Issue - meetings

The Head of Planning, Regeneration and Leisure Services presented the Bromsgrove and Redditch Duty to Co-operate report for the Executive Committee’s consideration.

Members were informed that, like many local authorities, both Redditch Borough Council and Bromsgrove District Council were in the process of reviewing the content of their Local Plans.  In the existing Bromsgrove Local Plan, Redditch was due to receive over 2,000 houses built in the District to help meeting the Borough’s housing targets.  However, since the previous Local Plan was agreed, it had been found that Redditch would require far fewer new houses by 2040 than had originally been anticipated.  Officers were suggesting that the 2,000 houses should be returned to Bromsgrove and Bromsgrove District Council would then determine how this housing would be allocated.

Moving forward, Redditch Borough Council needed to continue to work closely with Bromsgrove District Council on the preparation of the Local Plans.  There needed to be a shared understanding of local housing needs between the two Councils and ongoing co-operation.

Following the presentation of the report, Members discussed the content of the report and the possible implications of returning the 2,000 houses to Bromsgrove District Council’s housing development figures.  Concerns were raised that, in the long-term beyond 2040, this could result in the need for Redditch Borough Council to undertake development on green belt land.  However, Officers explained that it was unlikely that a planning inspector would be supportive of arguments that the housing figures should be retained by Redditch Borough Council to help meet housing needs after 2040.  There were other local authorities in the region that would potentially need to claim these houses in order to meet their housing development targets.

RECOMMENDED that

the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Redditch Borough Council and Bromsgrove District Council be agreed.