Torridge confirm the 5-year housing land supply

Published: 04 December 2023

North Devon Council and Torridge District Council have published an updated Five-Year Housing Land Supply Statement which demonstrates that the Councils are able to show a sufficient supply of land for housing to meet identified requirements (5.18 years/ 104%).

The five-year housing land supply calculation provides an assessment of whether the projected supply of land for new homes is sufficient to meet identified requirements over the next five years. The requirement for local planning authorities to demonstrate a five-year housing land supply stems from national planning policy which seeks to support the government's objective of significantly increasing the supply of new housing. Recognising that North Devon and Torridge have a joint local plan, the five-year housing land supply is considered on a joint basis.

National planning policy effectively limits the weight that can be given to housing policies within the Local Plan when determining planning applications for housing development where there is a lack of a demonstrable five-year housing land supply.

Following a period during which the Councils were unable to demonstrate a five-year housing land supply, a statement was published in April 2023 which demonstrated a joint housing supply in excess of the minimum requirement for the five-year period 2022 - 2027. The position established by the April 2023 statement was subject to challenge through a planning appeal heard in July 2023 relating to proposed residential development at St Andrews Road, Fremington. The Inspector's decision, issued 11th September 2023, dismissed the appeal and endorsed the overall conclusions set out in the April 2023 statement, confirming that the Councils were able to demonstrate a five-year housing land supply.

Officers have now undertaken an updated assessment from a base date of 1st April 2023, based on the latest available data and evidence. This follows the approach to the assessment of five-year housing supply set out in the April 2023 statement, incorporating the recommendations made by the St Andrews Road appeal Inspector.

The updated assessment concludes that the supply of housing from deliverable sites in North Devon and Torridge exceeds the minimum requirement over the next five years (2023 – 2028). The published statement demonstrates a five-year housing land supply equivalent to 5.18 years, which represents 104% of the five-year requirement.

By virtue of the five-year housing land supply position demonstrated in the statement and the conclusions reached in the Councils' five-year review of the Local Plan, strategic policies of the Local Plan which relate to housing supply are considered up-to-date. For the purposes of determining planning applications involving new housing developments, decisions should continue to be made in accordance with the up-to-date policies of the Local Plan.

The statement also considers the implications of updated data on housing supply and delivery for the provisions under Local Plan Policy ST21 (Managing the Delivery of Housing). The analysis set out in the statement confirms that the opportunities for additional land release enabled by the policy are not brought into effect for the purposes of determining relevant planning applications. The Councils will explore appropriate responses to other requirements triggered by Policy ST21 in due course.

The approach taken to demonstrating the five-year housing land supply is considered to be in full conformity with the relevant provisions of national planning policy (NPPF) and planning practice guidance (PPG). Full details of the approach, assumptions, associated evidence and calculations are set out in full within the published statement.