Replacement Calderdale UDP : Adopted 25 August 2006 (as amended August 2009)

Replacement Calderdale UDP : Adopted 25 August 2006

• Foreword
• 1 Introduction
• 2 Calderdale in Context
• Strategic and Core Part One Policies
• 3 Guiding Principles and Key Themes
• 4 Employment, The Economy, Tourism and Regeneration
  • Background to Economic Policy
  • Primary Employment Areas
  • Employment Development Outside the Primary Employment Areas
  • The Need for New Employment Land
  • The Allocation of New Employment Sites
  • Mixed Use Allocations
  • Safeguarding Employment Land and Buildings
  • Office Development
  • Warehouse Development
  • Tourism Attractions and Facilities
  • Rural Diversification
  • Agricultural, Equestrian and Other Animal Based Uses
  • Regeneration of Derelict and Degraded Land and Buildings
    • Upper Calder Valley Renaissance Strategy
    • Regeneration Action Area : Sowerby Bridge to Copley
    • Sowerby Bridge Canal Wharf
  • The Piece Hall
• 5 Housing
• 6 Retailing and Town Centres
• 7 Open Space, Sport and Recreation Facilities
• 8 The Built and Historic Environment
• 9 Transport
• 10 Infrastructure, Education and Community Facilities
• 11 Natural Environment and the Countryside
• 12 Environmental Protection
• 13 Minerals
• 14 Waste Management
• 15 Monitoring and Review of the Plan
• Annex A Privacy, Daylighting and Amenity Space
• Annex B Trees On or Adjacent to Development Sites
• Appendix 1 National Planning Policy
• Appendix 2 National Minerals Policy
• Appendix 3 Supporting Published Documents
• Appendix 4 Glossary of Terms
• Appendix 5 Acronyms and Abbreviations
• Appendix 6 Policy Topic Index
• Appendix 7 Policy Number Comparison
• Appendix 8 Supplementary Maps

Regeneration of Derelict and Degraded Land and Buildings

4.74 The Council’s corporate priorities include securing a clean and attractive built and natural environment and improving the District’s towns, villages and neighbourhoods. Equally, Policy S3 of Regional Spatial Strategy 'Yorkshire and the Humber Plan' (2004) (RSS) encourages local authorities to foster the renaissance of existing urban and rural settlements. One of the principle means of achieving these aims is through the redevelopment and regeneration of derelict and degraded land and buildings that are found throughout Calderdale, the majority emanating from the stock of industrial and business premises that are no longer operational. There are inherent problems associated with such areas and buildings, since they:-

• are +unattractive and detract from the appearance of an area;
• can possess major environmental problems;
• reduce prospects for economic development;
• deter investment in and maintenance of property;
• can present a public health and safety hazard and
• are a waste of a finite and valuable resource i.e. land.

4.75 The Council is seeking to promote the regeneration of all land and buildings that could reasonably be considered as derelict and degraded. The policies do not just apply to those areas that suffer from contamination or require remediation works before development could proceed.

4.76 The Government is committed to maximising the re-use of previously developed land and empty properties in order to promote regeneration and minimise the amount of greenfield land being taken for development, as outlined in PPG3. Additionally, reclamation of derelict and degraded land and buildings can:-

• restore community pride;
• improve the quality of life of the local population through an improvement in the quality of the environment;
• help to improve the image of the district;
• attract new investment;
• assist with nature conservation; and
• improve the environment of the local area.

4.77 The aspiration, stated in the Urban White Paper 'Our Towns and Cities: The Future - Delivering an Urban Renaissance' (2000), is “to bring previously developed ‘brownfield’ sites and empty property back into constructive use, turning them from eyesores into assets”.

4.78 The Council remains committed to re-using derelict land and buildings in the District as a key element in its regeneration strategy. A shortage of building land in the District, particularly for employment generating purposes, requires that all appropriate derelict and vacant land and buildings are utilised to their full potential. Within the land use policy framework of the UDP the Council will encourage the private sector in its important role in the reclamation of land and buildings and where appropriate will seek to work in partnership with the private sector. Additionally, the Council will continue to seek grant aid and other forms of financial assistance from Yorkshire Forward (the Regional Development Agency) and external sources in order to undertake the reclamation of derelict and degraded sites and buildings for employment purposes.

4.79 The Council’s priorities for new uses for derelict and degraded land and buildings reflect the wider priority of job creation and retention in order to provide security and choice of employment related opportunities. Some sites will be capable of development once remediation has taken place and it is important that these sites are brought forward quickly to allow new employment related buildings to be developed to meet particular needs. However, where sites were not previously used for employment purposes and such a use is not appropriate or achievable, or where redevelopment for employment use is unlikely to ever occur (as assessed against Policy E 5 ‘Safeguarding Employment Land and Buildings’), their re-use or redevelopment for appropriate other non-employment uses is supported. The redevelopment of land or buildings must be appropriate to the character and function of the locality, and must be complimentary to other uses in the locality and not create potential conflict through issues such as traffic, environment or amenity problems. As well as bringing forward sites for development it is also important that ‘greening’ of the urban environment occurs and that provision for recreation and leisure facilities and the creation of open space is undertaken. Where derelict and vacant land is unlikely to be developed in the near future landscaping will help improve the environment in the interim period. The Council will seek an ecological approach to such landscaping in order to create natural habitats which are attractive, yet easy to maintain, but will not prejudice longer-term development. Some derelict sites contain intrinsic wildlife interests and habitats and where possible the Council will seek to retain these. Opportunities will be sought to create wildlife habitats in the reclamation of derelict and vacant land. Derelict and degraded land will be utilised to meet the needs of the district for development and for environmental improvement. Proposals for the reclamation and restoration of derelict and degraded land will be developed in accordance with the preferred Council priorities. Proposals will be considered against the following Policies:-

Upper Calder Valley Renaissance Strategy

4.80 The Upper Calder Valley Renaissance Strategy is a joint initiative between the Council and Yorkshire Forward. The objective is to take an holistic approach to a valley wide restoration of civic pride and economic dynamism in the market towns. These initiatives have involved the work of consultants, local people, Calderdale Council and a number of experts in various disciplines looking at the area as a whole and the development of a vision and strategy for the coming 25 years.

