Land Availability Assessment (LAA) Report 2017
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Land Availability Assessment (LAA) REPORT September 2017 Executive Summary The Land Availability Assessment (LAA) is a key part of a local planning authority’s evidence base on housing and employment. It looks at potential housing and employment sites, considers whether they are deliverable and developable, and when they could be developed. The assessment, which is undertaken using an independent Panel, helps in the process of delivering sufficient land to meet the housing and employment needed by local communities. This is the fourth Dartmoor National Park LAA Report. The first report was published in November 2009 and reviews were completed in 2010 and 2014. This report is based on a call for sites carried out October 2016- January 2017. The Dartmoor National Park LAA report looks at the potential housing and employment contribution of sites within the National Park, from both within and outside the planning process, over one to five, six to 10 and 11 to 15 year time periods. It includes a trajectory of potential housing supply over that 15- year period. Monitoring takes place through the Authority’s Monitoring Report, which compares the delivery of housing and the five-year supply of deliverable sites to the indicative annual levels of housing development set out in strategic planning policies. A LAA does not judge whether sites should be allocated for housing or employment and whether planning permission is likely to be granted. Any housing or employment allocations will be made within the local plan and following wide-ranging consultation. Determinations of planning applications submitted on LAA sites are made in the light of all the policies and material considerations that apply at the time. The results of the 2017 Dartmoor National Park LAA show that the indicative housing provision figure for Dartmoor National Park of 50 dwellings per year, as set out in the adopted Core Strategy, for the current 5 year period can be met through sites already in the planning process and those expected to come forward within that period. Of the 87 sites submitted, 55 were considered deliverable and developable for housing over the 15 year period. Less sites failed at Stage A in 2017 (10) compared to 2014 (15). The results of the employment assessment showed that there is a potential provision of 11.56 ha of potential employment space. No gypsy and traveller sites were submitted. There is significant over supply of sites, within and outside the planning process, to cover the indicative housing needs requirements within Dartmoor National Park in the first five years of the planning period. The adjusted provision figure is 1355 set against an indicative needs figure (DNP Core Strategy) for the five year period of 250 dwellings. There is a small under provision in years 6-10 of 123 dwellings, and more notable under provisions in years 11-15 of 36 dwellings. However the significant available over provision in years 1-5 illustrates more than enough land to meet the total indicative plan figure over the plan period. 1 Dartmoor National Park LAA Report – September 2017 The results show a wide variation in the supply of potential sites across the National Park’s larger settlements, the Local Centres. Sites have come forward in all the Local Centres and provide a significant supply in Moretonhampstead, Buckfastleigh, South Brent and Ashburton in particular. In terms of the general distribution of potential sites across the National Park, while the Core Strategy looks to at least 60% of all projected new housing development being in the Local Centres, the LAA shows a strong preponderance of potential land within those settlements. 67% of all potential housing is located within Local Centres and 33% within the Rural Settlements. Key issues for monitoring and review are: Need to examine the over provision in years 1-5 and how this impacts the under provision in years 6-10 and 11-15 through a reassessment; The need to consider the merits of a similar proactive approach in the local plan, through allocation of strategic housing sites to meet the needs of larger communities over the plan period, in order to respond to the recognised mismatch in provision in years 1-15; The need to re-examine those sites, particularly in the Local Centres where supply is lower, that were not considered developable or deliverable to assess whether there is scope to overcome or mitigate development constraints (e.g. flooding, contamination); Where there are neighbouring sites in different ownerships, to examine the opportunities for managed development of such areas; The need to investigate and update the area of suitable employment land available; Consideration of the issue of windfall contribution (which includes exceptions sites) to housing delivery within the National Park, and the extent to which that contribution can or should be quantified and phased; and The need for particular effort to identify sites (including those already considered) which could provide for gypsy and traveller accommodation. 2 Dartmoor National Park LAA Report – September 2017 Contents 1 Introduction................................................................................................ 5 Approach and methodology ......................................................................... 6 2 The purpose and content of the assessment............................................. 7 Purpose and minimum requirements of a LAA ............................................. 7 Monitoring and review .................................................................................. 9 Status of LAA report and identified sites ...................................................... 9 3 Involvement of Stakeholders in the LAA .................................................... 9 Joint Methodology for the Exeter Housing Market Area ............................... 9 The LAA Panel ........................................................................................... 10 LAA Panel membership .............................................................................. 10 4 The planning background ........................................................................ 11 National planning policy ............................................................................. 11 Local planning policy .................................................................................. 11 Dartmoor National Park’s strategic housing requirement ........................... 12 5 Condition of the housing market .............................................................. 12 6 The scope of the assessment .................................................................. 13 Settlements assessed for the LAA ............................................................. 13 Stage 1: Planning the assessment ............................................................. 13 Stage 2: Determining which sources of sites should be included in the assessment ................................................................................................ 14 Stage 3: Desktop review of existing information ......................................... 14 Site size threshold ...................................................................................... 14 Stage 4: Determining which sites and areas will be surveyed .................... 14 Stage 5: Carrying out the survey ................................................................ 15 Stage 6: Estimating the housing potential of the site .................................. 16 Stage 7: Assessing when and whether sites are likely to be developed ..... 17 Stage 7a – Assessing suitability for housing .............................................. 17 Stage 7b - Assessing availability ................................................................ 19 Stage 7c - Assessing achievability ............................................................. 19 Stage 7d - Overcoming constraints ............................................................ 19 Stage 8: Review of the assessment ........................................................... 19 Stage 9: Identifying and assessing the housing potential in broad locations (where necessary) ...................................................................................... 20 Stage 10: Determining the housing potential of windfalls ........................... 20 7 Findings of the LAA ................................................................................. 20 3 Dartmoor National Park LAA Report – September 2017 8 Consultation on the LAA findings ............................................................ 45 Annex 1: Dartmoor National Park LAA Panel Membership – July 2017 ......... 46 Table and Figures Table 1 - Dartmoor National Park's Local Centres ......................................... 13 Table 2: Dartmoor National Park's Rural Settlements .................................... 13 Table 3: Stage A assessment criteria ............................................................ 15 Table 4: Gross to net developable area ......................................................... 16 Table 5: Stage B Assessment Criteria ........................................................... 18 Table 6: The distribution of submitted LAA sites ............................................ 21 Table 7: Overall assessment of submitted sites ............................................. 26 Table 8: Deliverable / developable sites by settlement and designation in the period 2015 - 2030 (dwellings) ......................................................................