Issue - meetings

Report of the Head of Planning and Infrastructure

Before presenting the report the Planning Policy Team Manager provided members with an update on the Local Plan Partial Review Examination that been held the previous week.

The Planning Policy Team Manager presented the report to the committee. He presented each of the four main proposals set out in the consultation document one by one taking questions after each one.

Proposal 1: Changes to the Standard Method for Assessing Local Housing Need

Councillor M B Wyatt noted that any increase in housing would be bad for North West Leicestershire and that the public did not want any more development. He stated that the authority needed to take those comments on board and tell National Government that the district had had enough and to stop destroying the countryside and green wedges.

Councillor J Legrys thanked officers for an excellent, honest and straightforward report. He was concerned at the increase in house numbers and asked what methodology MHCLG had used to come up with the figures for NWL. He noted that it had been proven that the country needed an additional 4.8m homes over the next 30 years and an increase in the number of homes being suggested for the district. He sought clarification if it was a political decision to increase the figures or if there had been a genuine well-researched academic explanation as to why the additional homes were needed.

The Planning Policy Team Manager referred to paragraph 2.8 of the report that set out the methodology that was used and when working through the calculations the requirement was 1,153 homes within the district.

Councillor N Smith stated that residents he had spoken to were fed up of expanding villages and settlements through development that would lead to the joining up of separate areas within the district. He felt it would be better to set out a completely new settlement in the northern parishes, where employment was, and condition that sufficient low cost housing was included to support those on low incomes.

The Planning Policy Team Manager advised that the creation of a new settlement was a serious option that was on the table and would be explored. He clarified that the table on page 13 of the report set out what the figures might mean for the district but not what it would mean, this would be addressed through the Local Plan review.

Councillor R Boam felt that more houses should be built, as there was a requirement for them, adding that it had to be the right houses in the right places.

Councillor T Saffell noted that he had suggested and identified a location and developers to build a new settlement over a year ago and felt that it needed to be investigated as soon as possible.

Councillor J Geary noted that residents did not want any further development, however in the real world, it was not the case and the authority needed to start controlling what was required. He felt that many developments appeared to be ad  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13