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Chapter 2 - STRATEGY

2.1 About Brent

2.1.1 Brent covers an area of 4325 hectares - almost 17 square miles, between inner and outer North West London (see map STR1). It extends from Kenton and Kingsbury in the North to Harlesden, Queens Park and Kilburn in the South. The North Circular Road divides the less densely populated northern part of the Borough from the south.

2.1.2 There are few London Boroughs as ethnically diverse as Brent. Among its population of 263,000, with black and minority ethnic groups comprising 54.7% . Over 120 languages are spoken in the Borough.

2.1.3 The south of the Borough was substantially developed between 1890 and 1910, mainly with terraced houses for workers in industry and services, but with some estates of larger houses around Kilburn. This area has been the focus of substantial change in recent years: much housing renewal has been achieved both through concerted public action and through piecemeal improvement in the private sector, often associated with conversions. Proximity of the inner part of the area to Central London has contributed to these latter pressures.

2.1.4 Parts of the Borough suffer from high levels of social and economic disadvantage (see Map STR2). The extent of deprivation has long been officially recognised and Brent qualifies for a number of European and National regeneration programmes. Brent contains four of the Government's Priority Community Areas eligible for regeneration funding: Harlesden, Willesden, Kilburn and Cricklewood, the major focus of such areas in West London.

2.1.5 In much of the inner part of Brent, as in so many other areas of Inner London that are distant from London's major parks and open spaces, there is a deficiency of the green spaces that are essential to the quality of life and to a pleasant urban environment. Other Inner London characteristics can also be seen: industrial activities operating cheek by jowl with residential uses and the problems of the re-adjustment of town centres to shifting patterns of retailing and changing populations.

2.1.6 The substantial development of the north of the Borough occurred in the 1920's and 1930's with the expansion outwards of London that accompanied the growth of rail and underground services in the capital. That essentially suburban nature, with its characteristically lower densities, survives today. This part of the Borough forms part of the large ring of areas of Inner London that continues to house people working in Central London and, more so today, elsewhere. As in much of suburban London, increased demand for housing in the 1990s has brought pressures for redevelopment at higher densities.

2.1.7 The fortunes of all parts of the Borough depend now, as much as ever, on the prosperity of London as a whole. Other parts of London provide the workplaces for a substantial proportion of Brent's residents. But Brent has its own contribution to make to London's economic well-being. In particular, it contains some 360 hectares (nearly 900 acres) of industrial estates many of which were originally developed during the expansion westwards of London's manufacturing in the inter-war period. These estates have long been seen as a strategic resource providing relatively rare opportunities in West London to house manufacturing activities, including both emerging new industries and those traditional industries, such as in the food and printing sectors, which continue to serve the London market from a base within the capital.

2.1.8 The Borough is famous for being the home of Wembley Stadium - now being redeveloped as the new English National Stadium. Wembley is now a major focus for regeneration and will, when development is complete, attract major international sporting events.

2.1.9 The Borough is very diverse architecturally. Within Brent you will find well-planned leafy suburbs, dense 19th Century inner city housing, 1960s high rise residential and office blocks and two of London's largest industrial estates at Wembley and Park Royal.

2.1.10 The River Brent, after which the Borough takes its name, runs through the centre of the Borough (much of it now open as a riverside walk) roughly dividing the more inner urban South of the Borough from the more suburban North. Part of it flows through the Welsh Harp reservoir, important both for sailing and for its wildlife. The Borough's largest open space is Fryent Country Park which is a local nature reserve and retains its 17th Century hedgerow patterns.

2.1.11 The Borough has a large number of local and town centre shopping areas, many of which have been in long term decline. The two largest are Wembley and Kilburn (the latter shared with Camden).

2.1.12 The Borough has good communication links with the Piccadilly, Bakerloo, Jubilee and Metropolitan tube lines running through the Borough. The Borough also has rail links with the Chiltern Line, North London Line and the Euston Line passing through it. The North Circular Road is the Borough's major road link.

