The Local Plan should recognise, protect and support community and cultural facilities and may need an additional policy to do so.

We welcome Strategic Objective SO11 and Policy 8.6 for Brentwood Town Centre, as these do support culture, however, there is not a clear policy to safeguard and support existing community and cultural facilities. The content of Policy 10.9 alludes to it, but has a focus on recreation. We therefore recommend a new policy is created, or Policy 8.6 or 10.9 are amended to also safeguard existing facilities.

The importance of planning for culture and cultural facilities is emphasised in the National Planning Policy Framework by being included as a core planning principle (Para 17). This is supported by guidance in para 70 of the NPPF which states that to deliver the social, recreational and cultural facilities and services that the community needs, planning policies and decisions should guard against unnecessary loss of valued facilities. Also to ensure that established facilities and services are retained and able to develop for the benefit of the community.

Paragraph 156 also states local planning authorities should set out the strategic priorities in the Local Plan to deliver 'the provision of health, security, community and cultural infrastructure and other local facilities'.

The Planning Practice Guidance notes that a range of issues could be considered through the plan-making and decision-making processes including social and cultural well-being. This takes the matter further than just access to doctors and playing fields. 'Well-being' is having a sense of satisfaction with life. Social and cultural well-being includes the un-measurable personal experiences that make us happy and content. Such experiences are intangible and can either be active (sports) or passive (theatre), and the provision of a variety of community infrastructure and cultural facilities for these activities is vital for their contribution to resident and visitor life satisfaction. Cultural and community opportunities also play a big role in developing, attracting and retaining skilled work force, and this should be promoted in this document.

It is therefore important the local plan safeguard cultural & community facilities which benefit and support sustainable communities which might otherwise be traded in for more commercially lucrative developments. Also to promote new facilities to support the growing population.

To support the objectives, we recommend a policy along the lines of:
Community and Cultural Facilities
The council will resist the loss or change of use of existing community and cultural facilities unless replacement facilities are provided on site or within the vicinity which meet the need of the local population, or necessary services can be delivered from other facilities without leading to, or increasing, any shortfall in provision, and it has been demonstrated that there is no community need for the facility or demand for another community use on site.

For clarity, we recommend that the policy, text and the Glossary contains an explanation for the term 'community and cultural facilities'. We recommend this succinct all-inclusive description which would obviate the need to provide examples: community and cultural facilities provide for the health and wellbeing, social, educational, spiritual, recreational, leisure and cultural needs of the community.

The Local Plan should recognise, protect and support community and cultural facilities and may need an additional policy to do so.

We welcome Strategic Objective SO11 and Policy 8.6 for Brentwood Town Centre, as these do support culture, however, there is not a clear policy to safeguard and support existing community and cultural facilities. The content of Policy 10.9 alludes to it, but has a focus on recreation. We therefore recommend a new policy is created, or Policy 8.6 or 10.9 are amended to also safeguard existing facilities.

The importance of planning for culture and cultural facilities is emphasised in the National Planning Policy Framework by being included as a core planning principle (Para 17). This is supported by guidance in para 70 of the NPPF which states that to deliver the social, recreational and cultural facilities and services that the community needs, planning policies and decisions should guard against unnecessary loss of valued facilities. Also to ensure that established facilities and services are retained and able to develop for the benefit of the community.

Paragraph 156 also states local planning authorities should set out the strategic priorities in the Local Plan to deliver 'the provision of health, security, community and cultural infrastructure and other local facilities'.

The Planning Practice Guidance notes that a range of issues could be considered through the plan-making and decision-making processes including social and cultural well-being. This takes the matter further than just access to doctors and playing fields. 'Well-being' is having a sense of satisfaction with life. Social and cultural well-being includes the un-measurable personal experiences that make us happy and content. Such experiences are intangible and can either be active (sports) or passive (theatre), and the provision of a variety of community infrastructure and cultural facilities for these activities is vital for their contribution to resident and visitor life satisfaction. Cultural and community opportunities also play a big role in developing, attracting and retaining skilled work force, and this should be promoted in this document.

It is therefore important the local plan safeguard cultural & community facilities which benefit and support sustainable communities which might otherwise be traded in for more commercially lucrative developments. Also to promote new facilities to support the growing population.

To support the objectives, we recommend a policy along the lines of:
Community and Cultural Facilities
The council will resist the loss or change of use of existing community and cultural facilities unless replacement facilities are provided on site or within the vicinity which meet the need of the local population, or necessary services can be delivered from other facilities without leading to, or increasing, any shortfall in provision, and it has been demonstrated that there is no community need for the facility or demand for another community use on site.

For clarity, we recommend that the policy, text and the Glossary contains an explanation for the term 'community and cultural facilities'. We recommend this succinct all-inclusive description which would obviate the need to provide examples: community and cultural facilities provide for the health and wellbeing, social, educational, spiritual, recreational, leisure and cultural needs of the community.

The Local Plan should recognise, protect and support community and cultural facilities and may need an additional policy to do so.

We welcome Strategic Objective SO11 and Policy 8.6 for Brentwood Town Centre, as these do support culture, however, there is not a clear policy to safeguard and support existing community and cultural facilities. The content of Policy 10.9 alludes to it, but has a focus on recreation. We therefore recommend a new policy is created, or Policy 8.6 or 10.9 are amended to also safeguard existing facilities.

The importance of planning for culture and cultural facilities is emphasised in the National Planning Policy Framework by being included as a core planning principle (Para 17). This is supported by guidance in para 70 of the NPPF which states that to deliver the social, recreational and cultural facilities and services that the community needs, planning policies and decisions should guard against unnecessary loss of valued facilities. Also to ensure that established facilities and services are retained and able to develop for the benefit of the community.

Paragraph 156 also states local planning authorities should set out the strategic priorities in the Local Plan to deliver 'the provision of health, security, community and cultural infrastructure and other local facilities'.

The Planning Practice Guidance notes that a range of issues could be considered through the plan-making and decision-making processes including social and cultural well-being. This takes the matter further than just access to doctors and playing fields. 'Well-being' is having a sense of satisfaction with life. Social and cultural well-being includes the un-measurable personal experiences that make us happy and content. Such experiences are intangible and can either be active (sports) or passive (theatre), and the provision of a variety of community infrastructure and cultural facilities for these activities is vital for their contribution to resident and visitor life satisfaction. Cultural and community opportunities also play a big role in developing, attracting and retaining skilled work force, and this should be promoted in this document.

It is therefore important the local plan safeguard cultural & community facilities which benefit and support sustainable communities which might otherwise be traded in for more commercially lucrative developments. Also to promote new facilities to support the growing population.

To support the objectives, we recommend a policy along the lines of:
Community and Cultural Facilities
The council will resist the loss or change of use of existing community and cultural facilities unless replacement facilities are provided on site or within the vicinity which meet the need of the local population, or necessary services can be delivered from other facilities without leading to, or increasing, any shortfall in provision, and it has been demonstrated that there is no community need for the facility or demand for another community use on site.

For clarity, we recommend that the policy, text and the Glossary contains an explanation for the term 'community and cultural facilities'. We recommend this succinct all-inclusive description which would obviate the need to provide examples: community and cultural facilities provide for the health and wellbeing, social, educational, spiritual, recreational, leisure and cultural needs of the community.