Decision details

Purpose

The purpose of this report is to agree the Council’s response to Forest Heath District Council’s public consultation on the ‘Proposed Submission Single Issue Review of Core Strategy Policy CS7 (Overall Housing Provision and Distribution)’ and ‘Proposed Submission Site Allocations Local Plan’. The consultation runs for 9 weeks from 10 January to 13 March 2017, having been extended from 6 weeks with an original deadline of 21 February 2017.

Background

Forest Heath District Council (FHDC) is undertaking a Single Issue Review of Core Strategy Policy CS7 following a successful High Court challenge concerning the policy and is also preparing a Site Allocations Local Plan. Policy CS7 sets out the overall housing provision for the district and the distribution of this growth. All other policies in the Core Strategy are still considered to provide an appropriate strategy for the district to 2031 and are therefore not part of the review. The Site Allocations Local Plan contains site specific housing, employment and other allocations to meet the requirements of the Core Strategy and Single Issue Review of Core Strategy Policy CS7.

The current public consultation is the final opportunity to comment on these plans before they are submitted to the Secretary of State for examination. South Cambridgeshire District Council (SCDC) has not responded to the earlier rounds of public consultation undertaken on these plans.

Considerations

The ‘Proposed Submission Single Issue Review of Core Strategy Policy CS7 (Overall Housing Provision and Distribution)’ proposes a housing requirement of 6,800 dwellings for Forest Heath between 2011 and 2031. The objectively assessed need for Forest Heath has been calculated based on the Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA) for the Cambridge Housing Market Area (HMA) updated in 2013, and additional more recent updates specifically related to Forest Heath to consider any adjustments.

The Cambridge HMA includes Forest Heath and South Cambridgeshire, as well as other local authorities in Cambridgeshire, and therefore the SHMA for the Cambridge HMA is also being used to inform the objectively assessed need included in the South Cambridgeshire Local Plan. Two recent updates specifically related to Forest Heath have been prepared by the Research Group at Cambridgeshire County Council and Peter Brett Associates. These relate to the Inspectors preliminary conclusions from May 2015 on our own Local Plans to ensure that matters such as market signals have properly been taken into account.

The ‘Proposed Submission Single Issue Review of Core Strategy Policy CS7 (Overall Housing Provision and Distribution)’ also proposes a broad distribution for the new housing growth proposed, that is consistent with the spatial strategy for the district (set out in Core Strategy Policy CS1). The sites required to deliver this new housing growth will be identified in the Site Allocations Local Plan and/or Neighbourhood Plans. The ‘Proposed Submission Site Allocations Local Plan’ allocates sites with a capacity of 4,396 dwellings, that when combined with the homes already completed, homes with extant planning permission, and anticipated homes on windfall sites, have the capacity to deliver the district’s objectively assessed need.

Proposed Response

Thank you for the invitation to respond to your consultation on the ‘Proposed Submission Single Issue Review of Core Strategy Policy CS7 (Overall Housing Provision and Distribution)’ and ‘Proposed Submission Site Allocations Local Plan’.

South Cambridgeshire District Council supports a housing requirement of 6,800 dwellings for Forest Heath between 2011 and 2031, as this is based on:

(i)         the Strategic Housing Market Assessment for the Cambridge Housing Market Area, which is also being used to inform the objectively assessed need included in the South Cambridgeshire Local Plan; and

(ii)        two additional updates specifically related to Forest Heath to consider any adjustments, which have been prepared by the Research Group at Cambridgeshire County Council and Peter Brett Associates in a similar way to the recent update undertaken specifically for Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire. 

South Cambridgeshire District Council supports the identification of sites for allocation that combined with the homes already completed, homes with extant planning permission, and anticipated homes on windfall sites, have the capacity to deliver the district’s objectively assessed need.

To submit the Proposed Response (included in the Purpose / Background section above) to FHDC in response to their consultation on ‘Proposed Submission Single Issue Review of Core Strategy Policy CS7 (Overall Housing Provision and Distribution)’ and ‘Proposed Submission Site Allocations Local Plan’.

FHDC is one of our neighbouring authorities, and both Forest Heath and South Cambridgeshire are within the Cambridge HMA, and therefore it is important to respond to the consultation to show that the two Councils are working with their adjacent authorities.

Alternative Option: To not respond to FHDC’s public consultation on ‘Proposed Submission Single Issue Review of Core Strategy Policy CS7 (Overall Housing Provision and Distribution)’ and ‘Proposed Submission Site Allocations Local Plan’.

Reason for rejection: FHDC is one of our neighbouring authorities, and both Forest Heath and South Cambridgeshire are within the Cambridge HMA, and therefore it is important to respond to the consultation to show that the two Councils are working with their adjacent authorities.