Housing numbers rise ‘not possible’

HOUSE building targets for South Oxfordshire are set to double but doubt has been cast over whether it can be achieved.

The new Labour government wants the number of homes to be built to rise from 579 per year to 1,179 amid an overhaul of the planning system which it says will help kick-start the economy.

South Oxfordshire District Council, the planning authority, says it would be “disappointed” if the new proposals derailed its next housing plan, which is due to be published in the autumn.

Stefan Gawrysiak, who represents Henley on the council, was concerned that the proposed targets were promoting new homes in the wrong area.

He said: “This is to do with the number of homes per year which means that over a 20-year period in the district of South Oxfordshire there will now be a target of 20,000 homes rather than 10,000.

“I think the figures should be lower and they should shift jobs to other parts of the country. The reason there are more homes in the South East is because the South East has an absolutely thriving economy.

“There has got to be a twin-track approach by the government to level up and improve the quality of life in other areas.

“Places like the East Coast and the North East should have more jobs and a better economy and therefore warrant more houses in the area.”

While a breakdown of where these extra homes could go has not yet been decided, Cllr Gawrysiak said that if there were any increases of housing numbers in Henley, they should be social rental properties.

He said: “If the government is going to increase the number of homes in South Oxfordshire then we have to make sure that they are the right houses.

“What we need to do in Henley to make it a vibrant busy place is to build social rental properties for people that are going to work in our community.”

Cllr Gawrysiak added that he would like to see an increase in low-cost rented housing rather than affordable housing provisions in planning policy.

Councillor Ken Arlett, who also represents Henley on the council, believes the new targets are unrealistic and the chances of the new houses being built were “remote”.

He said: “At the moment we are struggling to build the housing currently put forward so to add more we would really struggle.

“Because of all the extra expenses put on builders, builders are not building a sufficient amount of housing because they aren’t making a profit.

“If you have to build a housing development of which 40 per cent is affordable, you are going to have to sell for 20 per cent less.

“You only have to look at the joint Henley and Harpsden neighbourhood plan. To get people to build properties is almost impossible. A prime example is the field at Gillotts School and that's been in the plan for five or six years.

“The government are obviously trying but will they be able to action it.” Councillor Tom Buckley, who chairs the town council’s planning committee, said the demand for housing was low due to the current economic climate.

He said: “Right now the interest rates do not favour the housing market, so the new houses that we need aren’t being built because supply would outstrip demand and the prices would drop.

“To my mind, the challenge from government isn’t achievable by only focusing on speeding up planning approvals.”

The Ministry of Housing has said it wants new mandatory housing targets to be given to all councils in England in order to deliver 1.5 million homes by 2029.

The government says it plans to make these changes to the national planning policy framework immediately following consultation with local governments.

However, local authorities have raised concerns that these plans could affect a number of local neighbourhood plans.

Housing Minister Angela Rayner said that the proposed reforms would help boost the number of social and affordable homes and tackle the housing crisis by correcting “the errors of the past”.

A spokesman for the district council said it is assessing the government’s new consultation proposals and will be providing a full and thorough response.

He said: “It appears the government has shifted from a plan-based approach to development to giving way to a developer-led model that goes against previous indications.

“But it’s too early to know if the proposals will have any impact on our forthcoming joint local plan, which we have been positively preparing for the past three years.

“We will continue to do so, based on significant consultation with our communities, other local councils, and the housing and development industries, and for which we’ve been highly commended in the Planning Resource 2024 awards this summer.

“The councils would be very disappointed if the new proposals from government delayed, in any way, adoption of the emerging plan which is due for publication in the autumn, as that could lead to an increase in speculative and unplanned development.”