UDP Chapter 5 - themes & Objectives for the Plan
Unitary Development Plan
Chapter 5
Themes & Objectives for the Plan
| 5.1 | Objectives must be established for the U.D.P. which relate directly to the particular circumstances, problems and potential of the Borough at this time, taking into account the Government's Strategic Guidance and the existing Council policies, and which bind together as a cohesive overall strategy. These objectives can be grouped into four broad themes as shown below: |
| (a) | Developing, diversifying and regenerating the local economy and its resultant potential for employment growth of higher quality, taking advantage of opportunities becoming available to the Borough, whilst recognising the interdependence of conserving and enhancing the quality of the environment. |
| 5.2 | Improving the amount and quality of employment available to the residents of Tameside is a fundamental aim of the Plan, and the health of the local economy has a major bearing on many of the other aspirations for the future well-being of the community. The continued decline of traditional industries makes it imperative that the potential for diversification and growth presented by recent and imminent improvements in access to the Borough is realised. |
| 5.3 | Policies need to ensure in particular that suitable land and transportation infrastructure are available both to attract new employment to the area and to assist existing enterprises and newly formed businesses. They must be concerned with town centre and leisure opportunities, as well as with manufacturing, warehousing and offices, so as to help retain spending by residents and increase that from visitors, and should enable house building to continue at a adequate rate. |
| 5.4 | It is vital that economic development is not pursued regardless of the quality of the local environment, and indeed an improving environment can be expected to assist that objective. Therefore the re-use of previously developed urban sites should be strongly promoted wherever possible, maintaining the framework of open land separating and surrounding the Tameside communities and holding on to valuable open spaces within the urban area. However, it must be recognised that there are exceptional circumstances which call for the development of certain areas of open land if major opportunities are not to be lost. Transportation improvements should be designed to create the minimum of disturbance, and conflicts should also be minimised between industrial and commercial functions and the residential environment. |
| (b) | Uplifting the appearance, image and enjoyment of the Borough, as perceived by local people, visitors and potential investors, and providing the conditions to encourage revitalisation of the established town centres and older urban areas. |
| 5.5 | The general aim of enhancing the quality of the Borough and the facilities which it provides should bring substantial benefits to people living or working in the area and at the same time help to stimulate visitor interest and encourage investment, thereby also supporting economic objectives. The existing fabric of built development and open land represents a massive resource and the plan must aim to bring out more of its inherent potential. This is particularly important in the town centres, which often provide an image of the area as a whole, and in older urban areas where regeneration may be harder to start. |
| 5.6 | Policies must therefore seek to increase the attractiveness of the Borough's traditional town centres to visitors and investors in a number of ways. Emphasis should continue to be placed on the reclamation of derelict land for various purposes and on improving and greening the urban scene in general. It is equally important that new developments are designed to a high quality which respects their setting. Priority needs to be given to the practical conservation of historic and traditional buildings and urban form, as this can be an effective means of stimulating regeneration. |
| 5.7 | The range of available recreation and leisure opportunities should be increased whilst being aware of possible conflicts with other uses. Landscape quality and diversity should be protected and enhanced in urban fringe and countryside areas, and the achievements of the river valley improvement schemes consolidated. |
| 5.7a | Environmental improvements within the urban area need to be encouraged and promoted. This could be achieved through derelict land reclamation where appropriate, through concentration of the Council's efforts in improvement corridors such as along major road or rail routes, through greening initiatives, and through involvement and joint working with both private sector and voluntary groups. |
| 5.7b | In keeping also with Theme (a) and to the extent that available resources permit, the Council hopes to carry out various infrastructure and environmental improvements in the Tame Valley industrial corridor within Hyde, Dukinfield, Ashton, Stalybridge and Mossley, and to encourage the private sector to do likewise in partnership. The improvements are likely to be accompanied by a number of specific employment, leisure and housing projects. |
| (c) | Ensuring that development and change benefit those sections of the community in the greatest need and contribute to tackling the problems of poverty and disadvantage. |
| 5.8 | The Tameside area contains a varied community but one which includes characteristics, more pronounced in some parts than others, of low pay, unemployment, economic and social deprivation. Like any other area, the population naturally includes people who may also suffer disadvantage due to sex, age, family responsibility, disability or other factors. It is important that the effects of the Plan on different sections of the community should be taken into account and that where need is identified policies should be directed to assisting those who might otherwise be disadvantaged. This mostly involves aspects of accessibility. |
| 5.9 | In the case of employment, opportunities for a variety of local jobs should be spread widely around the Borough. In the field of housing, it is important that all sectors of local need are catered for rather than purely market demand, and that the provision of affordable or social housing is ensured. For shopping and various other services the objective should be to retain convenient local facilities and thriving, easily accessible town centres. Adequate opportunities are also needed for recreational activities at the neighbourhood level. |
| 5.10 | Policies should support the efficient operation of public transport, to meet the local transportation needs of those without access to private cars. The specific needs of people with relative disadvantages should be taken into account in the design of developments, along with pedestrian safety and security. |
| (d) | Giving a high profile and weight to issues of quality of life, impact on the environment and resource conservation, in so far as these fall within the scope of the U.D.P. |
| 5.11 | It is important for the Plan to address these issues, some of which are more open to influence through the planning system than others. The effect of a policy can be immediate and local, as in the case of controlling the adverse impact of a particular development proposal. In other instances such as resource conservation the policy may make a small but valuable contribution to longer term or global concerns. These objectives should be seen to apply alongside and not at odds with the economic aspirations for the Borough. |
| 5.12 | Greater awareness is needed of the nature conservation implications of proposals, with a general aim of protecting sensitive habitats and enhancing opportunities for wildlife. The environmental impact of mineral working should be minimised whilst recognising obligations on production, and all forms of environmental hazards and pollution should be minimised wherever practical. Recycling of waste materials must be facilitated to save resources being wasted, although some landfill is still likely to be needed. Here the private sector has a role to play, not least in the disposal of dry industrial and commercial waste for the foreseeable future using landfill sites. |
| 5.13 | Efforts should be made to reduce the impact of motor vehicles especially in town centres and residential areas and to facilitate cycling and walking. Opportunities need to be provided for public transport to develop as a more energy efficient alternative to private road transport, and as a means of containing the increase in traffic congestion and vehicle emissions. |
Page last updated: 13 October 2006