Archived decisions

Contact: Antony Payne, ext 6766

1. Summary

1.1 The following decision is sought:

That the recommendations of the Strategic Planning Joint Advisory Panel be endorsed.

2. Reasons

2.1 Three inter-related reports were presented to the Strategic Planning Joint Advisory Panel on 2 April 2003 concerning housing development and local plans progress within Hampshire. They were:

(i) Hampshire County Structure Plan (Review) Policy H4 Monitoring Paper 2003;

(ii) Hampshire House Completions Study - Outcome of Consultation; and

(iii) Hampshire Local Plans Progress and Issues.

2.2 The focus of all three reports was on the level of house building within the county. There has recently been considerable activity at the national and regional level to address low house completion rates (particularly in the South East Region), culminating in the publication of the `Communities Plan' published by the Government in February. The challenge has been laid down to planning authorities and the development industry to deliver the numbers and types of dwellings required. The general view of the planning authorities expressed at the Panel meeting was that they were rising to this challenge.

Hampshire County Structure Plan (Review) Policy H4 Monitoring Paper 2003

2.3 This report considered whether a release of the reserve housing provision, as set out under Policy H4 of the Structure Plan, was required. The Policy H4 Monitoring Paper 2003 concluded that there was sufficient land to meet requirements and there was no immediate need to release any of the reserve.

2.4 The Paper was subject to consultation and all planning authorities and many other organisations generally supported this conclusion. However, the development industry thought that the Paper was too optimistic about future supply and called for an immediate release of all or part of the reserve supply. A secondary issue raised by respondents concerned those planning authorities which had failed to identify their housing reserve and whether this might disadvantage those that had, should a decision to release the reserve be necessary.

2.5 The Panel resolved to recommend Hampshire County Council, Portsmouth City Council and Southampton City Council to:

(i) note the consultation responses and agree the proposed actions listed in the appendix;

(ii) agree no reserve sites be released at the present time;

(iii) urge all local planning authorities to take proactive steps to manage housing land supply to meet their Structure Plan baseline housing requirement and make provision for the reserve provision, where required;

(iv) agree that the existence or otherwise of reserve sites in local plans will not be a material consideration when deciding where to release any reserve housing provision, should the need arise; and

(v) thank all consultees who responded to this year's Monitoring Paper for their comments, enclosing a copy of the report and appendix and informing them of the decisions made by the Panel in respect of it.

Hampshire House Completions Study - Outcome of Consultation

2.6 The second report informed the Panel of the outcome of consultation on the Hampshire House Completions Study published last year. Local planning authorities and other organisations with an interest in the level of house completions were sent copies and asked to comment, especially in relation to the action points of relevance to them.

2.7 Virtually all respondents considered the Study to be comprehensive and thought provoking and there was general support for its conclusions. Comments were made on the proposed actions and additional ones proposed.

2.8 The Panel resolved to recommend Hampshire County Council, Portsmouth City Council and Southampton City Council to:

(i) work with local planning authorities, the South East England Regional Assembly, the South East England Development Agency, the Government Office for the South East and others to help implement the actions arising from the Completions Study;

(ii) discuss further with the organisations concerned the additional proposals arising from the consultation exercise; and

(iii) request a follow-up report on the actions arising from the Completions Study and consultation following publication and analysis of the housing monitoring information for the period ending March 2003.

Hampshire Local Plans Progress and Issues

2.9 The third report set out in a standard format information on the progress local planning authorities were making on their local plans, including information on the current position regarding housing supply, urban capacity studies and Major Development Areas (MDAs). The main points of the report were:

(i) to date only Rushmoor has a local plan adopted to 2011;

(ii) six planning authorities did not meet their pro-rata share of the Structure Plan baseline housing requirement between 1996- 2002, although all expect to deliver their Structure Plan baseline figure by 2011;

(iii) five planning authorities have under 36 months supply of residential planning consents;

(iv) all planning authorities have completed at least one urban capacity study;

(v) some planning authorities have a high dependence on housing supply from unidentified sites (ie sites without the benefit of planning permission or an allocation in a local plan); and

(vi) four planning authorities have yet to identify their reserve housing provision.

2.10 The report concluded by recommending a series of actions for planning authorities to consider taking to help ensure Structure Plan policies were delivered and that Hampshire's RPG target for house completions was met.

2.11 The Panel resolved to recommend Hampshire County Council, Portsmouth City Council and Southampton City Council to work with local planning authorities to:

(i)(a) Plan - maintain progress on the adoption of local plans and expedite progress on the development of the Major Development Areas;

(b) Monitor - the number of full and outline residential consents and completions, and the output from identified, urban capacity and windfall sites;

(c) Manage - housing land supply. Work with landowners, developers and others to increase supply where monitoring shows a shortfall in either supply or completions; and

(ii) address the specific actions for individual local planning authorities set out in the report.

2.12 Councillor House recorded his opposition to the reference in (i)(a) on Major Development Areas being applied to Eastleigh Borough, as his Council does not agree with the Structure Plan requirement to plan for an MDA there.

3. Other Options Considered and Rejected

3.1 Not to accept some or all of the Panel's recommendations.

4. Conflicts of Interest by the Decision Maker or a Member or Officer consulted - None.

5. Dispensation granted by the Standards Committee - Not applicable.

6. Reason(s) for the Matter being dealt with if Urgent - Not applicable.

Approved by: Date:

Councillor K B Estlin

7995/AP