Criteria for Identifying Suitable Housing Development Sites

All of the following criteria will be considered in the identification of suitable sites: • the need for urban expansion, informed by allowances for existing commitments; • the physical and environmental constraints on the development of land including the need to protect environmental setting, character, natural and built heritage and constraints such as contamination, land stability and flood risk; • the capacity of existing infrastructure including public transport, water, sewerage, other utilities, social and community facilities (such as education and health) to absorb development without adding further financial burden; • the degree of integration with centres of employment, services, other facilities, public transport and other non car modes (the latter two will be informed by the carrying out of an accessibility analysis as set out in PPS 13); • the need to manage the encroachment of housing on existing businesses to ensure that the operation and potential expansion of such enterprises, and the retention of jobs is not impeded by the juxtaposition of new housing areas; • any relevant direction or guidance on strategic urban design; • the ability to integrate new development without detracting from the character and identity of the settlement, whilst maintaining a sense of place (see Local Development Guidelines for Urban and Rural Areas, SPG-ENV 4); • the social and equality issues - in Northern Ireland there needs to be recognition of the need to deal sensitively and appropriately with the 'divided community' issue within settlements for both communities; • the need to ensure that there would be no detrimental effect on residential amenity or on the health of residents due to nearby landuses and activities; • the ability to unlock major strategic development opportunities such as those offering significant employment opportunities; and • the strategic objectives for the plan area with direct relevance to the RDS.