Our strategic policies - expired

Here are Havering's strategic policies, these sit above the site specific policies found in the chapters down the left of this page.

The principles the UDP is founded on...

• UDP Objectives
• Environment
• Green Belt
• Employment
• Shopping
• Housing
• Transport
• Leisure and recreation
• Minerals and Waste Disposal
• Public Services
• Romford Town Centre

UDP Objectives

Policy STR1

The Plan aims to achieve a balanced approach to future development in Havering, by promoting encouraging and allowing developments and improvements which are necessary and/or desirable, and also by conserving and protecting both the Green Belt and the urban areas of the Borough.

The Council's objectives for the plan are:

1. To guide developments in the way which will best meet the needs of the whole community within Havering, including people with special needs
2. To give a high priority to protecting and improving the environment
3. To promote high standards of design and amenity in new development, and to conserve the architectural and historical heritage, landscape quality and the natural environment
4. To prevent inappropriate development in the Green Belt, meet the needs of agriculture, encourage landscape improvements and the appropriate use of Green Belt land
5. To promote a major economic development at Rainham which will assist the regeneration of East London
6. To be positive and flexible in providing for a wide range of employment uses within designated employment and commercial areas
7. To maintain the relative attractiveness of Romford as a strategic centre serving the whole Borough and a much wider catchment area
8. To support existing town centres and shopping areas as the main focus for shopping and community facilities
9. To retain existing housing and to maximise the supply of land for new housing within the context of other objectives
10. To seed to secure a wide range of opportunities for arts, culture and entertainment, indoor and outdoor sport, and recreation
11. To seek to achieve an appropriate provision of recreational open space
12. To achieve better accessibility through improvements to public and private transport so as to provide for safe and convenient movement of people, goods and services without harming the environment
13. To ensure land is available to meet needs for education, health, social services, waste disposal and other essential services

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Environment

Policy STR2

The Council will give a high priority to protecting and improving the environment, proposals must respect and, wherever appropriate, enhance the environment. The Council will reject developments or changes of use or advertisements which would be visually intrusive, or out of character with their surroundings, or which would seriously affect nearby properties. Fine views and areas of special landscape or urban character will be protected.

Policy STR3

The Council attaches particular importance to maintaining the character of established residential areas, and ensuring that this is respected by any new developments.

Policy STR4

The Council will continue to carry out schemes to improve the environment, provided that resources are available.

Policy STR5

Special care will be taken to ensure that developments do not have an unacceptable impact on land, air, or water quality or result in a risk to the health and safety of the public.

Policy STR6

The Council will seek to ensure that, where practicable, all developments are designed to take full account of the needs of people with special needs, including those with disabilities.

Policy STR7

The Council will seek to preserve and enhance the character and appearance of conservation areas, and it will keep under review the need to designate further conservation areas. Trees and woodlands will be protected for their amenity and wildlife value, and appropriate new planting will be encouraged. The Council will generally seek to conserve sites and buildings of special architectural, historical, or archaeological importance.

Policy STR8

As part of its nature conservation strategy, the Council will generally continue to protect Sites of Special Scientific Interest, local nature reserves and other sites of nature conservation importance. It will support positive measures to enhance existing sites and to create varied new habitats for wildlife. In relation to the Inner Thames Marshes SSI, the Plan sets a policy framework for balanced proposals which meet the strategic needs for both development and conservation.

Policy STR9

The Council will require future developments within the River Thames area of special character to enhance the appearance of Havering's river frontage and to allow for public access.

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Green Belt

Policy STR10

The Council is strongly committed to protecting the Green Belt against inappropriate development. The addition of land at Wennington Marshes to the Green Belt will assist in maintaining a strategic area of open land separating the built up areas of Rainham and Purfleet. The Plan also makes other minor alterations to the Green Belt boundary, excluding sites which have been developed, and to include land which ought to be kept open as part of an effective Green Belt.

