Origin3 reposted this
Very positive news from North Somerset Council. They’ve just announced that, in light of the Government’s proposed planning changes, they have decided to cancel the proposed additional Regulation 19 consultation on their Local Plan and instead move to amend the draft plan to take account of the proposed higher housing numbers (North Somerset have seen their housing target increase from 1,324 homes per year to 1,587 homes a year – but note that the previous Regulation 19 Local Plan was only proposing a housing requirement of 993 homes per year). They will now be looking to amend the plan so that it pinpoints new development sites to help meet the districts new higher housing target of 23,805 new homes over the next 15 years to 2039. As others have noted (see the excellent #planoraks blog this week), many local authorities have suddenly become very enthusiastic about submitting Local Plans by the end of the year – see St Albans who have suddenly decided that 30 years after last adopting a Local Plan they really, really would like to do it again very quickly! The prospect of the publication of the new NPPF certainly seems to have stimulated plan making activity – which would be great if it wasn’t driven by an apparent desire to avoid using a Local Plan to set out a sensible strategy for delivering the new homes that people in these areas desperately need. North Somerset are therefore to be congratulated for not gaming the transition arrangements set out in the proposed changes to the NPPF and proactively using the plan led system to work out how to accommodate the new housing numbers – good work by both Members and Officers. As part of this initiative, they’re launching a Call for Sites exercise, inviting landowners to propose areas they believe are suitable for potential inclusion in the upcoming Local Plan. If you’re looking to make your voice heard, Origin3 is here to help! We’d be happy to provide guidance and assistance on any representations you’d like to make. Feel free to email us at info@origin3.co.uk or message us on LinkedIn to explore how we can assist you. Just a heads-up—the consultation wraps up at 5 PM on Monday, November 11, 2024.