309. Havant Town Centre possesses a number of assets on which
to consolidate its future prosperity and development. It has good
accessibility for all modes of transport, including rail, and has a
busy bus station plus ample and conveniently located public car
parking. The centre is relatively compact and has an attractive
pedestrian environment. This Plan brings forward proposals for
edge-of-centre retail development which will help to enhance its
overall vitality and viability. The development of derelict sites
at Potash Terrace and Solent road will provide space for new
retailers not currently represented in the centre. This will raise
Havant's market share following full occupation of these schemes.
Consultants have been appointed to prepare an urban design
framework for the town centre and this will provide a blueprint for
the physical renewal of the town centre over the next 10 to 15
years.
HTC1 POTASH TERRACE AND ASSOCIATED
LAND
Planning permission will be
granted for commercial and/or residential development provided it
makes provision for:
(i) related highway improvements
in the vicinity of the site and measures to improve public
transport accessibility;
(ii) new or improved pedestrian
and cycle routes within the site and linking to the town
centre;
(iii) upgrading and improving
the existing subway connection between the site and the town
centre; and
(iv) the diversion of Park
Way.
310. This site is on the edge of the
retail core of the town centre and comprises a number of separate
parcels of land and buildings suitable for a range of complementary
town centre uses as follows:-
- Retail development in the form of large units, food or
non-food.
- High density housing of high quality design including flats and
sheltered accommodation for the elderly.
- Business development within Class B1(a).
- Leisure uses including hotel accommodation.
- Multi-purpose Hall.
- Community Health Care Facilities.
311. The provision of retail floorspace
would increase the critical mass of the shopping centre as a whole
and help draw back trade currently lost to other larger comparison
shopping centres such as Portsmouth, Fareham and Chichester. Whilst
the site is well suited for comparison goods retailing, the Council
will also consider a mix including food retailing. It will be
appropriate to restrict the range of goods to be sold and to
control the size of the retail units.
312. The site is also considered to be a
good location for housing. Housing development would help increase
activity in the town centre and lessen the need of residents to use
a car for shopping and other related trips. Town centre housing is
particularly appropriate for the elderly, disabled or single parent
families for whom a central location may be vital for their
continuing independence. A flood risk assessment will be required
for any proposals to develop this site for housing.
313. The Potash Terrace site is also a
suitable site for business development. Town centre sites have an
advantage over out-of-centre sites in that they can attract a mix
of different employment generating uses from across the range of
professional and service sector uses which require central
locations from which to operate. There are clear advantages for
employees having their place of work close to or in a town centre
particularly as in the case of Havant it is the nodal point for
public transport. Havant is well off in this respect having both a
railway station and bus station.
314. Cinemas, bowling alleys, ice rinks
and other leisure facilities including hotels now tend to be
provided in purpose built complexes and the attractions of these
uses increase through being sited together. The difficulty of
obtaining planning permission for out-of-centre leisure development
increases the importance of the Potash Terrace site for this type
of development.
315. Development proposals for this site
must make due allowance for appropriate landscaping to enhance both
the appearance of the site and soften the outlook from adjoining
residential properties.
316. For commercial development car
parking for customers and staff will need to be in accordance with
the Council's adopted standards. Servicing areas will have to be
segregated from customer parking areas. Proposals for this site
must include a realigned Park Way at its eastern end to form a
fourth arm at the Elm Lane junction. This will enable the existing
Park Way/Park Road North junction to be closed and taken into the
development site, thereby requiring the highway rights to be
extinguished in favour of the realigned route. Developers will be
expected to enter into appropriate agreements with the Highway
Authority and the Council in accordance with Policies T10 and T11
to secure off-site highway works to cater for the site's generated
traffic in a safe and environmentally friendly manner and for
improved facilities for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport
in the vicinity of this site for the purposes of enhancing
accessibility to the site and improving linkages to the town
centre.
317. The existing community health care
facilities currently provided by the local
NHS Trust are under review. The
Trust has indicated that they may either wish to dispose of the
site for redevelopment or retain the site for future health care
use.
HTC2 LAND TO THE NORTH OF THE RAILWAY
LINE, EASTERN ROAD - OFFICE DEVELOPMENT
Development of land to the north
of the railway line at Eastern
Road for office development will
be permitted provided:
(i) it makes provision for a
cycleway connection within its internal layout linking the site's
pedestrian access with New Lane to its vehicular access with
Eastern Road; and
(ii) an agreement is entered
into under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to
meet the Environment Agency's requirements.
318. Land to the north of the
railway line at Eastern Road is defined as an edge-of-centre site
and is proposed for B1(a) development. Office development would act
as a buffer between the housing development to the north and the
railway line. This site is liable to surface water flooding from
the adjacent Lavant Stream, therefore proposals for its development
will need to take this into account.
