To receive Notices of Motion submitted under Standing Order No.12
“Despite building more houses, including social housing, within the Greater Nottingham Housing Market Area, than any other District over the last 7 years, Rushcliffe is being unfairly penalised under current Government Planning Policy.
This Council would like to express to the Government, in the strongest terms, its frustrations in the delays of developers and landowners in progressing housing sites that have been allocated since December 2014 in our core strategy. This is having an unacceptable impact on the Council’s five year land supply, resulting in approvals being given on appeal on housing allocations that it does not support.
The current housing land supply is 3.1 years due to a lack of delivery by landowners and developers on the major allocated housing sites. The soon to be adopted Local Plan Part 2 will provide Rushcliffe once again with 5 years of housing land supply, but this could quickly be put at risk again through continued inaction by the landowners and developers on the major allocated housing sites.
This Council is calling for government to step up its support in both:
1. Ensuring that developers and landowners progress the developments on these strategic sites and,
2. Increasing the protection for areas outside the core city area, by preventing speculative developments which are not allocated within the Local Plan or the Emerging Local Plan Part 2.”
Councillor S J Robinson
Minutes:
In advance of the motion being moved, the Mayor read the following statement from the Borough Solicitor.
“Councillors are reminded that the local plan is to be considered for adoption by full Council following the conclusion of the Public Inquiry and that any discussion on the motion this evening will be a matter of public record. Therefore, Councillors should be mindful of the need to avoid any discussion that may give the appearance of bias or of having predetermined view before taking a decision on planning policy.”
The following motion was moved by Councillor Robinson and seconded by Councillor Upton.
“Despite building more houses, including social housing, within the Greater Nottingham Housing Market Area, than any other District over the last 7 years, Rushcliffe is being unfairly penalised under current Government Planning Policy.
“This Council would like to express to the Government, in the strongest terms, its frustrations in the delays of developers and landowners in progressing housing sites that have been allocated since December 2014 in our core strategy. This is having an unacceptable impact on the Council’s five year land supply, resulting in approvals being given on appeal on housing allocations that it does not support.
The current housing land supply is 3.1 years due to a lack of delivery by landowners and developers on the major allocated housing sites. The soon to be adopted Local Plan Part 2 will provide Rushcliffe once again with 5 years of housing land supply, but this could quickly be put at risk again through continued inaction by the landowners and developers on the major allocated housing sites.
This Council is calling for government to step up its support in both:
1. Ensuring that developers and landowners progress the developments on these strategic sites and,
2. Increasing the protection for areas outside the core city area, by preventing speculative developments which are not allocated within the Local Plan or the Emerging Local Plan Part 2.”
In moving the motion, Councillor Robinson advised that this motion had been brought to Council to highlight the unfairness of Government housing policy and the negative impact that it was having on the Borough and its residents. Councillor Robinson advised that while the preparation of the Local Plan Part 1 had been challenging in identifying the number of housing sites required, it was a challenge that the Council had successfully met. I having met this challenge it was now frustrating to see that many of the sites identified for housing, and having extant planning permissions in place, were not being delivered. Councillor Robinson noted that both developers and landowners were responsible for the slow pace of development of identified housing sites.
Councillor Robinson noted the frustration of many communities in the Borough, particularly in East Leake, due to planning appeals being lost on speculative applications for unsuitable and unstainable development, due the fact that the Council was unable to demonstrate a five-year housing supply. Councillor Robinson advised that in order to stop unsustainable and unsuitable development it was essential that Councils were given more powers to bring the development of identified housing sites forward. Councillor Robinson advised that as he and the Chief Executive would be meeting the Housing Minister in the coming weeks, it was essential that the Council sent a strong message via his motion that the current situation with developers and landowners not developing identified housing sites was not acceptable.
Councillor Upton in seconding the motion noted the need for more housing nationally, and for that housing to be built now, with the current lack of housing being a pressing social problem with over 300,000 new homes needing to be built nationally every year in order to meet demand. Councillor Upton noted that while the Council had had successes in identifying and brining housing sites forward for development more needed to be done with Rushcliffe needing to deliver another 13,000 homes by 2028. Councillor Upton noted that while Rushcliffe had seen more house building than any other area in the Greater Nottingham housing area the Council still needed to enable more houses to be built.
