Local plan evidence base - Derby City Council

Evidence base

A comprehensive evidence base was created to support the Adopted Derby City Local Plan Part 1. Key studies are on the following sections, while the entire evidence base for the Adopted Derby City Local Plan Part 1 is on the Examination Library page.‌

New evidence to support the emerging Local Plan will be added to this page as it completed.

Housing

Derby 2018 Strategic Housing and Employment Land Availability Assessment (SHELAA)

The 2018 SHELAA can be found at the Strategic Housing and Employment Land Availability Assessment page.

The following documents formed the evidence base for the now adopted Derby City Local Plan Part 1 - 2017 and are still current to be used as evidence to back up our policies and help us understand the issues in the city.

Interim Housing Position Statement August 2015

Five Year Housing Supply

The Council's current Five Year Supply is set out in these documents:

Local Housing Needs Assessment

The following document assesses the need for the number and types of housing within Derby City and South Derbyshire:

Local Housing Needs Assessment Final Report 2023

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Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling Show People

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and Planning Policy for Traveller Sites (PPTS) require Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) to carry out assessments of the future accommodation needs of Gypsies and Travellers and Travelling Showpeople. These are called Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessments (GTAAs) and they are used as part of the evidence to inform planning policy for Gypsies and Travellers, including identifying the numbers of pitches and types of sites that are needed in the City over the coming years. In accordance with the NPPF and the duty to co-operate set out in the Localism Act 2011, a GTAA covering Derby, Derbyshire and East Staffordshire has been produced (June 2015) this replaces the previous GTAA published in 2008 for Derby and Derbyshire.

Viability

Peter Brett Associates (PBA) were commissioned by the Derby Housing Market Area authorities to produce an initial Strategic Viability Assessment (SVA) Study to assist the Councils in preparing their Core Strategies. It is not intended to be a detailed site-by-site analysis, but rather a high level assessment that can help to inform policy choices. This has been based on a limited number of scenarios, which provide a starting point for further debate.

The Derby HMA Authorities commissioned NCS to prepare a HMA-wide viability assessment to assist in their consideration of whether to pursue CIL and to provide information to support the preparation of their individual ‘Core Strategies’. The report was completed in July 2014 and provided information on a wide range of potential development scenarios.

Following its completion, the City Council carried out some additional assessments using the information provided by NCS. The results of this can be found in the short ‘Addendum’ report provided:

Retail and Centres Study

We have not comprehensively refreshed our city-wide retail evidence since 2009. In response, Planning with the support of Regeneration Projects and Transport have commissioned Nexus Planning to assess future retail (and leisure) needs generated within Derby and the wider Derby Urban Area (DUA) up to 2028 and more broadly to 2043.

The work provides a detailed analysis of centres in Derby’s retail hierarchy, including the City Centre, District Centres and a number of Neighbourhood Centres. This analysis provides commentary in relation to a number of key indicators of health and provides recommendations for potential future interventions relating to enhancing the function and environment of centres as well as suggestions to improve accessibility and highways infrastructure.

Evidence which supported the Adopted Derby City Local Plan Part 1, including the 2009 Retail and Leisure Study is now contained within the Examination Library page.‌

The study is set out in:

Retail Circuit Strategy

We commissioned consultants to examine the retail market for the City in 2008 and to assess the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for a strategy to maximise the future performance of the city centre’s retail offer.

The results of this examination are available in the:

Green Wedge

The Green Wedge Review (large file: 13.6MB) Green Wedge Review examined the different roles and functions of each of the thirteen wedges identified in the City. The Review considered a number of potential development sites and assessed if there was some potential for development without undermining the key roles, functions and overall character of the Green Wedge.

Water and flooding

The Water Cycle Study provided the Derby City Council, Amber Valley Borough Council and South Derbyshire District Council with a detailed understanding of the current situation with regard to water supply, waste water and sewerage treatment and water quality.

The Level 1 Strategic Flood Risk Assessment highlighted the impact of flooding across the City while the Level 2 Strategic Flood Risk Assessment considered, in more detail, flooding issues on three sites in Derby.

More information is available in the:

Employment

The following documents assess the supply, need and demand for employment land and premises within Derby City and South Derbyshire:

Open space, sport and recreation

The Playing Pitch Strategy was published after the adoption of the Part 1 Local Plan and focuses on the provision of outdoor sports facilities in Derby and South Derbyshire District Council. A separate report made recommendations for outdoor sports provision along the Southern Derby Growth Zone.

PPG17 Study 2010

The PPG17 Study provided a snapshot of the provision of various types of open space in Derby, looking at quality, quantity and accessibility. It highlighted where there may be deficiencies and where there may be a surplus and concluded by suggesting standards which the Council could implement through the Local Plan.

