Purpose

The Interim Housing Position
Statement to Boost Supply provides a positive and proactive
mechanism for dealing with planning
applications for new housing development in the absence of a 5-year
housing land supply.
 
The
Kirklees Local Plan identified a housing requirement of 31,140
homes (1,730 per year) between 2013 and 2031 to meet local needs.
Local planning authorities are required to identify and update
annually a supply of sites sufficient to provide a five-year supply
of housing against their Local Plan housing requirement. However,
the 2023 annual update of the five-year housing land supply
position demonstrates 3.96 years supply of housing land.
 
In the absence of a five-year
housing land supply, planning applications for housing must be
considered in the context a presumption in favour of sustainable
development (the tilted balance). This requires planning
applications to be considered favourably subject to other policy
tests and material considerations.
 
The Interim Housing Position
Statement to Boost Supply provides clarity
about the application of the ‘presumption in favour of
sustainable development’ for
landowners, developers, agents, and the public submitting planning
applications for housing to enable more effective and timely
decision-making through the planning application
process.
 
The interim statement does not
set new policy and does not replace the Development Plan for
decision making purposes but has been produced as a positive and
pro-active way forward in the absence of a five-year supply of
housing land. Once adopted, the interim
statement would become a material consideration in determining
planning applications.
 
The Council has actively engaged with the
Housing Growth and Homes and Neighbourhood teams in the preparation
of the document in relation to the wider council actions that
contribute to boosting housing land supply and delivery.
 
Background papers: Cabinet
Report (Interim Housing Position Statement to Boost Supply)
21/12/2023.
 
 
 

Content

RESOLVED –
 

1)   
That approval be given to the Interim Housing Position Statement to
Boost Supply, and its publication.

2)   
That authority be delegated to  the
Strategic Director (Growth and Regeneration) to make any necessary
minor amendments and corrections to the document prior to
publication.