Bedford Borough Council’s inability to demonstrate a five-year housing land supply does not mean its Local Plan is “obsolete” – but it can weaken some housing policies used in planning decisions, councillors have been told.
The issue was raised during last night’s Planning Committee (Monday, 18 May) by cllr Jim Weir (Conservative, Great Denham) when he referenced an earlier email.
“I wanted to understand the consequences of a statement which is cropping up in more applications,” he said.
“[Which is] because we don’t have a five-year housing land supply, the Bedford Borough Local Plan 2030 is out of date – obviously, we are still four years away from the end of that plan.
“Does this weaken the policies and conditions that we use to protect and determine applications, or can applicants point to specific policies that are deemed to be out of date?”
Responding, Gavin Chinniah, head of planning and building control at the borough council, told councillors that the Local Plan 2030 remains the adopted development plan for the borough and continues to be the starting point when assessing applications.
He said: “Lack of five-year housing supply in Bedford Borough Council doesn’t automatically mean that the whole of the Bedford Borough Local Plan 2030 is out of date.”
Mr Chinniah said the main impact is that some policies linked directly to housing delivery or restrictions on housing development may carry “reduced weight” in planning decisions.
He added that applicants may seek to rely on the “presumption in favour of sustainable development” where a five-year housing supply cannot be demonstrated.
“Policies relating to matters such as design, heritage, flood risk, infrastructure, landscape, biodiversity, and residential needs will often continue to carry significant weight, even where a five-year housing supply cannot be demonstrated,” he said.
Mr Chinniah added that the issue in Bedford Borough was “less about the local plan becoming obsolete and more about whether some housing-related policies become less influential in planning decisions”.
He also noted that the council’s five-year housing supply position is not based solely on Local Plan allocations, as sites with planning permission or already under construction also contribute to the calculation.
The council is due to produce updated housing supply figures later this year as part of national monitoring requirements.
by John Guinn
Local Authority Reporter