Policy STR11

The Council will seek opportunities to enhance the environment and increase the scope for recreation in the Green Belt. It will support the Thames Chase Community Forest initiative and will encourage proposals to bring derelict and other vacant land into appropriate and positive Green Belt uses.

Policy STR12

The Council will seek to encourage the retention of high quality agricultural land and protect it from irreversible development. Mineral extraction will generally be treated as irreversible development unless the land can be restored to, or close to, its former (undisturbed) physical characteristics.

Policy STR13

The Council will seek to prevent agriculture and associated activities (including farm diversification) having an adverse effect on the environment or the character of the Green Belt.

Policy STR14

Within the Ingrebourne Valley and the Dagenham Corridor in particular, the Council will seek to improve access for the public, extend opportunities for outdoor recreation and upgrade the landscape.

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Employment

Policy STR15

The Council will seek to secure the comprehensive development of Rainham Marsh for an economic development of strategic importance for the regeneration of the East Thames Corridor.

The Council regards the Thames Policy Area as an opportunity to accommodate a very large development of regional, or even national, importance should the need arise during the Plan period. Exceptional benefits would be needed to justify such a scheme. Permission would only be granted on Rainham Marsh and/or the Thames Policy Area for comprehensive proposals which provided positive measures to assist nature conservation, sufficient to compensate for the adverse effects on the existing nature conservation interest.

Policy STR16

In recognition of the important role of Romford and the District Centres in providing many varied jobs, the Plan will allow for further developments of shops, offices and other employment uses in those centres.

Policy STR17

The Council will seek to retain and protect designated employment and commercial areas within which it will allow only employment creating uses, including premises for small firms, so as to provide a wide range of employment opportunities.

Policy STR18

The Council will welcome proposals for hotel and tourist facilities in appropriate locations which will provide supporting services for business in the Borough and will help to meet demands from tourists visiting London.

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Shopping

Policy STR19

The Council will promote new retail developments, environmental improvements and traffic management measures to maintain and enhance the attractiveness of Romford as a major shopping centre.

Policy STR20

The Council will seek to ensure that existing shopping centres have the primary role in meeting future shopping needs, although the role of individual centres may be adapted because of changing circumstances. Additional shops and environmental improvements within the centres will generally be supported.

Policy STR21

The Council will seek to protect the essential retail function of town centres and shopping areas, whilst also allowing scope for services like banks, building societies and restaurants.

Policy STR22

The Council will resist proposals for new regional shopping centres or for further food superstores outside existing shopping areas, which would harm existing shopping centres or would conflict with other policies. Retail warehouses will be encouraged in the Bryant Avenue commercial area and may be permitted on other appropriate sites, provided they will not harm existing centres including those in adjoining Boroughs/Districts.

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Housing

Policy STR23

The Council will seek to increase the supply of housing in the Borough. It will generally resist the loss of housing land and buildings to other uses, it will take full advantage of "windfall" sites, and it will permit flat conversions where these meet environmental criteria. Although other uses will have overall priority in the various employment and shopping locations specified in Part II (see Policies HSG1 and HSG3), the Plan supports the continuing role of Romford Town Centre and the District and Local Centres in housing provision. The Council expects these policies will result in at least 5,250 additional dwellings during the period 1987-2001.

Policy STR24

The Council will encourage a wide choice and variety of housing opportunities.

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Transport

Policy STR25

The Council will press the Department of Transport to improve the trunk road network so that it can carry the majority of through traffic. It will support the Department's proposal to improve the A13 on a new route south of the railway in Rainham, which will also open up development opportunities at Rainham.

Policy STR26

The Council will aim for a safe, convenient and efficient road system based on a hierarchy of roads which will serve different functions. Except for the A13, the Plan is based on managing the hierarchy to make the best use of existing roads, instead of making major changes to the road system.

Policy STR27

The Council will promote and support improvements leading to the maintenance and development of the Borough's public transport network, including rail facilities, bus priority schemes and improved interchanges.