2.2 BRENT’S COMMUNITY PLAN

2.2.1 The Community Plan, ‘A Plan for Brent 2003-2008’, drawn up by the Local Strategic Partnership (Partners for Brent), represents a combined statement of the needs and priorities of local people and identifies some of the policies that have been adopted by local service providers, such as the Council, the police and the local health service, to meet these needs.

2.2.2 The Community Plan identifies priority objectives under the following themes:
• Health and social care
• Environment and transport
• Regeneration and employment
• Crime prevention and community safety
• Education and lifelong learning

Under each theme there is a description of how Partners for Brent is addressing the priority objectives

2.3 Brent's Corporate Strategy

2.3.1 ‘Building a Better Borough, the Corporate Strategy 2002-2006’ outlines Brent Council’s vision, values and key priorities over the four year period. It is the Council’s contract with the people of Brent setting out the main issues that will be addressed between 2004 and 2006. The UDP performs an important role in ensuring that many of the objectives of the corporate strategy are met. The key commitments in the strategy that are relevant to the UDP are set out below.

2.3.2 Promoting quality of life and the green agenda:

• Implementing the Local Agenda 21 Action Plan in collaboration with local people;
• Improving management of waste and the proportion of waste recycled;
• Working to improve the quality of local public transport and reduce congestion;
• Ensuring a diverse range of arts, leisure, sport and cultural activities are available to all sections of the community;
• To make sure that older people, disabled people and those with mental health problems are able to take a full and active part in the life of the community.

2.2.3 Regeneration and Priority Neighbourhoods:-

• Reducing the gaps between Brent’s deprived communities and the rest of London and in particular to focus on the neighbourhoods of South Kilburn, St Raphael’s/Brentfield, Roundwood, Church End, Stonebridge and Harlesden;
• Reducing unemployment levels across the Borough to below the London average, concentrating efforts on those people most in need;
• Promoting a landmark development of regional and national significance at Wembley, creating an identity for the Borough and ensuring substantial local benefit;
• Ensuring a consistently high quality of life for all residents of Brent – incorporating the provision of decent homes for all, high quality destinations and facilities, low levels of crime, healthy living and town centres which meet the needs of local people;
• Making sure that older people, disabled people and those with mental health problems are able to take a full and active part in the life of the community;
• Taking positive preventative action in those areas most at risk of falling into decline in the future.

2.2.4 Tackling Crime and Promoting Community Safety;-

• By working with local communities, reduce the fear of crime and support measures to improve residents’ personal safety.

2.2.6 There are also a number of other corporate strategy statements which should be reflected and/or complemented by the planning strategy in the UDP. The most significant of these are:-

• Local Agenda 21 Action Plan - This contains a wide range of initiatives to address environmental, economic and social issues. The implementation of the Council's planning policies in the UDP are important in ensuring that key elements of the Local Agenda Action Plan are implemented;
• The Brent Primary Care Trust (PCT) Local Delivery Plan (LDP) ‘Investing for Health’ is the overarching three-year strategic plan for the organisation and its partners. It describes the PCT’s key priorities and identifies the resources that will need to be invested to enable this to be achieved.
• The Brent Sports Strategy, aims to promote sporting activity in the Borough, thus making Brent a fitter and healthier place.
• Brent Regeneration Strategy - This sets the direction of the Council's regeneration activity for the next 20 years. The vision is of a Brent fully integrated into the city – a single urban Borough which makes a full and positive contribution to the London economy. Brent’s communities will enjoy a high quality of life and will be fully able to participate in society. At the core of Brent will be a landmark international development at Wembley, providing a source of pride, identity, wealth and aspiration for the Borough as a whole.
• Brent Housing Strategy 2002 - 2007 - This includes the principal objectives of increasing the supply of affordable housing, improving the quality of the existing stock and linking housing regeneration with other regeneration projects.


2.3 National, Regional And London Policy Context

2.3.1 In preparing policies and proposals for Brent's UDP, the Council is required to take account of national, regional and strategic (Londonwide) planning guidance issued from time to time by the Government and the Greater London Authority (GLA).

