Will green spaces be eroded to solve housing conundrum?

The Aquarena from above. Picture by Eddie Mitchell SUS-151210-151320001

DIFFICULT decisions define the success of politicians – and in solving the area’s housing needs, they face perhaps the toughest challenge yet.

The Government’s population figures spell the need for 1,685 homes to be built across Arun, Adur and Worthing each year until the early 2030s.

But having never delivered anything near those numbers, councils may face a fight to protect precious green spaces.

“There has to be a recognition by the community that we can’t just continue to do things in the way we have always done them,” said councillor Kevin Jenkins, chairman of Worthing Borough Council’s planning committee.

WH 300914 Pat Beresford_cabinet member for regeneration as work begin on redevelopment scheme at Queensway, Lancing. Photo by Derek Martin SUS-140930-233005001

“We have got to allow development. We have got to allow some change within the town to create housing for our families but also safeguard areas that are really valuable as a community.”

Local plans the key

Local authorities are in the process of producing meaty documents known as local plans, which act as a blueprint for the vision of future housing.

It is these documents which identify which sites are suitable for housing and those that are not.

Ricky Bower has spoken out about his concerns with the proposed restructure of Arun district's electoral boundaries. ENGSUS00120121109184440

Each speck of land goes through a complex assessment process, considering issues such as flood risk and expected use – from employment land to housing.

And when the local plan is complete, it becomes the first line of defence in protecting sites that matter to the community. Without it, developers are free to apply for planning permission speculatively on any land they have an interest in.

At the heart of the plan is a housing target, set by the Government using population projections and expected levels of migration into the area.

The data, known as ‘objectively assessed needs’, or ‘OAN’, must be the starting point of any local plan. Councils must begin on the assumption they need to deliver that number, providing strong justification if the number cannot be met.