HBF strengthens team to ensure representation at all local plan examinations

The Home Builders Federation has bolstered its planning team to ensure that the industry is represented at all forthcoming local plan examinations.

It claimed that the move – funded by its larger members – was necessary to ensure local authorities were “abiding by their responsibilities” under the National Planning Policy Framework.

The federation said the NPPF required local authorities to robustly assess their housing need and then allocate sufficient land to meet that need.

But it claimed that its experience at examinations had thus far revealed:

• some local authorities failing to conduct an ‘objective assessment’ of their housing needs;
• ‘objective assessments’ being distorted by subjective considerations and policy assumptions such as citing the effect of the recession or environmental/heritage constraints;
• evidence that the ‘duty to cooperate’ was failing and represented the weakest provision of the NPPF and was “a huge obstacle to meeting housing need”;
• some local authorities relying on unviable and non-deliverable development in regeneration areas to bulk out their five-year land supplies.

The HBF has hired two new planners for its team to ensure comprehensive representation.

Stewart Baseley, the HBF’s Executive Chairman, said: “If the new planning system is to work as intended and deliver the homes the country needs it is vital that local authorities abide by the responsibilities it has given them.

“This new capacity will enable the industry to be represented at all future local plan inquiries, and ensure we are challenging local authorities that are not making adequate provision for their housing need. With power comes responsibility and we want to ensure responsibilities are being met.”