Update March 2024
BRIEFING STARTS
You may have seen the news about the recent delay to the SWDP Review examination process. If you haven’t then you can read it here.
While this delay is disappointing, we are working as fast as we can to get the requested evidence documents updated and agree a new timetable for moving to the next stage of the examination process.
Some of you have asked us what the implications of this are for the determination of planning applications being submitted or decided on in the absence of a formally updated and adopted SWDP, particularly given Wychavon does not currently have an adequate land supply.
We hope this short briefing note will help explain the current position.
Under recent changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) councils like ours that have progressed their emerging development plan to Regulation 19 stage are required to demonstrate they have a four-year land supply (down from five years).
Because of the mathematical formula the Government is using, which currently does not take into account oversupply in recent years, Wychavon only has a land supply of 2.78 years.
If oversupply in previous years was taken into account, Wychavon would have a land supply of 4.17 years and be in a stronger position to resist housing development in the countryside that does not accord with the spatial strategy of the development plan.
Although the Government’s Chief Planner has indicated recently that clarification is to be provided on how past oversupply can be factored into our housing land supply calculations, we are yet to see this. We are therefore lobbying the Government to urgently update its advice on how past oversupply should be taken into account, so it is fairer on councils like Wychavon which have adopted a pro-growth attitude to housing provision.
Unless we are successful in persuading the Government to change its position – and until the SWDP Review is formally adopted – we are in a position where the ‘tilted balance’ contained within the Government’s NPPF continues to be engaged.
This means when the council is determining an application, or an inspector is determining an appeal, the mindset of the decision taker needs to shift from a neutral balance where development plan policies relating to housing assume full weight, to an approach whereby planning permission should be granted unless policies in the NPPF that protect areas or assets of particular importance clearly indicate that permission should be refused, or any adverse impacts of granting permission would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits, when assessed against the policies in the NPPF taken as a whole.
The tilted balance provision within the NPPF does not mean all policies in the current SWDP are irrelevant or that planning permission should automatically be granted for every housing application received, although it does make it more likely planning permission will be secured. This regrettably does make it more difficult for us to resist unwanted speculative development that does not fully accord with the SWDP, and we know some of you are experiencing applications of this nature and that is understandably a cause for concern in your communities.
For those of you with a neighbourhood plan that is less than five-years-old, and which contains policies and allocations to meet the identified housing requirement set out in the SWDP, the adverse impacts of allowing development that conflicts with the neighbourhood plan is likely to significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits.
For those of you who do not have a neighbourhood plan, we have just committed in our new We Are Wychavon plan to supporting parishes with the process of securing funding and developing neighbourhood plans as we believe they have many benefits, not just in resisting speculative development. If you would be interested in exploring developing a neighbourhood plan for your parish, please contact our policy team on 01386 565565 or alternatively email the Planning Policy Team at policy.plans@wychavon.gov.uk who can discuss the process with you.
In the meantime, we will continue to lobby the government regarding the unfairness of the Government’s policy, guidance and methodology for housing land supply calculations, and the planning policy team are working as fast as they can to get the requested evidence documents updated so we can move forwards with getting the SWDP Review through examination and officially adopted.
We hope this provides some clarification and reassurance about this matter.
BRIEFING ENDS
Update September 2023
Further information is available at:
Update September 2022
The South Worcestershire Development Plan is now set to be considered by councillors during October.
The plan will first be considered by Worcester City’s Place and Economic Development committee at a meeting on October 3, and will then need to be approved by all three councils.
Worcester City Council will have their meeting on the issue on October 17, with Malvern Hills and Wychavon District Councils giving their verdict in the subsequent two days.
Should all three councils agree to the proposals, the SWDP will go through a six-week consultation period starting from November 1, where residents can give their views.
Following this, the plan will be submitted to the Secretary of State for scrutiny by the planning inspectorate to be reviewed next year.
The plan sets out the three councils’ vision for the area up to 2041 and includes a government target for an extra 11,000 homes on top of the 28,400 already planned for up to 2030 in the current SWDP, the majority of which have been built.
Most of the new homes will come through new settlements which will be close to existing or new railway links.
Worcestershire Parkway will see 5,000 new homes built up to 2041, with 50 hectares of employment land and another 5,000 homes are planned after 2041.
