Affordable Housing

(asked on 16th July 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many local plans have been rejected as a result of a failure of local authorities to co-operate to increase affordable housing, in England, since 2010.


Answered by
Christopher Pincher Portrait
Christopher Pincher
This question was answered on 21st July 2020

The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that local planning authorities are under a duty to cooperate with each other on strategic matters that cross administrative boundaries; and should collaborate to identify the relevant strategic matters which they need to address in their plans. Strategic policies should set out an overall strategy for the pattern, scale and quality of development, and make sufficient provision for housing (including affordable housing).

In July 2018 we introduced the statement of common ground to introduce much needed transparency over strategic planning issues, highlighting where effective cooperation is and is not happening ahead of plans being submitted for examination.

A local plan examination will first assess whether a local planning authority has complied with the duty to cooperate and other legal requirements. In considering whether the tests of soundness have been met, the examination Inspector will need to be satisfied that the Plan is consistent with national policy. We want authorities to work constructively together to ensure housing need is met and Inspectors are able to assess whether unmet need should be taken by other authorities through recommending modifications to a plan.

Some 16 Local Plans have been withdrawn from examination on Duty to Cooperate grounds since it was introduced by the Localism Act in 2011. These were often for a range of reasons, but on two occasions these included reference to affordable housing.

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