Issue - meetings

Background:

This report provided an update on two aspects of the Planning Service’s work. It presented a revised timetable to produce the Medway Local Plan in a Local Development Scheme (LDS). It also set out a Housing Delivery Test (HDT) Action Plan that considered measures to help boost the supply of housing in Medway.

The report explained that the updated Medway LDS, set out at Appendix 1 to the report, reflected the additional work on the Strategic Transport Assessment, in line with the advice from Highways England as a statutory consultee. It also presented the ongoing work on the preparation of Neighbourhood Plans in Medway.

The report stated that the key stages of the programme to adoption of the Local Plan are as follows: 

The report explained that publication of the HDT Action Plan, attached at Appendix 2 to the report, by August 2020 was required by the Government. It was explained that the predicted results show that Medway will pass the HDT in 2022 if it delivers the number of homes set out in the housing trajectory based on market intelligence and analysis of past trends. The timing would coincide with adoption of the Local Plan and would mean Medway would be able to make decisions based on the adopted policies including the sites allocated for housing in favour of other sites.

A Diversity Impact Assessment had been carried out on the proposals, as set out in Appendix 3 to the report.

Reasons:

Cabinet is requested to approve the Medway LDS, 2020, to provide clarity on an updated programme for the preparation of the Medway Local Plan.

Cabinet is requested to approve the publication of the Medway HDT Action Plan, 2020, to meet requirements set by Government.