A new town centre, schools and other community facilities will be provided along with walking and cycling infrastructure.
Throckmorton will see 2,000 homes and 20 hectares of employment land by 2041, while infrastructure developments include walking and cycling links to Pershore Railway Station, which will also be improved.
Another 3,000 homes are planned in the second phase, which starts after 2041, alongside 40 hectares of employment land.
Rushwick will see 1,000 new homes planned alongside five hectares of employment land.
A new railway station will be built, with no other development allowed before the land needed to allow it and other infrastructure to be built has been secured.
A further 1,000 homes would be built on land identified near Mitton, with half of them helping neighbouring Tewkesbury Borough Council to meet its housing need.
A new primary school, community facilities and walking and cycling links are also included.
In Worcester, 866 new homes are planned along with 594 in Malvern, 10 in Tenbury and 376 across the Malvern Hills District.
Wychavon would see 916 new homes in Droitwich, 255 in Evesham and 212 in Pershore, with 1,069 spread across Parishes in the district.
Up to 40 per cent of all developments will be built as affordable housing.
You can read the full announcement from Wychavon District Council at:
Update July 2021
The review of the South Worcestershire Development Plan has been delayed again.
The decision is to give more time for vital technical studies to be completed.
It means the plan now won’t be published in October 2021 ready for public consultation and submission for independent examination in February 2022.
A new timetable is being drawn up for the publication and submission of the plan. This will be put before Malvern Hills District, Worcester City and Wychavon District Councils for approval in the near future.
Cllr Tony Rowley, Chair of the SWDP Joint Advisory Panel, said: “It is disappointing we have had to delay the review again but completing the technical studies is important to provide the evidence base to make sure we have a robust and sound plan.
“We will make sure this work is carried out and a new timetable published as soon as possible.”
The revised SWDP, sets out how a Government requirement to build another 14,000 new homes across Malvern Hills District, Worcester City and Wychavon by 2041 will be met. This is on top of the need for 28,400 new homes by 2030, more than half of which have already been built, set out in the current plan.
Update May 2021
This month sees the beginning of the seven-week consultation on the Travellers and Travelling Showpeople Site Allocations Preferred Options which will begin on Monday 17th May 2021. This draft plan sets out the preferred options for permanent pitches and sites in south Worcestershire for this part of our communities and there will be a briefing for parish and town councils on Wednesday 20th May 2021 from 6:00pm via Zoom, chaired by Cllr David Harrison of Malvern Hills DC. There will also be an additional meeting set for Tuesday 25th May 2021 from 6:30pm also via Zoom, chaired by Cllr Tony Rowley of Wychavon DC, which will provide an opportunity to the closest neighbouring residents of the proposed sites, and other interested parties to find out more about the allocations and raise any questions with planning officers. If anyone wishes to raise issues for discussion at either meeting, please contact:
parishcouncilclerk@charlton-worcestershire.org.uk
Update to the SWDP Review Timetable
Further to the adoption of the Local Development Scheme 2020-23 by each of the three South Worcestershire Councils at the end of September, the SWDP Review timetable has been formally updated. The update to the timetable to push back the Publication Consultation (Regulation 19) and subsequent stages of the process to later than originally planned is in response to issues with evidence collation arising from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The new SWDP Review timetable is as follows:
Additional Focused Consultation (Regulation 18) – March-April 2021
Publication Consultation (Regulation 19) – November-December 2021
Submission (Regulation 22) – March 2022
Independent Examination (Regulation 24) – May 2022-January 2023
Receipt of Inspector’s Report (Regulation 25) – March 2023
Adoption (Regulation 26) – April 2023
The Local Development Scheme 2020-23 can be accessed on the SWDP website using the following link – https://www.wychavon.gov.uk/south-worcestershire-development-plan/publications/local-development-scheme.
New SWDP Website
There is a new SWDP website which has now gone live, replacing the existing SWDP website which was hosted externally on WordPress. The new SWDP website can be accessed using the following link – https://www.wychavon.gov.uk/south-worcestershire-development-plan, with all links to the previous website (www.swdevelopmentplan.org) now automatically redirecting to the new website.
We hope you find the new SWDP website more user friendly and easier to navigate, but if there are any issues please do not hesitate to contact a member of the SWDP team.