St Austell St Blazey and China Clay Area Regeneration Plan Evidence Base

Last updated: 29/05/2012 Add to My Bookmarks Subscribe

Much research has been undertaken across the St Austell, St Blazey and China Clay Area which has been used to inform development of the Regeneration Plan.  Please use the links below to access documents that provide the justification, or evidence base, for much of the St Austell, St Blazey and China Clay Area Regeneration Plan.

Understanding the area

An overview of the big issues that influence policy and strategy across Cornwall: Understanding Cornwall 

The strategic direction of Cornwall is outlined in the Future Cornwall report. The report was prepared by using the same multi-partnership approach as was advocated by the former Local Strategic Partnership, and performs the same function as the former Sustainable Community Strategy.

A wider appreciation of the Regeneration Plan area can be gained by looking at some collated comprehensive area statistics.

A sustainability appraisal assesses the likely environmental and sustainability impacts that will result from the use of the Regeneration Plan.  The report should be read alongside:

• Appendix 1 - Health and Wellbeing Screening Assessment
• Appendix 2 - LDF Sustainability Appraisal Objectives and Decision Making Criteria
• Appendix 3 - Consultation Response
• Appendix 4 - Summary Review Policies, Plans, Programmes, Strategies and Initiatives
• Appendix 5 - Sustainability Appraisal of Plan Alternatives
• Appendix 6 - High Level Compatibility Test
• Appendix 7 - Matrix Criterion

Alternatively you can read a non-technical summary of the document.

A habitats regulation assessment allows Cornwall Council to consider the impact of development on conservation sites and landscapes that support specific species.  Details of existing conservation sites are shown on an area wide map, and in greater detail for site 1, site 2, site 3, site 4 and site 5.

Further background information has been prepared alongside the Regeneration Plan, and draw together baseline information applicable to the whole project area;

• Biodiversity and Landscape Review Paper;
• Coast Review Paper;
• Community Facilities Review Paper;
• Economic Development Review Paper;
• Flooding Review Paper;
• Historic Environment Review Paper;
• Housing Needs Review Paper;
• Minerals Review Paper;
• People and Demographics Review Paper;
• Retail Review Paper; 
• St Austell Policy Background Review Paper;
• St Austell Urban Capacity Paper;
• St Austell Urban Capacity Table.

An Employment Land Review identifies possible future employment sites within the project area, and includes appendix A, appendix B part 1, appendix B part 2, Appendix C and the key to appendix C.

A boundary map of the project area has been created, and replicates the boundary that was used for the 2008 Strategic Investment Framework, also known as the SIF.

In December 2010, Cornwall Council called for sites that may be able to deliver the type of transformation regeneration that is outlined in the plan.  These sites were put into a table, and also displayed on a map.  Each of the development cells was then the subject of a site appraisal:

• Collated cell appraisal sites 1 - 11
• Collated cell appraisal sites 12 - 22
• Collated cell appraisal sites 23 - 33
• Collated cell appraisal sites 34 - 45

In addition, some area wide constraints maps show other significant considerations that could affect development viability.

The Regeneration Plan will feed into the wider Cornwall Core Strategy.  The issues that are examined in the core strategy have been addressed in a series of reports:  Core Strategy Issues Papers

Much of the existing planning policy for the Regeneration Plan area comes from the former Restormel Borough Council Local Plan: 

Cornwall Council's Minerals Plan informs policy that is relevant to large parts of the Regeneration Plan area.

The Restormel Borough Council's Affordable Housing Supplementary Planning Document helps to determine the level of affordable housing provision within the Regeneration Plan area.

Infrastructure

Local communities have identified infrastructure projects that they would like to see delivered as part of any major developments in the area.  The delivery of these projects is dependent on securing adequate funding, with some being of strategic importance, and some having more of a Parish focus.

Cornwall Council have developed a number of transport strategies that will, when delivered alongside new development, improve the wider transport network throughout mid-Cornwall.  These include a walking and cycling strategy that identifies CC funded projects and projects that will require developer contributions, and also a strategic bus strategy.  A proposed transport improvements map is available to show where the improvements will be implemented.

A Baseline Conditions Report is the first part of an extensive transport modelling process that will assess the current state of the transport network in and around St Austell and identify areas for improvement.  This will influence some of the future decisions that are made regarding transport in the Regeneration Plan area.

A Cornwall wide transport plan will inform wider issues, and has been prepared by Cornwall Council in the form of Local Transport Plan 3, which was adopted in 2011 and identifies transport priorities up until 2015.

The Cornwall Sports Field Assessment Report will influence where sporting and recreation facilities need to be placed in the future, and outlines the population levels that will create the demand for future investment.  A 2010 addendum to this report was completed to ensure that the content remained up to date and relevant.

Cornwall Council and the Environment Agency are jointly preparing a Surface Water Management Plan that will be completed at the end of March 2011.

Economy

Future investment in jobs and the economy will be guided by the St Austell Strategic Investment Framework, which outlines the number, type and location of jobs and investment that would benefit the Regeneration Plan area.

A wider, and more recent, economic white paper has been prepared for the county, and this will influence future strategic decisions on economic development.

The performance of 'The High Street' is often used as an indicator of economic health.  The Cornwall Retail Study provides an assessment of this sector within Cornwall. 

Other useful information is included in the Cornwall Employment Land Review, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Economic Forum Strategy and Action Plan, and finally the Convergence Operational Programme, which gives details of how European Funding is allocated for future use.

The South West Regional Development Agency will be phased out over the next twelve months, and be partly replaced by the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership.

Community

Before we can plan for the community, we need to know who lives there and what their characteristics are.  Cornwall Council produces this local information, including demographic profiles and health profiles.

An assessment of housing need will influence the type, amount and location of future housing provision.

Local opinion is especially important in understanding future priorities for communities.  The Clay Futures report outlines the hopes and needs of communities within the Clay Country area, and will help shape the communities of the future.

Town and Parish Councils play a central role in local democracy, and provide a voice for communities.  They produce parish plans that feed into larger pieces of work, such as the core strategy.

Inclusion Cornwall is a report that demonstrates how Cornwall Council will reduce inequalities and promote greater inclusion through all aspects of its work, including the planning process.

Other Policy and Guidance

The Cornwall Structure Plan contains saved county-wide policies that will continue to be in effect until the Cornwall Local Development Framework is adopted.

National Planning Policy is under review by the coalition government.  Until such time that a new national planning framework is introduced, Planning Policy Statements (PPS) and Planning Policy Guidance (PPG) remain the mainstay of planning policy within the UK.

Other guidance exists that places specific emphasis on creating places of high design quality.  In doing so, places are created with people in mind, focussing on how people interact and appreciate their surroundings.  Key guidance comes from the Manual for Streets, the Building for Life Guide, The Urban Design Compendium, and the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment's 'Start with the Park' Guide.

'Green Cornwall' will place a focus on low carbon advancement within the County, recognising the unique potential of Cornwall to generate renewable energy within the UK.  National guidance exists in the form of the UK Low Carbon Transition Plan.

A review of rural economies and affordable housing issues has been published by Lord Taylor of Goss Moor.

A wider understanding of issues affecting rural populations is contained within the Rural Advocate Report.