Agenda item

This report presents the findings from phase 1 of the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) and seeks approval to publish phase 1 of the SHLAA as part of the Local Development Framework Evidence Base.

Note: The agenda was re-published on-line on 6 November 2007 to include the full draft SHLAA Phase I report.  Hard copies of this additional document have been supplied separately to Members and to recipients of printed copies of the agenda.

Members considered a report which presented them with the findings from phase 1 of the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA). The assessment would identify as many sites with housing potential in the City of York area as possible. As a minimum the assessment was required to identify sufficient specific sites for at least the first ten years of the plan, from the anticipated date of its adoption, and ideally for longer than the whole 15 year plan period. This would allow the council to consider options for accommodating new housing for the plan period. The assessment is an important evidence source to inform plan making, but does not in itself determine whether a site should be allocated for housing. The Core Strategy document would need to then consider whether a change in policy approach, from current Local Plan policies, would have to take place in order to deliver York’s housing target.

Members received a presentation which covered the following areas :

·        Aims/Purpose of the SHLAA

·        National Guidance

·        Planning Policy Statement 3 – Housing

·        Role of the SHLAA in the Core strategy and the allocations Development Plan Document

·        Phasing of the SHLAA – two phases

·        Phase 1 – assessment of sites

·        Estimating Housing potential of identified sites

·        Existing housing density in York

·        Typical Urban areas

·        Density ranges for each Typical Urban Area

·        National Exemplars – Building for Life Standards

·        Sustainability

·        Density ranges for identified sites

·        Unconstrained Indicative Housing Supply from Phase 1

·        Next Steps

Members made the following comments :

·        The density ranges need to be made clearer

·        The transparency of the 66/34 breakdown between housing and flats and reference to the Strategic Housing Market Assessment

·        To ensure that the document is in a “plain English” format

·        That the methodology and figures need to be checked relating to the average density and dwellings per hectare

·        That examples of good sites and CABE sites in the local area be included

·        That open space needs to be practicably useful open space

·        That ward boundaries need to be checked

·        Clarity needed on what “Green Belt” means 

·        Consider issues of buffer zones around nature designations

·        Strays – need to be added as primary constraints

·        Provide more clarity on York Northwest

RESOLVED :That Members comments as detailed above be taken into account and an amended version of this document be brought back to the meeting of this Working Group on 18 December 2007 for consideration by Members.

REASON :                 To enable Members comments to be incorporated in the document.