Tracked Version of Core Strategy, November 2012 - Selby District ...

Selby District Submission Draft Core Strategy – May 2011
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4.8a
(PC7.1)
western part of the District and areas beyond the District boundary.
Land adjacent to the River Wharfe which runs through the centre of
the town is at high risk of flooding. (PC1.10) The town has a high
quality environment, a traditional town centre and is popular with
commuters although there is no railway station. (PC1.10) Recent
growth has been restricted by Green Belt and land availability
issues.
[Swap paragraphs 4.7 and 4.8] (PC1.11)
Villages and Countryside
Rural areas are those areas outside of the three towns and
encompass both the open countryside and the rural settlements
within it. The rural settlements in the District are the Designated
Service Villages, Secondary Villages and those smaller villages
and hamlets without Development Limits.
4.9 Because the three towns offer a range of community facilities with
good access to jobs, key services and infrastructure, they are best
placed to absorb future growth. However, about 60% of the
population live in the more rural parts of the District 2 . These rural
communities have localised needs for affordable housing and
employment opportunities in order to sustain their viability and
vitality. Some continued local growth is generally supported
particularly in the larger service villages. This is underpinned by
national planning guidance (PPS7 – Sustainable Development in
Rural Areas) which emphasises that locating development within
existing towns and villages can benefit the local economy and
existing community where there is a good level of accessibility.
4.10 In order to meet identified needs within the extensive rural areas of
the District, an assessment has been made of the relative overall
sustainability of village settlements, including the availability of
services and accessibility to higher order services and employment
opportunities 3 . This is supplemented by a further assessment of
the capacity of individual villages to accept additional growth,
taking into account such factors as flood risk and land availability.
As a result 22 18 (PC1.12) villages which are considered capable
of accommodating additional limited growth have been identified as
‘Designated Service Villages’ 4 . These are the villages with the
largest populations and with the best range of services. They are
spread across the District and provide the main village locations for
job opportunities and for increasing the availability of affordable
housing to meet identified local demand. In addition their
continued growth will help to support and enhance a strong
network of services serving surrounding areas.
4.11 The remaining villages in Selby District tend to be smaller with
more limited combinations of fewer services, more remote locations
away from principal roads and poorer levels of public transport.
2 NYCC 2008 Parish Population Estimates
3 Background Paper No. 5 Sustainability Assessment of Rural Settlements
4 Background Paper No. 6 Designated Service Villages
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