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

Bradford North West

Introduction

5.5.1 The Local Plan settlement hierarchy identifies Bradford North West as one of four quadrant areas defined within the wider Regional City of Bradford. The area has a strong urban grain which fans outwards from the city centre with and less dense development toward the fringes. The area has a strong but mixed character provided by the steeply sloping streets of former workers terraces in Girlington, the more rural nature of Sandy Lane, the former rural cores of Allerton and Heaton and the fine Victorian mansions of Heaton Grove. The area is broadly defined by Thornton Road to the south, Manningham Lane to the east and Heaton Woods to the north.

5.5.2 The North West area covers 1,145 hectares and is primarily residential in character with strong commuter and access connections to Bradford City Centre and locations further afield such as Halifax, Leeds and North Yorkshire.

5.5.3 Bradford North West includes the wards of Heaton, Manningham, Toller, Girlintgton, Allerton, the northern part of Clayton and Fairweather Green and a small part of Shipley ward.

Figure 1: Location Plan

5.5.4 The area is a densely developed and populated urban environment which has a has a total resident population of 76,666 people. Further characteristics of Bradford North West show:

• It has a higher percentage of residents (27.9%) who are aged 0-15 compared to both the England and West Yorkshire (sub regional) averages (19.2% and 20.6% respectively), whilst it has a below average population of those aged over 65.
• It has one of the highest percentages of people who consider themselves to be non-white British than other areas (74.3%) which is significantly higher than West Yorkshire as a whole (21.6%).
• Household composition is broadly similar to the sub regional picture, with the highest proportion being married households with the exception of pensioner and cohabiting households where proportions are much lower. Pensioner households fall below average accounting for 12.9% compared with the regional average of 19.5%.

Planning for Prosperity

5.5.5 The Local Plan settlement hierarchy under Policy SP3 identifies the Regional City as the key focus for housing, employment, shopping, leisure, education, health and cultural activities and facilities. Growth in the North West quadrant will transform the economic, environmental, physical and social conditions of local communities and support the long term regeneration of both the regional city and wider District.

5.5.6 Bradford North West is characterised by pockets of deprivation within all wards, most notably Manningham and Thornton and Allerton. In the rank of all 30 wards in the Bradford District, Manningham ranks as the most deprived. Biases include health, income, employment and education deprivation. 53,577 people living in Bradford North West live within the 20% most deprived areas of the country. This in nearly twice the west Yorkshire average. Figure 2 shows the overall picture of deprivation in the area.

Figure 2: Index of Multiple Deprivation – Bradford North West

Economy and Employment

5.5.7 28,472 people are economically active in Bradford North West, this equates to 58.4% of the population, significantly below the West Yorkshire average of 68.5%, with 12.7% claiming unemployment benefit (regional average 7.3%). Annual average household incomes are £34,575 which is around £4,000 below the regional figure of £38,499. The largest employment sectors for local residents are retail, health and social work and education.

5.5.8 The main employment areas are located outside of the Bradford North West area to the south of Thornton Rd (Bradford South West) and east of the Airedale railway line (Canal Rd Corridor), but there are pockets of employment between Manningham Lane and the railway line and between City Road and Thornton Rd. The Bradford Hospital Trust is the major employer in the area with over 5,500 staff spread across a number of locations, which include the BRI and Lynfield Mount Hospitals which sit within the area.

5.5.9 Business Register and Employment Survey (BRES) data indicates that the three largest industry groups by workforce jobs (all people in employment) are health, education and manufacturing with 23% of the working population who reside in the area are in professional or associate occupations, slightly lower than the west Yorkshire average.

5.5.10 In relation to digital connectivity, average broadband speeds in Bradford North West are just under 50 megabytes per second which is above the West Yorkshire average, whilst there are 143 premises where speeds are below the Universal Service Obligation (USO)^[1] which again is lower than the sub regional average.

5.5.11 Policy SP6 sets a District target for the provision of at least 72ha of open market employment land in the District with a significant proportion in the Regional City – use classes B2, B8 and E (formerly B1 type uses). Sites for new employment are identified on the Policies Map but there are no current proposals within the Bradford North West area.

Retail

5.5.12 All retail centres have been subject to a review as part of the Retail and Leisure Study (2019). The original study was completed in 2012. The City Centre is the main focus for retail and service provision for the District followed by the Principal Towns, District Centres and Local Centres.

5.5.13 The Local Plan identifies Girlington District Centre (Figure 3a) as the main focus for convenience retail and limited comparison retail and a range of non-retail services such as banks, building societies, restaurants, cafes and other local public facilities. The majority of the District Centre lies to the south of Thornton Rd and largely falls in the Bradford South West sub area, but there are a number of small independent shops forming a more traditional linear form along the frontage of the north side of the road.

