11 November 2023
The November 2023 Green View article on the Local Plan review requires Green councillors to expand on our initial thoughts on the direction of future local planning policy. The list below is intended to elicit debate and advance policy-making in order to establish precisely what is feasible in order to make a new Local Plan fit with progressive social, economic and environmental programmes.
1) The planning inspector has failed to endorse the council's approach to new homes being built to higher energy efficiency standards than simply current building regulations - as set out in the Climate Emergency Local Plan Review. We can point to Bath and North East Somerset and Cornwall councils managing to achieve those higher design standards. So a very high priority needs to be given a renewed effort to up the game of developers - on energy efficiency by design. There needs to be a presumption for a positive approach to installing renewable energy generation on existing properties, including historic buildings
2) Presumption in favour of commuting s.106 affordable homes contributions to finance the council's own genuinely affordable schemes. That means there would likely be a reduction in affordable homes in private developments but that is a trade-off to be considered - especially on smaller schemes. There is a case for pepper-potting affordable housing in mixed tenure developments to promote more mixed communities so this is not straightforward. But currently the council has ambitious schemes in development which meet directly the pressing need to end the (increasing) use of temporary accommodation.
3) Exploration of a local connection condition for occupation of new homes to resist transformation to a dormitory district; and to provide rural communities with more permanently affordable homes.
4) Setting ‘appropriate’ housing densities to get better value from greenfield land that is taken for residential purposes; and clear policies on the type of housing - size and density - to avoid the proliferation of large detached houses on new housing schemes.
5) Requirement to produce a detailed design of surface water drainage schemes before planning is granted at reserved matters stage. This means that permission is not granted until a viable scheme has been agreed.
6) Action on short-term lettings to provide some level of control over conversions to holiday rentals, where appropriate.
7) Exploration of means of easing conversion of properties to residential use subject to a retrofit regime requiring min. EPC ‘C’.
8) Examine feasibility of providing democratic input to s.106 contribution requests on sites so that Local Plan priorities - like affordable housing - are fully reflected in the negotiations with developers.
9) Setting of as liberal a regime on/incentives for wind turbines, as can be devised; that is, consistent with favourable public consultation and protection of nature.
10) Ensuring any new student housing is robustly assessed for need; and purpose-built accommodation is designed to be converted easily to flats.
11) Explore a local food resilience strategy which serves to require the developer - so far as this is possible in local planning policy over and above what is required in national policy - to justify the loss of agricultural land. (Now we’ve got the Local Area Energy Plan underway we need a Local Area Food Plan, preferably linked to the Local Plan.)
Green councillors are very keen to get feedback on the Local Plan Review and these initial thoughts on the direction of future local planning policy from residents.
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