Council Justifies Building 700 Homes on Farmland for Affordable Housing Demand

DEMAND for affordable housing justifies building more than 700 homes on high quality farmland, a council has said. 
The David Broome equestrian event centre, run by the retired Welsh show jumping champion and Olympian, forms part of land identified as a strategic housing site in Monmouthshire County Council’s local development plan. 
The site at Crick, between Caldicot and Portskewett and west of Chepstow, forms the largest of the four strategic housing sites in the development plan but the site’s ability to deliver new housing was questioned at the public examination of the plan. 
During the online examination hearing on Thursday, October 8 it was also confirmed a pre-application consultation for 400 homes and a new primary school on council owned land at Bradbury Road in the strategic site area, had been launched this week. 
Council director Craig O’Connor said the council had justified the selection of the strategic housing site, for up to 770 homes, due to its proximity to Caldicot and existing services, including its rail station, and a lack of brownfield or previously developed land in the area. 
Independent inspector Julie de-Courcey, who with her partner inspector must decide if the plan is “sound” and can be used as the authority’s official planning policy, questioned the council on how it selected the site where 89 per cent of the land is classed as grade two best and most versatile agricultural land. 
Mr O’Connor reminded the inspector around 70 per cent of farmland in Monmouthshire has the “best and most versatile” classification and the council had to meet three tests for proposing it be used for development including the county’s “overriding” need for affordable housing. 
When developing the plan Mr O’Connor said an appeal was made for brownfield sites to be considered while part of the David Broome site is previously developed and equestrian use is different to agricultural. 
Without brownfield sites Mr O’Connor said: “We don’t have that land and therefore need to look to greenfield and the most sustainable locations which are adjoining existing settlements.” 
He also said the council was guided by the Welsh Government that the majority of new housing should be located in the south of the county near the M4. 
The council plan is required to provide 5,400 homes over the period from 2018 to 2033, with most having already either been built or have permission in place.  
To meet the target, which is monitored by the Welsh Government, the plan is intended to provide for 2,100 homes through to 2033 of which 50 per cent would have to be affordable, which Mr O’Connor said is the first time such a requirement has been made in Wales. 
Preparatory work has already been undertaken with developers and site promoters which the council director said has provided confidence the housing can be delivered. 
“Housing will come on quickly, developers want to build in Monmouthshire and land prices are high,” said Mr O’Connor who also said the sites aren’t dependent on housing sales. 
“This is an affordable housing led scheme, these houses don’t need to be sold these people are waiting for those houses as evidenced by the housing list.” 
But that was disputed by Joe Ayoubkhani, representing the promoters of alternative sites that weren’t included in the plan. He said the viability test demonstrated the affordable homes are reliant on legal agreements tied to the sale of market housing, while services and site infrastructure would also be shared. 
Mr Ayoubkhani also questioned the council’s search criteria for available land which he described as “quite narrowly focused on Caldicot”. 
Conservative councillor for Portskewett, Lisa Dymock, highlighted national housebuilder Taylor Wimpey has objected as it disputes the site near Caldicot can deliver the housing as required. 
She said: “It concerns me a major housebuilder has questioned the site can deliver and the council may have underestimated how long it would take a strategic site of this size to move from planning to delivery and may be overestimating how quickly homes can be built and occupied.” 
Council deputy leader Paul Griffiths, the cabinet member responsible, said looking at alternative sites wouldn’t help meet the “challenge” of delivering the housing by 2033. 
The Labour councillor said: “I hear somehow that challenge is lessened if other sites are made available. I would contest the proposition. Introducing further sites at this stage, they would not be frontloaded and would be contested by the local population in those areas and risk delaying the approval of the plan.” 
As well as the site near Caldicot the plan has identified strategic housing sites at Chepstow, for 146 homes, a site at Monmouth for 270 homes and up to 500 homes on the edge of Abergavenny. 
Inspectors Ms de-Courcey and Claire MacFarlane are expected to deliver their report, on whether the plan meets the soundness tests, to the council by the end of March and have already said further hearings could be arranged to consider alternative sites if necessary. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

By BBC LDRS ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​