Council labels new housing targets unrealistic

A Surrey council has urged the government to rethink its new housing targets which the local authority said were "unrealistic and unsustainable".

Waverley Borough Council (WBC) leader Paul Follows said the approach put it in an "impossible position", with its annual housing target more than doubling from about 710 to more than 1,450 homes.

Follows said: "We need a planning system that recognises local constraints, supports good plan-making, and ties growth to the infrastructure required to make it sustainable."

The Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government ((MHCLG)) said all areas must play their part to build homes, but this should not come at the expense of natural landscapes.

Follows said more than 80% of Waverley was green belt or part of the Surrey Hills National Landscape.

He explained: "The remaining land simply cannot absorb the level of development the government is demanding, not without unacceptable harm to our towns, villages and countryside."

WBC said it fully supported delivering more homes, including affordable housing, and had delivered numbers above previous targets.

However, it said nationally-imposed housing numbers are now pushing development in Waverley into the small proportion of land that is not protected, and development is taking place in areas that lack adequate infrastructure.

Liz Townsend, the council's portfolio holder for planning and economic development, said: "If these targets continue to be imposed without flexibility, the consequences for Waverley will be severe."

She said the council risked "overdeveloping our towns and rural villages, placing huge pressure on already-strained roads, public transport, schools, healthcare, and water and power utilities".

Townsend added: "We would also see the loss of valued green spaces and wildlife habitats, running directly against the government's own environmental goals."

The council is also urging the government to implement stronger safeguards for National Landscapes and other environmental designations, and to recognise the value of countryside beyond the green belt.

The MHCLG spokesperson added: "We've already been clear that brownfield land should be the first port of call, but councils must explore all options to build the homes their communities need, and this includes releasing low quality grey belt if brownfield alone isn't enough to meet local need."

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