5.5.14 The study concluded that the centre is the highest ranking District centre in the Bradford District and still performs an important convenience shopping role (Morrison's and Lidl), despite a decrease in recent years, as a result of the opening of other convenience competition in surrounding areas, such as Asda (Cemetery Rd) and Aldi (Allerton Rd). The study also concluded that the vacancy rate was above the national average but that this had changed little since 2012. It concluded that the centre as a whole was performing well despite some neglect and the less attractive environment caused by being located at a busy junction.

5.5.15 The Local Plan also identifies seven designated Local Centres within Bradford North West including:

• Allerton
• Carlisle Rd/Whetley Hill
• Duckworth Lane
• Frizinghall
• Heaton
• Oak Lane, Manningham
• White Abbey Road

5.5.16 The boundaries for these areas are shown on the policies map and below at figures 3a to 3c below. These centres cater for general everyday shopping needs to minimise the need to travel.

5.5.17 The Carlisle Road/Whetley Hill Local contains commercial units on both sides of Carlisle Rd up to the junction with Church Street with a variety of facilities which have increased in number since the last study in 2012. It concluded that the centre offers a range of convenience and comparison shops and other services in an area with mixed environmental quality. A number of shops are in poor condition and cosmetic improvements would improve visual amenity of the area

5.5.18 In relation to Duckworth Lane, the study noted that it offers good provision of retail and service with falling vacancy rates. In conclusion the study found the centre to be healthy and viable but with issues relating to parking provision and a lack of planting and vegetation.

5.5.19 The Oak Lane Local Centre was noted as having a long standing vacant plot on the corner of Oak Lane and St Marys Rd which detracts from the environmental quality of the centre. This plot is identified for new housing development. Whilst convenience uses are higher than national averages, comparison, uses were generally low and despite a number of vacancies the area is considered to be healthy.

Figure 3a: Girlington District Centre and Carlisle Road/Whetley Hill, Duckworth Lane, Oak Lane and White Abbey Road Local Centres

5.5.20 The Retail and Leisure Study noted that the White Abbey Road Local Centre had a "relatively narrow comparison offer" that "appears oriented to cater to specific and specialist needs which could potentially attract people from a further catchment". The mix of retail uses is lower than the national average but the area was considered to be in good condition.

5.5.21 The Frizinghall Local Centre identified above, according to the study, had changed little since the last study in 2012 with the exception of some changes of unit and use. Vacancy rates in Frizinghall lie above the national average. In summary the study noted that the buildings were in good condition generally, but recommended cosmetic and environmental improvements "such as additional planting".

5.5.22 The Retail and Leisure Study considered Heaton to be "attractive, clean and well maintained" but with limited pedestrian footfall. The study concluded that the centre has a limited function in meeting local residents daily needs and recommended that additional safe crossing points be identified.

Figure 3b: Frizinghall and Heaton Local Centres

5.2.23 The Retail and Leisure Study commented that since the last study, a new Aldi supermarket had been built in Allerton but that the rest of the centre had a number of vacancies which detracted from the "environmental quality" and the centre was generally "tired with very limited soft landscaping". It recommended an extension to the Local Centre boundary to include Aldi.

Figure 3c: Allerton Local Centre

5.5.24 In summary the retail offer in the Local Centres in Bradford West offers variety but has some key challenges which include, the need to monitor vacancy rates and carry out improvements to the environmental quality.

Transport and Access

5.5.25 Lying in the central part of the District, Bradford North West benefits from good access into the City Centre via numerous bus and rail services which provide good links beyond the Bradford District. Thornton Road and Allerton Rd, Toller Lane and Manningham Lane are the main roads into and out of the city and all are frequent bus routes offering regular services throughout the day. Frizinghall station on the edge of the settlement area provides access into the city with connectivity further afield via the Bradford Interchange or northwards via Shipley through to connections with, Wharfedale, Leeds and Skipton. Leeds Bradford International Airport is 15 km away.

5.5.26 Key Transport issues include traffic congestion along the main routes out of the city centre, Queens Road junction with Manningham Lane is covered by an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) and a large section, up to North Park Road and south of Carlisle Road are with the areas identified as areas of air quality concern (Clean Air Zones - CAZ). The £47m Bradford to Shipley Improvement scheme proposes a raft of measures to improve air quality, reduce accidents and make surrounding areas more ecologically friendly. The scheme is currently under development, but measures may include diverting non local traffic from Manningham Lane to Canal Road and improving junctions to improve the flow of traffic. Bus priority measures are also being worked up for the White Abbey Road, Toller Lane route.

