Up to thirty minutes will be made available for questions from members of the public on issues relating to the work of the Committee and to receive any petitions.
Minutes:
The following question were received and the Chairman responded:
On behalf of the North Mymms District Green Belt Society, I wish to submit the following question to the CPPP.
"What steps will the Council take to review the OAN in the Local Plan given that the figure of 16000 dwellings is totally unrealistic in the light of the economic damage to the country being caused by the Covid-19 pandemic?”
Further to my question to the CPPP I should like to like add the following rider:
"In reporting to the previous meeting of the CPPP, Head of Planning Colin Haigh said that the council intended to instruct its consultants to review the OAN in the light of new population and household projection figures published by the ONS. He also said that they would be asked to look the possibility of impact on the OAN of the coronavirus pandemic and Brexit.
For the avoidance of doubt, will the Committee confirm that this review will also include a detailed reassessment of the economic assumptions of growth and development for the Borough over the Plan period and confirm that these assumptions are realistic and sensible in the changed economic circumstances of the country post covid."
Council’s Response
“Our consultants, Turleys, have been asked to consider the implications of the recently published 2018 household projections, as well as the possible impacts of Covid-19 and Brexit, on the Objective Assessment of Housing Need (OAN).
As part of this consideration will also be given to different migration trends which are influenced by economic growth. The methodology for calculating the OAN is set out in National Planning Practice Guidance on Housing and Economic Development Needs published in 2015. It will also need to consider the extent to which household formation will continue to be constrained, as well as the affordability of housing, but economic forecasts do not feature in the methodology.
At the December 2019 hearing sessions a change in approach to forecasting the need for employment land was debated. This looked at the needs arising from a growth in the economically active population. This resulted in a lower figure than the economic forecasts which in any event can no longer be met because of the scale of the loss of employment land over the last few years. The Council will therefore need to review whether there are likely to be any significant changes in the size of the economically active population and any impacts that has on the need for employment land.
Economic forecasts are not required for the calculation of the OAN or the need for employment land and no decision has yet been made on whether these should be updated.”
A point of clarification was sought in respect of the data from our consultants, Turleys being shared with the Panel. The Head of Planning advised that he did not know when that work would be completed, but would enquire and aim to report back to the Panel on 30 July 2020 if possible or asap thereafter if not, so that the information could be available to Members and the Inspector to inform forthcoming hearing sessions and his interim report.