Object

Representation ID: 66043

Received: 27/06/2014

Respondent: Home Builders Federation Ltd

Legally compliant? Yes

Sound? No

Duty to co-operate? Yes

The NPPG affirms that a LPA should assess its development needs working with other authorities in the relevant HMA in line with the Duty to Co-operate. Each of the authorities within the sub region is at a different stage in preparing their local plan or core strategy, therefore the capacity of the other districts to deliver their housing requirement is unknown. Policy DS20 states that existence of unmet housing need arising outside outside the District will not render the plan out of date, however the Plan will be reviewed.

There is evidence of a potential shortfall arising from a number of the neighbouring local authorities.Therefore it is not agreed that the existence of an unmet housing need outside the District will not render the Warwick Local Plan out of date.If a LPA preparing a Local Plan provides robust evidence of an unmet housing need identified in a SHMA other LPAs in the HMA will be required to consider the implications including the need to review their housing policies.

In conclusion whilst there remain uncertainties about the meeting of unmet housing need in the LPAs adjoining Warwick District Council and Birmingham it is impossible to determine if the legal requirements of the Duty to Co-operate has or has not been discharged by the Council because the evidence is not available on which to make such a judgement.