To report, to the Planning Policy and Local Plan Committee:

·      the number of new homes built in Tendring during the 2021/22 financial year and the up-dated year-by-year ‘trajectory’ for future housebuilding; and

·      the current housing land supply position (the ‘five-year’ supply).

The Committee gave consideration to a report of the Acting Director (Planning) (A.1) which reported to it:-

·      the number of new homes built in Tendring during the 2021/22 financial year and the up-dated year-by-year ‘trajectory’ for future housebuilding; and

·      the current housing land supply position (the ‘five-year’ supply).

Key Points

It was reported that 777 (net) new homes had been built in the 2021/22 financial year, which meant that the annual housing requirement of 550 homes a year in the Local Plan had been achieved for the sixth year running. More homes had been completed in 2021/22 than had been expected in last year’s housing trajectory.

Members were informed that there was sufficient land allocated for housing development in the adopted Local Plan, along with sites that already had planning permission, to comfortably achieve the District’s housing requirement up to 2033 without the need to consider the release of additional sites.

The Committee was advised that the Council could demonstrate a 6.89 year supply of deliverable housing sites against the Government requirement to demonstrate a 5 year supply. This meant that the Council remained in a strong position to resist speculative and unwanted  housing developments that fell outside of the settlement development boundaries of the Local Plan unless there were material benefits that might exceptionally justify a departure from Local Plan policy.

Housing Requirement

Members were aware that Section 1 of the Local Plan set out the ‘objectively assessed housing need’ (OAN) for Tendring of 550 homes a year, and the housing requirement for the period of the Local Plan 2013-2033 was therefore 11,000 homes. With approximately 5,000 homes already built between 2013 and 2022, the remaining requirement between now and 2033 stood at approximately 6,000 and the historic shortfall in housing delivery had now been addressed.

Housing Completions and Future Trajectory

It was reported that Officers had updated the Council’s ‘Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment’ (SHLAA) which contained a trajectory for future housing building up to 2033. Information from developers as well as officers’ own monitoring of building sites had informed the forecast for the coming years.

Five Year Housing Supply and Decision Making

The Committee was reminded that the Government required Councils to demonstrate an ongoing ‘five year supply’ of deliverable housing sites to ensure that they were well placed to meet their future housing needs. Following the adoption of Section 1 of the Local Plan in January 2021, the Council’s local housing need had been confirmed as 550 homes per year.

Taking into account the future trajectory set out in the SHLAA, the Council can demonstrate a 6.89 years supply of deliverable housing sites. Around 4,000 homes were expected to be built within the five years 2022/23 – 2026/27, against a five year requirement of approximately 2,900 homes.

Having considered and discussed all of the information contained in the Officer report (A.1):-

It was moved by Councillor Turner, seconded by Councillor Chittockand:-

RESOLVED that the Planning Policy and Local Plan Committee both endorses the contents of this report and notes that the new Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment demonstrates an up-to-date housing land supply position for the purposes of determining planning applications and contesting planning appeals.