The government sent a blistering letter to a North East council today (5 March) ordering it to send in its Local Plan setting out how it intends meet its new housing targets in the years to 2040 and contribute to the government’s aim of 1.5mn new homes in this parliament. It has been given just a week to submit the Plan for independent examination.
Housing and Planning Minister Matthew Pennycook has written to Councillor Tracey Dixon, leader of South Tyneside Council, that “In light of the repeated failure of [the council] to vote to submit your…Local Plan to the Secretary of State [Angela Rayner] for examination” she is now directing it to be submitted.
The council has been given until 12 March to submit the Plan for independent examination by a Planning Inspector. It must also progress preparation of the Plan during the examination process; publish the Inspector’s recommendations and reasons at the end of the examination; and then consider adopting the Plan including any modifications recommended by the Inspector.
Out of date
South Tyneside’s current Local Plan, one of the oldest in the country, was adopted in 2007 and is significantly out of date. A new Plan for 2023-2040 was published in draft in January and consultation on it ended on Sunday (2 March). But is has not yet been submitted to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). It was most recently rejected by councillors by 27-23 on 27 February.
The council is already behind schedule, says the Minister, and councillors’ repeated failure to submit their Plan is causing significant slippage to the programme.
Pennycook has told Dixon: “Having failed to submit its emerging plan for examination, the local authority faces the prospect of having to prepare a replacement Plan which will further extend the period in which it does not have an up-to-date Plan in place…
“I consider the council’s repeated votes not to submit the emerging Plan for examination are clear evidence of failure to do something necessary in connection with preparing the Local Plan, and this meets the statutory test for intervention.”
The Minister writes: “This government is committed to making progress toward universal coverage of local plans. Local plans are the best way for communities to shape decisions about how to deliver the housing and wider development that their area needs.
“In the absence of an up-to-date Plan, development may come forward on a piecemeal and speculative basis, with reduced public engagement and fewer guarantees that it will make the most of an area’s potential. This government has been clear that local planning authorities should make every effort to get Plans in place as soon as possible.”
Missed targets
The draft Plan envisages building 309 new homes a year in the borough, but the Minister’s letter says that despite this relatively low local housing need, South Tyneside has consistently fallen below its annual delivery target in recent years – most recently achieving only 60%.
The area’s most recent Strategic Housing Market Assessment suggests there is significant need for additional affordable housing in South Tyneside which is “unlikely to be met” in present circumstances, says the Minister.
Council statement
Councillor Dixon said: “We knew that this was a risk. There is no option here, this is a direction from the Secretary of State. The draft Local Plan will now be submitted for examination in public.
“The plan has been subject to significant public consultation and is the product of extensive work to compile an evidence base over several years.
“Having an up-to-date Local Plan means that we are in control of development, and we can ensure it is high quality and accompanied by the necessary infrastructure.
“But it isn’t just about building houses; it’s about seeking the most sustainable locations for development, creating the kind of communities our residents deserve, with policies in place to protect community facilities and services, enhance nature and wildlife and reduce pollution.”
CLICK HERE TO SUPPORT THE BYLINES NETWORK CROWDFUNDER!
