Tag Archives: housing

Planning Ahead: news, views and insights – October 2022

In this issue of Planning Ahead we have five articles. We review the Conservative Party Conference, look at yet another local plan being delayed and provide insights into the new DLUHC ministerial team. We also have two interesting snippets from the Government on planning consents and the size of the green belt.  Please do feel free to get in touch and share your thoughts.

  • Conservative Party Conference, Birmingham 2022 As always, the annual party conference was a hectic affair, but this year had the added spice of yet another new Government and Prime Minister, but all did not go to plan! We summarise the key elements relating to development and planning.  More…
  • Another local plan pushed into the long grass Basildon Council agreed last month the new LDS for its local plan, having withdrawn its previous one back in April. It has the new local plan adoption in 2027! This is the latest in a long line of councils dragging their feet – Uttlesford, St Albans, Castle Point, Hertsmere to name but a few. More…
  • New DLUHC Ministerial Team The new ministerial team at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and communities (DLUHC) is led by new Secretary of State, The Rt Hon Simon Clarke MP. More…
  • Planning consents fall The number of planning applications in England has fallen by 12 per cent, when compared with the same period in 2021. More…
  • Green belt is actually growing According to latest government statistics the green belt has grown by 24,150 hectares, or 1.5 per cent of the total. More…

Skills Summit: Social value from planning and procurement

Willmott Dixon hosted a skills summit at Harlow College in October. Speakers included Rt Hon Robert Halfon MP, who is chair of the Education Select Committee, together with Brentwood Council, Essex County Council and Westminster City Council. A full write-up of this will appear in the next issue.

Local Plan updates

Chelgate Local brings you Local Plan updates for councils across the south east: Basildon, Brentwood, Epping Forest, Harlow, Medway, Sevenoaks and many more…

Another local plan pushed into the long grass

Basildon Council agreed last month the new LDS for its local plan, having withdrawn its previous one back in April. It has the new local plan adoption in 2027! This is the latest in a long line of councils dragging their feet – Uttlesford, St Albans, Castle Point, Hertsmere to name but a few.

Councils reluctant

These Is a reluctance from some councils to give what amounts to consent to significant development within their areas where this could be considered politically unpalatable. The Government is in a difficult situation: it knows it needs to build more homes, but those homes are needed more in the south east, in the blue shires, where the prospect of development is not welcomed by Conservative grass root supporters. The Conservative leadership only has to look at the Amersham and Chesham by-election last year.

Councils know this, and DLUHC has done nothing to provide clarity with past ministers commenting on various aspects of local plans, undermining existing policy, including the sanctity of green belt, how the housing targets are calculated and the timescales.

The manifesto pledge to build 300,000 homes per year has not been mentioned recently, although it cannot be dropped, not officially anyway, it may be quietly parked and forgotten.

Growth, Growth, Growth

The Prime Minister has made her objective clear in her speech at the Conservative Party Conference last week; growth, growth, growth. Development and regeneration are key engines to any growth, as was seen after the Great Depression and after the Second World War.

The new Secretary of State, Simon Clark MP, has been leaking various proposals on planning reforms to gauge responses. These have included conducting a charm offensive turning NIMBYs into YIMBYs, a bonfire of red tape from the EU, reducing the requirement for affordable housing, amending nutrient pollution requirements and re-looking at biodiversity.

Housing Targets

Suggestions that the housing targets will be dropped is premature, but it is likely the way they are calculated could be changed. The onus may be upon planning authorities to come up with numbers, and then provide the evidence base to justify them to the inspector. That will undoubtedly lead to numerous court cases.

Clark has said that more detail on proposals will come out in the coming weeks and months. We will wait and see.

