Issue - meetings

Council considered and approved the recommendations of the inquorate Executive meeting held on 4 April 2012, in respect of the Population and Household Forecasts and the East Herts Housing Requirement.

RESOLVED – that (A) the Population and Household Forecasts - Topic Paper, detailed at Essential Reference Paper ‘C’ of the report submitted, be agreed as the basis for considering a district housing target to 2031, and for inclusion as part of the evidence base for the Local Development Framework (District Plan); and

(B)      on the basis of the key conclusions from the Topic Paper referred to in (A) above, a range of 500 - 850 dwellings per annum be subject to further investigation, to test the feasibility and implications of such a district housing requirement, against national planning policy requirements and the physical and environmental capacity of the district.

Minute 27 refers

The Executive considered and supported the recommendations of the Local Development Framework Executive Panel made at its meeting held on 29 March 2012, in respect of the Population and Household Forecasts and the East Herts Housing Requirement.

RECOMMENDED – that (A) the Population and Household Forecasts - Topic Paper, detailed at Essential Reference Paper ‘C’ of the report submitted, be agreed as the basis for considering a district housing target to 2031, and for inclusion as part of the evidence base for the Local Development Framework (District Plan); and

(B)      on the basis of the key conclusions from the Topic Paper referred to in (A) above, a range of 500 - 850 dwellings per annum be subject to further investigation, to test the feasibility and implications of such a district housing requirement, against national planning policy requirements and the physical and environmental capacity of the district.

The Executive Member for Planning Policy and Economic Development submitted a report setting out the preliminary findings of the Population and Household Forecasts technical work and the issues and considerations necessary to inform a decision on the district housing target to 2031.

The Panel noted that the District Council was now solely responsible for setting its housing targets.  The forecast range of 500 – 850 units per annum had been arrived at using a number of scenarios as detailed in the report now submitted.  It would now be necessary to test this range to establish its feasibility.

In response to Members’ questions, Officers confirmed that discussions with social housing providers were ongoing.

The Panel recommended the proposals now detailed to the Executive.

RECOMMENDED – that (A) the Population and Household Forecasts - Topic Paper, detailed at Essential Reference Paper ‘C’ of the report submitted, be agreed as the basis for considering a district housing target to 2031, and for inclusion as part of the evidence base for the Local Development Framework (District Plan); and

(B)      on the basis of the key conclusions from the Topic Paper referred to in (A) above, a range of 500 - 850 dwellings per annum be subject to further investigation, to test the feasibility and implications of such a district housing requirement, against national planning policy requirements and the physical and environmental capacity of the district.