Torbay Council

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LDF Evidence Base

The Local Development Framework (LDF) will be prepared using up-to-date evidence from a number of technical studies and reports, for example defining the capacity of land available in Torbay for new development.
The following documents have been produced so far:

Torbay Housing Needs Survey (Fordham Research 2003)

This indicated a very high need for affordable housing.  The headline housing need survey figure was for 1816 affordable dwellings per year of which 1362 should be for rent.
The Housing Needs Survey also carried out a 'balancing housing markets' analysis, which is similar in its approach to a housing market assessment.  This found that if around 540 dwellings were built per year, there would be a yearly shortfall of around 950 affordable homes.

Torbay Housing Market Assessment (ORS 2007)

This examined housing requirements on a sub-regional basis, including the Exeter and Torbay housing market areas.  Across  the sub-region the Housing Market Assessment identified a need for between 16,300 and 19,200 new dwellings over the next 5 years (ie. 2007-2012).
An update for the Torbay area was published in September 2011. This found that the level of housing need was similar to that identified in the 2007 study. The 2011 study identified a need for around 820 dwellings a year (2011-2016), of which 52.9% was needed for social housing, 8.5% for intermediate housing and 38.6% for market housing. The update to the Housing Market Assessment also considered the effects of chnages in migration and cuts in housing related benefits.
The HMA reports relating to Torbay can be viewed below.  Reports relating for other local areas can be viewed on the Devon Social Housing Group opens in a new window website (via the Downloads link).

Torbay Urban Capacity Study 2005

The Council commissioned an new Urban Capacity Study to replace a 1999 study. It identifies a range of brownfield housing sites within Torbay with capacity for residential development, as well as building on established trends of building rates set out in the Housing Land Monitor, to project the potential rate of residential development on windfall sites up until 2016. The findings of the study will enable the Council to consider the options available in the Local Development Framework to achieve the rate of growth required to meet the development plan housing allocation.  
A full copy of the Urban Capacity Study can be purchased for £40 (plus £1.00 P&P) by contacting the Strategic Planning team. A summary is available below.

Torbay Retail Study Update 2011 (GVA Grimley)

This latest study is required in response to a number of factors, including the need to obtain up to date information relating to local retailing issues and the need to respond to guidance contained in PPS4: Planning for Sustainable Economic Growth (published December 2009).
This 2011 update report replaces the 2008 version of the retail study (which in turn replaced parts of the 2006 Update), superseding its quantitative analysis, retail floorspace capacity predictions and recommendations for the Torbay retail strategy. However, some parts of the 2006 study remain, including the parts of the detailed town centre health checks for Torbay's town and district centres and the town centre traders surveys.
Torbay Retail Study 2011 Update can be viewed online (see Related Documents) or the main study purchased for £50 with the appendices available for a further £200.

Torbay Retail Study Update 2008 (GVA Grimley)

The Torbay Retail Study 2008 Update has been commissioned by Torbay Council as an update to parts of the Torbay Retail Study published in January 2006 (which assesses the retail performance and identifies the retail floor space needs over the period 2005 to 2016 detailed in the text below).  The 2008 document provides an updated assessment of need for additional retail floorspace and updated Policy Options for Retailing in Torbay.
This independent research will provide an objective evidence base for the emerging Torbay Local Development Framework (LDF) and in particular the Core Strategy.  The contents of this updated report do not necessarily represent the policy of Torbay Council and any views expressed herein are those solely of GVA Grimley.
Torbay Retail Study 2008 Update can be viewed online (see Related Documents) or purchased for £25 (CD format) or £50 (plus £1.50 P&P) for a hard copy.

Torbay Retail Study 2006

In 2004, the Council commissioned a Retail Study for Torbay. This replaced a study carried out in 1994 and updated in 1998. It assesses the retail performance of Torbay's main retail centres (including the town centres of Torquay, Paignton and Brixham); identifies the retail floor space needs over the period 2005 to 2016; and highlights any actions required to maintain and improve the competitive position of the Torbay towns in the sub-region. The findings of the study will assist in the preparation of a preferred option on the retail development strategy in the Local Development Framework.
A copy of the main report of the Torbay Retail Study can be purchased for £60 and the technical appendices can be purchased for an additional £60 (plus £3.00 P&P per document) by contacting the Strategic Planning team. A summary of the study is available in the Related Documents.

Torbay Employment Land Review 2006

This study was commissioned by Torbay Council to review employment land to inform the emerging Local Development Framework (LDF) and Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) and to provide guidance on wider regeneration issues.  The review provides:
A copy of the main report of the Torbay Employment Land Review can be purchased for £60 (plus £3.00 P&P) by contacting the Strategic Planning Group on the details below. A summary of the study is available in Related Documents.

Torbay Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (Baker Associates, October 2008)

The Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) is a study of the likely housing potential of land in Torbay over the period 2006-2026.  It was carried out by Baker Associates and is an independent report to the Council.  The findings of the SHLAA are not Council policy, but will inform the forthcoming Local Development Framework Core Strategy.  
The SHLAA is divided into 2 volumes.  Volume 1 assesses the number of dwellings likely to be built on sites within the built up area.  It suggests that just under 7000 dwellings are likely to be provided in the built up area over the period 2006-2026.  Volume 2 looks at options for increasing the number of new homes above 7000.   The Council has previously supported a growth rate of 10,000 dwellings, but is currently reassessing its level of growth in the light of changes to Government Policy.
Volume 2 of the SHLAA sets out a number of options for meeting these housing figures, including more intensive development of urban sites such as "Mayor's Vision" sites, redevelopment of holiday parks and holiday accommodation, and development of greenfield sites that are currently outside the built up area.
The SHLAA also contains an assessment of the likely growth of jobs in the period 2006-2026.
The reports are available below to view online in Related Documents. or to purchase as a CD with accompanying summary leaflet for £50 by contacting the Strategic Planning Group on the details below.
Note: Since the SHLAA study, the Coalition Government has introduced a number of fundamental changes to the development plan system, in particular the abolition of all Regional Strategies and the allocation of area housing targets. This situation has provided the Council with an opportunity to reconsider what level of growth for homes and jobs would be appropriate for Torbay over the next twenty years or so, and what a sustainable growth strategy could look like.  The Council has been progressing with the Core Strategy and a stakeholder Workshop held in October 2010  to in order to help the Council arrive at a preferred Growth Option (see related pages).  

Torbay Infrastructure Delivery Study

The Infrastructure Delivery Study sets out requirements, phasing and costs and funding of infrastructure. It was prepared by Baker Associates and Roger Tym & Partners, alongside a separate viability assessment which seeks to set out the implications of differing levels of viability for a variety of types of developments and locations, and how this might support a Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL). These documents are part of the evidence base used to support planning policies on infrastructure and developer contributions, and are available below.

New Growth Points

The New Growth Points Initiative was announced by the Government in December 2005 in response to the Barker Review of Housing Supply.  New Growth Points is intended to provide financial assistance to authorities wishing to deliver an increase in the level of housing supply.  Local authorities were invited to submit strategic growth proposals which are sustainable, acceptable environmentally and realistic in terms of infrastructure.
Torbay is one of 29 New Growth Point areas.  Funding for 2007/8 has been used for a number of projects aimed at promoting sustainable development.  These include:
  • Assisting with the regeneration of Brixham
  • Preparing the Mayor's Vision for a future Torbay
  • Assessing housing land availability
In October 2007, the Council submitted its New Growth Points Programme of Development to the Department for Communities and Local Government.  This sets out a housing trajectory for Torbay and infrastructure needed to deliver sustainable growth.
In the short - medium term, the focus for development will be on sites allocated in the Adopted Torbay Local Plan and on Brownfield sites, including town centre regeneration schemes.
The New Growth Points Programme of Development also makes a 3 year bid for infrastructure funding.  The priority is considered to be overcoming congestion on the western corridor in Paignton and a package of measures to achieve this has been identified.  The Programme also bids for green infrastructure, employment funding and project management.
New Growth Points Status does not allocate particular sites for development.  This is done through the Local Development Framework.  The Council appointed consultants to carry out a full strategic housing land availability assessment (SHLAA).  This is available online on our LDF evidence base page and advises on suitable housing land in the urban area and other options for providing housing, including greenfield sites.  The SHLAA was published in October 2008.  It will inform the Council's Local Development Framework Core Strategy Preferred Options.

Strategic Flood Risk Assessments

The Level 1 and Level 2 Strategic Flood Risk Assessments (SFRA) provide reference and policy documents identifying the flood risk areas within Torbay and are used to inform the Local Development Framework. The Level 1 SFRA provides a series of maps to indicate areas where there is a risk of flooding and where proposed development should be avoided because of the flood risk. The Level 2 SFRA provides supplementary information to inform on specific flood risk issues. The Level 2 mapping compliments those produced within the Level 1 report to provide a complete suite of flood mapping from all sources, based on available data.
Within the SFRA documents various strategies and policy recommendations are identified for managing flood risk and by complying with these, together with Planning Policy Statement 25 – Development and Flood Risk (PPS25), new development is targeted to areas of Torbay that are less vulnerable to flooding. In addition compliance with the strategies and policies will reduce the risk of flooding to other areas of Torbay. The Level 1 and Level 2 report should be used in conjunction with each other to assist forward strategic planning and to inform ongoing development control decisions.

PPS1 Sustainable Energy Assessment

Planning Policy Statement 1 (PPS1) requires local authorities to examine the potential for local (or 'decentralised') energy solutions that are low or zero carbon. The PPS1 Sustainable Energy Assessment, carried out by AECOM, focuses its examination on some of the more strategic energy opportunities where the Council, Torbay Development Agency and other bodies may be able to take on a facilitating role. It assesses how these energy opportunities may be instrumental in shaping the nature of future growth and development in Torbay and identifies the strategic actions and policy that will be required in order to bring these opportunities forward.
The study was funded byt he CLG Climate Change grant programme. Please note: this work was principally prepared in the second half of 2010, and therefore pre-dates more recent government announcements, including the 2011 Budget, which provide further detail concerning the transition to a more eco-friendly economy.

The Torbay Green Infrastructure Delivery Plan

This plan is the result of a partnership formed in 2010 by Torbay Council, Natural England and Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust with the aim of producing a clear strategic document to guide the delivery of a healthy green infrastructure network in Torbay over the next ten years. It has been produced through a process of stakeholder engagement and consultation, and in partnership with both Devon County Council and the neighbouring authorities of Teignbridge and South Hams. The Torbay Green Infrastructure Delivery Plan opens in a new window is available on the Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust website.

Brixham Urban Fringe Landscape Study

This study was commissioned by the South Devon AONB Unit working closely with Torbay Council and Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust to consider the landscape of the Brixham urban fringe and how the pressures for growth might be considered alongside the primary purpose of AONB designation. It is available to view below, or alternatively a bound hard copy with CD can be purchased for £15.

Related Documents

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Related Websites

Contact Strategic Planning - LDF