Joint Chiltern and South Bucks Authorities’ Monitoring Report DecemberDecember 20182018 Contents Page Table and Figure Lists 3 Introduction, Context and Purpose of the Report 5 Overview of the Districts 6 Housing 8 Economic Growth 19 The Environment 26 Development Plan Preparation and Progress 31 Development Management and Enforcement 35 Glossary 36 Use Classes 38 2 Table List Page Table 1 - Chiltern and South Bucks Sustainable Community Strategy and Corporate Plan 6 Bucks Key Themes Table 2 - Chiltern District Council Adopted Planning Documents 6 Table 3 - South Bucks District Council Adopted Planning Documents 6 Table 4 - Chiltern and South Bucks District Councils Housing Targets 9 Table 5 - Housing Indicators and Summary 9 Table 6 - Chiltern District Dwelling Completions: 2006/07 – 2017/18 9 Table 7 - South Bucks District Dwelling Completions: 2006/07 – 2017/18 10 Table 8 - Completions Split by Main Settlement from 2013 to 2018 for Chiltern District 12 Table 9 - Completions Split by Main Settlement from 2013 to 2018 for South Bucks District 13 Table 10 - Affordable Housing Delivered in Chiltern District 14 Table 11 – Affordable Housing Delivered in South Bucks District 14 Table 12 - Financial Contributions for Affordable Housing in Chiltern District 15 Table 13 - Financial Contributions for Affordable Housing in South Bucks District 15 Table 14 - Current and Future need for Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople 16 accommodation in Chiltern and South Bucks Table 15 - Current Permissions for Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople 17 accommodation in Chiltern and South Bucks Table 16 - Neighbourhood Areas 18 Table 17 - Economic Growth Indicators 19 Table 18 - Total Numbers of People in Employment in Chiltern and South Bucks Districts 19 Table 19 - Qualfications achieved in Chiltern and South Bucks Districts 19 Table 20 – Number of Employees 20 Table 21 – Job Density 20 Table 22 - UK Business Counts 20 Table 23 - Business Births & Deaths 20 Table 24 - Business Survival Rates 20 Table 25 – Town Centre A1 uses and Vacancy Rates 21 Table 26 - Changes in employment floor space in the District and Local Centres in Chiltern 22 Table 27 - Changes in employment floor space in the District and Local Centres in South 22 Bucks Table 28 - Loss of Office Floor space (B1(a)) ‘Granted’ through Prior Notifications by 23 Settlement – Chiltern Table 29 - Loss of Office Floor space (B1(a)) ‘Granted’ through Prior Notifications by 24 Settlement – South Bucks Table 30 - Actual Loss of Office Floor space (B1(a)) through Prior Notifications by 24 Settlement – Chiltern Table 31 - Actual Loss of Office Floor space (B1(a)) through Prior Notifications by 24 Settlement – South Bucks Table 32 - Environmental Indicators 26 Table 33 - Sustainable Technologies and Techniques 29 Table 34 - LDS Timetable 32 Table 35 – CIL Timetable 33 Table 36 – Development Management Statistics 35 3 Figure List Page Figure 1 - Chiltern and South Bucks Joint Local Plan Area 7 4 Introduction, Context and Purpose of the Report Introduction i) This Authority Monitoring Report (AMR) provides information on the Councils’ performance against planning policies. It meets the statutory requirements set out by national legislation. ii) This Authority Monitoring Report covers the period 1st April 2017 to 31st March 2018. Legislative Context iii) Section 113 (4)(a) of the Localism Act enables Local Authorities to publish a monitoring report in respect of a period which they consider to be appropriate in the interests of transparency, as long as it begins at the end of the last report and does not cover a period any longer than 12 months. The Councils consider that 12 months is an appropriate time frame for the monitoring report to cover and will therefore continue to publish a Monitoring Report on an annual basis as resources permit. iv) Part 8 of Section 34 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 establishes what should be included in the AMR. Purpose of the Authority Monitoring Report v) The purpose of the AMR is to report on: a. Whether the Councils are meeting their targets for preparing and/or reviewing Development Plan documents as set out in the Local Development Scheme (LDS) b. Local Plan policies the Authorities are not implementing c. The delivery of housing and affordable housing targets as set out in the Core Strategies d. Neighbourhood planning matters such as the status of Neighbourhood Plans where these are being prepared. e. Progress of the Community Infrastructure Levy if one is being prepared f. Actions taken as part of the statutory Duty to Cooperate; and g. Information collected for reporting purposes relating to the Councils’ performance against targets and indicators set out in the Core Strategies vi) The AMR defines key local issues and provides an overview of the degree to which sustainable development is being achieved in the Districts. 