Former Station Yard Site, Council Depot
and Adjacent Land

14.18 The Station Yard site was suggested in the 2001 retail appraisal for the development of a convenience retail store to meet the qualitative needs of Haverhill for a high quality foodstore and was allocated in the 1998 Local Plan for mixed use development (Policy SH7), including retail, offices and residential development. In the absence of a quantitative need for additional convenience floorspace being established for Haverhill or an indication of the scale of store that would be required to meet the qualitative need, and also taking into account that the retail appraisal can no longer be considered up-to-date, that site is no longer allocated for retail development. A retail strategy of the town, that complies with the requirements of PPS6 and will be informed by a new retail study, will be promoted within the review LDF Plan.

14.19 There is an existing retail park at the junction of Park Road and the A1307 Cambridge Road which has scope for further expansion within the boundary of the site. Any proposal should not involve the important open space which fronts the Park Road and Cambridge Road junction.

14.20 The Retail Appraisal (2001) suggested that between 3,500 sq m and 5,000 sq m of retail warehousing be provided at Haverhill. In response, a site at Duddery Hill was allocated in the Redeposit version of this Plan for bulky goods retailing (Policy HAV7). That Retail Appraisal can no longer be relied upon to support such a development scheme, particularly in the light of the recent publication of PPS6. This has made it clear that retail warehouse development may need to be considered as a town centre use to which the needs and site selection tests of PPS6 should apply. As the Retail Appraisal (2001) can no longer be considered up-to-date, the site at Duddery Hill is no longer allocated for retail development. A retail strategy of the town, that complies with the requirements of PPS6 and will be informed by a new retail study, will be promoted within the review LDF Plan.

POLICY HAV6: HAVERHILL RETAIL PARK

A site is identified on the proposals map bounded by Park Road, the A1307 Cambridge Road and Baines Coney as the Haverhill Retail Park.

In addition to the policies elsewhere in this Plan, proposals for all retail floorspace on this site will be judged against the following criteria:

• a) The need for the proposal;
  b) That a sequential approach has been adopted in selecting the site demonstrating that all potential suitable, viable and available sites have been evaluated; and
  c) The impact of the proposal on the vitality and viability of Haverhill Town Centre and local centres, including the cumulative impact of recently completed developments and unimplemented planning permissions, taking into account the results of a shopping impact study and/or an environmental assessment; and
  d) That the site is accessible by a choice of means of transport in accordance with Policy T2.

14.21 In addition to the release of a strategic housing site at north-west Haverhill, the development of more areas of housing land in Haverhill will require further local facilities. At an early stage, developers will be expected to put into place the means of providing such facilities when developing associated sites.

POLICY HAV7: NEW LOCAL CENTRES AND FACILITIES - HAVERHILL

Sites for new local centres are allocated at:

• i) Hanchett End, Haverhill;
• ii) Millfields Way, Haverhill; and
• iii) Hales Barn, Haverhill

The local planning authority will require new local centres to contain a mix of uses which could include:

• a) Leisure and Recreation;
• b) Health and Community facilities; and
• c) Residential

These sites will be safeguarded from other forms of development. Proposals for any leisure and recreation uses must satisfy the relevant requirements of Policy TCR1.