Agenda item

To consider the attached report.

The Executive Board:

(a)        ENDORSED the approach to monitoring set out in paragraphs 11 to 23 of the report.

(b)        NOTED progress towards delivery as set out in paragraph 18 of the report.

(c)        AGREED that it treats as the same figure of 33,500, the housing supply (both through actual housing completions and through predicted completions from permissions, allocations and windfalls) required in the submitted Local Plans for Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council, and the commitment in the City Deal agreement.

(d)        AGREED to define the City Deal agreement on affordable housing as follows:

"All affordable homes (as defined by the National Planning Policy Framework) constructed on rural exception sites, and on sites not allocated for development in the local plans and outside of a defined settlement boundary.”

(e)        AGREED that due consideration be given to the housing needs of local people;

(f)         REQUIRED Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council to identify and record eligible planning permissions and completions, and the forecast and actual years in which they are built, as set out in Appendix 1 of the report (Figure 2), detailing also the cumulative total so that the delivery of the 1,000 additional homes can be identified.

The Executive Board considered a report in relation to monitoring delivery of 1,000 additional new homes on rural exception sites. 

Caroline Hunt, Planning Policy Manager, presented the report and reminded the Board that this issue was considered in the last cycle of meetings by the Joint Assembly and Executive Board.  The focus of discussion at both meetings was on the definition of eligible homes to count towards the 1,000 additional homes.  Reflecting current circumstances and the extensive discussion by Joint Assembly and Executive Board Members previously, Mrs Hunt explained that it was appropriate to interpret the City Deal agreement to count the affordable housing on sites coming forward in the rural area as exceptions to the normal Local Plan policies.  The following definition was therefore proposed:

“All affordable homes (as defined by the National Planning Policy Framework) constructed on rural exception sites, and on sites not allocated for development in the local plans and outside of a defined settlement boundary”.

She felt that this revised definition reflected the Assembly and Board’s aspiration to follow local expectations at the time of the Deal’s consideration that homes were affordable homes, as per the majority of homes delivered through rural exception site policy.

Councillor Roger Hickford, Chairman of the Joint Assembly, reported that the Joint Assembly had considered this report at its meeting on 25 August 2016.  Following extensive debate and discussion, the Joint Assembly had:

(a)        NOTED progress towards delivery as set out in paragraph 18 of the report.

(b)        RECOMMENDED that the Executive Board endorses the approach to monitoring as outlined in paragraphs 11 to 23 of the report.

(c)        RECOMMENDED that the Executive Board:

(i)         treats as the same figure of 33,500, the housing supply (both through actual housing completions and through predicted completions from permissions, allocations and windfalls) required in the submitted Local Plans for Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council, and the commitment in the City Deal agreement;

(ii)        defines the City Deal agreement on affordable housing as follows:

"All affordable homes (as defined by the National Planning Policy Framework) constructed on rural exception sites, and on sites not allocated for development in the local plans and outside of a defined settlement boundary.”

(iii)       requests that due consideration be given to the housing needs of local people;

(iv)       requires Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council to identify and record eligible planning permissions and completions, and the forecast and actual years in which they are built, as set out in Appendix 1 of the report (Figure 2), detailing also the cumulative total so that the delivery of the 1,000 additional homes can be identified.

Councillor Bridget Smith, Member of the Joint Assembly and South Cambridgeshire District Councillor, said that it was imperative that the definition was as close to the principles originally signed up to as possible, particularly in respect of meeting local need.  She highlighted that another option could be to state that the objective set out in the original agreement was no longer achievable due to the significant changes that had occurred since the City Deal document was signed.  She reiterated the original intention that these additional houses were for local people, emphasising that she would be extremely concerned if this aspect was lost.

Councillor Burkitt supported the adoption of the definition as set out in (ii) above, but queried how the Partnership could get the Government, who were ultimately monitoring progress, to also agreed to this as an acceptable definition.  In response, Tanya Sheridan, City Deal Programme Director, informed Members the she and Stephen Kelly, Joint Director of Planning and Economic Development at Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire District Councils, were meeting with the Government’s representative in respect of the City Deal shortly where this issue would be discussed.  Councillor Burkitt requested that a record of that meeting be made available to Members of the Board, which Tanya Sheridan agreed to provide.

Councillor Burkitt, referring to the graph appended to the report, also felt that future monitoring reports and associated appendices should focus more on the delivery of the 1,000 additional homes, to include a differential of those that were in rural exception sites and those other sites not included in Local Plans.  He felt that this would provide the Board with a more useful way of monitoring progress.  Mr Kelly confirmed that this request would be taken into account for future monitoring reports.

Councillor Burkitt also raised the cycle by which monitoring reports should be submitted back to the Board, opting for quarterly rather than six-monthly.  Councillor Herbert agreed to discuss this issue with Councillor Burkitt outside of the meeting.

Councillor Ian Bates sought assurance that the definition adopted by the Board would satisfy the Government when performance against this objective was measured, but outlined his support for the definition as set out in (ii) above.

Mark Reeve asked how the City Deal Partnership would enable delivery of the 1,000 additional homes, rather than monitor progress.  He suggested that this aspect of the objective be considered at a future meeting.  Mr Kelly responded by saying that lots of things were being undertaken by City Deal partners to proactively facilitate the development of additional units and welcomed the opportunity to set this out in more detail as part of a future report to the Board.

The Executive Board:

(a)        ENDORSED the approach to monitoring set out in paragraphs 11 to 23 of the report.

(b)        NOTED progress towards delivery as set out in paragraph 18 of the report.

(c)        AGREED that it treats as the same figure of 33,500, the housing supply (both through actual housing completions and through predicted completions from permissions, allocations and windfalls) required in the submitted Local Plans for Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council, and the commitment in the City Deal agreement.

(d)        AGREED to define the City Deal agreement on affordable housing as follows:

"All affordable homes (as defined by the National Planning Policy Framework) constructed on rural exception sites, and on sites not allocated for development in the local plans and outside of a defined settlement boundary.”

(e)        AGREED that due consideration be given to the housing needs of local people;

(f)        REQUIRED Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council to identify and record eligible planning permissions and completions, and the forecast and actual years in which they are built, as set out in Appendix 1 of the report (Figure 2), detailing also the cumulative total so that the delivery of the 1,000 additional homes can be identified.