2.3.2 Underlying national planning policy is the UK Strategy for Sustainable Development ‘A Better Quality of Life’. It defines sustainable development as ‘ensuring a better quality of life for everyone, now and for generations to come’. The revised strategy emphasises the social aspects of sustainable development such as reducing social exclusion. Four major themes are emphasised:

• Social progress which recognises the needs of everyone;
• Effective protection of the environment;
• Prudent use of natural resources; &
• Maintenance of high and stable levels of economic growth and employment.

2.3.3 It emphasises the role of planning in promoting regeneration, social inclusion and more sustainable patterns of development; especially through directing development to accessible locations.

2.3.4 National planning policy is set out in Planning Policy Guidance Notes (PPGs) and Circulars. PPG1 sets out general planning policy and principles. It sets down the key themes of the governments approach to planning and at the heart of these is sustainable development. It states "A key role of the planning system is to enable the provision of homes and buildings, investment and jobs in a way which is consistent with the principles of sustainable development". (para. 1). It advocates locating development in urban areas with good public transport accessibility to reduce the need to travel. It advocates the greater use of mixed use development and increased importance to urban design matters. The plan-led system is stressed as the most effective way of reconciling the demand for development and the needs of the environment.

2.3.5 National advice on the role of development plans (PPG12), December 1999, also emphasises the importance in the development process of statutory adopted plans such as a UDP. ‘Planning decisions on proposals to build on land, or change its use, should not be arbitrary. They must be considered against clearly set out criteria. The statutory development plan provides the primary basis for this consideration. The development plan therefore, provides an essential framework for planning decisions (para 1.6).

2.3.6 PPG12 particularly stresses the importance of integrating land-use and transport planning. It requires development plans to include aims, objectives and targets on matters such as traffic reduction and development on previously used sites. It emphasises the importance of the plan-led system in providing infrastructure and the use of planning policies to secure planning obligations. The importance of land-use planning in promoting competitiveness and addressing issues of social exclusion is also highlighted.

2.3.7 PPG12 also sets out national advice in relation to the content of development plans. Such plans should include all policies and proposals for the development and use of land, including proposals relating to the development of the transport network as well as waste and minerals policies. Plans should have regard to the likely availability of resources, to the conservation of finite or non-renewable resources, such as land and energy, and to the implications for public sector capital expenditure. Furthermore, 'authorities should take account of the need to revitalise and broaden the local economy, the need to stimulate employment opportunities, and the importance of encouraging industrial and commercial development, particularly in the growing knowledge driven sector’ (para 4.9) and plans 'should consider the relationship of planning policies and proposals to social needs and problems, including their likely impact on different groups in the population such as ethnic minorities, religious groups, elderly and disabled people, single parent families, students and disadvantaged and deprived people living in deprived areas.'(para 4.13)

2.3.8 The 1990 Town and Country Planning Act requires planning authorities, to have regard to environmental considerations in preparing their general policies and proposals in UDP Part I's. Government advice on the content of plans also refers to Government Circulars and Planning Policy Guidance Notes relating to individual plan topics such as retailing and employment. This more detailed national policy advice is referred to in individual topic chapters in Part II of this Plan.

2.3.9 Government planning policy for the South East, which provides the context for all development plans in the Region (including London at the time it was agreed), is encapsulated in a Planning Policy Guidance Note (RPG9) issued in March 2001. It aims to make urban areas the main focus for development, and greenfield development should only take place after all other alternatives have been considered. Future development in London should support and develop London's role as a world business and commercial centre and as a centre of international and national importance for retailing, tourism, education, heritage, culture and the arts. It is important to maintain London's attractiveness as a place to work and to avoid decentralisation of economic activity, skills and jobs from London.

2.3.10 The Secretary of State's regional guidance was issued as a response to advice from SERPLAN, which was the planning and transportation organisation representing all of London and the South East region's local authorities before the GLA was established.

2.3.11 The Government's more specific planning policy for London as a whole is contained in 'Strategic Guidance for London Planning Authorities' (RPG3) issued in May 1996. The Guidance sets out a strategic framework for planning in London. Planning for the individual diverse communities of London is the role of UDPs. UDPs should give more attention to the strategic role of part I policies. This will be replaced by the Mayor of London's Spatial Development Strategy when this is adopted in 2004.

