Our response to Government planning policy announcement
The Government has made changes to national planning policy and the number of new homes we need to plan for in the borough.
The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is the Government's planning policy for England. It covers areas such as:
- housing
- sustainable development
- making effective use of land
- promoting healthy and safe communities.
It also guides plan making and decision making, and sets out the national policies to be applied by all councils.
The revised NPPF and associated guidance includes a change to the way housing need is calculated. This has led to an increase in the number of new homes we need to plan for in our borough.
- Our adopted Local Plan states a need for 562 new homes a year. This figure was reached using the methodology previously set out in national policy.
- When Government policy changed and a standard method for calculating housing need was introduced, this number rose to 743 homes a year.
- The new Standard Method calculation results in an increased figure of 1,170 new homes a year for Guildford (up from 1,102).
Cllr Fiona White, Lead Councillor for Planning, says: "The changes to the method for calculating housing need have led to a significant increase in the number of new homes we must plan for in our borough. It will be incredibly challenging to accommodate this revised mandatory level of growth.
"We face several constraints in Guildford, and stronger infrastructure will be needed to support this increase in development."
Areas in the borough are protected beyond Green Belt designation. These include the Surrey Hills National Landscape, the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area, and sites of conservation importance.
Parts of Guildford are also prone to flooding, particularly in the town centre near the River Wey. We will still follow the principle of brownfield sites for redevelopment first.
In addition to the increased housing number, the revised NPPF includes:
- changes to the review of Green Belt land and its potential release
- information on low-quality Green Belt land, known as Grey Belt, and how it could be used
- changes to the mix of housing types to be developed, including affordable and social housing
- an emphasis on a plan-led planning system.
Cllr White adds: "We support a plan-led planning system and believe changes to affordable and social housing in the NPPF are a positive step. However, when the Government proposed changes to the NPPF, we responded to their consultation and raised several concerns. These concerns remain.
"We gave feedback on how housing numbers were to be calculated. We also raised the issue of speculative development applications, and the potential release of Green Belt land during the update period for our Local Plan."
The changes to national planning policy will have immediate effect, and whilst some aspects in relation to plan-making have a transitional phase, these relate to councils who are at an advanced stage of plan preparation, so is not relevant to Guildford.
Cllr White explains: "We've already started work to update our Local Plan, and we'll now fully consider how the changes to the NPPF will impact our planning policies and the future shape of our borough. We'll need to demonstrate how this new level of development can be accommodated and show that we've considered all options.
"We want local people to have access to decent and affordable homes, but they need to be the right, well-designed homes in the right places. We also need to make sure development delivers sustainable communities for our residents and businesses."
We'll continue to use the existing Local Plan as a starting point to identify where housing is built. We have started the process to update the Local Plan but will need to consider Government announcements to be able to give a timescale for its preparation and adoption.
You can read the NPPF on the Government website. (opens new window)