The Portfolio Holder for Housing & Community Safety presented a report which advised that the Government had recently published changes to the National Planning Practice Guidance and that a written ministerial statement had been issued on planning obligations.  In most areas, contributions to Affordable Housing would not now be sought from developments of 10-units or fewer.  In designated rural areas, local authorities could choose to seek financial contributions on developments of 6-10 dwellings in designated rural areas.  In addition, where developments involved the conversion or demolition of existing buildings the contribution would be proportionate to the net increase in floorspace.  Therefore developments that did not increase the amount of floorspace on a site would not have to make an Affordable Housing contribution.  These changes would have a significant impact on the Council’s ability to secure the delivery of Affordable Housing.  At present there was not considered to be any opportunities for the Council to ‘work-around’ these changes to national policy.  As a result, it was considered that the Council should lobby the Government to rescind or amend these policy changes.

This matter had also been considered by the Housing & Community Safety Advisory Committee on 10 February 2015, which had recommended lobbying against the policy changes.

The Chairman stated that he was happy to write a letter to the Government but doubted that it would have any chance of success given the Government’s failure to deliver its housing targets and the fact that developers were seeking to blame local authorities’ demands for financial contributions.

The Chief Planning Officer confirmed that the policy changes would make it very difficult to deliver the targets in the current Housing Strategy.

Public Sector Equality Duty

Members noted that consideration had been given to impacts under the Public Sector Equality Duty.

Resolved:  That

a)            the Council lobbies Government to rescind or amend recent changes to national policy on the use of planning obligations for securing affordable housing; and

b)            the Council seeks financial contributions to affordable housing consistent with the percentages applied in Core Strategy policy SP3 on developments of 6-10 units in designated rural areas in the District.