Weight given to parish council requests for housing allocations - Public forum - Planning Advisory Service (PAS)
Weight given to parish council requests for housing allocations
Gill Cowie, Addaswyd 7 Years yn ôl.
Weight given to parish council requests for housing allocations
New Member Postiadau: 3 Dyddiad Ymuno: 06/09/2013 Bostiadau diweddarHaving spent time gathering evidence, we are now drafting the development strategy for our local plan. Our approach means that we don’t have to look to our smallest villages to contribute to achieving OAN (these are settlements with few facilities and fall at the bottom of our hierarchy). However, we have become aware that some of those communities may want to have small scale growth (say 5-10 market dwellings) to support local shops, pubs schools etc. Other villages of similar size and who are in the same group in the hierarchy are opposed to allocations in their area. Some have started to prepare neighbourhood plans and intend to allocate sites themselves. Others want the growth but don’t want to prepare plans (perhaps because of the commitment, cost etc) and would prefer the Borough Council to allocate sites in the local plan.
The question.
In the light of the fact that the Council does not need to allocate sites in small villages to meet OAN, would it be appropriate for the Council to make allocations in only those villages that want allocations and are not preparing their own NPs? Would this be found to be a flawed development strategy because other settlements in the same group in the settlement hierarchy (that may be shown to be equally or more sustainable) did not have allocations? I would anticipate that those promoting sites in similar villages with no allocations will object.
Just for clarity, this isn’t about the overall plan number because the amount of development that would arise from these sites is small when compared to the plan requirement overall. It is about the fact that the only evidence underpinning the need for allocation of sites in these villages could be the requests made by the local Parish Councils for the growth. What weight can be given to local Parish Council requests for housing allocations on this scale?
How have other councils approached the allocation of sites in small rural settlements? Have any Councils used a development management policy approach as an alternative to making allocations? If so, what do those policies say?Former Member, Addaswyd 7 Years yn ôl.
RE: Weight given to parish council requests for housing allocations
Gill,
Housing numbers/OAn are a minimum anyway so perhaps we shouldn't get to hung up on exactness in the art of the housing numbers.
An exception approach could be used _ I think Horsham have done a scheme recently in a village where they had PC support to get a new school and Berkeley Homes (Quality housbuilder) delviered for 65 homes. Sound like smaller scale but I would guess that the village want a quality scheme rather than one that just delviers the most money for the landowner?
This would be a positive approach to plannnign and the delviery of much needed homes and is possibly best kept at arms length from the complex, lengthy plan process.
Would your members support an exception approach? Because this is really about politics as much as planning - or are they the same!
Gill Cowie, Addaswyd 7 Years yn ôl.
RE: Weight given to parish council requests for housing allocations
New Member Postiadau: 3 Dyddiad Ymuno: 06/09/2013 Bostiadau diweddarFormer Member, Addaswyd 7 Years yn ôl.
RE: Weight given to parish council requests for housing allocations
I agree with Andrew.
Our Core Strategy includes an 'exception site allowance' in addition to a windfall sites allowance.
Given that exception sites are locally driven and require Parish Council support, this provides some scope to cater for the situation you describe.
Gill Cowie, Addaswyd 7 Years yn ôl.
RE: Weight given to parish council requests for housing allocations
New Member Postiadau: 3 Dyddiad Ymuno: 06/09/2013 Bostiadau diweddarThanks Roger - that's interesting. We did have a discussion in the office about doing just that but it met with a luke warm reception from some. The nervousness is about estimating the likely contribution from these sites to OAN when our development strategy over the past 10 years or more has precluded anything but local needs housing in most of our villages. We don't have much in the way of evidence to justify a number for small scale market housing. However, I do think it's something we should look into further. I googled you- are you still at Rother District Council? - I will have a look at your policy.
Gill
Former Member, Addaswyd 7 Years yn ôl.
RE: Weight given to parish council requests for housing allocations
Gill,
Thats right. The exception site sallowance is within our adopted Core Strategy 2014, see Policy RA1 Figure 12.
Best wishes
Roger