Issue - meetings

The report of the Executive Manager – Communities is attached.

The Portfolio holder for Housing and Planning presented the report of the Executive Manager – Communities seeking approval for the draft Local Plan Part 2 to be published for a six-week representation period, before being submitted for examination by an Independent Planning Inspector.

The new Rushcliffe Local Plan would be formed of two parts with Part 1 of the Local Plan (the Core Strategy) having been adopted by the Council in December 2014. It was noted that Part 2, having been through a process of consultation had now reached the stage where, as required by legislation, it was required to be examined by an Independent Planning Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, before it could be adopted as part of the statutory development plan alongside the Local Plan Part 1. It was noted that the Local Plan Part 2 would identify non-strategic allocations and designations, for both housing and employment uses in the Borough and would also set out more detailed policies (sitting below the Core Strategy’s more strategic level policies) for use in the determination of planning applications. The draft Local Plan Part 2 was attached as an appendix to the officer’s report and a timetable for the remaining stages of the process for the adoption of the plan, culminating with adoption in December 2018 was tabled at the meeting for information.

The Portfolio holder advised that the proposed sites allocated for housing development would have a significant and positive impact on the Council’s ability to demonstrate a five-year housing supply as required by the Government. The Portfolio holder noted that home building in Rushcliffe was not keeping up with demand and that it was becoming more difficult for residents to find a suitable home in their local area. The Portfolio holder advised that the lack of affordable housing was becoming a pressing social issue in Rushcliffe, with the average price of a house currently eight times the average wage in the Borough, so the allocations in the Plan which contained provision for 30% affordable housing would contribute positively to the much needed supply of affordable housing.

The Portfolio holder noted the significant challenge that the Government’s requirement on the Council to increase the Borough’s housing stock by 28% had presented, and that with development of some of the strategic housing sites in the Borough being slow, it was essential that the Council identified other smaller housing sites in order to be able to demonstrate a five-year housing supply. The Portfolio holder advised that it was essential to be able to show a five-year housing supply, as without one the Council would lose control of where houses were built, which could lead to unwanted and unsustainable developments.

The Portfolio holder advised that the Plan had been through extensive and wide-ranging consultation, but that the time for action was now. It was acknowledged by the Portfolio holder that there was opposition to some of the sites included in the Plan by people who  ...  view the full minutes text for item 55