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Many more homes than originally planned will need to be delivered in West Berkshire over the coming years as a result of instructions from the Planning Inspector.

In this bulletin you can find out more about proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework, as well as the Planning Inspectorate's interim findings in relation to the West Berkshire Local Plan Review - and what it means for the district.

Yesterday the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), and deputy Prime Minister Angel Rayner issued a statement opening a consultation on proposed changes to the to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). This introduces new, mandatory housing targets for all local authorities in England. Ms Rayner has clearly stated that she will not hesitate to use her powers of intervention should it be necessary, including taking over an authority's plan making directly. 

The proposed changes also dictate the use of a different method to calculate Local Housing Need which results in West Berkshire having the highest percentage of increase in Berkshire - more than doubling the current local housing need figure.

Responding to the proposed new framework Councillor Denise Gaines, West Berkshire Council's Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Planning and Housing, commented:

"In terms of housing figures, the increase is rather a bombshell for West Berkshire.

"It does feel like a real blow to local democracy that means the course for future development and the number of homes built in West Berkshire will be determined by Westminster and not by us.

"We feel very strongly that local decisions should be made by local people and want our communities to have a strong voice on what happens in their district. To this end, we will continue to work to ensure that each and every development offers the most benefits to our residents in terms of the environment, positive infrastructure such as roads, schools and GP surgeries and the highest level of affordable housing."

West Berkshire Council will be responding to the consultation in due course.

Recap: Public Examination of the Local Plan

The current Local Plan Review will shape West Berkshire's future through to 2039.

Prior to adoption, West Berkshire Council's Local Plan Review has been subjected in recent months to an independent examination by an Inspector who is appointed by the Secretary of State. This is a process all Local Plans go through, with the Planning Inspector assessing whether the submitted plan has been prepared in accordance with legal and procedural requirements.

At an Examination the Inspector takes into account the representations submitted in relation to the soundness of the plan and hold a number of informal debates on key matters which he identifies. Members of the public can attend the hearing sessions but only those invited to do so by the Inspector may speak.

At the end of the Examination, the Inspector prepares a report to the Council with precise recommendations, which may include modifications to the plan if such a request is made by the Council. It is this report which has been published this week.

Local Plan Review - Planning Inspectorate's interim findings

The announcement from central Government coincides with the publication of the Inspectors interim findings of the Public Examination of West Berkshire's Local Plan Review - an overarching set of policies which outlines how the district develops in the coming years.

Following a round of public hearing sessions, the Planning Inspectorate has today published its interim findings. These call for immediate modifications to the Plan from which the Council allocates housing development across the district.

The Inspector's interim report has come after eleven days of hearing sessions which took place in May and June where the Inspector considered evidence presented by the Council and representations from developers and community groups.

Based on this evidence, whilst the Inspector has not yet reached a conclusion on what the overall housing land supply should be, he noted that overall, there would be a significant shortfall in the supply of homes compared to the minimum requirement of 9,270 new homes for the period 2023 to 2041.

The Council must therefore move to increase the number of homes proposed at North East Thatcham and put forward additional sites to boost the housing land supply for the district.

The Inspector's instruction follows the direction made by central Government which prevented the Council from withdrawing the current Local Plan to replace it with one which meets the aspirations of the Liberal Democrat administration.

The administration wished to develop a new plan to meet residents' wishes and put the environment front and centre, while prioritising new homes and employment spaces within existing town and village boundaries. It also included reducing the focus on development within Northeast Thatcham and Theale

Speaking about the Planning Inspector's instructions, Councillor Gaines added:

"The Council took the difficult decision in January to progress with the submitted local plan to avoid intervention from Government which may have led to them taking over the development of the plan and further eroding local democracy.

"Whilst the Council is disappointed at once again at being directed by the Inspector to take a course of action that we know is not supported by the community, we must accept the interim findings of the report and consider our appropriate next steps or risk Government intervention."

Read more about the Local Plan Review

You can find out more about the Local Plan Review on our website and the West Berkshire Local Plan Review website. The Planning Inspector's interim findings are available to read here.

In our online newsroom you can read more about the original proposal to withdraw the Local Plan Review and our response to the Secretary of State online.