Council told to ‘triple’ housebuilding amid ‘acute’ need for new homes

A Kent^[1] council has been warned it must "triple" the number of houses built in its area - including on greenbelt land - amid an "acute" need for new homes. Sevenoaks District Council^[2] was told it needs 10,500 homes over the next 15 years, equivalent to 700 each year.

It comes as the council prepares to consult residents on its local plan – which guides what can be built and where in the district until 2040. Part of this would see a new settlement of 2,500 homes at Pedham Place, near Farningham and Swanley.

Sevenoaks^[3] is 93 per cent greenbelt land, where stricter planning rules make it harder for developers to build. In 2020, the council’s previous local plan was rejected by the government’s Planning Inspectorate for not meeting housing needs.

Hannah Gooden, planning policy chief, speaking to the Development and Conservation Advisory Committee on October 31, said: “We need to address these very real development needs for housing, for example for affordable housing, housing for older people, for strategic infrastructure.” The planning officer went on: “Clearly the more we build within our settlements the less greenbelt needs to be released.”

She added that the exceptional circumstances of the area’s “acute” housing needs means redrawing the green belt boundary and building on it is a must. She said: “We need to plan for 712 homes a year. So over the 15-year plan period that’s about 10,500 homes.

“Bearing in mind that we currently build about 250 homes a year you can see it really is a step change in housebuilding, roughly tripling what we’re doing at the moment."

The same area of the proposed new settlement at Pedham Place is also set to host a new 20,000-seater stadium for rugby giants Wasps. This would also see a new hotel and training facility.

Cllr Rachel Waterton (Ind) told the committee her ward of Crockenhill adjoins the site of the planned new settlement. She said: “We struggle with the village being used as a rat run in general.”

Cllr Susan Camp (Lib Dem) said: “We know we need affordable housing, we’re crying out for it. If we don’t provide it it’s going to be disastrous."

The council’s policy is that 40 per cent of homes on new developments should be affordable.

Chief planning officer Richard Morris stressed to members: “Greenfield sites have the capacity to deliver much higher levels of affordable housing than brownfield sites because of the absence of abnormal costs, or costs of demolition of existing structures. So the chances of delivering higher percentage and levels of affordable housing on greenfield sites is an opportunity that I think we need to maximise.”

A spokesman for pro-housing campaign group PricedOut said: “The Green Belt is the single greatest marketing tool of the last century. It has convinced an entire population that it acts to protect the beautiful British countryside when the reality is there are countless greenbelt-designated sites that are just urban decay, fit for development.

“We have a housing shortage of 4.3 million homes with young renters expecting to be at least 37 before they’ll be able to afford their own home. We must build more homes and the only way we’re going to get that done is through planning reform.”

The committee voted to recommend that the cabinet press on with its consultation on the local plan. The consultation, where residents can give their views on the development plans, will open on November 23 and close on January 11, 2024, subject to cabinet approval on November 9.

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References

1. ^{^} Kent (www.kentlive.news)
2. ^{^} Sevenoaks District Council (www.kentlive.news)
3. ^{^} Sevenoaks (www.kentlive.news)
4. ^{^} The stunning Kent walk with a dog-friendly pub and crackling fire at the end (www.kentlive.news)
5. ^{^} Huge new housing estate in Kent village on verge of being approved (www.kentlive.news)
6. ^{^} HERE. (data.reachplc.com)