2.3.12 The importance of London as a world class city, contributing around 15% of the UKs gross domestic product, is stressed. Boroughs should have regard to London's capital and world city status and make provision in plans for enhancing and supporting this role.

2.3.13 RPG3 highlights Wembley Park and Park Royal as lying within a West London Regeneration corridor of fundamental regional and national importance. Development focused on public transport infrastructure is particularly stressed. To this end the Stadium complex is highlighted as an area able to accommodate high volumes of spectators to major events. The stadium is also listed as a sporting site of national and international importance.

2.3.14 The objectives of the guidance overall are summarised as
follows:

• Promote London as a world city;
• Maintain and enhance the competitiveness of business;
• Encourage a pattern of land-use which reduces the need to travel especially by car;
• Promote urban regeneration;
• Enhance the vitality, viability and character of town centres;
• Maximise housing provision in London, consistent with maintaining environmental quality;
• Maintain and improve the natural and open environment;
• Improve the quality and attractiveness of London's urban environment;
• Facilitate the development of transport systems which are safe and efficient;
• Seek to improve air quality, reduce pollution and encourage recycling.

2.3.15 The Mayor has published and consulted upon the draft Spatial Development Strategy for London, known as the Draft London Plan. This includes policies for the development and use of land as well as all other policies affecting or affected by the distribution of activities. It deals with matters of strategic importance to London and borough UDPs will have to be in general conformity with it, once it is adopted. In addition the Mayor has to be notified of applications of strategic importance and has the power to direct that applications be refused that boroughs are minded to approve. An Examination in Public was held in early 2003 to examine issues that arose during consultation on the draft London Plan.

2.3.16 National Guidance - especially that in PPG6 - promotes the regeneration of town centres - with more diverse mixed uses. It introduces a 'sequential approach’ whereby uses attracting large numbers of people are in the first instance directed towards town centres. More recently PPG3 has extended the principle, so that brownfield sites are developed before greenfield sites.

2.3.17 Accordingly, the strategy of the Plan as a whole focuses new development on town centres and development nodes associated with public transport interchanges. The Borough supports, through West London Leadership, the Strategic Development Framework for West London which promotes Wembley as a key development node for leisure driven regeneration. The Strategic Development Framework aims to make West London into an international business centre. West London has key locational advantages with its links to the national road and rail networks, Heathrow airport and Central London. This means that it is able to attract investment that would not be attracted to elsewhere in London and in the South East. It aims to focus on nodes which offer similar locational advantages and where clusters of similar businesses operate. The attraction of international headquarters is seen as a priority, as are the retention, modernisation and expansion of manufacturing activity and promoting it as a centre for information technology and media activities. Wembley is promoted as a key development node with the aim of repositioning the area as a '21st century centre of sports, media, tourism, retail and leisure activities'. Park Royal is promoted for manufacturing opportunities, with the redevelopment of out-dated property and creating advanced manufacturing inward investment sites as priorities.

2.4 Key Trends

2.4.1 This section looks at some of the key trends affecting development in the Borough - and how these relate to the need for the planning policies. It also summarises the key policy issues.

Population and Housing

2.4.2 The scale of household growth projected to occur will set severe challenges to planning in Brent. A more recent but equally significant trend is a projected reversal in the decline in the Borough's population. The GLA estimates a 14% growth in Brent’s households, from 101,500 households in 2001 to 112,000 in 2016 (SDS Technical Report 5).

2.4.3 The increasingly multi-cultural nature of the British population is especially reflected in Brent. According to the 2001 Census, 54.7% of Brent residents comprised black and other ethnic minorities - the second highest proportion in London.

2.4.4 One of the most significant demographic changes in recent years has been the increase in the numbers of very elderly (85+) people. Together with other factors, such as later childbearing and a high divorce rate, this has resulted in a significant increase in single person households (projected to be 80% of new households).

