Opposing new housing numbers invites risks

September 2026

The District Council is having to find solutions in the Local Plan to accommodate the huge number of houses that were the result of new targets set by Government to increase house building rates.  Up and down England, many other councils are also struggling with their Local Plans after the changes.

In 2024 – 25 planning reforms restored as binding the Standard Method for housing numbers. Councils must meet set housing figures rather than viewing them as advisory. The re-instatement of mandatory housing targets has changed the baseline for judgement by the Planning Inspector who has powers to intervene if plans are found to be insufficiently ambitious.

In this District, numbers were revised upwards to almost double previously expected numbers. Rural areas saw a bigger increase than cities and housing targets increased in places of lowest housing affordability. However, simply increasing the housing numbers does not automatically address the affordability challenges.

Councils must take on board these changes. Where a council cannot demonstrate an up-to-date Local Plan or sufficient housing supply, developers are more likely to succeed when taking planning permission refusals to Appeal. This must not become just a numbers game but about deciding the shape of future communities where people will live, work and enjoy their surroundings.

The final (Regulation 19) consultation on the Local Plan closed on September 8th. After further work it will be submitted in December for the Planning Inspectorate Examination. This consultation focused on whether the Plan is ‘sound’ and legally compliant. Objections lodged at this stage may be considered by the Examination Inspector.

A Local Plan is the legal blueprint used by the council to decide where housing, employment and infrastructure can go in future. Every planning application is judged by the content of an adopted Local Plan.

The Government sets the guidance and legislation for producing a Local Plan. New legislation has given the Secretary of State powers to intervene where the Secretary of State (S0S) thinks the council is failing to prepare, adopt or revise a plan adequately. Further changes are underway to shift planning decisions further away from local authorities towards a national Government framework, potentially undermining future plan-led systems.

Local Plans are evidence-led but the mandatory increased numbers were not tested against infrastructure requirements, with little or no government funding proposed. This must change. Those who set the rules, (as well as those who make the profits), must help to pay the price.

The Council had two choices at the outset - fight the Government which the Council has unsuccessfully done in the past - or draft a plan that is infrastructure led. Not having a Plan increases the risk of ‘speculative’ development where planning permission has been won on appeal. This happened in about 2010/12 when the Council lost £2.2m in costs after appeals were lost.

We need stability on national planning policies with upfront funding for schools, health services, sewage and water supply networks, genuinely affordable housing, high-value green spaces, protection for environmentally sensitive areas and other infrastructure needs. This plan is designed to provide a blueprint for future investment in that infrastructure.

We must make choices. We can oppose and risk a plan that is not adoptable and invites Government intervention - or we can take a positive view and make the case to Government that they need to work with us.