Council to decide on policy for determining planning applications

A lack of housing supply could mean that Monmouthshire council will continue to give consideration to accepting residential developments not within its Local Development Plan (LDP).

The county council will decide whether it continues to give ‘considerable weight’ to its lack of a five-year housing land supply when considering planning applications for residential development on unallocated sites.

A council report says this was the council’s policy until July when the cabinet secretary Lesley Griffiths suspended it for a review of housing supply to take place.

It is now for Monmouthshire County Council to decide if it wants to re-instate the policy.

Projections currently show the council will be 961 homes behind its LDP delivery target at the end of 2021, including 337 which are affordable homes.

The biggest shortfall is in the Chepstow and Severnside areas.

A report prepared ahead of the decision at full council on Thursday says: “The proposed recommendation to give considerable weight to our lack of a five-year housing land supply is intended to support housing delivery, in part to support the delivery of affordable housing which supports all age groups but in particular supports those who are economically disadvantaged, and partly to help address our demographic challenge, which would indirectly benefit our younger people by delivering housing to provide options to support the retention of younger people.

“However, the housing would not be reserved for people of any particular age group, and there is no legitimate or appropriate way to enforce such a control.

“The proposed recommendation is intended to promote equality of opportunity and access to housing.”

The policy does not mean that development “anywhere, or of any quality” is given planning permission.

But it allows “otherwise acceptable housing developments” to be approved even if the site is not allocated for development in the LDP – which allocates land for types of development.

The development must be acceptable in planning terms, such as design, layout, highway safety, air quality and infrastructure impact.

Up until now, three such planning applications have been determined.

Outline planning permission was granted for developments on sites in Grove Farm, Llanfoist and Rockfield Road, Monmouth but permission was refused for an application in Mounton Road, Chepstow.

Officers have recommended for councillors to “give considerable weight” to the lack of housing supply.

“If we are serious about addressing the challenges of affordability and economic growth, ‘do nothing’ is not a sensible or viable option,” the report adds.

“We will not close the 961 dwelling gap by the end of 2021 however giving considerable weight to our housing land supply shortfall, and following option 2e) gives us the best chance of achieving it.”