2.4.5 To inform the preparation of the Plan, the Borough commissioned a housing needs and housing conditions survey undertaken in 1997. A further survey was undertaken in 2003 and this found over 20,000 households living in statutorily unfit and overcrowded houses and that 90% of those who needed rehousing could not afford market housing. The Borough has the highest number in temporary accommodation in West London.

Economy and Employment

2.4.6 In employment terms the proportion of persons employed in manufacturing in the Borough has declined steadily since the war from almost 50% to only 11% in 1995. Alongside this has been growth in the service sector. These broad economic changes have been accompanied by substantial restructuring of the economy both organisationally and geographically. The number of small firms has grown not only to provide new products and services but also because large companies and organisations have been subcontracting activities previously undertaken themselves. At the same time, the shift of economic activities from metropolitan to non-metropolitan areas, that had its roots in the planned dispersal of the post-war decades, continues but is now a natural consequence of the growing congestion of metropolitan areas and its associated costs.

2.4.7 New firms have been moving in and occupying sites within industrial and business areas. These include smaller manufacturers, especially in food processing, wholesale and production warehousing and distribution forms, a cluster of computer related firms in the Staples Corner area and a wide range of generally small service sector firms.

2.4.8 All these changes have imposed a significant burden of adjustment on those parts of metropolitan areas previously dependent for their economic vitality on the activities of large manufacturing concerns. Brent is no exception to this. Having been the traditional home of some major manufacturing companies, the 1980's saw significant losses in this sector. Since 1981,over 23,000 jobs have been lost in manufacturing in the Borough but an important manufacturing sector remains, notably in food and drinks industries, although these have declined as well in recent years with Heinz closing and Guinness announcing that they will no longer be brewing in Park Royal. A large number of small firms have been established including many by African, Asian, Caribbean and Irish people. Unlike a number of other London boroughs and particularly those in West London, Brent has failed to attract a sizeable share of the employment growth that has accompanied the emergence of London as an international financial capital.

2.4.9 Demographic trends, with large numbers of school-leavers entering the labour market in the 1980's and the persistence of the discrimination that affects the job prospects of many people from ethnic minority communities in the Borough, accentuated the impact of these changes on the level of unemployment in Brent, with continuing effects for young people now in their late twenties and thirties. (The level of unemployment among 25-34 year old men in the Borough is higher than that for other age groups.)

Retailing

2.4.10 Growing levels of car ownership and associated greater mobility have facilitated the expansion of retail floorspace outside existing town centres. Together with increasing concentration of ownership in the retail food sector, this mobility has also encouraged the development of large stores serving wide catchment areas: the pattern of convenience shopping is now dominated by the decisions of a few retailers and the location of a number of relatively dispersed large stores. These trends have affected Brent in particular as relatively large sites on the North Circular Road became available in the 1980's. Major food stores have been developed on former industrial land in out-of-centre locations at Brent Park, Colindale, Alperton and at Honeypot Lane. In addition, a million square feet of non-food shopping floorspace, including a major furniture store, is located outside Brent's town centres. Whilst these developments have benefited car-borne shoppers, non car-owning households have suffered and Brent's town centres now perform a diminished role in retailing in the Borough and are in need of economic and environmental regeneration.
Leisure

2.4.11 The 1990's saw increasing participation in leisure activities with demand for a wider range of leisure facilities involving the use of both buildings and open space. This has been accompanied by a growing concern for 'green' issues which in metropolitan areas has found expression in pressure to improve the overall quality of the built environment and to maintain and create 'green lungs' within the urban fabric. The Borough has areas of open space that are important to London as a whole: particularly the Welsh Harp and Fryent Country Park.

2.4.12 In areas like Brent, the demand for built leisure, recreation and community facilities adds to the overall competition for land whilst the renewed interest in the use of open space for recreation and amenity purposes affects the balance between accommodating development pressures and enhancing the quality of life. A continuing trend - the disposal of sports grounds owned by companies and educational institutions - means that achieving this balance is particularly pertinent.

