APPENDIX 4 Bracknell Forest Borough Local Development Framework Draft Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment Stages 1 - 5 To support Development Management: Housing and Commercial Policies and Sites Issues and Options document January 2008 APPENDIX 4 APPENDIX 4 Contents 1. Introduction 2. Methodology Figure 1: The Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment process and outputs 3. Stage 1: Planning the Assessment Table 1: Planning the Assessment – Issues and Actions 4. Stage 2: Determining sources of sites with potential for housing 5. Stage 3: Desktop review of existing information 6. Stage 4: Determining the sites and areas to be surveyed 7. Stage 5: Carrying out the survey 8. List of sites and their rating against Policy CS2 9. Next steps Appendices Appendix 1: List of Strategic Housing Partnership Members, November 2007 Appendix 2: Letter sent to stakeholders seeking details of potential housing sites Appendix 3: List of sites that need mapping – September 2007 Appendix 4: Map showing designations and consequential sites excluded from the survey Appendix 5: Analysis of windfall permissions, starts and completions since 1 April 2001 Appendix 6: Site Survey and Assessment Pro-forma Appendix 7: List of sites, their rating against the criterion set out in Policy CS2, and a map identifying their location Appendix 8: List of abbreviations APPENDIX 4 APPENDIX 4 1. Introduction 1.1 The Government’s Planning Policy Statement 3, Housing, (PPS3) 1 published in 2006, expects local planning authorities to ensure that sufficient and suitable land is available to meet the community’s need for more homes. To help deliver this, PPS3 requires authorities to prepare “Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessments” (SHLAA). These SHLAAs, or “Assessments“ as they are referred to hereafter, will form a key part of the evidence base to support the preparation of Local Development Documents that constitute part of the Local Development Framework. 1.2 The Government published guidance on the preparation of SHLAAs in July 2007 2. This specifies that the primary role of the Assessment is to: • identify sites with potential for housing; • assess their housing potential; and • assess when they are likely to be developed. 1.3 The guidance goes on to state that the Assessment should identify as many sites with housing potential in and around as many settlements as possible in the study area. In supporting the preparation of the Development Management – Housing and Commercial Policies and Sites Development Plan Document (hereafter referred to as the Development Management DPD), the Assessment should go on to identify sufficient specific sites for at least the first 10 years from the date of its adoption – i.e. to 2020. Ideally it should in fact extend to identify sites for a further 5 years beyond this. This Assessment therefore looks to the period to 2026. 1.4 This version of the Assessment has been prepared to support the consultation on the Issues and Options version of the Development Management DPD. It covers Stages 1 – 5 of the methodology, and the main actions and outputs documented in this version are therefore: • Background information on planning the Assessment; • Identification of sources of information to ascertain sites with housing potential; • A list of those areas that will be excluded from the Assessment; • A desktop review of existing information to source sites; • Documentation of how the sites and areas to be surveyed was determined; • Information about undertaking the site surveys; • A list of sites, cross referenced to a map showing the location of sites; • Initial testing of the potential of the sites against Policy CS2 of the Core Strategy 3; • Information to inform the various housing options for the Council and stakeholders to consider. 1 Planning Policy Statement 3: Housing (Communities and Local Government, 2006) 2 Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessments Practice Guidance (Communities and Local Government, 2007) 3 Bracknell Forest Borough Local Development Framework: Core Strategy Development Plan Document (Submission), November 2006, incorporating Inspector’s recommendations November 2007 APPENDIX 4 1.5 At this stage, the inclusion of a site in this version of the Assessment does not mean that it will be allocated for development in the Development Management document . This version of the Assessment does not make any judgements about the developability and deliverability of the sites. It simply lists the sites that have come to the Borough Council’s attention through the preparation process for the Assessment, and gives them a rating against the locational principles set out in Policy CS2. It should be noted that within this list there are sites that are simply not suitable for development. 1.6 However, this will be clarified in the final version of the Assessment, where a judgement on deliverability and developability will be presented in accordance with stages 6 and 7 of the methodology to inform the Preferred Options version of the Development Management DPD. This will be supported by the outcome of the consultation on the Issues and Options version of the Development Management DPD, and the preferred policies that emerge from this, and the results of character assessment work 4 and sustainability appraisal, and will lead to the allocation of specific sites. 1.7 A final version of the Assessment will therefore be published to support the Preferred Options of the Development Management DPD, due to be consulted on in October 2008. 1.8 It is therefore expected that the final version of this Assessment will also include: • A summary of key planning policies relating to housing delivery, in particular those relevant to the suitability of sites for development; • A list of sites, cross referenced to maps showing locations and boundaries of specific sites; • An assessment of the deliverability/developability of each identified site, including estimated timing; • An estimate of the potential quantity of housing that could be delivered on each identified site considered to be deliverable or developable; • Constraints on the delivery of identified sites; • Recommendations on if and how these constraints could be overcome and when. 1.9 In addition, the final version of the Assessment will: • Provide robust evidence for the provision of a five year supply of specific deliverable sites; • Provide support for the provision of a 5 – 15 year supply of developable sites; • Inform the preparation of a housing trajectory. 4 Character assessment work for parts of the Borough is currently being undertaken by Tibbalds on behalf of the Borough Council APPENDIX 4 2. Methodology 2.1 The methodology used to begin to prepare this Assessment is based firmly on the SHLAA practice guidance published by the Government in 2007. This guidance acknowledges at paragraph 15 that when the methodology is followed, “…a local planning authority should not need to justify the methodology used in preparing its assessment, including at independent examination.” 2.2 The key stages in the preparation of an Assessment are set out in Figure 1 below. Figure 1: The Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment process and outputs 5 5 This figure is reproduced from Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessments Practice Guidance (Communities and Local Government, 2007) APPENDIX 4 2.3 Based on this practice guidance, a methodology for the preparation of the Assessment for Bracknell Forest was drawn up, taking into account local circumstances. This methodology was circulated to members of the Strategic Housing Partnership, as well as the Local Development Framework Steering Group, for discussion and feedback. Following further refinement, it was then sent to developers, landowners, Registered Social Landlords and estate agents for consultation and comment. 2.4 Feedback from consultation generally supported the methodology. Many of these amendments were made, and the revised methodology made available on the Borough Council’s website. It is still available to view on request at the Borough Council’s Environment and Leisure Department reception. 2.5 This version of the Assessment is structured to reflect this methodology to cover Stages 1 to 5 inclusive. It sets out each stage, and the key considerations, actions and outputs (as set out in paragraph 1.4 above) under that stage, where appropriate. Each stage is supported by information in Appendices as applicable. 2.6 The remaining stages from 6 onwards in the methodology will be documented in the final version of the SHLAA that will support the Development Management DPD Preferred Options document, scheduled for publication in October 2008. 3. Stage 1: Planning the assessment 3.1 The Government’s Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment Practice Guidance (hereafter referred to as “Practice Guidance”) sets out several management issues to be addressed at the outset of preparing an Assessment. These issues, and the resultant action(s), are set out in turn in the Table 1 below. Practice Guidance Issue Action(s) Is it possible to carry out the SHLAA Working Group set up with other Assessment with other local Berkshire Unitary Authorities. Higher planning authorities in the level methodology being prepared which housing market area (HMA)? can be interpreted at the local level. The results from the SHLAA will therefore be capable of re-aggregation to form a more strategic overview. Work initiated at the local level to support DMDPD at Issues and Options stage. Is there an existing housing Existing