Decision details

Cabinet received a report of the Head of Planning and Development which set out details of the action plan required by the National Planning Policy Framework.

Councillor Johnson introduced the report. He explained that the council was required to produce the Housing Delivery Test Action Plan as the council had not met its housing delivery targets.  The council had achieved 48% of the set target.  Officers had carried out research and engaged with the development industry.  Reasons that had come forward had been lack of sites, constraints within the borough and high land values.  The actions the council was able to take were set out in the report.  He highlighted the provision of affordable housing and stressed this was a major priority for the council.  The council should take the opportunity to challenge developers’ viability tests more.

 Councillor Johnson stated that if the report was approved at the meeting then the action plan would be published on the council’s website.  He noted that if all the applications that had been approved by Development Management Committee had been built the council would have met 100% of its target.

The Mayor thanked the Head of Planning and Development and the Planning Policy Officer for their hard work in producing the action plan.

In response to Councillor Bell’s question about the order of items in the table on page 12 of the report, Councillor Johnson confirmed they were listed in no specific order.

Councillor Bell then referred to a motion regarding government targets and the new planning bill that had been debated and agreed at Council in July.  He asked if the Mayor had received any communication from the government minister.

The Mayor replied that he had written a further communication to the minister about the unrealistic target for Watford.  A response had been received advising that the council should use any means necessary to meet its target.  The message had been clear.  The council continuously made the point, but pressure to meet targets was maintained on councils similar to Watford.

The Head of Planning and Development added that since changes had been made to the government department, councils were waiting to see what the new department would do regarding planning reforms.

Councillor Johnson commented that representatives from the council would be meeting Watford’s MP at the Houses of Parliament in December.  They would listen to his concerns but also explain how the process worked.

RESOLVED –

That the Housing Delivery Test Action Plan 2020, attached as Appendix A to the report, is approved to be published on the Council’s website to ensure the Borough complies with the National Planning Policy Framework and Planning Practice Guidance.