Agenda item

To receive the report from Councillor Allcock, the Portfolio Holder for City Development.

Councillor Allcock presented her report and thanked the team of officers for the huge amount of work they have undertaken, and drew attention to the following points:

·         Placemaking Charter;

·         Water Lane;

·         Exeter Plan had three extensive consultations and Member engagement;

·         it was excellent that the timeline for transitional arrangements looked likely to be met; and

·         challenges in brownfield development.

Two questions had been received from Councillor M Mitchell.

1.    Question: Does the Portfolio Holder consider now is appropriate time to review the authority’s 35% affordable housing target in the light of our failure over many years to achieve anywhere near this figure? In 2022/23 the figure was 16.88%

Response: The Council’s 35% affordable housing (AH) target remains a central goal under Policy CP7, which applies to developments of 10 or more homes. However, achieving this target has been challenging due to factors impacting viability. To clarify, the 16.88% figure mentioned by Cllr Mitchell represents affordable housing delivered as a percentage of total housing completions in 2022/23. This percentage reflects the overall delivery rate, which is naturally lower than the 35% target that applies specifically to eligible developments.

Affordable housing delivery over the past five years, as a percentage of total housing completed, is as follows:

• 2022/23: 16.88%
• 2021/22: 18.97%
• 2020/21: 11.49%
• 2019/20: 14.65%
• 2018/19: 25.76%

In addition, recent data shows the average affordable housing percentages secured on specific S106 developments:

• 2021: 30% on average, plus financial contributions totalling £27,387.65
• 2022: 36% on average
• 2023: 43% on average, plus contributions of £467,011.12
• 2024 to date: 36% on average, plus contributions of £241,916.44

These figures reflect higher percentages on individual developments, often greenfield sites, with fewer viability issues. The Council has also secured 100% affordable housing on select schemes supported by Homes England funding.

Our approach to addressing viability includes acknowledging the impact of factors such as the Vacant Building Credit and the reduced national requirement (20%) for build-to-rent developments. Both factors can reduce the percentage of affordable housing achievable on certain sites.

Looking ahead, the emerging Exeter Plan considers the latest viability data, highlighting the need for a more nuanced approach. The Plan may shift away from a single percentage target towards differentiated requirements that reflect each site’s characteristics and development constraints, potentially improving feasibility while sustaining our commitment to affordable housing.

Our experiences have shown the importance of phased reviews and clear viability documentation to ensure realistic, sustainable, affordable housing contributions. National planning policy also requires that affordable housing requirements do not compromise overall project viability, which can sometimes limit our capacity to enforce higher targets.

Beyond planning policy, the Council actively pursues affordable housing delivery through initiatives outside of development management. These include Council-led developments and partnerships with Homes England and neighbouring authorities. Such collaborations provide additional funding, expertise, and strategic support, helping us bridge any shortfalls in delivery.

2.    Question: Can the Portfolio Holder explain why no planning enforcement action has been registered on the council website since the 28^th June 2023?

Response: The Council's approach to enforcement prioritises resolution through voluntary compliance wherever feasible, which can reduce the necessity for formal enforcement notices. However, I can confirm that when a formal Enforcement Notice is issued, a redacted version is promptly made available on our website in accordance with standard procedures and confidentiality protocols.

The limited number of formal notices over the past year reflects our success in achieving compliance without resorting to formal measures rather than a lack of enforcement activity. We continue to engage with site owners and operators to address breaches swiftly, aiming to prevent further escalations. Our team routinely monitors the website to ensure it accurately reflects any formal actions taken and updates as necessary.

The Portfolio Holder and the Assistant Service Lead – Local Plan, answered questions from Members’ making the following points:

·         that she had a strong personal interest in the northern hills, which is a designated landscape setting, protected in the plan;

·         the best that could be done would be to get the plan submitted with the new policies; and

·         evidence of landscape setting would be updated to ensure protection.

Remaining questions would be answered in writing and appended to the minutes.