Full text:
I am writing in reply to your letter dated 6 March 2009 following the publication of your preferred options for the development of Southend Airport and surrounding land for consultation.
Please find attached a report outlining matters that Essex Policy would request are given favourable consideration during the next planning and development stage.
If I can assist you further with this matter, or you require any further information or clarity concerning the attached report, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Essex Police in principle will not object to this application for the extension of Southend Airport, but would ask that its concerns are registered and given favourable consideration in the next phase of the Planning and Development of Southend Airport.
Essex Police acknowledges the potential benefits of the redevelopment and expansion of Southend Airport. It could increase employment opportunities and boost the local economies of Rochford and Southend. Essex Police would ask that these benefits must be considered and balanced against the prospects of the potential rise in crime, anti-social behaviour and traffic related incidents. Consideration also needs to be given to the fact that a rise in air traffic movements could increase the risk of a major incident and/or terrorist threats. We would strongly recommend that expert counter terrorist advise is sort from our colleagues at Stansted Airport.
The logistics of responding to any of these events will depend initially on local resources and access to any scene. The major route to the airport is of course the A127 and, at the best of times, this road is congested. The benefits of any proposed road infrastructure improvements will, no doubt, be maximised by the additional traffic flowing through the area as a result of any development.
The new link road will be excessively used by Park & Ride commuters and others using the route as a by-pass for the A127. It is therefore suggested that the traffic problems will not be addressed fully by this road alone. We suggest there needs to be a major commitment in the use of public transport for the majority of journeys to the airport.
The entire development needs to be carefully reviewed in line with Crime Reduction initiatives (e.g. Designing out Crime) to reduce the prospects on any rise in crime or Anti Social Behaviour.
Should Southend Airport become a designated airport, the issues of police resources, equipment and infrastructure will have to be provided by way of, planning conditions, Sec 106 contributions and by the airport management team through the Police Services Agreement (PSA). The process of deciding whether an airport will become designated is under legislative review and developments should be considered in the future.
Essex Police therefore bring to your attention the following planning documents that support crime prevention as part of the planning process.
Planning Policy Statement 1:
Paragraph 1
'Poor planning can result in a legacy for current and future generations of run down town centres, unsafe and dilapidated housing, crime and disorder and the loss of our finest countryside to development.'
Paragraph 3
'Sustainable development is the core principle underpinning planning. At the heart of sustainable development is the simple idea of ensuring a better quality of life for everyone, now and for future generations. A widely used definition was drawn up by the World Commission on Environment and Development in 1987: 'development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs'.
Paragraph 5
'Ensuring high quality development through good and inclusive design and the efficient use of resources...and ensuring that development supports existing communities and contributes to the creation of safe, sustainable liveable and mixed communities...'
With reference to the above, Essex Police would ask that the next phase of planning and development for the Airport consider that inclusive design means that all sections of the community have equal rights to acceptable security, and that those living close to the airport will not be adversely affected by a potential rise in crime or anti-social behaviour.
In addition, Essex Police would not like to see the development of the Airport to the detriment of local Town Centres such as Rochford or Southend. If expansion of the Airport is to such an extent that it would require dedicated Policing, then application would be made to the appropriate authority to ensure that the cost of such policing, associated training, vehicles, maintenance of buildings etc will be met by the Airport Authority and owner. Likewise, Essex police would not like to see a development which seeks to reduce reliance on motor vehicles by the increased access to it by public transport but then generates high volumes of calls for police attendance or other emergency services.
Paragraph 13
'Local planning authorities should ensure that development plans promote outcomes in which environmental, economic and social objectives are achieved together over time.'
With reference to the above, Essex Police would like to comment that crime and anti-social behaviour and the reduction and prevention of crime is an environmental, economic and social objective and should be linked with other local authority strategies such as the Crime and Disorder Audit and Crime Disorder Reduction Partnership, thus ensuring joined up policy and compliance with the Crime and Disorder Act duty, thereby enabling everything possible is done to prevent crime and disorder.
Planning policies should promote high quality inclusive design in the layout of new developments and individual buildings in terms of functions and impact, not just for the short term but over the lifetime of the development. Design which fails to take the opportunities available for improving the character and quality of an area should not be accepted.
Paragraph 27
'(ii) Promote urban and rural regeneration to improve the well being of communities, improve facilities, promotes high quality and safe development...'