5 Overview of the Districts The Partnership between Chiltern and South Bucks District Councils aims to improve the quality of life for everyone in the districts. We have three shared objectives, as detailed in the Joint Business Plan; 1. Delivering cost-effective, customer-focused services 2. Working towards safe and healthier local communities 3. Striving to conserve the environment and promote sustainability. The Councils work closely with partners such as the County Council, the Police, Primary Care Trust, Fire Service, Chamber of Commerce and Voluntary and Community Services through the Chiltern and South Bucks Strategic Partnership. This partnership working has helped to shape the long-term aspirations and vision for the district to 2026 as set out in the Sustainable Community Strategy. The Strategy has five key themes (Table 1). The AMR supports and incorporates these shared objectives and key themes assisting in monitoring these important aims for the districts. Table 1: Chiltern and South Sustainable Community Strategy and Corporate Plan Bucks Key Themes Chiltern and South Bucks Sustainable Community Strategy and Corporate Plan – Key Themes Theme 1 Thriving Economy - lifelong enterprise, the entrepreneurial heart of Britain Theme 2 Sustainable Environment - protecting our heritage, protecting our future Theme 3 Safer Communities - being safe, feeling safe Theme 4 Health and Well-Being - healthier, happier and longer lives Theme 5 Cohesive and Strong Communities - strong, confident and active communities Chiltern District Council currently has an adopted Core Strategy (2011) and Local Plan (1997). The Council also has numerous Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs) (Table 2). Table 2: Chiltern District Council Planning Documents Name Date of Adoption Chiltern District Local Plan 1997 Chiltern District Core Strategy 2011 Affordable Housing SPD 2012 Residential Extensions and Householder Development SPD 2013 Sustainable Construction and Renewable Energy SPD 2015 South Bucks District Council currently has an adopted Core Strategy (2011) and Local Plan (1999). The Council also has numerous Supplementary Planning Documents (Table 3). Table 3: South Bucks District Council Planning Documents Name Date of Adoption South Bucks District Local Plan 1999 South Bucks District Core Strategy 2011 Residential Development Design Guide 2008 Affordable Housing SPD 2013 Mill Lane, Taplow SPD 2013 Wilton Park SPD 2015 6 Figure 1: Chiltern and South Bucks Joint Local Plan Area 7 Housing Housing within Chiltern and South Bucks Districts is expensive, with the ratio of average house price to average income being 15.4 : 1 in Chiltern and 16.2 : 1 in South Bucks1. Additionally, there are 495 and 457 people on the Chiltern and South Bucks Districts housing registers respectivly, with the average wait for a 3 bedroom house with social tenanacy in Chiltern and South Bucks being 2 – 3 years1. Consequently, high house prices mean that access to affordable housing is a concern for local people, particularly key workers, young people and first time buyers1. The private rented sector is the main option to those who cannot afford to buy in the area but do not qualify for social housing. However, average house prices and rents are high, and in the case of South Bucks rents are the highest outside of Greater London1. It is thought that around 10% of the population in the districts is likely to be in fuel poverty, despite Chiltern and South Bucks being considered affluent areas1. The Council’s Private Sector Housing Strategy1 has identified four objectives to assist in overcoming these issues; • To ensure housing stock is suitable to meet the needs of disabled and older residents, • To ensure housing stock is free from significant hazards in order to reduce accidents and ill health, • To promote and encourage the provision of good quality private rented accommodation and to maximise the use of existing accommodation, including empty properties and; • To improve energy efficiency of dwellings in the district, and ensure affordable warmth is available to all residents. We aim to support these objectives within housing delivery to overcome important and significant housing issues across the two districts. Following earlier definition of Housing Market Areas (HMAs) and Functional Economic Market Areas (FEMAs) for Buckinghamshire, consultants ORS and Atkins were jointly commissioned by the four District Councils in Buckinghamshire to produce a Housing and Economic Development Needs Assessment (HEDNA) for the county area. A draft report outlining the housing and economic development needs of the county was published