Ho u s i n g t a r g e t s

Under its many guises three Prime Ministers and three Secretaries of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities the current Government has been resolutely committed to growth But to varying degrees, those responsible for housing delivery have edged away from the 2019 manifesto pledge to deliver 300,000 homes per annum Liz Truss set out to remove so-called ‘Stalinist’ housing targets; whilst until recently, Michael Gove, as the re-appointed Secretary of State, has been more acquiescent, suggesting that that the target remained but the calculation and implementation would be ‘rebased ’

Housing need

We now know that Gove’s proposition is in fact not to tinker with the Standard Method for calculating housing need just yet Instead his proposals (as set out in the draft revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework) are potentially more extreme To recap, the key proposed changes regarding housing targets are: l Proposed additional caveats would allow for lower levels of housing to be planned in situations in which meeting full needs would result in adverse impacts, such as building at densities significantly out of character with the existing area, or where there is clear evidence of past over-delivery in terms of the number of homes permitted compared to the housing requirement in the existing Local Plan In such cases this over-delivery may be deducted from the provision required in the new Plan l Green Belt boundaries would not be required to be reviewed and altered if this would be the only means of meeting the objectively assessed need for housing over the Plan period It will be a matter for the individual local planning authority (LPA) as to whether such a review takes place l The duty to co-operate would be replaced by a future ‘alignment policy’, and plans will no longer be required to be ‘justified’ l Where the housing requirement is less than five years old, LPAs would no longer have to demonstrate a five-year housing land supply l Some LPAs with well advanced Local Plans will only need to demonstrate four years ’ housing land supply instead of five years for a period of two years from the point that the proposed changes to the Framework take effect

Potential impact

The stated purpose of these proposed changes is to provide more certainty that authorities can propose a plan with a housing requirement that is below their local housing need figure So, in effect, planning for fewer homes The consequence being that these deliberate steps will allow the needs of future generations to go unmet

Whilst some may welcome these proposals, many will lose out Unfortunately, it is more likely to be the more vulnerable, by which I mean those a) looking to get on the housing ladder, b) looking to find a reasonably priced rental property, c) on waiting lists for affordable housing or d) in need of other forms of specialist accommodation

For example, consider the ‘Green Belt’ authorities in Oxfordshire, Cambridgeshire and the Home Counties These are areas where housing pressures are some of the most acute in the country In many instances the key cities and settlements in these areas are surrounded by Green Belt meaning that one of the primary ways of meeting needs is to review Green Belt boundaries In other instances, reviewing Green Belt boundaries is necessary for the delivery of a sustainable growth strategy

Such is the nature of many people’s misconception of what the Green Belt actually is, and the way this often transposes into political pressure from a vocal minority, the danger is that some local authorities will take the easy route and seek to duck a Green Belt boundary review

The same can equally be said of housing delivery generally So often the protestations of a vocal minority distract local politicians from the important task of actually delivering for the more vulnerable groups within their constituencies These potential changes to the NPPF offer some new, helpfully nebulous reasons to local politicians to justify a failure to meet local needs

Of course, not all local authorities are looking for reasons to suppress housing delivery The reality of the situation is more complex it is rare to find a local planning department that is not grappling with the almost unresolvable twin issues of heavily squeezed budgets and staff shortages In this regard it’s fair to say that many local authorities simply don’t have the resource to critically assess difficult strategic planning issues and effectively promote growth strategies to the local population

Housing shortfall

The need and demand for new housing, affordable housing and specialist accommodation does not dissipate, however Young people will still be drawn to economically successful parts of the country If the homes are not available for them to occupy then we risk either perpetuating unsustainable travel patterns or the continued success of those areas, by cutting off the supply of new talent to the local industries

Likewise, those on the waiting lists for social housing do not disappear simply because the door may allow authorities to plan for less Such people still need places to live, often urgently Older people still need specialist accommodation with care, something that we are already failing to deliver in anything close to the levels needed

