Regulation 19 - Proposed Draft Local Plan Submission

The last but one LP had an infill policy. April 2019 LP had GD4 underpinned by 4.7.4 and 4.7.5 where 4.7.4 states "Planning Practice Guidance (PPG) emphasises that all settlements can play a part in delivering sustainable development and therefore blanket policies restricting housing development in some settlements should be avoided." The current approach is totally contra to that.

HDC LP Policy GD4 and up to date Neighbourhood Plans provide opportunities for development and afford appropriate protection. The current policies in effect will only allow for open market housing of agri ties, conversions and P.84.e) homes.

5.1.18 of the existing local plan states "In order to provide choice in the housing market, provide a mix of sites and make sites available to small and medium size house builders, the Local Plan also makes provision for smaller housing sites." The draft LP does none of that. It is in effect attributing zero weight to P.85.

The Federation of Master Builders campaign for SME house building along with Homes England believes that SME housebuilders are key to delivering growth in the house building sector. They want to support SME builders with growing their businesses, building more homes and diversifying home building in the UK, which is currently dominated by the bigger players. In the FMB House Builder’s Survey 2023, SME house builders are responsible for delivering just 12% of new homes. A staggering decline from 39% in 1988.

Current draft LP policies will continue that trajectory locally and erase the construction sector beyond the subcontractors that work for the FTSE behemoths.

April 2019 LP had 88 villages in it's settlement hierarchy. Draft LP has 36. 52 settlements are absent. Table 2 has ZERO dwellings in New Local Plan Growth (Policy DS01) for the 52. Cannot align with NPPF P. 82 - 84.

Rural except sites have delivered 20 dwellings since 2000 across three RES; 11/01686/FUL; 12/01128/FUL; Site at Husbands Bosworth - 12/01115/FUL. Last approval was Sep 18th 2012.

With current grant funding restrictions and absence of S106 purchases RP's will not deliver RES's.

Curtailing development in small villages will decimate local builders and is contra to NPPF P. 85.

HDC LP Policy GD4 has adequately facilitated SBCH development where people seek to commission and build their own homes. It is irrefutable that lower settlement hierarchy villages are where such development is sought to occur.

The combination of draft LP Policy DS01, HN05 and settlement hierarchy changes are wholly contra to the historical approvals by the Council of SBCH in recent years.

Hierarchy Count
Other Villages and Rural Settlements 14
Selected Rural Villages 7
Key Centres 5
Rural Centres 4
Principal Urban Area (PUA) 1

21 of the 31 approvals have been in the last and penultimate layer/tier of the existing settlement hierarchy. The exact layers that draft LP Policy DS01 is obliterating. %age allocations on large sites are going to be simply sleeved as such but ultimately be "off plan" homes by large developers.

Mirror/parallel policy to existing HDC LP Policy GD4 with a definition of what "physical and visual connection" actually is.

Leicestershire has no Green Belt. NPPF P.154.e) allows limited infilling in villages in the Green Belt.

There are no "countryside" policies that allow any standalone open market housing.

It is also contra to NPPF P.'s 82 - 84.

The Draft LP is therefore more restrictive than the NPPF which is contra the objectives of the current government to provide more housing.