Issue - meetings

Recommendations:

 i)               To recommend to Full Council that the Draft Revised Publication Local Plan document at Appendix 1 of this report is approved for consultation in accordance with Regulation 19 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) regulations 2012 (as amended); and

ii)               Delegate to officers the arrangements for the consultation to take place for six weeks between 8 March and 19 April 2024; and 

iii)               Delegate to the Head of Policy and Place and Assistant Director of Planning in consultation with the Executive Member for Open to Business, any minor amendments required to the documentation for typographical, grammatical and factual or Plain English purposes and any amendments required to address issues raised in the final HRA and SA reports to the documents prior to publishing for consultation.   

Considered – A report of the Corporate Director for Community Development setting out the options which have been considered in progressing the Selby District Local Plan and the recommendation to undertake a further consultation on a revised Regulation 19 Publication Local Plan.

Councillor Derek Bastiman introduced the report and welcomed the public participants to the meeting and their submissions, as follows:

1.       Mary McCartney

‘This plan massively reduces the number of affordable homes that could be provided in the Selby area for the next 17 years; that is social housing for rent and vital starter homes to enable people to get on to the home ownership ladder. 

Currently the policy calls for 40% affordable homes on ALL sites. 

There are 39 site allocations in the plan that have a figure for affordable housing, either 5% 10% or 20%. Under this plan a maximum of just 13%  affordable homes will be delivered.

But the big builders, who are looking to develop the 20% sites, will put in a “Viability Assessment” claiming that there are special circumstances, extraordinary financial costs, that mean they will not be able to make a profit if they have to build the 20% affordable homes, and they are very very successful at doing this.

And that will further reduce the number of affordable homes provided over the next 17 years. 

The plan will see around 5,400 homes built. Even if all of the targets on affordable houses were hit, and they will not be, a pathetic 716 affordable homes would be provided. Of that 716 homes, only 25% would be starter homes for first time buyers; a measly 179, about ten a year!

We have a housing crisis. That crisis is not a shortage of executive homes it is a shortage of affordable homes, to rent and to help get people onto the home ownership ladder.

This Plan should be delayed, the 40% affordable homes policy should be retained and the Council should start rigorously opposing the big builders “Viability Assessments”.

Selby needs a Local Plan for the people who need affordable housing not one for big builders and their profits.’

Councillor Derek Bastiman responded that the affordable housing target set within the Local Plan has to be underpinned by evidence. He noted that changed economic circumstances meant that the level of affordable housing that can now be justifiably requested is reduced from that set out in the adopted Core Strategy back in 2013. However, it is considered that the affordable housing levels required as part of the draft plan strike the right balance between meeting the high levels of affordable housing need when tested against viability. He felt the proposals are supported by evidence and should remain within the draft plan and be the subject of further statutory consultation, noting that all comments received during the consultation period will be fully considered and addressed before deciding whether to submit the Revised Publication Local Plan to the Secretary of State for Examination in Public.

2.       Councillor Jeff  ...  view the full minutes text for item 393