Regulation 19 Rutland Local Plan

Ends on 2 December 2024 (25 days remaining)

Chapter 3 – Vision and Objectives Comment

Local Plan Vison and Objectives

The Local Plan establishes a clear vision for the future and should set out objectives for delivering that vision during the plan period. This establishes the framework upon which the policies and proposals of the plan are built. Local plans provide a mechanism to deliver the strategic aspirations of an area over an extended period. Strategic Objectives explain what is trying to be achieved through the strategy and policies included in the Local Plan to deliver the vision.

Vision

By 2041, the Local Plan will have helped Rutland to make the most of its location, natural features and historic assets to become a leading example of a modern rural county.

The Local Plan will have supported the delivery of:

  • changes that improve people's quality of life, address the impacts of climate change and the need to become carbon net zero
  • a strong, competitive, and knowledge-based local economy that provides opportunity for indigenous and inward investment and where businesses and entrepreneurs flourish
  • a range of high-quality housing that meet the County's minimum housing need and which meets the needs of all sections of the community, including affordable homes, space for Gypsies and Travellers and Travelling Show people and homes which meet specialist needs
  • healthy, sustainable, mixed communities with easy access to services and facilities by cycling, walking, public transport as well as by private vehicle
  • development and change which respects Rutland's rural character and has enhanced the County's sense of community and its unique rural identity
  • protection and preservation of the natural environment and heritage assets and their setting, including the enhancement and recovery of biodiversity, contributing to the nature recovery network;
  • appropriate infrastructure (particularly education, health, roads, and community facilities) to mitigate the impact of new development

The market towns of Oakham and Uppingham will continue to thrive as vibrant destinations to shop, socialise and enjoy life – both for those who live locally and those who visit and contribute to the County's thriving local visitor economy. They will continue to be the main focus for additional housing and employment growth, while their role as business locations, service and cultural centres for the County will have been enhanced.

Beyond the towns, some planned development will have occurred in the 21 Larger Villages. Small scale, local, development will also have been permitted in the smaller settlements ensuring that our rural communities remain vibrant.

The quintessential rural character of the countryside will have been protected and support given to rural diversification and adapting rural activities to meet the challenges of climate change, digitalisation and changing travel patterns whilst simultaneously allowing for the continued operation of existing rural businesses and their ability to contribute to the rural economy.

The development needs of communities, businesses and visitors will have been enabled taking particular account of:

  • climate change and the drive towards carbon net zero
  • addressing health inequalities and improving the wellbeing of our communities
  • addressing social and economic inequalities and promoting active travel routes
  • the area's internationally recognised natural, built, and historic environment
  • the provision of adequate supporting infrastructure

Strategic Objectives

Strategic Objective 1: Climate change - taking positive action to achieve net-zero and reduce our carbon footprint, whilst mitigating and adapting to reduce the impact of climate change and reduce the risk of harm to people, communities, the environment, and the economy.

This will be achieved through:

  • the design of new development
  • minimising energy usage
  • promoting low carbon and renewable energy generation in the right locations
  • reducing dependency on fossil fuels, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions
  • requiring water sustainability and efficiency measures
  • using nature-based solutions to climate change
  • increasing biodiversity, nature recovery and exploring the role of carbon capture, whole life carbon and carbon sequestration
  • reducing and managing the risk of flooding from all sources
  • protecting and enhancing water resources, including water quality and habitat resilience

Strategic Objective 2: Delivering sustainable development - delivering development which meets today's needs in a way which ensures the needs of future generations are not compromised.

Supporting an appropriate level of growth which is proportionate in scale and sited in locations that promote sustainability in local communities, especially those where there are good public transport and active mode connections, and where people can access: homes which are affordable; jobs; services; health, education, social and community facilities; open space; and infrastructure.

Supporting growth which delivers wider social and economic outcomes, whilst protecting and enhancing the natural and built environmental taking a natural capital approach and in consideration of the rural nature of the County.

Strategic Objective 3: Meeting housing needs

Meeting Rutland's identified current and future diverse housing needs, including the affordability and adaptability of housing, through the provision of well-designed, energy efficient and low/zero carbon new homes.

