Councillor R Fuller, Deputy Executive Leader and Executive Councillor for Housing and Planning to present an update on the Local Plan process and timescale.
(Notes Presentation: 15 Minutes
Questions: 15 Minutes).
Minutes:
Councillor R Fuller, Deputy Executive Leader and Executive Councillor for Housing and Planning addressed the Council on an update on the Local Plan process and timetable. A copy of Councillor Fuller’s PowerPoint presentation is appended in the Minute Book.
By way of background, the Council were provided with an update on the Local Plan progress, in particular Members’ attention was drawn to a consultation document produced by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) on proposals to reform the planning system to increase the supply of new homes through the use of a standard method of calculating local authorities’ housing need. It was noted that the implications for the Council may mean an uplift in the number of houses the District would be required to deliver, but the existing approach to housing needs calculations may be utilised if the Local Plan is submitted for examination before 31st March 2018.
Members were acquainted with the expected timeline, with the outcome of a full public consultation that ran until 25th August 2017 and resulted in 791 comments being received. Councillor Fuller also reminded Members of the commencement of the Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (HELAA) consultation on 4th October 2017 for four weeks seeking comments on how many further development sites could be available to meet Huntingdonshire’s growth needs.
In drawing Members attention to the development strategy, it was noted that 70% of housing growth focused on four Spatial Planning Areas of St Neots, St Ives, Huntingdon and Ramsey and the remaining 30% focussing on seven Key Service Centres and small settlements throughout the District to support sustainable rural growth. Councillor Fuller added that the total homes in the Key Service Centre of Buckden had been updated to reflect the recent planning appeal decision. The Council also noted the two Strategic Expansion Locations at Alconbury Weald and St Neots East comprising 6,680 and 3,820 homes respectively and associated employment land.
Attention was drawn to specific policies of the draft Local Plan, LP10 and LP11 for the quality of design and implementation, LP23 of retaining a target of 40% affordable housing where developments met certain criteria and LP27 with a new policy for community based proposals that had received good support to enable communities to bring forward local sites that could be unlocked for housing development and community infrastructure development. In relation to LP28 the focus of the policy was to ensure the facilitation of land for meeting the needs of local people with an established connection to where the new homes are built and Councillor Fuller indicated that the Council had been working with Town and Parish Councils to assist in the delivery of this provision. In relation to policy LP36 on renewable and low carbon energy, the Council had taken a bold approach to policy of not supporting wind energy development that would require planning permission in light of objections received in the past from residents.
Councillor Fuller provided a summary of plans for future development in Towns and Parishes that had been prepared by the communities and the Council’s support for Neighbourhood Planning, including the current activity with Neighbourhood Planning across the District. Attention was drawn to activity surrounding Godmanchester Neighbourhood Plan and the extensive successful work that had been undertaken between Officers and Godmanchester Town Council and Councillor Fuller urged Members to consider such an approach if they had parishes wanting to plan for growth.
In concluding his presentation, Councillor Fuller advised Members to take ownership of the Local Plan and the policies contained within and asked that any concerns with content be highlighted as going forward these policies would be used to work with their parishes in the future.
In response to a question from Councillor T D Alban on how the Council had been working with Town and Parish Councils in developing the Local Plan, Councillor Fuller explained that he believed that it should be a two way approach, with consultation and comments being fed both ways to both Councillors and other Planning Officers. Reference was made to the Town and Parish Conference held on 9th October 2017 hosted by Councillor Ms A Dickinson, Executive Councillor for Community Resilience, Well-Being and Regulatory Services, where there was a discussion on rural housing exception sites that had emerged and be developed as a Huntingdonshire issue rather than Council issue, with parishes taking ownership of sites to be identified.
In relation to concerns raised by Councillor T Hayward regarding LP36 and the Council’s approach to renewable and low carbon energy in future housing developments such as providing charging points for electric cars, Councillor Fuller undertook to take away his issue to investigate further.
With reference to the DCLG consultation document on the method of calculation of local authorities’ housing need, Councillor D A Giles highlighted his concerns with the potential requirement to increase the number of homes and whether the allocation would be expected to be met from the 20,100 houses required to meet forecast population growth or from the Combined Authority plan to build 100,000 homes. In response, Councillor Fuller reiterated his comments that the Council would await the outcome of the consultation but may need to address its calculation and provide an increase in the number of homes. Councillor Fuller referred Councillor Giles to address this question also to Councillor R B Howe at later point in the meeting.
In relation to LP27 and LP28, Councillor J A Gray raised concerns in relation to a conflict with developers providing housing in areas that was not in accordance with the community need and questioned whether it was possible to unlock more land by providing more incentives to deliver increased affordable housing. Whereby Councillor Fuller indicated that he expected communities to be leading and not a developer led approach and it was hoped that the Council’s approach to the provision of affordable housing would encourage more sites to come forward for development.
Councillor J P Morris asked whether Members could play a role in bringing forward the rural exception sites and link with Town and Parish Councils, whereby Councillor Fuller intimated that Members could act as ambassadors for rural exception sites and ideally located to identify such sites. In referring to the Town and Parish Conference held on Monday, this message had been conveyed to Town and Parish Councils and would provide a great legacy for communities to identify sites that could provide housing for truly local people.
In referring to the imminent deadline for consultation on the HELAA, Councillor Mrs S J Conboy requested that communication be reiterated to parishes without prejudicing the process and Councillor Fuller undertook to reassure parishes.
Arising from a question by Councillor Ms Dickinson on the mechanism for Towns and Parishes to take part and ensure that the infrastructure was in place, Councillor Fuller explained that developing a Neighbourhood Plan would assist a parish in planning for growth.
Councillor P D Reeve raised a question in relation to protection for local people remaining as owners and predatory developers and Councillor Fuller argued that the draft Local Plan had been developed to prevent such an issue occurring to enable the Council to determine what development should take place.
Actions:30 Minutes.