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Structure Plan Chapter 4 - Jobs and Homes

4.3 - Homes

4.3.1

The Councils are required to ensure that a supply of land for housing is maintained to meet the area's long term requirements. The Plan's strategy seeks to encourage economic growth, promote sustainable locations and maintain the viability of rural communities. In this context, the housing proposals and policies plan for a range and choice of housing to meet future needs within quality living environments. The Plan encourages the redevelopment of brownfield sites and urban regeneration. It seeks to maintain a five year supply of housing land.

4.3.2

The amount of housing required to meet the needs of the area to 2017 is derived from the Scottish Executive household projections. The methodology for the assessment of the housing need is detailed in the background report of survey and summarised in Table 4.1. The level of new housing required reflects changes in the makeup of households rather than a large increase in population. In the future, there will be more single person households and a housing requirement for particular needs housing within a population which is becoming less based on traditional family units and which is also increasingly elderly.

4.3.3

The policies seek to meet these needs by securing the availability of land for housing throughout the Structure Plan period. The housing strategy seeks to secure a range and choice of housing types, prices and tenures to enable access by all sectors of the community. it is particularly concerned to promote social inclusion in the housing market.

4.3.4

The method used for calculating the new housing land requirement as indicated in Table 4.1 reflects the intention to plan for the entirety of the housing need based on the Scottish Executive projections. This accords with NPPG 3 `Land for Housing' and Planning Advice Note (PAN) 38 "Structure Plans: Housing Land Requirements". In determining the amount of new land to be allocated through the Local Plan process, the Plan seeks, however, to minimise the need for greenfield land release in line with the key principle of achieving sustainable development.

4.3.5

In this context, all new housing developments, including smaller sites of less than four houses and windfall sites which cannot be anticipated through the Local Planning process will be counted towards this requirement. Since it is impossible to anticipate the precise contribution of these sites, an estimate based on their performance over the last five years suggest that the total requirement can be reduced by 35% for Stirling and 20% for Clackmannshire. The contribution of such sites to the land requirement will be monitored, and the estimates reassessed at the first Structure Plan review.

4.3.6

An additional 15% is added to the new housing requirement to allow some flexibility in the land supply to help promote a range and choice of sites and to help offset potential delays in implementing long term growth areas. Brownfield sites will be prioritised through allocations in Local Plans to contribute to the housing requirements. The future use of brownfield sites for housing will also be promoted through specific identification of such opportunities through the Local Plan. Brownfield site use will also be monitored as a contribution towards Sustainable Development.

	Stirling	Clackmannanshire
Assessed housing Need (GRO 1996)*	7847	3802
Subtract assumed completions from base land supply (1998-2003)	1677	1814
Subtract assumed completions from potential land supply (2003-2008)	1128	692
Add Flexibility at 15%	756	194
Subtract Allowance for conversions, windfall and small sites **	1941	285
New Housing Land Requirement	3857	1205
Total new requirement for Structure Plan	5062

* The assessed housing need is taken from the GRO statistics making allowance for the effective and non effective housing stock, vacancies, demolitions/conversions, second and holiday Homes.

** From past trends this is estimated at 35% for Stirling and 20% for Clackmannanshire. This figure will be monitored and may be revised in a future Structure Plan review.

Housing Market Areas

4.3.7

Housing Market Areas are geographical areas where the majority of the people buying houses come from within that area. Research carried out with Communities Scotland, as detailed in the background report, has indicated that it is not possible to identify distinct housing market areas wholly within the Structure Plan area. Substantial movements take place within and from outwith the Structure Plan area hence it is impossible to identify market areas which comply with the Communities Scotland definition. The information presented in the background report does however indicate how the housing market operates within the Structure Plan area. This is a consideration in determining where new housing is best located to meet the needs of people within the Structure Plan area. Government advice as set out in PAN 38 indicates that in the absence of distinct housing market areas, the Council area should be the defined housing market. On this basis the housing allocation is split between the Clackmannanshire and Stirling Council areas.

Meeting Housing Needs

4.3.8

The private sector housing market is characterised by the inter-action of demand and supply in the provision and allocation of housing, where demand is determined by the household's willingness and ability to pay. Some sectors of the community are therefore excluded from access to new housing either due to price or to the fact that new housing does not meet their particular requirements. The term `affordable housing' is generally understood to define that part of the housing delivery system in which the primary aim is to provide housing for people who are unable to afford adequate housing at market prices. This applies to housing for rent as well as owner occupation. Adequate housing should be defined as a requirement for each household to have a self contained home which is of an acceptable physical standard and is appropriate to the size, structure, health status and locational needs of the household. Provision of adequate housing will therefore require a range of house types and sizes including particular needs housing and housing for sale and rent.

