“The headline in the Times newspaper on 7 April “UK housing crisis: planning targets scrapped in win for nimbys” is typical of headlines seen over the last six months. Residents in Hinckley & Bosworth are understandably confused when they see yet more housing approved against the wishes of local councillors. Please confirm the factual position, for the borough, of the government’s position on housing targets and mechanisms they have in place to enforce them.”
Response from Councillor Crooks:
“The council is required to follow the government’s standard method for assessing local housing need. The standard method was introduced to the planning system on the back of the housing white paper published in 2017. The standard uses a formula to identify the minimum number of homes expected to be planned for, addressing both projected household growth and any historic under-supply. This is the starting point for determining the borough’s overall housing requirement figure. The current standard method figure for the borough is 472 dwellings per annum.
Local planning authorities such as the borough council are required to cooperate with each other and other bodies on policies addressing strategic and cross-boundary matters. This is called the Duty to Cooperate (DtC). Housing is such a strategic / cross-boundary matter. Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council is part of the Leicester and Leicestershire Housing Market Area (HMA) and therefore has a duty alongside the other local planning authorities in this HMA to help address any unmet housing need arising from other partners. Leicester City Council has declared an unmet need, meaning it can’t meet all of its housing requirements within its boundary.
In a consultation earlier this year on proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), the government indicated that they planned to replace the DtC with an alignment policy. This new alignment policy would be enacted through a full review of the NPPF which would be required once the emerging Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill (LURB) gains Royal Assent. Full details as to how the alignment policy will function have not yet been provided. However, it has been made clear that local planning authorities must still plan for their full housing requirement, including unmet need from elsewhere, unless there are ‘exceptional circumstances’ why they are not able to do so such as green belt and areas of outstanding natural beauty. Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council is not likely to be able to demonstrate exceptional circumstances.
It is expected that an initial interim update to the NPPF will not be published before October this year and not before the LURB is enacted. It is also likely that the proposed alignment policy, how to deal with unmet need and changes to the standard methodology will also be subject to further consultation and will need to be set out in a full review of the NPPF. Although no details have been publicly released at this stage, it is anticipated that this won’t be until at least autumn 2024 and will include transition arrangements from the old system to the new. Therefore, the Duty to Cooperate will remain in force until the new plan making system is in place.”
Minutes:
“The headline in the Times newspaper on 7 April “UK housing crisis: planning targets scrapped in win for nimbys” is typical of headlines seen over the last six months. Residents in Hinckley & Bosworth are understandably confused when they see yet more housing approved against the wishes of local councillors. Please confirm the factual position, for the borough, of the government’s position on housing targets and mechanisms they have in place to enforce them.”
Response from Councillor Crooks:
“The council is required to follow the government’s standard method for assessing local housing need. The standard method was introduced to the planning system on the back of the housing white paper published in 2017. The standard uses a formula to identify the minimum number of homes expected to be planned for, addressing both projected household growth and any historic under-supply. This is the starting point for determining the borough’s overall housing requirement figure. The current standard method figure for the borough is 472 dwellings per annum.
Local planning authorities such as the borough council are required to cooperate with each other and other bodies on policies addressing strategic and cross-boundary matters. This is called the Duty to Cooperate (DtC). Housing is such a strategic / cross-boundary matter. Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council is part of the Leicester and Leicestershire Housing Market Area (HMA) and therefore has a duty alongside the other local planning authorities in this HMA to help address any unmet housing need arising from other partners. Leicester City Council has declared an unmet need, meaning it can’t meet all of its housing requirements within its boundary.
In a consultation earlier this year on proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), the government indicated that they planned to replace the DtC with an alignment policy. This new alignment policy would be enacted through a full review of the NPPF which would be required once the emerging Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill (LURB) gains Royal Assent. Full details as to how the alignment policy will function have not yet been provided. However, it has been made clear that local planning authorities must still plan for their full housing requirement, including unmet need from elsewhere, unless there are ‘exceptional circumstances’ why they are not able to do so such as green belt and areas of outstanding natural beauty. Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council is not likely to be able to demonstrate exceptional circumstances.
It is expected that an initial interim update to the NPPF will not be published before October this year and not before the LURB is enacted. It is also likely that the proposed alignment policy, how to deal with unmet need and changes to the standard methodology will also be subject to further consultation and will need to be set out in a full review of the NPPF. Although no details have been publicly released at this stage, it is anticipated that this won’t be until at least autumn 2024 and will include transition arrangements from the old system to the new. Therefore, the Duty to Cooperate will remain in force until the new plan making system is in place.”