Policy information sourced from the Harrow Core Strategy

CS 1 Overarching Policy

Managing Growth in Harrow

Growth will be managed in accordance with the Spatial Strategy. The Harrow & Wealdstone Intensification Area will be the focus for regeneration, providing for a significant portion of new development in accordance with Policy CS 2, including almost half of all new homes over the plan period. Growth throughout the rest of the Borough will be directed to town centres and strategic previously developed sites and managed in accordance with sub-area policies CS3-CS10.

Local Character

Proposals that would harm the character of suburban areas and garden development will be resisted. All development shall respond positively to the local and historic context in terms of design, siting, density and spacing, reinforce the positive attributes of local distinctiveness whilst promoting innovative design and/or enhancing areas of poor design; extensions should respect their host building.

Proposals that would harm identified views or impede access to public viewpoints will be resisted.

Proposals that would harm the significance of heritage assets including their setting will be resisted. The enhancement of heritage assets will be supported and encouraged.

All new development must create and maintain accessible, safe and secure neighbourhoods in accordance with best practice standards. Where appropriate, development should also seek to promote and enhance biodiversity in accordance with the aims of the Harrow Biodiversity Action Plan and best practice.

Open Space, Sport and Recreation

Harrow’s open spaces and green grid will be managed as an interconnected, multifunctional environmental resource that contributes to biodiversity, adaptation to climate change, and to people’s health and wellbeing. The quantity and quality of the Green Belt, Metropolitan Open Land, and existing open space shall not be eroded by inappropriate uses or insensitive development. The reconfiguration of existing open space may be permitted where qualitative improvements and/or improved access can be secured without reducing the quantity of the open space. The provision of new open space will be sought as part of major development proposals, and to deal with identified deficiencies, such as in the provision of play areas for both children and young people.

The Council will work with institutions and landowners where necessary to support public access to sport and recreation facilities. Appropriate proposals for enhancement of such facilities will be supported.

Housing

The Area Action Plan for the Harrow & Wealdstone Intensification Area, and the Site Allocations DPD for the rest of the Borough, will allocate sufficient previously developed land to deliver at least 6,050 net additional homes between 2009 and 2026.

New residential development shall result in a mix of housing in terms of type, size and tenure across the Borough and within neighbourhoods, to promote housing choice, meet local needs, and to maintain mixed and sustainable communities. This includes the provision of a range of affordable housing tenures including social and affordable rent, as well as intermediate housing products such as shared ownership and shared equity. The Development Management Policies DPD, the Area Action Plan and the Site Allocations DPD will provide further guidance on the tenure and mix to be provided, and on specific sites including that required for supported or sheltered housing.

The Council will aim for a Boroughwide affordable housing target of 40% of the housing numbers delivered from all sources of supply across the Borough between 2009 and 2026. The Council will seek the maximum reasonable amount of affordable housing on all development sites with a capacity to provide ten or more homes (gross), having regard to:

  • the availability of public subsidy;
  • the need to promote housing mix and choice (see Policy CS1 I);
  • the priority accorded to family affordable housing in both the London Plan and the Council’s Housing Strategy;
  • the size and type of affordable housing needed in particular locations;
  • the site circumstances and other scheme requirements;
  • development viability; and
  • the need to meet the 40% boroughwide target.

The Council will require a high standard of residential design and layout consistent with the London Plan and associated guidance. In mixed tenure schemes a consistent standard of design and layout will be required throughout the development. All new homes must meet ‘Lifetime Home’ standards and at least 10 per cent must achieve the enhanced ‘Wheelchair Home’ standards. The Area Action Plan and Development Management Policies DPD will provide criteria for the assessment of residential quality for all forms of residential development, and set out further details as appropriate for Accessible Homes.

Town Centres

Harrow’s town centres will be promoted as the focus for community life, providing residents with convenient access to a range shops, services, cultural and leisure facilities, as well as local employment opportunities and areas of good public transport. Proposals for convenience retail, and nonmajor comparison retail, commercial and leisure development will be supported where these are located in district and local centres and they are compatible with the role and function of the centre. Proposals for major retail and leisure development will be directed to Harrow town centre; major new comparison goods floorspace will be directed to locate within the primary retail area of Harrow town centre.

The Development Management Policies DPD or the Area Action Plan, as appropriate, will define primary, secondary and tertiary shopping areas within town centres and set out criteria for the management of main town centre and other appropriate uses, including police and other community premises, within centres and neighbourhood retail parades.

Economic Development and Employment

Through the Area Action Plan, consideration will be given to the consolidation of the Wealdstone Strategic Industrial Location. The remaining parts of the Wealdstone and Honeypot Lane Strategic Industrial Locations will be promoted for appropriate economic development uses in accordance with the London Plan.

The Borough’s stock of business and industrial premises will be monitored and managed to meet economic needs. Any release of surplus stock for other uses, having regard to the most up-to-date monitoring of the demand and supply balance, will be considered in accordance with the following sequential approach:

  • Non-allocated sites;
  • Poorer quality allocated sites not within strategic industrial locations;
  • Other allocated sites not within strategic industrial locations;
  • Poorer quality sites within strategic industrial locations; and
  • Other allocated sites within strategic industrial locations.