5.5.27 35% of all households have no car compared with 29% across West Yorkshire. The value of public transport and good walkable local services is therefore of great importance.

5.5.28 Strategic transport infrastructure projects to be delivered within the plan period and protected routes are set out on the Policies Map with the local plan. Key initiatives within Bradford North West are detailed in Table 1 below.

Table 1: Bradford North West Transport Projects

Planning for Homes

5.5.29 Bradford North West has 23,693 dwellings, of which 60.9% are owner occupied, the remainder are rented from, housing associations and private landlords. The largest proportion (71.2%) of the area's housing stock consists of terraced housing and semi- detached properties which is slightly above the regional average, the number of detached homes, is lower than the regional average (16.4%) at 10.5%. Over half of the housing stock was built before 1939 and 34.7% between 1945 and 1999. Figure 4 below provides further information.

Figure 4: Bradford North West – Dwelling Type Breakdown

5.5.30 Average house prices across all house types is lower than the West Yorkshire average at £131,145 which is over £50,000 less than the regional average of £183,194. The total affordability ratio between house prices and annual earnings which is usually used as a proxy for number of years' worth of earnings required for a house deposit, is 2.61 years, compared to a West Yorkshire average of 2.96, meaning that the area is theoretically more accessible for first time buyers.

5.5.31 Delivering new housing is a key part of the overall development strategy for the District. The Local Plan seeks to support the creation of sustainable communities in Bradford North West through the regeneration of existing urban areas, particularly supporting the economic, environmental, physical and social transformation of key areas including; Manningham, Allerton and Girlington, through the re-cycling of brownfield land and; the expansion of the urban area in Allerton and Heaton. It will ensure that the housing needs and aspirations of local people can be met, together with those of future residents, for market and affordable housing. In addition, it will support the economic and regeneration aspirations for the wider area, as well as reflecting its role as part of the Regional City.

5.5.32 Policy SP8 sets out a requirement of 2,900 dwellings that will be delivered within Bradford North West within the plan period. These will be delivered through a mix of committed sites that are either under construction or have planning permission (but have not yet commenced), as well as new site allocations. These new homes will be delivered by a mix of sites including existing capacity within the urban area together with some contribution from the Green Belt in sustainable locations. Table 2 below sets out the housing position for Bradford North West which also includes the application of non- implementation or discount rates for planning permissions and allocations. 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

Table 2: Bradford North West- Summary of Housing Requirement and Supply

5.5.33 After the commitments are discounted the residual allocation requirement is 2,091. The evaluated total site supply of housing units form preferred site options equates to 2,357 units which once discounted for non-implementation leaves a final allocation contribution of 2,121 units, just above the remaining requirement.

5.5.34 Bradford North West's allocation mix of 36 sites includes, 16 sites which are brownfield (comprising previously used land and buildings, 6 are mixed (brownfield and greenfield), and 14 are predominantly greenfield. Six sites lie within the current Green Belt the rest are within the urban area. The identified sites have the potential to support a wide range of housing types to meet the housing requirement and are set out in Table A. These sites are also identified on the Policies Map and in the Site Pro-formas below. The development of site allocations should be in accordance with specified development guidelines and approximate site provision figures and all other relevant policies of this Local Plan. In delivering the target for new homes in Bradford North West it has been necessary to make some changes to the adopted green belt. Policy SP5 sets out The Councils 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

Planning for Places and Communities

Green Belt, Natural Landscape and Historic Character

5.5.35 Bradford North West is characterised by urban landscape divided by established parks and less formal urban greenspaces out to rural landscape which frames the area on the western and northern boundaries. Land to the west lies within the Bradford Green Belt and falls partly in the Thornton and Queensbury Landscape Character Area and partly. The prevailing landscape in this area is characterised by mixed upland pasture and has been assessed as being in strong but declining character, with high historic continuity which is sensitive to change.

5.5.36 Land to the north lies within the Wilsden Landscape Character Area. The prevailing landscape in this area is characterised by mixed upland and enclosed pasture which is moderate but declining with medium historic continuity. These areas should be further enhanced. The area also includes areas of wooded valley with strong historic continuity and where development will be resisted.

5.5.37 The Bradford North West area is historically important. Heaton and Manningham areas contain numerous Victorian villas, cottages and mill buildings built by the wealthy wool merchants of the 19^th century and as a consequence there are a total of 559 Grade II and 9 Grade II* Listed Buildings and 7 Conservation Areas. The listed buildings are scattered across the sub area with the most significant clusters within the conservation areas.

