Kettering Central Neighbourhood Plan

Policy KET11 Local Green Spaces

The Neighbourhood Plan designates Local Green Spaces in the following locations, as shown on the Policies Map, listed below and detailed in Appendix E

  1. Mill Road Park and Sports Facilities (ballpark/skate park beyond in Carey St)
  2. Mill Road Pocket Park (Small green space in Mill Road leading to Tudor Court)
  3. Rockingham Road Pleasure Park
  4. Reed Close Play Area (bottom of Britannia Road)
  5. Corner of Rockingham Road/Northfield Avenue
  6. Grafton Street Park
  7. Meadow Road Park
  8. Manor House Gardens
  9. Garden of Reflection (Park to the north of Corn Market Hall)
  10. Corner Stamford Road/Catesby Street
  11. Jubilee Gardens (either side of St Marys Rd where it joins London Rd)
  12. Union Street Copse.
  1. New development will not be permitted on land designated as Local Green Space except in very special circumstances or where it is ancillary to the use of the land for public recreational purposes.
  2. The area in the southeast corner of Meadow Park, shown hatched on the policies map, is excluded from the Local Green Spaces designation due to the potential need for the creation of a new access road to Saunders Close and/or works to Slade Brook Corridor as set out in KET10. Development proposals which result in the net reduction of as public open spaces on this site must demonstrate how the land has been re-provided within walking distance of the site, ideally through the creation of a Pocket Park as identified in KET10 Fi).
Appendix E: Local Green Spaces

Supporting Text

  1. The green and blue infrastructure network includes some land that qualifies as a Local Green Space. These spaces are particularly special and cherished by the local community. They play an important role in helping to define the character of the parish, as well as being an important social and environmental resource for the health and wellbeing of the community and would be especially missed if they were to be lost to development.
  2. In 2012, the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) introduced Local Green Space as a way for communities to identify green areas of particular importance and to provide special protection against development. They can only be designated through either Local or Neighbourhood plans. The principle of Local Green Space has remained unchanged in subsequent updates to the NPPF, which states that policies for managing development within a LGS should be consistent with those for Green Belts. Each location has been justified using the National Planning Policy Framework criteria that the location shall be:
  1. in reasonably close proximity to the community it serves.
  2. demonstrably special to a local community and holds a particular local significance, for example because of its beauty, historic significance, recreational value (including as a playing field), tranquillity or richness of its wildlife; and
  3. local in character and is not an extensive tract of land.
  • 1. Mill Road Park and Sports Facilities (C) Kettering Town Council / Matt Short Photography
  1. The Planning Practice Guidance provides a helpful steer as to the considerations for Local Green Space identification. Green areas can include land where sports pavilions, boating lakes or structures such as war memorials are located, allotments, or urban spaces that provide a tranquil oasis. The proximity of a Local Green Space to the community it serves will depend on local circumstances, including why the green area is seen as special, but it must be reasonably close. For example, if public access is a key factor, then the site would normally be within easy walking distance of the community it serves. There are no hard and fast rules about how big a Local Green Space can be because places are different, and a degree of judgment will inevitably be needed. Finally, there is no requirement for the Local Green Space to have public access.
  2. In respect of Clause B, discussions with North Northamptonshire Council, owners of Meadow Park, have identified the potential need to create an access for the redevelopment of Council property in Saunders Close for the redevelopment of a brownfield site. As such, it was felt appropriate to exclude the corner of the park to allow for this purpose. Should the site not come forward for redevelopment, a subsequent review of the KNP could look to incorporate this area into the wider Meadow Park Local Green Space designation. In addition, the opportunity to improve the Slade Brook Corridor in this area, as set out in KET10, including potential de-culverting, should ideally be facilitated and in any event not precluded, through the creation of any access track. 

Policy Map

To see the full Kettering Central Neighbourhood Plan Policy Map, or to find instructions about how to use our interactive maps, please visit our Policy Map page.

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