4.3.9

Analysis of housing provision in the Structure Plan area indicates that recent new development has focused on the provision of relatively large and expensive houses. Within the housing stock as a whole there is also an identified need for affordable and particular needs housing to cater for the needs of everyone in the community. This need is likely to increase given the projected increase in single person and elderly households, although recognising that single person households do not always equate to a need for small houses. New housing provision can however only have a limited effect in providing housing to meet a range of needs as the vast majority of housing demand is met by the resale of existing houses. The housing stock is increased by less than 1% each year by new houses. This means that policies guiding new housing provision need to be effective in meeting housing need within the Structure Plan area.

4.3.10

New housing development can contribute to the overall housing stock, provide a range of house types including affordable and particular needs housing and help to redress the imbalance in existing provision. Recent advice from Communities Scotland indicates the need to provide whole life housing, where slight adaptations to standard house designs can enable access by people with mobility problems. In order to deliver a range of house types, the planning system needs to work in partnership with the private sector, Local Authority housing strategies and plans, Communities Scotland and other social housing providers. Achieving a range and choice of housing.

Achieving a range and choice of housing

4.3.11

The Councils will be proactive in seeking to achieve a range and choice of housing whilst recognising that the planning system is only one way in which to secure such delivery. Local Plans, Masterplans and Development Briefs will specify appropriate proportions of different categories of housing on sites which will contribute to the new housing requirement. These proportions should reflect the needs as identified through the Council's Housing Plans and in consultation with Communities Scotland and Housing Associations. Joint research on the areas housing needs and the appropriate mix of housing to meet these needs, may be required to inform this process. Wherever possible, mechanisms will be sought to ensure that housing to meet affordable and particular needs is retained to meet these needs by requiring the private sector to work in partnership with Social Housing Providers. Housing available for rent from social housing providers may represent an effective means of addressing this issue given that a proportion of the population could not achieve a mortgage, even on a property costing £50,000. Other mechanisms to enable low cost home ownership or shared ownership may also be effective and it is important that affordable housing solutions are tailored to reflect local circumstances including income levels, house prices, tenure mix and the Councils' and housing associations' waiting lists. Rental levels should be in the same range as local Council and Housing Association accommodation.

4.3.12

It is anticipated that the provision of affordable and particular needs housing to meet the full range of housing needs from single person to family homes, may require some level of subsidy to complement private sector investment. This will require innovative partnership working between the private sector, Housing Associations, Communities Scotland, Clackmannanshire and Stirling Councils.

The Housing Requirement for Clackmannanshire

4.3.13

The allocation of land for housing is made on the basis of establishing a requirement for Clackmannanshire as a whole. This is considered justifiable in terms of NPPG3 "Land for Housing" which indicates that in the absence of distinct housing market areas the Council area should be the defined housing market.

4.3.14

The Council has reviewed the Clackmannanshire Local Plan. The Final Draft Local Plan has been prepared at the same time as this Structure Plan. The Final Draft Local Plan identifies the specific sites to meet the strategic housing land requirements (Proposal HP1). This will allow developers, housebuilders and the Clackmannanshire community to have a clear understanding of the Council's proposals and of how the strategic policies and proposals in the Structure Plan will impact at the site specific Local Plan level.

4.3.15

In prioritising land for development within the Local Plan, the first choice will be appropriate brownfield sites within urban areas. Thereafter priority will be given to bring forward presently unallocated land within long term growth areas already identified in the Clackmananshire Local Plan and other smaller phased development areas. Brownfield land and established development areas will not provide sufficient land to meet the Structure Plan housing land requirement. The search for the balance of new housing sites requires to be pursued in the Local Plan for the period to 2017.

4.3.16

In Alva, Clackmannan, Dolla r, Muckhart, Menstrie and Tullibody, strategic constraints including sensitive Green Belt boundaries, landscape characteristics and potential liability of low lying areas to flooding, mean that further development outwith the settlement boundaries already defined in the Adopted Local Plan will not be favoured. Exceptions to this would only arise if the housing land requirement could not be met elsewhere. Equall y, the strategic importance of the Ochils Area of Great Landscape Value means that further expansion of housing to the north of the Hillfoots towns, onto the slopes of the Ochils, beyond present commitments will also not be supported. Given the extent of these constraints, the areas of search for additional land to meet Structure Plan housing requirements will be concentrated around Alloa (North West Alloa), the Tillicoultry/ Coalsnaughton area and potentially in the Rural Villages Area. There are opportunities to expand the established settlements within these areas, including Forestmill. Such development may serve to bring forward the essential investment in infrastructure, community facilities, sensitive landscape screening and job creation generally.

