Preferred Options November 2021

Object

Representation ID: 1884

Received: 13/12/2021

Respondent: Taylor Wimpey

Agent: Lichfields

Quotes the Hart Local Plan examination where the inspector raised concerns over a new settlement promoted within that Plan. The Inspector concluded that Plan established the ‘principle’ of the new settlement as the most appropriate growth strategy for meeting the Council’s long-term needs within a relatively confined area of search. However, he highlighted that the Plan had not tested other reasonable alternatives to a new settlement. As a result, he concluded that the policy, and therefore the new settlement, should be removed from the plan.
Taking the above together, it is considered that identifying a new settlement within this plan period is unnecessary, as it would not serve to meet the District’s, or GBBCHMA’s, housing needs in this plan period. Fundamentally considers that the Council have provided insufficient justification for why such an approach is necessary, and invariably such an approach
is likely to be found unsound at EiP. To this end, the Council should omit this policy from the draft Local Plan review as it is not necessary to make the plan sound.

Support

Representation ID: 1885

Received: 13/12/2021

Respondent: Taylor Wimpey

Agent: Lichfields

Taylor Wimpey fully supports the allocation of its site at Pool House Road (Site 285) as part of the wider allocation proposed in this area which includes additional land to the east (Sites 459 and 562/415).
The site would see the delivery of Safeguarded Land previously removed from the Green Belt and its allocation is supported by the findings of the Housing Site Selection Topic Paper.
The Concept Masterplan in the Delivery Statement for the site has been submitted alongside these representations.
However, it is not clear why the SSLP is seeking the provision of a highway connection to site 459 to the east.
Taylor Wimpey supports the delivery of infrastructure.

Object

Representation ID: 1887

Received: 13/12/2021

Respondent: Taylor Wimpey

Agent: Lichfields

Land at Clent View Road, Stourbridge has not been allocated for residential development and Taylor Wimpey objects to the SSLP on this basis.
Insufficient land is available within South Staffordshire and the Black Country and on non Green Belt land to meet the unmet housing needs of present and future generations and the release of Green Belt land is required. The site is not subject to any known constraints that would impede deliverability.
t the assessment of the site in the SHELAA is not justified
and it’s potential for allocation should be assessed as part of the work undertaken to inform the
next stage of the SSLP. As demonstrated in these representations, the site is suitable for housing and would be capable of delivering new homes within the first 5 years following the adoption of the SSLP.

Object

Representation ID: 1888

Received: 13/12/2021

Respondent: Taylor Wimpey

Agent: Lichfields

Policy HC1 – Housing Mix
Concerns regarding the Council’s proposed direction of travel and in particular the implied inflexibility in the policy. The policy should include wording that defers to alternative mixes should more up-to-date information become available. It would be inflexible and unsuitable to prescriptively apply a District-wide housing mix to all parts of the District when different areas will have differing requirements and demographic
profiles.
Households occupy market housing more in line with their wealth and age than the number of people which they contain. Although some adjustments have been made, this data is not necessarily reflective of South Staffordshire’s market. Adjustments need to take into account the impact of Covid and people wanting more space to live and work from home.

Object

Representation ID: 1899

Received: 13/12/2021

Respondent: Taylor Wimpey

Agent: Lichfields

Policy HC2 – Housing Density
It is not clear what the density expectations would be
for allocations on the edge of existing settlements (such as the proposed allocation at Pool House Road Wombourne). Taylor Wimpey would therefore request that clarification is
provided on this matter.

Support

Representation ID: 1905

Received: 13/12/2021

Respondent: Taylor Wimpey

Agent: Lichfields

Policy HC4 – Homes for Older People
Taylor Wimpey generally supports the provision of homes that are suitable to meet the needs of older people in principle. However, we consider that any requirement for
more specialist types of accommodation such as sheltered or extra care accommodation would best be addressed through the identification of specific allocations to meet this need.

Object

Representation ID: 1906

Received: 13/12/2021

Respondent: Taylor Wimpey

Agent: Lichfields

Policy HC7 - Self & Custom Build Housing
Consider that the Council’s policy should explicitly set out the evidence against which applicants should establish whether there is an ‘identified need’. In particular, the Council does not publish annually any data on the level of demand for SCHB, or how it has met its statutory duty to grant suitable permissions for the SCHB plots within the monitoring year. We also note that this policy requirement does not appear to have been properly considered in the Local Plan Viability Assessment.
Taylor Wimpey therefore considers that the policy requirement for major residential development to have regard to any need identified on the self-build and custom housebuilding register, with provision to be agreed on a site-by-site basis, should be deleted and the Council
should identify stand-alone sites which are specifically allocated to meet the local demand for self and custom build dwellings.

Support

Representation ID: 1907

Received: 13/12/2021

Respondent: Taylor Wimpey

Agent: Lichfields

Policy HC9 – Design Requirement
If local design codes are to be prepared, Taylor Wimpey would suggest that they are prepared alongside the emerging Local Plan rather than following adoption, so that the viability implications of their requirements can be properly assessed through the Local Plan process.

Object

Representation ID: 1908

Received: 13/12/2021

Respondent: Taylor Wimpey

Agent: Lichfields

Policy HC11 – Space About Dwellings and Internal Space
Standards
Taylor Wimpey objects to Policy HC11.
Taylor Wimpey notes that the Government’s decision to make these standards optional suggests that they do not expect all properties to be built in accordance with them.
With regard these criteria, we firstly note that no need evidence is provided in the SSLP and there appear to be nothing in the evidence base to justify the policy requirement.
An inflexible policy approach to NDSS for all new dwellings will impact on affordability and effect customer choice.
Taylor Wimpey considers that additional evidence needs to be provided if the Council wishes to proceed with this policy approach. If the Council is able to provide
sufficient evidence to justify the policy, Taylor Wimpey considers that a transitional period should be applied.

Object

Representation ID: 1909

Received: 13/12/2021

Respondent: Taylor Wimpey

Agent: Lichfields

Policy HC12 – Parking Standards
Questionable whether this Policy is required and whether
it should be introduced as it may not align with national requirements.
The costs applied in the Viability Assessment are too low.