Agenda item

[Report of the Director for Housing, Regeneration and Planning. To be introduced by the  Cabinet Member for Cabinet Member for Planning and Corporate Services]

The Council has begun preparing a new Local Plan to replace the existing Plan adopted in 2017.  The new Plan will ensure that the Council continues to have a robust and fit-for-purpose framework for the future planning of our borough and will be used to determine planning applications once adopted. The new Plan will take into account changes to national planning policy, the new London Plan, the new Borough Plan priorities and will aid the borough’s recovery from COVID 19.  The Plan will also meet legal and policy requirements for the Council to have an up to date plan and 5 year Housing Land Supply.  Cabinet are being asked to approve a  “New Local Plan: First Step engagement” document for consultation. The document will set out the key issues and challenges for the future planning of the borough and related opportunities and options. It will be the first stage of  consultation and engagement on the New Local Plan and will seek the community’s views on how we should address key issues.

The Cabinet Member for Planning and Corporate Services introduced the report which proposed the first steps for engagement on a new Local Plan. It was outlined that, in November 2019, Cabinet had agreed an update to the Council’s Local Development Scheme (LDS), setting out that a New Local Plan would be prepared by 2022 to replace the existing, multiple documents adopted in 2017. It was noted that the new Local Plan would take account of the new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and emerging London Plan, respond to the climate emergency, and support recovery following Covid-19.

It was explained that the first steps engagement document was included as Appendix A to the report. The engagement explained the borough, its neighbourhoods, challenges, and priorities; it asked open questions and sought views on new policy areas before the new Local Plan was drafted. The results of the engagement would feed into the drafting of the new Local Plan, a draft would be out for consultation in 2021, and the final version was due to be adopted in 2022. It was noted that an Integrated Impact Assessment Draft Scoping Report and a Communications and Engagement Plan were included as appendices to the report.

The Leader noted that the proposed consultation would be asking for views at this stage rather than comments on draft policies and this would allow the Local Plan to be built from the consultation feedback. It was noted that the Chair of the Regulatory Committee was present, and she was invited to comment. Cllr Williams thanked the Cabinet for accepting the addendum with comments from the Regulatory Committee. She welcomed the first steps engagement proposal and hoped that there would be widespread community engagement.

Cllr Williams noted that it would be important for the new Local Plan to ensure a significant proportion of family homes, defined as 3-beds or more, for those on the waiting list; this would provide stability for children in the borough which was essential. It was enquired how many family sized units were in the pipeline and whether the Council was due to meet its target for 45% of new Council homes to be 3-bed units. The Cabinet Member noted that one of the biggest challenges would be providing homes for those most in need and that this would be part of the Local Plan. The Assistant Director for Housing noted that early Council house building programme delivery had been skewed by acquisitions and that housing delivery had provided more 1-bed and 2-bed units than planned; the current forecast for 3-bed units was 25-30% but the Council was doing what it could through business planning to reach 45%. The Leader noted that this could be a target to review in 18 months’ time.

Cllr Williams asked to receive confirmation by email of exactly how many 3-bed units were in the pipeline to be delivered.

Cllr Cawley-Harrison asked what changes were proposed in response to the comments made by the Regulatory Committee and how the Cabinet Member would ensure that the Local Plan included tangible goals. The Leader noted that the Regulatory Committee comments were submitted as a late addendum and that there would not have been much time to make any changes. The Interim Assistant Director for Planning, Building Standards and Sustainability outlined the proposed consultation and engagement methods, taking on board Regulatory Committee feedback. The Cabinet Member for Planning and Corporate Services noted that the recommendations allowed for amendments to be made in relation to the comments of the Regulatory Committee and it would be ensured that there were tangible goals.

