2.5 Housing

2.5.1 The strategic housing policy is designed to ensure that over the remainder of the plan period sufficient housing will be built in the right places and of the right type to maximise the contribution it makes towards meeting identified needs. The key priority is to increase the supply of affordable housing and the Council will take every opportunity through its policies on housing numbers, distribution and housing types to maximise affordable housing provision.

Quantity and Supply of Housing

2.5.2 The number of dwellings to be built in North Norfolk is set at a regional level via the East of England Plan. The housing provision in the Consultation East of England Plan ⁵ recognised that North Norfolk should be an area of housing constraint, owing to its' environmental constraints and the attractiveness of the district for retirement in-migrants as well as the rural and peripheral nature of the district in relation to areas of job growth, thereby increasing long-distance car-commuting. However, as confirmed by the Strategic Housing Market Assessment ⁶ there is a high demand and need for housing in the District. In the context of the high level of affordable housing need, the Council requested a higher housing allocation, increasing the number proposed from 6,400 to 8,000 dwellings in the twenty year period between 2001 and 2021. At that time, the East of England Plan housing numbers were regarded as a net requirement, not a minimum provision, and, prior to the publication of PPS3 (in November 2006, after consultation on Preferred Options), estimates of windfall housing were included in the total housing provision. The Local Plan included no housing allocations as the housing requirement was able to be met through windfall development alone, with an average annual house completion rate of 380. On this basis, the higher number in the East of England Plan was requested in order to allow for larger allocations that would bring forward a higher level of affordable housing than could be achieved through windfall development alone and not simply to increase the overall housing number. 

2.5.3 By March 2007 approximately 2,060 dwellings had been built and a  further 1,510 already had planning permission (assuming a 10% lapse rate). This Core Strategy therefore proposes that land is allocated to accommodate an additional 2,700 to 3,400 dwellings and suitable sites will be identified in the Site Specific Proposals document. Thus the Core Strategy provides for nearly 7,000 dwellings from commitments and allocations. It is anticipated that at least 1,000 dwellings will come forward as windfall, in the form of small in-fill plots in the selected settlements, as affordable housing exception schemes and as barn conversions in locations adjacent to the selected settlements. In practice, based on past trends, windfall development is expected to be considerably higher than this figure. A Housing Trajectory for the District illustrating the main sources of housing and when it is expected to be provided is included in Figure 8 ‘Housing Trajectory 2001 - 2021’. Until adoption of the Site Specific Proposals document the district's five year housing land supply is reliant on existing commitment and other windfall development. Further information is provided in 4.3 ‘Housing Trajectory - 5 Year Land Supply’. Housing completions are monitored each year with results published in a Housing Land Availability Assessment and Annual Monitoring Reports. Existing housing commitment and the scale of proposed allocations seeks to ensure a regular supply of housing throughout the plan period bringing forward an average of 430 dwelling completions per year as required by the East of England Plan. The Housing Strategy provides for the erection of 9,488 dwellings on the basis that at least 8,000 of these will be built by 2021 and development rates will continue at annual average rates for at least the following three years thereafter.

Distribution and Phasing

2.5.4 The distribution of housing development will comply with the Spatial Strategy which aims to ensure that development takes place in the most sustainable locations in the District whilst addressing local needs. Individual sites will be identified in the Site Specific Proposals Development Plan Document. In some cases the level of growth proposed will not be possible without improvements in infrastructure, particularly utility provision, and development may therefore need to be delayed until improvements are made. Section 4 provides further details on the phasing of development.

Types of Site

2.5.5 In accordance with the national targets ⁷ the Strategy seeks to ensure that a minimum of 60% of dwellings are built on previously developed land. Where brownfield sites are available and the development of these will not prejudice other strategic objectives (such as the retention of an adequate supply of employment land) the Council will favour the identification of brownfield sites before the allocation of greenfield land. However in many of the Districts towns suitable large scale brownfield sites are not available and therefore greenfield releases will be necessary. Furthermore the Council considers that the proportion of affordable housing which could be delivered on greenfield allocations is likely to exceed that on brownfield land, where higher development costs may reduce the viability of providing affordable housing.

