Knowsley Replacement Unitary Development Plan - Knowsley Council

URBAN GREENSPACE, SPORT AND RECREATION
URBAN GREENSPACE, SPORT AND RECREATION
Figure 10.1: Types of urban greenspace
i. Parks and gardens - including urban parks,
country parks and formal gardens;
ii. Natural and semi-natural urban greenspaces -
including woodlands, urban forestry, scrub,
grasslands (e.g. downlands, commons and
meadows) wetlands, open and running water,
wastelands and derelict open land and rock
areas (e.g. cliffs, quarries and pits);
iii. Green corridors - including river and canal
banks, cycleways, and rights of way;
iv. Outdoor sports facilities (with natural or
artificial surfaces and either publicly or
privately owned) - including tennis courts,
bowling greens, sports pitches, golf courses,
athletics tracks, school and other institutional
playing fields, and other outdoor sports areas;
v. Amenity greenspace (most commonly, but not
exclusively in housing areas) - including
informal recreation spaces, greenspaces in
and around housing, domestic gardens and
village greens;
vi. Provision for children and teenagers -
including play areas, skateboard parks,
outdoor basketball hoops, and other more
informal areas (e.g. 'hanging out' areas,
teenage shelters);
vii. Allotments, community gardens, and city
(urban) farms;
viii. Cemeteries and churchyards; and
ix. Accessible countryside in urban fringe areas.
Source: The Urban Green Space Taskforce
TACKLING THE ISSUES
10.4
A key objective of this Plan is to promote the interests
of all types of sport and recreation which are needed
by the communities within Knowsley. The Council
has prepared a strategy covering playing pitches and
has also prepared an Open Space, Recreation and
Sport Needs Assessment to comply with the
requirements of PPG17, “Planning for Open Space,
Sport and Recreation”. An Open Space, Recreation
and Sport Strategy will also be prepared by the
Council which, together with the needs assessment
will inform planning decisions with respect to open
space and built sports facilities. Further guidance
will be provided in a Supplementary Planning
Document (SPD).
10.5
The strategy will identify options for change after
considering existing and future needs.
The Supplementary Planning Document will:
• Define a hierarchy of different types of public
open space;
• Identify the minimum quantity, quality and
accessibility of each type of provision;
• Identify a minimum acceptable size for those
types of provision where this is applicable;
• Provide design guidelines for each type
of provision;
• Provide formulae for the calculation of commuted
maintenance sum payments where new
development will provide open space/recreation
facilities as part of the development or use
existing provision in the area;
• Provide formulae for the calculation of capital
cost of providing and maintaining new off-site
provision where appropriate; and
• Apply the standards to identify existing
deficiencies/surpluses for all types of provision in
terms of quantity, quality, accessibility and size
and projected future needs taking account of
socio-demographic trends, participation trends
and planned new provision.
POLICY OS1:
STRATEGY FOR URBAN GREENSPACE, SPORT
AND RECREATION
Open space, sport and recreational facility sites
will be protected from inappropriate development
and proposals to improve existing sites and create
new sites, to meet identified needs in the Borough,
will be supported.
New development should:
a) Protect sites which have existing or potential
value to provide for identified local needs;
b) Improve the quality and/or accessibility of sites
where this would address identified deficiencies;
c) Create new sites where this would address
identified deficiencies and resources are
available; and
d) Protect and where possible improve links
between sites.
Where needs arise from new developments,
planning obligations will be sought to secure new
or improved provision and contributions towards
future maintenance.
This is a Part 1 policy
EXPLANATION OS1
10.6
The policies of this Plan aim to ensure that new
development is consistent with the provision of both
an adequate quantity and quality of accessible urban
greenspace and sporting facilities. In the case of
public open spaces and playing pitches, provision will
be made within a hierarchy of different types of open
spaces, to be set out in the “Open Space, Sport and
Recreation” Supplementary Planning Document.
This will identify the special role that parks and other
types of open space should play, and recommend
appropriate facilities that should be provided within
each level in the hierarchy and their distribution
across the Borough. Development that would
significantly harm the qualities of open space, as set
out in policy OS2, is inappropriate.
POLICY LINKS
Policies OS2-6
POLICY OS2:
URBAN GREENSPACE
1. New development within or affecting areas of
greenspace will not be permitted if it would
significantly harm any special qualities of the
greenspace in respect of the following:
a) Visual amenity;
b) Residential amenity;
c) Wildlife value and environmental benefits;
d) Cultural and community value;
e) Recreational and health benefits; or
f) Strategic benefits.
2. Development within or affecting greenspaces
will be permitted where:
a) The development would be of a minor
nature which would not harm the qualities
of the greenspace listed above;
b) The development is required in connection
with the use of the greenspace (e.g. small
changing rooms); or
c) Any harm caused by the development
would be mitigated, for example, by the
provision of replacement facilities which
must be of at least as high quality, “fitness
for purpose”, and accessibility as any
facilities which would be lost.
3. Development must not sever existing, or
prevent identified potential, physical and/or
visual linkages between adjoining urban
greenspaces, and should wherever possible
improve them.
112
KNOWSLEY REPLACEMENT UNITARY DEVELOPMENT PLAN: Adopted June 2006
KNOWSLEY REPLACEMENT UNITARY DEVELOPMENT PLAN: Adopted June 2006
113