East of England Report – October 2015
“It wasn’t the ideal site but on balance we felt that if we refused it
and it went to appeal it would almost certainly be approved by the
inspectors. We haven’t got a five-year land supply and….that’s
why we approved it”
David Levett, planning portfolio holder for North Hertfordshire District Council
regarding plans for 150 homes at Ivy Farm, Royston.
The Housing Crisis, the missing 5-year housing land supply and councils
frightened to refuse big developers
Many local authorities in the region lack a five-year supply of deliverable sites making
them vulnerable to opportunistic developers; not a new threat, but one that has
become particularly acute of late. A BBC investigation reported that councils in the
region feel forced to back housing developments because they are frightened of the
cost of trying to fight them. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-31201782

Progress of Core Strategies
North Hertfordshire, Epping, Brentwood, Harlow, Basildon stand out as areas where
draft plans are yet to be published. The issue of addressing spiralling housing
numbers has been a major obstacle in plan preparation. Then again, since the 1919
Housing Act local authorities have been under a duty to survey the housing needs in
their district and to plan accordingly.
Planning produces a useful, interactive, map of Local Authorities’ progress in
developing Core Strategies: http://www.planningresource.co.uk/go/localplan_maps
Detail is also given of local plan progress month by month.

Planning applications triple in West Norfolk as council caught short
Following the Council’s defeat in a High Court challenge to new homes at
Clenchwarton, Kings Lynn, the local authority was found to be lacking an adequate
housing supply. Unsurprisingly it has since witnessed a three-fold increase in
applications
http://www.edp24.co.uk/property/planning_applications_triple_in_west_norfolk_as_co
uncil_caught_short_by_lack_of_land_1_4254688

Suffolk Council confident that lack of five year supply does not mean
“development free for all”
The Mid Suffolk Planning Portfolio holder was quoted as saying that the lack of a five
year housing land supply did not mean a development free for all in north Suffolk. He
contested that existing development policies were robust protection
http://www.dissexpress.co.uk/news/latest-news/lack-of-housing-supply-does-notmean-development-free-for-all-councillor-1-6846878
October 2015
1

North Hertfordshire: compliant housing plan remains distant?
Baldock, North Hertfordshire, is threatened with 2,800 homes on green belt beside it
– hugely increasing a town of some 4,500 homes. Proposed developments
elsewhere in the area are also causing local uproar. There is a perception among
some that that many councils are bending over backwards not to reject applications
outright but to reach some kind of compromise rather than risk a costly appeal –
particularly from the larger developers who may be seen to favour green-field sites.
http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/news/article-3262613/As-Britain-s-housingcrisis-deepens-Meet-nimbys-thwart-Osborne-s-plan-build-million-homes.html

Leicestershire Council lose in High Court over lack of five year supply
If councils needed another reminder of the difficulties of being caught between the
Government’s NPPF requirements for a five-year housing land supply and those
determined to protect their vision of the local environment it came in July. The High
Court decided that Oadby Council was wrong to challenge the inspector’s decision to
approve a 150 home development because it could not demonstrate a five-year
housing land supply. Quite how the Government’s ‘localism’ agenda fits into this
familiar
story
is
a
mystery.
http://www.planningresource.co.uk/article/1355362/council-fails-legal-challenge-fiveyear-housing-supply-approval

The future: suburban
countryside?
homogeneity
with
a
sanitised,
reduced,
The English countryside has evolved over millennia. Still, as Simon Jenkins recently
put it “the fate of lowland Britain, if current politics is any guide, is that of America’s
New Jersey or Connecticut. It is a continuous, lightly forested sprawl of gated
residential development.”
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/aug/13/farmers-protests-milkprices-alarm-rural-economy
Green Belt: the occasional successful defence

Greg Clark: Green belt trumps housing need….sometimes
The Communities Secretary refused appeals from a developer in respect of a
development in St Albans. Accepting that the district Council faced a significant
shortfall in its five-year housing supply, nonetheless Clark decided that the harm to
the
green
belt
outweighed
all
other
considerations.
http://www.planningresource.co.uk/article/1359736/green-belt-trumps-housing-needlatest-secretary-state-decision

….loss of green belt in Essex
Rochford District Council have approved 500 homes partially on the green belt at
Rayleigh. Dismissing 368 objections, the scheme was given the go ahead following
its emergence as one of the preferred sites to contribute to the area’s identified
housing need. http://www.planningresource.co.uk/article/1366881/plans-approved500-essex-homes
October 2015
2

….and loss of green belt in Bedfordshire
Central Bedfordshire District Council have granted outline permission for 1,850
homes near Houghton Regis. Consent was given in spite of an acknowledgement
that the site was wholly within the green belt and that there would be “a degree of
related harm” but insisted that exceptional circumstances required under the NPPF –
presumably
housing
need
outweighed
this
harm.
http://www.planningresource.co.uk/article/1357483/plans-approved-1850bedfordshire-green-belt-homes

Cambridge Green Belt review recommended by Inspector
In June the Local Plan Inspector issues preliminary conclusions recommending that
the Cambridge EIP be suspended because of concerns over development strategy,
objectively
assessed
housing
need
and
the
Green
Belt
http://www.csaenvironmental.co.uk/2015/06/24/inspector-recommends-suspensionof-cambridge-city-and-south-cambs-local-plan-examination/
In
particular
the
Inspector identified shortcomings with the Green Belt Review.

