Draft Bradford District Local Plan - Preferred Options (Regulation 18) February 2021

Queensbury

Introduction

5.25.1 Queensbury is a large village located in the south-west of the District and is close to the boundary with neighbouring Calderdale. Queensbury lies on the A647, one of the main routes between Bradford and Halifax, and also on the A644, the main route between Keighley and Brighouse. Queensbury is noted for being one of the highest villages in England, at 1,100 feet above sea level. It is one of nine settlements located in the South Pennine Towns and Villages sub-area. Queensbury falls within the Bradford South Parliamentary Constituency and within the Queensbury Ward.

Figure 1: Location Plan

5.25.2 It has a population of 9,197 and a high proportion of this (63.5%) falls within the working age category (16-64). The age profile of the settlement is comparable to the West Yorkshire and England averages.

5.25.3 The ethnic composition of Queensbury is primarily made up of people who identify themselves as White British – accounting for 94.5%. This is notably higher than the West Yorkshire average (78.4%), but is similar to other more rural locations in the District.

Planning for Prosperity

5.25.4 The Local Plan settlement hierarchy identifies Queensbury as one of Bradford district's six Local Growth Centres. This means that it will make a significant contribution to meeting the District's needs for housing and employment, and provide supporting community facilities.

5.25.5 Queensbury scores slightly lower than the West Yorkshire average across all deprivation measures if measured by number of people in the are living within the 20% most deprived areas of England as ranked by the Indices of Multiple Deprivation. Further information is detailed in Figure 2.

Figure 2: Queensbury Indices of Multiple Deprivation

Economy and Employment

5.25.6 Economic activity rates are relatively positive for Queensbury with 75% of the resident population economically active compared to the West Yorkshire average (68.5%) and of those a slightly higher number being in full-time employment compared to the sub-regional average. Average household income at £42,600 is also above the West Yorkshire average (£38,499). The main employment sectors that the residents of Queensbury work in include retail, health and social work, and manufacturing.

5.25.7 Queensbury has a number of small independent businesses, many of which consist of local shops and services (e.g. car repair, estate agents). The Black Dyke Mill complex houses a number of industrial, retail and commercial businesses, but there are some vacant units within the complex. Other local employment opportunities are in the form of services, for example local schools, health centres, veterinary practice. There are also opportunities at Sidhil Business Park and Holmfield Industrial Estate in Illingworth in neighbouring Calderdale, and other key employment is found in nearby Bradford and Halifax.

5.25.8 Business Register and Employment Survey (BRES) data indicates that the three largest industry groups by workforce jobs (all people in employment) are: health (20.1%), education (17.9%) and manufacturing (17.5%).

5.25.9 The local plan does not seek to specifically allocate employment land within this Local Growth Centre, but the plan is supportive of appropriately sited and scaled economic growth and diversification within the Pennine Towns and Villages.

Retail

5.25.10 There is a good range of shops within Queensbury, the centre contains a total of 74 retail units which incorporate both convenience and comparison uses. There is a Tesco superstore on Brighouse Road and Co-op Food Store on High Street, providing the main food retail outlets. Other local independent shops offer a good variety of retail and services, including a post office, newsagents, hairdressers/barbers, hardware store, estate agents, takeaways, garage and car repairs, cafes and public houses.

5.25.11 The 2019 Retail and Leisure Study concluded that Queensbury is generally an attractive centre, which is in a good state of maintenance, however, there are a number of vacant units and some which are in a poor state of repair. Consideration should be given to bringing these units back into use to ensure the vitality of the centre. Opportunities to provide better connections and use of the Black Dyke Mills complex should also be explored. The extent of the local centre is shown in figure 3 below.

Figure 3: Queensbury Local Centre

Transport and Access

5.25.12 Transport connections for Queensbury are focussed around the two road corridors of the A647 (Halifax Road) and the A644 (Brighouse and Denholme Road), which connects Queensbury to Bradford, Halifax, Keighley and Brighouse.

5.25.13 Queensbury is served by two key bus services: the 526 (operated Yorkshire Tiger) and 576 (operated by First Buses). The 526 provides an hourly service connecting Queensbury to Halifax, and the 576 provides (on average) a 15-minute service connecting it to Bradford and Halifax. The nearest railway station is located around 6km to the south at Halifax. Services from Halifax provide connections into Bradford, Leeds, Manchester and further afield with direct services to London.

