Agenda item

The Senior Planner presented the Draft HELAA circulated with the Agenda.

Members were reminded that the Borough Council HELAA was a technical study which had been developed to determine the potential housing and economic land supply within the Borough over a 20 year period, from 2016 to 2036.

It was noted that the time frame accorded with the emerging Local Plan review.  The HELAA review would inform the Local Plan review’s preparation.

The Task Group was informed that assessments were based upon the information available at the time.  It was anticipated that further evidence may be provided in support of sites which would be rejected that could potentially bring them back into contention for allocation purposes.  It was also noted that further sites would be proposed for allocation through the Local Plan review preparation and consultation process.

The Senior Planner explained that the overall aim of the HELAA was to assess the potential land supply within the Borough and determine if the Borough Council was likely to be able to meet the identified need for housing and for economic growth.  It would also support discussions with other authorities through the duty to co-operate if the Borough Council needed assistance in delivering its development need.

The Task Group was advised that the HELAA therefore needed to demonstrate that there was at least enough dwelling capacity within the Borough to meet the FOAN of 13,400 to 2036.

An initial desktop review of those sites identified was conducted in line with the PPG.  Therefore, sites were excluded from the assessment where no feasible development potential could be demonstrated due to the presence of overwhelming constraints for the foreseeable future.

Members’ attention was drawn to the table set out on page 21 of the Agenda.

The Senior Planner advised that allowances for windfall from large and small sites within the BCKLWN five year housing land supply calculation.  It was explained that to avoid double counting of windfalls the Borough Council suggested that it would be reasonable for the windfall allowance only to be applied from year 4 onwards.

The Task Group noted that the windfall allowance in the latest published appraisal (based upon the 2016/17 housing trajectory, June 2017) was 238 dwellings per year.

The Senior Planner advised that the most recent 2016/17, Authority Monitoring Report (AMR) provided an update to the progress of the employment land allocations and indicated that of the 69 hectares, 67.2 were currently available.

The Borough Council have prepared a separate Retail Paper to support the Local Plan review.  The paper concluded that there was a need to provide for an additional 20,000 m² of retail floorspace in King’s Lynn Town Centre in the period to 2036.

The Task Group’s attention was drawn to the conclusion on page 40 of the Agenda.

In conclusion, the Senior Planner explained that the HELAA had identified that there was a potential land supply across the Borough which could deliver 23,775 dwellings over the next 20 years.  This was therefore in excess of housing need requirement of 13,400 dwellings over the same time period.  It was also in excess of the need with an additional 10% buffer.

The Task Group was informed that of the 23,775 dwellings identified by the HELAA, 7,944 dwellings were identified from sites which had been submitted for consideration in the Local Plan review through the Call for Sites and Policy Suggestion Consultation.  The figure was in excess of the 3,550 dwellings required through the site allocation process as part of the Local Plan review (2016 – 2036).

The Senior Planner responded to questions relating to:

·         Process diagram.

·         Consultation exercise.

·         Site Assessment Forms and Site Mapping.

·         Sites which had been excluded and Site Mapping.

·         Sustainability Appraisal.

·         Average number of homes per year for the period 2016 to 2036 and where they will come from.

·         Windfall sites.

·         “at least” number of dwellings allocated in the current Local Plan.

·         Neighbourhood Plans and allocate of sites.

·         Allocations process.

·         2016/2017 housing trajectory.

·         Settlement hierarchy

·         Potential development – Wisbech Fringe

The Chairman, congratulated the Local Plan Team on producing a well written and logical document.