The Principal Strategic Planning Policy Officer reported on the findings of the 2021 Annual Monitoring Report (AMR), in that notably, housing delivery was failing to keep pace with the housing requirement and new, deliverable housing allocations are urgently needed to relieve growing housing supply pressure.  He stated that it was imperative that the Local Planning Authority continued to progress with the statutory review of the LDP, to prevent ad-hoc development coming forward outside the development plan system.

He reported that the 2021 AMR must be submitted to the Welsh Government prior to 31 October 2021 and that its aim is to assess the extent to which the LDP Strategy and Policies are being achieved.  He stated that the AMR has two primary roles; firstly to consider whether the policies identified in the monitoring process are being implemented successfully; and secondly to consider the Plan as a whole against all of the information gathered to determine whether a complete or partial review of the Plan was necessary.

He reported that the key findings of the AMR are an annual shortfall in housing delivery, where completions were 300 dwellings per annum below that anticipated.  There was a 2,920 dwelling shortfall in housing delivery in respect of the cumulative average annual housing requirement, whilst, 111 affordable housing units were delivered and 1.46 hectares of vacant land developed in the year.  He outlined the vacancy rates of commercial properties in Bridgend, Porthcawl and Maesteg town centres.  He informed the Committee that a draft Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment was approved by Cabinet on 15 December 2020, and since its approval, a remaining need for 6 pitches had been identified.  He stated that any unmet need for sites would be met through the Replacement LDP. 

He also reported that the LDP Review Report (2018) had already recognised an urgent need to address the shortfall in the housing land supply through the identification of additional housing sites.  The shortfall in housing delivery was now even more acute and was failing to keep pace with the housing requirement.  He stated that it was fundamental to include sufficient, deliverable sites within the Replacement LDP to relieve growing housing supply pressure, otherwise, the gap between housing delivery and the housing requirement will continue to widen and extra housing sites will be needed to ensure the County Borough’s housing requirements can be delivered.  He informed the Committee that failure to act could also result in ‘planning by appeal’ and ad-hoc development coming forward out of accord with the Plan’s strategy.    

He concluded that the findings of the AMR provide an important opportunity for the Council to assess the effectiveness of the adopted LDP and to determine whether it needs to be reviewed.  He stated that the Local Planning Authority is progressing with the statutory review of the LDP which will address the shortfall in the housing delivery and facilitate the identification/allocation of additional housing land.  He informed the Committee that over 1,200 responses had been received to the draft LDP and these were being reviewed by officers.  He stated that further investment into the local economy was required and the Replacement LDP will stimulate take up of new employment land, mixed-use sites and regeneration opportunities (including sites in the Council’s ownership).  This would bring forward new schemes, masterplans and development briefs to enable development.  He stated that there was a pressing need to progress the Replacement LDP towards adoption to ensure the County Borough’s housing requirements can be delivered and to prevent the gap between housing delivery and the housing requirement from widening further.

RESOLVED:            That the Committee noted the content of the Annual Monitoring Report.