5.25.14 There are numerous footpaths and bridleways leading out from Queensbury into the countryside and connecting into the wider public rights of way network, including the Great Northern Railway Trail which links Queensbury to Thornton. The Local Plan will protect the Queensbury Tunnel which runs under the settlement as part of a wider connection with the Great Northern Trail which provides a longer walking and cycling route connecting settlements including Cullingworth and Thornton. Table 1 and the Policies map shows the protected route.

Table 1: Queensbury Transport Route

Planning for Homes

5.25.15 Queensbury has 3,750 dwellings within the settlement area. A large proportion of these properties are owner occupied (76.9%), which is slightly higher than the West Yorkshire (63.4%) and England (64.1%) averages. Around 16% of properties are in private rented tenure and 7% in social rented tenure. Similar to the other South Pennine settlements in the District, the amount of affordable housing provided in Queensbury is notably low, particularly when compared to the West Yorkshire (18% social rented) and England (18% social rented) averages.

5.25.16 There are a mix of house types in Queensbury, with a concentration of older terraced properties and cottages around the centre of the settlement off High Street/Sand Beds/Scarlett Heights. As the settlement has expanded a number of detached and semi-detached properties have been provided. A number of new developments in recent years have further diversified the range and types of houses on offer in Queensbury. The breakdown of house types is: detached (21.4%), semi-detached (33.4%) and terraced (40.2%) with a small proportion of flats (c.4%). Compared to the West Yorkshire average, Queensbury sees a higher percentage of terraced and detached properties.

5.25.17 The average house price (all types) in Queensbury is £144,504 which is notably lower than the West Yorkshire average of £183,194. The average house price is below sub-regional figure for all house types as detailed below in Figure 4.

Figure 4: Queensbury – House Prices

5.25.18 The delivery of new housing is a key part of the development strategy for Queensbury. This will ensure that the housing needs of local people can be met, both in terms of market and affordable housing. New housing will also allow for the modest growth of the settlement, to attract new residents and to help sustain the provision of services and facilities.

5.25.19 Policy SP8 in the local plan sets out a minimum requirement of 450 dwellings to be delivered in Queensbury during the plan period. These will be delivered through a mix of committed sites (those under construction or have planning permission but have not yet commenced) and allocations. Table 2 below sets out the housing position for Queensbury, which also includes the application of non-implementation or discount rates for planning permissions and allocations.

Table 2: Queensbury - Summary of Housing Requirement and Supply

5.25.20 Once the commitments are discounted and removed from the supply, this leaves a residual allocation requirement of 433 units. The evaluated total site supply of housing units from the preferred allocation sites equates to 481 units which is in turn discounted by 10% for non-implementation or under delivery leaving a final allocation contribution of 433 units.

5.25.21 A mix of different sized sites have been identified as the preferred housing allocations for Queensbury to meet the housing requirement. These consist of one brownfield and 8 greenfield sites, 7 of which are Green Belt sites. This range of sites will help to ensure the delivery of homes continues to meet the needs of the population of Queensbury and provide development opportunities for small and medium developers as well as the larger volume house builders. In delivering the target for new homes in Queensbury it has been necessary to make some changes to the adopted green belt. Policy SP5 sets out the Council's approach and justification for green belt releases to accommodate new development and lists the sites proposed for allocation which current lie within or partly within the green belt. Further information on these proposed sites is set out in Table A and identified on the Policies Map and the Site Pro Formas below, together with the local strategies map for each plan area. Development of these site allocations should be in accordance with specified development guidelines and approximate site provision figures and all other relevant policies of this Local Plan. The Council will be supportive of additional proposals for new homes on additional small sites, particularly those that provide a redevelopment opportunity to bring forward land which has been previously used. Support will also be provided to developers who wish to redevelop larger sites and/or buildings for new homes not currently identified, subject to all relevant policies in the Local Plan.

Planning for Places and Communities

Green Belt, Natural Landscape and Historic Character

5.25.22 Queensbury is surrounded by Green Belt which is tightly drawn around the settlement's built form, which currently restricts the expansion the settlement. Three Landscape Character types are identified in the countryside surrounding Queensbury. To the west, north and east is Mixed Upland Pasture. This landscape has moderate strength of character, medium historic continuity, and is prominent and open – as such it is sensitive to change, although there is some potential on the north western side of the settlement. To the south there is an area of Wooded Valley which encompasses Shibden Brook. This landscape has a strong character, high historic continuity and mixed visible/hidden characteristics with a strong sense of enclosure. It is moderately sensitive to change and any development should retain, conserve and enhance the tree cover. There is also an area of Upland Pasture to the south, which again has a reasonably strong character, high historic continuity and is visible and open. This landscape is sensitive to change with development sited too close to the steep valley sides being discouraged to ensure a strong edge to Queensbury is maintained.