Strategic Objective 4: A prosperous and resilient local economy

Supporting business investment and job creation in ways which are compatible with environmental considerations, food security, rural development and supporting visitor attractions to maintain a prosperous and resilient economy in Rutland.

Strategic Objective 5: Supporting healthy and vibrant communities

Promoting health and wellbeing for people of all ages and reduce health inequalities by:

  • enabling Rutland's market towns, and their centres in particular, to thrive as attractive and vibrant places for economic, social and cultural activity with good access to services and infrastructure
  • developing a diverse and thriving network of villages and communities that serve local needs; maintaining and improving their viability and sustainability for future generations to enjoy
  • ensuring new development and open spaces support physical and mental health and wellbeing for all, encourage active and healthy lifestyles, supports active modes of travel, and enhances connectivity between people and places and people and nature
  • protecting the County's heritage assets, landscape character, and identity

Strategic Objective 6: Creating safe, inclusive, and resilient communities

Supporting all communities across the County to make them safe, inclusive, resilient to change with enhanced community cohesion.

Strategic Objective 7: Promoting high standards of design

Promoting high standard of design in all new development which is:

  • innovative
  • low carbon
  • climate resilient
  • low cost
  • responds to its local character
  • locally distinctive
  • uses nature-based solutions
  • cleaner, greener and creates safer places

Strategic Objective 8: Protect and enhance the built and natural environment

To provide, protect and enhance Rutland's varied and high-quality built and natural environment, which includes:

  • natural landscapes
  • multifunctional blue and green infrastructure
  • biodiversity and geodiversity
  • trees and hedgerows
  • heritage assets and their settings
  • cultural assets

Seek initiative-taking and creative solutions to securing endangered assets in perpetuity and improving landscape connectivity for people and wildlife and contribute to the establishment of the nature recovery network.

Promote the multifunctional role of green and blue infrastructure in combating the effects of climate change and supporting health and wellbeing.

Deliver biodiversity net gain (BNG) on new developments.

Strategic Objective 9: Make effective use of land and natural resources

Encouraging the effective and prudent use of previously developed land and natural resources, including:

  • the re-use and refurbishment of existing buildings
  • the efficient use of land and buildings
  • the use of sustainable construction techniques
  • efficient use of water resources, protecting water quality and flood management
  • remediating and mitigating degraded, derelict, contaminated, and unstable land
  • providing for waste management and disposal towards net self-sufficiency in waste management

Strategic Objective 10: Ensure development is supported by essential infrastructure and services

Ensuring development is supported by essential infrastructure and services, this includes (but is not limited to):

  • blue and green infrastructure
  • digital infrastructure and utilities
  • health care facilities
  • roads and active travel routes
  • schools
  • sport and recreation
  • waste management
  • water supply and wastewater management
  • Safe movement around the County for all
  • sustainable modes of travel by enhancing greener travel networks for walking, cycling and public transport.

Strategic objective 11: Minerals

Ensuring a steady and adequate supply of minerals to meet national, regional, and local needs whilst avoiding and minimising impacts on the environment and local communities.

Why are the Vision and Strategic Objectives needed?

The NPPF says that local plans should provide a positive vision for the future of their area which provides a framework for addressing housing need and other economic, social and environmental priorities. It also says that strategic policies should look ahead over a minimum of 15 years from the adoption of the plan. This Local Plan is expected to cover the 20-year period from 2021 (when work began on the new plan) through to 2041.

In general terms, Rutland is recognised as having a high quality of life, with an attractive and high-quality environment, low levels of deprivation, unemployment and crime, high levels of life expectancy, health, and educational attainment.

Nevertheless, it is not a universal picture of affluence, and the attractive rural nature of the area gives rise to its own problems such as the high cost of housing and difficulties accessing services due to the dispersed pattern of settlement making it harder to deliver transport provisions.

