Agenda item

To receive questions from and provide answers to the public in relation to matters which in the opinion of the person presiding at the meeting are relevant to the business of the meeting

Paul Kornycky asked the Cabinet Member for Planning & Development:

I welcome the revised timetable for the Local Plan Review published in the Local Development Scheme, Agenda Item 10. Not only will the 6 month delay allow for proper preparation and consultation but it should also facilitate dodging the worst impacts of the ‘mutant algorithm’.

This new timetable correctly recognises that on 27 November this year the HDPF does not expire, but carries on, albeit with an increased housing requirement of 920.  Our target last year was 800 homes. This increases to just 841 this year because the higher 920 only applies for the latter third of the year.

Unfortunately we also face the risk of a much higher 1,715 target as part of the government’s revised Standard Methodology. But, even if this is confirmed, it should not come into force until the start of next year, that’s from 1 April 2021.

Furthermore, I note that the Statement of Community Involvement, Agenda Item 11, states that the new Local Plan will run to 2037 but with a 2019 base date. This implies an effective start date for the new local plan of 1st April 2019, regardless of its actual adoption date.

This unnecessary backdating of the Local Plan may have serious consequences for our housing requirement. With a 2019 start date, a potentially much higher figure will overlay 2 years that currently have annual requirements of just 800 and 841 homes respectively.

Please explain why HDC is proposing the new plan start from 2019 and not from 2021, thus unnecessarily raising our already difficult housing target?

The Cabinet Member for Planning & Development replied:

As part of our work to prepare the Horsham District Local Plan we need our evidence to look at past, current and future trends in order to understand what we should plan for and include.  Therefore, some of our evidence base studies for example, have a 2019 start date, which is why we currently have 2019 as our Local Plan start.

As plan preparation takes a number of years it is common practice for Local Plans to update their plan period, if needed, during the plan preparation process so long as the plan period cover 15 years once a plan is adopted. This is a requirement of Government guidance.

As the Horsham District Local Plan is yet to be finalised I cannot comment on the final period that the plan will cover, but I can confirm that there is absolutely no intention whatsoever to increase our housing target unnecessarily. 

Paul Kornycky, as a supplementary question, asked:

I’d like to draw your attention to Crawley, our neighbouring Council, who’s Regulation 19 consultation was undertaken in January/February 2020 and yet their plan is starting from 2020. Given that our Regulation 19 consultation is due to run in January/February 2021 it therefore seems strange that we would even contemplate starting our plan from 2019. So could I please ask that you have a look at what Crawley have done and, frankly, why they seem to be getting away with it?

The Cabinet Member for Planning & Development replied:

The Plan Period is under review, Mr Kornycky, and I will take up that question with the officers.