Agenda item

The Portfolio Holder for Growth and Prosperity to provide a report to:

a)    Inform Members of the outcome of the 2018/19 Housing Delivery Test and its implications for the Borough.

b)    Seek the Council approval to publish the 2018/19 Housing Delivery Action Plan (HDAP), which is a requirement according to the 2019 revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) (para 75).

c)    Advise that the Action Plan evaluates the cause of under-delivery and identifies actions to carried out in order increase delivery in future years. The publication of the document needs to be done before the 19th August 2019, deadline given by the National Planning Policy Guidance (NPPG). The document does not need to be submitted to the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG).

1)    Cabinet NOTED the outcome of the 2018/19 Housing Delivery Test.

2)    Cabinet AUTHORISED the publishing of the Housing Delivery Action Plan as a graphic report as comprised in Appendix 1 on the Council’s website before the 19^th August 2019.

3)    Cabinet AGREED that a Housing Delivery Action Plan be published on an annual basis in order to positively tackle housing delivery issues in the Borough.

Councillor Leigh Higgins, Portfolio Holder for Growth and Prosperity, introduced the report with the purpose of informing Members of the outcome of the 2018/19 Housing Delivery Test and seek approval to publish 2018/19 Housing Delivery Plan (HDAP). The publication of the document needs to be done before the 19^th August 2019 deadline given by the National Planning Policy Guidance (NPPG).

DECISION (KEY)

1)    Cabinet NOTED the outcome of the 2018/19 Housing Delivery Test.

2)    Cabinet AUTHORISED the publishing of the Housing Delivery Action Plan as a graphic report as comprised in Appendix 1 on the Council’s website before the 19^th August 2019.

3)    Cabinet AGREED that a Housing Delivery Action Plan be published on an annual basis in order to positively tackle housing delivery issues in the Borough.

Reasons:-

·         The Council has made considerable progress towards encouraging and securing growth and prosperity in the Borough. Through our refreshed Corporate Delivery Plan, we have made housing, jobs and growth key priorities. The Council adopted the Local Plan, promoting unprecedented levels of growth and investment in October 2018.

·         Over the last 12 months a Growth and Regeneration directorate was created. to pursue these priorities .

·         Operationally the team are progressing with the masterplanning of Melton South and Melton North which are keystone elements of the overall aspiration for growth and through outline planning consents with signed s106 agreements have already secured commitments for 810 dwellings within these areas and £7m towards the Melton Mowbray Distributer Road (MMDR). Working with colleagues at Leicestershire County Council we have been successful in securing nearly £50 million for the MMDR and have supported the bidding process to the Housing Infrastructure Fund for financial support for the southern link of the road. Following the planning fees increase we have already added resources to the planning team and are reviewing our planning service to ensure it is equipped and resourced to deliver

·         The early signals are encouraging – we are seeing more active building sites and more delivery of affordable housing within them, and the most recent assessments of build rates showed a 60% increase in 2019/20 compared to the previous year. There is strong interest in very many of the sites allocated in the Local plan, with many the subject of recently approved planning applications or applications travelling through the system.

·         The time restriction is given in paragraph 073 of the National Planning Policy Guidance (Housing and economic land availability assessment) which says that ‘To ensure the document is as useful as possible, local planning authorities should publish an action plan within 6 months of publication of the Housing Delivery Test result.’ These results were published by MHCLG on 19^th February 2019. As explained above, the Action Plan should be prepared in line with the NPPG and therefore it should be published by 19^th August 2019.

·         By agreeing the publication of a Housing Delivery Action Plan on an annual basis, the document would be published regardless of the Housing Delivery Test results, showing a proactive attitude from the Council and having a constant positive impact on the housing delivery strategy from Melton Borough Council.

·         One of our current priorities for Place is ‘increasing the availability of good quality homes that meet local needs’ and the related increase of the house building in Melton which is directly connected to this Action Plan. Delivering more houses will also have direct and indirect impacts on other priorities, as for example the provision of infrastructure (place), the support to our local industry (people), the support to employment opportunities and career development (organisational priorities) and an improvement to the affordability of homes (people).