At the full Council meeting on 13th July, Thanet Greens Chair, Cllr Mike Garner, will be proposing a motion that calls on the Council to pause the granting of new planning permissions for builds of more than 10 dwellings, and allow for a review into the impacts the current house-building programme is having across Thanet.
The recent increases in mortgage interest rates will have a slowdown effect on both the building and purchase of new homes, and Thanet Greens believe this is an opportune moment to pause the granting of new planning permissions and carry out a review, to involve both councillors and officers, to carry out the investigation..
Residents across Thanet have raised issues with us relating to house-building including
- The impact it’s having on the already failing Southern Water infrastructure;
- The impact it’s having on traffic and highways in the area;
- The impact it’s having on local services including health services and schools;
- The number of properties that remain unoccupied rather than becoming primary residences;
- The lack of ‘affordable’ homes being built and made available for residents who’ve spent years on the waiting list.
Cllr Mike Garner said “We have seen, both through recent sewage releases and last year’s major water outages, that Southern Water’s infrastructure is not fit for purpose. During the election campaign we called for a halt to further major planning application approvals until the work to upgrade their infrastructure has been completed. A pause now would enable us to review not just the Southern Water issues, but also the serious impacts on our road network and health services, and to determine whether developments that have been completed have delivered the affordable housing that was promised.”
“I’m sure Councillors from all parties have been contacted by residents about their concerns and I look forward to hearing from a number of them during the debate next week.”
Cross party working group
The suggestion is to set up a cross-party working group of seven councillors to work with officers to carry out the review, using the Treasury Green Book Gate Review process as a guide.
The Green Party says the Office of National Statistics data being used to calculate housing need is incorrect – something also stated by witnesses at the Shottendane development public enquiry, including North Thanet MP Sir Roger Gale.
The Local Plan sets out the strategy for future development and was adopted for Thanet in July 2020. It runs to the period up to 2031.
The council has been preparing a ‘partial update’ of the Local Plan to extend it up to 2040. This is updating certain parts of the Plan and reviewing topics that previous Local Plan Inspectors recommended, it is not an update of the whole Plan.
The Green Party has a national plan to address the UK's housing crisis contained in its Right Homes, Right Place, Right Price Charter published in April of this year. To learn more about the charter click HERE.
The motion in full
Motion to pause the granting of new planning permissions for builds of more than 10 dwellings, and allow for a review into the impacts the current house-building programme is having across Thanet.
While it is important that new homes are built in Thanet, and Thanet Green Party is committed to ensuring that all our residents have comfortable, sustainable places to live, it is likely that the continual increases in mortgage interest rates will have a slow-down effect on both the build of new homes and of their purchase, possibly for the rest of 2023.
This presents us with an opportunity to pause the granting of new planning applications for builds of more than 10 dwellings, and review and address the concerns of residents. Questions we need to find answers to should include::
- Southern Water’s infrastructure is not fit for purpose to service the current households and businesses in the district. What impact will the proposed number of new dwellings have on the current residents in Thanet and on the environment around our coastline because of increased sewage releases?
- There are too many dwellings across Thanet which remain unoccupied. How many empty properties are there across the district and what are the reasons they remain empty?
- How many previously approved planning applications are still to commence development?
- How many of the already approved numbers of affordable homes have been built and made available at an affordable price?
- Have the GP surgeries, primary schools and social amenities promised in previously approved planning applications been adequately delivered by the builders?
- What is the impact of the recent new builds on traffic and highways in Thanet?
This Council agrees to pause the granting of new planning permissions, for builds of more than 10 dwellings, and set up a cross-party working group of 7 Councillors to work with officers to carry out the review, using the Treasury Green Book Gate Review (see link below) process as a guide for that review.
For more information please contact Cllr Mike Garner
Tel 07747 773 279