The Housing Requirement for Stirling

The Housing Strategy

4.3.17

In Stirling, as in Clackmannanshire, the Local Plan will identify specific sites for new housing. The amount of new housing required, the geographical area to which it relates and the lack of current infrastructure capacity mean, however, that it is necessary for the Plan to provide some further locational guidance. This will enable a degree of locational certainty to guide key agencies, infrastructure providers and other service providers over the Plan period. It will also provide clarity to the public as it identifies those communities and areas which are most likely to be affected by new development. The housing strategy is based on the principle of concentrating development in locations which are best suited to meet the Plan's overall objectives.

The Locational Framework

4.3.18

In reflecting the overall strategy of the Plan, the new housing allocation is split between the Core Area and the Rural Centres. Whilst a moderate level of growth is anticipated to come forward in a number of settlements as indicated in Table HP2 the majority is to be delivered through a major growth area, which may be in the form of a completely new community. Considerations such as landscape, infrastructure capacity, operation of the housing market, opportunities to promote accessibility, social inclusion and urban regeneration have all been taken into account in determining Proposal HP2. The Stirling West allocation is largely made up of the anticipated new housing expected to be delivered in the Raploch through the Castleview Regeneration project.

4.3.19

Achieving an appropriate mix of housing through Proposals HP2, HP3 and policies H4 and H5 to tackle the full range of Stirling's housing needs will be a key priority. In this respect Stirling Council would anticipate that at least 25% of the total housing stock will be retained as affordable housing. A full explanation of the rationale for the housing strategy is included in the background report and summarised in terms of the overall strategy of the Plan in Chapter one.

Due to the large numbers involved and the current lack of infrastructure capacity in the Stirling area, Proposal HP2 includes phasing arrangements. This phasing is based on the premise of maintaining a five year land supply and allowing for appropriate lead times for the infrastructure which will be required to support this level of development as well as encouraging brownfield redevelopments. Other agencies such as East of Scotland Water (ES W) and Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) will have a key role in delivery of the appropriate infrastructure to ensure that the housing requirement can be met within the required timescale. The Community Plan, which these agencies have already signed up to, provides an appropriate framework to secure a partnership approach to the delivery of the necessary infrastructure.

4.3.20

Some of the Phase 2 allocation could be moved forward, if early implementation of the proposed major growth area can be secured and justified in terms of a shortfall in the five year land supply. The housing requirement indicated post 2008 should be viewed only as a general indication of the amount of new housing that is likely to be required over the longer term.

Stirling's Major Growth Area

4.3.21

The area of search for this is indicated in Fig. 2.2 and includes a broad swathe of land sweeping round from the River Forth to the east of Stirling right round to Plean and the motorway in the South East. This area was selected as it best conforms with the overall sustainable development objectives of the Plan, is least sensitive in terms of the overall setting of Stirling, could offer the possibility of rail access, has good accessibility to the road network and could offer urban regeneration benefits for the Eastern Villages.

4.3.22

The Major Growth Area proposal is distinctive in that it moves away from a field by field approach to house building and towards an integrated and comprehensively planned approach to the delivery of a large proportion of the new housing requirement. This approach is adopted in order to tackle some of the problems associated with recent housing development. By seeking to ensure appropriate infrastructure, quality, distinctiveness, open space, local facilities and accessibility by car, on foot, by bike and by public transport the Council will promote a sense of place and community in the new settlement(s). This will include the adoption of innovative approaches to energy efficiency, design and layout incorporating principles such as homezones, safe routes to school and sustainable transport options. To achieve this, the Council will expect to play a lead role in the preparation and subsequent implementation of a Masterplan(s). The mechanisms for the Council's partnership role in delivery of the proposal need to be further developed in bringing forward this allocation through amendment to the Stirling Local Plan. The Council's involvement will however be based around the premise of securing the Structure Plan's objectives as well as those of the Community Plan and the Council's wider sustainability, social inclusion, local democracy and economic development agenda.

Stirling's Rural Area

4.3.23

Research undertaken with Communities Scotland on the operation of the housing market in the rural area, indicates that a high proportion of people buying houses in these areas move from outwith the Structure Plan area. The provision of large scale housing development in these areas is therefore unlikely to contribute significantly towards the needs of people already in the Structure Plan area. This trend is particularly prevalent in the south west where the majority of people buying houses come from the Glasgow area.

