The Government’s revisions to the NPPF were published on 12th December 2024. Whilst the impacts of the document have yet to be understood and explored (no doubt through the Appeals process), Nathan Mcloughlin, Managing Director at Mcloughlin Planning, thought it would be timely to look at the headline impact on housing numbers in Gloucestershire.
It will come as no surprise to anyone that the Government is committed to building and removing the barriers to housing delivery. This has been the government’s message since day one, embodied in their bold aspiration to deliver 1.5 million new homes over the lifespan of the current parliament. This has necessitated a review of the Standard Method for calculating housing needs across the country.
Housing Requriements
In terms of what it means for Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) in Gloucestershire, their annual housing requirement are adjusted as follows:
Cheltenham: was 545 now 824
Cotswold: was 504 now 1,036
Forest of Dean: was 330 now 600
Gloucester: was 663 now 685
Stroud: was 620 now 820
Aside from Gloucester, there is a clear increase in housing across the remaining LPAs, with a particularly dramatic increase in the Cotswold District.
So, what does this mean?
For plan making, aside from Stroud, all the LPAs will be required to produce a plan that uses the standard method as its housing requirement. It will be for individual LPAs to demonstrate why achieving these figures is impossible. Nathan foresaw some very detailed and challenging discussions ahead within LPAs about accommodating these figures. Inevitably, this will require green field and Green Belt land to be released for housing development across the county. Those who think that the Green Belt should not be released or that existing commitments and brownfield land are the saviour of the Green Belt will be disappointed.
Turning to Stroud, it is the outlier because its Plan is the subject of a rather prolonged Examination. If the Plan fails (which is a risk), it will return to square one with the other LPAs.
From a decision-making standpoint, especially on housing schemes, it raises the issue of housing land supply, with LPAs now having to demonstrate five years’ worth. Only Cotswold District Council claims to have six years’ supply in Gloucestershire. However, Nathan initially believed this position to be highly debatable and will inevitably be tested at Appeal.
Over the coming weeks, their understanding of the NPPF’s impacts on the County will undoubtedly become more apparent. But at this initial stage, it’s clear that there is considerable opportunity to bring sites forward early, similar to the push for applications and appeals in the late 2000s and early 2010s.
As a final note, let’s look at the most important thing, which often gets overlooked in the inevitable cut and thrust of the planning debate. Above all, it is about providing people with a home.
Nathan says, “This is why I do what I do and why I love my choice of career. We simply do not build enough houses or anything like that. Increasing the ability for someone to have a home can only be a good thing.”
If you want to understand Mcloughlin Planning’s thoughts about what it means for the Districts or sites you want to acquire in more detail, please call Nathan Mcloughlin.