Cllr Berryman noted that the new Local Plan would need to balance the delivery of affordable housing and the description of social rent. It was noted that the Mayor of London considered that London Affordable Rent (LAR) was genuinely affordable and it was enquired how social rent would be considered in the new Local Plan. The Cabinet Member for Planning and Corporate Services noted that the Council had a clear preference for social rent but that the exact structure of this in the new Local Plan would depend on the results of consultation. The Cabinet Member for Housing and Estate Renewal acknowledged that there was a spectrum of definitions and that social rent could be a generic term. She explained that she used the term ‘Council rent’ and that the Council was committed to Council rent; it was added that LAR was closer to Council rents than other rents.

Cllr Berryman noted that 2-bed social rent in Haringey was £106 per week, LAR was £164 per week, and the housing benefit level was £299 per week. He stated that it was sometimes necessary to sell units privately as they were not viable at social rent levels; it was enquired whether the Council would prioritise Council rent at the expense of LAR or would work out what worked best locally. The Cabinet Member for Housing and Estate Renewal expressed that not everyone in Council properties received housing benefit; there were also some situations where LAR was considered in addition to Council rents but that there was a clear commitment in the manifesto to provide 1,000 Council rent homes. The Cabinet Member for Planning and Corporate Services noted that the report was proposing a first steps engagement rather than any specific Local Plan proposals. It was explained that people, including Councillors, could respond to this initial engagement with their views and comments.

Cllr Bull – briefly lost connection at 20.09 but came back in the meeting at 20.10.

RESOLVED

1.    To approve for public consultation, in accordance with Regulation 18 of the Town and Country Planning Regulations (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012, the New Haringey Local Plan: First Steps Engagement consultation document (Appendix A).

2.    To delegate authority to the Interim Assistant Director of Planning, Building Standards and Sustainability to agree the final version of the New Haringey Local Plan: First Steps Engagement consultation document, and other supporting material to be produced for consultation purposes including the Integrated Impact Assessment (IIA) Scoping Report, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Planning and Corporate Services to the extent that any changes to the versions approved by Cabinet are non-material (examples of changes permitted shall include minor text, layout and design changes as well as changes needed for clarification and for consultation purposes).

Reasons for decision

A new Local Plan is required to provide a robust planning framework for the future planning of the borough that takes account of the new National Planning Policy Framework and the emerging New London Plan, reflects the new Borough Plan (2019), responds to the Climate Emergency, supports the borough’s recovery from COVID-19 and meets legal and policy requirements for the Council to have an up-to-date plan and a 5 Year Housing Land Supply. The New Local Plan – First Steps consultation document will provide the opportunity for residents, businesses and other local stakeholders to shape the New Local New Plan from the beginning, identifying key issues and challenges the borough faces and preferences for various possible options.

Alternative options considered

The alternative options considered were:

·         Option 1: Do not prepare a New Local Plan at this time. The Council could continue using the existing Local Plan and the London Plan to support planning decisions. The advantage of this option is that it would not require any immediate resources. The disadvantage is that the Council would not have a fully up-to-date plan which reflects the new National Planning Policy Framework and new London Plan, responds to the corporate priorities in the Borough Plan and provides specific support for COVID-19 recovery and renewal.

·         Option 2: Prepare a New Local Plan but do not carry out a First Steps Engagement consultation. The advantage of this option is that it would shorten the process of preparing a New Local Plan and reduce the resources required to do it. The disadvantage is that the Council would not be engaging the community upfront in the plan-making process and may not be able to satisfy the legal requirements for stages of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) / Sustainability Appraisal (SA).

·         Option 3: Prepare a New Local Plan including a First Steps Engagement consultation. The advantage of this option is that it involves the community upfront in the plan-making process and helps to ensure that the plan is shaped by their input. The disadvantage of this option is that it would take longer to prepare the New Local Plan and would require more resources to deliver.

Option 3 was recommended as this will deliver a New Local Plan to provide a robust planning framework for the future planning of the borough, which reflects the Council’s corporate priorities, is shaped by upfront and meaningful engagement with Haringey’s communities and helps to meet legal requirements for SEA/SA.