4.3.24

The rural areas also have limited local employment , high dependency on commuting, lack of services and other facilities, sensitive landscape settings and other constraints. The approach to housing in the rural area must also reflect Stirling Council's desire to exercise a precautionary approach to new development within the area of the proposed Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. There is, however, a recognised need to provide for new housing which will aid rural sustainability objectives.

4.3.25

In this context, Callander, Balfron and Doune are identified as the key centres serving the rural area. They support a range of existing local services including, in the case of Callander and Balfron, secondary schools. Sensitive expansion of these settlements, to sustain and enhance their existing role, is consistent with the overall objectives of the Plan. Alteration to the Stirling Local Plan will identify the appropriate split of housing between these settlements following further public consultation Outwith these areas, no specific requirements are set for the identification of housing land. Policies H4 and H5 do, however, provide some opportunity for new housing development outwith these Rural Centres. These policies reflect both the differences in the operation of the housing market and the differing pressures facing communities between the Upland area and the Rural Villages Area as identified in the strategy.

4.3.26

Outwith the identified Rural Centres, the wider Rural Villages Area is under considerable market pressure for new housing and experiences high levels of commuting. In line with the Plan's sustainable development strategy, a more restrictive approach to new housing is therefore adopted in this area limiting development to small infill sites or to affordable or particular needs housing. In the past, planning policy has tended to refer to local needs housing provision in the rural villages but this has not always been successfull in delivering affordable housing. It is now regarded as more appropriate to place the main emphasis on affordability as it is this factor that tends to restrict local access to housing. Housing proposals in the countryside area outwith settlements will be assessed against policy H6.

4.3.27

Policy H4 emphasises the role of social housing providers as it is unlikely that without the incentive of market housing or public subsidy, the private sector will find low cost or particular needs housing commercially viable. In addition it has historically proven difficult to resist more expensive housing on such sites or to secure the retention of private sector housing to meet affordable housing needs in perpetuit y. Restriction of larger scale development to affordable and special needs housing means it is likely to be brought forward by housing associations or other appropriate social housing providers who are in a much stronger position than the planning system to manage occupancy and to secure retention to meet future needs. There will, however, in some circumstances continue to be a role for the use of Legal agreements/occupancy conditions to ensure that affordable housing can be secured and retained to meet future needs. In some settlements where there are particularly acute pressures, it may be appropriate, through Local Plans, to restrict small sites of less than four houses in this way.

4.3.28

The Upland Area experiences less market pressure, and the distances involved discourage daily commuting. Housing development in this area of an appropriate scale can play an important role in sustaining local communities, tourism and services as well as stemming rural depopulation. Appropriate new housing development in these areas is therefore encouraged within existing settlements. The policy however recognises that not all communities in this area are distinct settlements with easily identifiable boundaries. These communities are of a more dispersed nature, but are still distinct rural communities, within which some limited new single house development could be consistent with the Plan's sustainability objectives. This is a sensitive issue which will require clear planning guidance if a balance between supporting rural communities and protecting the environment is to be struck. Further detailed guidance on Dispersed Rural Communities will be defined in the Local Plan but will include the requirement to relate to the existing built and landscape character of the area.

4.3.29

Whilst the Callander, Balfron and Doune housing land requirement contributes quantifiably to the overall housing requirement, the extent to which new affordable housing and housing for general needs in the Upland Area will contribute is more difficult to predict. A large proportion of this housing is likely to be on small plots of less than 4 houses, and an allowance is made in Table 4.1 for the expected contribution of these sites. It is possible, however, that some larger sites will come forward for affordable housing in settlements within the Rural Villages Area and for general/affordable needs housing in the Upland Area. The contribution of these sites will be monitored and there will be scope to adjust the amount of new housing required in the latter stage of the Plan period to reflect their performance.

NB. Settlements within the Rural Villages Area and Upland Area are listed in Figures 2.2/ 2.3. The communities to which the definition of Dispersed Rural Communities will apply are defined in the glossary.

Housing in the Countryside

4.3.30

There is significant pressure throughout the area for new housing in the countryside, particularly in Clackmannanshire given the limited area of Countryside between towns. National policy provides a framework which strongly resists such development unless it meets a proven requirement in association with an enterprise or activity requiring a countryside location or is consistent with Policy H5 which allows for some limited housing development to sustain Dispersed Rural Communities, or where in other exceptional circumstances sites are allocated in Local Plans for development particularly to enable restoration of a Listed Building.

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