6.1 This chapter groups together sites or areas of the Borough where they need protection from certain types of development. These range from extensive areas protected as natural assets to individual sites protected for heritage importance. This document invites views on the identification of areas of particular importance.
The Coast
6.2 The Coast consists of areas of extensive tidal sand and mud, all-day beach areas, extensive areas of dunes, hard sea defences, salt marsh areas together with human features of the promenade including Promenade Gardens, the Pier and other heritage assets and the Island site, Lytham Green and its Windmill, and Fairhaven Lake and Gardens. Protections of these areas are for varied reasons and can have contrasting objectives. The small area of the Wyre Estuary in the north of the Borough is considered here as the protections of the natural environment are similar.
6.3 The Ribble Estuary in the south of the Borough is designated for its importance as habitat as a Special Protection Area, Ramsar wetland site and a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The small area of the Wyre Estuary has the same degree of protection. The international designations mean that the estuaries have the highest possible degree of protection. Development in the plan will need to be assessed for likely significant effects on the protected areas. Such effects can be related to the use of the development site by estuary birds, impact on water flowing into the estuary, or recreational disturbance to the designated area. The existing Local Plan has a policy which applies the highest degree of protection to these assets, reflecting that applied in national policy and through legislation.
6.4 The sand dunes form much of the natural coastal landscape, between Lytham and St Annes and from St Annes Pier north to the boundary with Blackpool. The latter portion is designated as an SSSI, together with another SSSI on the inland side of Clifton Drive North, the latter maintained as a local nature reserve.
Dunes at St Annes
6. 5 There are a number of Heritage assets along the coast including Promenade Gardens at St Annes together with associated Listed shelters, St Annes Pier and the Windmill at Lytham; there are also many Locally Listed buildings and spaces. Other strategically important assets include Fairhaven Lake and Gardens, Lytham Green and The Island site at St Annes.
Q29. Are the protections set out above suitable? Do you have views on how the Local Plan should ensure that protections are effective?
Q30. Are there conflicts between the protections of the estuary and dunes, and the recreational use of the beach and promenade? If so, how should these be resolved?
Fairhaven Lake. This site is not subject to any heritage designation
The Towns and Villages
6.6 The existing Local Plan sets out settlement boundaries around all of the settlements which are either Key Service Centres, Local Service Centres, Tier 1 Larger Rural Settlements and Tier 2 Smaller Rural Settlements, i.e., all those that are considered sufficiently sustainable to be identified for some development. Within the boundaries, development is in principle acceptable providing that other policies of the plan are complied with, such as design, sustainable transport, car parking, viability, and specific policies relating to the proposed use. Some areas within towns and villages have additional protections.
Historic Buildings, Spaces and Monuments
6.7 Conservation Areas, Listed Buildings and Registered Parks and Gardens are designated heritage assets through separate legislation. Listed Buildings, Registered Parks and Gardens and Scheduled Monuments are designated by Historic England. Conservation Areas are designated by local planning authorities. Other historic assets are non-designated.
6.8 There are Conservation Areas in:
- Lytham (Town Centre)
- Lytham Avenues
- Kirkham
- St. Anne’s on Sea (Town Centre)
- Ashton Gardens / Porritt Houses (St Annes)
- St. Anne’s Road East
- Singleton
- Thistleton
- Larbreck
- Wrea Green
6.9 Fylde has over 200 Listed Buildings in total, including one Grade 1 Listing, Lytham Hall. Three Registered Parks and Gardens are Lytham Hall Park, Promenade Gardens, St Annes, and Ashton Gardens, St Annes.
6.10 Non-designated heritage assets can be any building, structure or open space of heritage value. The Council has undertaken a Local Listing Project identifying non-designated heritage assets throughout the Borough.
Woodlands Road, Ansdell
6.11 National policy sets out the tests that must be met in order to justify development that has impacts on heritage assets of different status (i.e. on Listed Buildings, buildings making a positive contribution to Conservation Areas, locally identified heritage assets).
6.12 The existing Local Plan policy highlights certain key assets and covers each category of asset at length. There is no scope for setting out policy that does not align with the approach of national policy. However it is possible to highlight the strategic importance of certain assets and areas to the overall image of the Borough. There is also potential for the policy in the new Local Plan to be more closely linked with general policies for design.
Q31. Should the Council consider designating additional Conservation Areas (outside the plan-making process)? If so, what areas should be considered?
Q32. What views do you have on how the new Local Plan should approach the requirement to protect heritage assets, including those without designation?
Q33. Should the Council consider designating additional non-designated assets in the Borough?
Town, District and Neighbourhood Centres
6.13 National policy operates a “town centre first” policy that directs development of town centre uses to town centres through the requirement for a sequential test to be applied. Main town centre uses should be located in town centres; if sites are not available they should be located on edge-of-centre sites; only if these are not available then out-of-centre sites may be used, only then providing that they are well connected to existing centres.
