Agenda item

The Panel will consider the outcomes of the public consultation on the Affordable Housing and Housing Mix SPD and the draft council response to key issues ahead of the Cabinet date for a decision on the adoption of the SPD (14 March 2023).

Contact:

John Buddle, Team Leader Planning Policy

The Panel considered the Affordable Housing and Housing Mix Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPD) (Post Consultation update) presented by John Buddle, Planning and Policy Team Leader. Councillor Graham Turner, Cabinet Member for Regeneration was also in attendance. The Panel were advised that:

·         Responding to recommendation made by the Panel when previously considering the SPD, the purpose of the report was to update scrutiny on the outcomes of the public consultation to the SPD and the timeline for the adoption of the SPD. 

·         SPDs were produced to add clarity in relation to the application of planning policies set out in the Local Plan.

·         Once adopted SPDs were a material consideration in planning decisions but were not part of the development plan.

·         SPDs were subject to consultation but not an Examination in Public.

• The draft SPD provided guidance on the implementation of the Kirklees Local Plan Housing Mix and Affordable Housing Policy (LP11).
• This aimed to ensure the provision of affordable housing in new housing developments (20% of units on sites larger than 10 dwellings) and ensure that the housing mix met local needs.
• This included a particular focus on, Housing mix to reflect local needs, updating Transfer Values and Town centres.
• The Housing Mix put forward had been individualised to suit the needs of each sub area of Kirklees (i.e.- Batley and Spen, Dewsbury and Mirfield, Huddersfield North, Huddersfield South and Kirklees Rural East and Kirklees Rural West).
• The principals set out in the SPD were:

-       Principle 1: Market Housing Mix (increased level of detail than existing SPD)

-       Principle 2: Approach to affordable housing calculations (Existing SPD refresh)

-       Principle 3: Affordable Housing types and Mix (increased level of detail than existing SPD) 

-       Principle 4: First Homes, Starter Homes and Discounted Market Sale (New section)

-       Principle 5: Design (Existing SPD refresh)

-       Principle 6: Affordable housing delivery (Existing SPD refresh)

-       Principle 7: Transfer Values – the amount that a registered provider pays the developer (Existing SPD refresh and updating evidence)

-       Principle 8: Provision of affordable homes off-site (Existing SPD refresh)

-       Principle 9: Town Centres (New section to the SPD)

-       Principle 10: Huddersfield Town Centre (New section to the SPD)

-       Principle 11: Dewsbury Town Centre (New section to the SPD)

·         A presentation on the approach within this SPD was presented to the Panel on 30 August 2022.

·         Key comments received at the previous Scrutiny session included;

-       Space for working from home.

-       Affordable housing definition.

-       How affordable housing can be secured in perpetuity.

-       Viability issues.

·         It was also requested that the Panel be updated with the outcome of the consultation.

·         Consultation took place for 6 weeks (20September to 1 November 2022) this was undertaken in line with the statement of Community Involvement.

·         The Consultation included an interactive online system, posters, press releases ‘mail-outs’ to individuals who had previously expressed interest in SPD’s and all elected members were also contacted.

·         Overall, 71 comments were received from 19 consultees which was in line with the number of comments received during other SPD consultations.

·         Statement of Consultation - who the council consulted, a summary of main issues and how they were addressed.

·         The summary of comments received broadly were in relation to the following themes, and the responses were detailed in the report.

-       Evidence Base Out-of-Date

-       Viability

-       Transfer values

-       Housing Mix: One Bedroom Accommodation

-       Nationally Described Space Standards

-       Specialist Accommodation

-       First Homes

-       Design

-       Comments about the role of SPDs

·         The main change proposed in the SPD merged the requirement for 1 and 2 bedroom houses into a single category for the purposes of the housing mix required in each sub-area.

·         The adoption of the SPD would be a Cabinet decision, to be considered on 14March 2023.

·         This would be a 2-part decision, including the adoption of the SPD and the decision to revoke existing guidance (Affordable Housing SPD 2008 and the Interim Affordable Housing Policy 2020).

The Panel noted the presentation and thanked officers for the level of detail in the report and for demonstrating where the Panels previous recommendations and comments had been responded to. In the discussion to follow the Panel asked a question around the success rates of acquiring the 20% affordable properties required from developers. The Panel also highlighted the importance in ensuring transfer value as a key part of making the SPD an impactful social policy, and in relation to this, wanted to understand how regularly reviews to transfer values would be undertaken and what guidance would be in place around prioritizing affordability.

In response Councillor Graham Turner advised that success rates were high, but there were some issues around viability due to the typography of Kirklees where flat land was at a premium.  This sometimes led to development on less ideal sites which impacted on viability. Other local context including that Kirklees’s housing prices were generally below the national average, and local housing shortage further added challenges.

In response to the question in relation to transfer values, John Buddle advised that the transfer value was the figure the registered provider paid to the developer.  In increasing the values from 2008, the aim was to support viability and ensure the developers receive more money for the affordable units sold. In response to the question around how regularly transfer values would be reviewed it was advised that a time frame was not included in the SPD to allow changes to be reactive to shifts in the market as they arise. A watching brief was to be kept on transfer values, and if shifts were noted these could then be reviewed as needed. On a minimum basis these would be reviewed as part of the annual monitoring cycle.

The Panel asked further questions in relation to the consideration of adaptation of existing housing stock/ homes for life principals, as well as requesting further clarity around the figures in the report for 1-2 bedrooms houses. The Panel also expressed recognition of difficulties in engaging the public around SPD’s but highlighted that this was an issue that the Council as a whole, including members, should reflect on to find ways to maximise public engagement as much as possible.

In relation to the consideration of the homes for life approach Councillor Graham Turner expressed his support for this approach as Cabinet Member, noting the request for this to be included in the changes on planning legislation was to be sent to the Government in due course.

The Panel asked for further clarity around; the figures for 1–2-bedroom houses, whether these figures included people currently on the waiting list and the first home scheme.

In response John Buddle advised that the percentages took into account people currently on the housing waiting list and were reactive by sub-area.  Each of the 6 sub-areas had an evidence based which drove the percentages for each area. Councillor Graham Turner added that the sub-areas helped obtain a better picture of individual housing needs by area.  In response to the question about first homes, John Buddle further clarified that this was the latest Government initiative which allowed people to purchase their first home for 30% market value.

RESOLVED: The Panel noted the report Affordable Housing and Housing Mix Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPD) (Post Consultation update)and recommended that:

1.    Work be undertaken to maximise responses to public consultations for SPD’s through using different avenues of engagement.

2.    Life-time home principals and adaptation of the current housing stock to meet current needs be considered going forward.