Policy theme
Facilities

National planning policy requires that all developments should be 'sustainable'. There are three components to sustainability, social, economic and environmental. This theme of the neighbourhood plan is about social sustainability.

A community is socially sustainable when its members have easy access to the main facilities they need to sustain their lives and their families.

Making Martock more socially sustainable

Martock has a small retail centre compared to most other nearby settlements of a similar size. There is little room for expansion of the Moorlands Centre. This raises the issue of where and how the retail sector should expand.

The neighbourhood plan will identify areas where infrastructure for social services can be improved.

Completion of the neighbourhood plan will generate increased funding for social infrastructure developments in the village through an increase in the proportion of funding from developers that will be channelled through the Parish. A prioritised list for spending on infrastructure for the social well-being of the villagers will be part of the Neighbourhood plan.

Martock is a Linear Settlement

Martock has evolved from four villages in a line down a North-South road, Three of these are now one continuous settlement which is about 4km long. This presents a problem for people living at the north and south ends who want to go to the centre - it is too far to walk (particularly to walk back laden with shopping).

This means that additional housing at the two ends is not very sustainable because people tend to use cars to go to the centre now we mno longer have subsidised rural bus services. Distances above 800m to 1000m are too far; most people tend not to walk this far.

This means that the most sustainable sites for new housing lie to the east and west of Martock Centre. This issue was noted by the Planning inspectors in the Lavers Oak and Ringwell Hill appeal judgements