Truro and Threemilestone

Last updated: 04/12/2012 Add to My Bookmarks Subscribe

Introduction

Truro has become a natural focus for growth with a mixture of retail and other employment. Sites like the Hospital, Truro College, and County Hall have all added to the city centre in providing an economically vibrant city. The challenge for Truro and its community is to manage growth in a way that adds value to the city.

A City Framework will set out the framework and proposals for future growth in Truro and Threemilestone.

The Truro and Surrounding Areas Interim Plan

What is the challenge?

There is considerable pressure for development in Truro and its surrounding area, including applications for employment, retail and housing.

Truro does not have an identified five year supply of deliverable housing land. It also has a significant waiting list of over 1000 households requiring affordable housing.

The development plan consists of the Cornwall Structure Plan and Carrick District-wide Local Plan, both of which are now dated.

What is required?

In advance of the Cornwall Core Strategy there is a need to bring together all of the evidence and issues in Truro to inform potential planning applications and decisions.

The Interim Plan document provides links to policies and evidence as well as setting out the basis for the preparation of further work on Contributions and development briefs to guide development.

Broad potential options for growth have been identified and tested and are set out in the document for comment.

The next stage will be to produce a City Framework to identify sites for development and provide a plan of how vital infrastructure is to be planned and paid for.

How can I find out more?

The evidence base for Truro and surrounding area is set out on the Council’s website or can be viewed at the Truro One Stop Shop.

Relevant national and local planning policy is set out in Chapter 4 of the document..

Emerging guidance, evidence and more detailed planning work will also be provided this website.

Is the Community being consulted?

The community will continue to be involved throughout the process of developing the Interim Plan and eventual City Framework or Neighbourhood Plan and will play an active and critical role in determining what options there are for Truro.

What Future Events are planned?

Event dates, times and locations for future events will be advertised on this page as well as in the local press where appropriate.

Who is overseeing, guiding and managing the process?

Local Councillors, Stakeholders, Cornwall Council officers and the City and Parish Council are involved in a Working Group to progress the Interim Plan document. The following groups will help to guide and shape the planning process for Truro:

Interim Plan Working Group - A group has been set up consisting of Councillors from Cornwall Council and Parish and City Councils that represent Truro and the surrounding area. The panel meets to review progress on the Interim Plan and discuss topics affecting Truro and the surrounding area. The panel does not directly make decisions but reports their findings to the Council's Planning Policy Advisory Panel and Cabinet.
Partnership Delivery Group – The Council regularly discusses infrastructure needs and other issues relevant to their organisations with Stakeholders and Officers. This provides regular feedback on project progress and enabling stakeholders to ensure that decisions and infrastructure investment plans are properly coordinated. The group provides a project steer for the Framework.
Stakeholder and Community Workshops – We are planning to hold stakeholder and community workshops with those interested in the production of the Interim Plan and the emerging City Framework. These will be announced as the content, time and location of the workshops is confirmed.
Active Partnership with Truro City Council and Kenwyn Parish Council

Where will this process take us?

The work will form part of the Evidence Base for the Truro City Framework which will be taken forward as evidence for the emerging County wide Core Strategy. The purpose of the Truro City Framework is to provide robust planning policy guidance for the location of future development.

What Happens Next?

The timetable for work on the City Framework is in the process of being agreed and will be added to this page in due course.

Truro Interim Plan evidence base

A series of evidence base documents have been prepared as part of the forward planning process - please note these are listed on a separate page.

Truro and Threemilestone Draft Area Action Plan – December 2008

Consultation was previously undertaken on the Draft Area Action Plan, the City Centre Proposals Map, and the City Wide Proposals Map between 6th December 2008 and 2nd March 2009. All the written responses received are also available to view as well as well as a Full Report including Appendices; or an Executive Summary of the results.

The Truro and Threemilestone Green Infrastructure Plan

The idea behind Green Infrastructure is simple. Just as road, railway, power distribution and drainage infrastructure are essential for the smooth operation of all settlements, so green infrastructure is essential to make sure that the natural, cultural, and health requirements of communities are integrated and not compromised by new development.

Green Infrastructure planning is a way to meet the challenges of growth whilst at the same time protecting and enhancing the environment and ensuring that the needs of existing and new communities are not compromised.

The Green Infrastructure strategy will be used to develop policies, inform planning decisions and help to:

Manage the use of resources, productive land and deal with any negative environmental impacts of development;
Connect and manage habitat to ensure its continuing health
Improve opportunities for recreation around the city and create safe ways to walk and cycle;
Create an attractive visual setting for the city and green spaces and corridors that make it an enjoyable place to live;
Link new and existing development areas to the rich natural and cultural setting of the city.

To ensure that this happens the Council will work with the community and other partners to create a Green Infrastructure Strategy. A draft of the Truro Green Infrastructure Strategy and its Executive Summary are available to view by using these links. The strategy will include specific projects and actions that will be taken forward by the Council and its partners to ensure that the outcomes of the plan can be delivered.

This document will continue to be prepared as part of the process of developing a City Framework for Truro and Threemilestone to ensure that its aims are fully integrated into the final plan.