Agenda and minutes

At this point, members are asked to declare any personal or prejudicial interests they may have in the business on this agenda.

The Chair invited Members to declare at this point any personal or prejudicial interests which they might have in the business on the agenda.  No interests were declared.

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting of the Local Development Framework Working Group held on 24 August 2006.

RESOLVED:             That the Minutes of the Local Development Framework Working Group meeting held on 24 August 2006 be approved and signed by the Chair as a correct record.

At this point in the meeting, members of the public who have registered their wish to speak, regarding an item on the agenda or an issue within the remit of the Working Group, may do so.  The deadline for registering is 10 am on Monday 25 September 2006.

It was reported that there had been no registrations to speak under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme.

This report provides an update on the issues raised by the Draft Housing Market Assessment (HMA), carried out by Fordham Research in June 2006, and recommends its publication as part of the evidence base for the Local Development Framework (LDF) until such time as the updated HMA is finalised, and the use of the findings regarding the required mix and type of dwellings for development control purposes in the context of policy H3c.

[Copies of the Draft Housing Market Assessment are available to view at the Council Receptions at the Guildhall and 9 St Leonard’s Place and on the Council’s web site: www.york.gov.uk]

Members received a report which provided an update on the issues raised by the Draft Housing Market Assessment (HMA), carried out by Fordham Research in June 2006, and recommended its publication as part of the evidence base for the Local Development Framework (LDF), until such time as the updated HMA was finalised.  The report also recommended the use of the findings regarding the required mix and type of dwellings for development control purposes in the context of policy H3c.

The report presented two options for consideration:

·              Option 1 – To consider the issues raised by the draft HMA and publish the document as part of the evidence base for the LDF;

·              Option 2 – To await the findings of a final HMA, which assess the needs of particular groups and develops policy recommendations through a stakeholder exercise.

Members queried the minimum house price specified in the report. Concern was expressed that the price quoted was for a property which required total refurbishment and that the number of houses in that state would not match the number required for people looking to buy at that minimum level of cost.  It was agreed that the minimum price used in the report should reflect a house priced above the absolute minimum, at a level where the number of houses did match the number required to meet the needs of those people only able to buy at that minimum level of cost.

[Note: the above paragraph was added when the minutes were approved at the meeting held  on  17 October 2006]

Members commented on the need to ensure that the figures contained within the final HMA accurately reflect the present housing situation in York and take into account the changing needs of York residents.

Members also noted the growing number of European workers now living in the city and the need for more affordable housing.

RESOLVED:(i) That the issues considered in the report be noted;

(ii)                     That the LDFWG recommended that the  Executive:

·         authorised the publication of the 2006 draft Housing Market Assessment for use as part of the evidence base for the LDF, until such time as the updated HMA was finalised;

·         Used the findings of the HMA regarding the required mix and type of dwellings for development control purposes in the context of policy H3c.

REASON:                  (i)            To update the Working Group;

(ii)               To allow the findings of the HMA to be used to inform the development of the LDF Core Strategy, Development Control Development Plan Document (DPD) and Allocations DPD, and to allow effective negotiations to deliver an appropriate mix and type of housing through the planning process.