The PPG17 Study is made up of:

Derby Playing Pitch Strategy

The Playing Pitch Strategy was published after the adoption of the Part 1 Local Plan and focuses on the provision of outdoor sports facilities in Derby and South Derbyshire District Council. It is made up of the:

Derby PPS - Strategy Action Plan

The Derby Growth Zone Report made recommendations for outdoor sports provision along the Southern Derby Growth Zone.‌

Renewable Energy Study

The Renewable Energy Study for Derbyshire has been produced to help understand current energy usage, future usage scenarios, and the potential opportunities for the delivery of renewable energy technologies across Derbyshire. The Study will form part of the Council’s evidence base for the next Local Plan.

It is important to stress that the Renewable Energy Study is a high-level study and takes account of several constraints such as the natural environment, heritage designations and climatic conditions to identify broad areas which are less constrained for each type of renewable technology. It does not mean that planning permission will be given automatically in less constrained areas.

Transport

Derby HMA Transport Position Paper and Non-Technical Summary (November 2012) - This document provides a broad position statement on key strategic transport issues within the HMA as part of the consultation on our 'Preferred Growth Strategy'. The paper focuses on providing a non-technical summary of the MVA Derby Urban Area Transport Modelling Report (published in November 2012)
Derby Urban Area: MVA Transport Modelling Report September 2012 - section 1-5 (Large file: 18MB)
Derby Urban Area: MVA Transport Modelling Report September 2012 - section 6-10 (Large file: 26MB)
Ptolemy, appendix A and MVA report

Education

We have been working with our HMA partners and city and county education officers to ensure that the implications of new housing growth on school places are understood and sufficient school places can be provided to serve existing and new communities around the HMA. An Education Position Statement has been prepared for the HMA to draw together the school place planning evidence that has been used to inform the Preferred Growth Strategies.

Education Position Statement October 2012

Regeneration

Tall Buildings Study

With a unique and important history, Derby is a city that is familiar with tall buildings. From the soaring chimneys of the industrial revolution to the elegant spires of religious and civic buildings, the skyline of the city has always been defined by these extraordinary structures. In recent years, demand for a limited supply of land has resulted in new buildings coming forward at greater and greater heights with a number of key proposals sparking debate in the city.

Furthermore, the City is tightly constrained and has not been able to meet all of its objectively assessed housing needs in the current plan period. There is now an opportunity to get to grips with the opportunities and sensitivities of tall buildings and create a proactive vision for their future role in the city, and to identify opportunities for intensification in the city.

The Tall Buildings Study aims to provide the reader with a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of tall buildings, both in general terms and specifically in relation to Derby. Following an innovative urban design based approach, the study then makes recommendations on how the height and location of future development can be optimised to bring regeneration and economic development while responding appropriately to the city’s heritage and image. The Tall Buildings Study will be used to inform the Council’s Local Plan and the development of the new City Centre Masterplan.

The creation of the Derby Tall Buildings Study has been underpinned by a comprehensive stakeholder engagement programme. This has been fundamental to ensuring the study reflects the particularities of Derby and is representative of local ambitions and concerns. This is not a one-size-fits all approach, it is a bespoke and considered process, for which stakeholder engagement has been a key element. The makeup of the client steering group is a clear indication of this, comprising of members of DCC Planning and Regeneration teams, the Economic Development Advisory Committee (EDAC) and the Conservation Area Advisory Committee (CAAC) members.

Part 1: Baseline

P‌art 2: Recommendations

Appendices

A City Skyline and Significant Views Study was carried out to inform the production of the Tall Buildings Study.

Derby Housing Market Area - Growth Options Study

Derby City Council, Amber Valley Borough Council and South Derbyshire District Council, which together comprise the Derby Housing Market Area (HMA), are each committed to producing a new separate Local Plan and to align these processes as far as possible.

In 2019, the Derby HMA was confirmed as the most appropriate basis for strategic planning in the Derby area and to therefore inform the next round of plan making within the HMA.

In 2020, as part of the evidence base for the next round of plan making, the HMA authorities jointly commissioned planning consultants AECOM to prepare an independent study to appraise opportunities for new strategic sustainable growth outside of the City.

The Growth Options Study, which was completed in 2021 and has now been formally endorsed by the Derby HMA Joint Advisory Board, identifies potential areas for urban and village expansion, co-dependent settlements and new settlements, up to 2050.

The study does not however, identify specific strategic sites or preferred development locations, nor does it quantify the precise level of growth that each of the potential areas for strategic growth could accommodate. These will be determined through the respective plan making processes.