Most local authorities will see their housing targets increase under the government’s proposed new method for determining how many homes should be build in each area. An article by Kirsty Weakley on 31 July 2024 in the Local Government Chronicle has all the details.
#planning #housing #surrey #epsom #ewell
A proposed new method was announced yesterday as part of changes to the national planning policy framework.
More than 200 councils would see their housing targets increase under the proposed method, when compared with the current method. Some 63 would be expected to facilitate at least double the number of new homes than under the current system.
London is the only region that would see a drop in the housing target overall, with 24 of the 33 boroughs being set lower targets under these methods.
The proposed targets for some boroughs in East Surrey and West Surrey are listed below. All the boroughs in Surrey have higher targets, three have a very high targets (doubled or more).
Local Authority Current Proposed Change
Elmbridge 653 1443 121%
Epsom and Ewell 569 817 43%
Mole Valley 460 757 65%
Reigate and Banstead 644 1264 96%
Spelthorne 631 755 20%
Tandridge 634 773 22%
Guildford 743 1102 48%
Runnymede 546 620 14%
Spelthorne 631 755 20%
Waverley 710 1374 94%
Woking 436 795 82%
Croydon 4511 2763 -39%
Kingston upon Thames 2001 1464 -27%
Merton 1989 1936 -3%
Richmond upon Thames 2187 2283 4%
Sutton 2332 1628 -30%
Draft Local Plan for Epsom and Ewell
The Local Plan has been prepared based on a target of 576, but according to Local Government Chronicle, the target should have been 569. The new target from UK Government is expected to be 817. The impact on the borough would be a disaster for the green areas. Section 3.6 has the current targets. The details are below.
3.6 National Planning Policy requires that to determine the minimum number of homes, Local Plans should be informed by a local housing need assessment, conducted using the standard method in national planning guidance. The housing need for Epsom and Ewell generated by the standard method is 576 dwelling per annum, which equates to 10,368 dwellings over the Local plan period (2022 to 2040). The Councils Housing and Economic Development Needs Assessment (2022) confirms there is no justification to increase the housing need figure over that generated by the standard method.
The article below has some background to the crisis of the revised targets for new homes.
New homes: What’s the new government’s housebuilding target?
2 August 2024
Gerry Georgieva and Anthony Reuben
https://www.bbc.com/news/61407508
The government aims to build 1.5 million more homes in the next five years, helped by planning reforms, the release of green belt land and the reintroduction of mandatory housing targets for local authorities.
Under the motto “get Britain building again”, the new Labour government has started laying out its plans for how it will deliver more housing.
The figure, which is for England, was unveiled by now Prime Minister Keir Starmer at his party conference in October 2023.
“We’ll get shovels in the ground, cranes in the sky and build the next generation of Labour new towns,” he said.
In the manifesto, Labour also pledged to update the National Policy Planning Framework, restore mandatory housing targets, and deliver the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation.
To achieve these, they’ll prioritise building on previously-developed brownfield land first but, where necessary, also release currently-protected green belt land of lower quality.
Ewell Green Belt 