Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Stephen Cox.

To confirm, as a correct record, the minutes of the Local Plan Sub-Committee meeting held on 11 March 2025.

The minutes of the meeting held on 11 March 2025 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

Items of other business notified under Council Procedure Rule 30 to be announced, together with the special circumstances that justify their consideration as a matter of urgency. The Chairman to rule on the admission of such items.

There was none.

To receive any declarations of interest.

There were no declarations of interest.

This report sets out Counsel’s advice in regard to undertaking an additional Regulation 18 consultation on new sites and seeks Member agreement for the Council to conduct a Regulation 18 consultation in the summer.

Recommendation:

That the Local Plan Sub Committee agrees that an additional Regulation 18 consultation on newly submitted sites be completed prior to Regulation 19 publication of the Local Plan.

Jon Bishop of Three Rivers Joint Residents’ Association addressed the sub-committee on agenda items 5, 6 and 7.

The Local Plan Sub-Committee received a report which set out Counsel’s advice with regard to undertaking an additional Regulation 18 consultation on new sites and which sought Member agreement for the Council to conduct a Regulation 18 consultation in the summer.  The specialist legal advice had been sought following discussions at the February meeting of the Local Plan Sub-Committee on whether a further Regulation 18 consultation was needed for new sites submitted as part of the call for sites.

Counsel’s advice was that although it was not considered a breach of Regulation 18 to proceed straight to Regulation 19 publication of the plan without conducting further Regulation 18 consultation on new sites, there would be a high risk of legal challenge or the plan being found unsound at examination if the Regulation 18 consultation was not completed prior to progressing to Regulation 19.

With regard to the effect on timescales of the additional consultation, officers advised that the intention was to bring a report to the June LPSC meeting on the sites to be put forward for consultation, which would then require approval at a special meeting of the Policy & Resources Committee.  Approval of the consultation document would be sought at Full Council in July, following which a 6-week consultation would be undertaken.  In addition to the new sites there were also likely to be several new or updated policies included as part of the same consultation.

In response to questions the Sub-Committee heard that two additional agency staff members had been recruited to assist with the work and officers would continue to progress the evidence work for the Regulation 19 consultation in tandem with the work required for the Regulation 18 consultation.

Although concern was expressed about the potential impact on the timescale, Members commented that it was important to ensure that the risk of challenge was mitigated.  Members also drew attention to the need for communications around the consultation to clarify its scope and highlighted that it should have the same prominence and publicity as the other Regulation 18 consultations.

RESOLVED:

That the Local Plan Sub-Committee agrees that an additional Regulation 18 consultation on newly submitted sites, any new or updated policies, and any sites with higher indicative capacity than previously consulted upon, be completed prior to Regulation 19 publication of the Local Plan.

This report seeks member agreement of the updates to the draft Local Plan housing policies in response to changes to national planning policy, updated evidence base and consideration at previous Local Plan Sub-Committee meetings. More specifically, this report seeks updates to the Housing Mix and Affordable Housing Policy and the removal of the First Homes Policy.

This report also seeks member agreement to withdraw the Council’s Policy Position Statement on First Homes and remove it from the website.

Recommendations:

1.      That the Local Plan Sub-Committee notes the contents of this report, and recommends to the Policy & Resources Committee the following policy updates:

·            Housing Mix Policy (Appendix 2)

·            Affordable Housing Policy (Appendix 3)

·            Removal of First Homes Policy (Appendix 4)

2.     That the Local Plan Sub-Committee recommends to the Policy & Resources Committee to withdraw the Council’s Policy Position Statement on First Homes (Appendix 5) and remove it from the website, and the tenure mix for affordable housing under Policy CP4 of the Core Strategy (2011), which as a guide seeks 70% of the affordable housing provided to be social rented and 30% to be intermediate is re-instated until the adoption of the emerging Local Plan.

The Local Plan Sub-Committee received a report which sought member agreement for updates to the draft Local Plan housing policies in response to changes to national planning policy, updated evidence base, and consideration at previous Local Plan Sub-Committee meetings.  Specifically, the report presented updates to the Housing Mix and Affordable Housing Policy and removal of the First Homes policy.

In relation to Housing Mix, the Sub-Committee heard that this had been updated to reflect the 2024 Local Housing Needs Assessment; the remainder of the policy remained the same as previously agreed aside from minor amendments to figures in the supporting text.  The update had resulted in an adjustment to the housing mix for market housing which decreased the requirement for larger homes and increased the requirement for smaller homes.

Following discussions with the Council’s Housing Team, the social housing and affordable rented housing mix had also been adjusted to bring it into line with the needs of those on the housing register and those in temporary accommodation.  The mix of affordable home ownership had not been changed, as it was considered to remain appropriate.

