The Soundness of the Core Strategy Is Reliant on Three Major Mixed Use Sites for the Delivery

Planning Policy Statement on Kier’s Housing Provision at the Health Campus

10/10/12

The Core Strategy sets a target of 6,500 homes (260 per annum) to be delivered over the period from 2006-2031. 2,013 homes have been built up to 2011.

The soundness of the Core Strategy is reliant on three major mixed use sites for the delivery of housing over the next 15 years. These sites are Ascot Road, the Health Campus and Watford Junction. Together these sites are estimated to provide a minimum of 2,304 homes, which is a very significant proportion of the overall requirement in the Core Strategy plan period.

The strong demand for additional homes to 2031, the limited amount of available development land and the competing demand for uses puts increasing pressure on land and requires the council to work on innovative approaches to deliver high quality housing. The general approach is that the type/size and density of development will be informed by the design guidelines set out in the Residential Design Guide (RDG).

The fact that the Kier Health Campus scheme appears to be able to provide in excess of the 504 homes assumed (based on the outline planning permission) is a positive issue with regard to housing delivery. This will help to provide a “cushion” for the overall delivery of housing in the Borough, such that should other major sites not deliver as is currently expected, the overall delivery of 260 homes per annum may still be achieved.

The Kier scheme currently provides circa 60056 homes, well in excess of the 504 assumed. There is therefore some flexibility for this figure to be adjusted downwards to improve the scheme whether from a housing mix, affordable housing tenure or density and design perspective. A slightly reduced figure would still be well above the minimum 504 homes assumption critical to the Core Strategy and to housing delivery generally.

The allotment site is currently not included in the Kier scheme. Should part or all of the allotment site become available for housing in the future, this will further help with the capacity to deliver homes in the Borough. It will also help with the delivery of family homes, as this allotment site is well suited for family housing compared to the majority of the Health Campus site which is more suited to blocks of flats. This will help to improve the balance between 1, 2 and 3 bed homes on the scheme, which at the moment is dominated by the provision of 1 and 2 bed flats.

Therefore if the higher dwelling figure currently in the Kier scheme is taken forward, this will still be acceptable from a planning policy perspective subject to suitable design and layout considerations to ensure that a good living environment is provided by the scheme..

Type and Tenure of Housing

The Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA) provides a strategic overview of housing demand and provides a starting position for planning applications to be negotiated against. The SHMA will support policy aims but what has the most impact in determining what gets built is the location and size of the land.

The SHMA provides recommendations on the size and mix of the housing requirement over the period from 2007 to 2021, and this shows nearly half of dwellings (48.2%) should be 3 bed. However this does not determine the type of dwelling (i.e. flat or house).

Table 1- Size and Mix of Housing Requirement 2007 to 2021 - Watford

This table highlights the need for 3 bed dwellings at 70.5% for market housing.

The Annual Monitoring Report for Watford 2011/2012 highlights the difference in completions for flats and houses.

Table 2 -Gross Housing Completions 2006/07 to 2011/12 by type

Source: Watford Borough Council, Planning Policy

Watford’s dwelling stock is estimated to be over 37,000 as at the 31 March 2012.

The table above clearly shows high levels of flats built compared to houses. The increase in house completions may be due to flats being less viable in the current market.

Table 3 - Gross Housing Completions 2006/07 to 2011/12 by size

Source: Watford Borough Council, Planning Policy

The majority (53%) of dwellings built during 2011/12 are two bedroom with one bedroom properties decreasing to 27% from 47% last year. The number of properties with three or more bedrooms has increased to 20% from just 7% the previous year.

Table 4 - Gross Housing Completions 2006/07 to 2011/12 by size and type

Source: Watford Borough Council, Planning Policy

Overall, the proportion of houses/bungalows completed in 2011/12 has risen to 22% with flats making up 78% of the gross housing completions for 2011/12, as opposed to the flat building peak of 2010/11 when flats accounted for 91% of the total, the highest it has been over the last six years.

The Core Strategy supports the approach of higher density dwellings at the Health Campus such as flats, as this is one of the special policy areas. However, there is a need for larger dwelling properties (3 bed +) which might be developed as flatsif these are considered and proven to be viable.

However, historically 3 bed flats have not proved to be very popular, but the pressure for 3 bedroom properties in the future may result in more larger 3 bed flats being constructed given the land constraints that we face in the Borough and the difficulties of releasing Green Belt sites.