6.14 Ensuring thriving town centres is a key priority for the Council, both for providing services to residents but also to contribute to the attraction of the towns for visitors, as part of the overall tourism offer.
6.15 The Borough’s retail centres are identified in a hierarchy in the existing Local Plan. Town centres are identified at St Annes, Lytham and Kirkham. There is a district centre identified in Ansdell. Local centres are identified at Freckleton; Alexandria Drive, St Annes; Headroomgate Road, St Annes; St Davids Road North, St Annes; St Albans Road, St Annes; proposed local centres are identified in Warton, Whitehills and Whyndyke.
6.16 The Council commissioned retail/leisure evidence in support of the development of the St Annes Masterplan. The Fylde Healthcheck and Centres Study 2022 (Nexus Planning/ BDP) provides a Borough-wide study of retail performance and sets out identified needs, although this only extends for the 10 years to 2032. It identifies need for additional convenience retail capacity in both St Annes and Kirkham. It notes that any new development of convenience retail should adopt a town centre-first approach.
6.17 The Healthcheck and Centres Study reviewed the performance of the town centres in meeting comparison goods need. It notes that much comparison goods expenditure is lost to higher order centres outside the Borough (notably the town centres at Blackpool and Preston). It notes that the centres in the Borough are trading at equilibrium and as such identifies no need for additional comparison goods floorspace at any of the centres, and projects a very small surplus going forward, based on the overall market share of the centres in the Borough remaining unchanged. It notes that both Lytham and St Annes “support a burgeoning independent sector which should help ensure the resilience of each going forward … there may be future growth in specialist, independent retail businesses. This has the potential to differentiate both centres, drive footfall, and provide more activity both during and outside the summer season”.
6.18 The current Local Plan provides designated areas for each of St Annes, Lytham and Kirkham Town Centres, and for Ansdell District Centre. In these areas development of uses that are contrary to the aims of the town centre are restricted. Changes to the Use Classes Order and the introduction of a greater range of permitted developments for changes of use have resulted in a reduction to the degree of control that local planning authorities can have over uses in town centres (and elsewhere). The policies within the new Local Plan will need to reflect this updated position.
6.19 National policy notes that sites should be allocated in town centres to meet the scale and type of development likely to be needed. Town centre boundaries should be kept under review to allow for such needs to be provided for. However the areas around the town centres are largely built out and potential sites are in limited supply.
6.20 There has been development pressure for uses such as cafes, takeaways and leisure uses away from town centres, with the applicants declaring that they require bespoke layouts and extensive parking areas dedicated solely for the individual business’ use. These are often a highly unsustainable form of development and are can be detrimental to the viability of the town centres. The Council could set out policies requiring flexibility in format from the applicants to require use of shared public parking where available, in order that such uses are directed to town centres through the sequential test.
Q34. Should town centre boundaries be extended to meet additional need for convenience retail provision?
Q35. Where should any additional convenience retail premises be provided?
Q36. Should policies set out specific requirements on the application of the sequential test for identifying sites for town centre uses?
Q37. Should smaller neighbourhood centres be identified?
Public Open Space
6.21 Fylde contains significant areas of high quality greenspace that are valuable community assets and intrinsic to the character of the Borough’s towns and villages. These range from strategically-important spaces such as Lytham Green to small areas of amenity green space that provide the setting for housing areas. Some areas have other protections, such as the three Registered Parks and Gardens, but the large majority of open spaces in the Borough depend on policies in the Local Plan for protection against loss or encroachment from development.
6.22 The existing Local Plan identifies open spaces under the following classification:
- Parks and Gardens
- Semi-Natural Greenspaces
- Amenity Greenspace
- Children’s Play Areas
- Local Areas and Local Equipped Areas for Play
- Youth Provision
- Allotments
- Cemeteries/Churchyards
- Football Pitches
- Rugby Pitches
- Cricket Pitches
6.23 National policy remains generally restrictive on proposals for development on open spaces, and remains in line with the policy in the Local Plan. Therefore this degree of protection would need to remain in order to be compliant with national policy.
Fairhaven Lake Gardens
6.24 National policy also provides for designation of valued open spaces as Local Green Space, conferring a stronger degree of protection. The designation of Local Green Space allows communities to identify and protect green areas of particular importance to them. The St Annes on the Sea Neighbourhood Plan and Bryning-with-Warton Neighbourhood Plan made designations within those settlements; however, there are no designations in the remainder of the Borough. Local Green Space must be close to the community it serves, demonstrably special to the community (e.g. due to its beauty, historical significance, recreational value, tranquillity or wildlife) local in character and not be an extensive tract of land. The Council could consider identifying sites as Local Green Space, particularly where these are of strategic importance to communities. Local Green Space designations should not be used to undermine plan making: in particular, blanket designation of open countryside next to settlements is not appropriate.
