for the Dudley Borough will be met through identified sites, and through reliance on neighbouring and other local authorities who have a functional link with Dudley via the Duty to Cooperate. Those development needs that cannot be accommodated within the Dudley administrative area will be exported to sustainable locations in neighbouring local authority areas.
Justification
5.4. Dudley needs to plan for economic growth, enhanced business productivity and meet housing needs within the plan period. To accommodate this future growth, locations that are both sustainable and deliverable have been identified for development, at levels and in locations that do not breach the environmental capacity of the area.
5.5. The Development Strategy is based on a number of considerations, including:
- National Planning Policy
- The Plan's Vision, objectives and priorities
- Environmental constraints
- The availability and viability of land for development
5.6. The Development Strategy has been developed through a comprehensive assessment of alternative options. Growth options were considered through this process and the proposed strategy corresponds with maximising growth in the urban area, plus Duty to Cooperate contributions, as set out in the Spatial Options Paper. The Sustainability Appraisal shows that this will enable Dudley to meet most of the growth needs within the urban area in a focussed manner that takes full account of environmental, climate change, accessibility, and social requirements.
5.7. By promoting the right type and amount of development in the most sustainable locations, the Strategy therefore plays a crucial role in delivering inclusive development that supports communities to achieve their goals. The distribution of growth as proposed in the Development Strategy is summarised.
Table 5.1 Dudley Borough Development Strategy
Location/Source of supply |
Housing (new homes)* 2024-2041 |
Employment land development (ha) 2020-2041 |
Employment completions (2020-2022) |
6.01 |
|
Sites with planning permission |
2275 |
0.5 |
The Growth Network |
||
Brierley Hill Strategic Centre |
1546 |
0 |
Dudley Town Centre |
727 |
0 |
Stourbridge Town Centre |
229 |
0 |
Halesowen Town Centre |
228 |
0 |
Regeneration Corridor 1 |
585 |
3.08 |
Regeneration Corridor 2 |
972 |
5.87 |
Regeneration Corridor 3 |
585 |
0.59 |
Regeneration Corridor 4 |
90 |
0.89 |
Regeneration Corridor 5 |
90 |
4.1 |
Outside the Growth Network |
343 |
0.48 |
Small windfall housing (184 dpa based 23/24 data) |
2576 |
|
Centres uplift allowance |
164 |
|
Large windfall housing sites (Brierley Hill) |
200 |
|
DMBC site disposal windfall allowance |
200 |
|
Employment small site supply (less than 0.4Ha) |
1.1 |
|
Estimated demolitions |
340 |
|
Total in Dudley Borough |
10,470 (net) |
22.62 |
Need to 2040/41 |
11,169 |
72** (98 including replacement of employment land losses) |
To be exported through Duty to Co-operate |
699 |
50*** (76 including replacement of employment land losses) |
*Following appropriate discounts-see SHLAA and DLP10
**Excludes replacement of employment land losses – the figure including replacement of losses is 98Ha - see Section 9.
***The figure to be exported by Dudley and the Black Country will be further reduced by the large and small windfall allowances identified for the Black Country overall (78ha) but this is not disaggregated to individual local authority level at this time.
5.8. The Growth Network – made up of the Regeneration Corridors and Centres (Policy DLP2) - is the primary focus for co-ordinated and sustained regeneration and infrastructure investment to support the delivery of growth and promote wider benefits to local communities. The Growth Network is the focus for the delivery of these objectives and contains most of the areas where regeneration and land-use change will be concentrated over the Plan period.
5.9. Whilst most change and intervention will be focussed on the Growth Network, some development will be brought forward outside the network to enable vibrant and diverse communities to thrive and prosper. The overall land use-pattern outside the Growth Network is not expected to alter greatly over the Plan period, but there will be some incremental change through a mix of permitted and allocated sites and windfall developments. Strong links will be created between the Growth Network and areas outside of it, through high-quality design, green infrastructure and transport investment.
5.10. The DLP aims to utilise land efficiently through the use of previously developed land, vacant properties and surplus industrial land, and maximising housing densities where appropriate. The spatial strategy also seeks to protect green spaces within the borough, the green belt and the 'wedges' of open land providing valuable open breaks between settlements and access to the wider countryside, including movement for wildlife.
5.11. Whilst this approach serves to meet most of the borough's development needs, there is a shortage of deliverable sites identified. The strategy aims to address these outstanding development needs via the Duty to Cooperate. The Council will continue to work with neighbouring and other relevant local authorities throughout the Plan preparation process to address these shortfalls in the most sustainable way.
5.12. This Plan sets a housing target for the borough of 10,470 new homes over the period 2024-41, compared to a local housing need for 11,169 homes as calculated by the Standard Method, creating a shortfall of 699 homes. For employment land, the EDNA establishes a need for 72ha (98ha including replacement of employment land losses) of land for employment development, an anticipated supply of 22.6ha and a shortfall of 50ha (76ha if including replacement of employment land losses.)[3]
5.13. National planning policy requires this unmet housing and employment land need to be provided for across the Greater Birmingham and Black Country Housing Market Area (GBBCHMA), the Functional Economic Market Area (FEMA) and other areas with which the borough has a physical or functional relationship. As a result, the Council continues to work constructively with neighbouring authorities to help provide as much certainty as possible about how and where the borough's full housing and employment land needs will be delivered. The Duty to Cooperate position is detailed in the DtC paper which supports the DLP.
Evidence
- SHLAA (2024)
- Urban Capacity Review Update (2024)
- Black Country Employment Areas Review (BEAR, 2021)
- Viability Study (2024)
- Black Country Economic Development Needs Assessment (EDNA, 2017 and 2021 and 2023)
- Strategic Transport Evidence
- Strategic Environmental Evidence.
Delivery
- Annual update of SHLAA
- Authority Monitoring Report
- Housing renewal will be delivered through local authority intervention
- Securing funding to facilitate delivery
- Working with key partners and delivery agencies.