Torbay Council has welcomed confirmation from the Government that it can move forward with the next stage of its new Local Plan following a review by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).
The decision means the council can now begin the next round of public consultation, which is expected to start during August, before the plan is submitted for independent examination.
The Local Plan will guide where homes, businesses and infrastructure are developed across Torbay over the next 20 years.
Earlier this year, the Government requested further evidence after Torbay’s draft plan proposed delivering around 8,000 new homes over the plan period – significantly below the Government’s calculated local housing need of 19,440 homes, or 972 homes per year.
Torbay Council has consistently argued that the Government’s target is not achievable due to the area’s environmental, geographical and infrastructure constraints. Instead, it says around 400 homes per year is the maximum that can realistically be delivered.
Following the council’s submission, the Ministry has confirmed that Torbay has met the requirements of the Ministerial Direction and that no further Government intervention is proposed at this time.
However, the Government has also made clear that the lower housing figure will need to be robustly justified when the Local Plan is independently examined.
Councillor David Thomas, Leader of Torbay Council, said: “We’re pleased that the Government has accepted our submission and recognised the significant challenges Torbay faces in identifying locations for new housing.*
“Torbay is a highly constrained area and we have consistently maintained that the 8,000 homes included within the draft Local Plan represent the most that can realistically be delivered while taking account of our environmental, infrastructure and geographical limitations.*
“It’s encouraging that MHCLG has confirmed we have met the requirements of the Ministerial Direction and that no further intervention is proposed. This allows us to continue progressing a sound Local Plan through the proper statutory process.”
Residents will have another opportunity to review the proposals and submit comments during the upcoming consultation before the plan is submitted to an independent planning inspector.
As part of the process, Torbay Council will also undertake a further Planning In
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The Local Plan will then be independently examined before any final decision is made on its adoption.
