Issue - meetings

The Principal Planning Policy Officer presented the report to the Committee to update Members on housing land supply and to approve the publication of the Council’s Annual Position Statement on the 5-Year Housing Land Supply as at 1^st April 2026 for the period 2026/27 to 2030/31.

The Officer outlined the components of the 5-Year Housing Land Supply and that the Council had a housing land supply of 4.82 years, resulting in the Council not currently being able to demonstrate a 5-Year Housing Land Supply of deliverable sites for the period 2026/27 to 2030/31.

A Member noted the Council had been consistently overperforming and asked if this had any weighting on the Council’s determination of future developments within the District.  The Senior Devolution Lead for Planning Policy, Strategic Growth and Housing set out that the UK Government placed an emphasis on the need to significantly boost the supply of housing and, in general terms, this meant that past delivery was not taken into account in arriving at the 5-Year Housing Land Supply.

It was added that a shortfall of 71 dwellings was a small margin and highlighted that this was in part due to the delay in the delivery of the Clowne Garden Village development (following the ongoing Judicial Review challenge and the delays on the delivery of the former Whitwell Colliery site).

The UK Government’s insufficient number of Planning Inspectors was noted by the Committee.

Moved by Councillor Catherine Tite and seconded by Councillor Duncan McGregor

RESOLVED that the Planning Committee: 1) Notes the detailed issues set out in the report including that the Council anticipated “Five Year Housing Land Supply” has been assessed at 4.82 years with has the implications set out in the report;

2)    Approves the assessment of the Council’s Annual Position Statement of Five-Year Housing Land Supply 2026 as set out at Appendix 1;

3)    Authorises the publication of the Annual Position Statement of Five-Year Housing Land Supply (Appendix 1) and List of Major Development Sites and their contribution to the Council’s Five-Year Housing Land Supply (Appendix 2) on the Council’s website; and,

4)    Gives delegated authority to the Interim Strategic Director: Economic Growth, in consultation with the Chair of Planning Committee, to make any appropriate changes to the assessment, assumptions and process as necessary to take account of new government guidance, case law, best practice and valid stakeholder comments.

The Chair thanked all those in attendance.