The Group Manager Planning and Development Services presented a report, the purpose of which, was to inform the Development Control Committee of the outcome of the Joint Housing Land Availability Study (JHLAS) 2019 (attached at Appendix 1).

He explained that the requirement to maintain a 5-year supply of readily developable housing land in each Local Planning Authority across Wales is a key planning policy requirement of the Welsh Government. The planning system, through the Local Development Plan process, must provide the land that is needed to allow for new home building and Local Planning Authorities are required to ensure that sufficient land is genuinely available to provide a 5-year supply of land for housing.

The JHLAS is the mechanism for Local Planning Authorities to demonstrate that they have a five year housing land supply by providing an agreed statement of housing land availability set against the housing requirements of an adopted Local Development Plan.

With regards to the present situation, he advised that it should be noted, that as at 1 April 2018, 18 out of the 25 Local Planning Authorities in Wales were unable to demonstrate a 5 year housing land supply. This had resulted in an increase in the number of speculative planning applications for housing.

In terms of the Development Control process, paragraph 6.2 of TAN 1 guidance advises that the housing land supply figure will be treated as a material consideration in determining planning applications. When a study shows supply being less than 5 years the need to increase supply will be given considerable weight when dealing with planning applications.

However, he added that in July 2018, Welsh Government temporarily dis-applied paragraph 6.2 of Technical Advice Note 1, Joint Housing Land Availability Studies (TAN 1), to remove the reference to attaching “considerable” weight to the lack of a five-year housing land supply as a material consideration in determining planning applications for housing. This was to ensure the most appropriate housing sites are brought forward as part of a systematic and rigorous Local Development Plan process.

Bridgend’s latest 2019 JHLAS was attached at Appendix 1 to the report. Set against the housing requirement of the adopted Local Development Plan, the Study demonstrates that Bridgend County Borough has a 2.9 year housing land supply (representing a shortfall in the TAN 1, 5 year requirement) with a total land supply within the 5 year study period of 3033 units.

As there are only 2 years remaining (up to 2021) of the Local Development Plan period, which is less than the 5 year JHLAS period up to 2023, a mathematical method prescribed by TAN 1 guidance has been used to calculate the annual average requirement as part of the 5 year land supply calculation.

Finally, he announced that the outcome of this Study will also be reported in the Local Development Plan’s Annual Monitoring Report, with the reasons why there is a shortfall in the required 5-year housing land supply. This will be addressed the Replacement Local Development Plan process.

RESOLVED:                    That the 2019 Joint Housing Land Study be noted.