Agenda item

The purpose of this report is to ask Members to recommend that Executive:

·        Approve the update to the Housing Delivery Action Plan (HDAP) and support the continued implementation of the Plan across corporate teams.

·        Delegate authority to the Corporate Director of Place for sign off of the publication version of the HDAP.

·        Approve the Local Development Scheme Update.

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Members considered a report that asked them to recommend that Executive:

·        Approve the update to the Housing Delivery Action Plan (HDAP) and support the continued implementation of the Plan across corporate teams.

·        Delegate authority to the Corporate Director of Place for sign off of the publication version of the HDAP.

·        Approve the Local Development Scheme update.

The Director of Place and Principal Strategic Planning Policy Officer highlighted the updates to the Housing Delivery Action Plan and the Local Development Scheme (LDS), noting that:

·        Due to the council not delivering 95% of the housing requirement, and in accordance with the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), an action plan (the HDAP) had to be prepared and published.

·        The Housing Delivery Test (HDT) followed the standard methodology figure until the Local Plan was adopted, which resulted in higher annual figures. Upon adoption, the HDT measure would be set against the lower Local Plan annual requirement figure, as set out in Table 1 of the report.

·        The HDAP would focus on the council’s involvement in supporting and facilitating housing delivery, although some barriers could be multifaceted and extend far beyond the council’s control.

·        The council was required to prepare and regularly review a Local Development Scheme under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004.

·        The LDS set out a timetable for the production of new or revised Development Plan Documents. It outlined the remaining stages of Local Plan examination and the steps to adoption. It also presented the work programme to adopting the Community Infrastructure Levy Charging Schedule and Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs) in relation to climate change and affordable housing.

Members questions were answered by officers relating to the performance of the authority, sustainable development, major application grants and refusal rates, student accommodation, site viability, developers, brownfield sites, affordable housing, housing cooperatives and short term holiday lets. Members noted that:

·        On 1 April 2022 sites benefitting from planning permission equated to a total of 7,648 additional homes. Under normal circumstance this should indicate a healthy level of consents to be confident of sustained housing growth in future years. However, new working practices and economic realities could suppress this optimism and the future monitoring of housing commitments and delivery.

·        Once adopted, the Local Plan would release larger Green Belt sites currently not available to developers. This would assist the accelerated delivery on housing development, within the technicalities of the legislation. 

·        The HDAP was designed to mitigate the risk against being in a position where the ‘presumption in favour of sustainable development’ was engaged.

·        The process for identifying, preparing and selling of small custom-build and self-build sites was acknowledged within the HDAP. However, officers recognised that engagement with developers and landowners regarding housing cooperatives could be strengthened in the action plan to support and facilitate cooperative and community housing schemes.

·        The Full Council HDAP resolution calling on Executive to action work concerning short term and holiday lets could be reflected within the action plan.

·        Planning fees were set nationally by the government and the new charging guidelines were still being resolved.

Further discussion took place on how the local planning authority would support and facilitate major planning applications and Members were informed that the draft Community Infrastructure Levy Charging Schedule, an update on the Local Plan, and viability appraisals would be considered at the next Local Plan Working Group meeting on16 January 2023.

Resolved: That Executive be recommended to:

(i)  Approve the update to the Housing Delivery Action Plan (Annex A and B of the report) subject to including an addendum to strengthen the support and facilitation of housing cooperative and community housing schemes, and to support the continued implementation of the Plan across corporate teams.

Reason: To ensure that the council complies with its duties as set out within the NPPF and PPG (setting out appropriate actions for the council to consider and explore in the short, medium and long term in an attempt to increase housing supply and delivery), and to fulfil the council’s commitment to ‘creating homes and world-class infrastructure’ within the Council Plan (2019 – 2023).

(ii) Delegate authority to the Corporate Director of Place for sign off of the publication version of the HDAP.

Reason: To agree presentation of the publication version of the  HDAP.

(iii) Approve the Local Development Scheme update (Annex C of the report)

Reason: To ensure that the council complies with the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 (as amended by the Localism Act 2011).

(iv)  That an additional recommendation be drafted by the Chair and Director of Place requesting Executive to consider the full council Housing Delivery Action Plan resolution (22October 2022) calling on Executive to action work concerning "controlling the concentration of short term and holiday lets".

Reason: To acknowledge and reflect this stream of work in the Housing Delivery Action Plan.