Inappropriate development fears from new government targets

Pressure to build more than 1,300 new homes each year in Torridge and North Devon could open the floodgates to inappropriate development, councillors fear.

The government’s housing targets mean the districts, which share a local plan, do not have a five-year supply of land for housing.

As a result, they may have to look more favourably on planning applications that might not have otherwise been considered appropriate.

The housing requirement for Torridge and North Devon has increased from 861 homes per year to 1,330.

Across England, 370,000 homes are required annually to meet the government’s target of 1.5 million over the next five years. This means local authorities must step up their efforts in housebuilding.

Had they won the election, the Conservatives had pledged to build even more, 1.6 million new homes, while the Liberal Democrats proposed an even higher target of 380,000 per year, or 1.9 million over a full parliamentary term.

Cllr Glyn Lane (Ind, Landkey) told the councils’ joint planning policy meeting that they had to move quickly to secure a five-year housing land supply, or they would be “bombarded” with unwanted planning applications.

Cllr Chris Leather (Ind, Northam) called the situation “ludicrous.”

He expected to see more plans approved for development in open countryside that had not been allocated for housing in the local plan.

He also expressed frustration that some schemes had gained planning permission but were not being built.

“We cannot do anything about it. We don’t have any control,” he said.

North Devon Council’s lead member for planning, Cllr Malcolm Prowse (Ind, Bratton Fleming), called the government’s requirements “unrealistic” but added: “We will do our utmost to ensure that this change doesn’t open the floodgates to poor or inappropriate development.”

He noted that prioritising large sites and national housebuilders was difficult to avoid when councils were in crisis, but he believed smaller, regional developers ultimately delivered more homes.

Councillors raised concerns that not enough social housing and low-cost homes for sale were being provided and that housing providers were not interested in delivering affordable schemes.

A downturn in the sector has been attributed to rising interest rates over the past two years, increased material costs, and the withdrawal of funding streams.

Members heard that Torridge District Council’s planning manager, Helen Smith, is meeting with registered housing providers to find a way forward.

Planning policy officer Ian Rowland said new government guidance sent a clear message to developers that quality developments must be built in sustainable locations.

He said the focus would be on well-designed places, effective land use, and smaller homes that better meet local needs.

Previously, the councils had been able to demonstrate a housing land supply of 5.18 years, but the new targets reduce that figure to 4.86 years.

Mr Rowland said he did not believe this was a dramatic change, as it equated to a shortfall of 192 properties.