Dec 2010 - South Worcestershire Development Plan

SOUTH WORCESTERSHIRE ANNUAL MONITORING REPORT 20101695 to allow for housing development on suitable (previously-developed)windfall sites and for changes of use/conversions of redundantbuildings to housing use.(Relates to saved policies H16, H17, H18, H19, H21, H22, H23 of the City ofWorcester Local Plan and the January 2008 Balanced Housing Market DPD.)As of April 2010 it has become clear that the No changeeconomic condition facing the country is having an effect on the city’s housebuilding rate. As of October 2009 the planning and building control applicationsrate had reduced by roughly 15% compared to 2008/09, which wasrepresentative of the last few years. There are likely to be further financialchallenges during the rest of the 2010/11 monitoring year and beyond. Theseinclude questions which are difficult to assess including how strong will thecontraction of development in the City be if the economic climate continues toworsen; especially on small sites, and will large sites continue with later phasesof development if the slowdown in housing sales continues?Despite this, even factoring in an approximately 1/3 slow down in the predictedhousing build rate, the City is likely to meet its emerging Regional SpatialStrategy Targets before the target date of 2026, therefore satisfying the ‘nochange’ bracket for this criterion. This predicted slow down, although perhapssurprising, is consistent with the Housing Land Monitor’s analysis of active sitesas of March 2009; on the 31 st March 2010 there were 619 units underconstruction compared to 641 in 08/09 and 924 in 07/08.1 To ensure that a variety of housing types are provided in terms ofsize, type, location and affordability;2 to ensure that a proportion of the total new housing provision meetsthe needs of households identified as being in need of affordablehousing; and3 to protect and, where possible, improve existing housing areas.(Relates to saved policies H16, H17, H18, H19, H21, H22, H23 of the City ofWorcester Local Plan and the January 2008 Balanced Housing Market DPD.)