In 2021 the Council led on a "Future Rutland Conversation" which sought to find out what really mattered to local people and businesses. Having listened carefully, a shared vision named the Future Rutland Vision, was agreed in 2022, which provides a set of long-term goals and aspirations based on the things that local people said are most important:

  • Rutland 's character, its homeliness and community spirit
  • peace and well-being, nature, wildlife, rurality, and the freedom to enjoy life

Rutland is seen by many as a truly special place – somewhere that you can live your best life. The Future Rutland Vision recognises that Rutland has something unique which needs to be preserved, enhanced, and built upon.

The Future Rutland Vision is split into four sections that cover all aspects of life in Rutland:

  1. A special place: Sustaining a vibrant rural County that harnesses the enterprise of its businesses, the ambition and creativity of its residents, and the passion of its local communities.
  2. Sustainable lives: Living sustainably and combatting the climate crisis through the power of choice, the removal of barriers, and collective action.
  3. Healthy and well: Promoting health, happiness and well -being for people of all ages and backgrounds.
  4. A County for everyone: Celebrating diversity and ensuring everyone has the opportunity to live well, be heard and overcome any challenges they may face.

The Future Rutland Vision aspires to ensure a thriving and sustainable County creating the right conditions for businesses to succeed and grow with places that are healthy, safe, connected and affordable to live in and which accommodate future population growth. This should be achieved in a way that protects and enhances the things that are unique and special to Rutland.

This vision is not meant to be a detailed plan. It sets out big, long-term goals for Rutland, based on the things that local people have said really matter. More detailed plans and policies will stem from the vision and serve as the catalyst for change.

The Local Plan is one of these more detailed plans. The Local Plan provides an opportunity to protect the things which are important and special about Rutland whilst shaping new development and managing change in a positive way which benefits residents, businesses, and visitors.

The Local Plan provides a mechanism to deliver the strategic aspirations and "vision" of an area over an extended period of time. Strategic Objectives explain what is trying to be achieved through the strategy and policies included in the Local Plan to deliver the vision.

The Council's Corporate Strategy has been refreshed for 2024 and has four priorities:

  1. Tackling the climate emergency: Policies will support the County to tackle the climate crisis, helping to reduce carbon emissions and minimise the impact of climate change on the lives of residents and local businesses.

    Our objectives:
    • reduce carbon emissions and adapt to the impact of climate change
    • maintain our rural identity and support nature recovery
    • further increase recycling rates and reduce levels of waste
    • improve public transport links and opportunities for greener forms of travel
       
  2. A diverse and sustainable local economy: Building a strong rural economy with a productive, sustainable and diverse business base that provides opportunity for all.

    Our objectives:
    • grow a more productive local economy, working alongside our business partners to provide greater opportunities for better paid jobs locally
    • invest in infrastructure to enable a growth in economic productivity
    • meet the housing needs of our community
    • deliver a safe, vibrant and attractive place
       
  3. Support the most vulnerable: Working collaboratively to improve outcomes for residents, helping those that need additional support to live their best lives.

    Our objectives:
    • provide inclusive education provision for children with additional needs
    • improve wellbeing and reduce health inequalities
    • improve outcomes for vulnerable children
    • enhance outcomes for vulnerable adults through locally integrated services.
       
  4. Provide good public services: Delivering modern and cost-effective services which are easy to access and provide good levels of customer care.

    Our objectives:
    • accessible services which offer good customer care
    • an effectively governed and financially viable council
    • empower and enable communities to support their local area
    • support a dynamic and sustainable Council workforce.

Under each of these priorities, the Council has developed a clear set of actions which identify what we are trying to achieve, and specific performance measures to ensure the Council delivers against our priorities. Development of a new Local Plan for Rutland impacts on the full range of identified priority areas.

The County Council does not deliver development, growth and change directly but through its planning function it has a key role in shaping development and change to ensure that it meets the County's long-term vision.

Not all aspects of the Future Rutland Vision are directly relevant to the Local Plan therefore the Local Plan vision uses those parts which are relevant to develop a Local Plan specific, vision.

Supporting Evidence

Future Rutland Vision
Rutland County Council Corporate Strategy Refresh
All evidence for the Local Plan is relevant to the objectives.

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