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.