Members commented and agreed changes to the Housing Mix and Type Policy as follows:

·         Point 10 should be amended to: ‘Proposals for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) that require planning permission will only be supported where the balance of housing types and character of the immediate locality would not be adversely affected….’

·         Officers undertook to give consideration to whether it would be appropriate to require the housing mix within developments to be set out at the outline application stage where there were no commercial reasons which prevented this.

·         A Member suggested replacing the table at paragraph 2.8 of the policy with table 8.21 of the Local Housing Needs Assessment, which gave a higher number of larger homes and a lower number of smaller homes and that this would reflect the wording at paragraph 2(a) of the policy.  Paragraph 2.10 of the policy, which explained the divergence from the LHNA figures could then be deleted.  Responses were given that the LHNA figures were indicative and did not preclude the Council having different policy aspirations; the change to the table to increase the provision of larger homes would adversely affect housing density; and that there was an over-supply of larger homes and a historic under-supply of small properties which needed re-balancing.   On being put to the vote the proposed amendment fell.

In relation to the Affordable Housing Policy, the Sub-Committee heard that this had also been updated in line with the 2024 Local Housing Needs Assessment.  The requirement for 40% of all new housing being affordable housing had been retained, including within minor developments.  In terms of affordable housing for rent, the policy set out that as a guide, 70% of affordable housing for rent should be social rent and 30% should be for affordable rent.  In terms of home ownership, the policy set out that as a guide 50% of affordable home ownership provision should be First  ...  view the full minutes text for item LPSC67/23

This report sets out the issues which the new Local Plan will need to address in relation to sustainability and sets out the policy wording to be contained within the new Local Plan.

There are five separate sustainability policies referenced within this report and are set out within Appendices 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. Appendix 6 provides background and details of why and how these policies have been produced which is further summarised within this report.

Recommendation:

1.       That the Local Plan Sub-Committee notes the contents of this report and recommends to the Policy and Resources Committee the following draft policies:

·          X A - Net Zero Operational Carbon in New Residential Development

·          X B - Net Zero Operational Carbon in New Build Non-Residential Development

·          X C - Climate-adapted Design and Construction

·          X D - Embodied Carbon and Waste

·          X E - Reducing Carbon Emissions in Existing Buildings

2.       That the Local Plan Sub-Committee recommends to the Policy and Resources Committee that delegated authority be granted to the Head of Planning Policy & Conservation in consultation with the portfolio holder to make minor changes to the draft policies.

The Sub-Committee received a report which set out the issues which the new Local Plan would need to address in relation to sustainability and which set out the policy wording to be contained within the new Local Plan.

Committee members asked questions and sought clarification on the policies which were responded to by officers.

Councillor Jon Tankard spoke on the item and it was agreed that his comments would be passed to officers for consideration.

Members’ comments and suggested changes included:

·        Policy X E should be amended to clarify that it also included the process of replacing dwellings.

·        Some committee members commented that the cost implications associated with the policies needed to be understood and that requiring performance in excess of Part L did not warrant the associated financial burden.  Officers responded that there was some cost analysis in the evidence, but that it would be further looked at as part of the viability work.  Once the viability work was completed, choices would need to be made with regard to where the Council’s priorities lay.  Other committee members commented that the additional costs associated with carbon reduction initiatives needed to be balanced against the cost savings in reduced energy use; that they could be achieved at relatively little cost; and that the Council had shown a commitment to achieving Net Zero and which would inevitably involve some cost.

·        Officers were asked to check whether the energy offset figure of £2.31/kWh in paragraph 14 of Policy X A – Net Zero Operation in New Build Residential Development should be £2.31 per kW of capacity.  A committee member recommended that the figure be removed from the policy.

·        In response to a question about whether the fact that the policies would require performance in excess of national standards could result in the Plan being found unsound at examination, officers advised that the approach taken represented a middle ground in terms of the options the Council had considered.  Whilst some modifications may be needed, it was not considered that it would result in the Plan being found to be unsound.  If the very safest approach had been taken, the Council would be unlikely to achieve its Climate Emergency Declaration and Net Zero targets.

·        A committee member suggested that paragraph 1 with A1.1 of Policy X A should be replaced with ‘development is strongly encouraged to improve on the relevant Target Emissions Rate standard set out in the building regulations Part L as applied at the time of development’.  Officers undertook to consider this.

·        A committee member suggested that the wording of paragraph 13 in Policy X A should be amended with the wording up to ‘net zero’ being replaced with ‘Where it is technically or financially unviable to achieve on-site…’.  Officers undertook to consider this.

·        A committee member suggested that the first paragraph of Policy X A should be amended to ’All new build dwellings (use class C3 and C4) except householder applications are required to meet the following requirements:’ and that householder applications  ...  view the full minutes text for item LPSC68/23