Agenda item

Report of Chief Officer (Regeneration and Planning).

All Members of the Council had been invited to attend for this item.

The Chairman welcomed the Chief Officer (Regeneration and Planning), the Planning and Housing Policy Manager, the Planning Officer and Mr John Baker from the Planning Advisory Service.

The Planning Officer presented a report and provided a presentation on the Five Year Land Supply.

Members were advised that, as a result of a motion to Council on the 15^th July 2015, Officers had been asked to provide advice to the Committee on the calculation of the Council’s five year housing land supply position, information on the methodology, and the judgements made in calculating this figure.

It was reported that the Council’s current five year housing land supply position was described in the ‘Five Year Housing Land Supply Position Statement’ (September 2015) a copy of which was attached to the report.

Members were advised that the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) required local authorities to plan for, and identify a continuous supply of housing. The current housing requirement was set by the 2008 Core Strategy. This set a requirement for the period 2003-2021 of 7,200 dwellings, equivalent to 400 dwellings per annum and 2,000 dwellings over a 5 year period.

Members were advised that, in line with the NPPF, a 5% buffer was additionally applied to the 400 housing requirement (moved forward from later in the plan period). This 5% figure was the lower of the two buffer figures which the NPPF directed must be applied. In circumstances where there had been persistent under delivery the NPPF directed that the buffer added should be 20% of the five-year requirement.  The council had achieved lower than the annualised requirement in every year between 2003/04-2013/14, however, because last year’s delivery exceeded the annualised requirement (that was 473 dwellings were completed) Council officers had taken the view that the condition of “persistence” no longer applied. Therefore, the lower of the NPPF buffer directions (i.e. 5%) had being applied by officers to the 2,000 dwelling five-year requirement. The current rate of under-delivery stood at 1,622 dwellings.  Taking these factors into account the five-year dwelling requirement was 2,100 plus the 1,622 under delivery.  At a total of 3,722 dwellings, this meant that in order to demonstrate a five-year land supply the council would need to evidence how it intended to see an average of 744 dwellings delivered over eachof the next five years.

Members were advised that the Council could currently identify a five year supply of 2,507 dwellings. This included sites with planning permission and additional sites identified though the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) process.

It was reported to the Committee that student and other institutional housing completions were included within completion figures for the district but that the inclusion of student and institutional equivalent completions against the overall requirement did need to be treated with caution. Student and institutional needs were not included in the calculation which established the 400 per annum housing requirement. Members were therefore advised that at any planning appeal the inclusion of student and institutional completions would be likely to be challenged.

Based on the described methodology, officers reported a five-year housing land position, as of the 31^st March 2015, of 3.4 years. Whilst officers considered that to be a reasonably robust approach it should be noted that at planning appeals the Council’s calculation would face significant challenge from the development industry.

Members were advised by Mr Barker, on behalf of the Planning Advisory Service, that the advice provided by officers was a local application of national principles that were well understood and it was articulated accurately in terms of national procedure. Following that procedure would protect the Council from having its plan found to be unsound. Mr Barker went on to advise Members that he had reviewed the evidence base which the Council officers had commissioned and compiled to inform the Local Plan and also found that to be robust and sound. He urged the council to proceed promptly and use this get to on with the task of submitting a draft plan to the Planning Inspectorate in order to ensure that it was the Council itself who would determine what the Local Plan should contain.

Mr Barker, speaking on behalf of the Planning Advisory Service, also advised Members that in his view the methodology applied for the Five Year Housing Supply was sound and that the Turley’s Housing Requirements Study was also a sound piece of work and his advice to the Council was to proceed with considering land allocations.

Members were advised in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 10.1 that meetings shall adjourn after a period of two hours. Following consultation with Members the Chairman used his discretion to waive the adjournment as is was felt that the business could be finished shortly.

Members asked a number of questions of the officers and the Planning Advisory Service representative.

It was proposed by Councillor June Ashworth and seconded by Councillor Brett Cooper:-

“That Members note the content of the report.”

Upon being put to the vote Members voted unanimously in favour of the proposal, whereupon the Chairman declared the proposal clearly carried.

It was then proposed by Councillor Nigel Goodrich and seconded by Councillor June Ashworth:-

“That Members agree and endorse the methodology followed.”

Upon being put to the vote, 6 Members voted in favour, with 2 abstentions, whereupon the Chairman declared the proposition carried.

Resolved:-

(1)         That Members note the content of the report.

(2)         That Members agree and endorse the methodology followed.