Lancaster City Council is launching a public consultation on new planning guidance for the district for new private housing.
Views are being sought on the Draft Meeting Housing Needs Supplementary Planning Document.
The document has been prepared to support and guide proposals for new housing so that they address the district’s housing needs. It focuses on private housing – sold or rented on the open market, affordable housing, rural housing and specific communities. It also provides technical guidance regarding the planning process.
This follows earlier consultation with organisations who could be involved with developments in the district, including land owners, property developers, social housing providers and local parish councils.
Members of the public are able to view the document and have their say online at www.lancaster.gov.uk/planningpolicy or at council buildings and local libraries during normal opening hours.
The consultation will run for six weeks from 1st October until 9th November 2012.
Coun Janice Hanson, Cabinet member with responsibility for economic regeneration and planning, said: “It is vital that local people are given the opportunity to ensure they can access appropriate housing in the right locations. Your views on guidance to achieve this are important to us and I would urge people to come forward with their feedback on the proposed document.”
Having examined the two City funded consultations on housing need my conclusion that there is no shortage of land and no demand for housing so great that it requires building on Green Belt land. The first consultation was interpreted as meaning there is a shortage of building land, the second as meaning that the demand for housing had doubled … thus building on Green Belt land now is essential.
The 'shortage' of land was because currently brown site developers dont want to build because there no demand. When demand increases that land will become available
The doubling in demand came from the discovery of 'concealed households' and from a far into the future increase in the elderly who might require smaller properties. So the consultants have identified a potential NEED. That is not a DEMAND. The 'concealed households' can't afford to rent or buy and the elderly, who are already housed, MIGHT want to downsize in the future. Even when combined these two needs do no represent a doubling in DEMAND. Smoke and mirrors ?
Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them. These points are usually on the surface of the Earth, and they are often used to establish land maps and boundaries for ownership or governmental purposes.