Object

Representation ID: 66468

Received: 27/06/2014

Respondent: Gladman Developments

Agent: Stansgate Planning

Legally compliant? No

Sound? No

Duty to co-operate? No

Outlines that unmet needs outside of district will not render Plan out of date, but that the Plan will be reviewed if evidence demonstrates that significant housing needs arising outside the district should be met within the district and cannot be adequately addressed without a review. To establish this, it sets out that Council will work with other local authorities in the Coventry and Warwickshire HMA to prepare joint evidence base on housing need, agree a strategic approach to address any shortfall in land availability to deliver the full objectively assessed need, and where evidence and the Duty to Cooperate clearly indicates unmet needs would be most appropriately met in the district, seek to meet these needs and review the Local Plan.
Policy Analysis
Whilst welcoming the sentiment of Policy DS20 we submit that its provisions are not sufficient to address the unmet housing needs that are already acknowledged to exist outside of the district. There is a clear need for action to be taken to address these needs now, rather than deferring them to future joint working or a review of the Local Plan. We further query the statement in Policy DS20 that unmet needs will not render the Local Plan out-of-date. Once the Local Plan comes into effect the Council is still obliged to work with its neighbouring authorities on an ongoing basis to address unmet housing needs.
Conclusions on Soundness
Whilst welcoming the provisions of Policy DS20, submit that measures it proposes are insufficient to address unmet housing needs that are already acknowledged to exist outside the district. If the Council does not make adequate
provision to assess and address these needs now we submit that Policy DS20 and the Local Plan cannot be considered positively prepared or effective.