Report of Head of Regeneration and Development

A report was received from the Head of Regeneration and Development.  The Authorities’ Monitoring Reports (AMR) were required to outline the progress made on the local plan timetable and assess the effectiveness of planning policies against various targets and indicators to see whether the local plan objectives were being achieved. 

The Mayor welcomed the report and asked about the frequency of publication. 

The Head of Regeneration and Development explained that the plan used to have to be submitted to government.  Although this is no longer the case it still had to be reported annually to Cabinet.  The Head of Regeneration and Development drew Cabinet’s attention to page 159 of the agenda where a score card had been produced for this year to provide people with an easy way in to the report.

Councillor Sharpe commented that it was a substantial piece of work every year.  Its purpose was so the council had a way of assessing whether the planning policies and frameworks needed to be significantly modified or change direction.  If the council had a clear local plan strategy then there should not be any unexpected surprises.  A large amount of work had taken place: there was already a core strategy, the final consultation on Local Plan Part 2, Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) charging was agreed, work on conservation areas – particularly updating the appraisals and conservation area management plan – was proving successful as a result of having a strategy, it had been possible to get funding for improvement projects. 

Councillor Sharpe explained that he had attended the Royal Town and Planning Institute (RTPI) conference last year where there was great anxiety from councils who were vulnerable to planning appeals and who were close to the end of their five year supply of land.  Watford Borough Council had gone beyond this.  Development was always controversial but nonetheless it was better to guide it to acceptable places.  The Council would continue to seek to increase affordable housing through requiring 35% provision for major applications in the policy. 

Although nationally there had been a difficult economic period, there were jobs being created.  Improvements to the public realm were helping to create an environment in Watford that people wanted to do business in, and as a result projects like Charter Place were happening.  The Council was in a good a position.

The Mayor explained that Watford was in the upper quartile of councils for planning policies and was surprised at the number of councils that were not in the same position with their policies.  There was legislation from the government which meant that policies such as assumed permission on brown field sites were being introduced.  Although the council had a genuine desire to increase the number of homes it was important not to be vulnerable to developers. 

The Head of Regeneration and Development continued to explain that in terms of the Housing and Planning Bill, it was likely from March that if a council did not have a post 2004 adopted plan the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) would step in and make a plan for that council.  Watford Borough Council was not a place like that and had recognised that it was more important to be a town with a plan than a hostage to fortune.

The Mayor requested a meeting to draw together some of the conclusions from the report.  For example in the report it stated that fewer 3 bed properties had been built, however, this would not be an issue as there was greater demand for 2 bed properties.  Therefore, it was important to draw out some of the underlying issues.

Councillor Bell welcomed the report and noted that it only went up to 31 March 2015, therefore, there would have been developments completed since then. 

The Mayor responded that the town’s demographics had shifted and there was work taking place on what our town looked like now and how to align services differently. 

The Mayor passed on her thanks to the team for the report.

RESOLVED

That Cabinet notes the information provided by the AMR 2015.