Regardless, we are already beginning to see some paralysis of plan making in the wake of the consultation on the proposed changes to the NPPF This follows the similar effect that the last few years of government messaging has yielded, leading some commentators to the speculate that England will see a shortfall of up to 100,000 new homes over the next five years Given all the other challenges facing the country at present, this is precisely the sort of own goal we could desperately do without

Matt is a Partner in the Carter Jonas Cambridge Planning and Development team and has been a planning practitioner since the early 2000s, working in both the public and private sectors services

Evacuation alert system helps protect social housing residents in Merseyside

Advanced has supplied its EvacGo evacuation alert system to Knowsley Heights, two high-rise residential tower blocks in Huyton, Merseyside, owned by Livv Housing Group Following a significant programme of compartmentation works undertaken in 2018, the 11storey Knowsley Heights buildings have benefitted from a refit that includes installation of Advanced’s EvacGo system, which is compliant with the BS 8629 Code of Practice

ABM Fire and Security Ltd undertook the complete, supply, installation and commissioning of the system A 4-loop, 16zone evacuation alert panel was installed in each building Each EvacGo panel is housed inside a STS 205 security-rated enclosure with patented BS EN 1303-compliant lock and key mechanism for exclusive access by the fire and rescue Argus Vega Sounder VADS audible and visual devices and interfaces were installed in the hallways of each of the 128 flats to ensure all residents, including people who are deaf or have hearing loss are kept safe and informed

AKW extends inclusive showering and bathing range AKW, a leading provider of bathroom accessibility solutions, is pleased to announce the addition of a range of wellknown products to its portfolio, thanks to the company ’ s acquisition of Contour Showers in 2022 These include a high-load bearing shower former, peristaltic waste pump, Vent-Axia extractor fans, walk-in and assistive baths, as well as a shower changing bed Stuart Reynolds, UK Marketing & Product Management Director at AKW, comments: “We are very happy to have welcomed Contour Showers Limited to our growing family and to be able to continue to offer their popular products to installers, specifiers and end users We are committed to making life better for those who need inclusive bathroom and showering solutions and these range additions enable us to offer even more competitively priced, high quality products that stand the test of time ”

Future proofing the 77 window and door system

AluK’s high performance 77 commercial window and door system has been comprehensively updated to ensure it not only complies with the 2022 amendments to Part L of the Building Regulations, but is ready for the 2025 Future Homes standard as well The modern, minimal aesthetic of the 77 system and its slimline, square profile design make it ideal for new-build, particularly multi-storey apartments The product comes with a choice of open-in and open-out window profiles The system easily meets the 1 2 W/m2K U-Value limit currently set for Part L compliance in new-builds using standard, cost-effective 1 0 centre pane double-glazing If even lower U-Values are required, then it can also accommodate triple glazing to achieve as little as 0 8 Wm2K n More details are on the product pages at www.rdr.link/lah011

New fabricated range to help streamline drainage stack installations

Terrain FUZE Stax is the latest addition to Polypipe Building Services’ Terrain FUZE HDPE drainage system The new range of two-part fabricated stack configurations is designed to make installing the most common low to high-rise applications simpler and quicker Because many large-scale drainage stack projects involve repeating very similar configurations of loose components across floors, significant time is spent on the same cutting and welding jobs

Using data gathered by its Advantage service, Polypipe Building Services has produced a range of stacks that reflect the most common of these standard configurations to help reduce installation time needed on site The range covers three standard applications kitchens, bathrooms, and utility rooms n Find out more about FUZE Stax here www.rdr.link/lah012

BBA approval for rainscreen stone wool insulation product

ROCKWOOL has been accredited with the British Board of Agrément (BBA) Agrément

Certificate for its NyRock Rainscreen 032 a stone wool insulation product specifically developed for use within ventilated cladding systems, as well as sealed systems such as curtain walling Manufactured using patented technology, it has a more efficient fibre structure that increases the density of air pockets trapped within each slab This results in an improved thermal performance when compared to traditional stone wool products The product has a low thermal conductivity of 0 032W/mK It has proven acoustic benefits and is water repellent, yet breathable Being manufactured from stone wool, the product is classed as noncombustible in Euroclass A1 n For more information go to www rdr link/lah013