North Northamptonshire Annual Monitoring Report 2010-11

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The review of the NNCSS will provide an opportunity to review the phasing of housing delivery in the light of
prevailing market conditions and low rates of delivery achieved early in the plan period (relative to targets). This is
due to the impact of the economic recession on the housing market and on infrastructure provision, not because
of a shortage of sites for house building – there are currently over 24,000 house plots in North Northamptonshire
with planning permission or resolutions to grant permission. The NNJPU will support the planning authorities in
ensuring that housing developments accord with the NNCSS, including its overall spatial strategy, design quality
and infrastructure requirements. In the meantime, an update of the Strategic Housing Market Assessment will
inform revised NNCSS housing targets and may in the short term enable an interim policy approach to be adopted
by the local planning authorities
The Executive Summary at the beginning of the AMR provides a summary of performance against key indicators.
The picture is mixed and the positives, unclear results and negatives are addressed below, within the framework
set out by the following key questions:
• Overall Spatial Strategy – where is development happening?
• Economy and town centres – is a jobs/homes balance being achieved?
• Housing – are targets being met?
• Environmental quality – is it improving?
• Infrastructure - is investment matching growth?
WHERE IS DEVELOPMENT HAPPENING?
The focus of new development is still very much within the ‘urban core’, with 49% of residential development
taking place at the three Growth Towns and 30% at the smaller towns (including Rushden). This compares to CSS
targets of 66% and 17% respectively; highlighting the issue with deliverability of the major sites in the Growth
Towns and the continued attractiveness of smaller sites in the other towns. Equally, rural development has again
been greater than the CSS target (19% delivered against an 11% indicative requirement), although this does
include the large site at Little Stanion and some development at Mawsley.
Housing completions on previously developed land made up 45% of all residential development, compared to a
CSS target of at least 30%. Employment floor space on previously developed land made up 62% of all employment
land development, though there is no specific CSS target set.
IS THE JOB/HOMES BALANCE BEING ACHIEVED?
Data is not specifically available for the 2010-2011 monitoring year, so instead long term trends have been
examined and the impact of the recession highlighted by figures now available for 2008-2010. This shows that
North Northamptonshire as a whole is underperforming and that the recession has exacerbated this, with all
districts losing jobs overall in the 2008-2010 period.
Strategic Planning for the Districts and Boroughs of Corby, Kettering, Wellingborough & East Northamptonshire