Chapter 6 Housing

6.0 Introduction
 

Housing is a fundamental human right. The National Planning Framework recognises that ‘homes are both the places where we live and the foundation stone from which wider communities and their quality of lives are created’.   

One of the principal functions of a development plan is to put in place a framework for the delivery of new housing. The Core Strategy has outlined the population and housing targets for the County. This chapter in addition to the Core Strategy puts in place a framework to guide the delivery of new housing. The aim of this framework is to ensure: 

• The protection of residential amenity enjoyed by existing communities;
• That new housing development is encouraged and facilitated in appropriate locations;
• That adequate zoned and serviced land is available to meet housing demand;
• That in areas where new housing will be permitted, on unzoned lands (e.g. in villages and in the open countryside) the policies and objectives for such development are clearly articulated;
• That a range of house types and tenures are delivered to cater for all in society;
• That new housing development is of the highest quality;
• That climate considerations are adequately integrated into housing delivery, including for example, by directing new housing away from areas at risk of flooding or coastal erosion and designing new housing to accordance with the net zero greenhouse gas emission target for 2050; and
• That the design of new housing will have consideration for Universal Design standards.

While the County Development Plan is not directly responsible for the delivery of affordable homes there are a number of things it can do to create the right environment for the delivery of affordable homes, removing development bottlenecks and enabling a continuous supply of housing. These include: 

• Providing a robust development framework and core strategy;
• Zoning land for development that is serviced and in appropriate locations which gives a greater degree of certainty to developers and infrastructure providers;
• Providing a clear and articulated longer term development strategy that facilitates the coordinated and efficient provision of enabling infrastructure;
• Including policy to support active land management;
• Providing for higher densities that ensures more efficient use of land and enabling more units to come to the market;
• Providing flexibility in terms of design particularly in urban cores to enable more cost-efficient construction and variety of homes;
• Including policy which encourages infill development and the densification of existing built up areas.

With reference to the desired Strategic National, Regional and County Outcomes set out in Chapter 2 of this plan, the delivery of high quality housing will contribute to numerous goals across the three pillars of ‘healthy placemaking’, ‘climate action’ and ‘economic opportunity by’: 

• Delivering sustainable settlement patterns and compact growth in all towns and villages by capitalising on the potential for infill and brownfield development, moving away from a reliance on greenfield development and creating places that encourage active lifestyles;
• Strengthening rural communities by leveraging the potential of rural areas to accommodate sustainable growth;
• Supporting the creation of sustainable healthy communities where access to housing is a priority.

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