Bath Western Riverside Supplementary Planning Document (SPD)

1.5.3 Bath Western Riverside is of critical importance to thefuture success and development of Bath and NorthEast Somerset. It represents an opportunity, the scaleof which will not recur, and the optimum use of thearea’s potential must be realised. Only in this way canthe complex and interrelated economic, social andenvironmental objectives, which need to be met, besuccessfully addressed.1.5.4 Viability needs to be achieved in all respects across thewhole of the regeneration period. The comprehensiveregeneration will create substantial private and socialcosts, which need to be met from the developmentwhilst ensuring that the financial viability of the overallscheme is maintained. There are significant abnormaldevelopment costs which will need to be met by thegross development value created across the WesternRiverside area as a whole. An unplanned incrementalapproach would severely compromise the ability toachieve this objective. The opportunities for gap fundingfrom bodies such as the South West RegionalDevelopment Agency, English Partnerships, and theHousing Corporation are more likely to be maximised ifa comprehensive approach is taken.1.5.5 The optimum land use balance must be delivered. Avibrant and vital City quarter will be created through theinterrelationship of housing, commercial, retail, cultural,leisure and community activities that has been broughttogether through the masterplanning process. Theoptimum disposition of land uses across the site needsto be achieved in order to deliver integration withinBWR and also between BWR and the wider City andtherefore involves relocation of some existing uses. Arange of forms of accommodation within any particularland use will also need to be delivered.1.5.6 The requisite supporting infrastructure and facilitiesmust be delivered. The regeneration of an area of thescale of Western Riverside is dependent upon theprovision of substantial social and physicalinfrastructure and facilities, which must be planned forand provided in a comprehensive manner. The requiredinfrastructure works include comprehensivedecontamination and flood risk management.1.5.7 High quality urban design for the area as a whole mustbe achieved. High quality design is needed not only tointegrate BWR with the City, but also to ensure that thequality of the environment within BWR will endure in thelong term, responding to the context within which it islocated and created.1.5.8 Accessibility, linkages, permeability and transportinfrastructure together with integration with the City as awhole must be secured. All modes of transport andmovement must be assessed cumulatively if theprinciples of sustainable development are to be applied.BWR also has an important role in assisting towardsthe delivery of a bus-based rapid transit system that willform a key element of the public transport networkserving the City.1.5.9 Appropriate sequencing of development will enable theregeneration of the area as a whole to be achieved.Failure to address sequencing at an early stage mayresult in prejudice to the future regeneration of parts ofBWR. Piecemeal development without appropriatesequencing will not enable the full consequences ofdevelopment to be properly addressed and theoptimum development of the whole area to beachieved. For example, the relocation and displacementof certain existing uses must be planned for anddelivered. The displacement of these uses must beaddressed through appropriate alternative provision.1.5.10 It is clear that a comprehensive spatial planningapproach is therefore a prerequisite to the successfulregeneration of BWR and a piecemeal approach wouldbe unacceptable.1.5.11 Mixed-use development is advocated as a positivedevelopment form within national, regional and strategicplanning policy documents. Mixed uses at WesternRiverside will bring activity during different times of theday, create inherent vitality, bring a sense of place tothe area and reduce the need to travel.1.5.12 The main role of this SPD is to set out a SpatialMasterplan that forms a spatial framework for the futureredevelopment of BWR. The Masterplan, however, mustbe read in conjunction with the Implementation Plan setout in Part 3 of this SPD, as it is the ImplementationPlan that sets out the Council’s requirements for thecontent of planning applications, phasing, developercontributions, and design codes.1.5.13 The Masterplan forming part of this SPD constitutes anapproved Masterplan that accords with therequirements of Policy GDS1. Any planning applicationmade for land or buildings within the BWR area will beassessed against this SPD, with particular regard to theneed to demonstrate that individual schemes areconsistent with and contribute to the comprehensivedevelopment of the whole of the BWR site. TheImplementation Plan sets out defined DevelopmentZones within the BWR area, with a requirement for thepreparation of Context Plans for each zone, to ensure acomprehensive approach to BWR.Residential Development1.5.14 In its entirety, depending on the development optionpursued on the eastern sector, BWR is expected toprovide in the region of 3,000 dwellings over the totalredevelopment period. The Bath & North East SomersetLocal Plan expects 800 of these to be provided by2011.1.5.15 In order to create a sustainable and inclusivecommunity, BWR is expected to provide a variety ofdwelling types, sizes and tenures. Having regard tolocal need, demographic trends and the location ofBWR adjacent to the City Centre, it is anticipated thatBWR will provide a significant proportion of smallerunits. It is important to recognise that, whilst BWR itselfmust be a mixed, sustainable community, the existenceof a variety of accommodation in neighbouring areas ofBath will influence the assessment of the extent towhich development of BWR reflects the range of localhousing need. The Council expects, however, at least5% of the units to be provided at BWR to be houses,as opposed to apartments.Bath Western Riverside Supplementary Planning Document 5