In mid-December, the government made a series of announcements that affect the planning system. The most significant of these is an updated National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) which takes immediate effect. These announcements are part of an ongoing project to modernize the planning system and make it ‘fit for purpose’ as well as boosting output to reach the government’s target of 300,000 additional homes each year.
The most significant changes are:
- Quicker local plan making process with a target of 30 months for an adopted and approved plan
- Assessing local housing needs by local authorities – the outcome of the well-established method is now advisory only and is not a statutory target or requirement
- Five-year land supply – local authorities do not have to demonstrate that on an annual basis they have a five-year land supply for housing where there is an up-to-date local plan
- Green belts – local authorities do not have to review or modify green belt boundaries (see also ‘other announcements’)
- Place-making and good design – stronger emphasis on the importance of high-quality design and neighbourhoods
- Energy efficiency – support for requiring planning applications to incorporate energy efficiency measures for existing buildings
- Alternative housing – greater support for self-build / custom-build provision, community housing, and housing for older people.
Coventry Society welcomes some of these changes such as protection of the green belt, support for alternative housing, and energy efficiency measures. But we are concerned that the advisory target for housing needs could mean that not enough affordable housing will be built.
In addition, the government announced that it is adopting a ‘carrot and stick’ approach for councils. A carrot of additional funding to boost performance coupled with a stick of penalizing poor decision making and delays. But there were no equivalent announcements covering housebuilders who, for instance, may decide not to complete the development of a site for many years because it fails to generate sufficient profit.
So, what are the implications for planning in Coventry?
Firstly, the Council must ensure that it makes swift progress on its current review of the local plan produced in 2017 which is already out-of-date. Its aim is to have an approved and adopted update by the end of June 2025. Look out, therefore, for opportunities to comment on a draft plan in 2024.
Secondly, the government guidance does not require a redrawing of the green belt boundary to enable more housing to be built. Although this is ‘shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted’ as major changes were made in 2017, it nevertheless stops future encroachments locally.
Thirdly, the focus on alternative housing ought to mean that future proposals for purpose-built student housing will be rejected.
Finally, and rather perplexingly, it is unclear in the government announcements what happens with the 35 per cent urban uplift target for additional housing which it unilaterally imposed on the 20 largest cities in 2021 (including Coventry). As the local housing needs figure is advisory rather than mandatory, will the uplift percentage be relevant? And linked to this, the government retained its requirement for councils to work together (the ‘duty to cooperate’) which requires adjoining councils to help meet housing targets for Coventry. So, expect considerable opposition from Nuneaton & Bedworth, Rugby, and Warwick councils when they must help meet any shortfall of housing sites in Coventry!
Further very significant changes to planning are forseen through the now-enacted Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 (LURA). This provides for further regulations, consultations, guidance and secondary legislation affecting planning. For example, the current ‘duty to cooperate’ may be replaced by a more ill-defined ‘alignment policy’ between the employment and housing land needs of adjacent councils. The General Election, expected later this year, will be a key determinant as to how the LURA will be implemented. Labour have said that it will produce a planning bill within 100 days of an election victory. And so the never-ending saga of planning reform drags on…..