Traffic and Transport

2.4.13 Car ownership in Brent is low when compared with national levels; an average of 63% of households in 2001, with marked variations throughout the Borough. (Most trips made by Brent residents are within Brent or to other parts of outer north-west London. Only 16% of all daily trips are made into Central London (source LATS 1991). The current focus of public transport infrastructure on radial trips into Central London does not address this more scattered pattern of cross-suburban trips.

2.4.14 Increasing incomes allows substantial increased expenditure on travel. Car ownership nationally rose by more than 20%, and there was a general trend to travel further; be it for work, shopping or recreation. The use of public transport declined in the mid-eighties. This decline has reversed recently, and in London the rail system is now carrying record numbers of passengers. Freight transport by road increased to the extent that 96% of the expenditure on freight transport was on goods moved by road. As investment in additional capacity was unable to keep pace with increasing demand, congestion and delays have become common on all forms of transport at peak times.

2.4.15 These trends have all had their impacts on Brent. Although the Borough has had a lower level of car ownership than nationally, there has been a significant growth in car usage in the Borough during the 1990s. In addition to traffic generated locally by residents and commerce, traffic passing through the Borough on radial routes to and from Central London and along the North Circular Road has increased. Increased traffic levels have reduced the environmental quality of residential areas and shopping centres in the Borough, have led to increased numbers of road accidents in the Borough, and have reduced the speed and reliability of bus services in London in general.

2.5 The Overall Strategy

2.5.1 The overall aims of the Plan are :-

• To improve the environment of the Borough;
• To promote regeneration of areas in need of
• Renewal, ensuring that new development is sustain able; and
• To encourage access to new development for the whole of the community.
The Key Diagram (map STR3), indicatively shows the main strategic policy designations.
The Key Objectives of the Plan

2.5.2 The strategy has 10 key objectives, the part one policies are arranged under these headings. The monitoring section (2.8) shows how the achievement of these objectives will be measured:-

• Prioritising Locations and Land-Uses to Achieve Sustainable Development;
• Reducing the Need to Travel;
• Protecting and Enhancing the Environment;
• Meeting Housing Needs;
• Meeting Employment Needs and Regenerating Industry and Business;
• Regenerating Areas Important to London as a Whole;
• Supporting Town and Local Centres;
• Promoting Tourism & the Arts;
• Protecting Open Space and Promoting Sport;
• Meeting Community Needs;
• Treating Waste as a Resource.

2.5.3 The regeneration of Brent is about creating lively, balanced communities where people can live, work, shop, enjoy themselves and feel safe.

2.5.4 The changes described in Brent's economy, as in many areas of London, has been large areas of redundant or under used buildings, run down areas including town centres, with little or no investment, unemployment, poverty, disadvantage, social exclusion and crime. Regeneration seeks to address these problems by a process of intervention - re-directing resources to arrest decline, targeting disadvantage, promoting skills and education opportunities, increasing secure employment opportunities, encouraging a sense of well being within the business and local community, improving public transport, encouraging the provision of homes and securing sustainable improvements to the built and natural environment.

2.5.5 The guiding principle of Brent's UDP is to meet this challenge so that the Borough is a better place in which to live and work and that the benefits of new development and environmental improvement are available to the whole community. The Council regards the quality of the environment and economic prosperity as inextricably linked. The preservation of existing jobs and the creation of new opportunities depend on the attractiveness of the Borough as a workplace and a residential environment. The quality of local facilities - shopping, leisure and community - will also be determined by the extent to which the Borough can attract new regenerative investment. Similarly, the quality of life in Brent is influenced by the accessibility of workplaces and other facilities and the degree to which the whole community is able to share in the economic and social life of the Borough. It is also affected by the levels of traffic generated by the different activities in the Borough and of through traffic.

2.5.6 Overall this will require a balanced pattern of land uses across the Borough and the achievement of mixed and balanced communities. A number of major sites in the Borough are classed as Major Opportunity Sites. These each has specific policies to ensure comprehensive development. Each have the location, size and accessibility to be sites for major mixed-use development. Planning briefs or development frameworks will be prepared for each of these as supplementary planning guidance.

