Agenda item

Report of the Executive Director (Public Protection, Planning and Governance) and the Executive Director (Housing and Communities) on the Housing White Paper consultation response.

Members considered the report of the Executive Director (Public Protection, Planning and Governance) and the Executive Director (Housing and Communities), which provided the consultation response on the Housing White Paper which the Government published in February 2017 and the consultation response to be forwarded by 2 May 2017.

The published Housing White Paper, called ‘Fixing our Broken Housing Market’, which was introduced by the Prime Minister described the broken housing market as one of the greatest barriers to progress in Britain today; it set out four strategic objectives to address the current housing crises:

a)    Planning for the right homes in the right places

b)    Building homes faster

c)    Diversifying the market

d)    Helping people now

The overall emphasis of the Housing White Paper was on increasing the supply of housing over the longer term primarily through changes to the planning system.  In particular, the Government proposes to introduce a standardised assessment of local housing need; to encourage cross-boundary working; open up the development market to small builders and those who embrace innovative/efficient methods of housebuilding, improving safeguards in the private rented sector doing more to prevent homelessness.

Officers were concerned that these add further complexity to the planning system and made it even more unnavigable for non-professionals.  There could be many reasons why the Council may not get an up to date plan and agreed housing target in place and many reasons why housing may not come forward at the rates currently anticipated, all of which could result in far less desirable sites being developed (such as tall building and high densities on constrained brownfield sites, rural exception sites in villages, on previously developed land in the green belt, etc).  From a housing perspective the White Paper was a summation of funding streams, initiatives and policy change that has been proposed throughout this administration. 

Members considered the 38 consultation questions and the proposed answers together with other comments that officers considered that could be made to the Government.

The main points raised and discussed were:

·         The consultation mainly focused on technical issues within planning and housing.

·         The social housing rent policy from 2020 for housing association and local authority landlords ‘to help them to borrow against future income’ and therefore investment in development.  The Paper confirmed that the 1% rent reduction mandated for social housing from 2016/17 for four years would stay in place until 2020.

·         Housing Associations would continue to be considered as part of the private sector and pressurised to build and to release funds for development through efficiencies.

·         Backing small and medium sized builder to grow.  Government would like to bring forward more small sites for development which could be more easily accessed by these firms.

·         Government’s support for Build to Rent – making it easier for Build to Rent developers to offer affordable private rental homes instead of other types of affordable housing. 

·         Starter homes – definition of starter homes was considered.  The need for a system to be in place to ensure that developers only offer starter homes to eligible households.

·         Pre-application discussions with developers – inappropriate to take an applicant’s track record into account.  There would be nothing to prevent an applicant gaining planning consent and then selling the consent to a developer with a different track record.  Could result in further workloads for local planning authorities in assessing and reviewing viability and deliverability exceptions.

·         Council’s response to Question 31 (a) Yes. (b) If starter homes are to be a form of affordable housing then an income cap is essential to prevent homes being bought for purchasers who could otherwise buy on the open market.  Council’s response is correct but needs to be more comprehensive. (c) If private rent was to help ease the housing crises and meet housing need then it needs to be justly affordable in relation to local incomes, based on a resilient local affordability assessment.

RESOLVED:

That Members authorise the Head of Planning and Head of Community and Housing Strategy in consultation with the Executive Member for Planning, Housing and Community to make any requested changes and submit the Council’s formal response.