Issue - meetings

Adopting the Meeting Housing Needs Supplementary Planning Document

 

 

Meeting: 22/01/2013 - Cabinet (Item 99)

99 Adopting the Meeting Housing Needs Supplementary Planning Document pdf icon PDF 110 KB

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Hanson)

 

Report of the Head of Regeneration & Planning

Additional documents:

Minutes:

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Hanson)

 

Cabinet received a report from the Head of Regeneration and Planning to seek a resolution from Cabinet to adopt the Meeting Housing Needs Supplementary Planning Document (SPD).

 

The options, options analysis, including risk assessment and officer preferred option, were set out in the report as follows:

 

 

 

Option 1:Approve the recommendation to adopt the Meeting Housing Needs SPD.

Option 2:Do not approve the recommendation to adopt the Meeting Housing Needs SPD.

Advantages

The Council will have available complete and up to date guidance on meeting housing needs (that applicants can refer to when preparing specific planning proposals and the Development Management Team can refer to when considering specific planning applications).

Delaying the publication of the SPD will allow time for further public consultation, although adequate time has already been allowed for this.  

 

The Council will be aligned with the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) requirement that SPDs provide further guidance on particular issues (in this instance meeting housing needs).

 

 

The Council will be aligned with the NPPF requirement that SPDs add further detail to the policies in the adopted Local Plan.

 

Disadvantages

The SPD’s focus on how the Council will achieve affordable housing from new residential development may attract renewed criticism from developers / applicants around the impact this has on viability which may be viewed as being at odds with the NPPF.

 

Risks

Applying the approach to calculating commuted sums to conversions (as distinct to new build) may attract some criticism because the in-principle expectation of affordable housing contributions from a net increase in units (whether new build or conversion of existing) is described within a development management policy in the Draft Local Plan which has not yet been adopted.  Although public consultation on the preferred options version of the Draft Local Plan commenced on 22nd October, the document is not anticipated for adoption until September 2014.  However, paragraph 216 of the NPPF states that decisions makers may also give weight to relevant policies in emerging plans according to the stage of preparation of the emerging plan. On this basis, the Draft Local Plan can be thought of as a material consideration (but of limited weight), and might usefully inform the consideration of a development proposal.

The absence of a fully consulted on SPD providing complete and up to date guidance on meeting housing needs may put the Council at risk from future appeals to overturn decisions made where planning proposals did not address relevant policies in the adopted Core Strategy.

 

The officer preferred option was Option 1 so that the Council had in place complete and up to date guidance on meeting housing needs.

 

Councillor Hanson proposed, seconded by Councillor Leytham:-

(1)             That the recommendation, as set out in the report, be approved.

Councillors then voted:-

 

Resolved unanimously:

 (1)       That the Meeting Housing Needs Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) be adopted and become  a material consideration for all planning applications for residential development from 1st February  ...  view the full minutes text for item 99