Protection of local character and amenity in residential development

Great care should be taken to ensure that local character, environmental quality and amenity are not significantly eroded and that the proposed density, together with the form, scale, massing and layout of the new development will respect that of adjacent housing, safeguard the privacy of existing residents and shall support the development of sustainable balanced communities. The proposed density bands take into account variations within character areas by using higher and lower limits, allowing proposals to protect the established character and patterns of development in any particular location, whilst still meeting broader policy requirements.