Agenda item

The Planning Policy Lead Officer introduced a report that updated Members about the results of the Housing Delivery Test which had been published by the Government and the need to public a new Local Development Scheme setting out the Local Plan timetable.

Significant progress had been made in producing the new Local Plan for Slough which would set out how major issues would be addressed including the development of the centre of Slough, accommodating growth at Heathrow and meeting unmet housing need in a proposed northern expansion of Slough.  The Council was required to produce a timetable for the Plan which had to be published in a Local Development Scheme (LDS).  Members were informed that the Plan could not be submitted and examined until after a decision had been made on the Third Runway Development Consent Order.  The delay would not mean that progress could not be made on bringing forward development but it would mean the policies would not be in place to stop some inappropriate development in the meantime.

The Committee was updated on the recently published results of the Housing Delivery Test.  A Member highlighted an anomaly in Table 1 and this was noted.  The figures showed that Slough had met 86% of the housing needs over the last three years.  Councils that supplied less than 95% were deemed by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to have failed the test and the Council would therefore be required to produce an Action Plan.  It was expected this would be brought to the Committee in July 2019.

Members were also informed about the changes the Government had made to the way the Five Year Land Supply was calculated.  At the time of the last report to Committee in August 2018 the evidence showed there was a 6.52 years supply of housing.  Work was being undertaken to establish how many houses had been built in 2018/19 to inform the new calculation, but in the meantime Members were asked to note that Slough may no longer have a Five Year Land Supply which would need to be taken into account when determining planning applications.

The Committee noted the report and agreed that the draft Local Development Scheme be published on the Council’s website.

Resolved –

(a)  That the result of the Housing Delivery Test be noted and that an Action Plan be prepared.

(b)  That the draft Local Development Scheme as at Appendix 1 to the report be approved for publication on the Council’s website.