A survey from the County Councils Network has found that the majority of county and unitary councils are not in favour of nationally-set housing targets, with warnings of a developer ‘free for all.’
With the government set to introduce mandatory housing targets as part of an updated National Planning Policy Framework, the survey of local authorities has found that nine in ten councils believe that the targets for their areas are excessive. Analysis from the County Councils Network has discovered that there will be a 56% increase in the number of new homes that are required to be built every year in rural and county areas, totalling 64,000 properties. This is far higher than other parts of the country, and three times the percentage for councils in major cities.
Some of the findings in the response to the revised National Planning Policy Framework include:
- Councils in county areas will have to deliver an additional 1,245 homes per week (64,769 per year)
- County and rural areas will see a much larger increase than large cities and towns
- 70% of county and rural unitary councils are in support of the principle of nationally set targets
- 85% of councils said that the pressure on their infrastructure is excessive, and pressure on local roads, services and amenities is getting worse
- 90% of county and unitary councils are worried that their areas will be of increased risk of speculative development.
Following the consultation, county and unitary councils are calling on the government to reconsider its proposals to introduce the ‘five-year land supply,’ as they are concerned that developers can fail to build on sites that are agreed in a council’s Local Plan, making it easier for to them to successfully get permission to build on sites outside the Local Plan. This could weaken local democracy, reducing the strength of Local Plans, and penalising local authorities for things that are out of their control.
This has led to a call for the government to scrap the requirement to maintain a five-year land supply if a council has an up-to-date Local Plan.
Housing and Planning Spokesperson for the County Councils Network, Cllr Richard Clewer, said:
“The County Councils Network’s survey is clear: councils in rural and county areas are not anti-housing and the vast majority support the principle of nationally set targets. But these targets are excessive and we are looking at having to build an extra 65,000 homes a year, without any commitment to the essential road networks, school places, and GP surgeries that will be required.
“We don’t have enough infrastructure to cope now, let alone after building quarter of a million extra homes over the course of this Parliament. We also must remember much of this development in county areas will be in the places with limited or no public transport, compared to the benefits of building in or around cities where there is already good infrastructure.
“Worse still, the government’s proposal to re-introduce a five-year land supply drives a bulldozer through locally-agreed housing decisions in our Local Plans and empowers developers. If implemented alongside these dramatic new housing targets, we will see a developer free for all in many county and rural areas, weakening democracy and leading to development in unsuitable locations, regardless of local views.”
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