The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Greg Clark, has decided to postpone his decision on a litmus test housing application following the High Court’s landmark ruling to quash a neighbourhood housing plan. The Secretary of State said that he wanted to delay his decision by a month to take further representations after the judge’s decision earlier this month.
The proposal in question is Lightwood Strategic’s application for 280 new homes at Haddenham Glebe, in Aylesbury Vale. Aylesbury Vale District Council (AVDC) had granted planning permission in early 2015 for the development.
But Mr Clark’s predecessor Sir Eric Pickles called the application in shortly after AVDC’s decision, citing that he wished to review the application’s consistency with the Council’s development plan and the Haddenham Neighbourhood Plan, which had only been submitted – in draft form – 24 hours before the planning application was approved by the local authority.
Very serious concerns about the viability of the Haddenham Neighbourhood Plan were brought to light at the Public Inquiry into Lightwood’s application in November 2015, which led to Lightwood seeking to challenge it in the High Court. In the week before the case was due to be considered, AVDC and Haddenham Parish Council withdrew their defence, leading to the landmark decision by the High Court to quash the Haddenham Neighbourhood Plan’s housing policies – the first decision of its kind in the country.
The Secretary of State was due to make his decision on the Haddenham Glebe application by 11th April, but has written to all interested parties to advise that he is now delaying this decision to seek the views of the main inquiry parties into the implications of the High Court’s ruling. Mr Clark will now make his decision by 9th May.
In addition to providing 280 new homes, and helping to meet the District’s requirement for 1,000 new homes in Haddenham over the next four years, Lightwood’s Haddenham Glebe application would provide 35% affordable homes (in excess of the policy requirement of 30%), with priority given to local families, 35 retirement properties and a range of community benefits, including nearly 11 hectares of open space, funding for bus services and a much-needed new burial ground.
Philip Chichester MRTPI, of Lightwood Strategic, said:
“We believe that Neighbourhood Plans can be very successful as long as the checks and balances are properly adjudicated, otherwise poorly managed or manipulated neighbourhood plans will soon ruin the reputation and concept of Neighbourhood Planning in its entirety”.
Lightwood Strategic is extremely disappointed that the Inspector has decided to uphold Brighton and Hove’s decision to refuse Lightwood’s application in Ovingdean.
Lightwood continue to believe that the site presents an opportunity to address some of the housing need in the area while limiting the impact on the surrounding protected sites.
More encouragingly the Inspector did conclude that the western part of the site was suitable for residential development,
“Notwithstanding caveats in relation to ecology and open space, I consider [the Brighton and Hove: Further assessment of Urban Fringe Sites 2015] gives significant endorsement to the principle of residential development with in part of Site 42 and necessarily reflect its location relative to the SDNP.”
Lightwood has submitted to Aylesbury Vale Council a planning application for 320 units in Haddenham. The site sits on the edge of the settlement to the south east of Haddenham, a large village and civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire. Although a village, Haddenham was identified as one of five principle strategic settlements in the Vale of Aylesbury Plan. Lightwood Strategic believes that this site provides a sensible ‘rounding off ’ to the existing settlement and brings many opportunities to improve the available amenities in the village, which are currently lacking.
The Lightwood Strategic team have submitted an appeal against Brighton and Hove’s committee decision to reject their application in Ovingdean. Brighton has struggled to show a 5 year land supply and is failing to provide the level of housing that is needed in the area. This site presents an opportunity for positive sustainable development while mitigating the impact on the neighbouring South Downs.
The size of this site with in Hart district provides a unique opportunity to provide 127 much needed residential units on 13 acres to the south west of the site as well as a 40 acre SANG on the eastern half. This not only mitigates the development that Lightwood is proposing but delivers the opportunity to unlock other potential sites within the district.
Lightwood Strategic’s foresight in understanding the future requirements of Hart District Council led to the scheme being overwhelmingly supported at planning committee resulting in a planning consent.
Lightwood’s planning application had overwhelming support at committee and a resolution to grant planning was given. However, celebrations have been cut short days later following the Secretary of State’s advice to Aylesbury Vale Council that this application is being considered for call-in by the Secretary of State and so planning can not yet be granted.
Clearly there is significant political interest in this scheme and in light of the upcoming elections, political agendas are at the forefront of many community decisions.
Lightwood Strategic has submitted an application for outline planning consent to Brighton Hove Council for 100 units to the north east of Ovingdean. The application land is recognised as an urban fringe site in the council’s City Plan.
A dual application was submitted for outline consent for 126 dwelling and a change of use of land to a Suitable Accessible Natural Greenspace (SANG).
