Issue - meetings

To consider the report of the Director of Place, Planning and Growth (copy enclosed).

The Council considered the report of the Director of Place, Planning and Growth seeking Members’ approval of the Five-Year Housing Land Supply (5YHLS) calculation for the Maldon District as at 1 April 2025 and attached as Appendix 1 to the report.

The report provided some background information regarding the 5YHLS and the calculation methodology. It was noted that the next calculation of the 5YHLS for the Maldon District was due in the summer of 2026 and would be undertaken in light of the revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) currently being consulted on, plus any updated guidance. Members’ attention was drawn to Appendix 1 and the current 5YHLS calculation of 4.1 years, noting that until the Council could demonstrate five years’ worth of housing land supply relevant policies within the Maldon Local Development Plan were considered out-of-date.

An update on the Local Plan review was set out in the report and implications of Devolution and Local Government Reorganisation. Members were informed that a new Project & Resourcing Plan and Project Initiation Document for a Local Plan under the new system was being prepared and would be reported to the Council in Spring 2026, following consideration by the Planning Policy Working Group (PPWG).

Councillor A Fittock, Chairperson of the PPWG, presented the report and then proposed that the recommendations set out in the report be agreed. This proposal was duly seconded.

The Director of Place, Planning and Growth referred to the collaborative working with Members, particularly the PPWG. He highlighted how the report set out the calculation of 4.1 years and the implications of the Council having a 5YHLS of less than five years. Other matters such as Local Government Reorganisation and the Government’s proposed initiatives to get the development industry built quicker were being considered and he outlined how further update to the 5YHLS would take place in due course considering any case law update and guidance. In response to a question regarding the testing of the 5YHLS by planning appeals, the Director explained how the Council had been open and transparent regarding the sites that made up the 5YHLS and he hoped that any statement of common ground would confirm 4.1years in line with what the Council had published.

The Chairperson moved the recommendations set out in the report and these were duly agreed. Thanks were given to Councillor Fittock for the work he done on the 5YHLS including assisting Members’ understanding of the importance of looking at the data and getting the analysis correct.

RESOLVED

(i)             That the Maldon Five-Year Housing Land Supply 2025 calculation position at 1 April 2025 (Appendix A to the report) is approved and published on the Council’s website;

(ii)        That authority is delegated to the Director of Place, Planning and Growth to make minor amendments and corrections, if required, to the Maldon Five-Year Housing Land Supply 2025 document (Appendix A to the report) prior to publication; and

(iii)       That authority is delegated to the Director of Place, Planning and Growth in consultation with  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13