Councillor Upton stated that Council could only grant planning permission and did not build houses and that there were large numbers of sites in the Borough with planning permission that were not being developed due to developers siting on planning permissions. Councillor Upton also noted the long delays from planning permissions being granted on sites to work beginning and sites being completed. Councillor Upton advised that while developers and landowners needed to deliver housing, the Council lacked the powers to compel developers and landowners to bring housing developments forward on allocated sites, a situation that resulted in speculative and unsustainable developments being built across the Borough.
Councillor MacInnes advised that the issue of the pace of house building and growth was the biggest planning issue that was confronting the Borough. Councillor MacInnes noted that despite having an up to date Local Plan Part 1 in place with Part 2 to be approved later this year, as well an effective Planning Service, 60% of planning permissions granted in the last five years had still not been built. Councillor MacInnes agreed with Councillor Upton that Local Authorities could only make land available for housing; and then rely on private developers to build the homes at the required rate and that if developers did not build on allocated land it was then the responsibility of the Council to address the shortfall by allocating even more land for housing. Councillor MacInnes also noted his frustration with the planning appeals process in the current situation that he saw as being used by developers to bypass democratic procedures and gain planning permissions on appeal.
Councillor MacInnes noted that amendments should be made to the Nation Planning Policy Framework to relive pressure on areas that had identified housing sites that were not being moved forward by developers and that permissions granted, but not yet built, should be included in the calculations of the Council’s five-year housing supply.
Councillor Davidson noted his agreement with Councillor MacInnes that sites with planning permission, but not yet built should be included in the calculation of the Council’s five-year housing supply. Councillor Davidson also noted that Councils needed much more power to get developers to develop sites and wished the Leader and the Chief Executive good luck in their upcoming meeting with the Housing Minister.
Councillor Jones in supporting the motion advised that he wished the terms of the motion were stronger, and that a major factor in the current housing crisis was that fewer homes were being built, and that those that were being built were less affordable and were being built more slowly with insufficient infrastructure being provided on those developments for residents. Councillor Jones noted that the number of houses being built nationally had declined and that developers who benefitted from rising house prices could not be relied on to deliver the required amount of houses. Councillor Jones advised that the Government should enable Councils to borrow, directly or through Housing Associations, to build and sell houses and to use local builders to build locally Councillor Jones also advised that Council’s should be able to compulsory purchase at undeveloped land prices land if landowners and national builders were not developing allocated housing sites at the required pace.
Councillor Butler noted the difficult decisions that had been made with regard to the allocation of housing sites for the Local Plan Part 1 and expressed frustration that due to the inactivity of developers more difficult decisions were now needing to be taken in the development of the Local Plan Part 2. Councillor Butler advised that it was essential that the Council, having played its part by granting planning permissions and allocating sites was supported by land owners and developers. Councillor Butler advised that local communities were being let down, as due to a lack of a five-year housing supply it appeared to residents that development was occurring indiscriminately across the Borough in unsustainable locations.
Councillor Sue Mallender noted her support for the previous comments and her support for local authorities to be able to compulsory purchase land that had be allocated for housing in order to bring development forward, and to require more affordable housing to be built on developments. Councillor Sue Mallender also noted that it was essential that all new housing development was supported by adequate infrastructure such as transport links, schools, GP surgeries and green open spaces. Councillor Khan noted his support for the motion and his agreement with Councillor Jones that the powers available to local authorities to get sites developed including compulsory purchase powers and penalties for developers who did not build on sites with planning permission should be introduced.
Councillor Robinson in responding to the debate thanked members for their support for the motion. Councillor Robinson advised it was essential that housing should be built on allocated sites with appropriate infrastructure as building on unallocated sites with insufficient infrastructure would create a poor quality of life for the residents of those houses, and noted that the legacy of the Council should not be large amounts of houses built where they should not be. Councillor Robinson noted that in addition to his and the Chief Executive’s upcoming meeting with the Housing Minister, the Rt Hon.Ken Clarke MP was also talking to Government minsters regarding the issue of housing supply in Rushcliffe. Councillor Robinson noted the success of the Council in brining housing sites forward to development, for example at Sharphill but noted that more support for Councils, to get developments started was essential.
On being put to the vote the motion was declared as carried.