Agenda item

To receive a report from the Head of Housing and Health on the Housing Delivery Test Action Plan.

The Cabinet had before it a report * from the Head of Housing and Health on the Housing Delivery Test Action Plan.

The Cabinet Member for Planning and Economic Regeneration outlined the contents of the report with particular reference to the following:

• The Government had published the 2023 Housing Delivery Test results. The Housing Delivery Test was an annual measurement of housing delivery (i.e. completions) against targets for each Local Authority. The result for the Council was 86%. The result was calculated for a three year period 2020 to 2023. As delivery was below target and below 95% the Council was now required to prepare a Housing Delivery Test Action Plan to detail what it intends to do to address this under-deliver.
• The Action Plan detailed what were the barriers to the early commencement of housing development in the district and provided an explanation for these. It also identified 18 ‘actions’ the Council would take to help improve the delivery of new homes.
• The Planning Policy Advisory Group was consulted on the draft Action Plan on 19th March and had endorsed the actions that were included in it and the recommendations in this report.
• There was no requirement for the Council to consult on the Action Plan. However, the Council would continue to engage with the development industry through the planning process, including the recent call for sites and also through the determination of planning applications.
• If the Action Plan was approved it would be published on the Council’s website and made available to the public. The Action Plan would be kept under review in light of future Housing Delivery Test results being published by the Government.

Discussion took place with regards to:

• That 2800 homes that had been approved and over 1200 still unimplemented, was this a failure to build?
• Concern regarding the suggestion that the Council should consider alternative 10 years or even payments in lieu when affordable housing became a barrier to delivery.
• Given the scale of unimplemented permissions, what levers, legal, financial or policy based could the Council realistically use to encourage or require developers to build?
• What safeguards would be in place to ensure that flexibility on affordable housing didn’t undermine the Council’s commitment to those in housing needs?
• What was the plan if developer engagement in the proposed round table discussion was limited or non-existent?
• How many of the 1251 were actually targeted at social housing?
• If any other consideration had been given to indirect implications on climate change and biodiversity in relation to the Council’s Corporate Plan targets, climate strategy and action plan and the Council’s biodiversity duty, because this was going to have an enormous impact on the district in forthcoming years.

RESOLVED that the Mid Devon Housing Delivery Test Action Plan (Appendix 1) be approved and that this be published on the Council’s website and made publicly available.

(Proposed by Cllr S Keable and Seconded by Cllr S Clist)

Reason for Decision:

There were no direct financial implications from approving the Housing Delivery Test Action Plan but there could be indirect financial implications arising from undertaking supporting work and associated with wider planning decision making (i.e. in defending against any planning appeals).

Note:* Report previously circulated.