Agenda item

The Planning Policy Lead Officer outlined a report, to update the Committee on the latest position with regards to Slough’s projected housing supply and provide an update on the review of the Local Plan.

The Officer reminded the Committee that the results of the Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA) for Berkshire and South Bucks, reported to the previous Committee meeting on 26^th November, 2015, had indicated that Slough had an “objectively assessed” housing need of 927 a year.  This figure did not automatically become the new housing target for Slough and this would be decided through the review of the Local Plan which could take account of all relevant factors.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) required that Councils had sufficient housing commitments to deliver five years of housing supply and in the short term it was agreed that Slough BC should respond to the need for more houses by formally adopting the target of 550 new dwellings per annum in the Council’s Five Year Plan. The calculation for the 5 Year Land Supply position would now use this figure instead of the 315 stated in the Core Strategy.

The Committee noted that in the past nine years there had been an average of 412 completions a year with 507 net dwellings being built in 2014/15. There had been a large fluctuation in building rates depending upon the buoyancy  of the housing market with 849 being built at the height of the peak in 2007/08 and only 182 at the bottom of the slump in 2012/13. It was predicted that around 1,000 houses a year could be built over the next three years before completions reduced  again.

The Officer discussed the objectively assessed housing need figure of 927 a year and the need to determine future targets through the Review of the Local Plan for Slough. Members noted the detail of the timetable for the Plan and the impact on its timing due to the review of the South Bucks Local Plan, and the delay in the decision around a third runway at Heathrow. It was assumed that should the Government give the go ahead for a third runway in the summer of 2016, planning permission would not be granted until 2019. This would mean that Slough would not be able to hold the Local Plan Inquiry until 2020.

Work would continue to enable the production of “issues and options”, and “preferred option” versions of the plan. This was important to show that Slough was addressing its housing needs and to provide the necessary evidence to feed into the Windsor & Maidenhead and South Bucks/Chiltern Local Plans, and that Slough would not be penalised for delays to the process beyond its control.

Resolved-

a)  That the Housing Trajectory for Slough which will be used to determine the  five year land supply be noted.

b)  That the possible delay in the time table for the review of the Local Plan as a result of the Government not making a decision about the proposal for a third runway at Heathrow be noted.