Policy information sourced from the The Dartford Plan
Policy D2: Central Dartford Development Principles
Development proposals in Central Dartford should:
- Accord with Diagram 5 and the overall vision for Central Dartford, including by ensuring that development will not prejudice reasonable prospects for adjacent or nearby sites to come forward by virtue of overlooking or other outcomes, and contribute as required to local transport, public realm improvements, including public art refecting local character and heritage, green infrastructure and social infrastructure requirements.
- Support the Town Centre’s role in providing jobs, retail/ leisure, cultural facilities and other local services, securing a wide mix of uses in the Town Centre. Proposals must seek to retain or promote market town features for the future, such as afordable space for independent traders, arts/ cultural industries, and new food and beverage uses/ other local businesses. Major development in the Town Centre should wherever possible provide:
- fexible commercial premises, with space designed for local growth sectors, or businesses that will grow local professional/ managerial or high technology level employment; or
- suitable new retail/ leisure facilities complementing current successful activities, or strategic visitor/ shopper attractions (for example a cinema/ other signifcant cultural or day and evening uses); or
- community/ public facilities and local services to accommodate the requirements of Central Dartford’s growing population, unless a lack of need is demonstrated.
- Support the creation of a neighbourhood community with a mix of residential types and tenures.
- Ensure integration of the scheme into the wider setting and movement patterns, including creating safe public open spaces and/or new pedestrian friendly streets. The sense of security of spaces and streets must be ensured, including for converted or extended buildings where features such as providing front doors onto safe spaces and streets are expected.
- Assess the heritage signifcance of the area and respond positively to local character and history, conserving and taking opportunities to enhance the signifcance of heritage assets.
- Deliver a development that improves air quality and grows the proportion of journeys made by active and public transport modes. This should include:
- the integration, layout and design of development having safe and direct non-vehicular routes through the Town Centre as well as through provision of suitable infrastructure; and
- parking arrangements with fexibility for changing needs and technology, and good cycle parking provision.
- Fully mitigate food risk and ensure that the development is safe for the lifetime of the development, where located within an area at risk of fooding.
Policy information sourced from the The Dartford Plan