Planning news, views and insight – March 2019

Marching into Spring: Rosewell Review, focus on micro-homes, Housing Delivery Test, and importance of infrastructure

  • Rosewell ‘appeals’ for quicker decisions
    Time to determine planning appeals could be cut almost by half, a Government-commissioned review has found… Read more
  • Micro-housing under the microscope
    As Londoners spend almost a third of income on rent, and the number of homeowners under 45 falls by almost a million… Read more
  • Crunch time as over 100 councils fail Housing Delivery Test
    The results of the first MHCLG Housing Delivery Test – long touted as the mechanism that would hold councils to account for their failure… Read more
  • Is placemaking back on the agenda? 
    Quality design in all its facets and ‘place’ are key streams in the new revised NPPF, including a new chapter 12: “Achieving well-designed places”… Read more

Local Plan updates

Chelgate Local brings you Local Plan updates for Aylesbury Vale, Basildon, Brentwood, Central Beds, Chelmsford, Chiltern and South Bucks, Dacorum, East Herts, Epping, Epsom and Ewell, Harlow, Medway, Milton Keynes, Mole Valley and many more…

March Breakfast Briefing in Herts on Infrastructure-led Growth

Our breakfast briefing in March is on ‘Infrastructure-led growth’ and will take a look at the key projects driving growth throughout the South East.

Keynote speakers will be joining us from MHCLG, Lichfields and local authorities in London and Hertfordshire to set out their views on how infrastructure should be delivered to help our new communities take shape.

Presentations will be followed by a panel discussion, and a full networking breakfast will be provided.

Join us on Wednesday 6th March, from 8:00am – 10:00am, at the De Vere Theobalds Estate in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire. Click here to register.

Planning news, views and insight – February 2019

2019 picks up speed: Land values languish, key infrastructure projects, jobs boom but young suffer, and breakfast briefing recap

  • Three key infrastructure projects to watch in 2019
    Ahead of Chelgate’s Breakfast Briefing on ‘Infrastructure-led Growth’ , we take a look at three of the key infrastructure projects set to drive growth… Read more
  • Land values languish amid Brexit uncertainty
    Land values slumped at the end of 2018 thanks to increasing build costs and economic uncertainty over Brexit, according to Knight Frank… Read more
  • Jobs boom but young are left bust
    Britain is seeing unprecedented jobs and employment growth despite an ageing population and increased health problems, a new report has shown… Read more
  • Waking up to an ageing population
    January saw Chelgate Local kick off 2019 with another successful breakfast briefing event. The Chelgate team partnered up with Barton Willmore to host… Read more

Local Plan updates

Chelgate Local brings you Local Plan updates for Aylesbury Vale, Basildon, Brentwood, Central Beds, Chelmsford, Chiltern and South Bucks, Dacorum, East Herts, Epping, Epsom and Ewell, Harlow, Medway, Milton Keynes, Mole Valley and many more…

March Breakfast Briefing in Herts on Infrastructure-led Growth

Our breakfast briefing in March is on ‘Infrastructure-led growth’ and will take a look at the key projects driving growth throughout the South East.

Keynote speakers will be joining us from MHCLG, Lichfields and local authorities in London and Hertfordshire to set out their views on how infrastructure should be delivered to help our new communities take shape.

Presentations will be followed by a panel discussion, and a full networking breakfast will be provided.

Join us on Wednesday 6th March, from 8:00am – 10:00am, at the De Vere Theobalds Estate in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire. Click here to register.

Waking up to an ageing population

By Kasia Banas, Consultant

January saw Chelgate Local kick off 2019 with another successful breakfast briefing event.

The Chelgate team partnered up with Barton Willmore to host a timely discussion on the impact of an ageing population on housing provision. Delegates from across Kent gathered to hear from speakers from MHCLG, planners Barton Willmore and older people’s housing developers McCarthy & Stone.

Dan Fryd, Account Director at Chelgate, welcomed the packed room and started proceedings by setting out the main issues around housing supply for our ageing population. He pointed out that in the midst of the housing crisis the topic rarely gets the attention it deserves, but the proportion of over 85-year olds is set to double over the next 25 years – making it necessary for the government and the housing sector to start planning for this particular housing need now.

Lucy Seymour-Bowdery, senior planning officer at MHCLG and the lead on older people’s housing, then presented the recent regulatory changes relating to provisions for an ageing population. She noted the revised NPPF strengthened the policy approach to planning for the housing needs of different groups of people; revised the definition of older people; and introduced the expectation that planning policies for housing will make use of Optional Technical Standards for accessible and adaptable housing.

She also mentioned the statutory duty to produce guidance for local planning authorities on how local development documents should meet the housing needs of older and disabled people​, introduced by the Neighbourhood Planning Act 2017. While she was not able to provide a date for the release of new policy guidance, she teased that it will focus on the importance to plan for older and disabled people’s housing needs, benefits of accessible and adaptable housing​, types of specialist housing for older people​ and inclusive design.

