Lack of Housing Supply in South Somerset
December 2022
South Somerset District Council has updated its housing land supply position.
The council’s latest Five-Year Housing Land Supply Paper suggests that they will be able to provide just 2,741 new homes of their housing land supply requirement of 3,717 homes (rounded) for the period April 2022 to March 2027. This means that they have a housing land supply equivalent to 3.7 years.
The housing land supply therefore remains below five years and has fallen from the 4.7-year supply the council published in its paper of September 2021.
The declining housing land supply has been affected by a number of factors, but is primarily attributed to the phosphates issue which has stymied development across the county and beyond.
Stephen Baimbridge, Associate with Greenslade Taylor Hunt, said: “The council’s lack of a five-year housing land supply presents opportunities for housing development in South Somerset. A further reduction in housing supply would indicate that the housing land deficit, and the window of opportunity that comes with it, should remain open a while longer. It would also suggest that even greater weight should be given to the benefits of housing in planning decision-making.
“The council’s housing land supply is dwindling primarily as a result of the phosphates issue affecting much of the district – and beyond. This has been an impediment to development in South Somerset since August 2020 and something that we have been grappling with ever since. We are now seeing a number of phosphate solutions bear fruit and planning permissions granted for residential development in areas affected by phosphates. We have recently published guidance on phosphates and some of the available solutions.”
GTH is a leader in development land and planning matters across the South West and works with landowners, developers and councils to provide solutions for much-needed housing across the region.
If you have land available for development in South Somerset and/or would like to speak further about phosphates and available solutions then please give the expert team a call on 01823 334466.
The council’s latest Five-Year Housing Land Supply Paper suggests that they will be able to provide just 2,741 new homes of their housing land supply requirement of 3,717 homes (rounded) for the period April 2022 to March 2027. This means that they have a housing land supply equivalent to 3.7 years.
The housing land supply therefore remains below five years and has fallen from the 4.7-year supply the council published in its paper of September 2021.
The declining housing land supply has been affected by a number of factors, but is primarily attributed to the phosphates issue which has stymied development across the county and beyond.
Stephen Baimbridge, Associate with Greenslade Taylor Hunt, said: “The council’s lack of a five-year housing land supply presents opportunities for housing development in South Somerset. A further reduction in housing supply would indicate that the housing land deficit, and the window of opportunity that comes with it, should remain open a while longer. It would also suggest that even greater weight should be given to the benefits of housing in planning decision-making.
“The council’s housing land supply is dwindling primarily as a result of the phosphates issue affecting much of the district – and beyond. This has been an impediment to development in South Somerset since August 2020 and something that we have been grappling with ever since. We are now seeing a number of phosphate solutions bear fruit and planning permissions granted for residential development in areas affected by phosphates. We have recently published guidance on phosphates and some of the available solutions.”
GTH is a leader in development land and planning matters across the South West and works with landowners, developers and councils to provide solutions for much-needed housing across the region.
If you have land available for development in South Somerset and/or would like to speak further about phosphates and available solutions then please give the expert team a call on 01823 334466.