5.5.38 Apsley Crescent, Manningham, is considered to be in a poor and deteriorating condition and there are buildings requiring attention in Heaton estates, North Park Road, Southfield Square and St Pauls, Manningham. Other notable buildings in the area include Manningham Mill (grade II* listed building) - parts of which require further repair, Bradford Grammar School, Whetley and Allerton Mills and the former Hall Marks card building on Bingley Rd. Lister Park within the North Park Road conservation area is also a historic park and garden.

Green Infrastructure (GI), Ecology, Open Space and Flood Risk

5.5.39 Bradford North West is characterised by an urban landscape of strong urban grain and steep wooded valleys. Key blue corridors include Chellow Dean reservoirs and Chellow Dean Beck woods, Pitty Beck, Allerton and Red Beck, Heaton. Key green corridors are Heaton Woods and Northcliffe Park, Chellow Dean and Lister Park. Green and blue infrastructure corridors provide opportunities for wildlife to move around, provide linked open spaces and the Plan will seek to enhance these. Figure 5 illustrates their location.

Figure 5: Green Infrastructure Corridors

5.5.40 There are number of biodiversity and ecological assets within or close proximity to Bradford North West settlement boundary, such as the Pitty Beck Valley, Stoney Ridge plantation and Chellow Dean valley and woods and Heaton Woods which are ancient woodlands.

5.5.41 There are 158 sites identified as open space within Bradford North West covering an area of around 258.08ha. Aside of the assets identified above which are also important areas for recreation, other key areas are West Bradford Golf course, the open space network across Allerton including the Millennium Green, West Park, Girlington and playing fields at Scotchman Road, Heaton. Whilst there is a good range and spread of outdoor sport provision within the area, there is a notable deficiency in provision of natural greenspace and Parks in areas like Girlington where there is high density terraced housing with little room for more provision. Figure 6 provides an illustrative overview of the area's open spaces.

Figure 6: Bradford North West - Open Space Overview

5.5.42 There are no significant flood risk concerns in Bradford North West with the exception of a small area north and south of Bull Royd Lane where the Chellow Dean Beck passes through a culvert under the road. There are however small parts of the settlement where there is potential for surface water flooding to occur due to the topography and potential for surface water to periodically overwhelm road drains.

Community Infrastructure – Education, Health and Utilities

5.5.43 Bradford North West has a wide range of community facilities to meet the day to day needs of its local residents. These facilities range from schools, hospitals, GP surgeries through to post offices, places of worship, community halls/centres, playgrounds, a library and various sporting facilities.

5.5.44 The area is served by 23 primary schools and 5 state secondary schools. Access to additional provision is also available in neighbouring areas such as Beckfoot Thornton to the south of Thornton Road. Pupils attainment levels at Key Stage 4 (GCSE) is below the West Yorkshire and national (England) average scores at 328.2 compared to 353.5 and 366.3 respectively. This gap has fluctuated since 2003/2004 but is now narrowing.

5.5.45 Bradford North West has a number of NHS registered healthcare facilities within the area. There are 14 GP surgeries/health centres, secondary, emergency and other hospital healthcare is provided at The Bradford Royal Infirmary (BRI) on Duckworth Lane and at St Luke's Hospital which lies in Bradford South West. The Lynfield Mount Hospital to the north west of BRI provides mental health provision. Figure 7 shows the location of local schools and medical facilities.

5.5.46 Average life expectancy at birth for Bradford North West residents is 76 for men and 80 for women, which is lies slightly below both the West Yorkshire and England averages. Healthy life expectancy is 55 for both men and women which is up to 10 years less than the England average.

Figure 7: Schools & Medical Facilities in Bradford North West

5.5.47 When planning for the long-term development of Bradford North West, 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.

Local Area Strategies and Plans

Bradford North West Local Areas

5.5.48 The Bradford North West sub-area has been broken down into 4 defined local areas with supporting spatial strategies; these are referred to as: Heaton, Manningham, Girlington and Allerton. These local areas are set out in Figure below. Each spatial strategy provides an overview of the local area and sets out the preferred allocations for housing and employment sites.

Figure 8: Bradford North West Local Plan Areas

(10) Consultation Question 89

(1) Consultation Question 90

(5) Consultation Question 91

(2) Consultation Question 92

Preferred Site Allocations and Site Pro-formas

5.5.49 There are no preferred site allocations for employment in Bradford North West. The preferred housing site allocations are detailed below. This table is subsequently followed by site pro forma for each site which provides a summary of key site information and characteristics.

Table A: Bradford North West Housing Sites - Preferred Allocations

Note: The sites labelled "HC" had outline planning permission at 31^st March 2020. Other permissions have been granted on sites since 1^st April 2020

(11) Consultation Question 93

^[1] Universal Service Obligation (USO) - download speeds at or above 10Mbit/s and upload speeds at or above 1Mbit/s including non-matched records and zero predicted speeds