Agenda and minutes

Councillor Blunt was appointed Chair and Councillor Howland was appointed Vice Chair of the Task Group.

Councillor Bubb.

The notes from the previous meeting were agreed as a correct record.

Please indicate if there are any interests which should be declared.  A declaration of interest should indicate the nature of the interest (if not already declared on the Register of Interests) and the agenda item to which it relates.  If a disclosable pecuniary interest is declared, the Member should withdraw from the room whilst the matter is discussed.

These declarations apply to all members present, whether the Member is part of the meeting, attending to speak as a local Member on an item or simply observing the meeting from the public seating area

There was none.

Members wishing to speak pursuant to Standing Order 34 should inform the Chairman of their intention to do so and what items they wish to be heard before the meeting commences.  Any Member attending the meeting under Standing Order 34 will only be permitted to speak on those items which have been previously notified to the Chairman.

Councillor Rose.

Officers provided the Task Group with background information on Custom and Self Build.  The following was highlighted:

·        The Council had been working with leading experts in the field including the National Custom and Self Build Association and Mario Wolf.

·        The Custom Build Action Plan had been submitted to Cabinet in February 2018 (copy attached).

·        The Custom Build Act and Planning and Housing Act meant that the Council had to address the demand for Custom and Self Build.  People could register on the Borough Council’s website if they were interested in Custom and Self Build.

·        The Task Group had looked at Policy options such as % of larger sites etc.

·        The Council had also looked at direct delivery sites and a Council owned site was in the process of being taken forward.

·        An event had been held last year which brought together experts in the field with developers and landowners who were interested in Custom and Self Build.

·        Affordable Housing could be seen as a barrier to developers.  The Council had agreed an approach that recognised how custom and self-build sites were developed whilst still achieving the Councils affordable housing policy requirements.

·        There was a large volume of sites with Planning Permission but no development had taken place.  Those individuals had been contacted and invited to the event.

·        Policies would be developed through the Local Plan review.

·        Custom and Self Build sites were exempt from CIL.

·        The National Planning Policy Framework addressed the need to increase the housing supply for example the requirement to allocate small sites and outside the development boundary.

·        Neighbourhood Plans also needed to consider Custom and Self Build, but as Custom and Self Build was exempt from CIL Parishes often did not want to promote it.

·        Specialist mortgages were now available for Custom and Self Build.

·        The criteria for Custom and Self Build was that you had to build it yourself, or commission a builder, and then live in the property.

·        There were builders, locally, that specialised in Custom and Self Build.

·        There was still a lot of work for the Task Group to do including looking at affordable Custom and Self Build and cooperatives for those wishing to develop in groups.

Members of the Task Group were referred to the following as background information.  A question and answer session would be scheduled onto the next Agenda should Members have any questions:

·        Custom and Self Build information on the Borough Council’s website - https://www.west-norfolk.gov.uk/info/20079/planning_policy_and_local_plan/721/custom_and_self_build_action_plan

·        National Custom and Self Build Association - https://nacsba.org.uk/

·        Custom Build Cabinet Report February 2018 and Action Plan (attached).

·        Custom and Self Build Register data - https://www.west-norfolk.gov.uk/homepage/279/custom_build_register_data

·        Three Dragons demand Assessment Report (attached).

An update on Policies was provided as follows:

·        Policy LP26 in the emerging Local Plan could permit development adjacent to existing settlement boundaries and encouraged Custom and Self Build.

·        The emerging Local Plan was consulted upon for eight weeks, this finished at the end of April.  43 comments had been received on LP26 with a number relating to Custom and Self Build.  The feedback was balanced with some wanting the Council to take it further, others wanting the policy to be more permissive and others wanting the policy removed.

·        https://www.constructionmap.info/map showed development taking place across England, for those who have signed up to the scheme.  It showed that there were not many major developers working in the area.

Work was ongoing to bring forward the site at Bradfield Place, Stoke Ferry.  It was likely that the site would be developed in two stages.  Half of the site was allocated and the other half was in the proposed plan.  Approximately ten units could be accommodated on the first half of the site.

The Council would design the overall site plan and put in the necessary infrastructure.  The design would need a transition between bungalows and houses.

Work on the Ingoldisthorpe site was progressing.

Wednesday 20^th November 2019 at 4.00pm in Meeting Room 2:4.

To be confirmed – October 2019.

Agenda items would include:

·        Action plan progress

·        General Q&A session