Decision details

To seek approval of Fareham Borough Council’s response, as outlined in this report, with Appendices 1 & 2 which are the Council’s full and detailed response to the two separate Government consultations, to be submitted prior to the end of the consultation period (10 May 2018).

On 05 March 2018, the Government launched a series of documents centred on the planning system for consultation up until 10 May 2018 (reference Papers A-E).

This report briefly outlines the most significant proposals within these Government five consultation documents (Reference Papers A, B, C, D & E).

This report also sets out the Council’s overall response to the two Government consultation documents that seek specific answers to the questions posed (Reference Papers A & E)

It is important to highlight that, like the Council’s previous response last year to ‘Planning for the right homes in the right places: consultation proposals’, this report emphasises that the Council is very concerned about the immediate and significant increase on housing requirements that the Government’s proposed new standard method for calculating local need would have.   This would in turn have an adverse and negative impact on the five-year housing land supply in the Borough and its local communities.

If the Government impose these consultation proposals, it would rapidly increase the level of housing need in the Borough and leave local authorities exposed to the potential requirements to accommodate the unmet need from neighbouring authorities.

These two aspects would have an immediate significant detrimental effect on the Council’s five-year housing land supply position.

In addition, the Government is proposing a Housing Delivery Test (Reference Paper D) potentially with a 2018 start date but using retrospective three-year requirements.  If imposed, this would rapidly further increase levels of future housing need, resulting in totally unrealistic housing delivery targets.

These proposed reforms are comprehensively and specifically targeted at local authorities to deliver.  Local authorities like Fareham, with negligible ownership of deliverable sites, can permit (i.e. determine planning applications for housing) but not deliver.  The proposals, if fully imposed, would result in an immediate and unrealistic significantly increased level of housing need numbers to deliver.

All of this would lead to a wholly unaccountable decision-making process for local communities, as in effect national policy will simply dictate local planning decisions, further undermining the plan-led system and local authorities such as Fareham Borough Council.

Also, as the Council highlighted in its previous response to the Government proposals consulted upon last year, ‘Planning for the right homes in the right places’, if enacted, such reforms would significantly undermine the collaborative and beneficial work already undertaken by the Council and with the Partnership for Urban South Hampshire (PUSH).

RESOLVED that the Executive agrees:

(a)  Fareham Borough Council’s overall response to recent Government consultations (Reference Papers A, B, C, D & E) as outlined in this report, along with both Appendices 1 and 2 attached to this report, which directly answer specific questions posed by the Government in Reference Papers A and E respectively, and for these to be submitted to the Government prior to 10 May 2018 for their consideration;

(b)  that the Director for Planning and Regulation be authorised to make any necessary minor amendments in consultation with the Executive member for Planning and Development to Appendices 1 and 2, prior to their submission to the Government’s consultation deadline (10 May 2018), provided these do not change their overall direction, shape or emphasis; and

(c)  to write to local Members of Parliament (MPs) highlighting the unreasonable, unrealistic nature of the proposals and seeking their support for the Council’s position and write to relevant Government Ministers (Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government and Minister of State for Housing) to convey the Council’s overall opposition to the Government’s current consultation proposals.