Bingley Neighbourhood Development Plan

5. Our Vision and Development Objectives Comment

5.1 Challenges and Opportunities

5.1.1 The Bradford Council Adopted Core Strategy 2017 set out strategic policies that would be highly significant for the future development of the Parish. Broadly, 1,400 new homes were expected to be delivered in Bingley for the whole of the Core Strategy period which runs from 2011-2030. At the point it was adopted, going forward to 2030, the plan envisaged that somewhere around 700-800 new homes remained to be provided.

5.1.2 The emerging Local Plan (Regulation 18 version at 2021) proposed 1,000 homes in the area between 2020 and 2038, comprising 850 homes for Bingley and 150 homes for Cottingley. Significant changes in the calculation of local housing need and for Local Plan making at the end of 2024 could result in change to local housing requirements in Bingley Neighbourhood Area in due course.

5.1.3 Planning consent is already granted for 400 houses on the boundary of Crossflatts with Micklethwaite village The local community think there is little space for any infrastructure growth within Crossflatts village and that, overall, this will have a detrimental effect on life in both villages.

5.1.4 An opportunity arises to consider how new local housing should be provided to meet identified local needs. Successful places need successful economies and good quality environments. Bingley town centre and the centres of other historic settlements in the Parish have the potential to support growth in prosperity for the local community. It remains a challenge to make significant improvements to regenerate town centres so that they become attractive places to invest, for shopping and leisure and to provide a civic focus for local life. Key challenges arise from ongoing economic restructuring, from retail and leisure trends and related to the investment required to improve the public realm. The Neighbourhood Plan provides an opportunity to talk about what our vision for the future is, how a process can start and how planning policies can help to deliver it.

5.1.5 Currently, Bingley town centre and the local centres of Crossflatts and Cottingley, together with the central areas of Eldwick and Gilstead provide a hub and satellite network of important central and local commercial, leisure and public services. The presence of local services and important community facilities in each village which is part of Bingley creates opportunities to sustain options for sustainable travel and important social cohesion benefits for local residents. As the town is facing potentially significant further development, it is important this pattern of provision is retained and strengthened.

5.1.6 The main settlements in the Parish, of Bingley, Cottingley, Micklethwaite, Crossflatts, Eldwick and Gilstead, abut or lie within the buffer zones of the South Pennine Moors Special Protection Area/ Special Area of Conservation (SPA/SAC). Management objectives are required to address the impacts on the SPA/SAC from development and from increasing numbers of recreational visitors to the Moors based in the locality. Accommodating new development whilst reducing impacts from it, by providing suitable alternative natural greenspaces and integrating these so that they can be accessed on foot, by bike and by public transport, are important challenges. It also provides an important opportunity to improve our local environment for walking, cycling, and for nature.

5.1.7 Pressure for development within the built-up areas of the Parish could lead to the erosion of valuable local green spaces. Providing protection for these so that they can continue to support a network of green infrastructure, providing important environmental benefits for people and potentially connected habitats for wildlife, is also an important challenge. Again, an opportunity arises to consider how protected local green spaces can be managed so that they are enhanced.

5.1.8 Bingley and its adjacent settlements form a distinctive urban settlement set amidst stunning Pennine scenery and a globally important heritage context provided by Saltaire to the east (outside the parish) and the wealth of heritage infrastructure along the Leeds Liverpool Canal and within the town. The position of the town nestled in this natural and heritage landscape is important to local people, for the access it provides to natural scenery, for the views it provides over their town and for the character it imbues their town with. Maintaining and enhancing this character is an important challenge in the context of on-going development, but again also an opportunity to establish how things can be improved.

5.2 Draft Vision

5.2.1 From these challenges and opportunities, we have created a draft Vision for Bingley Parish, set out below.

We have set out draft Objectives that would be followed to achieve the Vision.

5.3 Draft Objectives to achieve the Vision

5.3.1 Based on our draft Vision we have identified some objectives which, if achieved, could help us to deliver it.

5.3.2 The objectives form the basis for the following chapters of the Neighbourhood Plan which set out specific neighbourhood plan policies. Actions required to deliver the Vision and Objectives in full are likely to go well beyond the scope of the Neighbourhood Plan which is necessarily focused on the development of land through the planning system. Where wider action is needed, then Bingley Town Council will work with partners to take it where possible. This is discussed in the following chapters.