Housing

A key aim of the Local Plan is to help control and shape development and provide much needed housing in our area over the next 15 years.

You may remember that our Local Plan was adopted in July 2015. At that time, the Local Plan was approved but the Government Inspector said that we had to review it again in the short-term to ensure sufficient housing was planned to meet the needs of the area. Since then, the Government has changed the way it calculates future housing needs and this means that we are now expected to take more housing within our area.

The job of the Local Plan Review is to explore how the targets could be achieved and to evidence if this is possible or not. It is then for the Planning Inspector to decide if the targets need to be reviewed.

There's a high demand for housing and our young people are finding it difficult to get on the property ladder as first time buyers or renters. We want those who grow up here to have the option to stay here - and so we need to make sure that there are homes of the right prices and type, that will enable us to do this. Unfortunately, there is limited Government funding available for affordable housing. This is why the Local Plan is so important, because it requires developers to deliver a proportion of affordable homes that are suitable for local families and young people.

The Local Plan also helps to control and shape development. Every time we receive a planning application, we look at the Local Plan to assess whether planning permission should be granted. This is because the plan sets out what types of development should or shouldn't be permitted.

Housing Supporting Evidence

Evidence from Earlier Stages

Secondary Evidence / Other Relevant Evidence