There was no debate on the Government’s imposition of the new housing target of nearly 2,000 homes per year at the May 2025 meeting Cheshire West and Chester Full Council – because the Labour administration refused to debate the critical issue.
Proposed by Cllr Martin Loftus, (Hartford and Greenbank, Con), Shadow Cabinet Member for Homes, Planning and Safer Communities, he wished Council to “express our concerns to government and the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) and seek a reduction of the housing target and/or create a reasonable period of grace within which any shortfall in the councils land supply may be set aside allowing the full weight of existing Local and Neighbourhood Plans be applied”, and to “write to express concerns and to seek assurances that the reforms will put local people first and local communities front and centre of reforms.”
Cllr Loftus remarked that:
”Historically, in Cheshire West and Chester, we have consistently met, indeed exceeded the previous government’s housing targets. That resulted in a substantial land supply figure, far in excess of the required 5 years.
“Yet despite this success, the new government have amended the national planning policy framework and in doing so has raised the annual housing target from 500 homes to 1,914 homes per year, without any period of grace whatsoever, the land supply figures have been decimated and reduced by well beneath the required 5 years.
“Developers are already submitting speculative applications, in some cases beyond current settlement boundaries, and in areas previously designated as Green Belt, in locations attractive to developers and perhaps in conflict with our local and neighbourhood plans.
“Worse, because planning regulations have no “to be completed by” requirement, developers may simply break ground and land bank the site to be developed at some future date of their choosing, which will not actually deliver the additional homes required.
“These changes to the NPPF have done little more than create an uncontrolled land bankers charter.”
Cllr Loftus, after the meeting, further explained that “We all understand that additional housing is required, but I hoped we would agree that communities have a vital role to play in shaping the future of the neighbourhoods.
“I don’t know if the Deputy Prime Minister, who is overseeing the changes to the NPPF, understands the impact of losing the 5 year housing supply, or whether she simply doesn’t care about them, I do know that because of the changes, communities ability to shape their futures is being diminished.”
Cllr Adrian Waddelove (Farndon, Con), Conservative Group Leader, summarised the meeting by saying:
“Since day one of its creation, Cheshire West and Chester has consistently overdelivered on its housing targets set by the Government of the day. The scale of the recent increase in housing targets, from 500 homes per year to 1,914 houses per year, without allowing reasonable time to reach this new target, undermines our existing Local & Neighbourhood Plans.
“As a consequence of the Council no longer having a 5 year land supply, communities are being deprived of the opportunity to help shape the future of their neighbourhoods and talks of further reforms to remove engagement in this area are deeply concerning to residents we represent.
“We wanted the Labour Leader of the Council, particularly in her role also as Leader of the all-Party Local Government Association, to remind national government that local views and input matter to shaping our communities and must be heard, not a top-down number imposed from Westminster.
“Yet again however, Labour side with party loyalty over the residents of our towns and villages and is another example of dodging debate on key issues as the Labour government’s imposition of a new housing target of nearly 2,000 houses per year starts to affect local communities. The local Conservatives will keep holding them to account.”
