Kingston Town Neighborhood Housing Delivering in Kingston Viv Evans Head of Planning and Transport 26th November 2015 Planning Practice in London - - Planning is a complex process - Many layers and links interact - - It is a top down process - - Kingston follows national policy and the London Plan - - Planning is constantly evolving through regulation and new (emerging) acts of parliament The Wider London Context The London Plan (consolidated with Alterations since 2011) Infrastructure Investment Plan for London The Next London Plan Housing Growth Green belt Crossrail 2 Kingston's place in the London Context Core Strategy 2012 A new Borough Local Plan KTC AAP 2008 Kingston Opportunity Area Plan underway Tolworth Area Plan being commissioned Cocks Crescent Development Brief underway We are not alone Do nothing is not an option Kingston Opportunity Area Plan: Progress Key Facts and Figures Size (Ha) Number of Potential Sites 42 Minimum new homes Clarification of Opportunity Area Status -Evidence base emerge (movement + bus) -Transport Study commissioned/underway -Co-ordination meetings with TfL/ GLA -Areas for Project Funding identified Kingston upon Thames: Opportunities Crossrail 2 The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames Housing and Planning Bill Main Provisions Part 1: New Homes in England Starter homes Self build and custom building Part 2: Rogue landlords and letting agents in England Private rented sector Part 3: Recovering abandoned premises in England Private rented sector Part 4: Social housing in England Right to Acquire from RSL Vacant high value LA Housing Reducing regulation Hi income social tenants Part 5: Housing, estate agents and rent charges: other changes Part 6: Planning in England Neighbourhood Planning Powers to SoS re Plan making Powers to the Mayor in London Registers of Land Permission in principle UDCs Part 7: Compulsory purchase etc Improving the CPO regime clearer, fairer, faster Housing and Planning Bill STARTER HOMES Market housing with a 20% reduction on the normal market price This reduction will be locked in for 5 years After 5 years the occupant can sell at open market value Limited to first time buyers under 40 There is a price cap of 450,000 in London (GLA area) and 250,000 elsewhere In London, homeowners who buy through this mechanism could get a 90K windfall after 5 years if they buy at the limit of 450K These homes will not be subject to CIL or s106 provisions as a means of assisting their funding LPAs having a duty to ensure their provision Severe impact on LPAs ability to provide affordable housing to those in the most severe housing need General Housing Provisions and Neighbourhood Planning General Housing Provisions Extends the right to buy to Housing Association tenants Requires Councils to sell high-value Council housing and replace with new affordable housing High income social tenants (over 40,000 in London, 30,000 elsewhere) on a market rent Neighbourhood Planning Provisions involve tighter timescales and a much clearer duty to assist Neighbourhood Forums in preparing their plans There is some support from DCLG at the moment to assist in deferring these additional costs, there is no certainty that this will continue so there is a risk that this could become a very significant financial burden for those LPAs LPAs will have to notify Neighbourhood Forums of planning applications in the same way that they now have to notify Parish Councils Other Provisions London Mayor Mayors Intervention threshold on housing Raised from 150 to 50 units Power to put in place LDOs with the agreement of the Borough Local Register Duty to hold a register of brownfield land capable of being developed for housing Sites capable of supporting 5 dwellings or more NPPF requires SHLAAs to consider all sites and broad locations capable of delivering five or more dwellings.. On sites of 0.25ha (or 500m2 of floor space) and above In London this will add a significant number of sites to the SHLAA process Permission in Principle cost of obtaining outline planning permissions was seen as a barrier to entry for small house builders planning permission with conditions and it is the only chance the LPA get to impose those conditions approach of separating the decision in principle from approving the technical details The devil will be in the detail Responding to Housing Need Three primary responses have been identified and are underway to increase housing provision for all tenures The responses can be summarised as:- - - The Policy Response - - The Development Management Response - - The Regeneration Response - These will have varying degrees if success in providing housing of various tenures that is affordable. The Policy Response The policy approach influencing policy at a national level and also refreshing and creating new local policy including:- - - Engaging in and responding to the provisions in the Housing and Planning Bill - - Engaging in and responding to the next London Plan - - The new Local Plan - - The Kingston Opportunity Area Plan Evidence of housing need and demand is being developed - - A Strategic Housing Market Assessment (housing need) - - A Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (housing demand) Issues mitigating against effective delivery of affordable housing: - Viability - - CIL The Development Management Response The Development Management team assess planning applications in Kingston. In assessing applications for housing development officers:- - - consider proposals against national and local planning policy - - take account of all other material planning considerations - Work continues to ensure our approach remains up-to-date:- - - reviewing our affordable housing guidance - - reviewing our approach to viability assessments This ensures that officers continue to follow a legal and robust approach to seek appropriate tenures in new development The Regeneration Response Kingston Futures is taking forward initiatives to deliver via:- - - Investigating and supporting the release of Council land - - Supporting the designation of Housing Zones to provide more affordable housing - - Working with developers to speed up and increase delivery - Work continues, with other public sector partners to:- - - investigate mechanisms to speed up delivery of housing - - consider the development of a brown-field database - - lobby for an increase in funding to enable housing development - - The regeneration response takes a more proactive approach to increase the supply and delivery of housing in Kingston. The Approach Moving Forward - - Not sure affordable housing in the traditional sense exists anymore. The process is broken. - - The definition of affordable housing is changing: - Generation Rent Generation Buy - - Activity is now focused on delivering the right amount and type of housing in the right place - - The delivery of housing that is locally affordable will become a bigger challenge under the current national approach - - Key to influencing local affordability is increasing the supply of housing, influencing national policy and also the GLA to do more to support delivery of housing. -