Housing Strategy & Provision Flashcards
(32 cards)
What is the key Planning legislation?
National Planning Policy Framework
Localism Act 2011
Town and Country Planning Act 1990
How are political, economic and demographic factors affecting the housing market in your region?
Brexit - uncertainty (consumer confidence)
Covid 19 - global disruption causing financial damage
Government policy - change to HTB
Environment - societal pressure to implement in construction - causing high build costs
Affordability - average income 12.5 times (city) / 7 times (SCambs) - affordable options required.
Who are the registered providers of affordable housing
Registered providers include local authority landlords and private registered providers (such as not-for-profit housing associations and for-profit organisations). eg Clarion Housing Group or L&Q.
What is a Viability Assessment and why is it required?
The NPPF says that development sites should not be overburdened by planning obligations which jeopardises their viable delivery. Viability Assessments are required where proposals do not comply with levels of planning obligations or affordable housing in adopted policy.
Heirachy of planning policy framework
- National Planning Policy
- Regional Plans
- Local Authority Plans
- Neighbourhood Plans
Bury St Edmunds - Affordable housing mix?
The National Planning Policy Framework states that affordable housing shall only be required for sites of 0.5ha and over or for 10 dwellings and over.
Our Core Strategy policies would then require 30% affordable housing.
How would you undertake a Viability Assessment?
- Determine the benchmark land value – Existing use value plus premium, AUV, Market Value or purchase price paid
- Calculate the residual land value of the proposed scheme
- Deduct the benchmark land value from the residual
- If positive (surplus) use scenario testing to determine the appropriate level of obligations and AH
- If negative, cannot afford any further obligations or AH
- Submit to the LA who will appoint an assessor to review it
Is there any guidance on FVA?
The RICS produce a Financial Viability in Planning guidance note promoting best practice.
What is a SHMA?
Strategic Housing Market Assessment. They set out estimates of current and future housing requirements for the local authority area, estimating the number of new homes needed by tenure and type. It also includes detailed analysis of the housing requirements of important sub-groups of the population. Based on statistics and projections produced by Office of National Statistics.
How are Local Plans prepared?
- Collection of evidence base – SHMA and SHLAA
- Public consultation on options
- Publish draft plan for consultation
- Examination in Public
- If found sound, the Plan will be adopted
How is your housing market performing?
- Brexit uncertainty dampened the housing market last year, with many buyers opting to wait until greater clarity achieved.
- Covid-19 is affecting the second-hand market. The new homes market is slowing down, but new market initiatives are
What is the Housing & Planning Act 2016?
Aims to increase the construction of starter homes. Starterhomesare to be sold at a discount of at least 20% of the market value and always for less than £250,000 outside ofGreater London(and £450,000 inGreater London)
What is the NPPF?
Last revised in 2019
Provides a national framework that local authorities then prepare their Local Plans in line with.
Key policies in 2018 edition include:
- Speeding up planning process and making it more simple
- Increased housebuilding of a higher quality
- Encourage Build to Rent and affordable housing
- A review on land banking by putting pressure on developers
What are the Technical Housing Space Standards?
The government have created a new form of technical planning standards used solely within the planning system by local authorities.
What is a SHLAA?
Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment. This assessment provides an assessment of the local authority’s capacity for delivering land for housing. An assessment should:
• identify sites and broad locations with potential for development;
• assess their development potential;
• assess their suitability for development and the likelihood of development coming forward (the availability and achievability).
Sufficient land supply should be identified for meeting housing need for the next five years.
What is the Infrastructure Act 2015?
Makes it easier to convert empty or redundant buildings to productive use, particularly new homes.
Enables surplus public sector land to be sold more quickly by reducing red tape.
Why are SHMAs and SHLAAs used?
These are used as evidence to prepare and underpin planning policy contained in local authority Local Plans.
How are Local Plans examined?
Soundness Self-Assessment Checklist?
The Local Plan will be examined by an independent inspector whose role is to assess whether the plan has been prepared in accordance with the Duty to Cooperate, legal and procedural requirements, and whether it is sound. A plan is sound if it is:
• Positively prepared – prepared based on a strategy which seeks to meet objectively assessed development and infrastructure requirements
• Justified – the plan should be based on proportionate evidence
• Effective – the plan should be deliverable over its period
• Consistent with national policy – the plan should enable the delivery of sustainable development in accordance with the policies in the NPPF
What happens if a LA has consistently underperformed on the delivery of housing?
They are required to have a 20% buffer on their 5 year housing land supply rather than 5%.
How do you think recent changes will impact the delivery of affordable housing?
- Introduction of CIL – may result in pressure on AH delivery as CIL is non negotiable and can reduce the amount of money ‘in the pot’ for affordable housing
- Social and affordable rent increases to be capped at CPI – 1% a year for the next four years – reduce income for housing associations which may reduce amount available to deliver new affordable housing, also will reduce the viability of new scheme as rents will not increase in line with build costs
- Right to buy – may deplete stock of affordable housing if not replaced
What is the five-year housing supply?
a supply of specific deliverable sites sufficient to provide 5 years’ worth of housing (and appropriate buffer) against a housing requirement set out in adopted strategic policies, or against a local housing need figure, using the standard method, as appropriate in accordance with paragraph 73 of the National Planning Policy Framework
What happens if a local authority doesn’t have a local plan adopted?
The NPPF states that where there is not an up to date Local Plan there will be a default presumption in favour of sustainable development.
Explain the situation of SHMAs in your region?
Cambridge Sub-Region Housing Market Area produced a Strategic Housing Market Area Assessment (SHMAA) in 2008 for the area, which has just been updated. The document assesses Cambridgeshire and the Housing sub region and identifies an additional dwelling figure of 93,000 dwellings by 2031. (market and affordable housing)
What are CIL and S106? What are the differences?
CIL - Set tariffs per sqm pooled for wider LA infrastructure. Charging schedule on LA website. Cannot be used to secure affordable housing. Only charged on net increase in GIA sqft.
S106 - section in the Town and Country Planning Act 1990).) Set out in a legally binding agreement that is negotiated on a site-by-site basis. Must be in direct relation to the development and its immediate area. Can be used to secure affordable housing.
