Erewash Borough Council is committed to engaging with neighbouring authorities to identify, discuss and resolve strategic planning matters which span administrative boundaries. Discussions with Nottingham Core Housing Market Area partners have helped to produce the following Statement of Common Ground (SoCG). The content of this SoCG was agreed by all parties at the June 7th meeting of the Joint Advisory Planning Board. The Borough Council continues to work with Derby HMA partners with the intention of agreeing a similar SoCG over its shared strategic planning matters.
Duty to Cooperate - Statement of Common Ground (SoCG)
Between Erewash Borough Council and Nottingham Core Housing Market Area
This Statement of Common Ground has been prepared solely for the purpose of the Erewash Core Strategy Review. Updates to this document may be agreed as matters progress.
It is common ground between Erewash Borough Council and the Core Nottingham Housing Market Area that:
The Housing Market Area
The 2018 Nottingham Core Housing Market Area Boundary Study concludes that Broxtowe Borough, Erewash Borough, Gedling Borough, Nottingham City and Rushcliffe District local planning authority areas are appropriately grouped together as a single Housing Market Area. This Nottingham Core Housing Market Area is therefore the most appropriate area over which the duty to cooperate in relation to cross boundary strategic issues should be considered.
Housing Need
The Government’s standard methodology is the starting point for the assessment of housing need. Erewash Borough Council consider the level of need calculated by the standard methodology for the Borough to be the appropriate target for housing provision in the Borough.
The Nottingham-Derby Green Belt
The 2006 Nottingham-Derby Green Belt Review found the Green Belt in Erewash Borough to be of high importance, principally due to its role in preventing the merger of the Nottingham and Derby conurbations.
There is insufficient housing capacity on non-Green Belt land in Erewash Borough to accommodate the housing need of the Borough. Consequently Erewash Borough can only accommodate its own housing need by removing land from the Green Belt.
Housing Distribution
The other Nottingham Core Housing Market Area Local Planning Authorities have not offered to take any housing growth from Erewash Borough in order to reduce pressure on the Nottingham-Derby Green Belt in Erewash Borough.
Town Centre Hierarchy
In accordance with the hierarchy of town centres across the Nottingham conurbation, Long Eaton and Ilkeston continue to be designated as Town Centres, and Sandiacre and Borrowash as Local Centres. The new centre proposed for Kirk Hallam is also considered to be a Local Centre.
The extant Village Centres at West Hallam, Draycott and Breaston and the proposed Village Centre for the new settlement at Stanton South sit below Local Centres in the hierarchy of town centres across the conurbation.
Employment Land
The 2021 Nottingham Core HMA and Nottingham Outer HMA Employment Land Needs Study identified a range of employment land scenarios. The regeneration scenario is considered the most appropriate for the Nottingham Housing Market Area, under which there is a need for around 40ha of employment land in Erewash Borough up to 2038. The 55ha of employment land proposed at Stanton North therefore makes adequate provision for employment need in Erewash Borough, and will provide additional land for strategic warehousing and distribution needs.
Green Infrastructure
The 2020 Greater Nottingham Green and Blue Infrastructure Strategy continues to identify the River Trent and River Erewash Green Infrastructure Corridors. The proposed designation of the parts of those corridors in Erewash Borough adjacent the boundary with Broxtowe Borough in order to preserve and enhance their green infrastructure functions is therefore appropriate.
Transport
The A52 and the Midland Mainline provide the main transport corridors between the Nottingham and Derby conurbations.
The Great Northern Greenway in Erewash Borough, including Bennerley Viaduct, is proposed as an appropriate multi-user trail between the Nottingham and Derby conurbations.
The Trent Valley Way in Erewash Borough is proposed as an appropriate extension to the Big Track in Broxtowe Borough.