Lowther Gardens
6.25 There is a requirement for new open space within development sites in existing Local Plan policy. New strategic sites will result in extensive areas of homes. Best practice indicates that particularly for younger children, suitable open space close to homes is most beneficial. The existing policy is flexible and allows for off-site contributions on smaller sites, and the context to be taken account of, for instance where existing open space exists in directly adjoining areas.
Q38. Are there areas of existing open space that are so important they should be protected by Local Green Space designation?
Q39. Should the new Local Plan:
- Retain protection of existing identified open spaces through Local Plan policy?
- Retain protection of some open spaces but identify others as no longer needed? Please specify.
- Withdraw formal Local Plan protection for open spaces and leave as a matter for the owning bodies.
Q40. Should the new Local Plan:
- Continue with the policy requiring the provision of amenity open space including children’s play space within new development sites, doubled for larger sites, applied flexibly?
- Revise the policy to allow provision of a wider range of types of open space including more natural green space?
- Have a different type of policy or no policy for the provision of new open space (please specify and explain)?
Green Belt, Areas of Separation and Countryside
Green Belt (dark green) and Areas of Separation (bright green) under current policy
Map data from Open Street Map Open Database Licence https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright
Green Belt
6.26 There are four tracts of Green Belt within Fylde:
- between Kirkham and Freckleton;
- between Lytham and Warton;
- between St Annes and Squires Gate; and
- between Staining, Blackpool and Poulton-le-Fylde.
6.27 The existing Local Plan policy states that national policy for development in the Green Belt will be applied. This is to avoid duplication of national policy in the Local Plan and to recognise that national policy may change over the life of the plan, which it has.
6.28 There are five purposes of the Green Belt set out in national policy:
- to check the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas;
- to prevent neighbouring towns merging into one another;
- to assist in safeguarding the countryside from encroachment;
- to preserve the setting and special character of historic towns; and
- to assist in urban regeneration, by encouraging the recycling of derelict and other urban land.
6.29 National policy notes that the general extent of Green Belts is established. It states that, once established, Green Belt boundaries should only be altered where exceptional circumstances are fully evidenced and justified through the preparation or updating of plans. Exceptional circumstances can include, but are not limited to, circumstances where an authority cannot meet its development needs through other means, having fully examined all other reasonable options.
6.30 In Fylde, the areas covered by Green Belt represent only a small minority of the overall area of undeveloped land. Other areas are identified in the current Local Plan as either Areas of Separation, or Countryside. It is anticipated that sufficient sites will be suitable, available and achievable within land that is not designated as Green Belt. Accordingly, it is not considered that exceptional circumstances exist.
6.31 Based on this conclusion, the Council considers that any review of Green Belt land in Fylde cannot be justified.
Q41. Do you support the Council’s proposal that the Green Belt should not be reviewed? Please provide any necessary explanation.
Areas of Separation
The existing Local Plan has identified areas that, whilst not covered by Green Belt, are critical for maintaining openness between settlements. The Area of Separation policy in the existing Local Plan is the response to this situation. Areas of Separation are typically small scale compared to Green Belts, and located between settlement boundaries that are relatively close and at risk of merging.
The existing policy seeks to restrict development to a greater degree than the countryside policy (see below) in order to avoid harm to the effectiveness of the gap between the settlements and protect the identity and distinctiveness of the settlements.
The existing Areas of Separation are identified between Kirkham and Newton, and between Kirkham and Wrea Green. These areas were identified through an exercise that considered distance between settlements or built-up areas (at narrowest point), existing land use, landscape character, topography, development pressure, planning application history, Local Plan designation and other relevant designations. In each case it was identified that there was potential for the gap to be compromised, over time leading to the progressive coalescence of settlements and loss of distinct identity.
Q42. Would you support the continued identification of Areas of Separation in the new Local Plan? Please provide any explanation.
Q43. Is there a need to review the boundaries of the Areas of Separation?
Q44. Are there additional areas where the Areas of Separation policy should also apply? Please explain.
The Countryside
6.35 Outside of the existing towns and main villages, the countryside is defined on the Policies Map for the existing Local Plan as areas not covered by Green Belt or Areas of Separation. Designation is necessary to prevent uncontrolled development: without restriction, the countryside would be developed for very low-density housing at random locations, resulting in profligate use of land, the creation of homes in isolated
6.36 In the countryside, existing policies give a lower standard of protection than Green Belt or Area of Separation policies. The principle is to seek to allow uses appropriate to the countryside to operate without unnecessary restriction, but restrict encroachment by urbanising development.
6.37 The existing countryside policy includes allowing for minor infill development, and reference to meeting local community needs. There will be a need to review all elements of the existing policy but particularly these aspects and whether the text needs further clarification within the policy.
Q45. Do you support retention of the three-tier policies (Green Belt, Areas of Separation, Countryside) for the protection of open land within Fylde?
Q46. Please give any further comments on how the Local Plan policies should operate outside settlement boundaries.
