Earlier this year, I wrote about the government-imposed 78% increase in our housing numbers.
Rather than planning for 524 new homes a year, we must now prepare a Local Plan that delivers 934 dwellings per annum. A total of 15,878 over the 17-year plan period rather than fewer than 9,000. This is despite solid delivery over the past decade or more with new developments at Augusta Park, Picket Twenty and Picket Piece in Andover, and Abbotswood and Ganger Farm in Romsey.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all in favour of new housing. As a father of two young children, I want them to be given the same opportunities as previous generations to get on the housing ladder or have access to affordable homes, but new homes must be built in the right place, planned in consultation with local people, and crucially include high levels of local infrastructure.
But because the government didn’t make provision for adequate transitional arrangements we’re left with a ‘first past the post’ process, where those developers who can submit their application the quickest are likely and are getting planning permission because we currently don’t have a sufficient supply of homes to meet the government’s inflated housing requirement.
This time last year, we had just finished consulting on the latest stage of our new Local Plan, but following the massive uplift in numbers, we’ve essentially had to redo it, working at pace to try and minimise speculative development. It also means we’ve had to include many more sites that weren’t in the previous iteration of the Local Plan.
At the time of writing, the new draft is due to be discussed at Full Council next week, and by the time you are reading this, the consultation should be live. So, please do share your views. Details available at www.testvalley.gov.uk.
Drafting a new Local Plan is always challenging, balancing the need for new homes while protecting and supporting existing communities, but this has been the most difficult I have ever been involved in. We recognise that some of the proposals may be unpopular, but the government’s new housing requirement, coupled with the ongoing threat of speculative development, means we don’t have an awful lot of choice.
Cllr. Phil North
Leader of the Test Valley Borough Council
