Contact: Stuart Roberts, ext 6782 email: [email protected]

1. Summary

1.1 The following decision is sought:

That the following recommendations of the Strategic Planning Joint Advisory Panel on 10 March 2004 regarding the Hampshire County Structure Plan: Policy H4 Monitoring Report 2004 be approved:

(i) note the consultation responses;

(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 or exceed their Structure Plan baseline housing requirement and make provision for the reserve provision, where required;

(iv) agree that a report be brought to the next meeting of the Joint Advisory Panel on the actions being undertaken by local planning authorities to ensure that the predicted housing supply is forthcoming;

(v) thank all consultees who responded to this year's Monitoring Paper for their comments;

(vi) welcome the comments by the Government Office which have helped test and refine the assumptions that underpin the monitoring process;

(vii) note the call to release the reserve, but consider that, on balance, the `compelling justification' to release it, as required by the Structure Plan, has yet to be satisfied;

(viii) conclude that there is no need to act in haste. The reserve could be released in 2005 or 2006 to address a future shortfall, in the event of the Monitoring Paper 2004 proving to be too optimistic;

(ix) urge local planning authorities to maintain progress towards the adoption of local plans without further delay;

(x) urge local planning authorities to raise and maintain the level of full and outline planning permissions from a three year to a five year supply;

(xi) urge local planning authorities to give consideration to expediting the local plan to deliver the baseline housing supply without significantly prejudicing local plan processes;

(xii) urge local planning authorities to implement any action plans that have been agreed with the Government Office;

(xiii) request that local planning authorities report back to the next Panel meeting on (ix) (x), (xi) and (xii);

(xiv) urge the Government Office to support (ix), (x) and (xi) through representations to the Planning Inspectorate (to conduct Inquiries expeditiously and issue reports promptly), by sympathetic application of the Greenfield Directive and through representations to the Highways Agency, Environment Agency and English Nature regarding their approach and attitude towards development proposals;

(xv) agree to assess urban capacity studies for consistency with the Good Practice Guide published by the Regional Assembly;

(xvi) agree to undertake critical path analysis on large housing sites to create greater certainty as to when such sites can be expected to deliver house completions; and

(xvii) recognise that, if enhanced certainty on housing delivery cannot be demonstrated next year, there may be no alternative but to release some of the reserve housing provision.

2. Reason

2.1 The Policy H4 Monitoring paper 2004 concluded that there is no case this year for triggering the release of any of the reserve provision. The Minister for Housing and Planning and some other Consultees on the Monitoring Paper took a different view. However, following a meeting between the Minister and the Leaders of the three strategic planning authorities, an agreement has been reached that there will be no release this year, provided that an action plan is agreed between the authorities and the Government Office to enhance the certainty that the baseline housing provision, together with additional urban capacity sites, will deliver sufficient dwellings by 2011 to match the Regional Planning Guidance target.

2.2 On 10 March - two days after the meeting with the Minister - the Joint Advisory Panel accordingly endorsed without amendment the recommendations in the two attached Panel reports. The recommendations are consistent with the outcome of the Leaders' meeting with the Minister.

3. Other Options Considered and Rejected

3.1 To release some of the reserve housing provision this year.

4. Conflicts of Interest Declared by the Decision Maker or Other Executive Member 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

8728/SR