GOVERNMENT planning bosses’ ‘low confidence’ in Barnsley Council’s projected numbers for new houses being built in the coming years has been laid bare in a new report which confirmed the town is not on track to deliver its target.
The Planning Inspectorate said the authority’s so-called ‘local plan’ which is effectively a blueprint for future houses and businesses would fall short of its requirements due to a ‘significant deficit’ being identified in delivered sites.
The revelation comes after opposition councillors urged for a review into the local plan’s feasibility given the knock-on impacts caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, its cutting up of Barnsley’s green space and cost of living impacts.
Housing delivery in Barnsley stood at 84 per cent of targets between 2020 and 2023, meaning an under supply of more than 3,600 houses equired by the government was registered by the council.
The local plan set a target of delivering 22,000 homes between 2014 and 2033, which equates to about 1,100 per year.
However a report, compiled by inspector Beth Davies, said Barnsley’s falling short.
“The council confirmed that it has not been annually updating a supply of specific, deliverable sites as required by the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF),” she said.
“The last published five-year supply figure was in 2021 but the council reported high-level conversations with site developers, which I do not consider meet the requirement in the framework for ‘clear evidence’ that major development sites would begin within five years.
“Given these factors, I have low confidence in the council’s trajectory of its housing land supply.
“I conclude that there is a shortfall in the delivery of housing over the plan period, to date. amounting to between three and four thousand houses.
“The borough has a significant deficit in its housing land supply and, although I heard that remedies were being considered, there are currently no clear, substantial emerging policies that would remedy this problem within the remaining plan period.
“There therefore appears little chance that the requirements of certain policies of its local plan will be met.
“The low housing delivery means that a 20 per cent buffer must be added to the number it was a matter of agreement that the five-year requirement is therefore 9,215 dwellings.”
A sprawling site, north of Hemingfield Road in Hemingfield, was brought up in the report which has long been sought for development and was the subject of an outline planning application submitted by Hargreaves Land.
Having been rejected by the council, the Planning Inspectorate overturned the dismissal and awarded outline consent.
One of the reasons cited was that the land would yield between 165 and 180 homes a ‘substantial contribution’ towards the town’s housing projections.
“Given the housing delivery and land supply situation, this contribution towards the local housing supply would be a substantial benefit of the scheme, and would contribute towards the overall delivery of housing required,” a report added.
“The shortfall in delivery of both market dwellings and affordable housing is now considerable both in this area and across the borough.
“The current housing land supply is less than three years and probably of the order of two years.
“It can be concluded that the likelihood of the housing requirement in the local plan being met over the remaining plan period from the allocated sites is vanishingly small.”
Councillor Robin Franklin, cabinet spokesperson for regeneration and culture, said the council recognised the ‘importance of maintaining a robust and transparent housing land supply position’.
“That’s why we are currently updating our five-year housing land supply statement, which will be published in due course to inform future decision-making and provide clarity to our stakeholders,” he told the Chronicle.
“In the meantime, we remain committed to delivering sustainable, high-quality developments in line with the local plan and national planning policy, that will provide 28,000 new jobs and 22,000 new houses, and will continue to assess applications carefully to ensure they reflect the needs and aspirations of our communities.
“We are aware of the Planning Inspectorate’s decision and will be reviewing their report in detail to fully understand their reasoning.
“While the site in question has been granted permission, it’s important to note that each planning application is assessed on its own merits, taking into account the most up to date evidence and material considerations at the time.”