Mixed use development will be supported, as appropriate, where this secures employment generating development and diversification of Harrow’s economy. The Development Management Policies DPD or the Area Action Plan, as appropriate, will set out criteria for the managed release of surplus employment land.

Transport

The Council will work with Transport for London and other appropriate authorities to secure enhancements to the capacity, accessibility and environmental quality of the transport network in accordance with the Local Investment Plan and to improve orbital connectivity between neighbouring boroughs. Highway investment will focus on junctions with identified existing or future capacity constraints where these support economic development or are needed to improve the reliability and general operating conditions of buses.

Parking for new development will be managed to contribute to the delivery of a modal shift from the private car to more sustainable modes. The Development Management Policies DPD will give local interpretation of London Plan parking standards and detail requirements for sustainable Travel Plans.

Over-development of sites with a low public transport accessibility rating will be resisted. Higher densities will be considered appropriate where the proposal involves the redevelopment of a previously-developed site of strategic significance and can secure improvements to local transport sufficient to enhance the public transport accessibility level of the site.

Responding to Climate Change

The Development Management Policies DPD and the Area Action Plan will compliment London Plan policies by establishing requirements for sustainable design and construction techniques that maximise the energy efficiency of new buildings, minimise the use of mains water, minimise carbon dioxide emissions in accordance with the London Plan energy hierarchy, and seek to promote and secure opportunities for decentralised energy, especially within the Harrow and Wealdstone Intensification Area, onsite renewable energy generation and urban greening.

Sustainable Flood Risk Management

Development will be managed to achieve an overall reduction in flood risk and increase resilience to flood events. The capacity of the functional flood plain within greenfield sites will be maintained and opportunities to enhance or re-instate the functional floodplain on previously-developed sites will be sought. Proposals which risk contaminating ground water will be resisted.

In applying the sequential test to site allocations and development proposals that will be covered by the Area Action Plan, the area of search will be confined to the Harrow & Wealdstone Intensification Area where this contributes to the objectives for the area. Throughout the rest of the Borough, the area of search for sites will be determined by the functional requirements and likely catchment of the development.

The Development Management Policies DPD will set out the requirements for sustainable urban drainage, rainwater harvesting, flood risk assessments and surface water management.

Sustainable Waste Management

The Council supports the objectives of sustainable waste management and will:

  • Aim to reduce the amount of waste produced in the Borough;
  • Promote waste as a resource and encourage increased re-use of materials and recycling;
  • Require all new development to address waste management at all stages of a development’s life from design and construction through to the end use and activity on site, ensuring that all waste is managed towards the upper end of the waste hierarchy;
  • Safeguard existing waste sites;
  • If any waste site is lost, additional compensatory land with equal or greater waste management capacity will be provided; and
  • In conjunction with its partners in West London, identify and allocate suitable new sites for waste management facilities within the Joint Waste Plan to provide sufficient capacity to meet the apportionment requirements of the London Plan.

Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation

The Council will work with the West London Housing Partnership and the Gypsy and Traveller community in Harrow to address the local requirement for a minimum of 3 pitches, as identified in the London Boroughs’ Gypsy and Travellers Accommodation Needs Assessment (2008). The Council will support proposals for Gypsy and Traveller sites that contribute to meeting identified local needs. Proposals for new and replacement provision will need to satisfy the following criteria:

  • the need for suitable and safe access to and from the site for the types of vehicles that could reasonably be expected to use or access the site;
  • the ability to provide the site with essential services, such as water, sewerage and drainage and waste disposal;
  • the impact on the local environment, including any relevant policy designations for or adjacent to the site that would restrict its use for any type of housing (including but not limited to: Metropolitan Open Land and Sites of Nature Conservation Importance) and the character of the area including visual and amenity considerations;
  • the need to avoid areas subject to risk from flooding; and
  • the proximity to shops, services and community facilities, such as schools.

Required Infrastructure

New development and growth will be co-ordinated and phased in tandem with the provision of appropriate physical and social infrastructure. Proposals for new development will be required to demonstrate adequate capacity exists or can be secured both on and off site to serve the development. The development or expansion of physical or social infrastructure will be permitted where it is needed to serve existing or proposed development, or required to meet projected future requirements. The loss of community facilities will be resisted unless adequate arrangements are in place for their replacement or the enhancement of other existing facilities.

All development will be required to contribute to the delivery of strategic infrastructure identified in the Infrastructure Delivery Plan. The Council will bring forward a Community Infrastructure Levy to help fund the following infrastructure:

  • A new primary school
  • A new secondary school
  • Flood mitigation works
  • A new health polyclinic
  • Performing arts space
  • Implementation of the Harrow Green Grid and Biodiversity Action Plan
  • Improvements in the accessibility to, and quality of, Harrow’s network of parks
  • Provision of areas of play and facilities for young people in areas identified as being deficient
  • The provision of cemetery space
  • Junction improvements required to improve bus service efficiency
  • The potential for re-using or redeveloping existing sites and facilities will be explored and, where necessary, land will be safeguarded for such infrastructure. Site specific requirements will be provided for through Planning Obligations.

The Council will continue to lobby Transport for London (TfL) and the Mayor of London to ensure that a significant portion of any receipts from the sale of TfL land in the Borough is reinvested in public transport improvements in the Borough, including improving the accessibility and capacity of stations.

For more information please see the Core Strategy