2) Policy Framework for the Creswell Growth Plan

Vision Bolsover

2.1  Bolsover – The Future 2024-2028 is the Council’s corporate prospectus and sets out its Vision as a dynamic, self-sufficient, and flexible Council that delivers excellent services, whilst adapting to local aspirations and acting as the economic and environmental driver for Bolsover District.

2.2  In relation to the Economy the aim is driving growth, promoting the district and being business and visitor friendly. The Council’s priorities include:

• Actively working with partners to support enterprise, innovation, jobs and skills.
• Unlocking regeneration and development potential of long-term vacant land and buildings, and stalled sites and deliver income generating capital projects. Promoting the District and working with partners to increase and support the creative, cultural and tourism sector.
  
  

2.3  In relation to the Environment, the aim is to protect the quality of life for residents and businesses, meet environmental challenges and enhance biodiversity. The Council’s priorities include: 

• Ensuring all areas, neighbourhoods and streets in the district, irrespective of housing tenure or type, are places where people want to live, feels safe, and are proud to live. 
• Reducing our carbon footprint whilst supporting and encouraging residents and businesses to do the same.
• Enhancing biodiversity across the district.
• Working with stakeholders, strategic and local partnerships to deliver shared strategies and priorities that support the local environment. 

2.4  In relation to Housing, the aim is to deliver social and private sector housing growth. The Council’s priorities include:

• Enabling housing growth by increasing the supply, quality, and range of housing to meet the needs of the growing population.
• Building more good quality social housing and being a decent landlord.

Local Plan for Bolsover District

2.5  The Local Plan for Bolsover District was adopted by the Council in March 2020 and is an ambitious document which actively tackles the issues we face today in seeking to achieve sustainable growth.

2.6  It is underpinned by sound evidence and a spatial strategy that retains the district’s distinctive identity whilst providing the growth that is needed for the district to prosper and flourish. This means that it plans for the right amount and type of homes to meet our needs, in the right places with the right infrastructure in place to support all residents and businesses going forward.

2.7  The Local Plan for Bolsover District classifies Creswell as a Large Village in recognition of its place as one the district’s more sustainable settlements.

2.8  As such, the Local Plan for Bolsover District states that to achieve sustainable development it will direct development and service provision to such settlements. Based on this strategy, the Local Plan for Bolsover District commits approximately 289 new dwellings and 0.46 hectares of new employment land to Creswell through to 2033, to be accommodated at the Colliery Road site.

2.9  Any additional growth supported through this Growth Plan would be on top of that committed in the Local Plan for Bolsover District. If the Growth Plan is adopted by the Council, it will be a material consideration taken into account in the determination of future planning applications.

National Planning Policy Framework

2.10  The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) was first published in March 2012 but has been updated several times since. The latest version was published in December 2023 and sets out the Government’s policies for England and how these should be applied. It provides a framework within which locally prepared plans can provide for sufficient housing and other development in a sustainable manner, so significantly boosting the supply of housing and helping to build a strong and competitive economy.

2.11  Crucially, the NPPF states that there are three overarching objectives to achieving sustainable development, namely:

• an economic objective - to help build a strong, responsive and competitive economy, by ensuring that sufficient land of the right types is available in the right places and at the right time to support growth, innovation and improved productivity; and by identifying and coordinating the provision of infrastructure;

• a social objective - to support strong, vibrant and healthy communities, by ensuring that a sufficient number and range of homes can be provided to meet the needs of present and future generations; and by fostering well-designed, beautiful and safe spaces, with accessible services that reflect current and future needs and support communities’ health, social and cultural wellbeing: and

• an environmental objective - to protect and enhance our natural, built and historic environment including; making effective use of land, improving biodiversity, using natural resources prudently, minimising waste and pollution, and mitigating and adapting to climate change, including moving to a low carbon economy.

National Planning Practice Guidance

2.12  The National Planning Practice Guidance (PPG) provides guidance on a range of planning practice categories and helps explain how national policy should be implemented.