4.81 The strategy sets out a wide range of activity encouraging vitality and viability to previously run down areas. There are five specific areas that have been included within the Upper Calder Valley Renaissance Strategy, where regeneration will be focused through social, physical and economic improvements. These areas include parts of Walsden, Todmorden, Hebden Bridge, Mytholmroyd and Sowerby Bridge (which is the most ambitious). It is important the UDP recognises the proposed site-specific vision aiding the regeneration of these towns.

4.82 The concept of regeneration in the Upper Valley is to attain a balanced approach to improving the quality of life and the wellbeing of the areas. The focus of the strategy is to achieve regeneration through mixed-use development to include employment, workshops and community uses, as well as the building of new homes, to ensure that the opportunities afforded by these sites are not squandered by just building residential development. The Council places emphasis on the supporting schemes for the improvement of sites, buildings and the public realm within the regeneration priority areas to retain and encourage mixed-use developments, which are beneficial for the community. They may also bring about alleviation of significant environmental, highways, noise, disturbance and other local problems within these areas.

4.83 These Regeneration Priority Areas are distinguished from the Regeneration Action Area at Sowerby Bridge Copley Valley by being promotional focuses for change rather than for the location of specific development proposals and are set out in the table below.

Table 4.1 Upper Calder Valley Regeneration Priority Area

Place	Upper Calder Valley Renaissance Strategy
Walsden	To utilise the quality of the existing buildings and environment around the river and canal to renew and regenerate the heart of the town.
Todmorden	To create a new 21st Century market place centred on Bramsche Square through innovative and coordinated design and redevelopment of both private and public sector development sites.
Hebden Bridge	To create a series of high quality public spaces and routes that improve the pedestrian environment and bolster economic performance of the town centre as well as acting as a focus for the town by providing space for markets, festivals and the outward expression of creativity.
Mytholmroyd	To create new urban spaces which develop the heart of this town, linked to the development of a Ted Hughes Centre.
Sowerby Bridge	To regenerate the town centre between Wharf Street and the station through the creation of a new mixed-use quarter that reconnects the disparate areas of the town and creates a high quality town centre environment.

Regeneration Action Area : Sowerby Bridge to Copley

4.84 This Regeneration Action Area has emerged from Yorkshire Forward’s Upper Calder Valley Renaissance Initiative and seeks to improve economic and social prospects in the area between Sowerby Bridge and Copley. The primary purpose of the proposal is to facilitate the retention of existing employment and encourage further employment opportunities in order to assist the development of a sustainable community.

4.85 The Action Area would see approximately 11 ha of brownfield land restored to productive use with a potential for 300 to 400 jobs either new or safeguarded; an extended town centre focus for Sowerby Bridge; an improved highway network that will take heavy industrial traffic off Holmes Road and improve access to the extended town centre focus; and there would be a significant amount of private sector investment. As part of the overall proposal an element of residential use on the Sterne Mill site, appears to be required to make this scheme financially viable. However, the residential development is linked inextricably with the economic development on other parts of the site and will not be supported in isolation.

4.86 The remaining site area of Sterne Mill will be developed for office and leisure use. Land to the east of Sterne Mill will be sports pitches, and land south of the river developed for general industry and offices. The businesses currently restricted by their existing locations on Holmes Road adjacent to Sowerby Bridge railway station would be relocated to land south of the river. This would enable the regeneration of an extended town centre focus for Sowerby Bridge on this vacated site. The site for the extended town centre focus would be mixed-use with predominantly residential development and would include elements of retail and office space. 

4.87 The Milner Royd Local Nature Reserve (LNR) would be partly affected by development and as a result reduced in size to two hectares. A second new LNR is to be created on land south of the River Calder east of Sterne Bridge. The sports pitch currently sited at Milner Royd LNR is to be relocated onto land east of the existing Milner Royd Allotments.

4.88 A proposed new link road from Mearclough Road to Wakefield Road via Sterne Mill and land south of the River Calder would create an improved access to the proposed extended town centre focus. This Regeneration Action Area has been prone to flooding in the past, however, a 1:100 year floodline and 1:50 year floodline has been agreed with the Environment Agency, which distinguishes the developable area from the floodplain.

Sowerby Bridge Canal Wharf

4.89 An opportunity for the further development of water based leisure and recreation exists in Sowerby Bridge where a number of wharfs are grouped around the junction of the Calder and Hebble Navigation and the Rochdale Canal. The Sowerby Bridge Canal Wharf is a Class II Archaeological Site containing several listed buildings including the Grade II* Canal Wet Dock and Salts Warehouse. The opening up to through navigation of the canal system in Sowerby Bridge has been a major boost to the town. The canal and associated canal wharfs have been key catalysts to the ongoing regeneration of the town. The rehabilitation and commercial development of the wharfs at the Sowerby Bridge canal junction as shown on the Proposals Map for recreation, leisure and job creating uses will be supported as part of the overall regeneration concept for the centre of Sowerby Bridge as a whole. Therefore the following Policy will apply:-

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