NAP 1

Newark Urban Area

The District Council will work with its partners, developers and service providers to promote the Newark Urban Area as the main focus for residential, commercial and leisure activity within the District. To achieve this the LDF will:

A         Growth

1. Support the provision of 70% 60% of the overall District housing growth and around up to 80 - 87 52ha of employment development which will contribute to meeting the level of provision identified in Spatial Policy 2. Such development will be located on the Strategic Sites and other locations which will be are identified within the Allocations & Development Management DPD;
2. Support the development of the 3 Strategic Sites for mixed use development as detailed in Policies NAP 2A/B/C;

B          Infrastructure

3. Support the implementation of new and improved public transport schemes/infrastructure, including cycling and walking which contribute to reducing traffic congestion and improving transport choices;
4. Support the implementation of strategic highway schemes at the following locations as identified within Appendix D:
1. Southern Link Road from Farndon to Balderton;
2. A46 Link Capacity, Newark-on-Trent Bypass;
3. A46/A617 Cattle Market Roundabout;
4. A46 Roundabout at Farndon;
5. A1/B6326 London Road Roundabout, Balderton;
6. A1/A17/A46 Roundabout; and
7. A1/A46 Brownhills Roundabout;
8. A1 Overbridge, Fernwood; and
9. A617 Kelham Bypass.
5. Support the implementation of local road junction improvements as identified within Appendix D;
6. Support the implementation of infrastructure which is required to meet the needs of Newark Urban Area including:
1. the delivery of primary schools, health facilities and utilities infrastructure as set out in Appendix D;
2. the delivery provision of a new secondary school within Newark Urban Area; the location of which will be identified in the Allocations & Development Management DPD;
3. the provision of new sports facilities and uses in line with NAP3

C          Historic Environment

7. Protect and enhance the architectural, historic and archaeological character of Newark and its riverside, identifying locations and sites to be the subject of conservation and sensitive redevelopment; and
8. Promote and enhance the River Trent corridor for commercial and leisure activities where it can be demonstrated that it will not cause harm to the physical and natural environment of the River.

D         Newark Town Centre

8. Promote Newark Town Centre as a focus for retail, leisure and office development in the District by:
1.  Identifying a town centre boundary, Primary Shopping Area and Primary and Secondary Shopping frontages in the Allocations & Development Management DPD;
2.  Identifying opportunities for improving the retail provision in and on the edge of the centre to reduce travel to other centres outside the district. The Allocations & Development Management DPD should identify capacity for new and improved convenience/comparison goods, including opportunities to improve the provision of home, furnishing, gardening and other bulky goods;
3. Attract national and independent retailers, cafés and restaurants that are willing to occupy historic properties;
9. Promote a competitive and healthy town centre which is host to an appropriate composition of main town centre uses, proves to be resilient and adaptive to change and is able to thrive and grow over the plan period. This will be achieved through:
1. Managing retail and other main town centre use development in line with Core Policy 8 and Policy DM11;
2. Seeking to address the shortage within the town centre of larger format units which meet the requirements of modern retail and office uses. Proposals to deliver such units through the amalgamation of existing units, where this requires planning permission, and/or new development will be supported subject to the level of impact on the historic environment;
3. Promoting the re-use of vacant and underused shops and other buildings within the town centre, and securing the redevelopment of vacant sites for appropriate main town centre uses;
4. Supporting the continuation of a viable Newark market, including by ensuring that where appropriate proposals for new retail development properly assess their impact on the market in line with Policy DM11;
5. Promoting Newark town centre as a key tourism and leisure destination. Supporting opportunities to deliver cultural and tourism facilities, particularly those which exploit the Town’s unique historic heritage, and to increase leisure and entertainment provision in and around the town centre. In particular the following will be supported:
   • An appropriate range of complementary uses which contribute towards the evening and night-time economy. This includes the expansion of restaurant and café uses around the Market Place, in line with Policy DM11;
   • Tourist accommodation; and
   • Appropriate new leisure and tourism development which takes advantage of Newark’s riverside area, and respects its character and function.
6. Supporting the delivery of improvement schemes which enhance the quality of the town centre’s offer and environment. In order to assist the identification, planning and delivery of schemes the production of a Newark Town Centre Strategy will be explored. Priority locations for intervention include:
1. The Buttermarket; and
2. The Carter Gate and Appleton Gate areas.

In addition to utilising the Development Management process, the District Council will also work proactively to attract and deliver new investment and/or development to realise the above.

10. Promote Newark Town Centre as one of the District's key tourism destinations by developing and enhancing cultural, leisure and entertainment facilities and uses and heritage assets which attract visitors and residents to the area, including tourist accommodation and facilities.