Agenda item

To receive at the request of the Committee a report regarding the Council’s 5 year housing land supply.

The Committee had before it and NOTED a report * from the Head of Planning and Regeneration in response the Committee’s request for a report on the Council’s 5 year housing land supply.

The Officer explained that the report showed that the authority had failed to achieve its 5 year land supply, despite taking action to bring forward new sites earmarked in the yet to be published in the Local Plan. The intention was to find out why this had happened and what remedial action could be taken as soon as possible to stop aggressive development until the Local Plan was published.

The Officer explained that it was the responsibility of the authority to identify and update annually a supply of specific deliverable sites sufficient to provide five years’ worth of housing against their housing requirements with an additional buffer of 5% to ensure choice and competition in the market for land. Where there had been a record of persistent under delivery of housing, local planning authorities should increase the buffer to 20% to provide a realistic prospect of achieving the planned supply and to ensure choice and competition in the market for land.

She further explained that the Cabinet had considered a report on five year housing land supply at the meeting of 7th August 2015. This report assessed deliverable housing land supply requirements at that time as being met, but recommended emerging local plan allocations and one contingency site at Pedlars Pool, Crediton be brought forward for development from later in the plan period in order to add to the supply by accounting for 151 dwelling completions over the next 5 years.

On 11th April 2016, an appeal was allowed for outline planning permission for 60 houses on approximately 3.5 hectares of agricultural land outside the defined settlement boundary of the Uffculme which was not allocated for development. The main issue in determination of the appeal was whether, having regard to the development plan, the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), the housing land supply of the Council and the scale and location of the development, the appeal scheme would constitute a sustainable form of development.

The Inspector had summarised that Mid Devon had a deliverable housing land supply of approximately 4 - 4.5 years as compared with a requirement for 5 years, average annual housing completion rates (356) had under-delivered against targets, there had been a persistent under delivery of housing and a buffer of 20% should be applied.

This authority had only within the last year or so started to receive serious challenge by developers and site promoters over 5 year housing land supply. This was thought to be unique within the majority of Devon and in part due to the speed with which the Council had adopted local plans, including that currently adopted and had therefore been able to demonstrate a robust supply of deliverable housing sites that met requirements.

The Officer explained that one of the ways that a local planning authority could seek to maintain a supply of deliverable sites was through granting planning permission.  The number of planning permissions in the District was currently standing at its highest figure since 2002/03 and there were 1427 dwellings with planning permission. Whilst strategic sites had been slower to come forward than expected, this had been offset by the higher number of planning permissions granted overall. Despite this, the average annual housing completion rate of 356 did not meet targets. This lower rate of housing completion was to a large extent a result of factors outside the control of the Council such as the economy, the local housing market, the availability of mortgage funding and the commercial decisions by particularly national housebuilders over permission implementation and build out rates.

The officer concluded that until the Council could demonstrate a 5 year land supply (with 20% buffer) there would be vulnerability to housing applications coming forward on sites that had not been planned for development.

Ways to mitigate this could be advancing the Local Plan Review to adoption, to bring forward further sites for housing development, to bring forward contingency sites, to continue efforts to deliver allocated sites, to enter into pre-application discussions on land not planned for housing to date and to update the 5 year supply figures by completing the 2015/16 monitoring year assessment as soon as possible.

The Head of Planning and Regeneration informed the Committee that the Planning Service could take a proactive approach and look to work with developers and site promoters or take a reflective approach and sit back and see what sites came forward.  She asked for Members views on this.  It was AGREED that the Planning Service should be proactive in their approach.

Discussion took place regarding:

·         Concerns that speculative development could take place;

·         The number of properties planned for Pedlarspool;

·         The need for Gypsy and Traveller sites;

·         The need to adopt the revised Local Plan.

Note: - Report previously circulated and attached to Minutes.