Building in green belt increases ‘fivefold’ since 2009/10
According to the BBC the number of new homes approved on green-belt land has
increased five-fold nationally in the last 5 years. So, in 2009-10 permission was
granted for 2,258 homes whereas by 2014-15 this had increased to 11,977. The
Government was keen to point out that it was up to local authorities to decide the
future of the greenbelt http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-32998019
Elsewhere in planning…..

Supreme Court rules Norfolk factory expansion can proceed despite
flaws in environmental assessment process
Proposals to extend a Norfolk factory close to the River Wensum were given the goahead by five Supreme Court judges in spite of clear legal defect in the procedure as
there was no evidence that North Norfolk District Council would have reached a
different decision had an EIA been conducted prior to the grant of planning
permission. http://www.out-law.com/en/articles/2015/july/supreme-court-rules-factoryexpansion-can-proceed-despite-flaws-in-environmental-assessment-process/

‘Heart of Northstowe’: first part of planning permission for 3,500 homes
Plans to deliver the new homes and town centre squeezed through the early stages
of
planning
permission.
http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Heart-Northstowesecures-planning-permission-3/story-26761568-detail/story.html. The Bishop of Ely
turned the turf at a ceremony to mark the first building starting at Northstowe – a new
primary school. The school is due to accept its first intake in September 2016. Phase
1 of the new town will include 1,500 homes – some 300 of which will be affordable
housing. No more than 1500 homes can be built until the A14 upgrade is complete.
http://www.northstowe.com/news-archive/2015-07
October 2015
3

Neighbourhood Planning: apathy in the East
A glance at the map at http://neighbourhoodplanner.org.uk/map - showing existing
plans throughout England – reveals limited enthusiasm for neighbourhood planning
in the region. Still, in September the Bishop’s Stortford Plan for Silverlys and Meads
was formally incorporated into the local plan, while the Examiner’s Report was
released into the South Wootton plan 2015-2026 in King’s Lynn and West Norfolk
recommending that the referendum should be held in the neighbourhood area.

New report shows how to increase densities in cities
A report by the Urban Land Institute and TH Real Estate sets out how to successfully
increase urban density. The study, based on six European cities including London
and Birmingham, highlights the need for long-term planning rather than a piecemeal
approach and the need to explain why densification can be a positive rather than a
negative; for example in terms of transport. http://europe.uli.org/report/the-densitydividend/
Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs)

New Anglia LEP
New Anglia is calling for the urgent dualling of the A1307 between Haverhill and A11
noting that “its upgrading is a key pillar to the 4,000 new homes that will be built in
the West of Suffolk.” There is a suggestion that the solution would be to build a new
road north of its existing route. http://www.newanglia.co.uk/2015/10/12/businessleaders-launch-campaign-for-key-suffolk-road/

Greater Cambridgeshire Greater Peterborough LEP (GCGP)
GCGP reported from a regular meeting involving local authorities, businesses and
others concerning the future of the RAF bases at Mildenhall, Alconbury and
Molesworth; particularly the withdrawal of the US Air Force operations. Alternative
uses for the sites was a major topic and a plan to build a further 1,400 homes at
Alconbury was raised. http://www.gcgp.co.uk/2015/08/usaf/

RTPI: highlights need for stronger, clearer, planning remit for LEPs
A new report by the Royal Town Planning Institute argues that LEPs could play a
critical role in devolution and in promoting economic growth, but are held back by
their unclear status and unfamiliarity with planning. It raised concerns over an
apparent lack on integration between LEP’s plans for growth and local authorities’
joint housing provision plans and noted that LEPs continued to operate “with an
opaque remit and lack firm institutional foundations”. http://www.rtpi.org.uk/briefingroom/news-releases/2015/july/local-enterprise-partnerships-and-devolution/
Energy

Peterborough wind farm: application rejected on grounds of ‘noncompliance’ with new community backing test
Overruling the inspector’s recommendations Greg Clark refused plans for four wind
turbines north of Peterborough. Referring to adverse impact on the character and
October 2015
4
visual amenity of the landscape, he gave significant weight to the applicant’s noncompliance with requirements to address planning impacts identified by locals.
http://www.planningresource.co.uk/article/1365034/clark-cites-non-compliance-newcommunity-backing-test-fresh-wind-farm-refusal

