Issue - meetings

To consider approving for consultation the proposed Redditch Growth Consultation Document, to be carried out between 25th February 2013 and 8th April 2013.  The consultation would be held jointly by Redditch Borough Council and Bromsgrove District Council.

(Report attached – Appendices available via the Council’s website or in Hard Copy in the Group Rooms)

Officers introduced a report that was seeking approval for consultation to be carried out between 25^th February and 8^th April 2013 on proposed Redditch Growth. The consultation was to be carried out jointly with Bromsgrove District Council as the potential housing growth was to be contained within Bromsgrove District.

The meeting was informed that the proposed growth was to meet the need which had been identified in a Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA). This work suggested that the housing requirement for Redditch to 2030 was 6,380 dwellings. A second assessment, a Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) had demonstrated that there was the capacity to accommodate around 3,000 dwellings within Redditch Borough, leaving a balance of around 3,400 dwellings to be accommodated cross boundary. Local authorities were required to demonstrate a five-year housing land supply, based on their housing requirement, and Redditch was unable to fulfil this requirement within its own boundaries.

Twenty potential sites around the borders of the Borough of Redditch were initially assessed and, of these, five were progressed to focussed site appraisal. The outcome of this second stage was the identification of sites at Foxlydiate and Brockhill East as the most suitable options for housing growth.

Some Members did not accept the need for an additional 6,000 houses. A site visit undertaken the previous Saturday had provided an insight into the impact of the proposed growth. It was suggested that there should be an opportunity for Members and other consultees, including residents, to consider further areas of land. It was noted that, during the consultation on Local Plan No. 3 the public had been presented with choices and the thought was expressed that consultation was not particularly meaningful in the absence of choice. It was further suggested that there were additional pieces of land which were not being considered for development because of the potential impact upon Bromsgrove District. Officers were asked how many houses had built since the Regional Spatial Strategy had been released in 2009 and whether these could be offset against the current housing need.

Officers explained that not having sufficient land available to meet the current housing need left the Borough vulnerable to losing at appeal over applications for development, all other things being equal. An undertaking was made to provide Members of the Committee with the numbers of the houses built each year within the Borough since 2009.

The contention that increased housing alongside existing housing developments made an improvement in public transport more likely was questioned. It was suggested that the proposed growth would impact significantly on Webheath and Headless Cross whilst failing to meet the current shortfall in housing need. In answer to specific questions, Officers clarified that there were currently around 3,000 people on the Council’s Housing Waiting List and, of those, around 900 were in housing need.

Members of the Committee noted that there were a lot of outstanding questions about the sites being proposed for future growth and it was hoped that the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 144