Agenda item

The Principal Planning Policy Officer presented the report to the Committee.

A planning authority’s 5 year housing land supply looked forward and required analysis of planning data and engagement with developers and housebuilders to forecast when and how housing sites would be built-out.

The Council’s Local Plan had been adopted on 4^th March 2020, covered 2014 to 2033 for housing requirements, and identified the need to deliver land to meet a requirement of 272 dwellings per annum.

The Council was required to review its Local Plan every 5 years.

The Committee had considered the 5 year review at a meeting on 19^th February 2025.  Members had been informed the Local Plan had proven very successful in delivering development within the District.  However, following changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and national planning guidance in December 2024, changes included national policy on the approach to the Green Belt and how local housing need would be calculated.

To calculate the current local housing need for the District, the Council had used the latest stock figure (May 2025) and the latest amended affordability factor (March 2025) in accordance with the revised standard method.  This calculation had resulted in the need for 360 dwellings per annum.

The NPPF had also reintroduced the requirement for the supply to include a buffer (5% for the Council) – applying this buffer resulted in the need for 378 dwellings per annum.

Table 1 of the report had identified between 1^st April 2014 and 31^st March 2025 the number of housing completions had exceeded the annual requirement by 959 dwellings.

The trend of completions indicated that the District’s housing market was performing strongly and in good health.  It also reflected the Council had pursued a growth agenda in recent years, seeing additional housing through ‘windfall’ sites.

Table 2 of the report showed the requirements set against the deliverable housing supply over the 5 year period from 1^st April 2025.  The supply for housing delivery on minor sites was reflected over a 3 year period with the loss of dwellings being identified in the first year:

This table showed that the potential deliverable supply exceeded the requirement throughout the 5 year period with 5.69 years of deliverable housing land supply for the period 2025/26 to 2029/30.

Attached at Appendix 1 was the Council’s annual position statement of its 5 year supply.  Attached at Appendix 2 was a full list of major development sites and their contribution to the 5 year supply.

Moved by Councillor Phil Smith and seconded by Councillor Janet Tait

RESOLVED that the Committee: 1) Notes the detailed issues set out in the report;

2)    Approves the assessment of the Council’s Annual Position Statement of Five-Year Housing Land Supply 2025 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 Assistant Director of Planning and Planning Policy in consultation with the Chair of Planning Committee to make any minor changes to the text or information referred to in recommendation 3) prior to publication.