Decision on controversial local plan and Leicester's unmet housing need set to be deferred

Councillors in Harborough District are set to be asked to defer a decision on taking Leicester’s unmet housing need tonight.

Members of the authority will be asked by leader Cllr Phil Knowles to instead make a decision on December 18.

It follows a letter by Harborough MP Neil O’Brien to Cllr Knowles calling for a delay after it emerged an overhaul of the government rulebook on housing and planning is due to be published tomorrow (Tuesday).

A council spokesman said: “The Leader of Harborough District Council will ask members to defer decisions relating to the new Local Plan, including Leicester’s unmet housing need, at a meeting of full council.

“Following a letter from Harborough MP Neil O’Brien to Cllr Knowles, in which he requests a delay due to changes coming into effect next week to the National Planning Policy Framework, the leader will ask council that it defers its consideration of the Local Plan reports. A new meeting will be proposed at which the above reports can be considered, subject to council agreeing the deferment.”

The authority needs to decide on whether to accept more than 1,500 additional homes from the city’s unmet need, which would be built over the next 13 years.

Seven out of the nine authorities across Leicestershire have already signed a so-called ‘Statement of Common Ground’, agreeing to take on extra housing.

The council previously argued authorities in Leicestershire were bound by a planning rule known as the ‘Duty to Cooperate’ and if it does not sign the statement of common ground, it will be unlikely to get the next Local Plan adopted - putting the district at risk of speculative planning applications.

But MPs argue this would not be the case since the ‘duty to cooperate’ was abolished after the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill became law in October.

The local plan reports which the council leader will ask to be deferred include the Leicester and Leicestershire Statement of Common Ground, relating to housing and employment land needs, issues and options as part of a consultation into the local plan, local development scheme update and resources for the local plan.