Policy STR28

The Council will seek to provide safe and convenient conditions for pedestrians and cyclists, and will investigate the scope for strategic cycle routes within Havering.

Policy STR29

The Council will introduce traffic management measures to limit the impact of traffic, including heavy lorries, on the environment.

Policy STR30

The Council will require all new development to provide sufficient off-street parking spaces. It will press for adequate parking at railway stations for Borough residents. Within town centres, car parking will be managed to favour short term parking by shoppers and business visitors. On-street parking will be restricted wherever it would cause congestion or would harm the environment of residential areas.

Policy STR31

The Council will encourage proposals for the further use of the River Thames for freight or passenger transport.

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Leisure and Recreation

Policy STR32

The Council will encourage further leisure and entertainment development in the centre of Romford. In addition, the Council will encourage provision of arts, cultural, recreational, social, community and religious facilities particularly in Romford and the District Centres.

Policy STR33

The Council will seek to retain existing parks, playing fields, and open spaces. Where further provision is needed, the Council will seek to secure additional open space and improved facilities as opportunities occur.

Policy STR34

The Council will seek to realise the potential of the Green Belt for outdoor recreation, especially in the Ingrebourne Valley and the Dagenham Corridor. As part of this the Council will support the Thames Chase Community Forest initiative.

Policy STR35

The Council will seek better access to the countryside, by supporting improvements to the networks of footpaths and bridleways. It will seek to implement Green Chains, providing strategic longer distance footpaths, linking major open spaces, and connecting the urban areas with the open countryside and the Thames waterfront.

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Mineral and Waste Disposal

Policy STR36

The Council recognises the strategic need for aggregates to supply the construction industry. Together with other mineral planning authorities in London, the Council will monitor the scope to meet some of this need by extraction within the Greater London boundary, taking account of regional planning proposals which have assumed production of 1 million tonnes of sand and gravel in London as an annual average for the period until 2006. The Council will have regard to the supply position when deciding minerals applications.

Policy STR37

The Council has to balance this need against the requirement to ensure that any mineral extraction in the Borough is acceptable in agricultural, environmental and highway terms.

Policy STR38

The Plan proposes mineral extraction at three sites in the Borough. Elsewhere because of uncertainties concerning the quality and extent of mineral deposits, the timing of extraction proposals and their suitability, the Council is unable to bring forward specific proposals for mineral working. However, the Council will seek to prevent the unnecessary sterilisation of mineral resources.

Policy STR39

Any land used for mineral working or waste disposal must be restored to the highest standards at the earliest opportunity for an acceptable and beneficial after-use and will be subject to an approved aftercare scheme.

Policy STR40

The Council recognises the strategic need for waste disposal facilities, and the need to encourage, where appropriate, waste recycling, recovery and minimisation. It will seek to co-ordinate action with waste disposal authorities to achieve these aims.

Policy STR41

The Plan provides for the continuation and possible extension of the Rainham landfill site which receives domestic refuse by river from Central London, provided that this is consistent with the implementation of longer term policies for the Thames Policy Area. The Plan also proposes waste disposal by landfill at five other sites in the borough.

Policy STR42

All proposals for waste disposal, waste transfer and waste treatment/processing facilities will only be permitted if they are acceptable in land use, public health, amenity and highway terms.

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Public Services

Policy STR43

The Council will monitor land and building requirements for education, health, social services and other essential services, and seek to ensure that sites are made available to meet these requirements. The Plan includes proposals for a sixth form college.

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Romford Town Centre

Policy STR44

The Council will foster the continued improvement and further development of the strategic centre of Romford. The Plan defines a new town centre boundary which allows for modest future expansion.

Policy STR45

The Council will seek to realise opportunities for a full range of new developments to strengthen the centre, including shops, offices, hotels, leisure, arts, culture and entertainment, community services and car parking. It will generally continue to protect housing within the centre, and will favour new housing as a secondary element of major schemes.

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