James Donagh, development economics director at Barton Willmore​, then took to the stage to present a high-level review of supply and demand for specialist housing for older people across mid-west Kent. He outlined the population changes expected between 2017 and 2041, most notably, the fast-growing demographic groups of over 65s and 75s. He projects that this increased demand for specialist elderly housing will generate a need for an extra 5,300 units (45%) by 2029 and 10,500 units (90%) units by 2041. James pointed out that there is a lack of diversity in tenure and type of available units with two-thirds being social rent and four-fifths being sheltered housing. He concluded suitable housing for older people could be a part of the solution to the housing crisis.

The event finished with a panel discussion with Cllr Clive English, chair of the Planning Committee at Maidstone Borough Council​; Guy Flintoft, planning director at Retirement Villages Group​; Gary Day, land and planning director at McCarthy & Stone,; and chaired by Barton Willmore’s director, Simon Flisher.

There was a consensus amongst our panellists that there is a growing need for housing provision for older people in the UK and Kent specifically. The example of Japan was mentioned a number of times as a warning for what’s to come if this demand is not addressed. Gary Day encouraged new entrants into this market space, and there was agreement that existing providers must grow to help deliver new retirement communities. Innovative multi-generational housing models were also identified as an opportunity area that could contribute to solving the issue at hand.

Developers and politicians are not the only ones looking for sustainable solutions that meet the needs and aspirations of our ageing communities. Programmes such as ‘Transform Ageing’ are paving the way to taking a community and design-led approach to improve people’s experience of ageing and we hope they can drive positive change, responding to the challenge of our ageing society.

Our next event will take place in March and will address ‘Infrastructure led growth’ – A look at how Crossrail 2, HS2 and major infrastructure could drive growth. Further details will be available on our website.

 

old people

The impact of an ageing population

By Michael Hardware, Director of Planning and Property

Using excerpts from ‘Later Living: Are we planning for our future?’ published by Barton Willmore, we take a look at the changing profile of the later living population and what challenges and opportunities this poses for the market.  Barton Willmore’s full report can be viewed here.

The Government has been pushing hard to increase housebuilding and resolve the housing crisis. It wants to address the historic housing deficit and pent-up demand that has led to massive house price increases in recent decades. It has also introduced initiatives to encourage and assist the younger generations to get them on the housing ladder but has paid little attention to older generations which are in effect ‘bed blocking’ at the other end of the property chain.

As their children leave home and they reach retirement, older people look to downsize and release equity from their properties. According to the ONS Wealth and Assets Survey by the Centre for Economic and Business Research (Cebr), the average older home-owning household has £200,000 of property wealth and the over 65s account for 39% of the total of all property wealth. This is likely to increase to 41% by 2036.

Looking at the 45-55 age group, who will enter the 65+ age bracket in the next two decades, the growth is at the lower end of the property wealth scale with assets expected to be at around £163,000 at retirement. Over the next 20 years, this group will increase tenfold, the equivalent to 4.5 million people aged between 45 and 65 entering the market with half the wealth of current retirees.

The housebuilding industry has a challenge on its hands: how does it facilitate mobility in this older group, enabling downsizing, or ‘right-sizing’, and freeing up much-needed family homes? The answer must be in providing more choice in the new homes to meet those needs.

Currently the later living property market is directed at the largest and most affluent group of people, the 2.9 million people over 65 who have property wealth of more than £300,000. This will need to change.

Huw Edwards, a Senior Partner at Barton Willmore, explained:

“The market needs to respond now to ensure that we are planning and building housing for older people that meets their changing needs and demands.

“This will not only provide the homes that are needed and wanted by our ageing population but also open up family housing to the market and directly address our housing crisis.

“To achieve this, there is a need for a more coordinated and thought-out approach to delivering homes that meets the diverse needs of older people.

“At the local level, this means evidence based strategic policies for older peoples housing, coordinated across planning authorities that fall within the same housing market areas.

“There is a real opportunity here to encourage diversification of the market, provide homes that older people want, and create a market that caters for the broad spectrum of needs and demands it encompasses.”

