Agenda item

To submit a report by Senior Planning Policy Officers, Joint Planning Policy Unit

i)          Supplementary Planning Guidance: Local Market Housing

Presentation by Rhodri Owen explaining the changes to the guidance since its introduction to the Joint Local Development Plan Panel on 25 January 2019 and asking the Committee to approve the proposed response to observations received during the public consultation period regarding the Supplementary Planning Guidance and to adopt the Guidance.

Matters raised:

•      A request was made for further clarity for the response to observation 7 in that there was no intention to restrict local market housing prices.

•      A question was raised whether competition for affordable housing would mean that their prices would increase.

•      With regards to the planning system in England, it was noted that a change had been made to enable more flexibility for changing the use of buildings to residential use in the countryside. The likelihood of this happening in Wales was questioned. Also, was it possible to press for this through legislation from Cardiff with an emphasis on local people having priority for such developments?

•      It was asked whether there was a problem with local areas in Policy TAI 5 if different areas were defined for affordable housing under Policies TAI 4 and TAI 6.

Response:

•      It was explained that local market housing did not correspond with the planning definition provided in TAN 2 for affordable housing and, therefore, the size of houses and the size of the market would manage the prices of these houses rather than a planning mechanism. An example could be given where two local individuals competed for a house which could mean that its value increased to be close to the value of an open market house.

•      As a specific mechanism had been set for affordable units, their value could not increase above the relevant discount level for specific units.

•      The process is different in Wales and it was not anticipated at present that there would be support in Wales for a process similar to the one in England as it was understood that the change in regulations caused difficulties as there was no control over the occupation of the houses that would be created, i.e. units not restricted as houses for local people and not prevented from being used as holiday homes / second homes. There is already a Policy in the Plan that enabled farm buildings to obtain planning permission to be converted into local need affordable housing (if it could be shown that that economic use is not practical). It was a matter for Councils if they wanted to press on Welsh Government to seek new legislation for this type of developments.

•      Local Market Housing areas had been defined in the Policy and, therefore, there was no problem with creating a different area in order to define the surrounding rural area in Policies TAI 4 and TAI 6.   

Decision - To accept the recommendation to approve the response to the observations received about the Supplementary Planning Guidance and to adopt this Guidance.

ii)         Supplementary Planning Guidance: Open Spaces in New Housing Developments

Presentation by Linda Lee explaining the changes to the guidance since its introduction to the Joint Local Development Plan Panel on 25 January 2019 and asking the Committee to approve the proposed response to observations received during the public consultation period regarding the Supplementary Planning Guidance and to adopt the Guidance.

Matters raised:

•      Looking at the example of 50 houses in the Guidance, what happens when a Village has more land than what is needed?

•      A recent application had been refused although the proposal provided an open space.

Response:

•      Step 1 of the Guidance identified whether or not there is a shortage in the community, there would be no need to provide open spaces with a proposal if there was no shortage. Open spaces within settlements has been mapped and it is important to discuss any proposed provision with the Community Council. A specific type of open spaces may only be required within a specific settlement, e.g. not necessary for a small village to provide a football pitch but a children's play area would possibly be needed there.    

•      All applications must satisfy other policies within the JLDP in order to receive approval. Therefore, even if it provided the relevant open space in accordance with the established need, there could be other reasons why the proposal did not receive support. This guidance does not state where any open space should be located within a site. Instead, it established the methodology for ascertaining whether there was a need to make such a further provision. The exact location of an open space will be discussed within the process of dealing with a planning application.   

Decision - To accept the recommendation to approve the response to the observations received about the Supplementary Planning Guidance and to adopt this Guidance.