PC_Meeting Housing Need Supplementary Planning Document Consultation

THIS CONSULTATION HAS NOW CONCLUDED AND THE MEETING HOUSING NEED SUPPLEMENTARY DOCUMENT HAS BEEN ADOPTED.  MORE DETAILS HERE.

BACKGROUND TO CONSULTATION

Public Participation 

The Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012,  (Regulation 12)

An initial consultation on the draft SPD was held between 5^th February and 9^th March 2021. The draft SPD has now been amended where necessary to address comments made during the consultation. The Consultation Statement explains where changes have been made to address the comments received and where amendments are not considered necessary.

The Local Plan contains policies which set out requirements for housing development, including the amount of affordable housing, housing mix and type, rural housing to meet local identified needs, rural workers dwellings, older people and gypsy and traveller sites. The draft SPD does not add new policies or requirements to the existing Local Plan, it simply provides additional guidance on the detail and criteria within these policies. The draft SPD is set out and provides guidance as follows:

Section 4 Open Market Housing

• Highlights housing mix expected

Section 5 Affordable Housing

• Sets out the definition of affordable housing, the amount of affordable housing required
• Explains how the commuted sums in the Forest of Bowland AONB and Vacant Building Credit are calculated
• Provides the criteria which will be used when determining whether a site qualifies for Vacant Building Credit
• Explains the tenure mix, dwelling sizes and types required
• Provides a set of principles for how affordable housing should be designed and integrated or ‘pepperpotted’ throughout sites to ensure the provision of mixed communities

Section 6 Housing in the Arnside & Silverdale AONB

• Provides guidance on the approach to the location of new housing in the AONB and the requirement for housing to meet an identified local need

Section 7 Rural Housing

• Explains how the requirement for rural housing to meet ‘evidenced local needs (as required by policies SP2, DM4 and AONB plan) is expected to be evidenced provides information about exception sites

Section 8 Housing for Rural Workers

• Provides additional guidance about the provision of housing to meet the needs of rural workers
• The evidence required to support applications
• The acceptable size

Section 9 Housing for Older People and Those with Specific Needs

• Explains how proposals for housing to meet older people and those with specific housing needs will be considered

Section 10 Gypsy and Traveller Sites

• Explains it is not intended to pursue a Gypsy & Traveller allocation DPD at present as no suitable sites have come forward, this will be explored further at a later date
• Provides guidance upon the design and layout standards that new sites are expected to meet

Before responding to the consultation

Please view the draft Meeting Housing Need SPD and the Consultation Statement documents, to the right of this page

We are asking for comments on the final detail of the draft SPD. We will address comments by making further amendments to the SPD where necessary or where we do not make changes, we will explain the reasoning within an updated consultation statement. Following this consultation and subject to any further amendments considered necessary, it is intended to adopt the SPD for use in decision making.

Responding to the consultation

If you would like to respond to this consultation, there are a number of ways to make comment:

• Complete the online response form below– once submitted your comments will be sent directly to the Planning and Housing Strategy Team
• Email your comments to: planningpolicy@lancaster.gov.uk
• Post your comments to: Planning and Housing Strategy Team, Planning & Place Service, Directorate for Economic Growth & Regeneration, Lancaster City Council, PO Box 4, Town Hall, Dalton Square, Lancaster LA1 1PJ using the  Response Form