Chelgate and Barton Willmore are co-hosting a seminar this month looking at the impact of an aging population on housing provision. The keynote speaker will be Lucy Seymour-Bowdery from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, who will outline the new policy and guidance to be issued by the ministry which she has written. She will be joined by speakers from planners Barton Willmore, Maidstone Borough Council, McCarthy & Stone and Retirement Villages Group. Further information can be found here.

Raynsford Review

Planning Ahead – December 2018

This month: Raynsford Review, understanding councillors, super-prime market steadies, Castlepoint crisis and new homes growth slow.

Raynsford reins in ‘patchwork’ planning system
There is a ‘chaotic patchwork’ of different planning responsibilities in the country, the long-awaited Raynsford Review of the planning system warned… Read more

STOP PRESS: First council intervention now on the cards…
Castle Point council this week voted its draft local plan down. As the council is on the Secretary of State’s ‘naughty list’ it looks likely… Read more

Understanding councillors
We have all at some point come out of a planning committee wondering what had just happened… Read more

Growth in new homes slows as Local Plan deadline looms
The growth in the number of new homes in England has slowed significantly despite more than 222,000 homes being built in England last year… Read more

Pent-up demand for penthouses?
The super-prime market is rarely affected by the vagaries of the general housing market, but it is a very good guide to confidence in the economy… Read more

Local Plan updates
Chelgate Local brings you Local Plan updates for Aylesbury Vale, Basildon, Brentwood, Central Beds, Chelmsford, Chiltern and South Bucks, Dacorum, East Herts, Epping, Epsom and Ewell, Harlow, Medway, Milton Keynes, Mole Valley and many more…

Chelgate Local invites you to our January Breakfast Briefing in Maidstone, Kent
Our breakfast briefing in January is on the impact of an ageing population on housing provision. We have a keynote speaker from MHCLG to explain the new guidance and policies the ministry is due to publish later in December.

You will also hear from planning consultants, local politicians and developers on their views about housing provision and the impact of an increasingly ageing population.

Come along on 22nd January, 8-10am at the Macure Maidstone Great Dane Hotel.

Click here to register.

Homes growth slows

Homes growth slows as Local Plan deadline looms

By Daniel Fryd, Senior Consultant

The growth in the number of new homes in England has slowed significantly despite more than 222,000 homes being built in England last year.

MHCLG statistics released earlier this month showed new home completions at their highest rate for 10 years, but the rate of growth has fallen to 2%, compared to a 15% rise in 2016.

The statistics also showed the number of new affordable homes increasing, while new homes provided through Permitted Development Rights have fallen considerably.

While the latest figures have been heralded as a success by Communities Secretary James Brokenshire MP, there is clearly still a long way to go before the target of 300,000 new homes a year by the mid-2020s can be reached.

At the current rate, it will be 2034 before the Government hits its ambition of 300,000 new homes a year.

New builds, not office-to-resi

New build completions were up 6% on last year, with the number of homes provided through Permitted Development Rights (PDR) down by a whopping 28%.

While new rules in the NPPF made it easier for PDR to be implemented to convert buildings to residential, use has predictably clustered around major cities and in the home counties where there is high demand.

Applications for office to residential conversions have steadily dropped over the last year, largely down to a decline in the availability of office buildings which are appropriate for conversion to housing.

PDR will continue to play an important role in providing housing in areas of high demand, but it is clear it is not a long-term solution and that new build rates will have to increase further as the number of suitable office buildings falls.

Affordable homes

There was also good news for the Government and first-time buyers as statistics showed the number of new affordable homes rose by 12% to 47,355.

Affordable rent has become the most common tenure type for affordable homes, with a total of 26,838 new affordable rent homes – 57% of the overall number of affordable homes.

The effect of the Government’s much-celebrated policy to remove the HRA borrowing cap, announced in Budget earlier this year, is likely to bear over the coming years with a further increase in affordable home delivery.

Local Plans and Delivery Tests

With a deadline of 24th January 2019 for councils to submit Local Plans or face the new NPPF rules and their revised housing figures, we are seeing a flurry of activity. This is expected to continue in the coming months as developers look to start work on approved sites.

The result of MHCLG’s Housing Delivery Test, set to be released in the very near future, are also expected to move things along, as the list of the worst performing local authorities who need to step up their building rates the most are released.

The test will look at the construction of homes over three-years against the assessed need for new homes, with the worst performing councils potentially facing having their plans declared out of date by the Government.

We await the test results with bated breath.