'(iii) Promote communities which are inclusive, healthy, safe and crime free, whilst respecting the diverse needs of communities and the special needs of particular sectors of the community.'
With reference to the above, Essex Police would like to draw to the attention of the Planning Committee that the above requires facilities that are safe and crime free for communities, thus requiring robust crime resistant design for this to be achieved.
Paragraph 29
'In some circumstances, a planning authority may decide in reaching a decision to give different weight to social, environmental resource or economic considerations.
Where this is the case, the reasons for doing so should be explicit and the consequences considered. Adverse environmental, social and economic impacts should be avoided, mitigated or compensated for.'
With reference to the above, Essex Police requests that the Planning Authority give crime and anti-social behaviour the justification it requires. If this is not deemed to be the case, the Planning Authority would be asked to justify their decision, and to ensure that they avoid adverse social and economic impact. Crime and the cost of crime to the community are thus specifically to be avoided.
In addition, Essex Police would seek to address issues of police resources, equipment and infrastructure by way of, planning conditions under legislative contributions from the Airport Management, should this be deemed necessary.
Design & Access Statements
'These were introduced as a result of Department Communities and Local Government (CLG) circular 1/06. Paragraph 87 of the circular states: 'Planning Policy Statement 1 makes clear that a key objective for new developments should be that they create safe and accessible environments where crime and disorder or fear of crime does not undermine quality of life or community cohesion.'
'Design and access statements for outline and detailed applications should therefore demonstrate how crime prevention measures have been considered in the design of the proposal and how the design reflects the attributes of safe, sustainable places set out in 'Safer Places - the Planning System and Crime Prevention'.
With reference to the above, Essex Police would like to draw the attention to the Planning Committee to, and ask for compliance with the issue that whilst some Local Planning Authorities take the view that the lack of crime prevention components in a design and access statement does not prohibit them from entertaining the application, Statutory Instrument 062 of 2006 (which introduced the requirement for Design and Access Statements) makes it mandatory to demonstrate the steps taken to appraise the context of the development and how the design of the development takes that context into account in relation to its proposed use. As Planning Policy Statement 1 includes addressing crime risk as part of the creation of safe and sustainable places, this will invariably form part of the context that in which any development is set.
Design and Access Statements - How to Write, Read and Use Them
This is a Commission for Architecture in the Build Environment guidance document which was reprinted in 2007
to include crime prevention advice and gives the following guidance:
Page 8
'Statements should demonstrate how development can create accessible and safe environments, including addressing crime and disorder and fear of crime. These may be particularly relevant to address under layout and landscaping themes. Early consultation with police will help identify key issues in your local area, and measures to help address these. Safer places - the planning system and crime prevention (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister/Home Office, 2004) contains more information.'
Page 15
'Under Layout it says, 'But for larger plans, the layout may be balancing a variety of design features such as solar gain, crime prevention and accessibility. In these cases, statements should clearly explain the design decisions that have been made.' It further says at the third bullet point, 'It should explain how the layout contributes to making a place safer.'
Page 17
'Under Landscaping at the first bullet point it says 'Landscape design is about much more than plants. It should include all treatments of outdoor spaces, including street furniture, water features and road materials. The statement should show how the design of outside spaces will make them more attractive, safe, useful and environmentally responsible.'
Page 19
'Under Access it says at the fifth bullet point, 'The statement should clearly show public and private space and explain how the design has helped make these areas safe.'
Page 25
'Under Layout at the fifth bullet point it says, 'Will public spaces be safe, overlooked and convenient? Windows, doors, shop fronts and access routes should be used to overlook and help keep public spaces safe, but they should not jeopardise people's private spaces.'
Page 25
'Under Layout at the sixth bullet point it says, 'Does the design address safety and crime prevention?'
Page 27
'Under landscaping it says at the second bullet point, 'Will the landscape design support local character and image , and help define private and public spaces? Good landscape treatment can help make places safe, attractive and successful. Safety, security and business success rely on clear definitions of who can do what where.'
Page 33
'Under Good Design Principles it mentions Safer Places - the planning system and crime prevention which is a companion guide to Planning Policy Statement 1 and sets out seven attributes. Each depicting an element that should be addressed ie 'surveillance'
With reference to the above, Essex Police ask that these matters be taken into consideration in the planning and design of Southend Airport to ensure that there is minimum impact on the surrounding communities in terms of both potential rise in Crime and Anti-social behaviour and any adverse effect on the infrastructure, particularly the road network.