Prioritising Locations and Land-Uses to Achieve Sustainable Development

2.5.7 The built-up nature of much of the Borough means that land which is redundant in terms of its original purpose is an important source of sites to accommodate development that is required to meet the needs of the Borough's population. There will never be enough land to meet all of the development needs in West London therefore it is important that the UDP sets out priorities in the use of land. A number of areas are of strategic importance to London as a whole in terms of employment (and are recognised as such in the Government's Strategic Planning Guidance RPG3): the National Stadium Area and the Borough's main industrial estates including Park Royal which are designated as Strategic Employment Areas. These are the areas best suited to long-term retention in industrial and related uses and appropriate for major development and redevelopment to suit the requirements of modern industry, in terms of accessibility to the Strategic Road Network, size and suitability for inward investment. By directing industrial activities to these areas, the Council is able to ensure that industrial and related uses are accommodated satisfactorily whilst protecting residential areas from the environmental and traffic impact of their activities. Two other categories of employment area exist; Borough Employment Areas and Local Employment Sites. This does not represent a 'hierarchy' of importance, rather a complementary network of sites serving different functions in the employment market.

2.5.8 Brent has one of the highest housing needs in London, and the Borough also places considerable importance on estate regeneration. The Council has therefore increased the priority given to affordable housing, making it the main priority of the Plan.

2.5.9 Alongside a prioritisation in terms of land use, the Plan contains a prioritisation in terms of location. Government Policy (principally PPG6) sets out the 'sequential approach'. This applies to developments attracting significant numbers of people, where first consideration should be given to sites in major town centres, followed in turn by edge-of-major town centre sites, district and local centres and only then out-of-centre sites; where such facilities should be grouped together and have good public transport accessibility. This test has now been applied throughout the Plan.

2.5.10 In line with national policy the strategy prioritises the use of previously used urban land ('brownfield' sites) over 'greenfield' sites which in Brent include allotments, parks and playing fields. Any development of these must be exceptional and justifiable in its own terms, e.g. a 'sports led' proposal to improve sports provision by developing a small part of a playing field, rather than development of open space to increase housing supply.

Reducing the need to travel

2.5.11 Development that significantly attracts large number of people (such as shops, leisure uses and offices) should, where possible, be located in places within short, and easily walked, distances of frequent public transport, so as to reduce the share of trips using the private car. Such developments will be restricted in scale and/or development type elsewhere.

2.5.12 Also, if development which significantly generate trips (such as most housing) is located near to local facilities and work then the need to travel may be reduced (through mixed use developments or otherwise). One of the key policy aims of the Plan is to promote access by the whole community, and reducing the need to travel, through promoting developments with a mix of land uses, can help in this. The location of housing in relation to public transport is also key in determining whether people use a car for work or leisure trips.

2.5.13 Policies on the location of development must be supported by policies which influence the means of transport. Sustainable means of transport such as walking, cycling and public transport are promoted in the strategy - so that the whole community can access new development.

2.5.14 In order to improve the environment and reduce congestion a number of measures to restrain the use of the private car will be necessary. The amount of parking available at the end of a journey is one of the key means within the Plan of reducing car usage, as will be the introduction of on-street parking controls (controlled parking zones).

2.5.15 Brent's roads and rail lines form part of a wider network of transport links in London. Strategic policies recognise the importance to co-ordinate measures such as the London Bus Priority Network, the London Strategic Road Network and the London Cycle Network.

Protecting and Enhancing the Environment

2.5.16 The quality of London's environment is critical to the maintenance of its role as a World Class City. The Council is committed to ensuring that new development contributes to preserving that which is environmentally pleasing in the Borough and improving those parts of Brent which are less attractive. The design and location of new development must take into account the need to conserve energy and the preservation of the wider environment. Wherever possible, schemes to upgrade the environment will be undertaken with the full involvement of the local community.

continue to next part of Chapter 2

Foreword

Introduction

Strategy

Built Environment

Environmental Protection

Housing

Transport

Employment

Town Centres & Shopping

Tourism, Entertainment & the Arts

Open Space & Recreation

Community Facilities

Waste

INSET PLANS

Park Royal

Wembley Regeneration Area

Site Specific Proposals

Glossary

Borough-wide maps