Wokingham Borough Council will move quickly to finalise its local plan update in view of the new government’s recent announcements on changes to planning legislation.
At the recent Executive meeting, Lucy Watts said that given the recent announcements regarding a loosening on the planning rules, whether Wokingham Borough Council will wait for clearly guidelines before finalising its plan.
She said: “ Given that we’ve waited nearly three years for an update to the local plan, is it not best that the Council holds off publishing the plan a little longer to ensure that our local plan is compliant with changes?”
In his reply, Cllr Stephen Conway who has responsibility for the local plan, said: “The new government has indicated its intention to consult on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework.
“No details have yet been published.
“I’ve not seen anything in public conversation that might suggest delaying our local plan process would be acting in the best interests of residents or stakeholders,
“Indeed, I believe our best interests are represented by progressing the local man as expeditiously as a robust process allows.
Questioned about whether Wokingham Borough Council would ensure more affordable homes are built in right places, alongside infrastructure like schools, GP surgeries and transport, Cllr Conway said affordable housing was a “really big concern” for the council.
“It has been a concern throughout the local plan process, that we find means to deliver genuinely affordable housing, because there is a problem in the lack of affordable housing.
“This area has experienced very extensive housing developments over the last two decades or more, and its impact on affordability is negligible.
“In fact, prices have risen rather than fallen in that period, so it’s been more and more difficult to meet local housing needs through market housing.
“We are committed to trying to secure a greater proportion of affordable housing through the local plan process.
“How successful we will be would depend on the final stages of viability work, because we have to ultimately persuade the Government-appointed inspector at any inquiry that our plan is sound.
“He or she would judge that soundness on a whole range of things, but if we are seen to be asking of developers things they cannot reasonably be asked to provide and still make a profit on their developments, then the inspector may say we are asking for too much, and he may or she may require us to scale that back.
“Our aspiration is to push the current target higher, so we get a higher proportion of generally affordable housing in the total housing stock.
“Our assessment, and professional plans assessment, of where the housing need is in Wokingham, is for affordable housing.
“It’s not just for an expansion of the housing stock. That isn’t the answer to our affordability problem.”