2.5.6 Historically a large proportion of housing development in the district has taken place on small scale development sites, many comprising developments of less than five dwellings. These developments have made little, if any, contribution towards addressing affordable housing needs or improvements to community facilities. By allocating sites that are large enough to accommodate ten or more dwellings the strategy will ensure that a greater proportion of new development contributes towards providing essential facilities (see Policy CT 2 ‘Developer Contributions’ ). Sites of this size may not be available or suitable for development in some locations where smaller allocations may be more appropriate.

Types of Accommodation

2.5.7 North Norfolk is part of the Rural East Anglia Housing Sub-Market and a Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA) of the sub-region has been undertaken by Fordhams Research. The study identifies the housing market in North Norfolk as being characterised by a high demand for housing, particularly from older and retired in-comers, creating high house prices in comparison with relatively low average wages. This is particularly pronounced in the coastal zone, to the west of the district. It notes that in North Norfolk 87% of the housing stock is market housing and that the stock is dominated by larger properties, (45% of properties are detached compared with only 22.5% for England as a whole), and a high proportion of bungalows, relative to other areas.

2.5.8 The North Norfolk Housing Needs Study 2007 identifies a District-wide need for some 921 affordable dwellings per year for five years (2007 - 2011), a figure which is more than double the required annual completion rate (for all types of dwelling) for the district as identified in the East of England Plan. It is therefore essential, if any meaningful contribution is to be made to address this need, that a high proportion of all new dwellings are affordable. The Study also indicates that by far the greatest need will be for social rented properties. The affordable housing percentage figures referred to in policy SS 3 are targets related to the total amount of new development in the District. The contribution that individual development proposals will make to affordable housing provision will vary from proposal to proposal (for example, single dwellings are not subject to affordable housing requirements). Individual site requirements are identified in policy HO 2.

Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation

2.5.9 Government policy ⁸ requires local authorities to allocate sites to meet any identified accommodation needs of Gypsies and Travellers and set out the criteria for the assessment of sites that are not allocated. The East of England Plan will provide a strategic framework for provision, however in the meantime government guidance requires that pitch provision and decisions on planning applications should be based on the latest available information on need within the region and the local area.

2.5.10 A study published by the East of England Regional Assembly in February 2007 to support the East of England Plan review of accommodation needs of Gypsies and Travellers found that there is no need for permanent caravan pitches in North Norfolk in the period to 2011. It is however recognised that needs may change during the plan period. The study did not however look at pitch provision for Transit (short stay) sites and said that it is for local authorities to consider this need based on local circumstances.

2.5.11 North Norfolk has traditionally experienced low levels of Gypsy and Traveller activity compared with other Districts in Norfolk, however Gypsies and Travellers do visit the area for short periods of time as they are passing through, visiting religious festivals, looking for work or for recreational purposes in the summer period. Typically these activities have occurred in the Fakenham, Walsingham and Cromer / Sheringham areas.

2.5.12 The Norfolk Protocol for the Consideration of Unauthorised Encampments, October 2005, to which North Norfolk District Council is a signatory partner, recommends that unauthorised encampments should be tolerated where they occur wherever possible. Occasionally however Gypsies and Travellers stop on pieces of land which are unacceptable due to operational use, proximity to sensitive uses etc. On such occasions there is often a need to seek to move the Gypsies and Travellers to a more suitable location, and sites need to be identified that will be reserved for these situations. These should be located in areas where they are likely to be required, as indicated by previous incursions and evidence on Gypsy and Traveller needs. 

2.5.13 Current evidence indicates that two ‘Short Stay Stopping Places’ should be identified – one in the Fakenham area and one in the Cromer / Sheringham area in order to meet the needs for alternative facilities when inappropriate unauthorised encampments are established. Access to these sites will be controlled and they will be managed by the Council and will only be used on an occasional temporary basis as required. The need may however change over time and in light of the East of England Plan review of Gypsy and Traveller accommodation provision.

2.5.14 Government funding is available for the provision of Gypsy and Traveller sites, and the Council will submit bids to deliver the sites required.