Agenda item

Report of Assistant Director – Planning and Development

Purpose of report

To seek approval of an updated review of planning policies under Regulation 10A of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 and a Housing Land Supply Statement for publication.

Recommendations

The meeting is recommended:

1.1         To approve the review of planning policies under Regulation 10A of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 (Appendix 1)

1.2         To approve the Housing Land Supply Statement for publication (Appendix 2) noting the implications and conclusions of the report to the Executive.

1.3         To authorise the Assistant Director - Planning and Development in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Planning to make any necessary minor and presentational changes to the Regulation 10A Review and the Housing Land Supply Statement if required prior to publication in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Planning.

Resolved

(1)           That the review of planning policies under Regulation 10A of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 (Annex to the Minutes as set out in the Minute Book) be approved.

(2)           That, noting the implications and conclusions of the report to Executive (Annex to the Minutes as set out in the Minute Book), the Housing Land Supply Statement (Annex to the Minutes as set out in the Minute Book) be approved for publication.

(3)           That the Assistant Director - Planning and Development, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Planning, be authorised to make any necessary minor and presentational changes to the Regulation 10A Review and the Housing Land Supply Statement if required prior to publication in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Planning.

The Assistant Director – Planning and Development submitted a report to seek approval of an updated review of planning policies under Regulation 10A of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 and a Housing Land Supply Statement for publication.

In considering the report, Executive members commented that it was positive for the district that the five year housing land supply had increased

At the discretion of the Chairman, Councillor Broad addressed the meeting. In response to Councillor Broad’s query regarding the Oxford unmet housing need, the Portfolio Holder for Planning explained that this needed to be kept separate to the Cherwell District Council figure. The Partial Review of the Local Plan, which provided for housing to help meet Oxford’s unmet housing needs, was not yet five years old (having been adopted in September 2020). The policy of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) at paragraph 74 and footnote 39, to apply local housing need where the strategic policies were more than five years old and to use the standard method, was therefore not applicable to that Plan.

Resolved

(1)          That the review of planning policies under Regulation 10A of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 (Annex to the Minutes as set out in the Minute Book) be approved.

(2)          That, noting the implications and conclusions of the report to Executive (Annex to the Minutes as set out in the Minute Book), the Housing Land Supply Statement (Annex to the Minutes as set out in the Minute Book) be approved for publication.

(3)          That the Assistant Director - Planning and Development, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Planning, be authorised to make any necessary minor and presentational changes to the Regulation 10A Review and the Housing Land Supply Statement if required prior to publication in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Planning.

Reasons

A Housing and Economic Needs Assessment (2022) has been produced which is materially different to that in the 2014 Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA). It indicates that the 2014 SHMA is now out of date.   The Cherwell Local Plan 2011-2031 is over five years old and a new ‘Regulation 10A’ Review of Local Plan Policies has been undertaken (February 2023).  This shows that nearly all policies are generally consistent with government policy and/or local circumstances do not indicate that the policy needs updating at this time with the exception of Policy BSC1 District-wide Housing Distribution.

In accordance with the National Planning Policy Framework and planning guidance a Housing Land Supply Statement has been produced which applies the national defined ‘Standard Method’ of calculating local housing need for the purposes of land supply monitoring for Cherwell’s needs.  A comprehensive review of expected housing delivery has also been undertaken.  It is shown that the district now has a 5.4 year housing land supply (for 2022-2027) which will need to be taken into account in decision making.

The Partial Review of the Local Plan is less than five years old and its housing requirements continue to apply for housing land supply monitoring. Although the sites allocated in that Plan are progressing, there is presently a negligible land supply assessment of 0.2 years (for 2022-2027).  Whilst regard to that should be made in decision making, the Partial Review has a specific policy (Policy PR12b) requiring the Council to make a formal decision that additional land beyond that allocated in the Partial Review is required to ensure the requisite housing supply.  For the reasons, set out at paragraph 3.29 of this report, officers do not recommend that such a decision is taken.

Members are invited to approve the Regulation 10A Review and the Housing Land Supply Statement.

Alternative options

Option 1 - Not to approve the Regulation 10A Review or Housing Land Supply

Statement

Officers consider the material change in circumstances arising from publication of the HENA 2022 to have been appropriately considered and the Regulation 10A Review and the Housing Land Supply Statement to be in accordance with national planning policy and guidance and to be robust and defendable positions.

Not to approve the Review and Statement would leave the 2021 Regulation 10A Review and the Housing Land Supply position set out in the 2021 AMR unchanged.  Officers would need to take further advice in the Council’s interest.