Rural North Oundle & Thrapston Plan - Initial Examination

The Inspector's Note sets out the additional work he has requested from the Council, in order to ensure that the RNOTP is sound. The Inspector's Note explains where additional work is required, under a number of themed headings.

A. HOUSING LAND SUPPLY - Just before Christmas, Roger Tym & Partners was appointed, to carry out a more detailed sustainability assessment of all potential development sites in Oundle and Thrapston. This was deemed to be necessary given that a further site allocation in Oundle would be needed in order to meet the housing land supply requirements in the town for the next 10 years (i.e. till 2018/19), as required by government policy (PPS3).

Assessment of Potential Housing Sites in Oundle and Thrapston
Assessment of Potential Housing Sites in Oundle and Thrapston - Appendices 1-4
Assessment of Potential Housing Sites in Oundle and Thrapston - Appendices 5
Assessment of Potential Housing Sites in Oundle and Thrapston - Appendices 6
Assessment of Potential Housing Sites in Oundle and Thrapston - Appendices 7a
Assessment of Potential Housing Sites in Oundle and Thrapston - Appendices 7b
Developing policy from Tyms to meet 10 year Housing Land Supply requirements

The Assessment of Potential Housing Sites in Oundle and Thrapston was undertaken by Roger Tyms, to provide a site by site assessment of possible development sites previously identified by Tyms in the recently adopted North Northamptonshire Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) and "Sustainability Assessment of Sites for Development Plan Documents" (May 2007).

North Northamptonshire SHLAA - Executive Summary of Study Findings (February 2009)
North Northamptonshire SHLAA: Volume 1 - Main Report (February 2009)
North Northamptonshire SHLAA: Volume 1 - Appendices (February 2009)

Sustainability Assessment of Sites for Development Plan Documents (May 2007)

B. AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROVISION - The consultants, EDAW, were appointed to undertake further technical work in order to address issues of viability in respect of affordable housing thresholds in the submission RNOTP. The EDAW work has informed revisions to RNOTP affordable housing policies 19 and 20, in order to take account of viability issues.

EDAW Affordable Housing Viability Model

C. SETTLEMENT HIERARCHY AND BOUNDARY DEFINITION - Comprehensive reviews of the settlement hierarchy for villages in the Plan area and settlement (village development) boundaries have been undertaken in-house in order to overcome the Inspector's concerns set out in his note of 31 October. This has led to a small number of changes to the status of individual villages in the settlement hierarchy (submission RNOTP Policy 1) and also changes to village development boundaries in some cases.

Settlement Hierarchy: Defining Category A and B Villages

Reviewing Village Settlement Boundaries

D/E. POLICY 12 - IMPORTANT OPEN SPACE/ POLICY 22 - OPEN SPACE, SPORT AND RECREATIONAL FACILITIES - The Inspector's Note has entailed a comprehensive review of the RNOTP in respect of these policies. Deletions of Policy 12 "Important Open Land" sites not identified in the 1996 Local Plan are proposed in the Schedule of proposed changes, in response to the Inspector's Note. Similarly, the rationale for proposed changes to Policy 22 open space sites in response to earlier representations is set out in the attached document.

ENC response to Inspector's Note in respect of changes to Open Space Designations (Policy 22)