319. Vehicular access to the site will
be from Eastern Road using the existing access serving the housing
development. Developers will be expected to enter into appropriate
agreements with the Highway Authority and the Council in accordance
with Policies T10 and T11 to secure off-site highway works to cater
for the site's generated traffic in a safe and environmentally
friendly manner and for improved facilities for pedestrians,
cyclists and public transport in the vicinity of this site for the
purposes of enhancing accessibility to the site and improving
linkages to the town centre.
HTC3 DEVELOPMENT SITE - WEST OF PARK ROAD
SOUTH
The development of the site to
the west of Park Road South for town centre uses will be permitted
provided:
(i) no new vehicular access is
created on the Park Road South or Solent Road
frontages;
(ii) it makes provision for
landscape improvements along the Park Road South
frontage;
(iii) it enhances the setting of
the Lavant Stream; and
(iv) it makes provision for the
creation of a footpath/cycleway link between Park Road South and
the site situated immediately to the west.
320. The site is considered suitable for
a range of town centre uses including housing as it is located
close to the commercial core of the town centre. It is essential
that proposals for this site allow for footway and cycle access to
the site situated immediately to the west. Planning permission has
been granted for a 'drive-thru' restaurant on this site which makes
provision for footway and cycle access to the adjoining site
(Policy HTC4).
HTC4 DEVELOPMENT SITE - NORTH OF SOLENT
ROAD
New retail warehouse development
on land north of Solent Road will be permitted provided it makes
provision for:
(i) the extension of Selbourne
Road to provide a vehicular connection between Solent Road and
Brockhampton Lane;
(ii) the provision of
footpath/cycleway through the site linking to the town centre and
the Tesco store;
(iii) necessary improvements to
the local highway network to enable the traffic generated by the
development to be accommodated; and
(iv) enhancement of the setting
of the Lavant Stream.
321. This edge-of-centre site is capable
of being linked to the town centre by a footpath/cycleway
connection across the Lavant Stream. The land currently contains a
small number of houses, a transport yard and some employment
premises and planning permission has previously been granted for
retail warehouse development on the eastern part of the site. The
land is considered suitable for retail warehouse development as
there is a lack of representation by such operators in the eastern
part of the Borough and it would redress the loss of retail
expenditure from Havant to other centres in recent years. The site
is well located between the Havant Town Centre shopping core and
the Tesco Superstore, which attract a considerable number of retail
trips to the immediate locality and is well served by existing
public transport routes. The allocation would thereby afford
increased opportunity for linked trips thereby securing a reduction
in the overall need to travel.
HTC5 DEVELOPMENT SITE - CAR PARK ADJOINING THE PERSEVERANCE
PUBLIC HOUSE, NORTH STREET
The development of the existing car park in North
Street will be permitted provided:
(i) it complements the scale and design of adjoining
properties;
(ii) it takes place across the full frontage of the
site; and
(iii) it maintains and building line of the
immediately adjoining property situated to the
south.
322. The existing car park is too small for convenient use or
to contribute significantly to the total parking requirements for
the town centre. A more appropriate use for this site would be
ground floor shopping with offices at first floor level. A well
designed development of this site would replace an ugly gap in the
street frontage and help to enhance the visual appearance of this
section of North Street.
HTC6 WESSEX CONSTRUCTION AND PLANT HIRE SITE, NEW LANE,
HAVANT
Planning permission will be granted for residential
and/or business development provided it makes provision
for:
(i) the undertaking of remediation measures to resolve
any ground contamination of the site;
(ii) the relocation of the existing use and the
extinguishment of the existing use rights, and
(iii) mitigation of the noise and vibration affecting
the site.
323. The Wessex site sits on the edge of Havant Town Centre
and whilst its relationship to the primary shopping area makes it
inappropriate for retail development, it would make a suitable site
for high density residential and/or business (B1) development. High
density residential development in the form of flats would also be
appropriate because of the likelihood of ground contamination
arising from the current and former uses which could restrict the
potential for private gardens.
324. The site is also suitable for office development (B1) and
would be of benefit to Havant Town Centre. As the site is visually
prominent, it would make a good gateway development and should be
developed in accordance with a development brief to be prepared by
the Council in collaboration with the prospective developer and
local community.
325. In view of the requirement to safeguard extant waste
handling facilities specified by the Minerals and Waste Local Plan,
redevelopment will be dependent upon the relocation of the existing
use and extinguishment of the existing rights. Any application for
the redevelopment of this site would need to be accompanied by a
transport assessment.