New Barnfield Incinerator: refused again
Veolia’s controversial energy from waste facility at New Barnfield near Hatfield was
rejected again. The drawn out saga focused on proposals from Hertfordshire County
Council to remove the site from the green belt. It would appear that Clark’s decision
may have been different had the County Council’s position been more firmly that the
site
would
be
removed
from
the
green
belt.
http://www.planningresource.co.uk/article/1356596/second-secretary-state-refusalgreen-belt-incinerator-scheme
Campaigners Hatfield Anti Incineration have welcomed Veolia’s decision not to
challenge the latest decision as ‘final victory’ but have urged Hertfordshire County
Council to end its contract with Veolia – suspecting that Veolia are trying to locate the
incinerator
in
another
part
of
the
county.
http://blog.hatfield-antiincineration.co.uk/#home

Cambridgeshire: the nation’s solar farm bright spot?
An application was submitted for a 121-acre 28MW solar farm north of Sawston. A
map produced by South Cambridgeshire District Council showed another 23 solar
farms which had either been built, had planning permission or were under
construction.
http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Solar-farm-rush-24-built-SouthCambridgeshire-countryside-plans-Sawston-installation/story-22370403detail/story.html

National Infrastructure Planning
The region has seen seventeen projects appear before the body – the reincarnation
of the IPC. November will see the deadline for the examination of the A14
Huntingdon to Cambridge improvement scheme. Meanwhile the examination of the
Palm Paper 3 Plant in Kings Lynn has concluded. The project is for a new gas fired
plant to provide power for internal use at the Palm Paper Mill.
http://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/eastern/
Transport

St Albans’ Council decide against appeal on rail freight interchange
Following the local authority’s challenge to the Secretary of State’s decision to grant
planning permission for a strategic rail freight interchange near St Albans, the council
applied to the Court of Appeal for permission to dismiss this appeal. The application
was refused on the basis that the grounds of appeal did not have a real prospect of
success.
http://www.stalbans.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/pressroom/items/2015/july/2015-07-03-council-decides-not-to-take-forward-appeal-on-railfreight-court-decision.aspx

Norwich Northern Distributor Road (NNDR): massive funding gap
October 2015
5
The cost of the controversial new 12.5 mile road from the A47 at Postwick to the
A1067 has soared from £148 million to £178 million – approximately £14 million per
mile. It would appear that the funding gap will be filled one third by the Government,
one third from the New Anglia LEP with the balance from the local council.
http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/politics/deal_on_the_table_to_plug_30m_norwich_nort
hern_distributor_road_funding_gap_1_4201131
Councillor Toby Cooke, supporting the project, predicts that once the NDR opens in
2017 the case for a western link from the A1067 to the A47 would be “utterly
compelling”.
http://www.thebrecklandview.com/2015/09/02/green-light-for-norwichnorthern-distributor-road/

£2 billion roads plan East of England
The Government announced how they would spend £2 billion earmarked for the
region’s roads between 2015 and 2021. Unsurprisingly schemes include a number of
projects previously announced, with some already under way, such as the A5-M1
Link Dunstable Northern Bypass, as well as upgrading of the A14 between
Cambridge and Huntingdon and increased capacity to the A1 (M) in Hertfordshire as
well as dualling the A428 in western Cambridgeshire.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/details-of-2-billion-roads-plan-for-the-east-ofengland

Luton Airport expansion given go-ahead
The local authority have now signed off the final details for the £100 million
expansion of the airport. Designed to increase passenger capacity from 12 million to
18 million per year by 2031, it will also see expansion of the airport terminal and
access road upgrading. Great stress is laid on the spur to economic growth that this
should provide but rather less to the nation’s massive balance of payments deficit
when
it
comes
to
travel
and
tourism.
http://www.lutontoday.co.uk/news/politics/airport-expansion-takes-flight-as-plansgiven-final-consent-1-6155014
The airport has submitted an application to its owner, Luton Borough Council, to
‘simplify’
noise
limits
–
possibly
to
less
stringent
levels.
http://www.airportwatch.org.uk/uk-airports/luton-airport/luton-airport-news/

New Cambridge North railway station gets planning approval
The new station next to Cambridge Science Park is due to open in December 2016,
though previous delays in the project suggest that further slippage may be possible.
http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/New-44m-Cambridge-North-station-openDecember/story-27642565-detail/story.html
Rural matters

Ash dieback – merely taking a breather in the region
Reports from the East Anglian Region Tree Warden Forum make depressing reading
for all who care about the ash and, by definition, our landscape. It is believed that the
next year or two will see a steep rise in the disease, particularly as more mature trees
tend to exhibit different symptoms from trees under the age of about 12. Solutions
October 2015
6
are thin on the ground but emphasise even more the need to protect the woodland
and hedgerows that define the landscape. In examining planning applications extra
attention needs to be paid to landscaping and ensuring that developers submit an
arboricultural impact assessment (BS5837).

The end of an EEEF
It was confirmed that the East of England Environment Forum would be dissolved.
The group – made up of representatives of various organisations – made a
contribution to regional planning and served as a useful opportunity to share matters
of concern.
The information and views set out in this article are those of the author and do not
necessarily reflect the official views of CPRE. Neither CPRE nor any person acting
on their behalf may be held responsible for the use which may be made of the
information contained therein.
October 2015
October 2015
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