5.25.23 Queensbury has a rich heritage with the initial growth of the settlement being attributed to the growth of the wool trade. The historic core of the settlement is focussed around the Grade II Listed Black Dyke Mills, with this part of the settlement being designated as a Conservation Area. There are a total of 20 Grade II listed buildings and structures within the settlement area.

Green Infrastructure, Ecology, Open Space and Flood Risk

5.25.24 Areas to the east, south and partly to the north of the settlement form part of the District's Green Infrastructure (GI) network and should be protected and enhanced. These areas are multi-functional in nature and help to deliver benefits for biodiversity, reduce flood risk, provide public rights of way, and connect areas of open space together.

Figure 5: Green Infrastructure Corridors

5.25.25 There are no Local Wildlife Sites of Local Nature Reserves within the settlement limits of Queensbury. However, to the south there is the Shibden Head Local Wildlife Site. Also to the south and east there are areas of important wildlife habitat with areas of semi-improved neutral grassland, broad-leaved woodland, and ancient and semi-natural woodland forming part of the habitat network – connecting spaces together and allowing for the movement of species. There are areas of priority habitat around Fosters/Littlemoor Park both within and out with the settlement limits.

5.25.26 Queensbury falls within the 7km zone of the internationally designated wildlife habitat of the South Pennine Moors SPA/SAC.

5.25.27 There are 28 open space sites of various types within the settlement which cover a total area of 50.24ha. This represents a good overall level of provision, however, there are some imbalances in terms of the types of spaces provided. Key open space sites in Queensbury which provide for recreation opportunities include: Foster/Littlemoor Park, Russell Hall park, Albert Road playing fields, Foxhill park football pitch, Long Land playing fields and Queensbury golf course. Figure 6 shows the location and types of open spaces in Queensbury.

Figure 6: Queensbury – Open Space Overview

5.25.28 Queensbury is located in an elevated position with limited watercourses running through the settlement. There are no areas within the settlement which are at risk of fluvial flooding. However, there are notable areas across the settlement which are at risk of surface water flooding. In particular areas around Shibden Brook to the west of the settlement and also to the south around Deanstones Lane and Cherton Drive/Harrowins Farm.

Community Infrastructure – Education, Health and Utilities

5.25.29 Queensbury has a range of community facilities available to meet the day to day needs of local people. These consist of local shops, takeaways, cafes, a library, places of worship, a gym, parks, play areas, playing fields, public houses, and an entertainment venue. For a wider range of shops and facilities, sport and leisure centres, residents would need to travel further in to Bradford or Halifax to access such services.

5.25.30 Queensbury has three Primary schools: Shibden Head Primary Academy, Russell Hall Primary School and Foxhill Primary School and one Secondary school: Queensbury Academy.

5.25.31 There are two medical practices in Queensbury located on Russel Road (Queensbury Health Centre) and Osbourne Drive (The Willows Medical Centre) offering primary care services to local residents. Secondary (acute) healthcare is provided at Bradford Royal Infirmary which is around 5km north east of the village. There are three pharmacies within the village providing over the counter medicines and prescription services. There is also two dental practices and an opticians within the village. Figure 7 shows the location of local services in the town.

Figure 7: Queensbury – Schools and GP Practices

5.25.32 When planning for the long-term development of Queensbury, it is vital that new development is supported by the appropriate infrastructure. The capacity, quality and accessibility of services and facilities are all key components in ensuring people can enjoy living, working and visiting the area. The Council will continue work with key infrastructure providers and others including the Local Education Authority, Clinical Commissioning Group and utilities providers to determine the impacts of future growth and development on local infrastructure capacity and provision. Further infrastructure details will be published through the Local Infrastructure Plan and as part of the Regulation 19 stage of the local plan.

(19) Consultation Question 136

Preferred Site Allocations and Site Pro Formas

5.25.33 The preferred housing site allocations are detailed below in Table A. This table is subsequently followed by site pro formas providing a summary of key site information and characteristics.

Table A: Housing - Preferred Allocations

(130) Consultation Question 137