Interim statement on development management in our District
29 Jul 2010
THE Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has formally revoked the Regional Strategies; in the Horsham District’s case, the South East Plan.
Even without the previously imposed housing targets however, there is still a requirement locally to deliver new housing to meet identified needs.
The Council has sought to understand better the factors involved in meeting such needs and, as a result, expert consultants have prepared a study on the Locally Generated Housing Needs, in order to assist in the consideration of the way forward; in this respect the Council’s approach fits well with the new ‘localism’ agenda and the Government’s intention to return decision making powers on housing and planning to local councils.
It is recognised that there is a continuing need to provide new housing within the Horsham District in order to:
- meet previous commitments (in the current Local Development Framework Core Strategy) in terms of the amount of house building that it has already been agreed would be appropriate;
- address the locally generated housing needs as a result of changes in the local population; and
- enable a positive economic future for the District.
Despite the recent housing market downturn and the recession, housing demand remains strong locally; recessions tend to have a much greater effect on reducing the number of homes built than they do on the number of households requiring housing. There is also a case for increasing housing provision in order to stabilise and ideally improve housing affordability.
The Council believes that the issues relating to the continued need for the provision of new housing cannot be ignored.
It is therefore intended that the Council will prepare an Interim Statement on ‘Managing Development’ that sits between the adopted Local Development Framework Core Strategy (February 2007) and the proposed Core Strategy Review, which is not now likely to be adopted until 2013.
The Interim Statement will indicate how it is proposed to address the shorter term housing needs in the District, on the basis of a proactive approach towards meeting the requirements through specific land releases for residential development, possibly in the form of smaller scale developments in certain of the locations currently being examined for much larger strategic development.
This approach will enable local communities in the District to avoid the vagaries of multiple planning applications or appeals in locations that would not otherwise be preferred for development and to consider further the issues relating to the larger scale development options, without the pressures of the shorter term housing supply situation.
The proposed approach and any land releases will be worked up in conjunction with the relevant local communities and landowners or developers, where appropriate, and will be the subject of wide consultation through the publication of a draft document for public comment. In addition, the Council will continue to encourage the developers of West of Horsham to reduce their planned build out period.
The primary objective is still to produce a long term strategy, potentially to 2031, which sets out an overall vision defining how the District and the communities within it should evolve, with a clear indication of how much development is intended to happen where, and when, and by what means it will be delivered.
Since the publication of the Consultation Document on ‘Leading Change in Partnership to 2026 and Beyond’ in September 2009, there has been a considerable amount of work undertaken to narrow down the alternative approaches and options for future development but there remains much to complete in order to be able to progress to the Preferred Strategy stage of the Core Strategy Review.
In particular, the potential for a new market town in the southern part of the Gatwick Diamond area needs to be explored further; if there was to be joint agreement on such a proposition, it could be a key component of any future spatial planning strategy and it is consequently important to understand fully the feasibility and deliverability of any such new settlement.
It is expected that the Preferred Strategy as a whole will be prepared for publication for consultation by summer 2011, with the Proposed Submission to the Secretary of State taking place in early 2012. These next stages of the longer term strategy will be based on the practical implementation of the assessed locally generated housing needs and on working closely with local communities to identify what is in the best interests of the future of those communities.
Ends
CONTACT: Richard Morris, Communications Manager
Email: richard.morris@horsham.gov.uk