St.Helens Council crest

Published Delegated Executive Decisions

Welcome. This system contains information about published delegated executive decisions, including exemptions.

Decision Number: 0099 2017/18

Executive Portfolio:
Growth (Including Planning)
Decision Number:
0099 2017/18
Exempt / Confidential Item:
No
Ward(s) Affected:
All Wards
Declarations of Interest Received:
None
Title:
St Helens Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment update 2017
Summary of Decision:
To approve the publication of the St Helens Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment update 2017
Proposed Decision:
To approve the publication of the St Helens Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment update 2017
Summary of Reason for Decision:
To publish, as required by Government planning policy, the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment update 2017.
Reason for Decision:
The emerging new Local Plan for St Helens will address the Borough’s future development needs, including housing. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) requires local planning authorities to prepare and keep up to date a Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA). This must identify the supply of sites in existing urban areas, with realistic assumptions about their availability, suitability and likely economic viability to meet housing needs over the next 5, 10 and 15 years. The 2017 SHLAA for St Helens (attached to this report) updates the 2016 SHLAA. All new sites submitted to the Council through the Local Plan Preferred Options consultation (December 2016– January 2017) have been considered and assumptions and conclusions updated on sites identified in the 2016 SHLAA where new information has come to light. The SHLAA does not include any Green Belt sites. The update has identified a 15 year housing supply of 7682 units with an additional 408 units considered deliverable in the '15 year +' period (at Cowley Hill). The combined total from the urban area for 0-15+years is 8090 units. This represents an additional 1451 units in the Borough’s urban housing supply compared to the supply shown in the 2016 SHLAA. Key sites contributing to the additional supply are Cowley Hill, Linkway Distribution Park, Alexander Park, Elephant Lane and College Street Northern Gateway The NPPF requires local authorities to identify and update annually a supply of 'deliverable' sites sufficient to provide 5 years worth of housing against their housing requirements. To be 'deliverable' sites must be genuinely available and achievable within 5 years. Many of the sites in the overall figures set out above do not fall into this category. The SHLAA update identifies 5.3 years 'deliverable' supply of housing against the Council's 'objectively assessed need' (OAN) of 451 dwellings per annum identified in the Mid-Mersey Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA) 2016. This compares to a 4.8 years supply in the 2016 SHLAA. This means that the Borough only just meets the 5 year deliverable supply requirement at present, when measured against this OAN figure. The 2017 SHLAA also compares the land supply to the requirement of 570 dwellings per annum set out in the Council's Core Strategy adopted in 2012. In addition, it identifies a 4.8 years supply against the Government’s proposed standard housing methodology which has recently been subject to consultation (504 per annum). The SHLAA concludes that in order to ensure that a 5 year supply of housing land can be maintained on an on-going basis, the Council will need to identify additional land if it is to continue to meet the Borough’s identified housing needs in future years.
Risks Associated with this Decision:
Failure to publish an up-dated SHLAA would result in the Council failing to comply with national planning policy. This would cause unnecessary risks to the Local Plan process and to the Council's determination of planning applications.
Measures to Redress Risk:
To publish the SHLAA update for 2017.
Anti Poverty / Human Rights / Agenda 21 Implications:
None
Attachments:
Please Contact Jonathan Clarke - Ext 6198 for more details.