Committee details

Terms of Reference

Timescale and delivery expectations

The expectation is that the group will have met on 4 to 5 occasions, and will have some proposals and recommendations to make to Cabinet by the end of the calendar year 2016. This time scale will fit in with the first review of The Local Plan.

Task Group Status

It was agreed by the Regeneration and Development Panel that the group would be established a formal basis. In this regard the group members will undertake (with the support of officers including Democratic services) to:

·       Appoint a chair person

·       Participate in meetings

·       Prepare / agree meeting agenda items

·       Agree and publish agenda

·       Meet in public – with the exception press and public for reasons including commercial sensitivity or details appertaining to another organization

·       Complete and publish minutes of meetings held

Membership

The task group will be made up of 4 members, which is representative/ proportional to the Councils political composition. Group Leaders will nominate members to the group.

Purpose / role of the group

The purpose of the group is to examine and determine appropriate policy and practice proposals for the Council’s Cabinet and Full Council to consider.

The policy task group will look at the following key areas:-

·       The requirements of Self-build and Custom housebuilding Act 2015, and Chapter 2 of The Housing and Planning Act 2016 relating to Self-build and custom housebuilding.

·       Promotion and communication strategy in terms of the requirements of the Self-build and Custom housebuilding Act.

·       Opportunities to create self-build / custom build plots that meet the identified needs of the area.

·       Planning policy mechanisms to increase the provision of self-build/ custom build plots including (but not exclusive) percentage policies, allocation of sites, exception site policies for example.

·       Opportunities to directly or facilitate develop and sell self-build and Custom-build plots – to be considered in conjunction with the Council’s emerging Investment/ Development strategy.

·         Starter Homes – in addition to make recommendations on emerging planning requirements, and opportunities to access funding to directly deliver Starter Homes. 

·       Measurers to increase the Housing supply including the supply of smaller sites to help SME delivery.

Meeting arrangements

Initial scoping meeting - with the purpose of agreeing a work plan. Further meetings will be arranged to discuss options, and review progress of work plan.

It is envisaged that the first meeting will be held before the end of July 2016.

Working methods

·       Involvement / contributions from specialists/ stakeholders who might be invited to present material at a meeting. At the recent Right to Build Summit the NaCSBA announced its intention to form a Custom and Self-Build Task Force to work with local authorities to implement the Right to Build. There may be an opportunity for the group to access this resource.

Important source of pre-meeting material is to be found at:

·       Self-Build Portal - a national resource at: www.selfbuildportal.org.uk

·       He also made reference to the NaCSBA website at: www.nacsba.org.uk/researchdevelopment