Introduction of “urban capacity studies” stalls development plans
Lucy Coppin
New rules that force councils to calculate the number of new homes they can absorb are stalling development plans in half of Britain’s town halls, an expert warned this week.
Head of planning at GVA Grimley, Stephen Robinson, said that the so-called “urban capacity studies” introduced in March under PPG 3 are perplexing councils.
“Research we have carried out within the London boroughs shows that 16 out of 33 are reviewing their plans within the next year. Many are putting their plans on hold to wait for further government guidance,” he said.
The House Builders Federation’s head of planning, Mike Newton, said: “Our biggest concern is that authorities will use this as an excuse to cut back on house building.”
Mike Straw, an associate director at Insignia Richard Ellis, said: “PPG3 is causing mayhem for local authorities. Authorities at Bath and High Wycombe are having to go back to the drawing board as inquiries, which are due to start soon, were drawn up before PPG 3 came into existence.”
Wokingham council is the latest to put its plans on hold.
Wokingham’s draft local plan allowed the development of 2,500 houses at Grazeley, south of the M4. The inspector who heard the public inquiry into the plan concluded it should not be adopted in its current form without an urban capacity study.
The inspector’s report said: “I fully appreciate that this recommendation has profound implications for the timescale envisaged for the adoption of the local plan. However, the consequences of developing on such a large scale in the wrong place would be grave and irreversible, and far outweigh the short-term expedient of meeting a numerical housing target.”
John Garlick, a partner at Reading-based agent Haslams, said Wokingham council’s housing policy had “collapsed”, and pointed out that £8m of costs has already been incurred.
“Realistically, one can only see this as shutting down the supply of volume housing. Problems are now beginning to increase rapidly throughout the South East.
“What is needed is a coherent national policy for accelerating the supply of housing, not the complete reverse.”
A guide to help authorities carry out plans in accordance with PPG 3 is expected to be issued at the end of the summer.
