Agenda and minutes

It was proposed, seconded and

          RESOLVED:

          That Councillor Rona Burt be elected as Chairman for 2015/2016.

It was proposed, seconded and

          RESOLVED:

That Councillor Robin Millar be elected as Vice Chairman for 2015/2016.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Robin Millar.

There were no substitutes at the meeting.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 22 April 2015 (copy attached).

The minutes from the meeting held on 22 April 2015 were unanimously confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

Report No: LOP/FH/15/005

(Report No LOP/FH/15/005)

This report asked Members to endorse the progress which had been made on the Core Strategy Single Issue Review (SIR) and Site Allocations (SSA) Issues and Options Local Plan Documents for consultation.  The outcome of this meeting would also recommend to Cabinet (on 14 July 2015) the final draft SIR and SSA documents for consultation.

Officers were also recommending an additional recommendation as follows:

“(3)   The Head of Planning and Growth, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Planning and Growth, be authorised to make any minor typographical, factual, spelling and grammatical changes to these documents, provided that it does not materially affect the substance or meaning.”

The Working Group then considered each Working Paper as follows:

(a)     Single Issue Review of Core Strategy Policy CS7 – Housing Provision and Distribution – Working Paper 1

          This was the second ‘Issues and Options’ (Regulation 18) consultation.  This document considered two options for the level of housing to be provided within the District from 2011 to 2031 (in accordance with the legal advice outlined at the Local Plan Working Group meeting on 16 October 2015) and reasonable options for its distribution between towns and villages.

          Officers explained that the Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA) set a requirement of 7,000 market and affordable homes (referred to as ‘all homes’ requirement) to be provided in the district between 2011 to 2031 (equivalent to 350 homes a year).  The identified affordable housing need in the district was for 2,703 new homes.

          To ensure that the Council was in accordance with the national planning guidance, the Council needed to consider whether an uplift to meet the SHMA figure of 7,000 was necessary to help meet more of the affordable housing needs in the District.  Therefore, there were two potential options for the number of new homes in the district:

·         Option 1 – The ‘all homes’ housing requirement of the SHMA (2012)

·         Option 2 – Uplift for affordable housing (+10%).

There were four potential options for the distribution of housing across the District.  The level of growth apportioned to each settlement had been classed as either:

·         Low – between 1-10% increase in existing housing stock

·         Medium – between 10-15% increase in existing housing stock

·         High – 15%+ increase in existing housing stock 

·         Very high – 50% increase in existing housing stock

A technical report would also accompany the SIR consultation document, setting out further detail on the options and evidence to justify the possible levels of growth in each settlement.

The ranges showed broadly the potential scale of development that could be accommodated within the settlements.  These growth levels had been shown reflecting:-

·         levels of growth already granted permission or resolution to grant, with some growth options reflecting applications as yet not determined (but which could come forward).

·         known site opportunities (as identified in the SHLAA).

·         environmental constraints.

·         the position of settlement in hierarchy.

·         evidence from the 2009 Infrastructure and Environmental Capacity Appraisal and the draft Infrastructure Delivery Plan.

Varying ranges of growth had  ...  view the full minutes text for item 19.