Guildford borough faces a housing crisis if the demand for more suitable homes is not tackled soon. The area needs sustainable development focused on building more homes of the required size and type.

Cllr Tony Rooth, Lead Councillor for Housing and Social Welfare, said: “Our borough has a serious housing shortage and three key concerns must be confronted. Firstly, the supply of smaller and more affordable properties is seriously below the level needed. Secondly, we must make best use of land available for housing hence the Council’s firm policy of brownfield first. Thirdly, urban land covers no more than nine per cent of the borough, giving little room for growth without including a small part of the Green Belt that stretches across 89 per cent of our borough. We feel we can achieve our goals with just 1.6 per cent of land taken from the Green Belt and allocated for development.”

To avert a potential housing crisis, the Local Plan aims to balance the needs of all residents, businesses and visitors. It will also protect the borough’s most important countryside, landscapes and heritage in planned, pragmatic and sustainable ways. The revised Local Plan was published on Tuesday 5 April 2016, having considered over 20,000 comments and questions received from local residents, businesses and organisations during the most recent public consultation. The Plan is also supported by detailed evidence using the best advice and forecasts available. A Consultation Statement will be issued in May 2016 highlighting the changes made.

Cllr Rooth continued: “We live in a prosperous, but expensive, borough which is seriously short of affordable housing. Average house prices here are about £450,000 and the private rental market is equally costly - you just have to look at prices on local estate agents’ particulars for sale or to let to understand the issues. Many people who work in the borough, including essential workers such as teachers, nurses, police officers and carers cannot afford to live here, whether in bought or rented accommodation.”

The lack of suitable affordable properties means many must commute into the borough adding to congestion on local roads. It also makes them susceptible to taking jobs nearer to home, creating employment recruitment and retention issues for employers across the borough. The Local Plan requires at least 80 per cent of new homes to have one, two or three bedrooms to ensure the borough has all types and sizes of homes for all parts of the community, supported by suitable infrastructure including transport, education and healthcare.

Cllr Rooth emphasised: “The Local Plan aims for 40 per cent of new homes to be affordable. The borough also needs many smaller homes available for all ages and needs. The young looking for a first home, older ’empty-nesters’ wanting to downsize and stay local and those wishing to move or work within the borough are hindered by the current limited choice of modest size homes.

“We need a practical and balanced approach to housing across our borough. We have an adequate supply of prime rural houses but a serious shortage of smaller more affordable homes, which may become a crisis if decisive action is not taken. We will lead the way to increase the much needed number and type of housing through the Local Plan. The Council has also taken charge of improving our travel infrastructure through the Transport Strategy 2016.”

Many sites in the borough, including some in the Green Belt, have been reviewed in detail to determine their suitability for housing. Only those that meet strict criteria have been included in the Local Plan. Each site will still require full planning permission, allowing further scrutiny. Once adopted, all future planning applications will be considered in line with the Local Plan, helping to limit piecemeal and inappropriate developments that fail to address the needs of everyone in the borough.

The revised Local Plan will be considered at Executive and Full Council meetings in May 2016. For further details and to view the revised plan please visit: Agenda for Special Meeting, Borough, Economy and Infrastructure Executive Advisory Board 13 April

For up-to-date news about the Guildford Borough Council Local Plan, please go to the Local Plan website, or follow discussions on Twitter @GBCPlanning.

Published on 19 April 2016